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PeterB

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Everything posted by PeterB

  1. In spite of the problems mentioned earlier I managed to get a reasonable fit on the fuselage. In the foreground you can see the lower wings - the top one as moulded, and the bottom one with the air brake hinge fairings removed. Now I can finish them off and glue the wings together. I need a little filler in a few places but it is not as bad as expected. Even the 3 belly panels fitted quite well. Pete
  2. My old Airfix kit has 4 large fuel drop tanks though it seems they were seldom used except perhaps for ferrying. The Vig had enough range for Vietnam on internal fuel I expect. I seem to remember somebody complaining about manufacturers always including drops in their Vig kits, but this on does not seem to have them - they would be rather bigger than at least one which is in the above pic. However I do note that the kit appears to include wing pylons. The Cybermodel review says that the kit comes with 2 different types of "nuke" and also flash pods, which fits with Reini's comment. Pete
  3. Hi Pat, Yes, but given the problems with the decs for the IP etc, will they work? Must run a test. Pete
  4. Hi Chris, You are certainly correct for normal A-6A, but apparently the EA-6A was different according to all my books and the kit instructions. When the first 12 entered service they carried the ALQ-53 ECM pod and for some reason it was mounted on an extra pylon fitted to the outer folding section of the wing. After that was replaced with the ALQ-76 jammer on an inboard pylon, the outer pylon was retained and could be used for chaff pods, small fuel tanks or even Shrike missiles it seems. The position of the outer pylon meant that the split speed brakes (aka boards) on the wing tip could not be used so the fuselage ones were reinstated, which seems a bit odd as they were reportedly found to be unsatisfactory on the A-6A! The kit has the wing brakes, but the instructions are to cut off the hinge fairings, and I will probably fill in the appropriate panel line too. The new build versions after the first 12 conversions from the A-6A also had the outer pylon and fuselage brakes it would appear. The other change to the wing was an extra fence on top. Of course if anybody knows differently then I will be pleased to hear from them - my info is based on " In Detail & Scale No46" and "Aerofax Minigraph No7". All my pics show the perforated fuselage brakes, usually in a dark metal finish but I cannot make out any sign of the red interior showing through the holes! I see @dnl42 worked at Grumman so perhaps he or @Tailspin Turtle can advise me on this and the colour of the "screen" or whatever it was which hung down from the canopy? I know there were anti-radiation screens but I am not sure if this is one. I have finished joining up the fuselage and putting the various panels in the bottom, and will post a pic shortly. Now I will start on the wings and see how they fit - could be fun. Cheers Pete
  5. Hi Steve, The decs for my old Heller Tunnan were very thick but did go on with the help of a coat of thinned wet varnish to act as glue. However I got the impression yours was the Aidfix re-box so wonder who actually made the decs? I printed my own national insignia for the Viggen as the kit ones were out of register. On clear decal paper they were a bit translucent but when I put another on top they were fine. I still have the templates so could print some off if it would be any help - I guess they would be the same size as on my Tunnan E. The same probably applies to the other markings but I would need to know what they were and the size. Pete
  6. I have been looking forward to building this kit for a good few years but it is proving somewhat harder than expected. A good bit of that is due to the poor instructions. The interior is quite complicated with no less that 16 parts to make up the intakes and exhausts. In the top pic you can see the 2 part intake/splitter which is not a particularly good fit and I had to take a couple of mil off the splitter as it stuck up above the outer part - still not convinced the shape of the intakes is right. Further back you can see the jet exhaust which again is not a brilliant fit either. In the lower pic you may be able to see the front trunking and fan which sticks out just behind the nose wheel well, and the "S" shaped 2 part jetpipe and another fan which plugs into the exhaust. There are no pics showing how any of these parts or the cockpit tub actually fit into the fuselage so I had to fiddle around quite a bit to ensure they did not cause any problems. You will also note the cause of another difficulty - the fuselage is around 21cm long, but the lower parts only touch at the nose "bulkhead" and for 1cm just in front of the air brake well and finally for the last 3cm under the tail, the rest being cut out to take 3 seperate panels. Not surprisingly it flexes an awful lot! Anyway it is done and painted and I have placed 10g of lead in the front - I can always put more in the nose cone. Now I will check the fit of the IP and glue the halves together. Incidentally, behind the tub is a panel which fills the gap and presumably covers equipment/services. There is also a sort of panel which attaches to the rear canopy and slides with it over first fixed panel and the instructions do not say what colour it is. I will see what I can find but I presume it is either grey or black. Hopefully once the fuselage is together and fettled the hard part is done, though I expect I could have problems fitting the wings as they have to sit over the exhausts and the shape looks complicated. I have opened out the slots for the airbrake tabs and am trying to work out whether or not to drill the brakes as they look to be perforated, but Fujimi have only moulded "dents". The interior of the brake and well were red but I cannot see it showing though on any pics. Wonder if it is like the Supermarine jet I built recently - Swift of Scimitar I suppose, where the well had "rods projecting out which closed the holes in the brakes to improve airflow? As Jan mentioned earlier the crew figures are quite nice with poseable arms and heads but I probably won't be using them. See you another day. Pete
  7. If I had a fiver for every time I did that I could buy all the kits I ever wanted! Pete
  8. Interesting Paul. I had assumed it was to do with Chamber PO*T's. Pete
  9. Hi Shaun, As I will be attempting to build this in the upcoming Buccaneer GB I am watching with interest. I have heard that the F4K was a good if sometimes tight fit but I have also heard complaints. So far the Bucc looks good! Maybe I will build the Phantom just to get my hand in. Cheers and good luck with the build. Pete
  10. If you look at the thread for @DaveJL's build you will find an interesting link from David Swindell on this subject. Pete
  11. Hi Julian, Your cutting looks a lot straighter than mine! It looks like your fuselage plug is hollow whilst mine is solid and weighs a bit - I am debating whether to strengthen the joint somehow, or just epoxy it in and hope! Pete
  12. Hi Dave, On the instructions for the A09007 boxing it is shown as an option - not sure is that is the 2nd or 3rd moulding. Most of the books I have read do not mention it as part of the mods for "Chastise" but at least one shows a side profile with the gun on Gibson's plane. However, I have no idea how accurate that is, and whether or not any of the planes involved actually bothered to fit it. I dare say somebody on the forum will know more about it than I do. Pete In fact whilst I was writing this and brewing a cup of tea, Dave S has replied as above.
  13. As you say, he was a product of both the times and his background, and had a great belief in his own abilities - perhaps that was what was needed at the time, but yes he does come across as a bit of a plonker. They ground crew certainly seem to have had mixed feeling about him according to what I have read. Cheers Pete
  14. Hi, Quite a good book though Gibson is a bit over the top - perhaps that is what made him a good leader according to most (but not all) of his crews/ground staff. As to the wheels, I know that late model Lancs had the "Lincoln Style" wheels and treaded tyres, so the preserved ones will presumably do so as well - causing the usual confusion for both kit manufacturers and the after-market people as with Spitfire wheels, wing bulges etc. Pavla do a plain set of Lanc wheels which look quite good. Some if not all Lancs also seem to have had the grooved anti-shimmy type tail wheel as well which Airfix seem to have got right - don't know about Revell. Cheers Pete
  15. Thanks Laurie, That is a great help. So it seems it was the same as the Lanc, but probably no armour plate! Pete
  16. That thought had crossed my mind too but I have just looked at the instructions for the Airfix Dam Buster Lanc (3rd moulding) and they seem to include one as an option - how many if any planes actually carried one I don't know. I know they went in at low level but not sure about going home - must dig out my copy of Paul Brickhill's book. Pete
  17. Hi, As I just posted in @Harry_the_Spider's thread, some sources say that the "Specials" used in the dams raid had a single 0.303mg in the belly behind the bomb bay - did Airfix include this? Mind you I am not sure it is correct anyway. Cheers Pete
  18. This may not be correct but I read somewhere that the "Specials" used on the dams raid had a single 0.303 mg fitted in the belly behind the bomb bay - any sign of it in the kit? Pete
  19. I don't have a lot of info on the interior layout of the Lincoln but am assuming it was similar to the Lancaster. As I will be modelling a post war version I wonder if the interior colours were changed back to cockpit grey/green, or perhaps grey instead of black - any ideas? Also, I wonder if the armour plate behind the pilot's seat was still there? Unless anybody has info to the contrary I will build/paint it the same as the Lanc I think. Cheers Pete
  20. Hi Dave, All that white on top is likely to be a bit of a PITA. Good job you are doing it and not me as your painting is a lot better! Cheers Pete
  21. Just to complete the story - it looks like Chrome had decided not to save the sign in for BM for some reason. Hopefully it is fixed now (until next time). Pete
  22. Curiously, Planet have included 2 pilot type seats and show them side by side in the cockpit with a control column a bit like that on the He 111 - the wheel can be swung over so the "co-pilot" can drive. Not sure if that is correct and it was changed in the Lanc? Also I see @woody37 has painted his interior green, but I was under the impression that in the Lanc the actual 'pit was black. Any thoughts? Pete
  23. Hi James, Unfortunately just remembered that the Manchester met with an accident and got scrapped after I bought the new kit. Here are the others after 40 years of dust and pipe smoke. A mix of filler, plastic card, balsa wood engines on the Halifax, together with my first (and last) attempt at plunge moulding canopies etc. A spare Hudson turret for the Hallibag and the aforementioned P47 drop tank for the Grand Slam. Not the best of pics but you will get the idea. Not sure how much longer they will last as the plastic is brittle and the glue giving way. Cheers Pete
  24. Quite right Craig, though I may have overdone it a bit on mine. Pete
  25. Hi Mike, More like totally Gobsmacked in my case - to build the Ark at that scale from scratch is way beyond my capabilities. Cheers Pete
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