Jim Kiker

Hi all, So is anyone up for checking out a parts swap? How about starting with the new 1/48 scale Airfix Mk Vb fuselage, and seeing how it mates to the Tamiya Mk I wings? Fixing the Tamiya wings' leading and trailing edges is not a difficult exercise, and the Airfix fuselage looks pretty good to my eye. I know you're thinking about it- give it a try and report back to the group! Cheers, Jim

Hi Bill, Hope this finds you well, sir! I built a Spitfire PR I a while back, including some fixes to the wings and the fuselage length. You can find my build article here: http://www.hyperscale.com/2011/features/spitfirepri48jk_1.htm . It includes pictures of the fixes I made to the Tamiya kit as well as the PR I- specific mods. Whoops; my mistake; Basilisk has already pointed out the article in his post above! HTH, Jim

Hi Troy, I have a PR XI project now on the back burner, but I've done a portion of the conversion work as a "proof of concept" using the Airfix 1/48 PR XIX kit. For the radiators, I have some ICM units to spare and they fit the width of the Airfix radiators with a little work. Using the Airfix radiators, I traced the outline of the "bases" pieces onto .015" plastic sheet and cut them out slightly oversized and carefully fitted them to the indentions on the Airfix wing. I then took off enough of the height of the kit radiators so that, with the separate base pieces sitting in the indentions, the radiator housings with their bases removed now fit over the reduced-height radiators. I then glued up the housings to the base pieces and added a bit of putty on the outsides to represent the small fairing between the base pieces and the housing. It sounds more complicated that it was, and since I had extra radiator housings the exercise cost me nothing but a little time. I had already added an Aeroclub Merlin engine onto one of the fuselage pieces and sanded them smooth, and cut down one side of the vertical tail to match the Mk IX/PR XI fin shape. So I know this conversion will work well. I will replace the fastener detail on the Aeroclub nose, change out the canopy, and press on when I get back to it. I can make a few pictures if you are interested although it is not a particularly difficult exercise. Hope this helps, Jim

Hi Derek, I have been working on several Spit PR's over the last few years, concentrating on the conversion of the Tamiya Mk I into a PR I and PR IV, and also including the FR IX and PR XI. I did a PR XIX years ago from the Academy Mk XIV which of course has been replaced with the Airfix PR XIX. All of this in 1/48 scale. i have a fair amount of information I've gathered, so feel free to PM me and I'll be happy to help. Cheers, Jim

Hi Graham and all, Regarding Ed Powles, he had a number of extraordinary experiences while flying out of Hong Kong. I had the great fortune to talk with him directly and his high Mach flight wasn't in a thunderstorm. With a pressurization warning light, he dove from 50,000 ft and quickly got into compressibility, which locked up the controls. He was experienced enough to wait until he got into much denser air at lower altitudes which began to slow him down, and gradually he eased out of the dive. That plus putting the prop in the correct pitch is what saw him through. He was an exceptional pilot in my view. Cheers, Jim

Hi all, Let us not forget Flt Lt Ed Powles; following a cockpit pressure warning while flying a PR XIX at 50,000 ft, he put the nose sharply down and made a safe pullout at something like 1,200 feet over the ocean. Later calculations worked out to a top speed around .96 Mach. And with no damage to the aircraft at all! Cheers, Jim

Hi Bill, Many thanks for posting this; it makes a lot more sense now that I know that. since my original posting I found several pictures of Mk IC's and IF's with the lower wingtilted up enough to show some detail, and they all had a single row of shell chutes. Now I understand why the kit has those two rows! Thanks again and cheers, Jim

Hi all, Thank you for the responses. Andy that is a great picture, but it actually confuses me; I have now received an image of the Beau wing taken from the top with the 4 gun bay completely empty, and there is only one row of openings. Would you or anyone know if there is a difference between early and later marks, or maybe between Bristol- built and those built in Australia? TIA, Jim

Hi all, I've been reviewing the extra bits and bobs (quite a lot of them too) for my Tamiya 1/48 scale Beaufighter as well as checking my preliminary work on the panel lines. I have rescribed the gun panels on top of the wings and also the dingy hatch that is missing in the kit. I will be doing a Mk IC, the one flown in the famous mission over Paris on June 12, 1942, serial #T4800. I believe this aircraft was armed with wing guns and cannon even though it belonged to 236 Sqn Coastal Command. I have found much information here on Britmodeller on Beaufighter interiors which is in part just what I am looking for. There are a couple of remaining questions regarding the guns I need some help with. At this stage the aircraft's 20mm cannons were fed by slightly cone-shaped drums holding 60 rounds, and there were multiple drums hung on the sides of the fuselage which were swapped out by the back seater. I have dimensions of similar drums used on U.S.Navy Oerlikons, but could use proper dimensions for these Hispano guns. This will allow me to make up the installed and the racked drums. I have pictures of the floor with its cutouts, but what I really need is an image of the guns as installed with the ammo drums in place, to confirm their location and spacing. As for the wing guns, for some reason the kit has two rows of spent shell chutes on the bottom of the wings. This is obviouslu wrong and while I think I know which row is correct, I can't seem to find a definitive drawing or picture that confirms my suspicions. If you have good drawings which can be shared or pictures of these features I will make very good use of them! Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Feel free to respond here or send me a note via the private messenger here. Thanks and cheers, Jim

Hi Pete, I just ran across this and I think you've done a fine job. I doff my chapeau! It's a right lot of work to make a PR XIX out of the Academy kit, but great fun to give it a whirl. Now if Eduard would just get a move on with the PR XI! Cheers, Jim

Hi all, One thing I have tried on occasion with good success is to apply the base paint colors, prepare for and apply the decals, seal the decals in with a clear closs coat, and then use a thin, lighter color to weather the entire finish. I grant that some paints fade worse than others, but short of applying weathering to the decals before applying them, I find that pre-fading the finish and then trying to fade the decals after they have been applied is a very tricky business. Of course, I find the current fad of weathering (lightening up) the center of each and every panel to be artistic but not generally true to life, so your mileage may vary! Cheers, Jim

Hi Nick, Whoooeeee! I didn't catch that distinction, but that's even better. I'll shoot you a PM straight away. Thanks, Jim

Hi Nick, Of course I'd like to have a sample! I have an idea what color might work here, but I'd much prefer to see a sample and mix to that. Feel free to post a sample to me via the private board or by e-mail, as you wish. Thanks, Jim

Hi Nick, Thank you very much for chiming in here, and I apologize for dropping one of the "L's" in your name; very sloppy on my part. Hope you and yours are well and happy. I note that you used the term "interior paint" in your post; just so I am clear, was this color used throughout the interior spaces (such as wheel wells), or confined to the crew compartments? Thanks and cheers, Jim

Hi all, I have had one of Tamiya's 1/48 scale Dinahs for a long time and recently have added the Eduard zoom set and some resin exhausts to the box to go with a Falcon vacuform canopy. I found a nice build-up on-line of an overall gray-green scheme with white panels under the hinomaru markings that I really like, and there seems to be evidence to back up this scheme. The next question then becomes, what about the colors for the cockpits, engine cowling interiors, and wheel wells? I have seen the Dinah at Hendon myself, looked at a lot of pictures and models on-line, and have also studied Nick Milman's blog. I have also searched in what I think are the applicable forums here on BM. I have seen light olive green, Japanese metal primer, dark blue gray, and something that looks close to RAF interior gray-green in one image or another of the cockpits. Frankly, I tend to go with Nick's data, although in his blog I do not think the sample cited was a type III reconnaissance aircraft. Would any of you like to take a stab at this, including references, for the interior spaces on later-war KI-46 II recon aircraft? I am only going to do one of these and I'd like to get the details right. Thanks, Jim

Hi all, I hope I haven't missed this one being mentioned. I think Jimmy Rawnsley's "Night Fighter" is a terrific read and could play well. Biplanes with gunners through nightfighting Mosquitoes, and as well he was married throughout the war (if memory serves) so you could work in the odd scene with some domestic bliss. Just a lot of potential in the book as a whole. Cheers, Jim

Thanks, Marty! I appreciate the response, and I feel like I can continue on with the build now. In the meantime it is great to see new and better information coming into the picture. This movie has been out a long time but it still holds a top place in sci fi for me. Cheers, Jim

Hi Marty, Thank you for the reply. If I understand you correctly, there is little to no direct evidence from the film miniature data that indicates the presence/location of either the (assumed) nose landing gear, nor that circular shape on the fuselage bottom in front of the wing extension leading edges. Given that, then the location of a nose gear and wheel well is speculative, and the location shown on the Sci Fi Airshow image you posted is as good a guess as any. Is that correct? If so, I will happily continue work using the image you posted. Many thanks, Jim

Hi Marty, Thanks for the Heads Up; I will keep an eye out for it. I am working on the Moebius Orion III kit and have been making use of the extensive discussion thread you have been involved in here in BM. One thing I have not found in either images or drawings (that I trust) is the location of the nose gear doors. Looking at various other models and the kit, there is also a shape on the bottom of the fuselage forward of the point where the leading edge of the wing extensions hit the forward fuselage. Some modelers interpret it as a circular ring with rectangles inside it, perhaps a docking collar, but so far I have not found good enough information to model these two features. I would appreciate any light you can shed on this. Thanks in advance, Jim

Hi Crossy, Nice work you are doing on the cockpit. Since you are doing some extra work there, you may interested in doing some additional work to the airframe at well. The Tamiya wings are overly curved at the trailing edges, and a bit overly curved along the outer leading edges as well. In addition, the fuselage is a bit short aft of the cockpit, which can be fixed although it takes a fair bit of work. I would also suggest doing some extra work to drop the elevators; unless a flight control lock is used, the elevators will fall to the full down position when the airplane is sitting on the ground. If you are interested in any of these updates, send me a PM; I have done them on a couple of these kits and have some in-progress pictures of the work. I am looking forward to seeing more! Cheers, Jim

Hi Rob, If you are referring to the boxy shape, open on the front endand located underneath one wing, then you are thinking of the engine coolant radiator. The flap at the back end helps regulate the amont of cooling air flowing through the radiator. It is usually open on the ground, though not always. HTH, Jim

Hi Ivan, I do a similar treatment of wingtip lights, and they will look even better on the finished plane. It will take about as much time for me to write out the update I did to the kit cowlings as it will to actually do it, and of course it will be up to you to give it a try or take a pass. First, the shroud at the front of the slot where the exhausts fit is incorrect for the early MiG-3; it can be cut off using the slot itself as a guide. As with so much in modeling, taking things slowly and with care will mean fewer errors and extra things to repair. Next, the kit has raised ridges along the top and bottom of the exhaust slot which need to be sanded off. I applied thin tape right next to each raised ridge and sanded them down. With the tape there, you can quickly get down to about the thickness of a piece of paper without damaging the surface detail. After that, I switched to narrow, fine sanding sticks and worked the remaining plastic off, sanding along the slot edge (front to back) rather than across the slot (top to bottom). Result: almost no loss of surface detail, with the original shroud and raised lip removed. Looking at the references such as you have, there is a shorter shroud shape at the front of the exhausts plus a short flat piece at the very front of the slot on these early MiGs. I cut a piece of photoetch brass to the length needed and left it longer at the sides, forming a rectangle. Using the small round handle of one of my files, I bent the rectangle into a "U" shape; the width of the "U" needs to be slightly bigger than the exhaust tubes. The front end of the piece will tuck into the fuselage at the front end, but the back end needs to stick out enough from the kit's fusleage so that the kit exhausts can be slid into the slot at an angle. Done right, you can fit the exhausts into position at the end of build. From the inside you wind up with this. The most important thing besides leaving enough space to fit the exhausts is to make the length of the shroud the same on both sides. Now you want to cut out a small piece of plastic sheet into a rectangle, file a notch into it to fit snug against the new shroud, and glue it in place at the front of the slot. It won't be perfect, but a little Mr. Surfacer or something similar will do to blend the plastic piece to the shroud and to the edges of the opening; here is the end result with the other fuselage piece in it's original shape for comparison. the idea is to get this plastic piece to fit flush with the edges of the slot and blended into the shroud. Finally, here is a picture of the model without paint, showing the completed work. You should also note that there is a recessed panel line around the exhaust opening on the model; I did a little restoration work on my build. Here is a picture of the finished model that shows how the new pieces look once painted up. As I said, it won't take all that much longer to do this update, if you want to do it, than it takes to describe it. If anything is unclear, let me know and I will be happy to help. Happy modeling, Jim

Hi Ivan, I have just run across this build and I like the additional work you are adding to it. It may be too late now, but given the extra detail you are adding I thought it might be of interest to mention that Trumpeter did not quite get the correct configuration on the exhaust openings. If my memory serves, these early MiG-3's did not have the raised lip above and below the exhausts. Further, the fairing at the front of the exhausts appears to be something between the early short fairing and the later long one. If you are interested in messing around with this, please reply here. I think I still have some in-progress pictures that show what I did. And if you are not particularly interested, that is perfectly fine as well. HTH, Jim

Hi Sean, One thing I would point out is that, unless you have a specific picture that shows otherwise, I urge you to avoid the currently-popular fad of using dark-ish soft lines around all of the panel lines. It may be popular but in the vast majority of photographs, such an effect is not present at all. As you mentioned, there are different ways to go about more extreme forms of weathering. Personally, I lighten up the darker colors by about 10% from the beginning; I think "scale effect" comes into play so for example, a black airplane model should not be painted straight black to begin, but a dark gray. It will look like faded black at the end, and you can use straight black for running washes into the major panel lines- control surfaces, engine panels, etc. In this case, I would start with my base coats of color, add a clear gloss (if that is your method) for decals, add the decals, and then use an extra thin coat of a light tan to weather the whole paint job. You can make this a khaki shade (grayish-tan) as well, but the trick is to thin it much more than regular paint, and apply it over the upper surfaces only in one pass, from front to back. It will take multiple passes over the wings if you are using a modern airbrush, but that's OK. You may get a slight difference in the thickness of the overcoat, and if so, you've just applied some random streaking to this weathering layer. That's a good thing and with practice this can be done deliberately. You can always apply another coat if it doesn't lighten the colors enough, but in my experience if you get enough coverage to slightly lighten the colors it is time to stop. One good rule of thumb for all the weathering techniques is to apply a little of it at a time; if you think it could use just a little more, stop. Chances are you'll go too far and then you really cannot take it off without an awful lot of work. Unless you are showing a derelict plane left in place for months, a bit under weathered is much better than too much, in my opinion. Now I add other weathering features such as exhaust stains, gun residue (but go easy here); the typical oil stains present on all Merlin-powered aircraft, and paint chipping. A top coat of clear flat will seal it all in and things will blend into the same reflectance. Most of all, continue to practice on spare parts or even sheet plastic before trying it on your project models. I have saved myself an ocean of grief over time by practicing a bit before picking up my latest project and just charging into something new. HTH, Jim

Hi Fids, I have also built the PR I and used the Tamiya kit in 1/48 scale as a basis. I'd be happy to share the informatin I gathered and how I built my model if you are interested. Shoot me a private message here and I will pass on what I learned. Cheers, Jim