johnd

I believe that was the VIII. There is a Jeffrey Quill story involving the XII though. He was invited to bring a Spitfire along to a demo for bigwigs. He suspected something was afoot and took a XII. It turned out to be a race, which he won, with a Typhoon coming in second and a captured FW 190 in third, the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen, apparently. John.

I'd like to see the Mk.21 in Foliage Green, please. John.

Me too. The thin ones favoured by smokers of a certain type of "tobacco" are especially useful. Incidentally, they weren't just in red: 40 Squadron SAAF had blue ones. John.

Good choice of paint, goes on well and looks the part. John.

The Swordfish bombs look like 250lb GP to me. John.

Of little practical use, but the Pavla Spitfire Vc conversion set (U72051) for the old Revell Vb has four complete Hispano cannons. John.

Oops, typo. Meant VIII. John.

I wasn't aware the French used XIs in Indochina, I thought it was XVIIIs and IXs. John.

It would take me 24 hours just to get the flippin' undercarriage done on that kit. Well done, John.

Thanks, Mike. I have read about US Mustang inner surfaces, with Dana Bell prominent in discussions with painted aluminium, natural metal and which parts, if any, we're zinc chromate but none of it seemed relevant to how an RAF machine would appear in service. The particular aircraft I'm building is from 1944, and by then I believe aluminium would be running short. Natural metal would not be ideal in Europe, which is what prompted my question. John

Do you know if the wheel bays, wheel hubs, undercarriage legs and/or gear door insides would have been done in medium sea grey at the same time as the repaint? Or do you reckon they'd be left in delivery colours, i.e. aluminium (I guess)? Thanks, John.

I'd have said that correcting the wheel wells was the hardest thing, but then my natural painting style takes care of the heavy ribbing. The wheel well issue partly explains my adoption of the, "if it's underneath, it doesn't matter" rule. Fine thread and modelling, as usual. Keep up the good work! John.

Quality modelling here. Marco, what paint are using for the mottle, please? John.

I really enjoyed building mine, though I did give up on the engine cowlings and bought Aeroclub replacements. Following this with interest... John.

There's a useful tip on another BM thread. Put a piece of thin paper over the area where the transfer is and tape over that. No adhesive then comes into contact with your sticker. John.

Thanks for the clarification, I should know better than to say "can't". John.

I was referring to the basic shape, really. The HB kit needs a new canopy, propeller and some undercarriage doors but the basic shape is sound, unlike Tamiya's. John.

There are some photos of the parts here which may help (poor quality, sorry). I haven't got any further with this as I am now cursed with employment. John.

You're right, I disagree! The Tamiya kit is awful. It has shape problems to the point that it doesn't have the "look and feel" of the original and these can't be corrected. The Hobby Boss one is better. John.

If it was Eduard I'd suggest they were plotting a resin aftermarket part but with Airfix it's just down to incompetence. I'll follow your lead and replace the offending section with rod. Thanks, John.

Oh yes, the cannon blisters are an odd shape.

You need some aftermarket or bits from the spares box to make it look decent, namely a canopy, propeller and wheels. The basic shape is sound, though. John.

Is it possible to assemble the undercarriage , paint it and then add it on? John.

There are two photographs of black and white undersides on Defiants in the Camouflage and Markings book, both from 1939. John

You make it sound very easy. How many coats does it usually take? Thanks, John.