Sten Ekedahl

If you use the bomb bay PE set, you have to widen the top of the bomb bay to make it fit. The section of the bay walls integral with the lower wing are much thicker at the top (closest to the wing) than at the bottom. This also affects the outside, creating steps at the joints between the fore and aft fuselage sections and the center section.

I'm also building this one right now. Also using the Eduard internal and exernal PE, but not the flaps since from what understand, parking an a/c with the flaps down was a no-no in the RAF. But I'm alsu usint the Eduard PE bomb bay and their pre-cut masks (love 'em!), and Barracuda resin wheels, intakes and exhausts. I added one small but noticable detail, the control cables from the rear fusedlage to the bottom of rudder. Now if I just could muster the energy to start painting it, cause that's next. But painting is my least favoured part in modelling.

Very nice work! Agree that a new mould kit of the Javelin is long overdue. Especially since Airfix completely destroyed the previous T.3 kit when they reworked it into a completely botched up FAW.9. Just a small note; IIRC all Javelins had 2 pitot tubes, one on each wing.

Somewhere in my stash I've have a very old issue of the IPMS UK Magazine, containing an article on how to improve the old Airfix kit. IIRC it stated that there should be a couple of steps inside the nose up towards the pilot, almost like a small staircase.

Quite similar to the story of the B-24 "Lady be good".

At least the top photo confirms that the bomb bay, visible on the left, was painted interior green.

Thanks Nick and Jure. Seems like I have opened a small can of worms here. As the saying goes, still confused but on a higher level.

Thanks a lot! Very helpful. This seems to confirm that Airfix got it right in the instructions, apart from the main gear legs. I wouldn't use the Finnish Blenhem as a reference for RAF aicraft since most of the Finnish Blenheims were licence manufactured in Finland.

A good Xtrakit Canberra build blog by my friend and skilled modeller Magnus Fridsell, can be found here: http://www.aeroscale.co.uk/modules.php?op=modload&name=SquawkBox&file=index&req=viewtopic&topic_id=112264

Hmmm, this seems to be a difficult question. No takers?

Yes I know this, and that is the reason for my question. And Airfix, in their instructions, says that everything inside the Whitley should be "interior green".

Finally got started on my Airfix Blenheim Mk.I. Decided to give it the full treatment with PE and resin parts. Made up my mind long time ago to use decals from an Xtradecal sheet for a 45 Sqn aircraft in desert colours. Have now reached the stage when the interior areas must be painted before I can continue. The colour for the cockpit is no problem; standard British interior gray green. Now, Airfix gives the same colour for the wheel wells, the bomb bay, gun turret interior, and the insides of the engine cowlings. Whilst this might very well be corect, I'm always a bit suspicious about the colours given in kit instructions. So I would be very thankful if anyone could confirm this or correct it if it's wrong. Airfix also states that the landing gear legs were black. This is certainly true for the restored Blenheim Mk.IV at Hendon. However looking at many contemporary b/w photos, although not of the best quality, the gear legs appear much too bright to be black. To me it looks like they were painted interior gray green too, just like the wheel wells. Or could it be painted aluminium, just like the wheels? Questions like this can sometimes drive you nuts! TIA

Just a small comment. The A 32A never carried Sidewinders nor rocket pods. These were only used on the J 32B. The rocket pods, being an A2A weapon, were later also used on the J 35D Draken.

I suggest you ask this question on the IPMS Stockholm forum.http://www.ipmsstockholm.se/phpBB3/ IIRC there are one or two members there who work as technical officers on the Gripen. Forum is bi-lingual, so no problems using English there.

Usually an indication that the glue is too old and has gone stale.

Regarding the pitot heads on the fin, Master is your friend: http://master-model.pl/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=309&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=56

Looking very good so far! But aren't the cannons still missing?

Bought a Skybirds Hunter many, many years ago after having been very pleased with the Scimitar. Unfortunately I was less impressed by the Hunter.

I recieved a surprise Christmas present from a modelling friend; an all resin 1/72 Spitfire PR.XI kit by Attack Squadron. It is a kit that I knew nothing about, nor have read anything about it in magazines or on the net. But oh what a pleasant surprise! Excellent casting, highly detaled cockpit, perfectly clear vacformed canopy (unfortunately only one) very good PE for the smallest deails, and six decal options; four American, one RAF and one Danish AF. Parts breakdown is a bit unconventional, but after having done some dry-fitting the fit seems to be near perfect.The only con I've found so far is the instructions which, although nicely drawn, seem a bit disorganised and have no colour callouts whatsoever for the interior.The latter is no problem for me since I have plenty of references to go by. Very much looking forward to build this kit.

Be aware that the instructions show the fit of the pylons in the bomb bay, incorrectly. Since it didn't make sense to me, I searched the net for pictures (and there's a lot of very good ones out there) and finaly solved the problem. But the fault is totally Revell's and their faulty instructions.

There was a build article in one of the modelling magazines (SAMI?) written by the guy who built the Manchester from the Paragon conversion kit I mentioned in an earlier post. The article provided a printed template for the wavy demarcation line.

I remember that cartoon by Bob Stevens from an issue of Aviation week or a similar magazine, many many years ago . The story started with the cocky Rhino pilot doing barrel rolls around the BUFF - and the scene was set...

On the subject of NACA intakes, a frind of mine has come up with a fairly simple method. Cut out the intake shape straight through the plastic. Thin the surrounding plastic on the inside, more at the front and less att the rear, using a Dremel and/or scraping with a curved blade (#10 or #15). Bevel the rear edge, and then glue a piece of PC over the hole. On the outside, eliminate the slight step at the front with a little filler (if necessary) a jewelers file.

Have witnessed that prank, although in this case it involved an "elevated" elderly LtCol suffering from Montezuma's revenge and 50 "smiling" cadets (including yours truly) with only days left before graduation fron the Air Force Academy.

Thanks for the help. Just compared the Airfix Blenheim VGO with the Whitley VGO; they are the same. Funny thing is that in the Blenheim kit they give you three VGO. But the Mk.I only needs one and the Mk.IV only two. Bu would like something with better definition of the details. Will check the other alterenatives you suggested.