Juan R-S

Hello all, I recall that sometime this year one of the military modelling magazines had an article on how to improve/create a Sdkfz 251/8 halftrack ambulance. Does anybody know which magazine it may have been? TIA Juan R-S

Fantastic job on those Spitfires.

Aviation USK did a Early Tphoon version years ago. Better than the early Frog and Airfix kits but dated when compared with Academy. Airfix rendition would be best option.

The pics in the video suggest the markings "KK-Z" are in red. Also it appears the B24 did not have an upper turret. I guess the decal sheet has some mistakes.

Most new P51's have the tail fillet. You have an opportunity to build and finish an early P51D. You may want to consider replacing the tires and exhausts and call it a day.

Hello all, What was Saburo Sakai's Zero aircraft markings during his time in the Pacific? I believe he was flying A6M2 version. Did he have his personal plane or was it shared? TIA, Juan R-S

No I have not. I will check there. The P-47 I am curious about is the one with the duck painted on the fuselage. The other schemes are just as good to pursue.

Yes. Also I believe there may have been one with a painted duck-I may be mixing different schemes.

Hello all, I am looking at the P-47D flown by Maj Jackson named "Teddy". Some accounts say that this P-47 was camouflaged with british colors dark green, dark gray and medium gray for undersides. Other accounts say this aircraft was finished with U.S. olive drab, neutral gray and clear metal for undersides. It is quite a spread for colors! I also understand that Maj Jackson may have flown different P-47D named "Teddy". However I would appreciate if someone would offer some clarification on this scheme.

Pity. Perhaps I may find this set at the IPMS Nationals later this year.

Who sales the Croko conversion shown above in USA? Been looking for this set for a while. Just trying to prevent using the rockets from the SH Buchon kit.

That is awesome info you posted. I will look into the early discussion on the B25's. I may go ahead and build the Italieri kit after all and decide what alterations to make it. Now to look for some good info and plans of a B25...

I was very surprised that the Italieri kit had that many issues. No issue that no kit is ever perfect or accurate, However, that this kit needed this much work to create a reasonable reproduction of the original is a bit much. Still I wonder if combining a Matchbox for old Airfix fuselage would overcome most of the issues described in the article.

Hello all, I read in the February issue of Scale Aircraft modelling where the Italieri B25 H/J was dissected badly. The fuselage is short in depth, the tail plane needs to be pushed back some, the tail gunner canopy needs to be increased in size, etc. Shocking to me since this model was considered acceptable when compared with the old Airfix and Matchbox versions prior to the new Airfix B25 rendition. From the article, I get the impression that you could combine the old Airfix or Matchbox fuselage with the Italieri wings( the only part without serious errors). Can someone expand on this issue? On the other hand, depending on whose drawings you use, the error could be from the draftsman or not scaling the drawings properly before printing. Sometimes I think we rely on the accuracy of scale drawings a little too much. Any way, my query stands but I hope I did not open the proverbial "can of worms".

This article was a tour de force on assembling the Esci and Airfix kits. I really appreciate the hard work you did to bring them into a kit that truly resembles the real airplane. Wish Pavla ,or somebody else had, come up with a correct air intake. that way we could do the kits with landing gear down. As it is, you are best doing it "in-flight". As things stand, we may have to puchase both kits and mix parts to get an accurate Sea Harrier. Hopefully Airfix will re do those molds...maybe.

Hello all, I was wondering which 1/72 kit of the FRS -1 Sea Harrier is currently considered the most accurate. Working hard on a fujimi 1/72 GR3 and it is a major pain. Almost all joints needed fill and the canopy will not sit properly. I am going to finish it as a "what if" to justify its lack of detail. I really do not want to experience this much hassle with a FRS-1. TIA, Juan R-S

Mission Models have grey Japanese Zero(amber). this paint is airbrush ready. Its code is MMP-110. On the other hand, exposure to the sun weathered the colors from light gray to amber. So you can paint the fabric surfaces as you think. I paint my japanese navy aircraft fabric surfaces same as the adjoining metal surfaces. Sometimes I use a different color just to shake things up. I prefer acrylics, so it is Tamiya or Mr Hobby. I do use some lacquers when needed. It is really your decision.

Hello all, Attached are some pics I took of the 1/72 Airfix Skyraider in a "what if" garb. Story goes that as war progressed past 1945, the FAA took in some lend lease Skyraiders to replace their Beaufighters on trial basis. Rugged, could take punishment, deliver ordinance, and could act as a fighter if needed. However pilots still preferred two engines than one for the long flights back home. The duck decal came from my Mustang spare decals. Markings from Matchbox Beaufighter. The kit was a mess. Outline and detail was way off. More suitable as a toy than a kit. The idea of a what if came about as a way to move the kit from my box of doom to completion. Actually I had a lot more fun doing some research to determine what my best finish option was to complete the kit than actually assembling it. This is my second submittal in a very long time. I had some trouble posting the images in a suitable size. The tutorials I found in FAQ were of some help. Obviously I need more work on this subject. Any help and comments will be appreciated. On the other hand, having such small images to show will hide all the hideous work and finish...lol!!!!

After looking at the video and pic posted, it seems the right fuselage had a third color on it. Could be a fresh paint over existing. You can see this on the fuselage right side but cannot see this on the wings. These patches can be seen behind the exhaust and around the roundel. I am not throwing gasoline on a color issue dispute. Just pointing out. Hopefully our wiser ones will offer some guidance over these color discrepancies.

Hello all, I am assembling the old Aifix 1/72 Spitfire Mk Vc (the one that combined the Spitfire MkVb with a new set of wings). I want to finish it in the colors of the 79 squadron Spitfire MkVc. My question is what was the underside colors? Airfix suggest a paint mix of azure blue and white. That would end up as something similar to sky blue. Some accounts suggest using medium sea gray or even azure blue. I, for one, am very happy Airfix came out with a new version of the Spitfire MkVc. It would be great if they came out with a new version of the MkVb or MkVIII in 1/72. TIA, Juan R-S

Nice aluminum finish. Is the p51 1/72?

I have an old Microscale decal No.353-International Mirage. One of the markings is for an Australian Mirage IIIO belonging to 75 Squadron. One of the markings for this aircraft is large yellow triangles on the wings. I have not found any pics showing those markings. Does any body have pics they can post or explain why they were used for?

I do have the Airfix Buccaneer. Has plenty of goodies I can use on the Matchbox kit when the time comes for assembly. My original intent was to use some of the Airfix kit's pylons and sea eagles. That is until I read about the Germans being interested in using them prior to receipt of the Tornados. Then I saw a pic of a Tornado IDS lugging a couple of Kormorans ...and voila!!! The idea came up. The Matchbox kit came with fuel tanks and NO pylons or any other weaponry. The what-if intent is to keep it simple. No work inside the cockpit. Probably wheels up. Just a "fun project". We'll see what happens next. Thanks all for your comments.

I read that the German Navy was interested in purchasing Buccanneers to augment their F-104g's until the arrival of Tornados. However, the deal fell through. I was wondering if the Buccanneers would have been able to lug a couple Kormoran anti ship missiles or would have settled for the Martells or Sea Eagles. Looks to me like a potential what-if with a Buccanneer in German livery. Good way to use my Matchbox kit.

Good afternoon!!! Back in the late sixties-early seventies I built a tank in 1/35 scale(or so) of the Crusader tank. The tank was motorized which, for a kid, was the coolest. I have looked at some websites but cannot seem to hit a motorized Crusader. Could I have been thinking of another tank? Comments appreciated. About that same time, I built a panther tank. Also motorized and of same scale. I always thought they were cool being motorized. For some reason I did not find it interesting when on aircraft.