Jure Miljevic

Hello, Andre I have been toying with and idea about building Monogram's B-52D as B-52E, on which Brigade General James Stewart flew one bombing mission over Vietnam a few weeks before leaving ANG. The list you compilled is interesting although I think Clark Gable was air gunner's instructor and it is questionable if he had flown any combat missions at all. It is similar with Charles Bronson: while the story about him being a B-29 tail gunner is making rounds for good many years now, I also remember reading how Bronson was actually a supply truck driver in the Army, who never left USA during WWII. Cheers Jure

Hello, John I second Wez's opinion. I have a copy of original ESCI kit and it comes with two USAF schemes for Vietnam and several ANG schemes. ESCI decals quality, however, varies from average to useless, I am afraid. Cheers Jure

Hello, Colin Take a look on a following Air-Britain webpage: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/model/Douglas AD-4W Skyraider AEW1?f=&sort=airport&order=desc Several of these photos had been taken while AEW Skyraiders were still in service. Try as I may, but I cannot see any trace of armour plating. Cheers Jure

You are right, I am afraid. According to Joe Baugher's webpage this serial number belonged to: Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina 2337 (VP-73) sank in storm, Iceland, Jan 15, 1942. Cheers Jure

Hi, John Does Tamiya perhaps give #83's Bureau Number? Cheers Jure

MiG-21 bis N and I think also MiG-21 SMT, however Skyhawk is smaller still. Cheers Jure

Wasp is certainly smaller, and so is A4D Skyhawk, but in a category of piston-engined aircraft AD-4 Skyraider in my opinion wins. I remember reading some time ago memories of one of her pilots and he concluded, quite correctly, that they were cruise missiles of the day. Cheers Jure

Hi, John I was not aware your 1/72 Corsair build is already underway. So far it looks very well and I especially like the cockpit. I take that Salmon Red was a sort of corrosion protection? The colour looks the same as with Pb3O4 but I thought trilead tetroxide had been used on steel only. What was that coating anyway? Cheers Jure

I understand your zeal for details completely, Peter. Keep up the good work! Cheers Jure

Hi, John Carefully with this photo, it looks like original B/W one, digitally colourised recently. That, however, does not necessarily mean Big Hog was without red outline. Cheers Jure

Hi! Not exactly Corsairs, still ... http://i.imgur.com/ynPHQgp.jpg PV-1 Ventura of VB-136 on Aleutians, possibly Kodiak, in 1943. Another colour photo of the same aircraft, taken at the same time by Jeff Ethell has been published in John C. Stanaway's book Vega, Ventura - the operational history of Lockheed's lucky star, by Schiffer. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/600x315/18/c4/29/18c429e933c0116750b475a7fd8bf3ae.jpg Photo of PBY-5A Catalina with Venturas in the background, taken at about the same time on the same location as the previous one. In above mentioned Stanaway's book there is another full page colour photo of the Ventura to the right of the picture, and five aircraft of the same type in the background. At least three of Venturas, and possibly all six, have national markings with red surrounds. Another interesting feature of these aircraft are stars and bars on both noses and fuselages. Cheers Jure

Hi! Matchbox B Mk.IX/NF Mk.XXX, as Trevor said. I have this kit and although I have not been aware of any possible fuselage issues, one have to be prepared to invest some time, AM parts, or both into it to make it presentable. On the other hand, hardly any kit is extra-work free so I am still clinging to my two-stage Matchbox Mosquito. Cheers Jure

Neat cockpit details for 1/72, well above the level of what is going to be seen upon completition. Any luck with white stencils yet? Cheers Jure

Hi I could not agree with you more, Tempestfan, and my first tought when I had read Piero's post was to direct him to this publication. However, while in this Lock On there is plenty of images of practicaly every individual rivet of Mirages 5BA, there is hardly a word (or a photo) of aircraft's armament. What a pity! Cheers Jure

Hello Greatgonzo, I was about to dismiss your claim out of hand, as I clearly remembered seeing scores of colour wartime photos of US Navy aircraft with red national markings surround. However, when I checked on some of them, I realized they had been taken either in ZI either on Atlantic carriers, with possible exception of one colour photo of Harpoon on Alaska. However, no regulation is adhered to strictly and I believe red surround not only survived on individual aircraft, but also on a, say, distinct minority of aircraft. While B/W photos are not a proof, they certainly are a good indication. That said I would very much like to see, like everybody else I suspect, a clear colour photo of VMF 214 Corsair with national insignia surrounded in red, sitting near airstrip on, say, Munda. Chuck1945, 31st July directive does predates VMF 214 first operation, however, according to Gregory Boyington's book, this squadron had been scraped together in theatre with whatever or whoever was at hand. Boyington mentioned that even the number had been ˝borrowed˝ from another squadron. So, aircraft of the VMF 214 were hand-me-downs from other units, which had been there before the directive ordered removal of red surrounds. Cheers Jure

Hello, John Both #51 and #64 were early birdcage Corsair which flew with the VMF-214 at about the same time as Boyington's #83. So, #83 could also have red surrounding on national markings. Unfortunately, a photo of that plane is probably needed to settle the issue. Cheers Jure

Hello, John Probably nothing new to you, still ... French publication Aero Journal in its special number Corsair du Pacifique et d'ailleurs published several photos of VMF-214 planes. Apart from 93 you mentioned (which in a colour profile is depicted as having a red surround, although on at least one photo this surround is clearly painted out) there are also photos and a colour profiles of #51 and #64 with red surrounds. Here is the link to the website with the photo of the latter: http://oscarbyalpinestars.blogspot.si/2010/02/black-sheep-squadron.html At least to my eyes this does look red, so one cannot exclude this colour as surround of national markings on Boyington's F4U-1. Cheers Jure

Hi, Killingholme If you choose a B-17F kit as a basis, conversion would include new bombardier's transparency and replacement of cheek guns with windows, possibly new wheels and some minor modifications like Tokyo tanks, blanking over top and ventral turret positions etc. If you start with a B-17G kit (avoid those with staggered waist gun positions and Cheyenne tail turret), your main tasks would be to remove chin turret and to blank over its position, replace cheek guns with windows and replace waist gun transparencies with E-F type sliding covers with windows. While you would not have to bother with Tokyo tanks, top and ventral turret positions would still have to be blanked over, along with some other less difficult stuff. Perhaps the least difficult way would be to combine a B-17F kit with AM transparencies, search your spare parts boxes for anything suitable and scratchbuild the rest. Unfortunately, I cannot suggest which kit to pick, as opinions about their quality vary considerably. Not much of a help, but someone with better knowledge will probably soon drop by. Cheers Jure

Hello Probably hardly anything new to anyone, still ... Semeystvo samoletov R-5 book, published by Modelist-konstruktor mentions that according to Ukrainian Front documents on 17th September three out of nine SSS aircraft failed to return to their bases. Two had been eventually located, but the third one, R-5, was listed as missing. Authors of the book speculate this may have been R-5, shot down by P.11c, flown by Sub-Lieutenant T. Kos over Delyatin. It is a bit of a strech, but that could be R-5 from the front cover of Maslov's book, Jerzy-Wojtek mentioned in his original post. Even more speculative is a colour profile of R-Z, published in another Modelist-Konstruktor book Razvedchik i legkiy bombardirovchik R-Z. This profile shows R-Z from 6th LBAP, unit which also took part in September 1939 campaing in Poland. Its caption, however, is vague at best, as the time given is no more specific than the year of 1939. There is, of course, a front page of Don Greer's Tupolev SB in action by Squdron/Signal with two SBs, on a mission to bomb a railway station in Buczacz on 17th of September. No unit is given but it is mentioned, that Polish fighters shot down two SBs. Not much, but I hope it helps. May I suggest not to turn this topic into an exchange of accusations and counter-acusations? Cheers Jure

Hello FWIW ... I do not have Airfix Lancaster, but Matchbox bulged doors fit latest Revell kit perfectly. I have mine slated for Lancaster with the Jane ... nose art, participating in one of the Tirpitz raids. Cheers Jure

Hi, Julian Your Tu-134 is coming together nice and I can still see the nose undercarriage leg in place, good work. I also have had my share of knocking over paint jar incidents and it is certainly better to spil paint over the strake than over the fuselage. A quick word about decals coating: it depends much about type of decals, printer and printer settings you use. I use Experts Choice Decals. I set my previous printer (HP) to the best photo-paper quality and could leave freshly printed decals to dry for days without any smudging appearing. Recently I bought EPSON and while quality of prints at best quality, max dpi setting increased, some smudging occasionally appears if I do not cover freshly printed decals with a very thin coat of liquid film within a minute or two after printing is finished. A second coat usually follows several hours later. Each printer-decals-setting combination has its quirks, but they can be fairly quickly figured out with some trial and error experimenting. Cheers Jure P.S.: An-124 is very impressive airplane, agreed. I had an oportunity to examine it while she had been picking up heavy cargo on Brnik years ago. However, I recenlty read about China being interesting in An-225 and now I want to crawl all over that one, too.

Hello Yes, Seahawk, reading your list sounds much like decals I got. Kevin, what I meant was that slats would improve airflow over wingtips in general with ailerons at neutral, thus delaying wingtip stall. Otherwise I agree with you, picking up wing with aileron just above minimal speed is a good way to aileron reversal and other unpleasant consequences that follow. Cheers Jure

In my case it was Hannants in the early 90's. I do not remember Zero decals, although sets I bought also included Lancaster, Boston, Mosquito, Avenger, Do 335 (captured post-war birds), Ta 152 (I think) and other decals. I was a bit wary at first but decals turned out to be quite good. Cheers Jure

Those with decals for a pre-war all-silver 73 Sqn. (I think) scheme and the other one of 112 Sqn. Gladiator, fighting Italians in Ethiopia from Sudan, summer 1940. Gone, although I will definitely build one of my kits in latter scheme. Cheers Jure

Chris, is there any kit you do not have? Seahawk, did you by any chance acquire these decals some twenty-five years ago as a part of twenty FROG decals set for a ridiculously low price of 1 pound? IIRC I bought three or four sets at that occasion. Cheers Jure