PatG

Superb! Pat.

Colourcoats still do some French colours as follows albeit they are being discontinued so you need to snap them up: Vert Fonce (Ivy Green) Chocolat (Burnt Sienna) Gris Bleu Ciel HTH. Pat.

The heavy .5 inch mg's caused a great deal of concern to allied pilots over Malta in 1941 as they could penetrate the seat armour of the Hurricanes then in use (see Tom Neil's autobiography 'Scramble') so a pretty potent aircraft but perhaps not in the same class as the Spitfire Vb/c which were supplied in 1942? Pat.

Just finished reading 'Silver Spitfire' by Tom Neil and another gripping read very well written so recommended to all. Fortunately '9 Lives' by Al Deere has just arrived in the post so my reading continues! Pat.

Which insignia are you looking for (squadron leader pennant for example on aircraft perhaps?) and what scale? Or are you after uniform insignia for figures? Pat.

It's a pity about Quill and Henshaw as they both had incredible tales to tell but clearly they were no authors so perhaps a biography may have been more digestible if written by an author who had the ability to communicate with the reader instead of just reeling off a litany of dates and facts (very dry) in the case of Quill, or debatable opinions and over blown ego in the case of Henshaw. Just bought '9 Lives' by Al Deere so will report back once I've got into it but I know there is also a book by Brian Lane which I'm also tempted to buy given his pivotal role in the BoB with 19 squadron. Thanks all for your illuminating suggestions which will keep me going for quite some time and please keep them coming! Pat.

Just to add that I recently read 'The One That Got Away' about Franz von Werra and that was a very enjoyable read and followed the film exactly, but then again I believe the film was based on the book so perhaps not that surprising. Akin to the 'Band Of Brothers' book that I've also recently read by Stephen Ambrose and again the book is as per the drama series. I love the suggestion about Al Deere, one of my favourite BoB pilots, so now off to check Amazon for this and some of the other suggestions, but also awaiting other excellent suggestions. Pat. Ps. I read 'Reach For The Sky' many years ago and enjoyed it greatly.

OK, biographies are all of real interest too. Pat.

Having recently read 'Scramble' by Tom Neil and now the best part the way through his 'Silver Spitfire' book I'd be interested to know which aviation related autobiographies people think should be in the top 3 or 5 and 'musts' to read. To kick things off my top 5 is as follows: Geoffrey Wellum - First Light Johnny Johnson - The Last British Dambuster Tom Neil - Scramble & Silver Spitfire Alastair Panton - Blenheim Summer John Martin - A raid Over Berlin I'm sure people have their own favourites so I'd love to know what they are so that I can add to my library! Pat. ps. also tried reading Alex Henshaw's 'Sigh For A Merlin' plus Jeffrey Quill's 'Spitfire - A Test Pilot's Story' but found both to be very dry, dull and unreadable so gave up on both I'm afraid.

Just a thought, would anyone be interested if I posted a question asking for people's top 3 or 5 aviation related autobiographies? I'll do it anyway and kick start it with my list and see what happens. Pat.

Really appreciate all the replies as they are certainly filling in the gaps but still wondering if he ever committed his 1942-43 experiences to paper, even if they were perhaps less fraught than the BoB or Malta? He has had numerous books published but I gather that 'Scramble' was an amalgamation of these into one title and then re-published, so still not sure if he did indeed cover his experiences during 42-43? I've checked 'Gun Button To Fire', and all the others mentioned in the dust jackets of both 'Scramble' and 'The Silver Spitfire' and none of them cover this period so I'm assuming he never did? Pat.

Pete, I think I've read 'First Light' about 3 times over the years and still find new information and/or nuances so a superb book written by/about a wonderful man and pilot. Re' Tom Neil his service in Malta closed at the end of 1941 just before things got really hairy with the return of the Luftwaffe and the 'Friedrich' although clearly operating in such an environment with just Hurricanes, many without dust filters and multiple engine failures as a result, clearly had taken its toll. Also the appearance of the Macchi 202 with increased fire power further exacerbated the Hurricanes short comings and was a grave concern to Tom and his fellow pilots. The book 'Scramble' doesn't mention him being ill as the reason for him leaving Malta but it may well have been the case that the RAF took the view that he needed to be rested due to time he'd spent on Ops and was time expired possibly? So I'm assuming after his return he would have gone on to teach new pilots in some way and therefore been out of the line of fire but I'd love to fill in the 1942-43 gap just so I have a complete history of this incredible man and pilot. Pat.

I've recently read Tom's autobiography 'Scramble' which covers his time from joining the RAF right through the BoB and on to his exploits over Malta which came to an end at the close of 1941. I'm also now reading 'The Silver Spitfire' which covers his service from early 1944 until the war's end, both being first rate reads and only matched IMHO by Geoffrey Wellum's 'First Light' book. However this leaves the period from early 1942 to the end of 1943 so did he also write about his exploits during this time? I know his books have been 'reconfigured' over time and that 'Scramble' for example combines a couple of his books into one tome but what about 1942-43? I'd love to know if there is such a book as his accounts are quite superb and I'd love to fill in the gaps of one of our most successful fighter pilots who seems to go under the radar a wee bit compared with the likes of Bader, Tuck, Nicholson, Johnson etc. Pat.

Quite amazing in this scale & looks far more like 48th or even larger. Wow! Pat.

Quite superb! Pat.

Back in the 60's/70's this company was one of the leading aircraft photographic agencies and did a number of photos for the long defunct Skyfame Museum at Staverton in Gloucestershire (now the Jet Age Museum I believe but maybe not?) so does any one know what ever happened to them and specifically where their archive may now be please as I'm after some of their photos but don't know where they now reside? Bit of a long shot I know but drawn a blank so far on 'tinternet'. Pat. Ps. I've also dropped a mail to the Jet Age Museum as well to see if they can help as well.

Certainly some element of luck in terms of the guesses on my part. A bit like 'Mastermind' and being in the black chair! Pat.

Decals definitely go off with age but normally after a few years or so. I always apply my decals to a 'gloss' surface to try and get them to bed down properly and so far so good and I haven't tried them on a satin or semi-gloss varnish. Still a superb build and finish! Pat.

Wow, a wonderful build and paint job so highly impressive. Being far less skilled I wonder about some of the decals as they show the carrier film so were they applied to a gloss surface I wonder? But who am I to nit pick when the end result is still really stunning and way beyond my skill set. Pat.

Just goes to show that even way back when Airfix could produce wonderful kits and you have more than done justice to it. Highly impressive in every way. Pat.

Superb research and build plus a stunning paint and weathering job. What is there not to like about this cracking model? Pat.

Always thought the criticism of this kit was a wee bit unfair and your undoubted modeling skills have proven this to be the case. Very envious indeed. Pat.

Quite superb! Pat.

Amazing! pat.

A bit old school but it may (?) be possible to create a mold former from balsa wood and then form a new canopy over it, albeit minus the panel lines. As I say, very old school. Pat.