Jabba

All the HC3s are now in service.

It is normal for Chinooks to follow roads, they usually follow the A303 to get to Cornwall.

Don't forget bodge tape.

Also got my e-mail today.

There probably is the same capacity to fold the blades on RAF Chinooks, but on all the years that I have been associated with them (14 years) I have never seen this done. I have also been aboard two carriers and again not one Chinook was taken below. There was a trial done in around 2002 where a Chinook was taken below one of the RNs carriers, but five of the blades were taken off before it went below, and then it was placed at a strange angle on the lift. Hope that this is of some help.

Here are some photos of the decalling so far. I still have a while to go before this is finished even with the bigger decals. I think that it was Mike McAvoy that said each Phantom of the Michigan ANG has more black and yellow checks than the whole 63 Sqns Hawks. Many thanks for looking and any comments gratefully received.

So do the black and yellow checks that are on the tail and splitter plate. Many of the bigger decals have been applied to the wings, tail and nose, but it is a bit slower than I anticipated as I don't want to spoil the ones that I have applied by picking up the model there. Also the tail No is in seperate decals, which I do hate sometimes on AM decal sheets, especially when there only a few aircaft on the sheet and it would be probably easier to make these numbers up for the modeller. But as the nose art says on this model "Patience My bottom".

Started to apply the decals last night. I will also have to use some of the kit decals for some of the smaller items that are not included on the Expert-Choice sheet, but nothing too drastic. Hopefully photos of progress over the next few days.

Nice work on the first model. Fujimi made their 1/48th kit ong before they made the 1/72nd ones. They also had a history of making their early 1/48th kits not quite to scale.

That is good to see.

If you are interested Vagabond decals are going to release two decal sheets, one VF-191 and the other VF-194 in 1/48th in the not too distant future.

Nice one, though as Bexs said that green is rather a bit on the bright side.

As promised a few photos of what I have been trying to do. I have also now added the metal U/C, although it needs a little touch up here and there. Hopefully in the next week I shall start applying the decals, and will also be working on the exhausts. I have ordered some wire type stuff to be added to the back of the rear instrument panel which will hopefully arrive soon. Thanks for any comments.

And have been known to shoot down Phantoms in practise.

The basic layout of the camp is probably still the same, but there are a lot of new buildings around, and a lot has changed in that respect since I left the place in 2006.

With that gap that you have got on the under fuselage joint could you not put some plasticard in first before you apply the filler. It might make a better joint.

When I worked on Phantoms at RAF St Athan one off the jobs that I did was to take apart the blast and shingle panels, as they were rather dirty and no-one esle wanted to do them. I don't mind dirt as it does come off after a wash. So I also built this area back up towards the end of the servicing using one or two sheets of metal for the shingle panels, but they did come out in various metallic shades due to the fact that I did not use the sheets in the same plane, having to rotate it around to get the most out of each sheet.

A little progress report. I have been slowly painting up the back end of the model, lots of masking for so little work. I have also built up the Aires cans only to find that they are too long for the model. I am thinking of cutting off the exhaust from the model parts and glueing the Aires one onto that, because not to use some part of the update will be a waste of such a detailed part. I have also bought a new rattle can of Primer White, so I can now get a move on with the metal U/C that I have got. Hopefully there will be some photos with the next update.

Some very nice photos there. Seems strange to now call a Hercules at Brize a local.

Nice work. If only someone would make a decent kit in 1/72nd.

Looking good. I am painting the back end of mine at the moment and I know what you mean about the masking.

In Hampshire between Basingstoke and Farnborough. Nice photos by the way.

Yes that is correct.

This is the Revell Merlin HM1 as used by 814 Sqn from RFA Fort Victoria during Op Telic. I have borrowed a few thing from the Italeri kit and also used some of the Eduard etch brass sheet for the kit. I folded the blades not quite as the Revell instructions tell you but in a more realistic fashion. I am not quite sure if this aspect of the model is totally correct, but it is better looking than what the instructions show you to do. Any comments gratefully received.

Still looks very good after the trouble that you had. More Tiger stripes on the next one.