Filler

I accept the production and editorial influences and that it is intended as entertainment, but having watched the first three episodes, I’m left with a sense that the RN today and the QE is somewhere between an 18-30 holiday and a crèche. I’ve never served, but a year in the Sea Cadets in the late 80’s (which was a couple of hours on a Tuesday night) seemed a tougher experience.

Doesn’t look pretty, or safe, but with the help of a perplexed wife we attacked the wing with a hairdryer and quickly tried clamping the wing trailing edge and tip between two pieces of Brio wooden railway track, borrowed without permission from our toddler. Fingers crossed.

Thanks gents. I’ve done a bit of a dry fit of the main parts this morning and whilst not ‘modern’ great, it looks pretty good. However, I found a WIP on another site that pointed out that the fit issues are tougher when the engines are fitted. Forewarned is forearmed! Currently stalking the house looking for thin flat inflexible metal things to use to clamp the wing tips. Planning on a bit of hairdryer and clamping. Also contemplating cutting flaps to pose them with the slight droop they have at rest. I think this always looks good, plus it may reduce the noticability (new word?) of the warping.

After looking through my stash options, I have decided to have a crack at the hefty Mirage IV. Here are some shots of the sprues and instructions, extras and photo reference I intend to finish her as IVA no. 27 AZ of Escadron de Bombardment 2/94 'Marne', based at Dizier, circa 1988 One problem right away is a warped starboard wing tip. Oddly both top and bottom halves. Heller weren't messing around with the sprue attachment points! The biggest challenge (warped wing aside) is the rescribing job. Should I do it before or after main assembly? Anyway, it's the cockpit first, so lets see if I can get off to a good start and do that tomorrow.

It's that time of year again when I look at the GB calendar and think that I can join in half them. I've a few Dassault subjects to chose from for this GB. I'm leaning towards having a go at the Heller Mirage IV. The only issue is that my very longstanding WIP collection (all of which originated in GBs) are looking at me saying "are you really serious about starting another kit? How about you finish us first?"

That is a big part of it. The lack of camo was a big minus, but the Entroms seemed to operate very high and then decend steeply in the centre of the base. Videos of the OH-6s suggested that they came in much lower, which is a great benefit for photography.

Excellent choice. What are your early impressions of the FM kit?

Yes, but be prepared to remortgage. It was £9.50 per tube on a stall at the Bolton show on Sunday. Just a bit under £3 per tube in Japan.

Well, life (aka a toddler) got in the way last night, but this morning I took a piece of rod to work and decided to have a quick play. Firstly, I didn't have 1mm rod, so have used 2mm for now, despite being too large for the intended purpose. And secondly, I am glad I didn't try at home because I have concluded that you need heavier kit than I have at home. At work I have used a bench vice, a file and a battery drill and some sandpaper as pictured. The result was very encouraging. I can see two issues I will face when I try again after I have some 1mm rod. One is getting a smoother finish, but hopefully some finer grits of paper will help with that. You can just make out some grooves in the photo. The other issue will be if the drill will hold 1mm rod. Just for context, this is what I am trying to replicate. The smaller starboard ECM antenna. Thanks again for all the advice.

Thanks again for all the advice. I shall give it a go this evening.

Thanks gents. It would be for the ECM antenna on top of the starboard tail fin of an F-15 in 48th scale, which is pointy-ish. I've caught the plastic kit part a few times and it just won't go straight again. I hoped I could get a piece of 1mm brass rod and file it, but I understood that brass is pretty hard. I'll do as you suggest Jamie, have a go, be patient and don't expect much.

Hello. I was just wondering if it is possible to turn a piece of brass rod, say 1mm dia, into a probe or pitot etc by filing it to a point and cutting to length. Has anyone tried this with any success, or is a lathe needed?

Quite. I’ve got several Hasegawa Phantoms (as have very many of us) and Reskit etc don’t seem much interested in parts for them. And it seems ironic to me as they need the parts far more than Tamiya Phantoms do!

Looking at the decal sheet in the photo above it looks to me like you have the Spangdahlem jet in its mid 80's Euro1 scheme (as per the box art), a 3rd TFS aircraft in 90s Hill Grey(?) scheme and a ROKAF aircraft, also in lo-vis grey.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll give the scales a miss and just learn to do it consistently by eye. I do use cheap disposable pipettes, but I feel that half the paint remains stuck to the pipette whereas the thinner largely transfers to the mixing dish. It's when preparing very small amounts of paint for say just spraying a seat or a pitot or something. No point thinning 10ml to do that.

So, a bit like Star Wars where Obi Won Kenobi tells Luke to 'use the force' and he turns his electronic targeting thingy off. I expect that is probably the most common way then. I guess I just need to paint more and get the experience where I can 'feel' what is right.

I have always struggled with paint thinning and mixing. I’ve never been able to get my head around the “like semi skimmed milk” description and even 50/50 mixes are a problem, especially with very small amounts of paint. The way paint v thinner drops out of a cheap pipette just seems different. Anyway, I was wondering what people’s approaches are and if anyone uses those pocket scales that claim to measure to 0.01g. And how different is the density and weight of lacquer paint and thinner? Or am I way overthinking this and just ‘roughly’ 50/50 is good enough?

Is the RAF boxing of the Buccaneer not likely the flagship announcement, or is it assumed/a given that there will be a notable brand new tooling of some subject or other?

Thanks again for the compliments. After reading the comments, and on further reflection, I am very happy with what I saw and my photographs. I guess when being somewhere so far away and difficult to visit at will, I stress about seeing everything and having perfect weather and taking perfect photos, but life isn't like that, but I was lucky to have the opportunity and to see lots of good stuff and even get a good few photos in focus. And thanks again Andy for the 41 FTS explanation. I think I preferred the stylised 41 over the checks.

Thanks again for all your help Andy, and thanks answering my question regards the T-400. What threw me was that the one I'd seen previously had a kind of stylised 41 on the tail. The checkerboard on the tail of the one I saw at Gifu looked a bit more like that on the tail of the Hamamatsu based 1st Air Wing T-4s. Thanks for the compliments. Access at both bases is pretty good. Komatsu has very good viewing from the eastern end with good parking, toilets and no need for ladders (although they can give you a boost for rear landing shots. The western end is also quite good, and again doesn't need ladders. From the northern side you have the airport viewing deck which is good but a bit far away (and kind of into the sun). Gifu has a great spot for photos if they're landing from the east. I can pass on some maps marked with the various photography spots if Andy doesn't mind. He helped me out massively, but even with such great help, you are still somewhat at the mercy of things like which end they are taking off from/landing at, the weather, having ladders, climb rates, rash predictions etc etc. And in my case at Komatsu, a very badly timed quizzing from base security!

As Covid restrictions were finally eased for entering Japan, my wife and I finally got to take our boy to meet his maternal family. And of course, whilst there I took the opportunity to make a couple of fence visits. First of all, a MASSIVE thank you to Andy @Red Dot for his advice and maps that I could not have done without. We were staying in Oita in southern Japan and the nearest base is Tsuiki. I went by train (a couple of hours) and a 30 minute walk to the one real vantage point. I was there three years ago, and the base was a building site. It still is. Plenty of activity from the based F-2s. and a couple of visitors. Mitsubishi F-2A 8th TFS 93-8548 at Tsuiki Air Base by Phil Childs, on Flickr This was a nice surprise visitor, but it backtracked the runway instead of using the taxiway, so was a bit distant and heat hazy. Beechcraft LC-90, 61 Air Transport Squadron 9305 JMSDF at Tsuiki by Phil Childs, on Flickr Kawasaki T-4, 13th Flying Training Wing, 016-5649 at Tsuiki by Phil Childs, on Flickr Mitsubishi F-2A 8th TFS 03-8555 at Tsuiki Air Base by Phil Childs, on Flickr After a couple of weeks of family time, I ‘escaped’ by train up to Ishikawa prefecture. Seven hours of wearing a mask (remember that?) and torrential rain (first day without blue sky since we’d arrived) and picked up a hire car in Komatsu. I had two days in Komatsu. The bad news was that the weather had turned rather variable, but the good news was that there were a few sunny spells and that the aggressor squadron was home. Apparently, they often deploy elsewhere. They used only four jets whilst I was there, and one was plain grey – possibly an attrition replacement as I believe one was lost earlier in the year. There was also some activity from the two based fighter squadrons and a couple of visitors. I’ve been to a few bases in Japan now, but I just cannot get a decent photo of a rescue squadron Black Hawk. They just seem to go the other way, go right overhead or between me and the sun etc. Mitsubishi UH-60J Black Hawk, 88-4608 at Komatsu by Phil Childs, on Flickr With the Phantoms gone, the ‘Cobras’ are now probably the main draw in Japan. Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle TFTG, "Cobras" 72-8090, at Komatsu by Phil Childs, on Flickr Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle TFTG, "Cobras" 82-8092, at Komatsu by Phil Childs, on Flickr Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle TFTG, "Cobras" 32-8082, at Komatsu by Phil Childs, on Flickr Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle TFTG, "Cobras" 82-8093, at Komatsu by Phil Childs, on Flickr And my first 303rd FTS ‘Fighting Dragon’. I’d already seen the 306th ‘Golden Eagles’ deployed at Tsuiki in 19. Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle 303rd TFS "Fighting Dragons", 12-8077, at Komatsu by Phil Childs, on Flickr Next I took a treacherous mountain drive in unbelievable rain and pitch darkness to Gifu. I thought I’ve save a few quid by not using the toll highways. An early morning visitor to Gifu, home of the Air Development and Test Wing (bit like the old A&AEE Boscombe Down I guess), but any idea what squadron this is from? Beech T-400, 01-5060, landing at Gifu Air Base by Phil Childs, on Flickr Mitsubishi F-2B, 63-8101, ADTW at Gifu by Phil Childs, on Flickr Kawasaki C-1 FTB, 28-1001 at Gifu Air Base by Phil Childs, on Flickr As things went quiet at Gifu and I had to head south to Mie prefecture, I decided to make a detour by Komaki air base as I’d seen some C-130s bimbling about in the distance. Got there just as the blanket of cloud moved in. Saw a couple of late movements in the gloom before continuing my journey. Lockheed C-130H Hercules, 401st Airlift Sqn, 75-1078 at Komaki Air Base by Phil Childs, on Flickr My final stop was at Camp Akeno, the JGSDF helicopter training base. Sadly I was a couple of years late for the Hughes OH-6s. They have been replaced by some tiny shiny blue thing called an Enstrom TH-480B – Yuk!! Enstrom TH-480B, 62355, Aviation School JGSDF by Phil Childs, on Flickr Apart from those, the base was very quiet. I think the base security man tried to tell me that they were night flying that day. Still got a UH-1 doing some fast rope training and a couple of AH-1 movements, plus a single UH-60 late afternoon. Fuji UH-1J Iroquois 41872 JGSDF at Camp Akeno by Phil Childs, on Flickr Fuji AH-1S Cobra, 73484, JGSDF at Camp Akeno by Phil Childs, on Flickr Mitsubishi UH-60JA Black Hawk, 43108 JGSDF at Camp Akeno by Phil Childs, on Flickr And after that it was by train to Hiroshima to meet back up with the family. Not a bad trip in all. Could have had better weather at times and more activity at others, and would love a new camera/lens and a bit more skill, but it was still a terrific few days. Between Covid and the demise of the Phantoms, I was really received as a surprise visitor from overseas. Obviously more down to the pandemic at this time, but I do wonder if without the F-4s, if as many enthusiasts will make the trip now. A few other things have now gone too, such as the ‘Andovers’ and the OH-6s. Still plenty of cool stuff to see there though. A few more photos are in the Flickr album.

Imagine if there had been 24 hour news on TV, thousands of online news sources, social media and internet forums during the days of TSR2 and F-111 etc etc.

That would be amazing if they did. After all, it's a lot of time and effort to design and produce full stencilling and only manufacture a handful to supply in a limited-edition kit. But then I guess that they would argue that the stencils are a big part of what justifies the £70 edition of a £30 Revel kit.

@DarrenH and @JeffreyK. You're having a go at the wrong person. I am not so concerned about super accuracy and was really looking forward to the ZM kit. It was other posters that brought up the canopy issue (I'd never have had the foggiest - even if my life depended upon it) but unfortunately the nature of these observations on the internet can have a deflating effect. They certainly took the wind out of my sails. I'm sure the 'error' is almost imperceivable to 99.99999% of modelers, but we are made to be very aware of it. To be honest, I was just irritated that my chips had been urinated on. Really, within reason, I'm ok as long as it looks a lot like the subject and isn't unbuildable. I personally couldn't care less if someone stuck a sidewinder on a Lancaster bomber.

Well, I read it here on BM. The ZM canopy is wrong. On a more positive note, is there any rumour of any aftermarket decals in the offing? With two kits coming out at the same time, I hoped we might see some extensive sets released with full stencilling and serial options. Speedhunter and AirDocs sets are long long oop.