bobsyouruncle

I'm not a Tornado expert, just a keen admirer who's got a few books, so please feel free to dive in and correct me here. I think in the rear cockpit, the Italeri top console area looks pretty good for an early GR4 (no later version TARDIS), whereas the lower panel, just behind the central 'stick' looks like the German/Italian IDS and ECR (the same as the Revell kit)? The Aires resin rear seat lower panel looks pretty good for a regular GR4 to my eyes? For my purposes, I was always going to mix and match and scratch in the cockpit, as I want to model the 617 'Special tail' GR4 't

I remember building one of these in my teens and couldn't help feeling disappointed that it just didn't seem to look like the 1-11s I used to see at the airport (in those days I just built what was in the box and trusted it all to be right). Yours completely nails the look that I remember of the 1-11 though, with that sharp looking nose and the cockpit glass just looks so right. A real pleasure to look at. Superb.

Absolutely gorgeous. So impressed by the paintwork. Incredibly realistic and very pleasant to stare at.

https://www.italeri.com/en/product/2920 Just checked Italeri's site looking for news on the 32nd Tornado and noticed the B-52 has appeared now.

I see Italeri have put a new 'taster' up about this kit on the scrolling bar at the top of their home page today, listing some of the features (opening radar nose, 4 RAF schemes , rubber and plastic wheels/tyres to list some of them) and what looks to be some new artwork of a different jet to the one in the original art carrying the smaller underwing tanks rather than the 'hindenburgers'. https://www.italeri.com/en

Thanks all for the generous confidence building comments. It can only go downhill from here then. Whilst I wasn't really happy with the kit visor and moulded on straps, mask and oxygen hose details, I thought the face actually looked ok so went with that. I think it helps if you've got the pilot wearing a mask (cheating a bit?). I watched a couple of youtube face painting tips videos and used oil paints. I'd never attempted to paint the 'whites' of the eyes until I saw it done in a video. The technique shown was to use vertical strokes down across the eye initially. I

..you got to be startin something, I say you wanna be startin somethin, you got to be startin somethin.. I guess the Michael Jackson lyrics are pretty apt to what's going on here at the moment. With a 48th scale Lightning F6, 24th scale Hawker Typhoon and a Type IXC42 U boat on the go at the moment, along with a Phantom FGR2 and B26 Marauder oil paintings, it would be poor discipline to be even contemplating starting anything else until these are finished off? Then again, if you manage to get a break from work and something takes your fancy in your bit of spare time, then

Thanks again for posting up all the information and pictures. Like James says, that's a great shot (number two in post #26 above, with the four Harriers in close formation). Nick, thanks again. I was looking at that last shot in post #26 of XZ993 - (the one via Tony Westwood) and wondered if that aircraft in the background might well be a contender for the one which 'donated' the engine panel to XZ997 (looking at the reciprocal camouflage 'step' in demarcation on this engine panel)? Plenty of information to work from now, so will crack on, thanks again all. Chee

Thanks for all the great information, Gents, it's very much appreciated. Nice to have some choice options with 'O', between plain nosed and 1453 flight emblems and IFR probe or not. Thanks again to all. Cheers Bob.

Thanks very much for going to that trouble for me, Trevor and for putting the photos up, it's very much appreciated. It's great to be able to match a date to the photos and to see how the aircraft looked for that specific time slot. Don't apologise at all for the air to air shots at all as In most of the other photos I've seen of 'O', she wasn't fitted with the IFR probe, so these are great for showing this. Not great for you to be having to work on a boxing day, but you got some great shots that I'm very grateful for. I've recently been looking at this video clip on yout

Hi Nick, Thanks very much for that. The sheep badge sounds very much like the one I'd seen for the Phantoms of 1435 flight (I'm still wondering if it's just a coincidence that the Harriers were with 1453 flt and the Phantoms 1435 flt, or if it was some sort of mistake - a bit like the XXX 299 sqn thing - and somewhere where a number got swapped?). Great information thank you and I've sent a PM. Thanks again Bob.

Thanks very much for that Trevor. I'd been searching for the photo showing that odd insignia on the starboard side of the nose on 'V' and although I only came across it yesterday, I can't seem to find it today for love nor money. It was a good resolution black and white photo of 'V' doing a flypast over Stanley, looking South, going left to right and the emblem was just a shield (no Falklands islands outline) and nothing else either side of it. I've got shots of the '1 Sqn style' 1453 flight emblems in the blue and yellow that you mentioned, thanks, Trevor. I'd been

Hi Gents, I remember (but can't find at the moment, despite searching) a thread about these in 2010 or thereabouts, discussing the various serial numbers of the aircraft that had the V, T, O and L tail codes. I've got the serial numbers as being (at one time anyway) V - XZ138, T - XV789, O - XZ997 and L - XV778. I see V also appears in decals as XV787 and I think this one crashed in the Falklands in 1983 (replaced by XZ138?). I've been looking for photos of these machines and have found quite a few online. In quite a few of the shots, they don't have the 1453 flight

The curious looking flattened off area on the tip of the tail plane is something I’d never have noticed until reading this thread (another great reason to be here), but as said previously I can’t unsee it now and it’s there on all the Buccs I’ve managed to take close up shots of. Exquisite looking machine you’re creating there and I hope you’ll keep us updated here please.

Yes, that helps me quite a lot seeing how you tackled the alterations needed for the rear cockpit, so thanks very much for adding these shots and explaining it all. Much appreciated and great job. Cheers Bob.