Garry c

Coming soon ! Tiger and Zombie the movie! The wear, the rust, the weathering, and the figure -just amazing. nice work Garry c

Believe it or not, the Lewis gun is air cooled. The cooling jacket is hollow,and the barrel is inside a sleeve of aluminum fins. As each bullet leaves the barrel, the pressure wave draws fresh air through the cooling jacket sort of like a pulse jet. Fiendishly clever, No? Garry c

Awesome job! I love the chipping and paint flaking. When I saw the vertically stacked ammunition I thought you had used 22 rimfire. I had to double check the barrel. Garry c

Thanks, I used the AK Caunter Scheme set, airbrushes well without thinning, a little thin for brush painting. I think the Light Stone looks sort of lemon yellow but I have no colour samples to compare it to. The base colour is Tamiya AS-14 olive green from a rattle can, it is just a shade darker than the AK 4033 Slate. Garry c

Thanks for the kind comments. Since there is no P.E. set for this kit that I am aware of, I thought to point out the details that can be added with a bit of plastic, a sharp blade, some files and a really strong magnifier. There are plenty of pictures on the web including this one of the original the unusual blackout treatment on the lights made me think that white paint was used on the inside of the lenses, no proof but that is what I tried to represent. Garry c

It is a Boys ATR , I cut off the muzzle brake and front sight thinking it was part of the sprue, then had to fabricate a replacement. Garry c

Many are started, few are finished. Here is one of the lucky ones. The Roden Rolls Royce Armored Car The fit was challenging to say the least. The front fenders were shortened so the ramps under the running boards would fit. 4 pieces of plastic were stacked, drilled and cut to make the plates on the radiator doors. The drivers window was opened. Transmission sump, starter, and generator were made of styrene rod and strip. The bonnet was opened,the side panels were scored at the seam and snapped cleanly. Braces for the front and the operating lever for the radiator doors were styrene angle strip, rod, and sheet. More styrene, battery box, rivet strips, and pistol port levers Added operating rod for front visor,the instrument panel was drilled and a styrene sheet painted black and scratched with a blade to simulate gauges was glued behind. Lewis Mg was drilled out. A pair of handles were added to the Vickers Mg. Every part needed to be cut,filed,sanded,filled or shimmed to fit, not an easy build but a satisfying one. The fact that I finished one is icing on the cake. Recommended for masochists. Garry c

I do not know about the Aries set,but if you need pictures of the details be sure to visit this website http://memorial.flight.free.fr/He162photouk.html They have pictures of their restoration. such as this one: enjoy Garry c

Martlet Mk.I Martlet Mk.I with replacement canopy I believe that moving the windscreen forward makes for easier access for both pilot and ground crew. The rear panels of the sliding portion are shorter than the front panels on the Mk.I , on all later aircraft the panels are of equal length saving inventory and production . Garry c

A question for Tony. Are you saying that, when viewed from the front; The Mk.I intake is larger at the top than the bottom, and the sides are not parallel, The Mk.II intake is the same width top and bottom and the sides are parallel with or without the side intakes? looking forward to your reply, Garry c

I would use a canopy glue like Formula '560'. It sticks to paint and dries clear, it is perfect for photo-etch in the canopy. I use it to glue photo-etch seat belts to painted seats. Hope this is not too late, Garry c

Japanese seat belt information has been very hard to find, it is a pleasure to share it. The captured A5M would have been land based and probably had its arresting hook removed. Perhaps they removed the shoulder belt at the same time? Of course the J2M was never intended to be carrier based, I guess shoulder belts were standard by then. Happy to be useful, Garry c

The Mitsubishi fighters had the lap and shoulder belt in the A5M (Claude), A6M (Zeke), and the J2M (jack). The Soviet Union captured an A5M in 1939. The plane was dissembled, photographed, and test flown. The shoulder belt would be mounted to the back of the seat at the riveted plate on the upper left of the seat back.While this particular seat does not appear to have a belt, the belt can be seen in this picture. This photo of an A6M (Zero) shows the lap belt and the lower portion of the shoulder belt mounted just ahead of it. This a replica of the seat in the Planes of Fame A6M5 showing the seat belt mounting points. The lap belts seem high but the pilot would be sitting on his parachute. The black frame at the bottom would not be found in a Zero, it is for mounting the seat in the hot rod in the background. The J2M Raiden also has the belts attached to the seat. In this picture the seat belt mounting points can be seen, however the belt has been replaced by a American one. This is most likely the plane that now belongs to the Planes of Fame Museum. Before I start a build, I obsessively pour over all the photographs that I can find. Since I have not yet started building other Japanese aircraft, I cannot help with the other belts. Garry c

Spaghetti and fried eggs now that's Italian ! My compliments to the chef, a true masterpiece. Garry c

I agree that the bulkhead is the actual firewall. What I called the firewall is no more than a cooling shroud to help control cylinder temperatures and attach the front panels. The F3F and F4F/FM-2 are the only aircraft that I can think of that have the landing gear ahead of the firewall which leads to confusion. The dimension drawings have this all-important bulkhead marked as "Fuselage Station #2" which leads to more confusion. On a side note,I think the FM-2 would have been longer had Grumman not moved the oil coolers from under the wing to ahead of the wheels. Garry c

The overall length as given to the U.S. Navy (from Grumman I assume) F4F-3 28 feet, 10 and 5/8 inches F4F-4 28 feet, 9 and 3/8 inches FM-2 28 feet, 7 and 7/32 inches This is from the tip of the propeller to the end of the rudder. Unfortunately the length of the propeller hub/nosecone will affect overall length measurement. The F4F and the FM-2 are the same from the landing gear bulkhead back (except for the height of the rudder) This bulkhead is also the mounting point for the wing spar. The firewall is sandwiched between the engine and the engine mount and is quite different for each engine. F4F FM-2 Note that the cowling of the FM-2 overlaps the firewall by several inches. I do not have the measurements you are requesting, but I hope this helps explain the firewall confusion although I probably just added to it. Garry c

If I were to present a BOB Spitfire and someone pointed out that the red crowbar is the wrong colour, that is something that I would like to know and I do not have a problem with. If someone posted a picture with the quote "some idiot painted the crowbar red!" , that is not criticism, that is bulling and there is a difference. If I ever finish my MC 200 and someone points out that the paint scheme is wrong for the markings, I will reply: I know but I always wanted to do the "fried egg" scheme. I wish to be accurate,but sometimes I want to have fun. There is room for both, I think. Garry c

The rudders certainly look wet, the port rudder much more than the starboard. The port rudder appears to be slightly grey except for the wet portion. The starboard rudder looks green with the wet part darker. The leading edges appear to be light green. My guess is that the grey effect is caused by the paint degrading and the light green leading edges are caused by thin paint due to abrasion from the harsh conditions. Garry c

I am also building this kit, were there any problems with the transfers(decals) ? I like the colours, especially the green, what paint did you use? Garry c

Awe inspiring work! Well beyond my skill set. Having said that, I believe the E model has no frames on the center canopy Now I feel dirty Garry c

The radio equipment in the A6M2 was a Fairchild design built under license. Because of secrecy , the radio and design teams did not work together resulting in radio interference problems from the air frame. There were few trained radio service personnel in the field. The unit that Saburo Sakai was in attacked the Philippines from Formosa at the beginning of the war. This was at the extreme range of the Zero, so every ounce of unnecessary weight was removed which included the radios. Air battles over Guadalcanal were also at very long range from the airfields from which Saburo Sakai's unit flew. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on how common the removal of radio equipment was. Hope this helps Garry c

I bought an "airbrush compressor" from Harbor Freight. The tools there are very cheap and sutiable for occasional not daily use. The compressor came with a pressure regulator and water trap. I manage to finish 3 to 4 models a year, and it has given me no problems for three years. When it breaks,I will move the regulator and water trap to a higher quality compressor. enjoy the airbrush, Garry c

In the early 70s,I had a Japanese kit, I think it was a Kate,I don't remember the manufacturer . The instructions were in English but must have been translated by a college student.The page with the colour scheme was titled: THE WAY OF PAINTING. First, clear your mind before you pick up the brush. Garry c

From above it looks like the Gee Bee 109.

Thanks, this was my first build that was not OOB. The soft,thick plastic of Airfix let me sand back the nacelles, round out the upper rear fuselage, and reshape the propellers. My first attempt to fill some panel lines(trenches) and correct the ailerons and other missing panels.Added shell chutes and scratch built interior which cannot be seen. The transfers were awful and silvered badly with the Matt coat, rubbing them with my fingers till they were raw got rid of the silvering. Finished with pastel powders for exhaust stains. Garry c