JohnT

I noticed that aircraft usually have the canopy framing painted with the cockpit interior colour on the inside of the frame while the outside of the frame is usually the exterior paint as one would expect. Replicating this is probably not an issue in the smaller scales but can be noticeable in the bigger scales. I wondered what fellow BM'ers did to address this? I thought to paint the inside colour first with the exterior colour on top but while this works to a degree the tint of the undersurface colour is changed due to it being viewed through the plastic canopy. Also its virtually impossible in many cases to accurately follow the framework from inside the canopy so what do you chaps do? Or is this enquiry an early symptom of AMS and should I get out more? Off to watch B of B for the umpteenth time on telly John

I recall that the kit was quite expensive when it first hit the shelves. Has the price dropped anywhere as yet or is that unlikely given its a hase product and an Airfix? John

Nick there was an aftermarket set produced by Cutting Edge if I recall - need to check my decal stash it is oop I am afraid I also bought resin cockpit sets and engine fixes can get you details if you want send me a pm John

Every year about now I try and read something new on the B of B. This year it was Richard Overy's book of the above title. 2 things in the book perplexed me and perhaps the more knowledgable can throw some light on them First Overy writes comparing the merits of the Hurricane, Spitfire and Me 109. He says that perhaps the British pair were more manouverable - he uses the phrase "turning" - than the 109 due to the fact that the British pair used 100 octane fuel though "this remains open to debate" Now I am not sure how fuel rating would affect turning as I thought things like wing loading was more important and I have no idea how engine performance would affect turning. Can anyone please enlighten the ignorant? !!!! Secondly Overy writes that the Big Wing used by 12 Group was pretty ineffective in practise. He writes that in Sept 1940 12 Group Duxford based squadrons only flew in large formations on 5 times and in the second half of October they managed only 10 sorties and shot down just 1 aircraft. I was aware that there was a huge controversy and that Park was probably right in his tactics but was not aware that 12 Group appear to have performed so poorly - or is Overy missing something? Anyway all food for thought ! Otherwise a good read and quite informative. John

Not being a "ship man" I can only admire with an uneducated eye from a distance. I did see one of them when I was taken to Portsmouth on holiday to go round HMS Victory when I was a boy. I can't recall which one - either Tiger or Blake, I think, but a thought crossed my mind - how would a Tiger Class have fared if pitted against a General Belgrano in an imaginary scenario? I assume that by the time of the Falklands all three were long gone. John

Hi Mark I think you are probably right I'd like to know who the Reuters source is I recall all the inter service crap that look place in the 60's between the RAF and the Navy with the RAF trying to save TSR2 and the Navy trying to save their carriers. In the end they both lucked out. I wonder if its the same inter service nonsense again? Perhaps if MOD spent more time saving cash and not having such a big tail we might have more cash for the sharp end?? Regards John

Just back from 2 weeks in the USA on holiday and getting up to speed with the news see undernoted http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20100819/tuk-u...ts-fa6b408.html I suspect someone is playing politics or just trying to feel self important In passing would mention that I paid the USAF Academy a visit in Colorado and went to the visitor centre which was a totally wasted trip. Great building and it all looked great but virtually nothing inside except a tacky gift shop and a cinema showing a film on the facility that looked like it had been made by a 70's porn movie director ! Totally naff with poor production quality. Very surprised. Otherwise a brill trip. John

I wanted to do a 603 Sqn DH 9 A from between the wars in 1/48 and ordered the Roden DH9 some time ago when it was first mooted without engaging brain. It arrived from Hannants on Saturday and its the Airco DH9 - wrong front end then ! I can't see that anyone else does a DH9 Ack or than Roden are going to do the version with the later eagle engine. Anyone know different - or plans to issue a resin conversion set? Thanks in advance a usual guys JohnT

Thought you might ! Given the Spit was always very short legged will the Twinfire have extra fuel capacity somewhere ?? Other than the wing centre section - or would that be enough internally?? Just helping you along !!!!!!

Brilliant Whif if I may say so and looking forward to seeing the twinfirwe ! The nuke "not necessary" line a tad off though. Even with 2 bombs dropped and Soviet Russia declaring war it still took a deal of internal wrangling before Japan actually surrendered. Many in the Army wanted to continue the fight right to the bitter end. I have just finished Slims book on the Burma Campaign and despite the fact that in Burma the japanese army was fighting and dying in droves to the bitter end in every engagement they refused to surrender in any numbers at all. As someone whose Dad was waiting for transit to the far east and had already done 4 opposed landings in Europe with the marines and didn't fancy pushing his luck much more and with a mate whose Dad was captured at Singapore and treated as slave labour with his life hanging by a thread I can say that there are a few of us around today who would almost certainly not be had the war dragged on any longer. I am sure I read somewhere that the Americans made no logistical provision for anyone who landed on D day after D Day plus 2 as they were not expected to live after that due to the expected Japanese resistance ! But that aside a great Whif ! JohnT

Allied Wing publication by Alex Crawford and Phil Listerman seems to say that the problem with the Peregrine engines really masked several other problems with the plane. These included an average range performance, that it was outclassed by single engined fighters and therefor could not fulfill a role as a bomber destroyer when there were escorts about (shades of the Boulton Paul Defiant and Me 110 then), that it was susceptible to return gunner fire among others. By the time these issues would/could have been ironed out (if at all) the Mosquito was overshadowing it in all respects. So even if the power plant had been sorted the aircraft still had its challenges. Having said that the fire power was formidible for its day and when one squadron had both Whirlwinds and Hurricanes on strength the Whirlwind left the Hurricane looking very slow indeed by comparison in a low level chase. Fact is the combat record of the Whirlwind as a fighter was pretty dismal in air to air. I'd put the Whirlwind into the "nearly ran" category along with the Defiant. I like both planes a lot despite their flaws and had things been a little different in 1940 with unescorted bombers coming over both planes might have provided the Luftwaffe with a nasty shock. Having said that was there a stronger argument for turning the factories over to Spitfire production? Great subject for what if conjectures though ! JohnT

I heard on the car radio on the Radio 4 prog this am the Chief exec of BAe systems expects this batch to go Interestingly he said there was never any Government funding allocated for this batch anyway !

There is a lot to what pigsty writes but an extra two pence worth. The missiles were hyped up at the time of the 1957 defence review as being much more capable than they really were. All aspect ir finders were not viable till decades later and the early sidewinders couldn't hit a stationary barn door if you poured petrol on it and set it on fire ! OK - concede slightly ott but you know what I mean. The 1957 White Paper wildly over estimated time scales for a reliable accurate and high probability of success missile system by several decades. I think they started to believe the sales pitch on these things from the manufacturers. TSR2 was cancelled because of real politik and US financial pressure because the US aviation industry was not too keen to see such a competative product to their wonderchild F-111. Both the late Roy Jenkins and Dennis Heally have said as much when this has been put to them on film interview. I don't criticise them as their options were limited to say the least. They could stick with TSR2 and no IMF loan or.......let the country go bankrupt By the way the article said Scampton was up for offer as a base closure too; The Royal Marines to train with the army (as if!); the army to reduce its tanks (I have heard that so often do they actually have any left outside of what we have in the museums??) and the RN jumping up and down re the number of destroyers/frigates to meet all the Foreign Office commitments as wholly inadequate BEFORE any reductions!!!!!!!!!! JohnT

anyone seen this yet? looks good http://www.eduard.cz/info/download/files/i...d_july_2010.pdf

Don't know if its the usual tosh in the press but the article deals with Fox having an away day with armed forces chiefs and a suggestion that RAF are willing to axe all Tornaods now to get the JSF deal secured as well as dumping Nimrod spy plane, closing Lossie and Leuchars Will leave it to others more knowledgable than I to rubbish the report or to confirm its likeihood??? And before the Mods have to say anything - no politics please !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That ok Mike ??!!

Truly amazing indeed ! lovely

Bob the camera was not playing fair but I have several other pics of this bird in close up so if youd like a copy send me a pm - or anyone else. Pic quality not great but details are there John

Thanks for the ideas and pointers guys. I had thought of decaling on a gloss finish and working around that by masking and that will work well with the national markings and larger code letters but might be a tad tricky around the smaller lettering. Anyway its worth a try when I get to it. What with controversies over Boston interior colours, lamp black specs and blue Malta Spitfires this hobby gets more like my wife chosing the new colour scheme for the next room every day !!

Here is a not so good pic of the preserved example at East Fortune - sorry for picture quality

After twenty years away from modelling but always with hopes and plans that tomorrow would allow me the time to build again I had been slowly building up a stash that will let me do some themes by Squadrons. To get my hand back in though I thought to buy an Italeri Boston III and do it straight from the box as an exercise to refresh old skills and learn new techiques that have come along in the last two decades. Trouble is its never that easy is it? The "straight from box" Boston III RAF light bomber lasted a few weeks and then was just going to be "tickled" by an Airwaves cockpit detail set. No harm as long as it stops there, right? Then I discovered that I had the scale plans by AL Bentley from those by John Alcorn which, though in Fighters of WW2 Vol2, cover all Boston/Havoc versions in some detail and the Scale Aircraft Modelling Aircraft in Detail from Oct 1996. A chance purchase of Avia Dossier on Canadian aircraft in WW2 found a chapter on the Boston/Havocs Intruders of 418 Sqn RCAF with a great picture and colour profile of TH O serial W8268. I just couldn't resist, so a purchase of the MDC night intruder conversion set followed. And therein is a tale in itself. I managed to lose one of the resin exhausts to the carpet monster when checking the set on arrival. How I don't know as the part is not exactly small. A second set was ordered with the consolation that I needed another decal sheet anyway as there appears to be an error on the sheet. This particular aircraft had the words "ttawa" and, oddly the whole name "ontario" after the aircraft i/d letter "O". Why "O ttawa" and then inconsistantly "O ontario" I don't know. The decal sheet understandably just gives you "O ntario" without the second "o" so I wanted to cut and shunt an "o" from a second sheet. Murphys law applies. The second conversion set arrived but no decal sheet was enclosed. Sods law too - the exhaust turned up ! I just looked down one night and there it was laughing at me. Well not actually laughing but you all know what I mean. Anyway those wonderful chaps at MDC had already responded to my plight by sending me not one but 2 decals sheets straight away, so thank you chaps - great service! I have found some more internet photos of this aircraft and have splashed out on the Crowood book to try and find out a bit more about the differences between Bostons and Havocs and their various marks. I was looking forward to adding the cannon gun pack but according to what I have read "O for Ottawa" never carried it as it didn't enter service with 418 before she was lost on 20 May 1942 on a raid against the Luftwaffe airfield at Soesterberg, Netherlands with her crew, P/O Stabb (RAF), P/O Riches and F/Sgt Duxfield (RCAF). I assume that she carried 4 250 pound bombs on raids as well as using the 4 fixed machine guns but can't confirm as yet. The overall "lamp black" scheme will be a challenge. I have an old tin of matt black that dried really gritty and dull, like fine sandpaper so hopefully that might still be usable as most of the new stuff does not have that distinctive soot finish. Any suggestions would be very helpful. The finish on her was really weathered and patchy and there is a suggestion that the lamp black was touched up as and when with local paint that was not so dull and flat. The roundels were changed and the black ring around the fuselage roundel is nowhere near lamp black. Which leads to a question that has me worried well in advance. Decalling - how do you get the decals to lay down and adhere to such a flat surface without coming away in future? Hmmnnn "future" Is is that a clue in itself???!!!! But does that not dry very shiny which negates the lamp black finish? Lastly - has anyone built the Italeri Boston and had "issues" to resolve? Any forewarning and advice again greatfully received. This will be a slow build I am afraid. A boisterous 4 year, demanding day job and a wife that is thinking about how to redecorate the room just as the last coat of paint is drying first time around keeps me busy so an hour or two each week is the most I can hope for by way of modelling time. I will keep the progress diary updated though as I get things done and any criticism will be most welcome. Hopefully the snails place of the build will allow me to correct any errors you spot me making as I go along so please keep me right guys. John T ps - anyone want a spare MDC conversion set !

I have both original Me 109E and Harrier Gr1 both untouched so if you want scans of decals or instructions send me a pm and I'll expedite that for you Regards John

Perhaps its the angle but that looks close. Maybe someone got the load figures wrong ! http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http...%26tbs%3Disch:1

Thanks I figured/hoped it couldn't be that easy ! But with our planners......................................

Forgive me for asking a question about UAV's as I am sure folks will already know but I confess I don't If I was facing a UAV threat I'd target the data link between operator and vehicle. Either I'd take out any satellite link or interfere with the actual data stream itself. If you could capture it could you turn the asset? I don't know and assume that those who deal in these things have laready answered the question to their satisfaction. How is the link done if over the horizon? If by satellite can it be shot down? What happens then? Can the data link be intercepted and corrupted? etc etc Ok, thats more than one question but got excited !