rossm

There was a sliding hatch under the cockpit - PM me for a copy of the Profile with a side view diagram of the internals.

I recently asked the same question and got a similar answer from Typhoon expert @Chris Thomas escept in my case the kit position started as outboard and I needed the inboard location.

@John Aero may know. My only reference for this is the de Havilland volume in the Putnam series which doesn't show any interior views, sorry.

As I think you guessed I was referring to the colour, not it's use for codes.

+1 on the above. I don't have my books to hand but I think when Sky was being introduced in the summer of 1940 there were variations documented by examination of relics by Paul Lucas? Once supplies were established it would have been made to the Air Ministry specification and thus as near constant as you can get - IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER. As Mike says, how it was applied and what it went over could make a difference but I imagine there would have been a standard way to apply it so this would have been rare, except possibly at busy periods when marking changes were decreed? If you have two different decal sheets with the same colour of Sky you're probably doing better than I am

Serials can be found on https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72157?result-token=7nebG or https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/VA7252?result-token=bWoaW

Now there was a surprise - it's always good to have an assumption shot down. Further digging reveals some time prior to that the colour was specified in DTD 360 (in a little diagram hidden away at the end). DTD 360 also gives dull red for most types so I stand corrected. At some time earlier again (July 1942) AMO A664 gives training command aircraft to have school letters in sky - whether that would apply to BDF aircraft I've no idea.

without seeing a photo I would think Medium Sea Grey is most likely.

And maybe the best here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handley_Page_H.P.42#/media/File:Handley_Page_H.P.42_Hanno_2.jpg

More clues here - including one tail on view - https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/photos/handley-page-h.p.42?phrase=handley page h.p.42&sort=best

Does this help https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4WZUAnOomk

Hi Andrew, Welcome. I'm pretty sure camouflage and yellow. It's always worth searching your query on google and including the word britmodeller e.g. Tiger moth colours britmodeller This usually works better than the search facility on the site! I tried - tiger moth underside colour britmodeller - and the answer seemed to be always camouflage and yellow but, as ever, there might be exceptions I haven't come across.

Thanks for the kind words, I must admit I'm enjoying it so far. I ducked the wing fillet issue and put the front cowling on today - an Aeroclub part as it was a bit more butch than the resin one and the E.2H seems to have had a more chunky cowling. Photo tomorrow when the filler has dried and been sanded?

Getting there, showing new tail attached and smoothed, old tail part for contrast, and a tailplane on the plan confirming correct size and shape. You can just see the hole I've drilled through the fuselage for a bit of rod to help attach the tailplanes. I still need to scribe the rudder. Next ought to be the wing fillets, I've several ideas but none of them have yet made it to the "Eureka" moment where you know that it's likely to work well.

Or this? https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KW172006?result-token=efSJw

I'm sure you're right. Same with the Frog one. And don't even think about the first version of the Matchbox one although I believe the second iteration didn't have the taper.

According to the Putnam the Lerwick had 13'6" DH props - midway between the 13' of the Lanc II and Beaufighter and 14' of the Albemarle (taken from an old Aeroclub price list). The Hampden was only 12' (from the same list).

Here's a source, but long out of print https://www.scalemates.com/kits/almark-decals-a23-fin-flashes-prototype-markings-1940-1947--163243 If suitable I've got some of the red ones spare - PM me if you want them There may be some on one of the even more ancient ESCI sheets but they're not that great a quality

According to the MMP book K4090 served with 19 Squadron but never with 56 Squadron, backing up your statement.

Tamiya flat black normally works well for me - did you clean the surface first? It's a good idea to wipe it over with thinners to remove any residue from the moulding process and/or your hands. Alternatively give all the parts a warm soapy wash while on the sprue. If that's the problem I don't know how to recover from where you are - maybe thinners would still work? See what other thoughts you get before trying anything as I may have guessed wrongly on the source of the problem.

Slow but steady progress with sanding and filling and drying time on the tail. I'll post a photo when it's done.

There was also one by Heritage Aviation Models, sadly none of them are available now.

Spigot in, tail parts on and glue drying. No photo but an "I don't believe it!" moment. I got everything lined up on a dry fit then got impatient so decided to use superglue, not epoxy, to attach tail to fuselage and hope for a capillary effect to take the glue into the joint. After leaving it for a while to set I found I had a capillary effect all right - right down the side of the fuselage where the rubber band was touching. Some quick work with a scalpel and it will only need a light rub down but at least I know the glue should have flowed into the right places as well. Sanding / shaping the rear end tomorrow hopefully.

The jigsaw is now ready for assembly - the side view is ok but the top view reveals a lot of sanding is needed to unify the taper, even though it's not particularly obvious in the photo. I'm just happy the cuts seem to match up - they were done freehand with a water bath to trap the dust. As long as I get the fin vertical there's nothing that can't be fixed. I think I need to drill into the kit fuselage and put in a bit of sprue/rod/wire as a spigot to help alignment and use 5 minute epoxy as that will fill any gaps. Once that is set I'll add the rear fuselage tip/rudder part. Sanding will probably have to wait until tomorrow when everything is rigid.

A little thought overnight led to two possible "easy" fixes - remove the fin and rudder and extend the fuselage at the rudder hinge line then re-attach or try the spare Spitfire fuselage against the plans and see if that might work. The latter overcomes the problem of the former - blending the fin and reshaping it as well as dealing with its thickness. Luckily it looks as if the latter might work - a fuselage template cut from the plans held against the Spitfire fuselage and some cut lines drawn in on each fuselage. There's bound to be some filling and sanding required but I think this is the way I'll go. Time to be brave. Just wondering if I can do anything to help with alignment when I attach the new tail?