AltcarBoB

I fitted my windows by holding them in place with masking tape inside then gluing them with varnish spread all over the glazing. I left it to dry for a few days then sanded everything flush with 400 grit then worked my way up the grits to 4000. Then a quick rub with a cloth. Clear smooth windows.

I accidentally got a knock off set off ebay and they were junk so I threw them out and bought a set of Titanium coated bits from Proops. Apart from the 0.45mm bit which wanders when you try to start a hole they have all been good.

Problem with sticking with say Tamiya or new Airfix is you never learn new things it's just following the instructions and gluing parts in the right order. I recently built an Airfix B5 Kate it's a lovely model but I then built a Chorosy Modelau Breda B28 resin kit and enjoyed it a lot more. I have learnt a lot in the last year by building mainly short run kits or ancient kits. Nothing like matching parts that only vaguely resemble the instructions or fit together only with the aid of a hammer. For the ultimate learning experience build a vacform kit if only to learn new swear wo

Modelsvit have a good reputation but they are not for the inexperienced. I believe A&A is their less detailed brand using older moulds. Probably be fine but if you're buying from Dave Coley their customer service is 2nd to none.

I received my copy five days ago but it's been taken off me and I won't see it again till Xmas

Doesn't the set up of the Bristol 138 qualify more as an auxiliary supercharger rather than a two stage design. The Pegasus had its normal supercharger plus a shaft driven blower mounted on the bulkhead. Semantics I know

A quick scan of Google seems to show that Bristol were keen on Turbochargers much more so than RR who had a quick look and decided it wasn't for them. About the time Bristol were struggling with large scale production of sleeve valves the turbo seemed to get forgotten about. I wonder if supercharger design had been pushed down the priority list because turbos are going to be the next big thing.

I have read plenty of times about Bristol supercharger design being behind RR supercharger design. I have never been able to find out what the problem was though or whether it was a fundamental design flaw or Bristol just needed to tweak one aspect of the design. Only thing that comes to my mind did the sleeve valves come into it did they prevent high boost.

Not so I noticed but you have me worried I will have to double check.

I had a similar problem with some letters from a 1/72 special Hobby kit. I found spraying water (from an old disinfect trigger spray bottle) on the surface to get it quite wet before laying the decal down made it easier to move it about. Only downside the decal took overnight before it was dry.

Winsor and Newton Sceptre Gold are my current favourite. I have a no 000, a no 0, a no 8 flat and an no 0 rigger and so far they have worked well with all my acrylics plus an occasional use with enamel. No bristles have come out yet but I managed to bend a few of the bristles out of shape on the no 0 by being clumsy. A quick dunk in very hot water then reshaping the bristles and dunking in very cold water seems to have sorted that out.

I have been using Alchohol hand wipes that come in small packets they do a good job. They arent so big you risk removing all the delicate parts but be careful they can damage Acrylic paint. Also some types can be quite a harsh texture so I avoid wiping clear parts just in case, I use a cotton bub dipped in Isopropanol for that.

My local hobby shop sells 4 brands of paint, Humbrol, Tamiya, Citadel and some very sparkly paints for RC cars. All the 4 racks are virtually empty and the shop owner doesnt know when stocks will be coming in. The Internet order place I order my Vallejo paints from the drop down list is about half greyed out because of no stock. Paint manufacturers like so many have been caught out by the crazy times and I bet when it comes to shall we make 250,000 litres of house decorating paint or shall we make 50 litres of model paint I bet I know which product gets made first.

I sold the airbrush on evilbay and got a really good price so for once I didn't lose out too much. I bought one of the cheap Chinese Iwata rip offs for £13 to use when nothing but an airbrush will do. It's a bit crude but after I stripped it down cleaned it and lubed it it can certainly lay down some paint. Cleaning seems a lot easier as well though I don't think the seals will last long the nozzle seal is already replaced.

If you ever fancy dabbling in 1/72 I would love a Fairey Hendon. I think a 1/48 version might break your size limits.