fightersweep

Wasn't Shepton, although I'm not far from there. The paints I got were via Ebay, but I cheekily inquired if the seller had any more paints, only to be told he had stacks and would I be interested in taking the lot! Couldn't refuse! Not sure where they came from now, but it was from a shop that closed years ago but the guy still had the paints kicking around. Nice haul there, but as you say, shame to see another LMS disappear. Should have grabbed that Star Cruiser though.... Regards; Steve

In that respect, I've found the Gloy paints to be the best. The tins I have are probably 35+ years old, and unused. The few that I've popped open have only needed the slightest stir before they are good to use. No thick gunk at the bottom of the tin either. Ready to go in no time and superb coverage. Shame they didn't continue, as I've read that they just couldn't compete with Humbrol. Regards; Steve

Ah! I see! Those Airfix paint bottles are waaaaay before my time! I feel all rejuvenated! Seriously though, I've not had a chance to use the bottled paints. Were they the same formula as the tinlets? Regards; Steve

Not quite so old!! Oooo...the cheek! Any more of that young man, and I'll start lobbing my Werther's Originals at you!! Regards; Steve (Now feeling past it!)

Chrisrope; No! That's not strange at all! I'm guilty of that myself! My weakness is the old Gloy paints. I was lucky enough to pick up a batch of unused, ex shop stock Gloy, Airfix and Humbrol Authentics dating back to the late 70's last year. I've used a few and they are fantastic! Now, those old Gloy paints had the most wonderful smell. I first used them when I was about 12. I remember using them to paint a 1/32 Revell Bf-109G whilst sitting in my bedroom listening to the Police's "Invisible Sun" on the radio. When I first cracked open one of those Gloy paints after 30 years, and caught a whiff of that unique smell, I was instantly taken back to that Revell Bf-109 back in 1981! The wife happened to pop into the man cave as I was using the paint and asked "what that nice smell was" !!! Sad? Maybe, but it's nice to be transported back to a more innocent time sometimes. I'll get some photos of those paints up as soon as I can. Regards; Steve

I completely forgot to ask.... Are the new UK made paints already available? And if so, is it just a case of looking for "Made in England" on the tin to know what I'm getting? Daft question maybe, but I'd thought I had better ask. Regards; Steve

Hi Martin; Many thanks for taking the time to share your insight. It would seem that many celebs and TV personalities transpire to be disappointing in some respects, and having watched through some Modelworlds on Youtube this afternoon, I see your point entirely. Besides, what irked me most back in the day, was the program's constant homage to garden railways. The sort of modelling I could aspire to as a ten year old got very little coverage. Now, bumbling eccentric!...I like that for some reason. I could play that part quite well. Regards; Steve

Seahawk; Of course, you are absolutely correct in saying that we won't see the return to really good enamel paints because we apparently would be instantly killed by death if lead was re-introduced. Strange really, as after using all of the older paints, I still feel quite fit and healthy so far! I'm realistic enough to see that the days of the enamel paint could be numbered. I would mourn their passing, as try as I might, I just cannot get on with acrylics. I also feel that they lack the depth of colour that enamels have. I'm glad that I'm not the only one that has bad experiences with recent tins of coal black. It used to be such a great paint, and would happily give great coverage in one coat. I must try the Xtracolour High Speed Silver on your recommendation though...thanks for the heads up! Scratchbuilder; To answer your question about the avatar. I was only a kid when Modelworld was on the telly, but used to think it was great then just because there was a program about my formative passion. Having seen a few of Mr Symes programs on the box and dvd, I was always taken by his apparent enthusiasm in all things a bit anoraky. Somehow, I like the idea of being a similar eccentric that lives in my garden shed whittling steam engines when I come to retirement age! However, I think you may have burst my little bubble about the man, so may have to bring about a quick avatar change! It feels not too dissimilar to when Christopher Foxley Norris told me at a Battle of Britain fighter pilots reunion at Lakenheath back in the 1990's that Adolf Galland, in his opinion, was a s**t! That was another little bubble burst! I'm off to change my avatar now....Mr Symes sounds a bit a...what was that word Chris Foxley Norris used again?? Regards; Steve In no way endorsing Bob Symes-Schutzman!

Thanks for the interesting replies so far! I think that maybe I should have made myself a little clearer regarding "returning to the authentic colour" quality. What I meant to say, was the paints returning to a quality close to or exceeding, those old paints. This was from the viewpoint of coverage, drying time, consistency etc. I really do wish Hornby luck with the improvements. Also, the re-formulating of the colours sounds like great news too! I'll admit it, I'm a Humbrol enamel kind of guy, but over the last few years, some of the Humbrols that I have bought have really tested my patience! When I'm not building my "serious" models, I like to do a bit of old school modelling. I like to revisit old kits that I built as a kid, and paint them with a hairy stick using enamel paints. I've been building up a collection of old Airfix, Gloy and Humbrol paints to do this, most being 40 years old. Every one of these old paints are still as good as new, work beautifully and cover perfectly (and I still love the smell of those Gloy paints!). I just hope that Humbrol can deliver us the quality that we would like to see, as their paints have been terribly hit and miss over the last few years. Regards; Steve

Hi All; Just a quick question regarding Humbrol enamel paints. I see that they are now being advertised as being made in the UK and that the formulas and some colours are being re-done. Will the new formulas be back to the quality we used to love with the old Authentic Colours...or maybe something close? I have an awful lot of Humbrol enamels, and a fair few of these are the made in China tins which I have found to be horribly hit and miss as far as quality is concerned. One example is 85 Coal Black. This always used to be a consistently good paint, but recently, I had to open five new tins before I found one that was remotely usable! So the question is, will the new made in the UK Humbrol enamels see a return to the quality we used to be accustomed too? Thanks in advance! Regards; Steve

Got the info through... Yak 11 is £149 Euros. Not cheap obviously, but I'll be buying one! I used to help with Eddie Coventry's Yak 11 G-OYAK when she was based at Earls Colne, along with Spitfire TD248. I was happy when Life Like Decals gave me a set of decals for TD248 for my Tamiya Mk XVI...seems as though I can add a Yak 11 to my collection. Brilliant! Now where can I get 1/32 decals for Ivan Kozhedub's "White 27" from, as these are the markings G-OYAK carried back in my day? Regards; Steve

Hi Iain; Many thanks for the info and the photos of the model...what a great looking kit. I'll be emailing Andreas asap! Regards; Steve

Hi Iain; Just tried the website, but it says the store is under construction and Google doesn't want to translate for me for some reason. I can't find any product info either, ie: prices etc. Do you know if the kit of the Yak 11 is available and how much for? I have to have a Yak 11 in my life! Regards; Steve

Really Iain? I'd missed these...seem to remember reading about these kits ages back, but didn't realise anything had come of them. Would love a Yak 11 myself....have any been built? Regards; Steve

Well, I was going to resist, but resistance is futile it seems! Although if I'm going to shell out on one of these monsters, I really want to model an earlier G model, specifically a Douglas built 35-DL. Do we know if HK will be bringing us the earlier G model? About 20 years ago I researched a Deenthorpe based B-17, contacted a lot of former crew members that flew on her and frankly, gathered enough material for a book. I would love to build a large scale model of this Fortress, but need the earlier model G. Kits at War even produced the decals for her in 1/72 and 1/48th scale...I'm keeping my fingers crossed they release them in 1/32. Either way, this is a cracking looking model, and I can't wait for their Meteor 4 and the Lancaster. Exciting times for large scale builders (Just want that Revell Dornier Do-17Z now!) Regards; Steve

I know that I have a museum of kits in the man cave, loft and garage! It's getting out of hand! Trouble is, is that I just can't part with vintage kits, especially those I built as a kid. I did get thinking a few months back. I was wondering what the ratio of built kits were to those that still sit unmade that have been sold, in say, the last 50 years? Just how many unbuilt kits must be filling lofts across the land, and how many perceived rarities must be hiding out there? There must be a few of those ESCI Transit's out there that I have a hankering for, or a few Fireball XL5's or Eagle Transporters? This may make my head hurt... ...And apologies for the thread drift! Regards; Steve

Hi Nick; At least I'm not alone on that count then! As part of my re-decorating, continued unpacking and sorting out, I've been doing something I should have done a long time ago...putting all of my aftermarket and magazine issues in the appropriate kit boxes ready for when I want to build. I'm hoping that may help things. The other worrying thing I have found is just how much stuff I have, and just how much stuff I had forgotten about completely! I couldn't believe just how much 1/24 Waldron extras I had...I think I must have stock piled when Waldron said they were calling it a day a few years back. I think I'm going to have to sell some of it on to make some space! Regards; Steve

Thanks; It's a great bit of film, and I still have trouble convincing some that it is Rochford. (I'm an ex-pat Southend boy, so Rochford holds great interest for me) The other thing that I have wondered about this footage is during the take off sequence. A Hurricane carrying the US-X codes can be seen in the foreground. I've often wondered if this is Geoffrey Page, but I am uncertain as to exactly when it was filmed as it may well have been after he was shot down on the 12th of August. Regards; Steve

Thanks Nick... The annoying thing is, is that I have that book, and the Scale Models you mention. The problem I have, is that I still have some stuff packed away after a house move a year and a half ago, and the man cave is undergoing re-decoration. The book still eludes me, and the only editions of the magazine articles I can't find are the Dornier and Spitfire. I'm still searching for them! It was a great series by Ray Rimmel, but I just couldn't remember the thrust of his Dornier article. I don't know if you are anything like me, but I have piles of old magazines from the 60's, 70's and 80's, and I can never find an article when I want it! I really should catalogue them! I recall reading an article a few years ago about converting the Airfix 1/32 Humber staff car to a NAAFI wagon....now I want to have a go at that as well, can I remember which magazine it was in? No! Moral of this story is, don't move and don't re-decorate the man cave! I'm going to be trying to find stuff for years to come! Regards; Steve

Hi All; Although not related to Frantisek's Hurricane, I have been puzzling over a similar question regarding Hurricanes of 56 Squadron during the Battle of Britain. This video on Youtube illustrates the point if you look from 4:06 onwards.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0-fVLCnsBs. This film was taken at Rochford during the battle, and most of the spinners appear to be either white or maybe sky. Again, this doesn't appear to be common during this time, and most profiles etc seem to think that the colour was white. For what reason the whole squadron adopted this spinner colour is unclear to me, but it would be interesting to know a bit more about this. As regards to Frantisek's Hurricane, all of the profiles I have show the spinner as being red, but I too have my doubts about this. As far as the Youtube film is concerned, this footage of the 56 Squadron Hurricanes has always been credited as being filmed at North Weald. This is not so, as the initial sequence shows the Hurricanes landing from the eastward end of Rochford, with the houses along the Southend Road seen clearly in the background. These houses haven't changed at all and can be seen in Google Maps. Also, during the take off sequence, other landmarks such as Warner's Bridge and and the chimney of the Ekco factory can be seen in the background....it's a great bit of footage! Regards; Steve

Hi All; Thanks ever so much for the detailed replies! On reflection, I think my best bet will be a kit bash between the two kits. I do like a bit of kit bashing and scratch building, so this could be a fun project. Popeye; Thanks for the link to your builds...Some great looking models there which have also prompted me to pull my two Airfix Do-17P's out of the stash. Those pre war three colour splinter schemes have always appealed to me. Thanks also for the heads up on the ICM kits. With a stash of a few hundred kits, I'm surprised that I don't have at least one ICM kit, so a low down on these is helpful. If they do bring out a Do-17Z, I will have to take the plunge regardless if it is a bear to put together. I'm still hoping for that 1/32 Dornier from Revell. I really hope that we see one at some point as it would complete the trio of BoB Luftwaffe bombers. I seem to have accumulated a 1/32 BoB collection, and it wouldn't be complete without the Do-17Z. I did pick up the 1/33 card model from Poland with the intention of using it as a template for a scratch build...maybe if I make a start and get half way through the build, then someone will invariably release an injection kit in 1/32! Once again, many thanks for all of your views and advice! Regards; Steve

Hi Guys; Thanks for all of the replies so far. So it appears that the Frog wing is more accurate, but the Monogram fuselage is better. Having compared the Frog and Monogram fuselages together, they appear to be quite close to one another. Out of curiosity, how does the Monogram kit score points in this department? As far as new tool kits are concerned, I totally agree that the Do-17Z is a huge gap in the Luftwaffe arsenal in most scales. I hope that we will see a new tool from ICM in 1/72, and another one in 1/48 wouldn't go amiss...especially as the Classic Airframes example is not easy to find. The holy grail for me would be a 1/32 kit from Revell to sit alongside the He-111 and Ju-88. I hear that this maybe a possibility, but the raising of the Goodwin Sands aircraft would be a key factor in this. Either way, it would be nice to see the venerable old Do-17Z get some recognition at last. Regards; Steve

Hi All; As I don't have any reference material at hand for the Dornier Do-17Z, I was wondering if anyone has any observations regarding the accuracy of the Frog and Monogram Do-17Zs. I have both kits at hand, and was comparing both today, and I noticed that the wing chord on the Monogram kit is considerably wider than the Frog kit. So my question is, which kit is the more accurate of the two? I have a soft spot for the Frog kit, having built a Revell re-pop of it back in the early 80's, and again a few years ago. Am I better sticking with the Frog kit, or is the Monogram kit the way to go? All opinions greatly appreciated! Regards; Steve PS....Seems to me that we're way overdue a new Do-17Z kit in 1/72, and I hope that we eventually see a 1/32 kit from Revell. It's quite apparent that the Do-17Z gets largely ignored, which is a shame. It's an aircraft that I have a huge soft spot for.

Keffr22; I think we must be on the same wavelength then. Most of the cars that I would like to see kitted are those mainly from the 70's, but the 60's and 80's would be welcome too. As for what I would like to see, well, that list would be too long, but a fair few that you listed are on my wants list. Have to say that a Cortina Mk 3 would be well up there though. I always loved that coke bottle shape. I would be happy with anything I remember seeing around back then, be it cars, vans or lorries. The Japanese don't seem to shy about kitting their motoring heritage. I've bought a few recently off Ebay, and they produce some nice bread and butter cars in 1/32 and 1/24, with Datsuns in particular faring quite well. I haven't managed to find a Datsun 120Y yet. I always had a soft spot for that car for some reason. Mind you, TV cars are another favourite of mine, and at least a fair few of those are kitted. Always wanted a nice model of Starsky's Gran Torino, but one never seemed to materialise! I suppose I'll have to stick with a die cast on that front! Regards; Steve

roymattblack; Completely take your point. It would be nice to see some more newer stuff from Airfix, as well as my beloved old timers! Now here's the thing. I don't build cars. WW2 and interwar aircraft are my thing. I would build cars, but I've never really been into race cars or super cars. They just don't interest me. I was the same when I was playing with my die casts as a kid. The only cars I wanted to play with were the "boring" ones like I could see out on the road outside my house...and I would be the same building kits of cars. If I flick through most kit catalogues, It's mostly Ferraris, Porsches and the like, or F1 jobs. Sure, I can see the wide spread appeal of those cars, but personally, I can't relate to them. Give me a kit of an old Maxi or Vauxhall, or maybe even the Ford Transit or Galaxy that I drive around in and I would be very happy indeed! But that's just me and I'm realistic enough to know that they won't ever get kitted. I owned a Mk 2 RS Mexico back in the 90's and a Mk 3 Cortina 2.0 GXL a couple of years ago....great fun to own and drive and naturally, I'd love to build a kit of either. Just out of curiosity, not being a dedicated car builder, what car kits would you fine folks like to see released? In the meantime, back to my 1/24 Supermarine Spitfire! Regards; Steve