galgos

John, Pheon do a 1/48th Gladiator decal set which includes a 56 squadron checker but not in 1/32. If you're planning to do similar in 1/32 it would be very welcome! Max

Simon of Silver Wings said they hope production will start this month, they are just finalising some cockpit details. So there’s your Christmas present, with luck. I find resin very pleasant to work with, the only thing you have to be sure about is the fit of the parts because there’s not a lot of time for adjustment, so the Stieglitz undercarriage was rather tricky and nerve-wracking! Max

Yes indeed, my Stieglitz build has been going for a while but then I'm a very slow builder! We'd be delighted to see you over on LSP, and I agree it's great news about the Silver Wings Tiger Moth, they are a sponsor on LSP and there's quite an entertaining thread running there too. Sounds like we're out of the same mould, 1/32 scale because of ageing eyes and a love of detailing! https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/78302-focke-wulf-44d-stieglitz/ Regards Max aka mozart (on LSP) PS If you want some detail shots of a Tiger Moth look for some that I posted some time ago in the Walkarounds section, or it could have been in a GB, there was a Tiger Moth STGB a year or so ago. Found it here:

Lovely little Bucker Grunticus, I have one in progress too along with my Fw44 Stieglitz. If you’re mainly a 1/32 scale builder you may want to Google “Large Scale Planes” - it’s a great forum! Max

So where has Simon’s announcement of the Silver Wings kit gone......no longer in WWII by the looks of it! Britmodeller is so damned complicated and threads are moved with no explanation of where they’ve been re-housed! Max the frustrated

A quick search whilst sitting in an airport lounge.

No sorry, I’m on holiday in Australia right now.

The others have answered your question quite eloquently; SAC gear legs are a total waste of money, are made of soft white metal and crucially DO NOT add any strength to the structure......in fact some who have used them have reported that they gradually sag. Your kit so your call.

Here’s a tip: scrap the idea of the SAC landing gear, they are rubbish.

To be honest Troy, I don’t rate ANY of the 1/48th kits of the Harvard, all pretty mediocre in my opinion. The MDC conversion is workable and produces something that looks like a Mk I. Is it 100% accurate? No, definitely not, but as the only option available (I wasn’t aware of a Belcher kit but will investigate!) to me it has to suffice for now. As Graham mentioned, the Air Publications book The Harvard File is sadly disappointing in its portrayal of the Mk 1 plan and profile.

Anything of use in there about Mk Is?

Jim, can’t help you at all with reference to 1/72 scale, not my scale at all, but regarding the Mk I Harvard there is, to my knowledge, no kit available in any scale. A conversion exists for the 1/48 offerings which involves quite a lot of surgery. https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/70767-na-harvard-mk-1-148th-scale/ I’m contemplating converting the KH 1/32 T6 kit, two of which I’ve built as Harvard MkIIs suitably adapted, to a MkI, but even finding decent reference material and drawings for that is proving difficult. The nearest decent stuff is for a Wirraway drawn up by Derek Buckmaster in Melbourne. Sorry not to be help further, perhaps others can. Regards Max

Thank you Orion - model making, painting and photography are three of my favourite pastimes, so this brings them all together! I'm very pleased that you appreciate them. Max

Thank you Ivan, that’s been my aim from the outset. I’m glad you like it.

You’re writing from your point of view, so am I. 1/72 is an unacceptable scale to me.