Jon Kunac-Tabinor

My understanding is the olive green belts were a late war variant - so for aircraft up to perhaps late '44 the beige belt is correct. cheers Jonners

Having recently returned from a holiday in France - driving Calais to Langeac in the Auvergne, and back plus day trips in betwixt, I would just put in a note of praise for the high quality of French roads. Nary a pot hole to be found on even the most rural of small country byways. The worst drivers I encountered were fellow Brits trying to get back to Calais for their ferries If you are driving to Paris though - make sure you get your "Crit air'" sticker sooner rather than later https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/ The site gives you info on where its enforced - and in Paris if you do drive into the "inner zone" you will be fined for not having one etc etc. Also, If you can find one - Aldi did a really good " everything you need to drive in Europe" box set over the summer for £20 - hi-viz bibs, generic bulbs 2 x breathalysers warning triangle , 1st aid kit, etc etc All in a nice zip up case. One last thing - if your car has a reg plate with the EU bit built in - you DON'T need a GB sticker - otherwise you do. I'm a francophile, I speak French reasonably well, so I have a less than balanced view - but believe me - driving on French roads is a pleasure compared to angry, snarled up, congested, pot-holed Britain. Have a lovely trip. Bon Voyage, et je vous souhaite une bonne vacance. Jonners

On the other hand: A firm making models of subjects from the Nazi-era might be regarded as merely creating scaled versions of existing historical artefacts, whereas a model of a "Napkinwaffe" spaceship might lead one to suppose the company was affirming a notion that Nazi Germany continued for longer that it did- with all the intended horrific historical consequences that would have had. That could be seen by some as supporting it- I stress by some. The interesting thing is Revell's press release at the end: "Revell is currently looking into how a product of this nature was developed and brought onto the market. The development of a new product usually takes the manufacturer at least one year. Product managers are responsible for the development of models and toys and sometimes suggestions from fans are taken into consideration." i.e. We don't want to admit we boxed a kit for someone else without anyone thinking it might look a bit odd for a German company to market a make-believe Nazi gun-laden UFU wonder-weapon model via toyshops like it's a Messerschmitt 109!! FWIW I always thought the machine was an odd choice for Squadron to come out with in the first place; but given that, to quote someone from a well known specialist book publisher when asked what sells the best, "Anything WW2 and German, and if it's definitely Nazi even better, and if its definitely Waffen SS even better still". Couple that with the "Flying Saucer" sci-fi aspect, and I guess we know why! Jonners

Nice build, and a lovely finish. I have this kit, and if mine comes out like yours I will be very happy Cheers Jonners

It is very much of use - the pointed Rotol prop would make sense - and as Tony O'Toole states its helped with climb rates - so might be "bagged" by the OC as the newest, and possible best crate. Im going towards sky blue undersides for mine - and I'd be interested to hear what NR thinks too. Many many thanks. Jonners

Hi Tony - I've been researching Pattle's final Hurri - just posted a new thread in fact. There's the possibility it had the later MK II style Rotol prop. What do you think for underside colour - I'm hedging towards sky blue. Jonners

That would be damn decent of you sir! I would be good to see if it has moved on in the 22 years! ( I suspect not as much as one might think) Jonners

Hi all - as some you may know, my decal company Marmaduke Press, is named in honour of the RAF's somewhat forgotten ace of aces Marmaduke Thomas St John "Pat" Pattle DFC & Bar. His death at the hands of German Me 110's over Piraeus harbour on 20th April 1941, while selflessly flying to the aid of a fellow Hurricane pilot, despite having been severely ill for several days should probably have warranted a VC, and his total of kills, officially recorded at 40 (also making him the highest scoring gladiator ace and Hurricane ace), should probably be more - 50 very likely, perhaps even 60 - but records from the Greece campaign did not survive it and the rest as they say, is moot. His last Hurricane in which he died is usually ascribed as AS988 - one of a small batch of Mk1 Trops that it seems, arrived in Greece only a day or 2 beforehand, having been delivered via the famous trans-African Takoradi route earlier in the year to Egypt. So now we come to the meat of the issue - colour schemes. It would seem that most Hurricanes, if not all, in Greece wore the standard Dark Earth/ Dark Green temperate land scheme top colours. Undersides could have been Sky, or perhaps Sky Blue - which it seems was used on many early Mediterranean Hurricanes as a better, more "Mediterranean" colour than Sky ( from my understanding it was an official colour rather than a local "hone-brew" too). We perhaps have an option of the dark earth being overpainted with mid-stone or light earth to give the "sand & spinach" scheme - but from BW pics I can find - Greece theatre Hurricanes don't seem to be as contrasty in BW shots as this should give. I cant seem to find any evidence of Desert Camp Hurricanes in Greece- but never say never. Finally - there is the issue of propellors: Mk 1 Trops normally had a DH Prop and DH Hurricane spinner, but there is also the possibility it may have had a Rotol prop and Rotol Hurricane spinner - the later longer one, more associated with the Mk II that is. Fitting of this prop/spinner to late Mk1's isn't unheard of - you can find them on Malta for instance. Its an intriguing thought that would lend some interest to a model. Finally markings: While one can find profiles showing AS988 with 33 squadron NW codes, my feeling is this is unlikely as the aircraft was possibly only in Greece for 2 days before it was shot down! And I further think the profiles unintentionally confuse AS988 with the pic of V7419 that has a rather non-standard NW code. So that is at the moment the summation of what I can find. I'd be grateful for anymore though on anything really - codes, props, colours. Cheers Jonners

Hi Tim - here you go. Jonners

Hi Howard - that's how I did it - I use the fin to create a plastic card template that I could use to rescribe the panel line. Worked a treat. Thanks for looking. Jonners

Afternoon all. So here's the Sea Fury from Aunty Airfix. A few problems fixed - like the short shot fin, daft rivets, the lack of gunsight, the solid underwing lamp apertures, fuselage foot step opened up and the headrest. But apart from some tape seat belts its "straight from the box". Decals a mix of kit and old Aeromaster to give an Aussie Sea Fury. Paints are Gunze and Tamiya acrylics for the main scheme and a 'Heinz 57' of acrylics for the details. It's a great kit, fits really well in the main and totally looks the part when done. My second is destined for a PAF scheme. All comments welcome as ever. Cheers Jonners

Just to be pedantic - the D & K could both use both cuffed & uncuffed propellors (and did) although all K's were I think delivered with the uncuffed Aerproducts props: Equally so with the "Dallas" style canopy often taken as being "K" only. You see them on D's and K's, and often see different canopies on the same airframe too. The only real difference between D and K models was where they were made. D- Inglewwod, K's in Dallas. Same for B's & C's: B's Ingelwood, C's Dallas. Excellent model though - really nicely done! Jonners

As far as I'm aware the Publishers copyright lasts 25 years - so unless the photos are separately credited with their own copyrights from the photographer ( in which case they would have a life span of 70 years I believe) - you are fine as they will fall under the lapsed 25 yr publisher's ( ie the magazine publisher) copyright mentioned above. To be honest - no one gives a monkeys about stuff like this anyway - You are posting for critical use, to a limited and small group, with no desire to pass off the images as your own or make money from them. You are likely to include details of where they are from anyway - as relevant and useful info for the rest of us. I would post them and not lose a wink of sleep about it. Jonners

Just as happy with my own company as others, here. Though TBH I think it changes depending on mood and situation, and context. Never had problem talking to women either. I have to admit that I dont like crowds too much, especially large ones - mostly because they seem to produce impolite behaviour from many in them which I increasingly find annoying. Jonners

Hi all - just found a profile of this machine. So whats the story? - all I can find is VW234 served on Theseus with 807 Sqn cheers Jonners