11bravo

Now THAT would be a cool (and very unique) Super Hornet. No idea if anyone offers a 72nd SM6, I kind of doubt it. I'm not a huge expert on these missiles but maybe try to get your hands on a Standard ARM missile and scratch build it into a 6?

Just to add to my British friends angst that the beloved Meteor may not be the longest range A2A missile in the west, I present this picture that was recently leaked. It would suggest that the US is actively looking at very long range A2A missiles. Given the massive weight of an SM6, I would guess that this is for a niche capability such as targeting AWACs, etc, in the same manner as the Chinese missile shown in the post above. Hypersonic strike weapon, anti-ship missile, very long range SAM and now a potential A2A missile. Is there anything the SM6 can't do?

Hi Folks, I'm planning on building a P-47D "Little Bunny / Norma" assigned to the 57th FG in Corsica, late '44. From all I have read, this aircraft was previously flown by a Brazilian unit and apparently they painted all their Jugs RAF Dark Green over light grey When this aircraft was transferred to the USAF, the 57th FG used standard US Olive Drab to paint out some large markings on both sides of the middle fuselage. I've only found a few B&W pictures of the real thing. They are all heavily exposed and you can't really see any difference in tone, aside from this one: So first off - does anyone have any better (ideally color) pictures of this aircraft? Secondly, can anyone confirm that Brazilian P-47's were painted RAF Dark Green? If so, any thoughts on what the lower color was? US Neutral Grey, NMF or an RAF color? Any info is greatly appreciated.

Alan, thank you very much. Your comments mean a great deal to me. John

Thanks very much Alan. I'm done (finally). Here's the RFI -

Any updates on the 32nd kit??

I second that.... seems like someone has an MOS inadequacy issue. Anyway, from another website, a guy who served on F-4's in USAFE said that the loadout was as mentioned above, wing fuel tanks and at times, 1-2 AIM-9's.

Good point on tailoring my search criteria. For what it’s worth, I’m planning on building MJ532 / UF-Q.

Anyone have an idea on whether an .IX flying in November of ‘44 would have had the gyro gunsight installed or would it have had the earlier fixed reticle sight? Any info is much appreciated.

Weird... On my PC, I don't see GSB and a few other shades. On my phone, I do. I did note that on either device, they appear to be out of RAF Ocean Grey. Also, did you guys ever offer RAF roundel blue and roundel red? If so, those are missing as well. Regards, John

I just went there to order some paints. Looks like many of the paints that were stocked have sold out (including GSB). If Jamie is perusing this thread - any idea when you'll have another shipment of paints out to the US?

Seawinder - keep in mind that Colourcoats just recently got another US dealer stocked up. I ordered some paint a few months back from them and received within a few days. Let me know if you can't find the info on them and I'll dig it up for you. Edit - I see that this info was already provided above.

I used Colourcoates for WW2 GSB (the color changed after the war), from other posts I’ve seen, this is supposed to be a very good match. It also sprays extremely well.

Good point. Late ‘44, hanging off a Spitfire in Italy.

Any good color pictures out there of British 500lb bombs? Surprisingly few pictures I’ve found by Googling. Just looking for info on its colors and some weathering tips. Thanks in advance, John

Regarding the cowls, is there any documented info on other D-9’s having unpainted cowling panels?

First off - I know everything regarding late-war Luftwaffe paint schemes is very subjective. Second - I know very little about the D-9 so I apologize in advance if this opens up a big can of worms or was previously covered. All that being said, I'm always on the lookout for a subject with a unique paint job and White 16 below certainly is unique. This illustration is from the AZ model instructions. Any thoughts on the validity of the paint scheme shown here? Are there any pictures out there of the real thing? Any information on this is greatly appreciated. Regards, John

Can't help with that specific aircraft but I know I've seen pictures in the past of early P-40's in NMF but most if not all were retired combat aircraft being used in stateside training units.

Keith, I just noticed your post. Thank you very much for those pictures. I was actually booked on a trip to Scotland last May which obviously was cancelled due to COVID. I had planned on trying to get my wife onboard for a slight detour to check out the old base. I'm a pleasantly surprised that there is this much left. Hopefully when this virus is behind us, I can finally make it out there. Regards, John

To do it right, you really need a guy extreme wealth and extreme passion. I wish Elon Musk had an interest in something like this.

Regarding the build thread, the one I posted here on BM was a bit sporadic. If anyone wants to read the extremely boring and overly detailed version, it’s over on LSP. Thanks to everyone for the kind comments, they are greatly appreciated. Regards, John

Thank you sir! There are no stencils included with that Aviealogy sheet, I used Barracuda’s stenciling sheet (which is very nice). You are correct on Tamiya’s decals. I wouldn’t say unusable but they are on the thick side and don’t respond well to setting solutions. Speaking of decal issues - I’ve never seen decals set up as quick as Aviealogy’s. You can wet the surface all you want but you better be accurate with your decal placement because you have about 2 seconds to get the decal in its final position. After that, it’s not moving anywhere. You’ve been warned! Other than that, the decals are quite nice. John

Thank you! That was my biggest reservation when I started (that and cutting out the canopy escape hatch). After reading up on this aircraft (Avieology's instructions are a wealth of info), I figured out that this aircraft more than likely had the field-applied SDS scheme. This was a thinly applied coat of Extra Dark Sea Grey (some think it was a lighter shade but I digress) that allowed the original camouflage to show through. So I ended up doing the same thing. First the original green / grey camo was applied. Next I added some shading (saw this trick on a wonderful 48th scale Mossie build here on BM). And then I applied a slightly lightend shade of EDSG, just light enough to allow the underlying camo to be seen. After the picture above, I went back and smoothed in some of imperfections, but you get the idea. The pictures I took for my RFI were under poor lighting so this effect isn't as obvious but trust me, it's there! John

Thank you Pat! If you are interested in this subject and haven't already read it, I strongly recommend "A Separate Little War". A fantastic book on the Strike Wings.