aerofan

Sorry Andrew but I thought being in the modern section would be correct but I have modified the original post to clarify that I'm look at the modern tear drop hull Upholder class. I thought that kit bashing would be the case. Hopefully someone would have any thoughts as to what injection sub kits available would be good candidates to kit bash.

Are there any injection plastic model kits of the modern Upholder class submarines? If not which class subs can be used to kit bash one? TIA.

You must be referring to Maya (Catherine Schell). In the Beta Cloud episode she couldn't change into a Cloud creature because it was a robot; this creature was played by David Prowse before he became famous for Darth Vader. However in later episodes she was able to take the Cloud creature form. Another thing I saw in the bonus featurette was a tv commercial for Lyons Maid ice lolly with Space 1999 trading cards. I never seen it before but I found it very 70's trippy.

Following my viewing of Gerry anderson's UFO and Thunderbirds it was only fitting to see Space 1999. I haven't watched this since I was a small child. It was really nice to see it again and to now fully appreciate the story of each episode - was too young to understand it the first time. The scenes of the Eagles reminded me of how I was so facinated by it's design when I was a wee lad. I still remembered how I was about to buy the 12 inch Eagle transporter model but only to be dissuaded by my brother, my model building assistant, on the basis that it was just a shell with no interior cockpit. The Dinky diecast was a bit too expensive and just out of the range of my meager avaliable savings - Dad would make sure most of my money went into the bank. Rewatching the series was really fun. Seeing the so 70's equipment, furniture, wardrobe and shoes. Good thing I watched the boxset because the bonus features gave light to many questions like the signifance of the colour of the sleeves and finding out that everytime the Eagle makes a vertical takeoff the gas shooting out the the nozzles was freon. I found this very ironic because the show had a seriousness about stopping / reducing pollution in our environment. Brian Johnson even made light of this irony in his bonus featurette. The bonus segments were very informative on the production of the series and the commentary of Christopher Penfold and Johnny Byrne in the Dragon's Domain episode was very informative even the part of how Johnny fancied a certain female Alphan that even surprised Chris. The commentary of Sylvia Anderson in the Testament of Arkadia episode was also informative in giving light to how the main leads were selected and how she wanted to play the commander and to why that actor was dropped. The short fan flim "Message from Moonbase Alpha" is nice but I wished that they could have also included "The Return of Victor Bergman" .

As you may recall I previously mentioned finally seeing all 26 episodes of UFO ( http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234994435-finally-watched-all-26-episodes-of-ufo/ ). This Gerry Anderson series made me want to watch his other series Thunderbirds which I have also never seen before. So once more I rented the complete series (seasons) 1 and 2 - enjoyed the bonus featurettes that were done during the series. After watching the tv series, I rented the 1966 Thunderbirds Are Go and enojyed the bonus featurettes and commentaries with Sylvia Anderson and David Lane. Details about how the special effectswas done during the period is very interesting given that now it's mostly done with computer grapics these days. I wasn't able to rent the 1968 Thunderbird 6 nor the 2004 Thunderbirds but watched both online. I can now understand why Gerry Anderson wasn't impressed with the 2004 movie but it seemed like a good one to get the newer generation interested in the Thunderbirds. If anyone has these two on dvd or blueray, can you tell me what bonus featurettes are on them. TIA.

Thanks, Paul. I haven't seen the blue van restored but I heard about Edd China working on a replica of Commander Ed Straker's gold car - thought it was a restoration. I wonder what happened to the pale Lavender coloured car sometimes driven by Col. Paul Foster.

The last episode, #26 The Long Sleep, seems to be the best for it as it looks trippy when watched sober. The box set is what I watched and the commentaries with Alan Perry & Michael Billington and Wanda Ventham & Sylvia Anderson are great with the back and forth conversations. Gerry Anderson's take on Gabrielle Drake was interesting as was Ed Bishop on his personal phobia he shares with Dolores Mantez while filming the Sub Smash episode. I thoroughly enjoyed UFO as much as Space 1999. Some of the filming techniques were innovative and cutting edge which we now take for granted; filming a tv screen without flutter caused by the refresh rate was a first but now commonplace thanks to Gerry Anderson and his team. It's a pity that Anderson didn't or wasn't able to continue producing more live-action sci-fi tv series.

I have to admit that I've never seen the series but was always interested in the UFO shows. So I rented a dvd set and binged watched all 26 episodes. It was great to see the precursor to Space 1999. I found the storylines got better as the series progressed. The commentary from Ed Bishop, Michael Billington, Wanda Ventham, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson gave many insights to the production of the series that I found both amusing and informative. I always had the question about the practicality of the Moonbase operators having to wear the purple wigs - looks futuristic for 1980 but that's all it is. Nice to see those Shado prop cars getting the restoration treatment. Interesting to see all those Bandai and Imai UFO Shado kits that were produced (with those rubber wheels and friction motors). I was wondering if these kits will ever be reissued like the Imai Space 1999 Eagle. Of course, modified tooling with those friction motors removed just like the Eagle. Now, I've got see all the episodes of Space 1999. Boy it's been years since I've seen that show. Also, got to see Doppelganger: Journey to the Far Side of the Sun.

You think MPC (Round 2) will scale it down for a proper 1/72 scale Eagle. The old tooled one is so horrible as with the Imai 1/110 one too.

The Horten Ho 229 A1 V2 did fly. But I assume that you mean a production in service aircraft. Cheers.

Nice to see it in that proposal scheme. I read in a book that before the USAF rejected it, the Soviet's copied up that scheme of blue and kept.

That Ho 229 looks incredibly detailed. I have to agree with Nobby57 that it's best left unskinned to show off all the interior structure. I too wish I was rich enough to buy their kits.

Giorgio N, yeah I think that was near the end of the mold life time when they released the 4 F-4E Thunderbird and 4 F-4J Blue Angels sets. They really milked that mold for all they can get out it. Panoz, yep they did slightly modify the tooling of that one tree for the exhaust; one for the F-4K and then again for the F-4E / F-4J. Hasegawa/Frog/Novo was even more clever in that the exhaust was just on a tree by itself separate from the rest of the parts. The Jolly Rogers F-4B was a US release but I think RoG released the F-4E as a F-4F. I remembered how excited I was when I was a wee lad getting a Matchbox F-4K/M and seeing that it was a Spey powered Phantom. Of course that was well before the Fujimi ones. That Matchbox kit has since been gone but not missed at all.

Thanks. I'm rebuilding my old one and since I have a set of FAA decals, I thought why not a RN Buccaneer.

Maybe this was already asked but I can't seem to find it. So I'll ask. What do you have to do to make the 1/72 scale Airfix RAF Buccaneer into a RN one (not the Mk.1 with smaller intakes)? Did the FAA ever use the bulged fuel tank in the weapons bay?

Tempestfan, to say that the Revell 1/72 F-4K has a Spey exhaust representation is putting it quite kindly. They seemed to just make a tube look like a Spey. Since they didn't modify the fuselage, the diameter is not for a Spey but more for a J-79. Same with the old Hasgawa/Frog/Novo F-4K/M kits. These would all be best avoided for any attempt at a 1/72 F-4K/M. You'd have a better chance with the Matchbox one. But if you don't want to waste your time with modifying the Matchbox's F-4K/M, get the Fujimi ones. You can go with the less expensive Matchbox Phantom but it'll cost you just as much as the Fujimi one after all the bandages, ointment and other medical costs to heal your cuts . I also remember the Revell F-4B "Jolly Rogers" kit. The decals were a bit lacking compared to their F-4E kit. Modelldoc, was the YF-4K a Spey or J-79 powered Phantom? I remember the H-129 boxart. One of the better ones for the F-4K (being ready for launch off a carrier).

That Revell F-4 Phantom II was from the 60's. I recalled how they also made it into a F-4E by just making a new nose (longer), adding the gun, revising the exhaust but left the rest of the kit the same as the F-4B. With the F-4K they just revised the exhaust to make it look like a Spey but the fuselage didn't reflect it. Haseagawa also did that to their old, from the 70's, F-4J kit which was also released by Frog. At least Matchbox made a F-4K/M look like one with the modified fuselage for the Spey. Until Fujimi came out with their Brit Phantoms, Matchbox was the only game in town that was really a Spey powered Phantom. Best to go for the Fujimi ones. Also always found it strange why Hasegawa did make a new tooled 1/72 scale Brit F-4 after they issued the whole new tooled 1/72 Phantom family. They have a 1/48 Spey powered Phantom so you'd think it would be natural for them to do so in 1/72 as well.

Hendie, have you tried placing the rattle spray can in a tub of warm water before use? This is a technique I learned from a DIY show. They said that warming the paint can contents will help in the agitation during the mixing process, aka shaking the can. I don't know if this will help in the crazing problem you seem to be getting on your test shots.

Nice weathering on the Gnat.

Nice job Paul. Arnie (RIP) would be proud of your DC-4. Ever since his passing and the personnel changes at Buffalo, I no longer watch the "Ice Pilots NWT" show because it is now way too scripted reality drama. If they cut out the drama and showed more cockpit and flight scenes, I may have another look.

Yeah all I need is another Bf-109 variant kit like I need a . Too bad it's the large profit$ that companies see and do I really need to have all the different releases of a particular aircraft that seems to be how Hasegawa like to keep their molds fresh on the LHS shelves. If I want a particular marking, I'll go aftermarket because it will be more correct than the Hasegawa issued decals. I've spoken to Hugh may times in the past but mostly about how a nameless company made an injection kit of one of this vacuform kit with a little minor errors, not the Arrow. Didn't know that he doesn't have the tooling for the 1/72 Arrow anymore. That's a shame as it was and still is the best one in that scale or any scale. With resin bits it would be a better seller than Hobbycraft's. I'll hop on over to ARC as I haven't been there for sometime.

Don't know why but I like their theme song "Balaclava" by The Wideboys. It just keeps playing in my head .

Very well done. I've always like how innovative the Viggen was with it's canard layout. That Swedish camo paint job is fantastic.

David, nice to see your completed Arrow here. Did you finally get an Astra one yet ? Sorry I couldn't help with your fundraising to make tooling molds for a Canadair Argus a few years back. Was and still in a rough patch. Gary, as seen in Dave's Arrow pic, you'll notice that HC1393 has the type 1a exhaust cone. This would indicate that the Arrow was near the middle to end of the 1st test phase just before cancellation. The difference between the type 1 and 1a are very evident in photos. Much harder to spot in the Arrowhead book but much more prevalent in the Arrow Alliance ones. JYI, the type 1a was used to check the ground clearance on rotate (takeoff) and flare (landing) for any problems that would be encounter before the Arrow Mk.2 took it's maiden flight which sadly never happened. Very clever of the engineers to do this. The Iroquois was more longer than the J-75 which is why it was smart to test the clearance issue with a Mk.1.

Thanks Mark. Yes I did miss that. The 1/48 Gnat will go great with the 1/48 Hawks.