tonyot

You`ve done a wonderful job Red Dog,....... the paint job is fantastic,..... nice to see another Commonwealth operated Mustang here on BM. Cheers Tony

Thanks Justin,.... you`ll love the kit,...... just take your time joining the wings to the fuselage and have a few dry runs first,..... otherwise,.....it is easy peasy....... have a great time! Cheers Neil,...... you know me and my penchant for something slightly different,....... glad you like it bud.

Thanks Chris,...... re the rear view mirror,....well yes and no,......unfortunately a correct part isn`t provided for this particular aircraft,.....so I whittled the rear view mirror from a section of sprue. I don`t remember seeing a normal one in the kit, not even in the etched parts,.... which is a shame. Thanks Hewy,..... it is a lovely kit, highly recommended.

Cheers Tom,..... yeah John`s conversion it is certainly the most accurate one available and I`m looking forward to giving it a go.

It is as rare as hens teeth,..... I snaffled a few when John released them.

What an excellent Halibag,.... welcome to BM too! With at least 2 x 1/48th Halifax`s on the go on BM now,..... it cannot be long before a mainstream injection kit is announced LOL!! All the best, Tony

Looking really good so far Ced,...... re the rear turret masking I would remove the masking from the rear part,...... looks like Italeri have got mixed up with the earlier turret. Here are some pics which may help?; Hope these help mate,..... keep up the good work, Cheers Tony

Hiya Neil,...... I`ve had a look through the book,...... found a couple of photos and info; - MZ737 H7-B which is an early B.III, there is a plan view photo depicting squared off wing tips. .... ex 158 Sqn, dates for sorties that I could find with 346 Sqn are- 14 July 44, 6 Oct 44, 9 Oct 44, 5 Dec 44. It wore the codes B, V & G and was recorded as Stroke in French,... which I presume is Written Off or Lost in Action? -RG646- H7-B another B.III, there is a photo of the crew stood in front of the nose, showing nose artwork of a duck with a club inside a circle, plus there is a colour side view drawing. I found a crew listing for a sortie in April 45 and S/C Derribaude is not listed in the crew. -RG625- H7-B a Mk,VI, this a/c came from 347 Sqn where it was L8-A. -LL573- H7-B?,...... the photo from the earlier post where we wondered if he was in the crew,...... the book does caption it as H7-B,.....however the tables actually list it as L8-E! The crew in the photo are L-R Sgt Letoublon, Sgt Berges,S/Lt de Miras, Sgt Blandin, S/C Bin, Sgt Lobelle, Sgt Picot. .... and they are a 347 Sqn crew,.... therefore I would say that the Halifax in the photo is L8-B,...serial unknown. -LLl124- H7-B,.....no further details. -PN365- H7-B,......your preferred aircraft! This B.III only ever wore the codes H7-B and was recorded as on operations on the following dates,..... 21 Dec 44 & 13 Jan 44,.... delivered brand new and presumably lost or written off,..... the French description was Stroke? S/C. C. Derribehude was listed in the book,.....service number 81056, trade Radio Operator. He was in the crew of Lt. Barthelot in one sortie list that that I could find. I could not find my copy of the Air Britain Halifax File despite searching everywhere,.....if I find it I`ll let you know. If you want any more info or copies of the pics,....let me know,..... you are welcome to borrow the book too mate, Cheers, Tony PS,.... I finished that little Arma Hurricane that I was showing you,....I`ve stuck it on RFI.

Cheers Steve,..... yeah they are well worth getting,...... and more we buy the better the chance of later versions too!! Airfix were told about the metal wing,...... but they waited,...and waited,.... and Arma took the chance and beat them to it,...... at least we have a decent kit at last.

Cheers Fredag,..... yeah I think you could be right there,..... although armourers are still a strange bunch!! Thanks mate. Thanks bud,.... glad you like it mate.

Hiya Mate,.... be nice if it was the correct aircraft,.....hopefully I`ll know more when I have a look through the book? Re the codes,...... I personally think that the codes should be dull red,... as per RAF specs,.... with yellow outlines,....... and the converted/reversed French markings more than often appear to be applied in lighter,.. brighter colours than the RAF ones. In the kit decals,.... see below,.... they appear to have chosen the same red. They also replicate the same French Halifax that I built in 1/48th; The only 1/48th Bomber sized codes that I`m aware of are from Xtradecal in Dull Red,.... you`d have to add your own yellow outline. Great idea re the tail turret,..... will you be mounting the glaing on a base,..... because this will raise it slightly too? All the best and good luck matey, glad you enjoyed the visit and meeting the elves LOL, Cheers Tony

Hiya Neil,...... a few more pics mate; I thought I had found a pic of H7-B`s crash landing,..... but this is H7-P!! Although this `could' be your H7-B@ Some bomb bay pics; Some showing the prop shape etc; The nose shape; Tail Turret' And a production plan! All the best mate Tony

Some pics to be going on with,...... this code was hard to make out,.....could be a B? And a later,....replacement,.... H7-B; I`ll dig out the book today, Cheers, Tony

Hiya Neil,..... I have a French language book about the French Halifax`s with lots of previously unpublished photos,..... I shall dig it out and have a look through it for your intended aircraft. As promised,.... here are some pics of the Canadian Halibag,...... remember it is an Airborne Forces version, so it has had the mid upper turret removed and it has a `joe hole' parachute exit in the belly. The exhaust locations may also be different for your aircraft and I think that the propeller blades on the Canadian Halibag look a bit suspect and paddle shaped,.... especially at the roots,...... I believe that most, if not all are wooden replacements? This shape made its way into the Revell 1/72nd B.III kit unfortunately; So there you go,..... not a builders hat or length of drainpipe in sight, the cooling gills are real, as are the exhaust rings and the propeller blade are correctly aligned!! Hope these are of use,.... cheers, Tony

Looking forward to this one Neil,.... I was hoping that you`d go for it after our chat when you visited mate. Colin has certainly got you off to a great start,..... and I`m sure you`ll create a beauty....... I`ll sort out some reference pics of the Canadian Halibag from my recent visit. Good luck pal, Tony

Thats it Chris,..... they definitely don`t fit the Freightdog conversion,...... but I spoke to John Adams about it and he was pretty certain that they would fit his conversion,.... which is why I elected for that set instead. Cheers mate Tony

I understand what you are saying and I did consider using what is probably red oxide paint along the outer wing leading edge,...... but as other aircraft from the same unit at this time had very wavy demarcations along the wing leading edges I felt that I wanted to replicate this too,..... call it artistic licence! The spot on the engine cowling I replicated as a paint chip. In one of the pics the spinner could also be interpreted as possibly red,.... but I opted for black. All the best mate, Tony

Thank you,..... you`ll love the Navy version,.... I helped research the decals for that one and built the one on the box art in 1/48th scale on here a few yeas ago, I think I included some pics o the original aircraft too,..... if that scheme interests you. For the 2nd scheme,....I would use C Type rounels under the wings and not the larger A Type`s as provided,..... although the A Type`s are correct for the first one with the Popeye artwork. I have built the later Airfix kit,..... but this is an earlier fabric winged variant and so these kits compliment each other. The Arma kit is probably the best out of the two I would say. Cheers Tony Thanks Steve,..... yeah fill yer boots mate. Cheers Tony

Cheers mate.

What a cracking model,.......looks great in the pre war colours too. A tip for next time,..... I usually sand the doghouse area behind the pilots head down and test fit the canopy as I go,.... to ensure that it fits at the end,.... either that or a vacuformed canopy? Cheers Tony

Cheers Chris,..... I`ve been squirelling 4 bladed Spit props away too,....... but I have a set of Aeroclub 4 bladers for the old Matchbox kit somewhere and I might try them with the Aeroclub conversion set for the Revell kit,...... hopefully that will be the way I`ll be going for the A.Mk.V model,..... I might even start it after the Albemarle and Hamilcar are finished? All the best Tony

Thanks fellas,..... and yes Hans,.... it certainly look like a belt of bullets,...... it was obviously an armourers thing,.... but then they were always a bit strange!!! Cheers Tony

Hiya Folks, The Arma Model Hrricane is a little gem of a kit and here is my latest one, with decals from DK Decals to represent Hurricane Mk.I, P2722, VY-H of 85 Sqn, RAF in the Battle of Britain usually flown by Canadian Flt. Lt. Harry Hamilton,..... who was sadly shot down and killed on the 29th August 1940 near to Camber Castle in Sussex, he was 23 yrs old and had been serving with the RAF since 1936 and is buried at Hawkinge. Here are some photos of his regular Hurricane, P2722,.... which has has Sky undersurfaces applied on unit and with quite a bit of flourish; And here is my portrayal of the aircraft,...... brush painted as usual; Cheers, Tony

Looks lovely,...... don`t they look great n pre war colours? I`ve yet to start mine yet,...... so thanks for the advice re the canopy parts,..... same as the 1/72nd scale kit then! Cheers Tony PS,...masking, wing lights!

Kev,.... I`ve heard almost the same story so many times when it comes to Far East veterans and my wifes grandad was exactly the same,...... angry little man who drank a lot and wasn`t there for his daughters who hardly knew him when he came home......, definitely what we would call PTSD now,...... it wasn`t just the war years that the survivors sacrificed mate.... these blokes fought their demons for the rest of their lives and there loved ones suffered too! All the best Tony