Jim Kiker

Hi Walt, I had a feeling that might be the case. Me too, although not from the "fixing" end. I got into RF-4C's for the USAF back in the day and it is by far my favorite jet, warts and all. A magnificent beast and make no mistake! Cheers, Jim

Hi Walt, Sure thing, glad to help- but I don't have a precise ratio to recommend. I have included a picture of my FRIX to give you an idea of what I came up with. I started with the Xtra Color PRU PInk paint, but it (and all flavors I have seen) is much too pink. So I added a lot of white, which lightened it up but also made it kind of like cotton candy, so I added a touch of gray to tone the candy color down. Another approach I've read was to start with a half bottle of white and add a drop of red at a time until the paint turns barely pink. Bearing in mind that this color rapidly faded of pale pink/off white, that approach still looks like cotton candy to my eyes. The picture here is almost not pink enough in real life- it's just barely pink. So I would start with white, add a bit of red and mix it in until you have a very pale candy pink, then add a drop or two of gray. And note too that the gray will tend to push the color towards a flesh tone, so a little dab will do ya'. Wish I could be more precise, but the reality is that all those pink airplanes would have been somewhere between the original shade and a pinkish off-white at some point. The modeling objective, I think, is to capture an in-between point where a quick look will register as pale pink to the eye. Too little red and it's just off-white; too much and it's PINK! In between is juussttt right. :-) HTH, and feel free to ask for more. Cheers, Jim P.S. Cool handle you use- is there a story to go with it?

Hi Walt, Upon further review... I had a look at a PR IC,D, and F resin set I have from Pavla in 1/48 scale, as well as a look through the books I have. The Pavla set has two slipper-style wing tanks and one camera pod. I do not know if it is correct, but the camera pod does have two offset camera ports molded in as I described in my earlier post. They could be sharpened up a bit, and they look a little small so I would a enlarge the size of the indicated openings if I were using them. Regarding the camera fits, the W, X, and Y fits do refer to various combinations of cameras. The PR ID's, IF's, and IG's all had ports for two vertical cameras and one side oblique mount in the rear fuselage as I'm sure you have found. Different combinations of fit could handle a variety of cameras and lenses. Modeling wise, clear camera ports in the right locations plus something that looks like a camera lens would be about all you need unless you want to display open access panels. As for the IC, the Spitfire bible has a couple of nice pictures of these. At least a couple of them were painted in a shade similar to the later-standard PRU Blue; I think it would be a bit less gray and in a semigloss finish, with Type A roundels in all six positions. The upper wing and fuselage roundels had a thin light ring around them, not sure if it would be white or yellow for sure but white would be my guess. Quite tasty, and the overall single color really shows off the lines of the Spitfire. HTH, Jim

Hi all, I am making good progress with my Spitfire PR I build, but I also have a VB kit in the wings. I am going for a VB from 40 Sqn SAAF in Tunisia circa 1943. Pictures of several of these aircraft show clipped wingtips along with Aboukir filters. However, the pictures also show that the clipped wingtips are not the standard ones which include wingtip lights. I think that the Aboukir Maintenance Unit made their own clipped wingtips and that they had no lights. I would like to do these "field" clipped tips but I lack enough information. Can anyone point me to some drawings or pictures of these field tips, especially a top view? Thanks in advance, Jim

Hi Walt, I am working on a PR I (later PR IA) myself right now, having already completed a PR IV and a PR XIX. I have the SAM book and the Aviation Workshop book at home. As has been said, the PR IC had the larger fuel pod under the left wing and the camera pod under the right wing. I have not seen a clear picture of the IC camera pod ports, but at a guess, I think the ports would be offset slightly from a straight line running front to back on the pod's centerline. I think the cameras would be canted at a small angle off of vertical such that they would yield overlapping images for stereo imaging. If you look at the SAM book's drawings and imagine the two offset fuselage cameras in the PR IV, but with short lenses, I believe that was the setup in the IC wing pod. At a guess, I'd say they might have been 8" lenses. As for the "X," "Y," and "W" fit discussed in the SAM book, I think these apply mainly to the PR IV's and later in the Spitfire PR range. The two PR I's and the small numbers of PR IB's, PR IC's, and PR ID's came on line pretty rapidly and the camera fits were not very standardized early on. Welcome to the world of early Spitfire PR variants! Want more information? Ask away; there are some very knowledgeable folks here. Happy modeling, Jim

Hi Andy, Well, I whould say that your scanner was more than up to the task! This is very helpful information and it is much appreciated. Thanks, Jim

For both Andy and Bob, Thanks chaps for the offers of assistance, they are much appreciated! Andy, no worries on when, whenever you get to it will be fine for me. Luckily, I haven't added the big radio control box behind the crew in the cockpit yet! For Bob, I will PM you as well, and thanks for the offer. And yes, so far as I know this a/c had the thimble nose. I found a resin piece some time ago that will fit the bill. I will need to scratch up a gun camera, but that should be pretty easy. The interior is almost done, lots of extra detail bits added, and now I'll be able to do the radios correctly. Bliss! I will be happy to reimburse each of you for any copying and mailing expenses; just let me know how much and when. This may prove to be the catalyst I need to get back into that build. Thanks again, Jim

Hi all, I have a Tamiya 148 scale Mosquito FB VI kit that I am reworking into a NF XII. I am planning on doing the a/c flown by Cunningham and Rawnsley, circa 1943, when they led 85 Sq early in their second tour on ops. I thought I understood the radio fit, but having seen a comment elsewhere here on Britmodeller regarding the radio fit on NF II's I decided to ask. Does anyone know and have references for the correct fit for these NF XII's? What was/was not in the cockpit, and how would that differ from a "standard" FBVI setup? Thanks, Jim

Hi all, Thanks again for the additional information you have provided. Work on my PR I is proceeding, but I have an additional information request to make. I have the "On Target" booklet on the PR Spitfires which includes a four-view color profile of N3071. and I have the "Spitfire: The History" book with a picture of the aircraft (though it's not a really good one). I now know there were roundels in all six positions in December 1939, but the On Target profile does not show the lower roundels. It also shows the 'cheese cutter' IFF wires. The author cites the book "The Spitfire Story" by Alfred Price as the source for this profile. I do not have that book, which brings me to the question. Is there a picture of N3071 in Dr. Price's book which shows the placement of the upper wing roundels? I believe they were the Type A, but I am not sure what size they were and where they were located along the wing. As for the IFF wires, I understand that they were not yet introduced in the late 1939 time frame. Is that correct? And if so, would they have been removed as part of the Cottonizing process? I would think so... I have several pictures of other early Spitfire PR's, but I am not comfortable trying to just emulate their roundel placements- there is wide variety among those early PR's. If anyone has a copy of Dr. Price's book, I would like to verify the roundel size/location, and if possible, obtain a scan of any pictures in the book that shows this placement. Thanks in advance, Jim

Hi Bill, Being relatively new to these boards, I just ran across these builds. I well remember your 1/48 scale PR 10; in fact, it is partially responsible for a long-term project of mine. I am working on a 1/48 scale PR 10 using the Classic Airframes FR 9 kit plus the tail and outer wings from the Tamiya Mk I kit. On these models I noticed that you have the wrap-around rubber seal that sits up a bit along the canopy rails, angles up, and wraps around the ejection seat. First time I've seen that modeled; nice touch! How did you do that? I want to add that to my updated cockpit but I have been trying to figure out a simple way to do it! Thanks in advance, Jim

Hi Colin, I'm not Wally, but I'm a recce kind of guy. I've not heard of a recce SIG. Details please? Thanks, Jim

Hi all, To be fair, the "camera in the gun bay" comment I made earlier did not stem from the Spitfire bible, but from another source. My confusion stemmed from having two sources say different things. In any case, having verification of the correct camera locations is very much appreciated. Thanks to all who have assisted! For anyone who may be interested, I have put together a little document with pictures to illustrate how one may improve the overall look of the 1/48 scale Tamiya Spitfires, quite apart from doing various reconnaissance versions. If you are interested, send me an e-mail directly and I'll send a copy along via return e-mail. Thanks again and cheers, Jim

Hi Glenn, Wow, great picture! I copied it into my photoshop program and lightened it up and sure enough, there be roundels under the wings! Very useful and much appreciated. I'm glad you posted the picture of your model as well; nice work! Thanks and cheers, Jim

Hi Doug, Not Ollie, but I'll chime in. While I have the Pavla early PR set you mentioned, the PR I will only require a new canopy. Falcon makes tons of beautiful vacuformed canopies, often in sets. One of them is just Spitfire canopies for a variety of kits and it includes several PR canopies, including one for a PR I, a PR IV, and a PR XI that I can remember. Highly recommended! I have done several other PR Spits, including a PR XIX using the Academy Mk XIVc kit, a pink FR IX using the Hasegawa kit, and a PR IV based on the same Tamiya Mk I kit, all in 1/48 scale. Airwaves makes a series of resin sets for many PR Spitfires and they are once again available through Hannants. Much useful stuff. Also, Quickboost is now producing two nice sets with conversion bits to do the PR XI, and if you buy a set of Xtra Decals for 1/48 scale B type roundels you will have most of your markings in hand. I wrote a couple of articles on the PR XIX and the FR IX; you can find them over on Hyperscale at www.hyperscale.com ; look for them in the Articles and Galleries section. Lots of how-to there. Feel free to write me off line as well; I'll be happy to share what I have learned while immersed in the Spitfire PR-end of the swimming pool. Cheers, Jim

Hi all, As part of a series of PR Spitfires, I have made a start on a PR I in 1/48 scale using the Tamiya Mk I kit as a basis. So far I have been doing some updates to the basic kit and now it's time to dive into the build up itself. I have the Spit "bible," the Model Alliance book on PR Spitfires, and several articles from magazines and from the internet regarding these early PR Spits and their modifications. I know that two cameras were fitted into the wings "in the in-board gun bays." Problem is, I have seen a couple of models of the PR I's with the camera ports in different locations. The result is that I am still a bit confused as to the camera locations. Can anyone provide or point me to a picture or reliable drawing that shows these camera ports? As for markings, I will be doing N3071 from Nov 1939. I know the overall scheme is Camotint, and I know that is a forerunner of Sky. Those first two PR I's were taken from Mk I production; does that mean the wheel wells and interior landing gear doors would have been in silver paint, or already painted in black/white? Finally, I have seen PR I models with and without roundels on the bottom of the wings. One picture I have of N3071 looks to me like there are roundels below the wings, and if correct, you would see roundels in all six positions; I think all of them would be Type A. And if all that is correct, what size roundels? I'm thinking 36" or 42" on the wings, maybe 30" on the fuselage? This is a lot of details I know, but I want to get her right for the time and place. Thanks in advance, Jim

Hi all, Here are a couple of pictures of my Advanced T-65 Reconnaissance X-wing. Finished now, but it turned into a rather long project even by my slow standards! This is based on the 1/48 scale Fine Molds X-wing kit. Overall, it is a good kit that could have been great; FM decided to do it as a snap-tite/screwed together kit, and from a scale perspective it hurts the fit of the kit and the buildability. Nonetheless, this is my normal scale and so most welcome. The two things that always struck me as "wrong" with the reel ship is that it had no real forward vision and the main landing gear was housed in the lower engine bays. Arrgghhh! Well, that was the start, and the updates grew from there. The ship itself represents an advanced X-wing modified to an armed reconnaissance variant. The markings are custom dry transfers. Paints were all custom mixed using Floquil railroad colors plus a dash of Model Master enamel here and there, thinned with lacquer thinner and Xylol (and sprayed with a fan and a proper respirator). I used clear acrylic paints as barrier/finish coats for the panel line washes and weathering. I have put a touch more weathering on it since these pics were taken. What say you? Cheers, Jim

Hi Rob, I modified the Academy FR XIV kit to a PR XIX some time back, and I've done an FR XIX from the Hasegawa Mk IX kit, doing a lot of kit improvements along the way. I've also built a PR IV from the Tamiya kit. If you are interested, both the PR XIX and the FR IX are the subject of articles over on HyperScale; check the Articles and Galleries section. The Tamiya kit is a good basis, and if you are interested there are some easy ways to improve the look of the airframe. Feel free to drop me a line directly via e-mail; I have quite a bit of information that I've collected specific to the PR Spits. With three down and 2 to go, my long-term plan is to do the PR I, PR IV, FR IX, a PR XI, and the PR XIX. As I like unusual schemes, only one of these will be in the usual overall PRU Blue scheme. Happy Modeling, Jim P.S. for iant- a new kit of the PR XI? In 1/48 scale? Details please!

Mr. Frampton, I have just ran across your earlier post; I would much appreciate a scan of your drawings. I am just planning a build of the SF-37, based on the ESCI/Airfix 1/48 scale kit. Thank in advance for the assistance! Whoops! Never mind! Should have scrolled down farther first. Mea Culpa! Cheers, Jim

Hi Dave, Thanks for the information. I have done the same thing on occasion while shortening struts; most model manufacturers get this wrong and it's a common problem. The other problem mentioned was that the gear are spaced too close together on the ICMr; is there a way to fix that which is not too strenuous? Thanks, Jim

Hi Nick and all, Thanks again for adding to this discussion; it is much appreciated! Back to the point of the colours; how do we know that these aircraft started out in Temperate Land Scheme (TLS)? I know that some of the larger number of Marylands were originally for the French, taken over, and the instruments, throttles, etc. changed over; others were part of British orders. Was TLS just the standard for the type, or are there pictures which support it? Even though I'm asking, the logic of these aircraft not being repainted in TSS makes more and more sense to me- just too few in 771 Sq to be worth doing. I say this, even though being logical has taken in the wrong direction many times! And what about interior colours? Decisions, decisions... Thanks, Jim

Hi Tony and Nick, On the contrary Tony, I am sure that I am the one confused! Jorge builds a lot of Classic Airframe kits, and I most likely made the mental jump when we talked about the Maryland project. I do think he meant the Maryland, however, and not the CA Baltimore. He was thinking about doing a Malta PR, and that reinforces my notion that we are indeed talking Marylands here. A big Thank You to both of you for the additional information; while the data may seem confusing, I do think the preponderance of evidence suggests the colours are more towards Temperate Land than Temperate Sea, which to my mind is more intriguing for an FAA aircraft! Thanks again gents, Jim

Hi Iain, Most interesting information here; I have several ICM's in the pile but had not heard about the upper cowl or the landing gear. I do know that the upper rear fuselage is a bit narrow just behind the rear fixed canopy piece. For the engine cowling, could one do a spacer in the middle of the cowling, and narrow it down aft of the cowling so that the windscreen still fits? As for the landing gear, how did you do that fix? Any chance you have some pictures? Thanks in advance, Jim

Hi all, I've been lurking a bit here but new to these boards, so I trust you'll treat me kindly! ;-) One of my local model geek buddies does not have internet access and I am trying to help him with a project. He is a huge FAA fan and is currently starting a Martin Maryland from the 1/48 scale Classic Airframes kit. He is interested in doing the 771 Sq aircraft that first reported that the Bismarck had sailed. I do not have any Maryland books so I have been searching the internet as well as this site, among others, for available information. What I have found includes the crew who flew the mission and of course the squadron. There are a couple of conflicting profiles out there, including one from the Fleet Air Arm Archive site. I THINK this aircraft would have been a Maryland Mk I, and would have carried the four wing machine guns as well as one in the upper turret and one in the ventral position. I also think she would have been painted in standard TSS scheme, that is EDSG, DSG, and Sky- correct? A couple of accounts list the serial number as AR720, and one account mentions the single aircraft ID letter as "W." I think she would also have carried the "Royal Navy" legend along with the serial number, in black. So far I have found no pictures of this aircraft, just the profiles and short write-ups of the mission. I would love to acquire some pictures if there are any, preferably as scanned images. Profile and top views to show the camouflage pattern, unless it is the same as what is available for many of the desert a/c would be great. Confirmation of the a/c markings, such as the serial and ID letter (or lack of them) would be extremely helpful. I have found some pics of the prototype XA-22's cockpit and bombardier station, but anything that shows the war-time configuration would also be good. Jorge is mainly an out of the box builder, so starting with the CA kit and the mission write-ups, what would he need to pin down the markings and complete the build? I'm asking a lot I know, so any light you can shed would be most helpful and much appreciated! Thanks in advance, Jim