johnd

I knew this would get expensive

Thanks all. Do Games Workshop do this Mithril Silver?

The instructions for the Falcon canopies say that the fuselage should be widened by inserting a 3mm wedge at the extreme rear end.

I'd strongly advise trying to get hold of the vac one, but if you're stuck, I can let you have my original, such as it is. John.

Hello all, I was wondering how shiny the aluminium undersides on an early war RAF aircraft would be. What paint do people use? Humbrol 56? Ta, John.

My pleasure. Of course, you could always make another one...

Nothing, PM me your address and I'll stick it in the post.

I have a spare Aeroclub Typhoon spinner for a three blade prop if you'd like it...

If I take a 1/72 Airfix Spitfire I/IIA and stick the C wing from a Mk IX on it, adding the supplied Mk V oil cooler and exhausts and finding some bigger cannon bulges I'd end up with a decent Mk Vc. The only fly in the ointment would be the cost of the two kits plus an aftermarket prop. It would only make economic sense if I could do something with the remaining parts - can anyone suggest a project using an A wing and a Mk IX fuselage? Thanks, John.

I take it Humbrol 149 Foliage Green doesn't butter anyone's parsnips?

I can't help with the exhausts or wheels. I'm just about to start one of my own and was wondering the same things! I'd come to the conclusion about the canopy that painted decal strip is the only way to go. May I ask what you did to correct the nose? I was looking at the resin conversion but at £4.50 plus p&p thought that maybe a 4mm spacer would be just as good.... John.

I wonder if they misread my email.

I must admit when I first read this post, I wondered what was wrong with the Quickboost one. Then I realised there wasn't one... I've sent an email to info@quickboost.net suggesting that they produce one, they'd sell loads. Maybe if anyone on here who was interested did the same we might get a result?

As a brush painter of enamels I prefer WEM to XTRACOLOR as it goes on easier and the colour accuracy seems comparable. Having said that, I've never been unable to get hold of XTRACOLOR when I've wanted it but the supply of WEM Colourcoats has been a little erratic.

I have to agree, I'm building the Airfix Mk IV at the moment, an older boxing (Beatties, 85p) in light blue plastic and really enjoying it . Great fun. You get to sand off the excessive surface detail too.

A cracking effort! May I ask what paint you used for the underside aluminium finish?

Regarding the props, I understand that 1/48 Blenheim ones are the right diameter and look correct with Typhoon spinners. Excellent model!

Thanks for the replies. I tried the Dymo tape but it doesn't have the adhesion or the flexibility to provide a good guide so I'll try the masking and see how I get on. Another thought I had was to make a template with a hole the same diameter as the collector ring rear, place the cowling through it and try to scribe round that. I have a feeling that it would be tricky to line it up properly though. John.

Hello all... I've got a number of Airfix kits with cowlings that lack detail (Blenheim, Stirling etc) and I'd like to add some. I can scribe straight lines easily enough but I'm not sure how to go about the exhaust collector ring, i.e. the concentric circle near the front. In an ideal world I'd stick it in a lathe and touch the edge of a scalpel on it, but I haven't got a lathe. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks, John.

Ta for the kind offer Ben M but July '41 is a bit late for me as I was aiming for a BoB period machine. I've got a bit further with this after digging out my copy of Graham Warner's book. For 24/08/40 it has N3531, a 235 Squadron Mk IV, shot down by a 1 RCAF Squadron Hurricane but repaired. The aircraft the instructions say was shot down by Bf 109s on 11/09 was Z5725 and not N3531. So assuming Warner is correct, N3531 was a 235 Sqn Mk IV and the QY codes supplied by E.D. (and Airfix) are wrong. However, the decal sheet includes an individual marking, a Viking longship with the phrase 'Buskarlets Brig' worn on the lower port rudder. This implies it was done from a photograph...

Thanks guys. The decals are E.D.Models, ex Almark I think, judging by the squiggly A on the sheet. I managed to find the Finescale Modeller page you mention, and it has a drawing of QY-F, N3531 by Richard J Caruana. Trouble is, it's a Mk I. It definitely shows a IVF on the decal instruction sheet. So much for a quick build! John.

Hello all, I'm building the good old Airfix Mk IVf Blenheim at the moment, and came across some E.D. Models decals for aircraft N3531, QY-F. Now, the description says that this is for 235 Squadron and the aircraft survived a "friendly fire" incident but was shot down by Bf 109s on 11 September 1940. Trouble is, I thought QY were the codes for 254 Squadron and 235 used LA. Also, the decals supplied with the kit include QY-D, and the instructions refer to this as being a 235 Squadron aeroplane. Are the two sets of decals wrong? John.

Evening all, I have some FCM Battle of Britain decals in 1/72 scale. When I tried them years ago it wasn't a great success, with the carrier film showing up on the model and I had to overpaint up to the actual marking. I put them aside and forgot about them but just recently I read a reference to FCM making decals designed to be fixed in place, left 24 hours and then an outer film peeled off to give a near painted on look. Is this where I went wrong? There's nothing to suggest in the instructions that this what you should do with this sheet though...

Ok, we need a volunteer to buy one and report back. Am I living in the past, though, or is £9.99 a bit steep for an Italeri Spitfire?

The box says 'upgraded'...