Grizly

From what I understand, the Monica fairing was indeed located aft of the tail wheel but in my references there is no indication of an opening such as provided by the Tamiya part.

With respect to the aircraft's lower tail cone (behind the tail wheel), Tamiya provides two parts, C-26 which has a bulged opening and C-27 which doesn't. The instructions specify using C-26 which has the opening. Conversely, Airfix in their 1/24 kit represent that area without an opening. While the majority of images that I have found do not show said opening, I did find one of Mosquito HR405 which does (Model Data File, The De Havilland Mosquito A Comprehensive Guide For The Modeller. Page 31) and the Aviaeology instruction sheet illustration (I'm building SZ976 that flew with 418 Squadron in1945) also implies one should use C-26 (with opening). Anybody care to comment on that particular area of the 'wooden wonder'?

I'm working on Airfix's 1/24 Typhoon. The kit instructions indicate the rear spar visible when the flaps are down should be interior grey/green while the rest of the interior of the flap surfaces should be painted medium sea grey, the same as the underside camouflage. I find this strange that the camouflage colour would be applied inside the flaps. Are the instructions correct and my doubts misplaced?

Based on the images provided, it would appear the leading edge of the flaps were camouflaged and so will those of my Tamiya model. Many thanx, Grizly aka Iain

Regarding the area of the upper forward edge of the flaps that is visible when the flaps are extended/down, what colour would that area be on your typical Medium Sea Grey/Dark Green scheme?

I'm building Tamiya's 1/32 Mosquito FB.VI as one flown by 418 Squadron in Belgium in April '45. In the Tamiya kit, two radio configurations are offered: the European options with the R1155 receiver and Gee receiver and a South Pacific option with the R1155 receiver and T1154 transmitter. Conversely, the Airfix 1/24 kit only provides the latter configuration. For a Continent based 'tactical' aircraft, the installation of Gee doesn't seem logical and am wondering if the R1155/T1154 combination is more appropriate. Would anyone care to add their thoughts?

Last Summer, a group of HELLS ANGELS, South Carolina bikers were riding east on 378 when they saw a girl about to jump off the Pee Dee River Bridge. So they stopped. George, their leader, a big burly man of 53, gets off his Harley, walks through a group of gawkers, past the State Trooper who was trying to talk her down off the railing, and says, "Hey Baby . . . whatcha doin' up there on that railin'?" She says tearfully, "I'm going to commit suicide!!" While he didn't want to appear "sensitive," George also didn't want to miss this "be-a-legend" opportunity either so he asked . . . "Well, before you jump, Honey-Babe . . . why don't you give ol' George here your best last kiss?" So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that . . . and it was a long, deep, lingering kiss followed immediately by another even better one. After they breathlessly finished, George gets a big thumbs-up approval from his biker-buddies, the onlookers, and even the State Trooper, and then says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had! That's a real talent you're wasting there, Sugar Shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why are you committing suicide?" "My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl." It's still unclear whether she jumped or was pushed.

It was Friday entertainment night at the seniors' home. It was a special night and all one hundred and fifty residents were in attendance. After the community sing-along led by Alice at the piano, it was time for the star of the show - Claude the Hypnotist who'd come all the way from Montreal! Claude explained that he was going to put the whole audience into a trance. "Yes, each and every one of you and all at the same time," said Claude. The excited chatter dropped to silence as Claude carefully withdrew, from his waistcoat pocket, a beautiful antique gold pocket watch and chain. "I want you to keep your eyes on this watch" said Claude, holding the watch high for all to see. "It's a very special and valuable watch made by a renowned watchmaker in Paris and has been in my family for six generations," said Claude. He began to swing the watch gently back and forth while quietly chanting, "Watch the watch --- watch the watch ---- watch the watch" The audience became mesmerized as the watch swayed back and forth. The lights were twinkling as they were reflected from its gleaming surfaces. A hundred and fifty pairs of eyes followed the movements of the gently swaying watch. They were all hypnotized. And then, suddenly, the chain broke!!! The beautiful watch fell to the floor and burst apart on impact. "S&!T," shouted Claude. Yup, one hundred and fifty bowel movements all in unison. It took them three days to completely clean up the lounge and Claude was never invited back again.

I appreciate the help. The upper colour it is. Grizly

I'm building Revell's 1/32 Tornado as a 617 Squadron aircraft with the Paragon extended flaps and Xtradecals sheet X006-32 in the two grey scheme. The upper flaps appear to have three shades of grey - that portion of the trailing edge which would normally be exposed when the flaps are retracted in Dark Sea Grey, a portion of the upper inboard flap and a (middle) strip running the length of the flaps the lighter grey as applied to the portion of the wing that slides into the fuselage glove and the remainder of the flap that is normally concealed when the flaps are retracted in yet another shade of grey that is lighter than the upper Dark Sea Grey but darker than the middle grey strip. See attached. I hope I haven't created mass confusion. Anyway, does anyone know what grey the latter shade is? Is it the lower Dark Camouflage Grey?

I'm painting my 1/32 GR-1 the two grey scheme as found on 617 Squadron's aircraft in 1998. It has Dark Sea Grey on the upper surfaces and Dark Camouflage grey on the lower. My question pertains to the part of the wing that slides inside the pivot glove and portions of the flaps (I have added the Paragon extended flaps to my model). The instructions and photos show those areas to be a lighter grey. Were those areas Dark Camouflage Grey or some other shade?

Thanks for the quick response. Red they will be! Grizly

I'm building Revell's 1/32 Tornado GR.1 and am adding TAC Scale's three nose avionics bays (two on the port side and one on the starboard side). My question is, were the interior surfaces of the access doors painted all red or just the outer edges?

I'm building a model of Stocky Edwards' FW-190 and was wondering if anyone would care to speculate on what the size and style of the upper wing roundels were?

I recently purchased Trumpeter's 1/200 model of HMS Hood and am looking forward to acquiring the Pontos Detail Up set for the kit. In the meantime I'm gathering reference material in preparation for my build. For my Bismarck (below & not quite complete), I found specific data on the positioning and width of the boot topping. Would anyone have similar information relevant to Hood's boot topping???

Based on the information provided above, it would appear that Tamiya's R1155/Gee nav/com installation is more appropriate. One small step forward. As for colours.....????

The particular subject that I wish to model is 418 Squadron's, "Amigo Panchito"/TH*V/SZ976 flown on the Continent in 1945. I would assume it is a late production aircraft. As for the Tamiya kit's accuracy, while no expert on the subject, I have yet to read any negative comments on their 1/32 (not 1/72) kit or Airfix's 1/24 scale kit.

I originally posted the following on another site but thought repeating it here might reveal something new. Simply, I find it strange how the instructions for two highly detailed kits of the same subject can have such diversity. Specifically, I’m building Tamiya’s 1/32 kit of the DH Mosquito Mk.VI and acquired a copy of the instructions for Airfix’s 1/24 Mosquito Mk.VI as additional information and to get a Brit perspective. Given the differences in the painting instructions one would think they were two totally different aircraft. Electrical cables yellow on one black on the other. The cavity for the fuel cells and ammo boxes white on one, grey/green on the other. Wheel wells and engine compartment aluminum on one, grey green on the other. Nav/com suite on one for a European based aircraft includes the R1155/T1154 on one and the R1155/Gee combination on the other. And the differences go on and on and on. Both are reputable companies that obviously expended countless man-hours researching the Mosquito Mk.VI taking into account restoration differences from the original. So, why such a difference in their instructions? Are both correct or is one really out to lunch?

I'm building the Tamiya 1/32 Mosquito FB.VI as one flown by 418 Squadron in the Continent late 1945. I have two questions..... The kit offers two avionics combinations - the R1155 receiver and Gee combination and the R1155 and T1154 transmitter combination. Which would a 1945 Continent based aircraft have?? My second question relates to the pilot's seat. Presumably the pilot used a seat pack parachute. Assuming I am correct, would the seat have had the back padding (missing in some references I have) and seat pan cushion (or is that supposed to be a clip on parachute pack?) as provided in the kit or would the seat be devoid of a back cushion (modern application?) and have an empty seat pan??? I assume the navigator used a clip on parachute pack which was stowed forward of his seat.

I posted a reply which seems to have disappeared. Anyway, I converted the Airfix Mk.1a to a IXc and if interested I can provide details. The conversion is lengthy but not terribly difficult if you can scavenge parts from other 24th scale kits. Give a call.

I converted the Airfix Spit Mk.1a to a Mk.IXc and wrote a detailed account of the conversion which was published as a two part article in Scale Models International a number of years ago. My conversion required scavenging numerous parts from other kits, scratch building, was time intensive but not, in my opinion, difficult. If interested, contact me.

I think HaroldP needs to be a little clearer wrt what Lancaster antenna wires he is referring to. For example, might he be referring to the HF radio antenna wires which extend back from the cockpit to the vertical stabs?

Sorry but I can't provide any photos as I'm currently 'on the road'. You may well be right in that it could complicate things elsewhere. If it did, I suspect it would be internally in the wings. At any rate, I have thinned out the rear guides in the fuselage halves and will try a dry run when I get home. Unfortunately, that won't be for a couple of weeks.

Excuse this late comment as I just recently discovered this on-going discussion. I noticed earlier discussion about the poor fit of the chin cowling and radiator assembly. In my own build, I have found that, unmodified, the internal cockpit, firewall and engine mount assembly sits one to two millimeters too far forward leaving a gap between the rear of the firewall and the fuselage. Is it not possible that much of the chin cowling problem could be addressed if the assembly were moved a millimeter or two aft in the fuselage. It would appear that all that is required is thinning down of the rear slot in the lower fuselage halves for the rear spar in order to move the structure back.

Some might think I’m obsessed with the subject and I probably am as I still have questions rattling around in what some might call my brain. To expand on Chris’ insight, is it possible that the "rich mid-brown to burnt orange" areas inside the bay are "the recesses in the gun bay floor " as indicated by Chris plus (here goes my theory) the raised disks on the rear spar part B01 and the larger one on the inboard ribs parts F36 and F37 with the rest being painted aluminum. My theory is that these disks are "impregnated or coated fibre-board" plugs that blank off lightening holes. Also, anybody willing to speculate on the "pale yellow" specified for parts F38 and F39 in the gun bay? I certainly sounds like zinc chromate which I find odd given everything else is aluminum.