Ascoteer

Reaches fer her Skillett...

Erm, Sea Eagle started production in 1982, but while there had been test firings, it did not enter service until 1985 (initially on Buccaneer).

I'll take the 'slightly mad maiden aunt who regularly gets pished on Bushmills' slot.

In retort: But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.

I sense a Shakespeare moment. Methinks he doth protest too much.

The velveteen cover remained attached. You scrunched it down to cover the gap between the visors and the helmet to give you some degree of protection from 'MDC Splatter' should you have to eject. Later (mid/late 1980s) a plastic bar was added to fill the gap WRT flying gloves, the cape leather type were white (the green ones used in RAFG were gradually removed from service because the Groundcrew had difficulty seeing the pilot's hand signals), however the Immersion Gloves remained dark green. The photo of the GR3 pilot is post Falklands because that's a later helmet. In 1982 the issue helmet was the Mk3B as in Dave's photo's.

That would be a piece of wee wee to scratch up PC. Especially if you based it on the Trumpeter sides. A bit of 10 thou plastikard and some microstrip and Robert's yer Ma's brother!

I'd drive it!

X-Ray Spex? Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard But I say... Oh Bondage! Up yours! Good ol' Poly-Styrene

It does seem strange. I've a Lancaster MkII to build with no warpage, yet the Whitley has a few (admittedly minor) problems. I too spent a lot of time on dry runs before applying any solvent! It's just little niggles really (for eg the vertical fins don't fit as snugly as they should) and rather disappointing given that what I wanted (part way through my Albert saga and all the corrections / modifications that needs) was a relaxing OOB build. However what really annoys me is stuff like the lower rear fuselage joint. That justshould not happen on a new tool kit, especially one that costs the best part of £25. Fortunately 'souping' has cured the problem but I now need to rescribe some panel lines.

Yup, yup!

I know General Melchett also had an issue with the fuselage joint so it maybe we both have 'Friday afternoon' kits.

Oi! No throwing missiles around in my thread, that's my job! So, the Airfix sub-assembly construction madness continues... Airfix would have you build up the rear fuselage section as a unit and then mate it to the centre section wing sub-assembly. Yeah, that will work not! Doing it that way will inevitibly lead to a prounounced step at the joint. I therefore elected to attach the rear fuselage sans roof such that I could support the joint between the 2 sections. I did this with a piece of scrap sprue whilst the joint set, which was then later removed. Once that was set, then I added the roof: My roof part was a tad warped and fit had to be 'assisited'. You'll notice that the forward starboard joint looks poor - it's not yet stuck down since I am working from rear to front and need to work out a way of supporting the joint as it sets.

They must have had explosive bolts in the early days then. The tank on our T5 was held on by a pair of hooks and a pair of threaded fasteners.

Firestreak had a faceted pointed glass seeker head. Red Top had a domed seeker. The covers for both were red plastic.

You'd have to turn it into an F3. The large tank on the F6 wasn't removeable in the same way as the small tank on the F1/F1A/F2/F3/T5. I did a combat trip in a tub (T5) with Jim Wild. We were in 'burner from coasting out to coasting back in (2 splits IIRC). We logged 15 minutes but I know for a fact it was closer to 11!

Bill I was 18! And yes I was totally poo-poo ratfaced! Ian if you are over here for Christmas it might be cool to meet up. You know, Lady Verney High Scool meets John Hampden Grammar School!

I asked because we did a few 'Lunch of the Month' pushes out that way when I was at Strike Command. But, sadly, the world isn't what it was. Historically my local was the Royal Standard at Forty Green - I crawled home through the woods (totally ratfaced) at least once).

Ah! That became an Indian restaurant

The Polecat or the Chequers Tree Ian?

Mmm Adnams...

Welcome Pete and Steve. Custard cremes are over there...

<<< Irish redhead. Worse still... <<< Ulster redhead and descended from the Uí Néill. Although the propensity of Corvidae to continually surround me might give you some idea as to who watches over me...If you see me washing clothes at a ford, RUN, just RUN! (It won't do you any good tho).

Forward fuselage closed up and joined to centre section. Nacelles fitted. I must confess I'm not that impressed with the way Airfix break down the sub assemblies - I needed a certain amout of filler in order to blend the nacelles in. I'm also not fully impresed with some of the moulding. I don't know whether Airfix have a problem with the injection pressure or the injection temperature but what should be nice crisp right angled-edges are just, well, not. Take a look at the rear fuselage section lower joint and you'll see what I mean: This is the sort of rubbish I'd expect from a 'shot' mould not a brand new kit! Methinks I'm going to have to get the 'soup' out.

See. I am the sort of bloody minded individual that would stand right in the way of such a vehicle and then sue the living daylights out of the driver if they so much as caressed me. Actually no, scrub that. I am the sort of bloody minded individual that would batter such a driver to within a sixteenth of an inch of their life with the 'Battle of Ballymurphy Memorial Skillet'...