JohnT

I'd endorse what @Skodadriver Dave said above. Again another Scot here so what advice I can give has to be seen through the eyes of a much smaller country. In the UK 300 miles is a long trip !! I was born, bred, educated and first two jobs in Edinburgh so a city boy. Moved for job number three to a small country town and decided there was no point in unpacking as its only going to be just for a year or two. I knew within six weeks I wasn't going back to the city. Lived in a semi rural environment ever since and enjoyed it. I'm still working though past the normal retirement age and will do so as long as life permits. Everyone's needs change though as the years go by. For example I have two elderly in laws whose medical conditions require good local health care from local doctors and hospital care. I think the mistake a lot of retirees make is that they go too far from civilisation if I can put it that way. Fine if one is fit and healthy and in your 50's and 60's but what will it look like in your 70's, 80's and 90's (we hope)? My suggestion is choose carefully and find a small county town as we would say here. 6000 -15000 people. Big enough to have doctors surgery, dentists, vets, bookshop, stores, garages etc but small enough to be a short walk to the river, woods etc too. Good hunting

The film was based on the book by Frederick E Smith written some ten years before the film was made. The DNA of the 633 Squadron; Star Wars Death Star run and similar is basically the same. The good guys charge the guns in a death or glory ride. Very successful theme in the movies

Given the pelters thrown at nearly if not all Hornet kits so far for their nose-front canopy windscreen profile let’s hope they get it right. Well at least as right as keeps everyone happy

I had the great privilege to be taught for a year at Edinburgh University in the forensic medicine for law students class by the late Prof Ken Mason. I even passed the exam !!! He was a lovely man and the leading forensic pathologist in aviation accidents https://www.scotsman.com/news/obituary-professor-ken-mason-medical-jurisprudence-pioneer-1456658?amp He performed the post mortem examinations on the aircrew in this tragic accident. It was a discussion topic in one tutorial and I had a discussion with him on this. Making allowances for memory and time (it was the mid 70’s) I recall his thinking was that the evidence from the PM examination indicated the captain had suffered a heart related medical problem and was likely to appear to function while in fact making the wrong decisions and implementing incorrect actions. The combination of:- 1 the captains overly difficult demeanour 2 the deferential attitude shown then by junior pilots to senior captains 3 the captain would probably still be appearing to others in the cockpit to be taking action albeit incorrect action all might all have combined to prevent the first officer from taking control to prevent the accident. He reckoned it was one of the aircraft accidents that started the changes towards a more interventionist culture in cockpit management. Among my best memories was the Christmas lecture which had him distribute sherry to the female students and cans of beer to the guys. My abiding memory was of a lovely gentle person who was a brilliant educator

2 old mould Airfix and one new mould in 1/72 and Alan Wilson’s 1/48 Icelandic Models resin beastie. I suspect I might be bugging you for advice sometime. The stash has grown as I’ve not been building due to the new build house and office. They are finished but there is a huge garden to make out of a building site. We are on ten lorry loads of top soil so far and not done yet. Then there is an old dairy with stable and hay loft to convert. Lord knows when that’s all getting done

Thanks for sharing Adam. Much appreciated and handy once I get to building my Vulcans

@sinnerboy meant 2

Yes, another watching with interest and will check when it arrives. Thanks @Chuuurles and @Simon Cornes for the warning ! The worry is what with all the discussion on it being a "limited edition" will there be enough spare clear sprues going around if the problem is widespread? As has been said I imagine @Ali62 will have taken notice and be having a wee ponder to himself.

Home from a Sunday evening showing. Took Mrs T (who has no interest in wingy things) and 16 year old son again with no real interest in aviation either. It got top marks from both and both highly rated it. I had a giggle on hearing Mrs T walking through the house absent mindedly humming dum dum dum dumdi dumdi dum dum - you know the tune I thought it was a very good movie. I left my anorak me at home and just went out to enjoy myself and did immensely. If you go in that frame of mind you will have a good night out.

Very nicely done and good to see a very near neighbour of ours in model form. She and East Fortune is 25 mins away and always well worth a visit

I always say to enjoy a movie you have to leave your critical faculties as to realism and such like at the pop corn stall coming into the cinema. On the discussion on here about Kelly's Heroes and Tiger tank engines the point was made that the story behind the guys is perhaps not the best moral if you think about it. That's true as regards so many movies when you stop and analyse them. Top Gun Maverick will be just one to sit back, forget we ever knew anything about aeroplanes, go with the spectacle and enjoy with the family.

Not far from here a memorial tucked away on its own to Richard Hillary, pilot and author, where his aircraft crashed in the Scottish Borders. Not so hidden now with two roads signs giving directions to it.

Motty I sympathise with what you say. I think the rule has to have a no exceptions and results in necessarily being a bit of a blunt instrument accordingly. Sometimes we forget Mike and the Mods are volunteering their spare time and with the membership we have and are that’s a big enough job already I suspect. Relaxation of the rule albeit for the good reasons you suggest might just require too much engagement. That’s just my speculation and no doubt Mike will confirm the rationale behind it more accurately in due course. not sure if there is a clever tech answer

MODS - Just spotted Ali posted this on 1 May and I missed that before- please either delete the post or merge with his Thanks and apologies for the extra work ! I don't think Ali has posted on this yet but I came across these and just had to order 2 sets for my Trumpy Lightnings. https://aerocraftmodels.bigcartel.com/product/english-electric-lightning-replacement-canopy-set-for-1-32-trumpeter-kit I have had both kits since they came out and not touched them as for me the highly peculiar shape of the glasshouse was such that it just put me off while my skills are nowhere near good enough to do a fix. The canopy area is one part of the "Frightning" that kind of sticks out a mile so for me these sets are a God send Looks like Ali has come to the rescue so those two will be coming out of the stash of doom soon.

Thanks Julien. I suspect that a lot of site members who are not in clubs or traders like me won’t know the financial set up. The way the world is going I can see how traders who have to travel must get good sales to make it worthwhile.

Really interesting to read all the above. As a non trader and just one of the punters I am surprised that there is any question that entry to a show is by admission ticket paid for. I just took it for granted that it would cost me to get in. There are very few events where you don’t pay something to get in. £3-5? In most cities you will pay more to park the car for the afternoon. As for under the table selling I suspect the problem only appears when it tips over from casual limited selling of obviously unloved elderly stash queens into an off site shop! When it gets to the latter the traders have a valid point where they pay the show for a stall pitch and there is someone doing the same as a freebie

Well done that Man ! Give him a 48 hour pass.

Hi Mike Yes I know its not been kitted before in this scale. I have been hoping for one for about ten years now. The nose profile on the model does look more like that of the RE8 Its disappointing that the model's "chin" isn't right but what I was thinking was it looks like a fairly easy job for one of the AM companies to make a new "chin" in resin and a cut line just at that large diagonal seam would be a good place to make a joint I would think. Lets hope someone reads this and does the necessary !

I would imagine the issue with the shape of the area under the engine could be resolved with an aftermarket single piece resin part or similar approach. Not required in an ideal world but fixable I would have thought

Do I detect a Frankie Howard fan?

Superb build there. Quite inspirational. Bravo !! And a great tribute to one of the great Polish pilots of whom there were so many and who must not be forgotten https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanisław_Skalski

My dad told me aircraft recognition was all very straightforward. When they saw the Luftwaffe coming over he and his mates took cover When they saw the RAF (usually Typhoons) coming over the Germans took cover When they saw the Americans coming over everyone took cover

pm sent

Did the first one leave any cash for the stash

Getting five years out a marriage without having a coffee mug thrown at one is more than impressive too. I’ve always binned a mug once the handle goes. You can’t trust a repair like that and no one ever says thanks for a lap full of just boiled tea