JosephLalor

Hi Joe, Nice progress there. I like the earlier mark model as well. Regarding the twin strakes, they were a feature of the F.2A and the F.6. The F.2 would have had the shorter belly tank with the single strake and the tailfin with narrower chord at the tip. Your model of XM186 is of a F.3 in one of my favourite schemes, for 111 Sqn. I'm rather partial to the F.3 with red and white chequers of 56 Sqn as well.

Last year I finished an Airfix Chieftain using Xtracolor BS281 NATO Green and Humbrol 21 Gloss Black under a coat of matt varnish. The green came out as a bleary grey-green, such that I suspect I would have got the same effect with Humbrol 111 Field Grey.

Was she purchased in Sandefjord, Norway, or am I thinking of Amundsen's Fram?

Magna and Welsh Models did 1/72 resin and 1/144 vacform kits respectively. I think Anigrand might have had a 1/144 resin kit.

Wingtips D15, D16, E7 and E8, undercarriage legs C27 and C28, intake fairing D37.

I've been trying to get a definitive answer on the colour(s) of the IAF Ashoka Chakra marking for years. Blue would certainly match the device in the centre of the Indian flag.

I second JohnT's recommendation of Colourcoats paints. You'll have some mixing ahead of you if you try to go the Tamiya route. I suppose which colours to use would depend on whether Bismarck was in the early war colours or the Baltic scheme colours. According to shipscamouflage.com back in 2000: Early Hull: Dunkelgrau 51, RAL 7000 Upperworks: Hellgrau 50, RAL 7001 Baltic Hull: Mittelgrau, Mix RAL 7001, RAL 7036 Upperworks: Hellgrau, RAL 7038 Bow and stern: Dunkelgrau, RAL 7037 Sovereign Hobbies have a Bismarck Final Sortie set, which contains the following paints: KM1 Hellgrau 50 KM2 Dunkelgrau 51 KM4 Schiffsbodenfarbe III Rot 5 KM5 Schiffsbodenfarbe III Grau 1 KM6 Dunkelgrau 2 US15 Mahogany I would guess that KM4 is for the hull, KM5 is for the boot topping and KM6 is for the steel decks and turret tops. The set's currently sold out but it might be worth seeing if these are available singly. One hurdle you would have to clear would be finding a way to get them to Ireland. That's what stops me from hoovering them up for now.

Probably grabbing completely the wrong end of the stick, but I got a bit of a Johnny Cash vibe there.

I'll say! Backward leap across the full width of the goalmouth without conceding a corner.

I can't see the pictures, but I'm guessing this is the star-strutter.

Good to see you might be pulling off a save here, I'm looking forward to a result. You've reminded me that I have one of those old kits with the PRU Blue and Dark Sea Grey applied to a mostly complete airframe, some touch-ups being required. I'm not gone on the kit transfers so I'll look out for a SAAF Buccaneer sheet. Very best of luck with the remainder of the build.

The Rack; A history of torture by Elon Gates

Neat work there. I take it that the choice of name is based on Clementine being Winston Churchill's wife.

I've Typhoons galore, and a handful of Tempests and Sea Furies as well. I'd like to have a go.

Splendid!

Civil Aviation Markings by Reg E Spotter

Simple Meals by Roland Butter

I've rung church bells in that area, on a Dorsetshire Guild open day in 1986. Not in Dorchester itself, but in Piddletrenthide, Bradford Abbas, Sherborne and Toller Whelme. The Master of the Guild at the time lived in Toller Porcorum.

That happened with the Mk 11 I started late last year. It's too far advanced for inclusion in the current GB but I'm looking forward to getting it done along with my Hawker Fury, once I've got the strength back in my right hand.

Provided I don't break my wrist again next December I'd like to give this one a go. I can hear my Inpact Fairey Flycatcher calling all of a sudden.

Courtesy of Youtube The Associates: Sulk

At least one of these for me: Hawker Fury (prob Yugoslavian) AW Siskin Vickers Wellesley Hawker Tempest VI (postwar desert scheme) HS125-600 (prob Irish Air Corps, if my v old Max Decals sheet will still work)

If I knew the colour's AFNOR code (Axxx) I could get its CIELAB details from NORMDEF 0001 and use something like encycolorpedia to try for paint matches.

I've been quite lucky with old Matchbox decals myself, but my experience may not apply to everyone. There's a company called APC Decals who make reproductions of Matchbox and FROG sheets. They sell through a Czech retailer, hobbyshop.cz. I think someone on this site may have mentioned them before.

I'd like to give this one a lash, so put me down please. Perhaps time to bite the rigging bullet and do some of the Matchbox biplanes.