rossm

Oh no! At least it looks like the joints came apart rather than pieces shattering into tiny fragments. I prescribe generous quantities of amber liquid from your favourite Glen or island It won't fix the damage but it will help you be more philosophical about it.

Coming on well Pat, sure mine had white metal wheels though.

The masking is where mine stalled and, yes, the canopy has now yellowed

I have a sheet of Light Slate Grey codes and serials I got from an outfit called Flying High (I think) many years ago. I can send you a couple of J's in 48" which is the usual large aircraft size and FK186 in 8" if you PM me your address. A technique I have used where I can't get the right colour decals could be used for the S - if you can find something similar in a different colour cut closely round it and then paint it the correct shade and apply as a decal in the normal manner. Or scan it, change the colour in a photoediting or graphics package and print onto decal paper. I can't give you RGB values for Light Slate Grey but Medium Sea Grey is given as 137, 145, 148 here https://www.e-paint.co.uk/Lab_values.asp Edit - A quick Google reveals Light Slate Grey values here https://www.colorhexa.com/778899

I don't have either kit but elgers post suggests a MkIV kit and this https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SQS9198 may be sufficient if you don't want to have bomb doors open. Or if you are into RAF bombers then this https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/FNCV1772 might be worth considering. I obviously can't comment on the match between the clear parts intended for the Airfix kit and the Italeri plastic but how different can they be?

Early film was not even orthochromatic, which is sensitive to blue and green, but only sensitive to blue. Hence blue would appear paler than all other colours. I'm not sure of the timescale for the progression of film types and it probably wasn't a step change but a gradual one. When you get to panchromatic film (and maybe before) the use of coloured filters like red or orange to darken blue skies muddles the possible interpretation of tones as well.

I would like to model a Beaufighter in 1/72 with the bomb carrier - but no bombs - under the fuselage. I have the plans in Airfix magazine that were drawn by @Terry @ Aviaeology but they don't show clearly the mounting arrangement. I know there is a Hasegawa kit that includes bombs but the mounting is simplified to a point just short of complete fiction. Does anyone have a clear photo or drawing I can use to make something that looks vaguely right please? Another slight problem is that the Aviaeology sheet for the Beaufighter does not include the aircraft I want to build - LZ295 'Z'. Does anyone know a source of Beaufighter size red with yellow outline code letters? If not it gets added to the list of decals I need to print myself one day/year/decade (delete as appropriate). TIA, Ross

And I have both the PSL book and Aviation News scanned if needed.

The main thing I found was that the cockpit floor and consoles etc needed a lot of narrowing to allow the fuselage halves to close. Other than that it's not a bad kit. I also used a lot of drilling and plastic rod inserts to help align wing and tail surfaces but other methods like jigs will also work.

Glad my B kit went to a good home, far better than I could have done with it. I'm only just learning weathering but I've found I prefer powders as there is a way back if you feel you've overdone it.

This thread https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234924465-clostermann-questions/&tab=comments#comment-1100876 corrects my memory - it was a letter to SAM. It also confirms my memory regarding the Bf109 incident.

I believe The Big Show was not intended as an historically accurate record, more as an indication of the kind of events that took place. I've a memory I can't pin down that Clostermann himself said this. As a possible consequence different editions of the book have differing versions of events - the French edition I have has Clostermann and Remlinger as the two pilots involved in the recce Bf109G downing where my recollection is the Engish edition has Clostermann and a British pilot (I'm away from the books just now). Different names are unlikey to be down to translation. Myu recollection of the event as described in 'Spitfire Special' is that it was actually two British pilots. Also bear in mind the book was written post-war when France needed heroes who fought on the winning side - to have Pierre le Gloan as the leading French ace would have been politically incorrect so I suspect Clostermann's claims were probably interpreted leniently. Again I 'm away from my books so don't know if I have Avions 227 to check that theory, I have some copies dealing with Clostermann but haven't read them for ages so don't remember details. I think there was a thread on a forum somewhere that Clostermann himself posted on, again my memory fails to provide the details. I'll check all this when I get back to my books next week, a search of my hard drive failed to find my notes.

From my research into Whitley colours the all Night scheme was authorised for the Whitley by AMO A.1096/42 of 8/10/42 which reads as if it was trying to catch up with actual practice, but when that scheme first appeared I don't know.

As the Hornet later proved. But it would probably have needed a stronger airframe to absorb the power and more fuel and then you've got a Hornet

Linked from scalemates this is the same as the box top I had