klr

There are reasons I don't drink, and having mad ideas is one of them. One of the main ones is that I would say something that someone else will regret 🤐

C'est une excellente idée ...

It depends on which photos of the real thing you look at. It's a bit lighter than on the box artwork, but definitely much, much darker than the decals provided with previous releases from Airfix, or Revell (based on a quick image search). However, in the paint and decal guide, Humbrol 14 Gloss French Blue is implied as being a match, as it is be applied on the nose, which the decals don't cover. But Humbrol 14 is much too light. I can't think off the top of my head what Humbrol or Revell colour might be a good match, although I suspect at least one of the Revell blues might be quite close.

Unfortunately, the nose wheel assembly obscures part of the ducting, and there's no way I'm ripping that out. Maybe I'll just paint what's still readily visible behind it though.

Is there some issue with the propeller blades? Both units look fine, as I peer through the plastic bag.

Got me the Airfix Rotodyne, which I was going to pass on, but seeing that Roy Cross artwork ...

The canopies are now all attached, but some work remains, partly because they are not properly molded. Noticeable is the gap at the end of the rear canopy on the P-70. The gap under the left side of the Boston windscreen looks worse in this photograph than it is to the naked eye, which is always the way, On the whole, the Boston turned out better, but the sides underneath the rear canopy had to be tapered in for a smooth transition. Another gap under the left side of the windscreen, so at least the the two kits are consistent. So there is quite a bit of clean-up work to be done, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just as long as it's not a Turbinlite* *For anyone who doesn't get the joke: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbinlite

They have serious problems in terms of fit, but they seem to be properly molded, at least to my eyes. Anyway, I'll get back to those tomorrow or the day after. I fixed the gap where the nose wheel strut attaches to the fuselage: Without further ado, I attached the main undercarriage parts. The nose wheel assembly in particular should be a lot more complex, but I wouldn't dare trying to modify it, as it might end up unusable. The main wheels are designed to be snapped in so they can rotate freely, but they are an extremely loose fit, and will have to be glued in place somehow. That's next, along with the nose ballast and the propeller assemblies.

OK ... time to remedy the canopy fits. This is being done on both kits: The rear canopy fit is now quite good, and any remaining issues can easily be sorted: The front canopy is now OK, but there still a small gap underneath the windscreen, not readily visible here. That's next on the list.

Me detailed it? Never! I don't know if Frog got a look at an actual Do 335 nose wheel bay. Curiously (or not), there is very little detail in the main wheel bays. I can manage the canopies, they will just take time. I'm currently doing the same work for my Boston/P-70 double build in the WW twins GB, and it's painstaking work (... along with watching lots of tennis from the Australian Open).

I said I made a lot of progress yesterday. No sooner had I joined the fuselage halves together, I added the wings, one a time to ensure they set at the correct angle. Then the tailplanes, which were a loose fit. The canopies still haven't been fitted. Here's another shot to show just why. These will require considerable time and patience to correct, mainly by building up the fuselage sides. The main attachment point for the nosewheel is "loose", but this should be quick and easy to fix:

Part of that may be the contrast with the upper Olive Drab (OD) colour, which was relatively light compared to some contemporary RAF and Luftwaffe upper camouflage colours. But OD is itself notoriously difficult to pin down. It's been said that no two batches of OD delivered to the US military were the same!

Hu 67 is another colour I've sometimes used for RLM 66. Ditto Revell 78 tank grey. But there seems to be uncertainty about the exact shade of RLM 66 (assuming there was just one), and when it was introduced as an interior colour. If it had a lighter hue - similar to RLM 02 in black and white photos - then that might help explain the confusion.

Now that photo is very interesting. As you say, it doesn't have the prominent hump, which would be more appropriate for the advanced trainer, which could also be built from the original Frog kit as the supposed A-12 variant (armed according to Frog). The back-seater in the photo is much lower profile, along the lines of the Dragon "B-6", which was another planned night fighter variant. So it appears there were at least two night fighter configurations projected. Actually, there were as many as 5 night fighter prototypes. The Dragon artwork depicts the mottled scheme that I had originally suggested I would do on this kit. Another point about that kit is that the radar aerials on both wings are further outboard than on the Frog kit, but who knows which may be more accurate? Maybe the drop tank installation dictated the aerials be moved outboard, but it's probably just conjecture on Dragon's part. That crashed aircraft in the photo definitely has a splinter scheme applied. It also has unusual markings on the propeller blades, although they may relate to testing (which might also explain why there are no radar aerials fitted). Finally, the point about stocks of RLM 65 being used up is also well made - I'd forgotten about that. So plenty of food for thought, I'll probably complete the kit complete with radar aerials, and then mull over the paint scheme.

I may be able to squeeze in one build here, around the time the WW II "Twins" and Frog GBs wind down, before the Airfix GB starts. I would probably plump for a carrier-based propeller-driven subject from the WW II/Korean War era. I might also limit myself to relatively "modern" toolings: Airfix F4F-4, Arma Hobby FM-2, HobbyBoss F8F-2, Revell F4U-1 or -4, Eduard F6F, Hobby 2000 (Hasegawa) TBF/TBM, Hasegawa Skyraider.

A couple of points/thoughts on colours: The wheel bays are RLM 02, the cockpit RLM 66. The latter seems to be a moveable feast. The long-discontinued Humbrol 92 was a mid-gray with a blueish tint, not unlike the Revell 57 I am using here, which is recommended in some (but not all!) Revell instructions as a match for RLM 66. Other matches are much darker, such as Humbrol 32, currently favoured by Airfix. Re the main camouflage: Rather than depicting a notional in service aircraft with a base colour of RLM 76, maybe I should paint it in a pre-production/prototype or primer colour, assuming the Luftwaffe was still doing this late in the war. IIRC, prototypes were often painted RLM 02 overall, so that is one option. Of course, it's probably still just what-ifery, just less outlandish.

I'd certainly like to build them again sometime (just not soon ...), given the range of possible markings. I am already on the lookout for some stash replacements, but it might take a while. According to Scalemates, these are the most recent boxings of this tooling. With Revell reboxing the MPM/Special Hobby tooling, there's little prospect of seeing this old tooling being re-released Vintage Classics style. Revell doesn't tend to sell off it's old molds, that I know of anyway.

I presume the Me 410 re-release was in the pipeline before Airfix announced its (immediately available) kit out of the blue, and Italeri has decided to proceed with it anyway. I predict there will be an oversupply of Italeri Me 410s, and if you wait a while (maybe even just a few months), they might be significantly discounted by some vendors.

I'm interested in the choice of Hu 128 for Neutral Grey. I am compiling some lists of possible paint matches/mixes for the various colours used in WWII by the major combatants, but I haven't tackled the USAAF/USN yet. I've just added Hu 128 as a "possible" for Neutral Grey. ... I just checked, and it's referenced in some of the "new" Airfix B-25 and (presumably) B-17 kits, whose instructions I hadn't yet checked. Interestingly, the earlier Airfix re-box of the Academy B-17G specified a mix for Neutral Grey.

Having built this twice: The canopy is so thick (typical of its time) that I'm not sure how much extra detailing of the cockpit could be seen. Incidentally, I happen to have an original 1970 boxing in my stash, acquired second-hand for a very reasonable price. You won't see me parting with it ...

I missed this in my notifications yesterday - apologies. Many thanks for the offer, I'll get back to you via PM as soon as I can.

OK, I didn't get much done yesterday, but I've caught up somewhat today. The engine blocks attach to the main undercarriage nacelles at a shallower angle than the nacelles themselves. Whether this is right or wrong, whether or not it will be noticeable when all is said and done ... ... engine blocks attached (note the fuselage spine still needs some cleaning up): .. cowlings attached, and propellers dry-fitted: ... but are the propellers too far forward? To be investigated. If necessary, the shafts will have to be shortened, possibly quite a bit. On the Boston, I finally tackled the alignment issues with the nose glazing. Step 1: cover the offending areas with plastic card. I have thinner card than this, but it's transparent, and might be tricky to work with in this scenario. Step 2: Sand and file the bejeezus out of it, until only what's needed is left. It looks a bit messy, but it's almost there. Prior to starting the main paint work, this is one of the areas to be primed and cleaned. Next up - finally - will be those troublesome canopies. After that, the undercarriage doors. I still need to fashion one replacement for a missing door. After that, the night fighter radar and other aerials. I'll probably glue the tail stands on, as they will always be required, and I don't want to lose them.

OK ... progress report time. The nose wheel bay ceiling - which doubles as the cockpit floor - was very difficult to fit. I ended up removing the rear location tabs on the fuselage halves, and re-working the lower rear section of the offending part. Even after that, I added a couple of inserts to make sure the damn thing stays in place. I also blanked off the front of the cockpit and the front of the nose wheel bay, so that all the nose ballast is going stay in the nose. Note how the seats lean back. The posture of the crew figures matches these, but hardly anything will be visible underneath the thick transparencies, so I'll omit them. The wings have also been assembled, with the main undercarriage bays painted beforehand. There was a noticeable gap between the upper and lower wing halves which I addressed by means of some plastic strips. Since these photos were taken, I've done a lot more work, so more photos tomorrow morning.

I have a Revell rebox in the stash for many years, but the kit was missing the canopy (ironic, given the circumstances for this GB submission). I contacted Revell for a replacement, but got a reply to the effect that it wasn't their mold, so they couldn't get spare parts. In the shortlist of "canopies you don't want to have to scratch-build", the Skua would be near the top. There is a Magna Models upgrade set with vacform canopy and resin wings, but even if it were available, the cost would be prohibitive - better off to just buy one of the newer toolings. Anyway, have fun!

This is one of the very last kits released by Frog. I have an actual Frog boxing wot I got dirt cheap second-hand a couple of years ago. If your kit is from an early production run, then the plastic should be in good condition, as mine is. I had another boxing from (IIRC) Eastern Express that was in poor condition, as wear and tear had taken its toll over the years.