LDSModeller

Hi Andy, Meant to share this with you yesterday The below photo is from my Daughters Airfix Sunderland ( yes, she loves the Sunderland too ) The interior colour for the the Pilots area (really not a cockpit as more a "Flight Deck") really depends on "When" your Sunderland was built? The Black Area marks a Mid- Late Model Sunderland On an earlier Mk III, Pilots area colour may well have been RAF Interior Green colours - the rest of the colours on the model are stock standard for all marks If it's any help, if you use the above demarcations (Red lines (except the one just aft of rear port windows)), they represent the main bulkheads, which would cut down the "See Through" effect of the Airfix model (.5mm styrene sheet or thinner would do fine) Hope that's of help? Regards Alan

Hi Andy My Dad who was with RNZAF 5 Squadron on Sunderland's, built one of these for me. Still have it in my collection all these years later Interior wise, really depends on what/how you wish to build it I, as Rob mentioned above, have had one on the go for a while now, and went all out to build an interior, and correct areas needing correction As they say, you have a blank canvas....... Of course it helps to have the real thing Preserved just down the road A couple of things to mention The Portholes are 1mm too large ( Transparencies should be 4mm), I used 5mm hollow tube with a 4mm inner diameter, you can see it it my first photo above The leading edge of the Bomb room doors are about 5mm too far rearward Again up to you how you want to build your model. Any which way, they turn out still looking like a Sunderland I hope so, don't see too many of these built these days Surprisingly, the Fuselage length is actually the most accurate of all three current Sunderland manufacturers (1/72 scale) Regards Alan

Hi Roger, Sorry to rain on your parade, but that's not the Navigators Position/table. That's actually the GPI (Ground Position Indicator) Table. Really only found on a Mk V Sunderland to my knowledge GPI Unit above table Sits right behind the 1st Pilots seat (Port), you can see the fold down seat The actual Navigators position (on all Sunderland Marks) was Starboard side in front of the main Spar. With the advent of the ASV systems, the ASV Operator sat behind second pilot (Port), and in front of Navigator behind your carefully painted curtain This is from the Sunderland Mk III Manual What it looks like in a Mk V (minus the curtain, but the tie pole is there For Whats its worth, the GPI Position was tied into the Navigators Position - Got that direct from an RNZAF Sunderland Navigator, so you can take that to the bank Regards Alan

If you look at this Photo of NZ3060 (after a bit of a whoops), you can see the Wavy/scalloped lines on the lower fuselage, and the Spinner is White (even though there is only the rear section) (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) Below is another photo of NZ3050 (a fellow P40K of NZ3060) painted in the RNZAF Pacific Scheme - the paint is reasonably new. and you can clearly see the Wavy/scalloped lower paint edge - NZ3053 is wearing the Yellow HQ of the Gunnery School at Ohakea Spinner is Red for 4 OTU - Most likely before leaving for Over Seas (Photo from the Book RNZAF First Decade (Charles Darby) NZ3050 with RNZAF Pacific Scheme Regardsd Alan

NZ3060 is one of the P40K long tails received by the RNZAF circa January 1943 These aircraft were received in standard USAAF Olive Drab/Neutral Grey These Airframes prior to departure to the Forward Operational Areas were given a repaint in the following way NZ Sea Blue Grey was applied over the Olive Drab in an RAF "B" type camouflage scheme, which is why the Camouflage Scheme seem backward/reverse in photos. NZ Sky Grey ( a Blue/Green colour - I'm quite certain is a Kiwi manufactured version of DuPont Sky Type S) painted over the lower Neutral Grey. You can tell the NZ Sky Grey by the "Scalloping" along the lower paint demarcation The NZ Sea Blue Grey and NZ Sky Grey are BALM Colours, manufactured in either Australia or New Zealand Sanitago Hrubisko (diamant) has just recently built NZ3060, in what I consider a very faithful reproduction in those colours/scheme I have described, posted in the RFI section Diamant NZ3060 Hope that helps? Regards Alan

Hi Santiago Those look really great - Thanks for sharing with us I have adjusted slightly your Heading to read a little better for your audience P-40K-15CU NZ3060 - coded 9 - 1 Servicing Unit (SU) / 14 Squadron Guadalcanal For those not familiar with RNZAF Nomenclature, the Servicing Units "Owned" the aircraft and loaned them to the Squadrons to fly Now to your question re the RNZAF Pacific Roundels? Ventura/Xtra Decal do Pacific Roundels, but for Specific airframes (and only the necessary amount of roundels) See Hannants site Hannants site Old Model Decals do do a more generic P 40 sheet, but the Pacific Roundel Blue is that fictitious Light blue (you will need to scroll down sorry) Old Models Decals Only other suggestion would be to ask your friend who printed off your P40 markings, and see if he can do you a bunch of generic RNZAF Pacific Roundel? If you need the exact sizes Email me. Regards Alan

I think because 10 Squadron had such Latitude, and developed these "Changes" to their Sunderland's, which were then taken on board by the Air Ministry (AM), RAF/Commonwealth Aircrews in the Battle of the Atlantic had a better fighting chance against U Boats. 5/6 (depending on single or twin FN turret) Browning's even though .303 calibre was a lot of fire power causing the U Boat crews a lot of grief especially when they began fighting it out on the surface. Since the OP mentioned the Special Hobby (SH) Mk III - some comments What a lot of modellers are not aware of also is that during Sunderland production RAF Sunderland's particularly in the Mk III had some interior changes brought about by the AM. One was the changing of the way of how the Bomb Room Doors came down when commencing a Depth Charge run Sunderland I/II and early production Mk III had a Flange System (semi enclosed frame) for the door edges roll/slide down (see Arrow A in below IWM Photo) This is the Change from Flange to Magnetic System with rubber Bungy (later Production Mk III and Mk V) Arrow B were the Cameras to record the Depth Charging (later moved solely to stern) Arrow C Note there is no Mess Table (SH would have you install) - The mess table along with table in the Bomb Room were by Special Order from Shorts Only* (I have the Sunderland Mk I & III Manuals with appropriate Drawings/Diagrams with these changes and mention of the "Special Orders from Shorts") Arrow D note the Ladder length this goes from the top of the Upper deck floor to the Mezzanine floor (rear ward room roof) The Mk V had the ladder attached to the Port side .5 Gun position, so was shorter (yes I have climbed that many a time) - Note where the access ladder sits in the above IWM photo, in a Mk V, is a Framework Support for the .5 Calibre position. I do have a photo of the Access ladder (somewhere), but for the time being you can see (extreme Left Hand side) the shorter ladder attached to Port side Gunners platform in this RNZAF Museum Photo (not to mention a superb shot of the Beam Gun position in use ) (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) Note there are more Changes that I could mention, but if you want I can answer Regards Alan

Hi Santiago, Looking very nice Just so your title reads a little more correctly for your audience P40E-1 NZ3094 (Ex 68th Pursuit Squadron USAAF) 2 Servicing Unit (or FMU) For those who might have any Historical/Technological Interest, some of these P40's were used as part of a Night Fighter Unit operating from Fiji, (requested by the USN), as these particular P40E-1's had a night flying instrument panel fitted. Thanks for sharing your builds with us Regards Alan

The introduction of the US P&W R1830 engine was also an Aussie idea (10 Squadron also from memory). The Advent of the forward firing bow guns, FN5B twin gun bow turret, Beam Guns, R1830 engines was (to my knowledge) not as much an adoption by other Squadrons, but more an Air Ministry change in thinking leading to adoption into the Sunderland Production processes, ending with the Sunderland Mk IIIa (still with Mk XVIII Pegasus engines), and finally the Mk V with the P&W R 1830 Engines. The standard Sunderland Mk III early and mid production still had the upper Turret, so really no need for the beam guns and with an upper turret in place. you couldn't fit the .5 cal positions anyway. Further Air Ministry changes saw the deletion of the Upper turret leaving later production aircraft with a "Hump" - The reason for the deletion was the falling off of Luftwaffe activity in the likes of the Bay of Biscay The Mk V after the deletion of the Upper turret had the Beam guns fitted (sort of a circle of life type thing except more bang for your buck with the .5 Cal guns ) A Sunderland Pilot (270/490 Squadrons) I knew, flew a Mk III sans upper Turret in West Africa, but told me the MK III's with the forward bow guns and FN5B twin gun turret only flew from bases in Britain Regards Alan

Hi Roger, I saw your query in the Forums, but can ask you the same question here re the Waist Guns are your referring to the Beam Gun Hatches as in below? If Yes, then ignore the Special Hobby Assembly Instruction for that (meaning opening of hatches installation of the .5 Cal guns.Mounts/ammunition boxes) Unfortunately if you follow the SH Assembly Instructions, you will end up with a Mk V Sunderland with Mk 18 Peggy Engines ( there are other issues too) Regards Alan

Hi Roger, A Mk III Transport (Brand New) at RNZAF Hobsonville here in Auckland Note the New Beaching Gear. - I would go with light Grey too (as in a primer type) (RNZAF Official - Air Force Museum of New Zealand - Used with Permissions) Hope that helps? Regards Alan

Hi Roger, Just to Clarify, when you mean waste guns, you are referring to the Beam Gun Hatches as in these? Regards Alan

Hi Santiago Those are nice looking P40's (especially the RNZAF ones ) NZ3050 in her Gunnery School markings looks fantastic!! Thanks for sharing with us Regards Alan

Hi John, Yes, Great book too (have that in my collections and read it) Hi George, Building Both, the Airfix kit surprisingly is more correct in scale than the SH one Just bear in mind the White Ensign sets, (there are at least two) one is for a Mk I Sunderland and one for a Mk III/V I scratch built my Airfix Interior Regards Alan

Hi Roger, Cool subject Don't know if you have read his books, but a former RAAF Sunderland Pilot Ivan Southall wrote a couple of books on his time flying Sunderland's One of his Books "They Shall Not Pass Unseen" has some great historical and Operational information on 461 Squadron. One of my favourite parts is where Sunderland "U" (flown by Morton) of 461 Sqn. Depth Charged and sank U461during the Battle of the Atlantic (the irony never fails) If I can offer one piece of advice? Check your clear sprues for an FN11 Turret (has a single gun slot) for the bow, as opposed to the FN 5B Turret (Only on Mk IIIa and Mk V) as shown in the SH kit Instructions and Profile in the kit painting and marking guide posted by you above. Look forward to your build Regards Alan