Jazzy Jase

Decaling done. I was very disappointed with the decals from Aviaology. The roundels and squadron codes had white borders. Luckily I only stuck two of them on and was able to easily remove them. I've had to use them for the serial number and nose art but they don't look as bad as the roundels. So, I turned to the Xtradecals I had for the roundels and squadron codes and these are much better but the reds look a little too light IMO. I stuck with the kit decals for the stencils and they seem OK too. Just got to bed them all down with a few coats of Microsol left overnight, followed by a layer of Klear tomorrow morning. Then it's time for the panel wash. I've started using Mig washes and I've been pleased with them so far.

Ha ha, yes I only chucked the knackered bits which means I've got loads of spares for the one I'm building, plus the two still in the stash!

Mosquito update time, but no photos I'm afraid. Construction is nearly complete. The model received two coats of Klear yesterday and the decals will be going on after the Grand Prix today. Obviously since my last update I've done a lot to the model. Fuselage, wings and engine nacelles all joined up, filled, sanded and rescribed where necessary. I removed the moulded-on windscreen wiper and polished the canopy, then had another small mishap after gluing it on. I sprayed it interior green and then realised I had forgotten to mask it. So it was removed and given an ammonia bath! The model then received a coat of Alclad grey primer which was then sanded smooth. I really like this primer but it doesn't half pong. Next the model was pre-shaded with Tamiya black and painted all over with Medium Sea Grey mixed using Tamiya Acrylics. I used the 0.4mm needle on my airbrush for this and the paint was too thick, hiding the pre-shading, so I post shaded it all using darkened, then lightened mixture of the grey. Masking and Dark Green were next followed by the post shading. Upon removing the white-tack sausages I found the edges of the green a little too soft for my liking but I can live with it. I will make the sausages smaller next time. A small touch-up on the Starboard wing turned into a bit of a nightmare and meant a re-spray of both colours. I'm a little disappointed with this as I think I've lost some of the shading, but it's not that noticeable and weathering will help to hide it. The landing gear assemblies and all the other bits-and bobs are painted, weathered, clear-coated and awaiting attachment.

Time for an update on the Typhoon. It's all together with filling done and most of the sanding complete but I don't think it will be finished by the GB deadline as I decided to concentrate on getting the Mosquito finished.

Both the decal options are for post-war aircraft. Did any PRXIX'x fly during the war?

Is this what you are looking for? http://www.swannysmodels.com/FumeCan.html

Love it. Especially like the winter camo scheme. Perhaps it just doesn't show very well in the pictures, but those tyres look awfully clean seeing as it's obviously seen some action judging by the exhaust stains and paint chipping.

Loving that. I assume the base represents a carrier deck? Did they really have a big red "target" painted on the deck or have you added the hinomaru to add some colour?

I love the P-40 pics, although I have no idea what HDR means. Any chance of some desktop wallpaper-sized copies?

Thanks Mike, I seem to have lost my mojo with aircraft at the moment so I was hoping this would be quite simple and a few quick builds would enthuse me somewhat. I don't need to worry about interiors as they are so small and I will keep them closed up for simplicity. Had't thought about aerials, would stretched sprue suffice? I guess my main concerns are painting the tracks and realistically muddying the thing. If I paint the tracks off the model, won't the paint flake off as they are bend and placed over the wheels? Oh, and I will remember to leave off the wings!

Hi, I've bought myself a couple of armour kits as I fancy a bit of a break from aircraft. Having never built a tank before can anyone offer any advice? What should I do differently from building aircraft? The kits I've bought are: Dragon 1/72 - 7274 - Sherman M4A3 (105mm) VVSS Dragon 1/72 - 7262 - T-34/76 Mod. 1941 Cast Turret Dragon 1/72 - 7307 - Jagdpanzer IV L/70 Early Production Thanks, Jason

That's really nice. What colours did you paint it? I can't figure out what the colour callouts on the back of the box translate to in Vallejo or Tamiya.

I think Dark Sea Grey and Ocean Grey are quite different. My references show the following: Dark Sea Grey (DSG) - FS36173 - Tamiya XF24 or XF54 Ocean Grey (OG) - FS36152 - Tamiya AS10 or XF18:1 + XF21:2 + XF24:2 Here's a comparison of the two colours.

That's loverly! Did you paint the squares on the cowl or is it decalled? Talking of decals, they look really good. What is your technique?

Hyperscale have just reviewed it quite favourably. I must admit I quite fancy this now. If only to practice spraying squiggly lines!

I will donate an Italeri 1/72 JU-88 A-4 with an Eduard Mask.

Could be Bob Braham? He scored 5 kills and 1 damaged in Beaufighter X7550 between 23/6/41 and 24/10/41. Would you get cross for a damaged aircraft? He also scored 7 kills and 2 damaged in Beaufighter X8147 between 14/6/43 and 29/9/43, but that aircraft was a mk VI. John Cunningham is a likely suspect too, though I do not know if he scored 6 kills in a single aircraft.

I’ve placed an order for the Hasegawa mk21 kit as it was only £10 from HLJ. Are the flat tailplanes smaller than the "v" tailplanes? Thanks for checking that out for me. I’ve seen the "Bambi" photo. Whether Bob flew this aircraft or not I don’t know. Decals have been pretty tricky to find, but I’ve ordered a set that has 2 aircraft from 29 sqn. I’m just hoping they have them in stock. The aircraft are: V8284/RO-L and V8324/RO-B (Bambi) V8284 is one that Bob achieved a victory in, so that is the one I will build as long as I can straighten out the tailplanes.

This should help you wih the colour scheme. Doesn't look like they do that particular set of decals in 1/24 though.

I now have a copy of the Holmsey Story. Haven't had a chance to read through it yet, but I have found the Illustration of "TH-M". The illustration was drawn in 1995 and is unfortunately not the same aircraft that I'm intending to build. It has AI radar and you can just about make out the last part of the serial number. I believe the illustration is of Mosquito HR241. Commonly illustrated as "TH-M" of 418 squadron, but in fact never served with the unit. For further reading see this thread: Mosquito radar question. With the above in mind and Mish's approval, I will build NS850 - TH-M without stripes.

Yesterday I made a start on the replacement Mossie and I've continued to work on it today. In the cockpit I have again removed the ejector pin marks and the tabs that hold the front of the fuselage to the rear. I've added photo etched seatbelts, instrument panel and other details. Added some lead wire to represent cabling. I have also fixed the wings and engine nacelles in place and glued the fuselage together. Bearing in mind this is 1/72, the pictures show far more detail than is visible with the naked eye, so although the painting looks untidy in the photos, I think it looks really good to the naked eye. I am a little disappointed however that the transparent instrument details are not really visible.

Thanks guys, Having arrived home from work and looking through the Appendix's of the book, Bob Braham moved from 29 sqn to 141 Squadron and spent some time flying a Beaufighter Mk VI NF, serial number X8147. I can find kit reviews of the VI, and it has the "V" shaped tailplanes, so perhaps that will be easier to build than the Mk1?

I'm reading an interesting book at the moment called Night Fighter Ace, by Tony Spooner. It's the story of WW2 ace Bob Braham. During his time with 29 squadron he flies Beaufighters. I wish to build a (1/72) model of one of the Beaufighters he flew. I don't know much at all about Beaufighters, but I think I'm looking to build a Mk1 NF. I've had a search around and it seems the best candidate for a kit is the 1/72 Hasegawa offering. With only the Mk21 kit currently available can anyone tell me what the differences are between this and the Mk1 and how much work it would be to convert this back to a Mk1? The instructions for the Mk21 show that there are loads of pieces that are unused (including the radar antenna). Could it be that these are all the pieces for the various Mk's? I'm assuming the greyed-out parts are provided with the kit but unused. Can anyone who has the kit confirm these parts are included?

That's quality. I really like it.

Agreed. And if I could find photographic evidence either way then I would be a happy bunny! I don't have that book, but I have now placed an order for a copy of it! Shame it's an illustration and not a photo, but perhaps the text will reveal some more information? I went to my local Library yesterday to see what I could find. Not a lot, other than one photo from the book: Mosquito - The Wooden Wonder by Edward Bishop. On page 128 there is a photo of a Mossie without invasion stripes. The caption reads: "FB.VI NT137 of 418 (City of Edmonton) Squadron (RCAF) at Hurn, 22nd July 1944". Both the serial and code are visible in the photo. I find this interesting for two reasons: 1. Googling NT137 reveals that NT137 was at one time coded TH-T. 2. Either this aircraft did not receive stripes or they were removed already by 22nd July. Seeing as the time frame of the Group build is June 1st 1944 to August 20th 1944 then it seems likely that the stripes were not applied during this entire period and, short of the Holmsey book revealing concrete evidence then I shall build the aircraft without the stripes.