Tweener

Unfortunately Airfix has confirmed they will not be making a 1/48 IV - a frankly *incredibly stupid* move. And yes, I can say that - I alone would buy a half dozen! That out of the way, this is a really nice result - particularly the props, collector rings, and undercarriage! Here's to hoping my take on the kit as a Finnish scheme on ski's turns out this well 🙂

I have this kit (still sealed, even!) and will try to find time to open it tomorrow and share anything it might include.

The Russians only flew the Stirling somewhere in the area of 3-6 times and concluded it was a rather poor and difficult aircraft, noting that the 'best' aspect of it was of all things it's flaps. The intention behind sending the Stirling to Russia was to enquire about the possibility of selling off a modest portion of the remaining fleet at wars end instead of paying to gather the aircraft and have them scrapped. Russia quickly rejected that possibility.

Might I be able to get some copies as well? I'm currently working on a Finnish Blenheim with another to follow soon.

I'm aware that FS numbers are an American creation dating from after the creation of the relevant colors, but it's also the case that many pre-war and wartime colors have a near or even perfect match to an FS number. Part of the issue is that there was not as much standardization as I would have imagined until the mid 1930's - but even then, precise placements and sizes often varied and as paint supplies changed from French to British starting in roughly 1938, further variation ended up taking place. Given that the Yugoslav insignia were based on the experience of Serbian airmen fighting in France, it's indeed the case that their early markings used French colors as well. The problem is twofold - first, the French slightly changed the blue color used in their markings at some point in the early to mid 1930's, and Yugoslavia switched to British supplies of paint in roughly 1938 as the Fury, Hurricane, and Blenheim came into full service. While I generally like letletlet, I found that article to be somewhat difficult to trust given it's assertions about Blenheim underside colors, among other issues, which are largely incorrect. Of course, those issues are rather separate from the matter I'm asking about. I think in any case that I may simply have to buy and experiment with a few colors to find what looks best.

Is there any chance someone might know the FS number of Yugoslav Air Force interwar / WW2 Kosovo Cross and Rudder Stripes? The Xtradecal rudder stripes for the Airfix Blenheim don't fit and I think I'd be better off painting them either way, given my luck with applying rudder decals. Thanks in advance, Tweener

In preparation for building either an Egyptian or Argentine Lancaster, I've sourced an Xtradecal sheet containing both, but I'm left to wonder if the assertion that the Argentine option retained Dark Green and Dark Earth over Black is correct. From what I can find in photos, they appear to be in Grey / Black, which I assume would be Medium Sea Grey. With that said, I did find one pic of an Argentine Lanc during delivery, still with British roundels but with Argentine serials, and that one clearly does have the camo uppers. Does anyone have any insight? Thanks all, Tweener

After a bit of an unintended break from BM and a lull in modeling in general, I'm back this evening with the AZUR 1/72 GAL ST-25 Monospar. I picked this kit up last summer for a very nice price ($15) thinking I would try to finish it as one of the airframes impressed by the RAE or RAF during the war. When the Model Minutes discord started a GB about export vehicles, I decide instead to build the included option of an ST-25 flown by Eloy Fernández Navamuel during the Spanish civil war. Eloy obtained the aircraft while on holiday in France, just days into the Spanish Civil War, and flew the machine as a courier in support of the Republican cause for a number of months. On a few occasions, he reportedly even used the machine to drop grenades on unsuspecting Nationalist forces! At some point Eloy got the sense the Republican cause was headed for defeat, and unable to maintain the aircraft, he reportedly abandoned it before fleeing to France, and later worked as an engineer in Venezuela. The kit builds quite well, though the choice of a full resin interior seemed a slight bit odd to me. In any case, the real challenge was the Vac canopy - this was the first time I used one, and while the result is alright, the fit is not precise and painting it proved frustrating. In the end, the only parts I'm truly unhappy with are the facts I placed the fuselage silver stripes slightly too low and the silver spots near the tail slightly too high. Either way, I would happily build another of these. With a bit of luck I'll be able to track down another soon. Right then - the pics. Should the sun decide to make a rare appearance any time soon, I'll replace the pics. As a final note, I have to say - I rather like the shape of the wing, especially viewed from above. Many thanks, Tweener

With decals on, she'll next be seen in RFI:

I would absolutely be interested, and most grateful. I've been meaning to start a book of my own and it wouldn't be complete without a proper section on the Bolingbroke, but I haven't been able to find more than cursory notes or diagrams on the type. Should I PM you?

I've just come across this photo of a Bolingbroke - And immediately, 2 questions came to mind. First, is the color of the blank patches white or yellow? I'm inclined to say white given the similarity to the white of the roundels and flash, but as this is a training aircraft I would think yellow makes more sense. Second, am I the only one that sees an unusual lump atop the right engine nacelle? What could this be for? Any input / answers would be greatly appreciated as I may soon build this one. Thanks, Tweener

Does the photo not show the fuel dumps under the wings still? And what do you mean by tailwheel doors? My understanding is that only the first few Mark 1s had retracting tailwheels. Any clarification is much appreciated as I plan to make something of an attempt at building this airframe soon. Thanks, Tweener

I'm back to it - Only a quick update tonight. The Blue PDU Blenheim is 95% painted and decals will be going on tomorrow, with any luck. As per usual with the Airfix kit, the engine Nacelles were a pain and don't look good. I should've used the 2 sets of SBS replacements I have... Oh well. More soon, Tweener

Recently I've been using it more - my thought is that 2 coats and the use of 3,000 grit sandpaper should give a pretty nice result. A large airframe too! I keep setting it next to the Fury's and Siskin's I've done and there's no comparison.

To me at least, it looks more like the actual windscreen panel has been folded down, but I don't recall off the top of my head if that was a standard fit or not.