Wez

Trying to be helpful here, probably the latter. As you can appreciate, the Lightning's airframe is made from a multitude of materials and they all weather differently - witness the stainless steel intake ring, exhaust fairing and panels under the wing roots - they are still bright and more highly polished compared to the rest of the airframe, likewise some other panels are considerably darker metal. It's likely that any panels that were painted would have been painted with one of the more commonly available colours - by this time I think only the V-Bombers were still using MSG so I'd say your choices are more likely to be LAG (matt or gloss - different tonal variation), Dark Sea Grey (possible because it was about this time-frame that the DSG/DG camouflage was being introduced to the fleet and EVEN the Lightning has SOME inter-changeable panels - possible but maybe not likely), or even, at a last gasp Dark Admrialty Grey as used in the cockpits of later Lightnings. If anything I think LAG is more likely. Not forgetting silver/aluminium paint of course. Regards Wez

Aah PRC! Fekkin awful stuff!!! It makes me larf when you see the debate about raised or incised panel lines when you know for a fact that on the real aircraft it's a bead of PRC 1/4" proud of the surface! Back to the Lightning - I KNOW these things should be a metal colour, that was my response when I saw the initial post however, on looking at the photo in Armadillos link I have to say it doesn't look silver or metallic in any form of its incarnations - it does however look like gloss light aircraft grey (for the reasons both I and Doug alluded to earlier), on this particular aircraft at this particular time for some unfathomable reason! I'm not disputing it SHOULD be a silvery colour of some sort (aluminium/steel/whatever), it just doesn't look like it to me We used to get replacement panels turn ip for the Wokka that were supposed to be YZC or RAF colours but quite often turned up in US Army Helo Drab - just because it should be doesn't mean it is. Another interesting thing is the code letter is red, not black like it should be. This is a colourful jet. Regards Wez

Yup, that's exactly what I thought! Wez

John, It's not that I didn't read your earlier post - I thought they were metal ducts but but looking at the photo in Armadillos link, that cable duct definitely looks grey IMO. What convinces me of this is the way it looks as though its one single colour from front to back, the way apart from shadow there's no tonal variation in the duct and finally, the way it well, looks grey to me It was because of this I asked whether any were made in fibreglass as I wouldn't have expected the duct to have been painted during this time frame. Apart from possibly corrosion control i can't think of any reason why it should be painted. Wez

No, GREY it is - not white for sure. Are these cable ducts metal or fibreglass? If they're fibreglass it could just be the natural colour of the resin/gelcoat. Interesting that, never seen that before. Wez

I've got a Noratlas if someone wants it - a reasonable offer plus postage within the UK will secure. Mine's in the earlier (but not earliest) Heller boxing. Wez

Thanks for that Vultures1 - I thought that would be the case as they are in the Easy Build range and this was the approach HB took with the Sabres. It's no big deal to me as I would have added that detail anyway if I was making the KP kit for instance (it too is a bit rudimentary in this area but then again it's a product of its time). Hopefully, some enterprising resin manufacturer (Pavla for instance) will come out with some upgrades for these kits. Thanks again for the heads up, I'm really looking forward to the 1/48th MiG-17. Regards Wez

For the Flogger you could try the Italeri/Zvesda kits - not brilliant but best of a bad bunch, some work definitely required. You can mix and match the MiG 23 and 27 to make most versions. The Revell F104 is a good kit - on a par with the Hasegawa one, it's not the Esci kit repopped. I like the look of the Italeri A-10, no idea of how accurate it is. Sabres - Fujimi the best followed by the Hobbycraft/Academy one. The new Hobby Boss easy build sabres are nice too - they all feature the later wheels, if you want earlier wheels the Heller kits were exquisite mouldings. Hasegawa is the way to go for an F86D Heller do the best Mirage III/5 although it is a seriously old kit. I'd love to see an up to date, state of the art Mirage III/5 series and a Flogger. Wez

Thanks for the link Paul, it certainly looks better than the SMER/Heller/Airfix offering from first glances - time will tell. Not overly happy about the split fusealge -we'll have to see how that goes. Best Regards Wez

OK, Here's my two-penneth worth The Mighty 'ood - nuff said. C Class cruisers Fairmile D MGB/MTB's Flower Class Corvettes C Class destroyers (HMS Cavalier anybody)? T Class Submarines Illustrious/Implacable Aircraft Carriers - ooh! Armoured Decks - there's a thing Tribal Class Frigates - a Navy Days favourite HMS Blake/Tiger - more Navy Days favourites - bought the Airfix kit after wandering around the ship, I was SO dissapointed it didn't have the helicopter hangar! Finally, I'm torn between HMS Tiger - the battlecruiser or HMS Ocean the assault ship. Tiger because it showed a fine standard of gunnery at Jutland in spite of being crewed by defaulters and misfits. Ocean because we deployed on there with RAF SH (the mighty Wokka) and totally showed the RN how SH SHOULD be done! Wez

Showing in the New Arrivals at Hannants 1/72 MiG 15UTI Linky 1/72 MiG15Bis Linky 1/48 MiG17 Fresco C Linky Rinky Doo! The MiG15's are in the Easy Build series but if they're as good as the Sabre's that's no bad thing. Been lookin' forward to the MiG17 though - got one on order, got to be better than the SMER/Heller/Airfix example I gave up trying to beat into submission many years ago Wez

Hannants are showing it as a New Arrival - £19.99 a pop! LINKY Better be good at that price - think I'll wait and see before I commit! Wez

That'd be about right, all the old Jag boys I used to work with always referred to the Jag reheat as "constant thrust - variable noise"! Wez

Wow! Thanks for posting the pictures - yes, they're quite different aren't they? I wonder if the main pylon is similar to the bomb pylon... Wez

A few years ago my then next door neighbour used to work for Aerostructures - the part of BAe (afore it became BAE Syssums). He was working on aproject to provide the RAF with Beluga's - the plan was that these would have ramps that would allow the world-wide deployment of Wokka's without the need to break them down beyond taking the blades off. So my vote is to Whif it in RAF markings with a couple of Wokka's or even Trabants ready to be stuffed inside. Wez

Zeke, It was gonna be a slow burner but I think it moved up the starting grid - I will post piccies when I do it! Regards Wez

Zeke I have to agree, that is fabulous, the weathering is fantastic - absolutely spot on! Keith, Yes please - PM inbound! Edgar, You're a star, a font of knowledge, an absolute treasure - are you sure you're not the national archives? Top geezer Thanks to all for your help and advice. Regards to all Wez

Hi Folks, This one's a slow burner that I'll eventually get around to. I want to do the Tamiya Beaufighter TF.X as a post-war aircraft used in Malaya by 45 Sqn RAF. My reading of the Firedog operations suggest that rockets were the weapon of choice but the pictures I've seen show that these aircraft used twin-tiered rocket rails rather than the single tier and mounting panel arrangement that comes with the kit. Does anybody know of a source for the twin tiered rocket rails themselves (the rockets aren't a problem), failing that, a good set of plans for the rails and pushing my luck here, the illustrations for said rails from the AP? I'd like to do this option 'cos I think it'll make the already brutal lines of the mighty Beau look even more aggressive - that and the fact I really like post-war colour schemes. TIA Wez

Certainly a F7F Tigercat was tested either by Farnborough or Boscombe Down - not sure about the Bearcat though. I believe the Tigercat remained in Gloss Sea Blue but with British roundels/fin flashes. Wez

No, But it'd make an interesting Whif in Sea Fury colours/markings (sacrilege I know - just a thought though) Likewise the F4U4.... Wez

Confounding the Reich by Cushing/Bowman is also an excellent resource - it has a couple of good chapters on the B17 ops, definitely worth a read. Wez

Good effort mate - well done! Seems weird seeing it in anything but RAF markings though! Got a Matchbox kit to beat into submission (having made one donky's years ago), I wonder if I'm better off with the Xtrakit baby? Are Airfix gonna do one in 72nd? Thanks again for showing us. Wez

Fantastic shots of an HC2A or possibly one of the very late HC2's (ZH775-777). A couple of gotcha's if making a ZA or ZD serialed HC2 - In the first photo the Radalt antenna mount (look at the left hand [aircraft's starboard] landing lamp and then look left of that). The first aerial you come to is the Radalt - it's a small patch antenna mounted on a plinth. On the ZH serialled cabs the plinth is circular, on the ZA and ZD serialled cabs it's box sectioned e.g. square(ish). You can see this again in the fifth photo - it's the one under the cockpit jettisonable door/aft of the chin window - not the one under the RESCUE arrow. On the forward pylon the optical sensors are mounted on plinths, on ZH's these have there corners nicely rounded off on ZA/ZD's they don't. On the fourth photo you get a nice view along the fuselage side and you can see where the top of the fuel tanks meet the fuselage sides abruptly - those small fairings along the top of the tank are typical of a ZH serialled cab. On ZA and ZD's (and possibly ZH775-777), there is a panel that blends the top of the tank into the fuselage more subtly - those smaller fairings are incorporated into that and are themselves less promenant. As you come back towards the rear of the tank/fuselage join just aft of and below the bubble window you can see a small dark panel with a fore and aft ridge outboard. This is a footplate painted in black non-slip paint. On ZA, ZD and possibly ZH775-777 this is built up into a box section. These excellent shots bueatifully illustrate the perils of applying what you see in the photo of one Wokka to another - there are so many variations! I've said it before and I'll say it again, these photo's only show the fit of that particular aircraft at that particular time and can't be applied fleet wide (although if the particular cab you're modelling has these mods on them the details in these photo's are an superb resource)! Get photos of the cab you're modelling, make sure they're contemperaneous (not sure it's a real word ), and then model it. Finally on the fourth picture, as you look at the fuselage side where the ramp opens you'll see four drain pipes in a line - these were the ones I mentioned in an earlier post about Granby cabs and paint being stripped off - the ARTF never lasted long here! Thanks to SniperUK for posting the pictures - fantastic! Wez

Unlike yourself Den I found plenty in all of the magazines to keep me interested - you failed to mention the articles on Norwegian F5's and German F104's in MAM which I find interesting however, you mention the Soviet Bostons which frankly I'm idifferent to - I don't think I'll be rushing to read that particular article It just goes to show that these magazines are trying to cater to a very diverse readership with wildly differing interests. I'd have been dissapointed if there was absolutely nothing in all three magazines but luckiliy for me this is not the case. Just go to show its horses for courses. Next month it could be the other way round and there's not much for me but plenty for you! Could be worse - what if there were no magazines? Wez

I couldn't agree more! Definitely bonkers! Good luck with the project, thanks for all of your help. Wez