IotaChiTau

Please be aware that the ResKit main rotor head is six-bladed and a beauty, but depicts the newer elastomer-damped rigid "core", not the old fully agitated type. See https://sikorskyarchives.com/home/sikorsky-product-history/helicopter-innovation-era/sikorsky-s-65/ for details. But the ResKit main rotor head comes with the gear box and so could be a good starting point for a super-detailed main rotor assembly. A worthy quest, because the old (say 1980es) Revell CH-53 shows the main rotor too high and with a missing centre star.

"... dont understand the 'triangular' camo bit. It looks like s smudge...." Since 2019, the Bundeswehr has used this green triangular camouflage scheme for public relations and corporate identity, but not as a real camo. RAF4EVER's photo of the Tornado MRCA in special livery is a tad small for all details, but I think BozoTheNutter got it almost right - from protoype to current grey and in between the "One Bundeswehr" poylgon camo. You can see the official use in the background of our military's website https://www.bundeswehr.de/de/. And the comment of my namesake Ian "Hideous, almost as bad as the Luftwaffe Tigermeet schemes" - well as so many things in life that's a matter of taste. Some of them are rather amateurish but others are well desinged and well executed: https://theaviationstudio.com/2023/07/09/bavarian-tigers-unveil-their-new-74-tiger/ https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:German_Tornado_Formation_Flight_2003.jpg https://www.militaryimages.net/media/tornado-luftwaffe.16633/ On the other hand, rather simple, but well, almost anything looks great with a Union Jack on it: https://www.air-shows.org.uk/2021/05/airshow-news-new-union-jack-colour-scheme-for-the-raf-typhoon-display-team/ https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-woman-in-a-union-jack-dress-devon-uk-38572922.html Cheers Ian from Fritzland

https://the48ers.com/eurofighter-typhoon-inner-pylons.html?sl=de https://ipmsusa.org/reviews2/aircraft/details/2-mikes/2mikes_48_eurofighter-pylons.htm HTH, Greetings from Germany, Jan (no, not Jane, rather Ian)

Greetings from Germany, HFlRgt 15 was my unit, a German Army Aviation Regiment equipped with the CH-53. I wrote a comparison between Fujimi's, Revell's and Airfix' CH-53 kits in 1/72 sclae on Flugzeugforum: https://www.flugzeugforum.de/threads/1-72-ch-53g-bausatzvergleich-airfix-fujimi-italeri-auch-revell-bilek.53083/ I agree, Airfix kit is clearly the best in 1/72 scale, but Fujimi is not bad, the bigges problems being an anemic tail pylon and wrong-sized cockpit side windows. You can buy decals for German CH-53 variants from: http://www.df-helostuff.de/Decals/Streitkraefte/Military/index.php/ The tail and the main rotor of German CH-53's were folded regularly to save space. HTH ICT

Very inspiring build! I like how you livened up the cockpit, it is a shame the black colour will hide it after completion. Keep on the good work! Jan

Hi there, Gruezi und Servus! Have you seen the bigger photos on http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/kin/kit_kin_48050.shtml or on http://www.flugzeugforum.de/threads/80492-148-Dassault-Mirage-IIIE-Kinetic? Other good resources are: http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/mirageiiisrm_1.htm and http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/swissmirageiiirm_2.htm I am thinking about the same project and after a comparison with http://replic.canalblog.com/archives/2006/05/22/1928841.html I believe the new Kinetic kit will be a very good starting point. A picture analysis from nose to tail: + There is a mid-bulbous nose cone looking about right for a IIIS, french IIIE have a wider nose (Cyrano radar - really, no pun intended), Mirage 5 variants have a really narrow cone without a radar inside - The strakes for the IIIS nose cone seem to be missing + One of the camera clear parts looks rather good. I think it is the one without the round window, compare this image: http://www.fliegerstaffel10.ch/include.php?path=galerie_pic&pid=79 + There seems to be the correct antenna under the cockpit + There are four different instrument panels, two look correct for the IIIS and IIIRS + The nose gear well goes back as far as the aft end of the gun ports - correct for the longer-legged swiss Mirage + Two different nose gear doors, a shorter and a longer one are provided + The tiny antenna on the nose gear door is there + There are two nose wheel forks, a short and a longer one - that is why the leg is longer + The gun ports have the rather massive flash suppressors + On the right intake there is a recesss, it might be for the clear part of the air policing light + The canards seem to be the smaller kind and they have the tiny vortex generators - both correct for swiss mirages + Under the wingtips there are the cucumber-shaped RWR sensors + There are Sidewinder AAMs with correctly shaped canards and launchers for them, but for modernized Mirage IIIS another variant (AIM-9L) must be found elsewhere - The four eyelets (to lift the aircaft) near the wing root seem to be missing - The main wheels are rather weakly detailed + There are several variants of vertical rudder top with different RWR antennae, one looks right for a swiss Mirage + A part for the chaff/flare dispenser under the tail is in the kit To summarize: A nice kit with a few weak points, a big step toward many nice Mirage models. As always we should expect some wrongly sized parts and errors nobody really understands. OTOH, so many detail parts are well represented, so why bitch? Lovely decals are/were available from the swiss company MC one. If only Tarangus' Viggen were as well made as Kinetic's Mirage III.... Pfüat Eich! Bye bye!

Hi from Germany, we had a similar discussion on flugzeugforum.de. Some members of Marinefliegergeschwader 3 and / or MFG 5 (MFG 3 flew the Sea Lynx until Nov. 2012, then handing them over to MFG 5) explained that the Lynx will be equipped for one of several roles, not for a mixture: The sub-hunting role is done with torpedoes (older mk.46 or new MU90, both exclusively anti-sub AFAIK) and the sonar. With this dipping sonar, the aft cabin is well filled. There is only a small space left behind the sonar operators seat and an even smaller space forward of the dipping rig. Here a realy primitive seat for a sonar trainer can be installed. In the anti-ship role, using Sea Skuas, target aquisition is done with the under-nose radar and with the FLIR. The Sea Skua being lighter than a torpedo, an ASM might be locked under one of the pylons, but that would leave the Lynx with just 1 torp to kill a sub... NOT a good idea. In the anti-piracy role, a schweres MG "FN Herstal M3M" (.50 cal, 12.7 x 99 mm) gets fit to the port cabin door. The gunner uses the same seat as the Sonar operator, pushed far back. There is not enough place for the aft bench. Alas there is (Dec. 2013) no correct replacement barrel. The M3M has a long slotted flash hider added, the classic barrels (offered e.g. by Master models) don't show this detail. This is sad, because this barrel / MG is widely used: Pavehawk, Kiowa Warrior, H-53, and so on. In the SAR role, the hoist and probably the bench at the aft bulkhead will be used, but the pylons need to be removed as they would be an obstacle when winching. Thus, unless you want to depict a "dog and pony show" static demonstrator (e.g. on an open base visitor's day), you have to decide... As the others have already typed, using a Sea Skua on some pirate skiff is an EXPENSIVE solution, furthermore, it might not get a solid lock on on such a tiny boat. Add the bad media for "blasting them suckers sky-high", well you can figure the rest. You might find Burkhard Domke's walk around webpage useful: http://www.b-domke.de/AviationImages/Lynx.html#Lynx_Mk88A HTH Jan

After a long silence ... I just re-read this tread and then I discovered a very valuable web resource: "E.E. Canberra B Mk.2 in GAF service"( http://models.primeportal.net/?p=3059) Somebody took a trip to VILLINGEN and photographed the 99 + 34 there. About 120 (downloadable) HD colour pics of that particular bird, some measurements of the camera windows. I can jst say WOW! Best regards Jan

Hi from Germany, the Bundesluftwaffe (Federal German Air Force) used the STENCEL S-III-S ejection seat throughout the whole career of the Alpha Jet. Apart from minor changes (e. g. the canopy brakers, check pics) it is the same seat as used in the AV-8B Harrier (USMC, not sure about RAF) and in the Kawasaki T-4 trainer. The cannon used by BLw is a 27 mm Mauser BK-27, also used (2 ea.) in the Tornado. See for example http://www.fliegerhorst-oldenburg.de/bildergalerie_50JABOG43-7.php for some pictures almost like a walk around. On e**y you might find a booklet called F-40 (a series about modern German AF aircraft) on the Aplha Jet. Doncolor's website has the paint schemes (older Norm '72 and final Norm '83 A/B). HaHen offers very good decals for a/c in both camo schemes. GIYF ;-) I am stil waiting for my package to arrive from East Asia, but I am quite sure that finally a very nice A-Jet can be built. HTH, best regards JCT

Hi from Germany! I saw your replies a bit belatedly, sorry for that. The old Revell H-34 is not much to speak of but if you build one "giving" lots of tender loving care, a nice model can result: The exterior looks mostly acceptable to good, but the vents and grilles need to be opened and filled with real mesh. Furthermore, there is none of the typical detail under the engine, all of it must be scratch built. The interiour needs even more help: the forward cabin to engine bulkhead must be detailed and moved forward about 0.5 in. Then the cabin floor must be replaced with a stretched part, A cabin roof should be added and the canvas benches wil have to be scratch built as well. Concerning the cockpit area - ah, well, some pictures and a good punch and die set will go a long way, Cobra Complany's resin set would be really helpful if you are fed up with scratch building. Alltogether, most of what is in the kit is not bad but the amount of what is missing breaks this kit IMHO. The decal sheet, as I already stated, is really good. Bulding this kit separates the modelers from the kit assemblers, making a silk purse from a sos ear, so to speak. There are a "chosen few" among us, who have been there and done that with other kits. We all revere them, don't we? Nowadays, it must be judged most inefficient not to use the Gallery kit, which is much better detail wise and "easily" yields a very good replica of the H-34. Hope this helps! Cheers Ian

Hello from Germany! Until now, this is true AFAIK. But I am sure we can expect the "usual suspects"(among them HaHen, offering a wide range of German variants) to come out with new decals, now that Gallery and (still vaporware) Italeri offer the Choctaw in quarter scale. If you are offered the Marineflieger decals from Revell's old H-34 kit, get them, they are quite nice with lots of stencils. I would rate them on par with better than average aftermarket decals made recently. If it is not urgent, wait and hope for the aftermarket. HTH

Trumpeter did not mix the gunsight with the radar scope. The sparse photos you can find on the web show the CRT mounted in a fat cylindrical tube. It is possible to scratchbuild the radar using the TRU instrument panel. Just file away most of the gunsight box, add some 4-5 mm, approx. 1/6 in. for you funny old-schoolers ;-) of round styrene stock and add some shade tube from wine bottle foil. Steve Bamford's ARC has nice, big photos of aires commercial cockpit upgrade set: http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Rev3/2301-2400/rev2315-Aires4393/00.shtm Cheers Jan (crawling back under my stone full of shame because my mk.101 has been on halt for far too many moons, research all and well done, but no time/energy to join glue and plastic... BTW: here it is: http://www.flugzeugforum.de/hawker-sea-hawk-mk-101-1-48-trumpeter-47330.html (German site, but alas: no login - no pics)

Weren't most early cathode ray tubes amber coloured? Furthermore you might want to remember that there is a conical lightshield (optical funnel? What the heck...) mounted in front of the screen. Thus for a good-to-go Mk.101 that rubber tube should be in the cockpit and the screen is invisible unless you are really a wee free man. Just my 2p. Best regards from Germany

Hi from Germany! You might want to look at Flightpath's offers: http://www.djparkins.com/acatalog/1_48th_P...War_RAF_RN.html (scroll down). Not a cheap set, but well reviewed on the WWW. Then ther is a sand filter (resin and PE) offered by airwaves. BTW, there is no need to buy Hasegawa's younger Westland HAR kit, the new parts solve some problems but they left out the correct (for a German variant) AT-rotor... To sum up the most visible characteristics of a Mk. 41: You need the rounded RADAR dome, the 5-bladed AT-rotor, short sponsons, the battery bulge on the left doghouse side and round astrodome (bubble) windows on both sides at the aft end of the cabin. Then there is a bell-shaped floodlight oriented vertically downward over the sliding door. AFAIK, there is no correct aftermarket instrument panel for a German Mk. 41 (our Marineflieger Sea Kings have no big square display on the central console), but this should be a manageable DIY fix. There are two useful booklets I know: Czech Wings and Wheel Productions Westland Sea King and German F-40 Series no. 37 Sea King (both OOP?) The 1/72 scale RoG kit has a nice interior one could use as an info source. Furthermore, you will find many good exteriour pictures on Airliners.net and on Burkhard Domkes Website HaHen's decals a really nice, but do not forget to cover them with a decal sealant (e.g. a thin acrylic clear cote like Future/Johnson Clear), as they are printed by inkjet. No claim of being complete, just a brainstorm. HTH Jan

Hello from Germany! AirDoc made decals for Bundesluftwaffe RF-4E in Norm '72 and Norm '83 camouflage in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale. You might want to visit their website Little Shop of Phantoms, especially theis 1/48 decals. The Norm '83 decals were reviewed on HS. I can really recommend AirDoc's decals: very good colours, details and interesting variants. HTH Jan

Hi from Germany! considering the price: evilBay has offers at aroud 21 EUR + postage, I am sure prices will drop as with most kits. The sprue previews on Italeri's website may be incomplete or just, well, previews (sic!): 1. there are decals for HELLFIRE AT-missiles, but no hellfires are on the sprues shown 2. some of the decals should be fully white but are only in outline Hopefully one among us twitches first (think: poker, high noon, ...), buys the kit and posts a detailed in-box-critique. Well, it could be me... Cheers Ian

Sirs! I stand corrected, the doors split open. Thank you for the pictures. As I have only seen these pictures: Do the upper halves of the doors move into the belly, as if moving along a circle curve? On both photos the width of the door-half seems to narrow to cover half of the bomb bay opening. So I think they do not just flap/fold open. Please clarify! Best regards Jan

I can wholeheartedly recommend HaHen's decals. They are well-researched and well-printed. Be aware, they are printed on continuous film and they will benefit from a thin cover of protective clear coat. e.g. Future, Kleer, ...) The belly of 99+35 looked to me as if there were no split doors. Maybe the forward 'half', but the aft end has an exteriour specially designed for the camera bay, so canberra kid seems to be right. Alas, there will be no really good shots of the belly unless somebody hoisted up the Cranberry with a crane. (BTW, is this sentence OK, grammar wise?) Starting on the same datum line as the aft end of the main undercarriage door, the photo-recon equipment has four windows. First (from front) is a smaller round camera window, approx 1.5 ft in diameter, followed by a large round window of ca. 3 ft diameter. This second window is not parallel to the ground, but angled forward by a few degrees. Farther aft a third window follows, this one is rectangular, almost square and also about 3 ft. lengthwise. The last window is under the Cranberry’s tail, it is deeply recessed into the fuselage, round and ca. 1.5 ft wide. All windows are 'on' the fuselage centreline. Crawling all over - well, mostly under – the aircraft is frowned upon by the museum’s custodians, so I took this series of close up pictures, but did not try to get exact measurements, lest they kick me out… Just aft of the glass nose there is an aiming window, rectangular with rounded corners. The German Canberras had no bomb aiming equipment, AFAIK they were exclusively used for military geographical survey tasks. The photo recon equipment has changed over the years but it is hard to find detailed information. If I want to show pics here, I need a free web host with good privacy and copyright terms. Facebook e.g. is bad, IMHO, because they will entitle themselves to use any material uploaded to their site. NO WAY! Can somebody recommend a good free photo-hosting service? If you PM me your e-mail addresses, I will send you a zip-file with 14 selected pics of the recce windows and the antenna arrangement. Cheers! Jan

Great selection, a lovely-looking bird! Please be aware that the Bundesluftwaffe Canberras had special reconnaissance / map-photography equipment in their aft belly. A good example can be seen in Berlin Gatow (Luftwaffenmuseum), alas due to the Canberra's low stance, it is quite hard to obtain good pictures of the Camera Windows. If you are interested, I can send you copies of digi-pics I made of the Gatow Canberra's belly in 2009. Contact me via the message function. Just in case you do not know that already, exactly the Can-o'berries you want to build is on display in the "Internationales Luftfahrtmuseum Manfred Pflum" (Aviation Museum) in Schwenningen, east of the Black Forest. If you ask me, enhancing the cockpit is a labour of love or a wasted effort, because most of it will be hidden in the "black bottomless" later. As there a dozens of details you could correct / add on the exteriour of your model, just give her a nice Bang Seat, add a few details around the Fish bowl and the glass nose, finito! Then super-detail the rest and you will have a fantastic looking model. Are there white-metal seats? As the Cranberry model needs a hefty weight to keep it from becoming a tailsitter, you want all the high-densitiy material you can find up front. HTH Jan from Germany

Hi folks, the MRCA has several nicknames in our Luftwaffe: Tonka, after a very robust brand of toys sold in the 70es, Klappdrachen (folding dragon, a bit flippant, likening it to a kite) or Toni (obviously). There may be more, these are the ones I know about. Cheers Jan

Hi, Duane, I just found and corrected a typo in my post #4: "og" doesn't really help you. To clarify: Italeri's Pave Hawk kit (the Desert Storm brown and tan variant) HAS miniguns and Ma Deuces. That's the reason why it says "Buy me!" every time I see that kit. Revell's kit is a better, albeit not perfect starting point for a Night Stalker MH-60: More sensors all over. HTH Jan

The yellow-painted areas were used by our Luftwaffe during Goose Bay (CDN) low-level training to ID different aircraft (with different colours). HTH Jan

No miniguns or ".50 cal" M-2s in the Revell boxing of Italeri's H-60, only M-60 lookalikes. HTH Jan

Hi, sorry, I didn't follow this thread during the week. Alps was a brand of computer printers (OOP, AFAIK), these used several transfer-ribbons (anybody remember the classic typing machine?) with different colours. Among these colours was solid white, thus it was possible to print a white undercoat that enhanced the brilliance of the other colours, which were printed on top in a second printig run. Metallic colours were also an option. I don't know if the printers and colour ribbons are still available, but there are other brands of wax transfer printers. Yes, the decals are on one continuous sheet of clear carrier film. Each decal must be cut out separately. To protect the delicate colours (e. g. against water), the whole sheet should be covered with a thin layer of Micro Liquid Decal Film (or Future). After thorough drying you cut and apply the decals as usual, you can even use a decal softener. BUT: You should try each step with some decals that you don't intend to use on your model. General consent seems to be that HaHen's decals are good to use, so you should not run into real problems. HTH Jan

Hi! HaHen's decals are really sharp! Good motifs, fine detail. But they are "Alps"-printed on a continuous carrier film, so you have to excercise a bit before using the decals you really want to use. At first you should cover the whole seet with a sprayed layer of future or a similar liquid decal film to protect the colours agains bleeding. Otherwies you should be able to get fine results. HTH Jan