tonyot

Hiya Folks, I have attached a link to Airfix which shows their announcement of a new 48th scale Blenheim, starting with the Mk.If variant; https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/news/workbench/exclusive-2018-new-tooling-announcement?utm_campaign=1920154_Airfix - WorkBench Bristol Blenheim 2018 announcement - Week 28 2017&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Hornby PLC&_%24ja=tsid%3A71284&dm_i=2DJZ,155LM,22ZSMH,3IU5J,1

Looks great,...... the best Merlin that I have seen yet,.......... beautiful job mate, Cheers Tony

Well done for taming this kit,...... not the easiest but it does look excellent when it is finished,..... your paintwork is excellent, Cheers Tony

Superb job Ian,...... the paintwork is fantastic! Cheers Tony

Lovely job,...... I do like the Beaufort in RAAF service and you have got it off to a tee... great paint job too, Cheers Tony

Here are some links to a colour pic of the real thing plus some info and a great b&w pic showing the weathering of the upper surfaces,...hope they help; http://www.ossett.net/WW2/John_Palmerley.html https://www.mediastorehouse.com/raf-museum/charles-brown-colour-photographs/north-american-mitchell-702039.html https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/threads/raf-mitchell-ii-and-iii-pictures.50657/ https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/466263367665334195

Excellent job JW,....... love it! I have one planned too but cannot decide between doing it like yourself in the earlier overall green scheme or going for one with the lighter undersides, which I presume were blue. I quite like them in the original silver too with SAA trim and SAAF markings! As always,..... a very interesting model mate, Cheers Tony

Looks superb,....... I`ve always liked the Lynx and bought one myself, so a bit worried about the fact that it doesn`t build well,........ but you have certainly pulled the irons out of the fire and got an brilliant result, Cheers Tony

Very nice indeed,...... I love the action and implied movement which is so evident in this dio,........ the modelling is top notch too! Ever since I stayed in an old Nissen hut for a week on the old Bodney airfield on Stanford Training Area with Watton airfield on the hill overlooking us,. I have felt an affinity with the Blue Nose Boys! Cheers Tony

Very nice indeed,....... great job,.... and I like the base too,..... very convincing, Cheers Tony

Very nice Chris,....... lovely job mate, Cheers Tony

Lovely job,..... I do like these AAC Bell`s,........ I`ve seen one at Middle Wallop and I think they operate in Brunei too. Cheers Tony

I though that it might Andy, but it still doesn`t forgive me,....... I was tired and bursting for a pee,....... something told me not to post them,......but I`d totally forgotten that you`d sent them to me! I can only apologise again mate, Cheers Tony

Hiya Folks, I built this one for the MTO GB but wasn`t able to finish it in time. It was built using the new Revell P-70 `Nighthawk' kit which is a re box of the Special Hobby/MPM Boston kit and includes quite a few of the additional parts intended for various other boxings of the basic kit by MPM such as the clear noses for the A-20 or Boston III, the Turbinlite nose, 12 gun Boulton Paul night fighter nose and also the later US factory fitted solid gun nose as well as the 4 cannon gun tray for the night fighter, so quite a few different versions can be built from this kit Here is the photo of the real Boston Mk.III, BZ337, Q-Queenie of 18 Sqn at Falconara, Italy, January 1945, seen after the unit had switched to night intruder operations with 78 mission symbols on the nose,.....but what is the nose art? It looks like a Pharoa`s head to me,.....Cleopatra,...the Queen of Sheba? It is hard to say! The aircraft was flown by the CO, Wing Cdr. `Slim' Somerville DFM, Flt. Lt. Griffin DFM and Flt. Lt. Streatfield DFC,......so quite a distinguished crew and the Boston has received black undersides for its new role; If anybody is interested here is the work in progress from the Med GB; Here is the finished model wearing its night colours, although the nose art is simply a representation of what it may have looked like as it cannot be fully made out in the period photo and I intend to change it if I find a clearer view; The dinghy was made from yellow painted masking tape, Cheers Tony

Oh crikey Andy,.......jeez I forgot,..........I`ll gladly delete them mate! Thats what you get for posting late at night when you are tired!!! Sorry pal, Tony

Thanks for the additional info mate,...... what a sad end, after surviving so much. RIP

You have done a wonderful job on that Shack mate,.......... especially after your `incident',....... the best Shackleton model that I have seen yet and I do love that early scheme! Cheers Tony

I did help with the DK Boston/Havoc sheets and I think that Franta did a great job on them. The only photos that I have of a black 771 NAS aircraft is of AW396, T8C, seen at Twatt with 771 NAS in August 1943, looks to have the standard bomber glazing overpainted and possibly a disruptive camouflage scheme on the upper surfaces?; I`m not sure whether these pics of 85 Sqn Havocs are of any use?; Here are some interesting Turbinlite pics too, depicting RAF/Polish aircraft too; 538 Sqn (ex 1459 Turbinlite) Flight personnel; All the best, Tony

Hiya Folks, I`ve been wanting to build a Wimpey torpedo bomber,...... also known as a `Fishington' for some time now and when I found photos of `Little Joe' of 458 Sqn RAAF I just knew it had to be that one, with a gun fitted in the nose! I used the nose turret blank from Alley Cat models, intended for the Trumpeter kit and also DK Decals,....here is the WIP if anybody is interested; This was my first experience of Hataka brush painting paints and they were among the best of the currently available acrylics in this medium. Although Wellington`s used in the torpedo bomber role had the rear bomb doors removed and a torpedo sight fitted in front of the cockpit, reference photos also show that when used for mine laying or bombing sorties the bomb doors were left in place and the sight removed and as this was the configuration seen in the reference photos I went for that. Here is the real aircraft; And a general view of a Wellington torpedo bomber (in this case a radar equipped MkVIII) in its natural environment at 50 feet above the sea,....... which was usually at night and without radar assisted altimeters! Here is the model; Cheers, Tony

Wow Bill,....... another beauty for your collection there and it looks superb in the Aussie display scheme,....... thanks for sharing it with us,...... one to be proud of there mate! Cheers Tony

Wonderful job,......... you`ve made a beauty there. Cheers Tony

Wonderful job as usual Dick,....... great subject,..... I have one in the stash that I really should get on with and build,.... you have inspired me! All the best Tony

DK Decals have done three 771 NAS Boston/Havoc`s on this recent decal sheets including a 12 gun aircraft wearing Med. Sea Grey/Dk. Green camo. Cheers, Tony

Cheers again Fella`s,......... thanks for the kind comments. Cheers Tony

Cefalu looks like a lovely place and thank you for sharing your research. The training photos including the Hawker Hart Trainer look like they were taken at RAF Netheravon on Salisbury Plain, which was an RAF establishment used to train naval aircrew into the mid war period. If it is of interest,...... I researched the 830 NAS op from this night and wrote about it for my book about Malta`s War called `No Place For Beginners',..... however the final chapter that it was part of was cut from the book by the editor at the last minute for cost cutting purposes and so it never actually made it into print! Here it is; "A tragic event occurred on the night of the 11th November however when 830 NAS suffered a grievous loss without a single shot being fired. Seven Swordfish had taken off in search of an Axis convoy off Lampedusa Island but four had turned back early due to engine problems, leaving the remaining four to continue. Unfortunately these four Swordfish and their crews who were led by the CO Lieutenant Commander J.G Hunt were caught out by one of the powerful Scirrocco winds which can suddenly spring up in the Mediterranean during the winter months and this left the Swordfish with a powerful headwind to contend with for their return journey to Malta. The extra power setting and flying time that this would entail meant that they had insufficient fuel to get home so the CO decided to head for Sicily instead and all four aircraft ditched off the coast when their tanks ran dry but one of them crashed killing both its crew. All seven of the remaining aircrew safely paddled ashore and become PoW`s and the CO was amongst those who were captured. This left 830 NAS with only five Swordfish but on a brighter note the unit had claimed 110,000tons of shipping since May 1941" I do hope that this helps, Cheers Tony O`Toole