Tiger331

Love It !.....GREAT Job and a different scheme to boot Well Done, Sir !

Some of the nicest special schemes or commemorative markings to adorn RAF aircraft have been on rotary wing types and this Westland Seaking HAR.3 operated by 78 Sqn is a superb example. You have done a great job on this model with excellent attention to detail and an interesting display Well Done, Sir !

I will follow this thread with interest but will probably stick with the brace of Bobcat Yak-28s that I already have. I'm also fortunate enough to have two Yak-28s 'on the doorstep' (well, a couple of hours drive away anyway), as excellent references !. The Tartu Aviation Museum here in Estonia has a superbly restored example of the Yak-28PP although I am not sure about the colour scheme, which is overall 'mustard' yellow. I believe the aircraft was gifted to the museum by Ukraine who have supplied several others including a MiG-23. The aircraft sports Soviet markings and enjoys the benefits of being housed in a rather smart sun shelter (like the majority of other exhibits), which protects them from the ravages of the Estonian weather both in the Winter and Summer. This last weekend I finally managed to visit the other museum 'down the road' in Riga in neighbouring Latvia. The museum is a treasure trove of former Soviet types with some quite rare exhibits (The nose section of a Su-27 Flanker prototype known as the T-10 (apparently - Ken, help us out here !) and the MiG-29UB was described to me by the guide as Prototype No.2. Judging by some of the design features it is certainly not a production version of the Fulcrum). The museum also has a Yak-28R which, like one of the other co-respondents, is one of my favourite variants of the enigmatic Yak-28. Unfortunately all of the exhibits are open to the elements and many are now in a poor state of repair. In an effort to protect the cockpits, a large number including the Yak-28 have covers over the canopies. On the plus side, the weather was excellent and the very hospitable museum curator allowed me to conduct a number of walkarounds - I took almost 700 photos in the space of 2+ hours which must be a new record for me !. Some interesting 'lumps and bumps' on the nose of the Yak-28R One of the major differences I noticed was the presence of these two apertures on the port side engine pod. There was a large radome on the lower surfaces of the forward fuselage too.

Also......best not to assume 'test shot' photos will actually reveal the origins of the kit. I well recall several instances where kit manufacturers have built display models from other manufacturers for expediency and to have something to display at toy fairs etc. 'Experts' have then subsequently been caught out when the actual model hits the streets and it is discovered that it is indeed a completely new mould. The realist in me thinks this Revell kit will be a re-pop of the Academy kit but we can all live in hope. Having been fortunate enough to get a trip in one a few years back I have a hankering to make one at some point in the future.

Yes.....I heard this too.....which is why I understand Eduard's next 1:48 scale kit (after the Tempest) will be a Supermarine Spitfire Mk I

Agreed....but there is quite a bit going on with companies 'exchanging' weapons sprues when re-boxing kits. The D-Corporation F-15K Slam Eagle combines the GWH F-15E/I airframe parts with Academy weapons/stores sprues and I notice the Eduard re-boxing of the Trumpeter MiG-23MF/ML omits the weapons sprues from the original kits and includes the relevant ones from the Eduard family of MiG-21 kits.

Those exhaust nozzles are looking good to me ! Nice comparison with these photos (taken this last weekend at the Riga Aviation Museum) of the MiG-25RBS Foxbat they have on display. Keep up the good work !

One Step Forward....Two Steps Back..... Getting on nicely with the remainder of the airframe and took some time over the weekend to try and get the resin pilot/ejection seat combo finished. Some final touches (more shading for the pilot and weathering for the seat) or so I thought !. Realised when I sat back to admire my work that this pilot is meant to be in air intercept mode. I can live with the position of the arms (momentarily adjusting the radar picture etc) but he is not wearing a oxygen mask !. So I'll need to get out the milliput and rob a spare Hasegawa hose before I go any further. Darn !

I agree with you on the vast majority shown on your wish list - I also totally agree that a new 1:48 Westland Sea King would be very nice (especially if they kit it in such a way as to produce both the ASW/SAR and Commando variants). Sadly, and I really do not know why, rotary wing subjects don't seem to sell too well. There are an awful lot of Lynx and Merlin kits on the secondhand market. I also think if Airfix were to do another helicopter kit it would most likely be a SA.330 Puma since this has an equally good following, lots of marking options, has never been done before (I don't count the Heller 1:50 scale of a prototype machine) and is highly sought after (it would definitely get my vote).

Interesting......by 'big one' do they mean the subject or the model (or both) ?. Personally I would really like a 1:72 VC.10 (great, great potential with quite a few different colour schemes when you consider the relatively small production run) or a new mould Avro Vulcan to complement the other recent V-Bombers. or..................a 1:48 BAC Jaguar, H.S. Buccaneer or Hawker Tempest Maybe a 1:24 new-mould Spitfire though I would expect that out for 2020 and the BofB Anniversary.

No....the photo I have seen shows the same aircraft taxying in after taking part in the Disbandment Ceremony for 337 Sqn. It is captioned as an F-4E AUP but I was suspicious since the serial does not tie up with the serials listed in the Eagle Aviation 'Phantom Under the Skin' Volume 1 for Hellenic Air Force F-4E Phantom II AUP aircraft.

There's a photo of a Hellenic Air Force F-4E AUP over on Airliners.net with this frameless windscreen. Its quoted as '68-424' (which you can just make out on the tail surfaces) during its service with 337 Sqn.

Nice start.......Slightly different variant to that being modelled, but the attached may help others along the way with the cockpit and ejection seat. Well Done, Sir !. I will follow this with interest

Great model of a great subject.....Well Done, sir It is, indeed, a fairly unique looking machine and right out of a Dan Dare comic book in some ways. I recently got up close and personal with one at the Tartu Aviation museum here in Estonia.