rossm

Nick, The Aeroplane was March 2008. Besides the ones listed so far there were also features in in Air Enthusiast 17 (primarily Middle East and FE use) and Wings of Fame Vol5. Ross

There is a photo on the IWM site Here and here and here and a colour picture here which is captioned as a XII but I think could be a XIII, Ross

Looking at the first B+W print posted I think they could be the static discharge thingies trailing from the wingtip ? Thanks for all the help, Cheers, Ross

I've now been able to post my photo taken at Roborough in 1955. Go to This Page and scroll down to the notes for individual aircraft, Cheers, Ross

There is a photo on p32 of Coastal, Support & Special Squadrons of the RAF by JDR Rawlings. Send me a PM and I'll try a scan but it's right up against the spine of the book, Ross

Many thanks, I think that info is almost enough to build with - polished alloy airframe, painted silver (hopefully) cockpit top and control surfaces and the dash is even in the underwing serials - which I hope are black. The only mystery left is Edinburgh Green and the only decent reference I've found is http://www.edinburghbrand.com/using_the_br...nd_colours.aspx but I don't know how to convert the colour values given to any model paint range, nor whether this is the same colour used by the Duke. Later edit - This Link gives RAL 6001 as an equivalent but I still can't cross reference that to a paint I can buy. Another edit - This Link gives me Tamiya XF05, Humbrol 101 and FS34230. I hope that all assumptions made on the way are correct ! Thanks again, Ross

PLEASE PLEASE STOP posting stuff about the Naval Heron with green markings. I thought my post was pretty clear I'm looking for XH375 of the Royal Flight (part of the RAF) which had an Edinburgh Green cheatline 'cos it was the Duke of Edinburgh's aircraft. Ideally a colour picture similar to the black and white one in sloegin57's first post.

Looking at the plans in the Warpaint they could be interpreted as showing the huge troughs (with four cannon muzzles at their rear edge) per the Valom kit and photo on p27. The Bristol Putnam says, "The first 11 were delivered as torpedo fighters.................returned to Filton for conversion into light bombers......This variant, Brigand B.Mk.I, retained the four cannon armament (with modifed blast tubes) but not the rear gun.". Aircraft of the Fighting Powers shows (in a photo) the blast tubes covered with fabric patches as on many Beaufighters. The serial is RH742 - the first production TF1. So I think Valom are right for later aircraft (no idea from when) but not for the TF.1 - which is a pity as that's the kit I've got and the variant I want to build. Ross

Nick, Try the Culdrose book you pointed me to (page 55). Not perfectly clear but there don't seem to be pig troughs under the nose ! Nor HERE (bottom of the page) - as an aside to this photo the caption states 3 homing torpedos are carried. One is clearly under the fuselage but is that another under the outer wing ? But on p27 of the Warpaint (photo 7) there clearly are ! So some research into the modification mentioned by Wooksta to see if it is applicable to your model is required before committing to plastic, Cheers, Ross

This topic was covered extensively in a previous post HERE Ross

Both the Barracuda Profile and the Fairey Putnam imply it was always a shoulder wing design. Indeed the Profile, discussing the original specification tenders, states, "The Fairey Aviation Company's submission of a shoulder wing monoplane.................was accepted as the most suitable.". Ross

I can't find anything with Google - that's why I posted here ! Ross

Heron XH375 wasa apparently the Duke of Edinburgh's aircraft and had a cheatline in Edinburgh Green rather than Royal Blue. Does anyone know of any colour photos please ? Also what do I need to do to the Airfix kit to get a C.2 ? (Also posted on the Cold War forum as it could belong on either) Thanks in advance, Ross

Heron XH375 wasa apparently the Duke of Edinburgh's aircraft and had a cheatline in Edinburgh Green rather than Royal Blue. Does anyone know of any colour photos please ? Also what do I need to do to the Airfix kit to get a C.2 ? (Also posted on the Civil forum as it could belong on either) Thanks in advance, Ross

Mike Bowyer in Airfix Magazine Annual 7 had an article on Coastal Colours from which I have taken the following................ Prior to 1939 aircraft of Coastal Command were silver overall, with planing bottoms of flying boats grey. September 1939 found Coastal Command landplanes and flying-boats in the immediate pre-war colours with silver undersurfaces usual, although some Sunderlands, Vildebeestes and most Hudsons were already wearing black. The first major change to lanplane undersurface colours came in June 1940............Blenheim IV fighters should have Sky undersurfaces in place of the Black/White retained from Fighter Command days. In July 1940 Coastal Command requested all its aircraft except flying boats should wear Sky undersurfaces On July 4th a conference was held which decided aircraft used on daylight operations should have Sky undersurfaces and those used at night should have black. Command expressed a preference for 75% of its aircraft to have black undersurfaces. At the end of July it was decided to make available black distemper to be applied temporarily over Sky undersurfaces. (NOTE FROM ROSS - this might KO the primer theory) ........................................................ There is much more on the subject of Sky vs Black, including notes about differences betwwen Command and Squadron level and the difficulty of maintaining the 75/25 divide given serviceability problems. Also a note that on July 3rd 1941 86 Sqdn wanted grey undersurfaces on its Beauforts. This appears to have gone nowhere. Dare I introduce the name of Paul Lucas again ? - His Monograph 'The Battle for Britain' published by Scale Aircraft Modelling has two pages of drawings (yes, I know) showing Hudsons in summer 1940 in either Aluminium or black undersurfaces. He also shows Ansons and Lerwicks with Aluminium undersides during this period. That's all I can find, apart from the previously mentioned note on Beaufighters in grey primer.

I've got Tally Ho sheet 7001 which has 2I.P (TD191) - a Mk.XVIe. That's the difficult part sorted. I'm pretty sure I won't be using them as I finished my XVI in 74 Sqdn markings long ago. Send me a PM with your address - I'll also put in a pair of Modeldecal V or T to give you the full code if you need them, Ross

Are you sure the light grey undersides refer to RAF aircraft or could they have been RCAF or RAAF ? Ross

I've a suspicion, but no evidence to hand, that the pink (PRU pink?) applied to the Mk.IXs late in the war was deeper than the pink (off-white ?) applied to the earlier PR.VII (aka PR.IG). Anyone got anything concrete on this ? Ross

According to the Simon Parry & Frank Marshall book 'Colours of the Luftwaffe' on the Fujimi kit......... the wingspan is short and the tips are too square. The tailplane span is also short. The tailwheel is too far forward. the props are small in diameter and the mainwheels are undersize. The coloured code letters are the wrong colours. The book was published in 1987 so doesn't include the Italeri kits. Cheers, Ross

Some notes on the camouflage are on an older post on the WWII forum at LINK Ross

A bit more to try to answer a query on the Interwar section...... The photo in Airfix magazine November 1975 is open to interpretation but it is clear the underside of the port (notionally black side) tailplane is pale. The camouflage also extends very low down the nose to the point where I would say that, like some Lysanders, it wraps around - certianly these is a patch of dark colour (Dk.Green ?) on the lower cooling intake although there also seems to be a very bright replacement panel on the after part of this intake. Ross

Many thanks for the reply, I came across the pic in your (joint) book while looking for Tempest II shots for the other current Tempest query and, given my interest in all things Cornish (& Devonian - see link) and that I have the SAM Typhoon FR.I conversion I thought I'd try and marry the two. Cheers, Ross

The Typhoon & Tempest Story by Chris Thomas & Chris Shores has a photo of a 349 Sqdn Typhoon FR.IB at Predannack on p137 but no code/serial details are visible. Any help to make a model of this aircraft would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Ross

Tempest IIs lined up at Langley in colour 1944 (?) - LINK

This has taken me to a rarely visited part of my bookshelf - the old Airfix Magazines with the Bruce Robertson / MJF Bowyer series on Army Air colours from 1975/6. October 1975 p108 states in March 1939 Lysanders of 16 Sqdn, and possibly others, had their undersides repainted (from aluminium) in black and white. November 1975 p146 states the Lysanders retained black and white undersides when the BEF went to france but soon changed back to aluminium. It also states some Hectors of 613 and 614 had black and white undersides when they took up their war stations at Odiham when the Lysanders went to France. There is a picture on p148 of a Hector of 59 Sqdn in what looks very much like black and white undersides with the aileron of the upper port (black) wing in white - note the caption says this a/c crashed in May 1939. There doesn't appear to be any more on the Hector during the war in this series. Ross