Sten Ekedahl

And the day before yesterday I got the same answer when I requested a new clear part for the Blenheim Mk.IV, since the one in the kit had two highly visible air bubles inside it. "Spare parts for this kit not currently available". What is happening? The excellent spare part service has always been an Airfix trade mark for the past 50 years.

Yes, Airfix has still not been able to deliver the spare part (replacing a short shot clear turret) I requested in February. "Spare parts for this kit not currently available". That is five months ago.

Whenever IPMS USA conducts their traditional poll for most wanted new kits, a 1/32 scale B-36 always gets a couple of votes.

This one was built by Jan Forsgren. He used the Mach 2 kit as a basis - which makes it even more impressing!

To complicate matters further, the nose on the old Frog kit is actually too short for a FAW.9. It is more correct for the shorter nose FAW.8. version.

I built a FAW.4 many years ago using the Heller T.3 and the Maintrack resin nose and belly tanks. I didn't like the fit of the Maintrack vacformed canopy. Instead I used an Aeroclub vacormed canopy intended for the old Frog FAW.8. I was very pleased with the result. I have the Maintrack conversion for the FAW.7 (the best looking Javeiin version in my opinion) intended for the Airfix FAW.9, in my stash. Since you can't build a correct FAW.9 from the Airfix kit without completely rebuilding the rear end, I will probably build the FAW.7 as my next Javelin.

No problems at all removing that pitot toube - as long as you use a razor saw. Using a knife or a sprue cutter however, is asking for trouble.

Note to one self: Do a search on this forum before you ask questions...

Ah yes, now that you mention it I remeber reading about it a long, long time ago. Thank you!

Not quite sure which ones you mean. Are you refering to the two small air scoops directly behind the spinner at four and eight oclock as seen from the front, and the horisontal panel line on each side of the nose between the spinner and the first vertical panel line behind the spinner?

Want to get started on my Airfix fabric wing Hurricane, so I thought I'd check a few details. My intention is to build it as a very eary aircraft with a two blade propeller, kidney exhausts and no ventral fin. I already know the inaccuracies in the kit that needs correcting, e.g. the wheels, but there are a couple of details I'd like to check with the Hurricane experts here: 1) Cockpit colour - aluminum painted or the traditional cockpit green? 2) No reflector gun sight, just ring and bead? 3) No head rest armour plate? 4) Any other detail I might have missed? TIA

I gave my KC-135A kit to a friend of mine. He has now completed it and made an excellent job of it. We discussed the strengthening strips around the rear fuselage and what to do with them. The chosen solution was to remove them and replace them with paint. This made them more to scale and also solved the problem how to clean up the joints on the top and bottom of the fuselage. First measure the kit strips carefully; position, width, spacing. Then remove them, the mask the rear fuselage, spray a couple of coats of primer. When dry remove the tape, and presto, there are your perfect strenghtening strips oaround the fuselage!

Yes Bill, that is definitely possible. Some 30-40 years ago a small firm (i.e. one guy) here in Sweden, called Specialtryck, produced sheets with generic markings for the Swedish Air Force - national markings, numbers in black, yellow and white, code letters in red blue and yellow, both plain and outlined in white or black. None of these sheeets had any carrier film whatsoever, and still to this day they are among the best decals I've seen. As a matter of fact I still think I have a few of them left in a drawer.

Congrats to you Gold - all of them, all very well deserved!

If you find old Rareplane vac kits, grab them! They are also among the best, eve the early ones. Their Victor kit is still the most accurate Victor, although today it's as rare as hen's teeth.

Just tried it from Sweden, using Firefox; no problems whatsoever.

You would be able to see all the cockpit detailing a lot better if you fit the Squadron (Falcon) vacformed canopy parts instead of the kit clear parts.

IIRC the current Airfix B-17 is a re-boxed Academy kit.

This is one way of doing it.

Several of the latest Airfix decal sheets have a thin black line around the edge, or separating the decals for the alternative markings in the kit. These lines can be very useful at times like this and should always be added to the spare decals box.

Yes it's a pity that he keeps such a low profile, since these type of nose weights is something a lot of modellers have been wishing for for ages! Although he does mostly 1/48 stuff, and I'm strictly into God's own scale, there are several of his 1/72 weights that I would really like to have.

A possible solution to your nose weight problem, if they are still available: http://modelingmadness.com/scott/accessories/td6.htm

The Alley Cat resin canopy for the Airfix Nimrod included pre-cut masks for the canopy - and the area around the canopy. The reason for the latter was so you could build up the strengthening plates around the canopy using paint.

Some of the Danish two-seaters were ex-Swedish Air Force single seaters rebuilt by Hawker (Bae?) after having been sold back to the UK when they went out of service in Sweden in 1968. IIRC, some ex-Swedish Hunters were also sold to Switzerland after being rebuilt as two-seaters.

Must take the chance to boast a little. The Swedish Air Force introduced the sea skimming anti-shipping missile Rb 04, in 1961. It was the primary weapon for the A 32 Lansen, and later the AJ 37 Viggen, against an invasion fleet. Range 32 km, later increased considerably with a new rocket engine. The missile was inteneded to pass very low over the target where a proximity fuse would detonate the 300 kg (660 lb) shaped charge warhead wich more or less would cut a destroyer sized ship in half.. Later this missile was developed into the Robotsystem 15, today used both by the Swedish Navy annd Air Force as well as several other nations.