Over The Ponder

Tommy Thompson, who owns/manages the 'tailspintopics' blog linked to above, has also written an excellent book focused on the F4H-1 called "Birth Of A Legend" (ISBN 978-0-9993884-5-7). It's available from him via his blog. It has hundreds of pix and drawings of the F4H-1. Fascinating history and a great read. CC

Good stuff! Thanks everyone for the comments and links. Very helpful--lots to dig into. I'm surprised that some publisher hasn't put together a compilation-style book (or ebook) on this, showing repairs by each major air force. Maybe some day. Regards, Chris

Hi All, Are there any websites or other on-line sources that have pictures that show what the minor repairs to battle-damaged RAF aircraft looked like? In particular I'm looking for post-repair Spitfires and other fighters, but, really, pictures of any a/c would be helpful. I'd like to have a good idea what the various patches and their means of attachment looked like. Thanks for all your help. Chris

Dana, David, Sorry for the radio silence... Thanks so much for the answers and information. Greatly appreciated. I will forget about puttying the two Corsairs I have in mind. Best, Chris

Hi All, I may be totally mis-remembering this, but I seem to recall reading a long time ago that F4U Corsairs had puttied leading wing edges. I'd appreciate knowing if this is true, or if I'm mistaken. And if it is true, did all models from all mfrs have this, or was it limited to certain models and/or factories? Many thanks for your help Chris

Hi Tom, "Building The P-51 Mustang" by Michael O'Leary (ISBN 978-1-58007-190-1; Specialty Press 2010) has > 350 pictures of Mustangs under construction, and a detailed discussion of how the plane was designed and then built. This includes changes to the a/c and component parts over time, often backed up with a photo or two. It runs from the NA-73X through the P-51H. It also has an appendix that i) summarizes all P-51 variants and notes the significant changes between them; ii) shows NAA's Mustang model designations and related military serial numbers; iii) has a summary of USAAF and RAF serial numbers by type; and iv) has a summary of the various Mustang construction contracts by model type. It also has a brief bibliography re books abt the Mustang. I think it's a pretty good basic reference--I bought it mainly for the excellent b/w photos--and recommend you check it out when you can: it might have a lot of what you're looking for. Best, Chris

typed too fast: website is modelpaintsol.com CC

BB, Suggest you contact John Miller at Model Paint Solutions (modelpainstsol.com). Among other things, MPS is a Mission Model Paint dealer, and John has written extensively about the best ways to use/apply MM paints (and other brands, too). The MPS website and newsletters also have a tremendous amount of information re painting, finishes, and airbrushing. Definitely worth checking out. Regards, Christopher Child

Hi All, Thanks for the replies. Much to think about. I will try the wire-inside-tubing fix in the next few days--that may be the simplest solution for now. That's essentially a scaled-down version of what is sometimes done in the 1/1 scale world. I will also experiment with using regular wire. I certainly have enough of it. I'm concerned about my ability to consistently drill straight and true holes, but I guess I'll have to keep practicing. It's always harder than it looks, isn't it? Lastly, I will take a look at the fly tying tubing. I used to tie my own flies, but I can't recall ever seeing/using thin tubing for that, but there are so many fly patterns out there that I'm not surprised that I may have missed something. In my experience you can use just about any little bit of anything as part of a fly! Thanks again for your suggestions. Chris

Hi All, I've started building a couple of Tamiya 1/12 bikes as a change of pace. I've noticed that the black tubing Tamiya supplies to represent cabling/tubing has a tendency to develop collapsed tube walls and kinks when it's bent beyond a gentle curve. I can sometimes use my tweezers to gently squeeze the tubing to fix these problems, but sometimes that won't work. I'm pretty sure I've installed the tubing correctly; I also straightened the tubing before I used it by hanging it up for a few days with light weights on each end. I'd appreciate knowing if any of you have found a simple satisfactory workaround to this problem. For example, is there better quality tubing available that doesn't behave the way Tamiya's does? Thanks for all your help. Chris Child

Hi All, I'd appreciate any comments/advice about your experiences with Tamiya Mark Fit and Mark Fit Strong decal setting solutions. Thanks. Chris C

Hi All, A question: from a modeller's point-of-view are there any obvious physical differences between a RAF Mustang IV and the comparable USAAF P-51 model that one needs to be aware of? If yes, has Eduard identified these changes and included the necessary parts and instructions in the new Mustang IV kit? Thanks. Christopher Child

For the Yak fighters, I suggest you take a look at "Yakovlev Fighters of World War Two" by Gordon, Komissarov, & Komissarov, Hikoki Publications, 2015 (ISBN 9 781902 109466). Hundreds of photos, drawings, color art work, and best of all, a detailed development history for each of the types, including some pretty obscure experimental models. Really good stuff on a very important family of a/c. Best, Chris

Hi All, Thanks again. More good stuff. Lots to look into. The "A Quick Question..." thread is exactly what I'm looking for - an excellent start for me. And yes, the P-51 paint questions discussed therein really don't appear to have a single simple answer: but that's what research and photo interpretation are for. Chris

Hi All, Thank you guys for your help and suggestions. I thought about the seat belts. I don't know much about the Sutton harness except how it was used in Spitfires. Was it the universal safety harness for RAF single-seat fighters in the '43-'45 period? My guess is that there would need to have been some obvious (at least in 1/32) mods to the Mustang's seat mount, armor, etc. Definitely worth checking this out. And of course the radios... I'll have to do some searching for better images; most of the ones I've seen on-line aren't very clear or helpful. Any more suggestions, guidance, is most welcome. Chris

Hi All, Did the RAF make any alterations to the P-51D/Ks they used that modellers need to know about when building an accurate Mustang IV? For example, the 1/32 Tamiya Mustangs include a USAAF-marked dinghy/cushion for the pilot's seat. Did the RAF keep those, use their own, or use no seat cushion? Any guidance on these changes would be appreciated. Thanks. Chris