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silverkite211

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Everything posted by silverkite211

  1. I have a Revell of Germany kit 1/100 scale kit that allows you to build either a AV-8A or GR.3, it has different noses fins and tail caps. Is this just a reworking of the aforementioned Takara kit?
  2. I agree. I understand that due to budgetary constraints that military units sometimes must be reduced in number, however when I think of James McCudden leading his 56 Sqn pilots in their SE-5s against Verner Voss, or 74 Sqn always being the first to receive the latest variant of Lightning, it saddens me to think that these fine squadrons are gone, perhaps forever. I also agree with you about the paint irregularity, I think it was a matter of the paint simply not being mixed in the proper percentages, and due to time constraints they weren't able to spray a test square to see if it was fomulated correctly.
  3. Happily there are comparitively few differences to take note of with the F-4 Phantom II, nothing like the seemingly myriad little differences with Bf-109s for example. 74 Squadron is one of my favorite RAF squadrons, I built an F-4J(UK) many years ago, using the Monogram kit, as it happens, I need to build another, better one sometime. I didn't know as much about Phantoms then as now and I neglected to remove the arrowhead shaped reinforcing plate on the stabilators, US Navy Phantoms didn't have them. If I may be allowed a moment's thread drift... This is one of my prize possessions, the five delivery flights were known as (code named, possibly?) 'Tiger Trails', they started at the NARF Facility in California where the planes had been brought out of storage and reworked, stopping overnight at Lambert Field in St. Louis, then on to Newfoundland, where the planes were painted (in colors that did NOT match the BSC specs) and from there on to England. I saw a photograph of this patch in a magazine article once, and this is the only one that I have ever seen in the flesh. I was saddened when 74 Sqd became a Reserve squadron and saddened even more when it was disestablished.
  4. A person has to learn somehow and if it isn't by asking questions... Or, as I heard it put once, 'The beginning of knowledge is the statement "I do not know" '. Glad I could help out and answer your question.
  5. The nosegear strut remained the same double oleo unit. And, in my opinion the only stupid question is the one that you don't ask.
  6. The good news is that the Hasegawa FG.1 kit comes with the nosegear door for the FGR.2, as well as the neccessary nosegear strut. The bad news is that the FG.1 kit comes with slotted stabilators and the FGR.2 had solid, unslotted stabs. The options that I see at this point are that you can fill in the slotted leading edge of the stabilators, or you can try to find someone who would be willing to trade you their FGR.2 stabs for your FG.1 articles, or I believe that I saw someone in another thread here at Britmodeler make mention of aftermarket resin stabilators being available.
  7. You can build your F-4J as an RAF F-4J(UK). The Royal Air Force was the only foreign user of the F-4J, all other Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Phantoms were Rolls-Royce Spey powered and the fuselage had to be widened and deepened to accommodate the larger engine, in addition to the auxiliary air intakes being moved to the upper sides of the fuselage, as you can see in the photo that's part of my signature. There was only one RAF Sqn. that operated the F-4J(UK), 74 Sqn.
  8. That is an ACMI pod (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation), it's used on training ranges to keep track of the aircraft during exercises. I think they're called something else nowadays, however I can't think of what that would be.
  9. Would someone be able to tell me what color the cockpit of a Spiteful should be? The instructions say it was finished in a mixture of "Medium Grey and Cockpit Grey/Green". What in the world is "Cockpit Grey/Green"? I suppose it isn't going to matter much since the kit is the old Pegasus one, with the attendant thick, one piece canopy. Thanks in advance.
  10. In the book 'Flying the World's Great Aircraft', Robert Stanford Tuck descibes his first encounter with the Hurricane, when he took over command of 257 Sqd. "Strangely enough, I had never been very close to a Hurricane before, let alone sat in the cockpit. Hurricane P4190 sat there on it's wide, sturdy undercarriage, with it's slightly down-sloping nose and humpbacked fuselage giving it a slightly hunched, crouching appearance. I was not very impressed, as it looked like a great sturdy carthorse compared with my Spit, which was like a racing thoroughbred." A few paragraphs later, however, he realtes "In spite of my first-sight impressions of it, as I dived, climbed, looped, rolled, stalled, spun and did everything I knew with it, I became aware of it's virtues. The Hurricane, I decided, was solid and it was obvious that she'd take a lot of punishment. She was as steady as a rock, even going fast downhill, and was a very impressive gun platform, having good forward visibility." And there's this, a couple of pages later, "After this first day's combat with my new Squadron in the Hurricane serialled V6555, code letters DT-A, my first impressions of this magnificent aircraft were completely wiped out, as I realised the sterling qualities of it's handling. It had not a vice in it's whole make-up. It's wonderful visibility over the nose, considering the great Rolls-Royce Merlin engine in front, and it's remarkable steadiness and solidness when the eight machine guns crashed into life made it an absolute delight to fly, but I would have liked more speed. I felt sure that if under heavy attack, it was capable of taking tremendous punishment and this later proved to be the case." I'm stopping now, my fingers are tired from all that typing, however before I stop I'll add that your Hurricane is looking very nice, bexwh773.
  11. Another trick is to take some clear decal sheet, paint it the color that the canopy frames are, then cut it into strips that are the width of the canopy frame and apply them to the canopy. When they've dried, coat the canopy with Future to seal them into place. Obviously this works best with straight canopy framing, such as that on the Hurricane. I don't know what they would call it there (probably the same thing), however 3M makes a product called Painters Tape, it's blue in color and low tack, originally intended for house painting, so that you don't leave any tape residue or pull up a coat of paint, when doing edging. I would imagine that it is also lower in cost than Tamiya tape.
  12. I would have to agree with the pin vise and micro drill idea, with one small addition, you will want to use a punch to make a very small dimple on the part where you want to drill the hole, otherwise the drillbit will "skate" on the surface. And, if I was doing this, I'd use a vey small bit to make the hole than enlarge it with a reamer until I had the desired size of hole.
  13. Yes, a long time ago, in a galaxy far away. Let me also say, if I may be excused a little thread drift, the courtesy afforde to John and myself by the crew of that Victor that day, they were closing up the entry door of the aircraft when John and I walked up and asked some questions, and an offer to allow us up into the cockpit was made. They were unfailingly patient and friendly, answering any and all queries, never making us feel rushed in any way. We found out, when we had exited the aircraft, that they had been overdue to take a lunch break, yet they delayed their meal even further to satisfy two airplane nuts. I suppose that I really shouldn't be surprised by their professionalism, but when I think back on the brushoff that I was given, when I tried to engage a USAF A-10 pilot earlier in the day at the same airshow, their attitude was just that much more appreciated. I did have to chuckle to myself, though, that as we were stepping back onto the ramp and thanking them for their time, they told a couple f people who walked up that they had a pressing engagement that had to get to, and closed up the entry door.
  14. I like Victors, I have a photo of kstater94 and me sitting in the cockpit of 'Lucky Lou' a Victor tanker that served with 55 Sqn. Too bad the guy I handed my camera to didn't know how to focus better.
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