Muzz

Merv My 1/48 scale set arrived the other day, here's whats in it; The resin bits are pretty nice, the metal winders, FLIR and launch rails are really nice and the etched parts are amazing!! My only comment would be that the their instructions for all the etched bits (and there's a lot) are more written text than pictures (I can read it's just I don't find it as easy to follow ).

Not started it yet, waiting on some bits & bobs arriving - Flightpath set and Paragon resin bits. I was going to start work on some of it but I'm not sure whats all in the Flightpath set so I'm going to wait for it's arrival in a week or so. Here's some pics of how I hope it will look; http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Pa...-GR4/1307558/M/ http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Pa...-GR4/1138138/M/

Merv That would be fantastic, I'll send you a PM. Muzz

Thanks for the comments guys. Andy, the pit was probably the easiest Aires pit I've done (so far) fitted in quite snugly after thinning down some plastic and resin. I'm getting used to the amount of plastic and resin that requires to be removed and it doesn't feel like about to ruin the whole kit anymore!

Cheers Merv, I find the Italeri kit quite bizarre, with some not bad detail and panel lines in bits, then shallow barely there panel lines on the under surfaces and deep panel lines in places where they just shouldn't be (such as the AIM-9's). It's also the first kit I've seen where you have to shore up the inside with bits of plastic the kit supplies! But I suppose it is a pretty cheap kit to buy. Are the tanks your talking about the larger F3 Hindenburger tanks? If so, thanks but I've got some of them it's the smaller original GR1 tanks I'm looking for as these seem to be what the Lossiemouth Wing jets carry most of the time. Muzz

In similar vane to Antione's topic on the Airfix kit, any comments on the Italeri Tonka regarding bits to watch out for? I've already noticed that the radome is slightly larger than the fuselage and is going to require a 1mm piece of plasticard to fill the resultant gap on the bottom of the fuselage, either that or some serious sanding round the radome! I've splashed out on the Flightpath convertion set (took a while to make my mind up about this due to the £ involved), Paragon flaps/slats, fin correction and bang seats. Does anyone know where I can get a decent set of 1500ltr tanks, as the ones in the kit look a bit on the blunt side?

First build of the year! The Hasegawa kit with Aries Cockpit, Steel Beech intake cover with Bullpups and Mk117's from Hasegawa's weapons sets. My first shot at free hand camo and still need to perfect the technique! Any comments or observations welcome.

Calum I'm pretty sure there isn't another option, I built the Airfix kit in 1/48 a few months back and bought the Aeroclub, nose weight, nose ring and undercarriage. I ended up only using the nose ring (which looks great) and ballast weight, the worked required to make the undercarriage usable didn't really justify the purchase. I used the kit parts and added some wire pipes etc, looked ok to me! Muzz

Merv Thanks that explains it, and thanks for the extra photo's. Muzz

Hello I'm looking for some help with an upcoming build I'm doing of a 1/48th scale Tornado GR4, looking to build ZG756 in the 14 Sqn Anniversary markings using the Italeri kit. I have loads of reference material on the GR4 but not many decent details shots of the centre console between the pilots and navs seats. Does anyone have some details shots they could send me? It's not until I've started looking closely at pictures that I've noticed there is a great deal of differance between certain aircraft, I have a good shot for example of a 13 Sqn GR4, ZG771 which has a central console which although black in colour looks like this (taken of a German aircraft) http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/AWA1..._Domke/4-75.jpg Where as the majority appear to be as the aircraft shown in Merv and Juliens pictures shown in the Resource section although as can be seen in these pictures the sides of the consoles are differant. Am I correct in saying that the aircraft shown in Mervs photo is a GR4 converted from one of the early GR1's whereas the aircraft in Juliens picture is an up to date GR4 possibly with the TARDIS update? Any help and photo's would be appreciated.

James Think the radome should be Interiour Green and more often or not faded down to a sort of pale yellow/green colour.

RAF Hunters dropped napalm on the Torrey Canyon in 1967 to try and set alight to the fuel that had spilt out. Don't think they were conventional napalm bombs, but fuel tanks filled with napalm.

Paul I'm no expert on the subject but the latest issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling has an article on the Sea Vixen and has photo's of a preserved one at a museum where it is fitted with dark metallic silver Red Tops with clear seeker heads. It also has some side on profiles of them in the same colour, I would imagine the FAA would be the same as the RAF and fit the missiles with a protective cover over the seeker heads for training flights, which is where the red and black tips come in. Hope this helps. Murray

My first completed build of 2009, the Airfix 1/48 scale Lightning F2A. Quite pleased with how it turned out, sorry for the crap photo's (again). Used Tamiya, Xtracrylix and Alclad paints. Aries cockpit set went in really well and was also pleased with the Aeroclub nose ring, also used the Eduard detail set although didn't use all of it and found that parts such as the burners didn't fit. All comments welcome. [/img] [/img] [/img] [/img]

Very nice looking build.

Goose This guy does a good Sniper pod, from the US but delivers quickly. http://www.shull24.com/ Not sure about the recce pod, someone did do a Vinten pod but can't remember who. Muzz

The colour your looking for is Roundel Blue, BS381C 110, think Xtracolour do it along with a few others. I used Xtracrylix Luthansa Blue and mixed it until it looked right.

There's a photo of this GR4 in the latest AFM carrying 5 of them, 2 on each shoulder pylon and 1 on the centre, would imagine a possible fit for Herrick would be 4 plus a Litning pod. Always thought the PW4 looks very similar to the GBU-12, and it is essentialy the same weapon (I think) but a bit smarter, I can see the differance's in the close up photo. Looks like it will be pretty straight forward to convert the many Hasegawa GBU-12 I have!

I was surprised to see the 14 Sqn Anniversary kit in Hannants new releases on Friday. Thought there would have been a bit more talk about it's arrival. It's a shame 1/72 not my scale anymore, I take it it's got new sprues for the GR4 bits?

Yes, read it last night whilst browsing the mags in my local Borders, it's the latest copy with the Starfighter on the front, articles somewhere near the back, compares the kit with being the same quality and detail as Hasegawa but half the price!!

The Block 15 kit is reviewed in the latest Scale Aviation Modeller with pictures of the sprues, it doesn't say who's going to be supplying it in the UK but gives the price at about £11.75, for the that money it looks like it would be worth buying for the weapons alone! Hannants are bound to get them in at some point.

Thats it, a countermeasures pod, I remember reading about somewhere now, thanks Warris, useful photo's too!!

There's a photo in the new issue of AFM of a GR9 at Kandahar in October carrying a Sniper pod as depicted above and a TERMA pod on the starboard fueselage station. Anyone know what a TERMA pod is?

Merv You can get hold of Sniper pods from http://shull24.com/ also comes with the small pylon attachment. Muzz

Noticed that the new Airfix Canberra had arrived at Hannants when I got their e-mail last night and although I was sure I had pre ordered it, after checking my old e-mails for confirmation I started to doubt myself, was going to phone Hannants this morning to confirm but the postie beat me to it when he delivered it! This is my first new Hornby/Airfix kit and I'm impressed, even the box is better quality, well printed instructions, crisp decals and colour aircraft profiles for the colour scheme and decal instructions. Won't be building it for a while yet but I must say it's looking good!! I think there will be a few more happy Britmodellers out there this morning.