Heather Kay

That’s brilliant Ian! Thanks ever so much. I have begun with the Sky Grey section, and will work up from there. It’ll certainly make for an interesting finish.

Chaps, I need some guidance on camo for the Fulmar. I have the Lloyd book - and I know the author is a BMer, but I’m afraid I missed his tag in another thread, but I hope he might pop by and share his deeper knowledge - and I am supposedly building a plane of 808 Squadron. On page 94 there’s a photo which is captioned as a plane of 808, code 7L, possibly N1868, on Ark Royal late 1940. It shows some interesting features, such as what looks like aluminium in the wheel wells, and the Sky Grey fuselage sides overpainted with Sky Type S below. Aha! Thunk I. That one will do. However, turn a couple of pages further, and the colour profiles show the same plane (page 104) but attribute it to 807 Squadron. There is an 808 plane opposite, but it’s the 1941 camo pattern. So, is the photo or the profile erroneous? From what I can tell, the code letters (number+letter) were generally when a Squadron was embarked on a particular carrier. I assume a code letter alone was assigned while shore-based. Anyway, the issue I’m having is pinning down a particular serial and code to model a specific aircraft. Any guidance would be most appreciated, as I’d really like to do that interim four colour scheme.

Does interior green count as witness/primer/base coat? I think it does. Just a light dusting of enamel IG. I felt the experiment with the Humbrol enamel "primer" worked so well it was worth trying out other colours. Since the transparency needed IG as a first coat, why not use it for the rest of the airframe as well? We will see. On a personal note, the hospital visit has ended up with me being encumbered with extra plumbing again. It’s supposed to be temporary, but we all remember how that worked out last time. Not quite the outcome I had hoped, but I’m just getting on with it.

Nothing wrong with them. It’s what they did next that's upsetting... Behold! The mighty Potez 63-11 multi-role Jack of all trades, master of none?

The Bristol Bombay was quite the looker.

And let us also not forget the crews of Bomber and Coastal Commands, taking the fight back to Germany, attacking invasion barge concentrations and airfield, and laying mines to keep the German navy in port.

I'm afraid my knowledge doesn’t really kick in until the late 1930s.

Ah, s*d it. I can’t concentrate on paying work, and I’m just sitting here worrying about tomorrow. Let’s do something! The last acts yesterday were gluing the canopy transparency in place, and attaching the wings. Yes, I did remember to fit the small gunsight! Once the canopy was firmly fixed, I glued and clamped the wing assembly where it all touched the bottom of the fuselage. Happy the wings were fixed firmly, having set overnight, I played about with tape to see if the wings could be persuaded to sit at a better angle. Happy with the alignment, I flooded this wing root with CA and left it alone to go off. The second wing I fixed with solvent, and it has worked just as well. This is where things are now. A little work required around the underside to fair things in, but otherwise I reckon a witness coat of something is needed to see where work is required. It won’t be long until painting can commence on this model, which is nice. I’d better work out what the thing is supposed to look like!

I should point out that Best Beloved is retired and I work from home, so the need to leave the premises is rare most of the time. There are those who don’t have this luxury, and I am aware of that.

Best Beloved and I have been staying safe since early March. Part of that was medical issues on my part, but part was just being sensible. If we didn’t need to leave the house, we didn’t. That said, I have ventured to the supermarket. Getting used to cleaning everything and wearing a mask. It’s a minor inconvenience when all is said and done. Anyway, this is all a bit depressing. I’m going to cuddle the cat for a bit.

Cheers chuck! My mood is unsettled due to the impending thing. I don’t know why I’m worried, because I’ve been through it before a couple of times. I think it’s more down to getting to and from the hospital safely. It'll be alright on the night.

Back to the Fulmar. The Montex mask set is sold as being for the AZ Fulmar. Well, the AZ kit is the same as this one. It’s been around a fair few brands has this mould. The fuselage joint needed a little filler, and a bit of sanding, but it’s not too bad. I’ll review whether to rescribe some panels in due course. The wings have been assembled. I’m doing a rudimentary blocking-in of the wheel wells. One thing bugging me is the huge trenches at the wing roots. On investigation, it turns out the lower wing moulding had lost its dihedral, and was essentially flat. Pushing the wings up closes the trenches, so I need to work out how best to do that so the shape is held while glue goes off. Back to paying work Monday, then my postponed delayed cancelled minor surgical procedure happens on Tuesday. How quickly I recover from the general anaesthetic will dictate how quickly modelling work will resume.

It’s a couple of miles from here. I took a panorama across the valley, and did some selective edits. I really need to get a proper large format print done, because occasionally to can see the joins on my prints where they’re stuck on the board!

Grumman Martlet MkI, BJ519, No 804 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, RNAS Skaebrae, Orkneys, October 1940 The Grumman F4F-3 was ordered by the French government at the end of 1939. As the export variant, known as the G-36A, 81 aircraft were destined to equip the French navy's new Joffre class aircraft carriers. First flying in May 1940, the aircraft unfortunately never made it to France, instead being taken over by the British. The G-36A was powered by a nine-cylinder Wright R-1820-G205A radial engine giving 1200hp with a single two-stage supercharger. The aircraft would have originally been armed with six Darne 7.5mm machine guns, two in the fuselage and two in each wing, and all the original 81 aircraft were fitted out with French specifications for instruments and controls. It fell to Blackburn Aircraft, Brough, Yorkshire, to modify the aircraft to British requirements. Blackburn actually handled every subsequent Grumman order for the Royal Naval Air Service. Aside from cockpit instrumentation, British gunsights and catapult spools were fitted. Four 0.5in machine guns were fitted, two to a wing. Efforts were made to install British radio equipment, but it was found US equipment was better so it was used instead. The new single-seat fighter was named Martlet MkI, and first entered service in August 1940 with No 804 Squadron FAA, stationed at RNAS Hatston on the Orkney Islands, where they protected the fleet anchorage at Scapa Flow. The MkI didn’t have a wing folding mechanism, so was based initially at shore stations. No 804 Squadron was formed in November 1939, equipped with Gloster Sea Gladiators from part of No 796 Squadron. Transferring to HMS Glorious in April 1940, the squadron provided air cover for ferrying the Gladiators of RAF 269 Squadron for the ill-fated Norwegian campaign. By May, 804 was transferred to HMS Furious at Campbeltown. Between May and September 1940, the squadron returned to Hatston, being re-equipped with the Grumman Martlet MkI in October 1940 when they moved to RNAS Skaebrae in the Orkneys. 804 Squadron was one of two Fleet Air Arm squadrons to operate under RAF Fighter Command control during the Battle of Britain. There is no direct evidence I can find that 804 operated their Martlets during the Battle, but since they re-equipped with the type during the period I claim a use of my Modellers' Licence! The AZ Models kit was kindly given to me by Ed @Procopius and I’d like to dedicate this little build to his generosity. As a kit, it suffers all the usual short-run foibles, but with care and patience makes into an attractive example of a Grumman Martlet. Finished with spare transfers as the kit ones suffered a bit of a misprint, and painted with ColourCoats enamels. I realise I forgot to unmask the belly windows before the photos were taken. I’ll do them again another day! The build thread is here, shared with a Fairey Fulmar build of No 808 Squadron.

I have just realised I forgot to unmask the belly windows. I can’t be bothered to retake the gallery shots at the moment, so they’ll do! Gallery entry here: