rossm

I use a 'Fine Point Scriber' from Aeroclub - put scriber into the search box on their website Aeroclub Website. The Bare metal one is also shown but a couple of quid more. Occasionally I also use some etched steel razor saw blades which fit a scalpel handle, they came from Airwaves (now marketed by Hannants Hannants Website) but I don't know if they are still available. HOWEVER..... I'd second the last post - for a first Spitfire build the kit as a VB, it'll give a delightful model with little hassle. Alternative decals might be found on the Aeroclub site or Hannants or many other online model shops as well as the Model Alliance ones. Their Spitfire decals may well be ok but I've got a downer on Model Alliance 'cos I bought an expensive sheet for some modern aircraft and not only are the instructions vague or wrong but the decals for the option I most wanted are also wrong ! Generic RAF WWII decal sheets (roundels, code letters, serials) are also available so you can make just about any individual aircraft you want to. Enjoy ! Ross

Bill, where did you get the red leading edges for the nacelles from ? I ended up with mid-blue 'cos I found a colour slide by Jim Halley on the Air Britain website which seemed to show either no colour or a mid-blue. Unfortunately it's gone off their site but PM me an email address and I'll send you a rather grainy copy that I saved (can't post it 'cos of copyright). It's always possible it changed but I agonised over that little bit of colour for ages ! Ross

Yes, be a devil, finish something from the pending heap ! You'll feel much better for it and it won't take as long as starting a fresh one ! I've had the airbrush out today for the first time in ages (well maybe the second as I primed one the other day) to spray the first camouflage colour on two - an F-16 started in April and an He219 started in the previous millenium ! There's a part built Meteor III from the same era somewhere waiting to go with the four (I,IV,10,13) on the display shelves. Then the F(TT)8, T7, U16, TT20.................. and maybe some other 'vanilla' ones as well. Definitely something about Meteors !

That 72ooth one looks nice. My list includes an F(TT)8 and a camouflaged T7 from Chivenor as well as a U16. For something a bit different how about one of the many prototype or trials aircraft ? or the A&AEE "T7 and a bit" with F8 tail unit and camera nose ? Ross

The other way for a Beau II (not sure if it's cheaper but might be easier) is the Magna wings on an Airfix donor. If you go that way I've got a box of Airfix bits and will see if I can find all the ones you'd need, Cheers, Ross

I've found I've got the Havoc II but the Havoc I (which I sold to alfie?) was pretty similar with many shared parts. The cowlings aren't too bad because they're split vertically and the problem was not enough sanding and dry fitting. Cockpit detail is ok except for bare sidewalls. The Turbinlite is clear with a solid reflector which needs foil or paint. Canopies are vacform but very clear and crisp (Falcon ?). Note: to fit the Turbinlite requires cutting off the existing nose (as do many of the variants). Here is an attempt at a composite photo showing aspects of the kit - those cowlings, the interior, the Turbinlite with an engine, interior again (note moulded on nosewheel door) and some unused parts to show the sprue 'gates' which need a razor saw, especially on larger parts. High Planes customer support is good - they supplied a reflector (missing from my kit) without a quibble, I'm sure it's all do-able, just be under no illusion it will fall together, Ross

5 gold stars ! PM on the way, Ross

Please can anyone help - if you are building the 1/72 Dragon He219A-0 and using the later, large radar aerials please, please can I have the early ones (part MA4) ? Here's the ghastly tale... If you've got the kit you'll have seen you have to make the radar from a combination of plastic and etch. If you are doing the early radar you have four identical sets of the tiniest parts and you have to bend the etch. Well I got three on ok but the etch for the fourth broke on the fold. I don't think it's repairable anyway but I lost the chance to try 'cos the tiniest part went into the innards of the carpet monster. Even worse, with three on it's not easy to change to the later aerials as the plastic parts need to be cut from the airframe. I'll swap anything in my power and refund postage costs, Here's hoping, Ross

I've got a 'Turbinlite' on the pending (aka half-built, lost interest) pile. Think of it as a vacform and you won't be disappointed. You'll need to razor saw the parts off the sprue and rub down the mating surfaces. Canopies are vacform and very clear. Surface detail is finely scribed lines and the outline seems ok to me. It's waiting for me to figure out how to deal with non-circular cowlings (just needs the right 'cut and shut' job, I should stop being wimpish). I also bought it some Quickboost engines (intended for a Mitchell ?) which should be a big improvement. I'd summarise as - buy it if you want the subject and are prepared for a little bit of hard work and problem solving on the way as I think the result will be worth it and there's nothing major that I can see wrong with it. Just don't expect a Tamigawa 'shake and bake'. Ross

Now ready to do the final masking for the 'camouflage' colours. Note I departed form my normal sequence and put the undercarriage in before painting as it looked a bit flimsy and I thought this way would mean I got good solvent joints without problems due to paint on the parts I was trying to join. I then masked the airframe to spray the white and hand painting the tyres wasn't too difficult. Not quite sure how I'll mask it for spraying the airframe- wet tissue seems worth a try but I've never used it before. I'm going to try it on something else first.

Well, I've sprayed the primer and almost wish I hadn't. My LHS only had Alclad grey primer/filler so I went with that. The first airbrush clogged almost immediately - to be fair to Alclad it has a habit of doing that - so I went for the cheapy double action reserve and got a coat that was ok in places, one run due to me not handling the unfamiliar double action well and some places where I could have been spraying sand off the beach ! A polishing cloth has just about recovered the situation but a whole afternoon has gone on spraying, cleaning the airbrushes (Alclad airbrush cleaner will strip paint as soon as look you at it) and polishing. Next time I might just put the first colour coat straight on which is my usual habit but having had trouble with adhesion of Xtracrylix I decided to be (too) clever this time. Luckily the primer shows that all my joint lines are good enough as far as I'm concerned. One bonus is that the main airbrush got a very good cleanup so might be cured of that clogging habit ? Hopefully tomorrow I'll put some colour on and find out.

According to info I got from the Harrier SIG the four aircraft flown direct from Ascension to Hermes jettisoned their tanks before landing on. The majority were taken on from Ascension by sea and presumably landed with the tanks still on but had them removed at Ascension ? Note on my model the tanks are the old Airfix GR.1/3 tanks modified to have four fins as shown in a photo of one 'resting' at St.Mawgan.

Now masked and ready to spray the primer - not sure it's worth a photo but it's a milestone worth noting as it's the first of my models to get there this year !

Dark Sea Grey is not far off, not sure if that's in the Gunze range ?

Here's the only one I took of the Dakota at Fairford. Sorry it's on the ground but you can get an idea of the upper wing.

I put an Aeroclub seat in mine and very nice it was too. Had to hack the cockpit bulkhead out and replace it further back though as it's designed for the undersize kit seat. The box of mine reveals I paid £3.99 (secondhand ?) and I wouldn't want to pay much more than that now !

I did the Fujimi one recently and it was a pig to put together, turned out pretty well though - it's amazing what a coat of matt varnish will hide

After work and vacation trips I'm just getting going again - does anyone have pictures of the wingtip nav lights with the later (AIM-120?) missile rails fitted. As far as I can tell what Hasegawa provide is way oversize but I haven't yet found a clear pic on Airliners.net or the F-16 pages. PS - I only just decided I should use the new rails and I just love the way Hasegawa (1/72 kits) tell you to cut off the old rails and butt joint the new ones. Chances of me lining them up right ? You cannot be serious, man !

There's also a need for a correction list for the RB-57E 'Patricia Lynn' option as Airfix didn't include the cameras ! My 1/72 conversion article in MAM gave more detail but I don't think I got it 100% right as one photo hints at a cutaway around the lower camera which I didn't quite get. PM me for a copy if you don't have the MAM issue.

Some Marks of Sunderland did use the same turret as the Manchester so the Falcon set which includes the Sunderland is about the only source I know of, unfortunately that means you can't put it on a Sunderland and the Airfix kit is just crying out for it! I'm trying to vacform some from a master I made starting with a Matchbox Halifax rear turret and lots of filler but my vacform skills aren't up to speed yet.

That'll be the early seats with armrests then, not the ESCAPAC, apparently the armrests were sadly missed ! Ross

I think it was a seat from Aircraft Mechanic Inc., fitted until the B-57G was developed with the ESCAPAC after which all surviving aircraft were retrofitted with it. Roughly, if you're modelling a '60s aircraft it's the Martin seat and '70's would be ESCAPAC. I'm still trying to find the exact reference I got this from but it came up during my 'Patricia Lynn' research last year, Here's another useful link, Ross

Very good colour photo in Charles E. Brown's book Camera Above The Clouds Volume 3. I can try a scan if you don't have access to a copy, Ross

Air Britain Defiant File gives DR962 to 777 Sqdn Hastings, Sierra Leone coded T, damaged on landing 20/3/44, no further trace. There is a photo of Defiants of 777 Sqdn with one coded T in it. AA366 arrived Freetown 8/7/43, believed 777 Sqdn Both were TT.1 Ross

I don't want to hijack my own thread but coaming is also a nautical term (17th century according to my dictionary) for the raised bit around a hatch to keep the water out. Binnacle still seems to represent the huge lump in front of an F-16 pilot better to me. Believe it or not, although I knew there were lots of nautical terms in aviation I hadn't made the aeronautical connection before ! Anyway, to brass tacks.... Lousy weather today so reasonable progress. Various shims and a sprue 'strut' across the back got an OK fit on the 'big mouth' and a little attention from the Flexifile meant I have avoided using filler around it. Just a touch of filler on the nose and some Krystal Klear on one underwing seam so far. That's the Wolfpack Designs AN/ALQ-188 pod between the Liquid Poly and the Green Stuff. It doesn't quite match photos but should be OK. Ross