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tony.t

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  1. tony.t
    As long as I'm breathing and ICM release them their Foxbats are the best around. I'm quite keen to see how these develop further (1/72 ditto), but most of all want bronze LG for the 1/48 editions. Tony
  2. tony.t
    Is this in their new 1/200 or whatever it is scale? I'd love a new 1/72 or 1/48 one: weapons bay with detailed bulkheads would provide oodles of joy. Tony
  3. tony.t
    I'd like a 1/72 S.2 Buccaneer or two to go with the Airfix FG.1. I'm most looking forward to the 1/32 Su-33, which might set a new standard. Tony
  4. tony.t
    e8n2, I'm talking about Eglin-based Systems Command F-4s, many of which received x6473 Aircraft Gray finishes in the late 1960s. IIRC they were satin 26473 rather than high gloss 16473. 16473 on interceptor F-4s started in 1977-78, beginning with the 57th FIS and 119th FIG; though the Black Knights' machines were more like 26473 - the final coat was some kind of clear lacquer over the base colour. With the switch of PDM to CASA Getafe they received 16473 polyurethane finishes, as did CONUS interceptor jets being depot overhauled at Ogden etc. There were TAC RF-101s recce Voodoos in Aircraft Gray - 16473 type finish, not Navy - in the early-mid 1960s. ARRS also began painting some helicopters and Hercules in this finish around that time. cheers Tony
  5. tony.t
    The E and F use the same Triple Plow II inlets with the auxiliary blow-in doors. The Environmental Control System venting is different on the E (flush vents) and F (bulged vents), as are the engine nozzles. Pave Tack pod and cradle was also only on the F (and Aussie C) from around 1981+ HTH Tony
  6. tony.t
    The colour started life as ANA 512 Aircraft Gray, which gecame FED-STD 16473 Aircraft Gray during the cross-over in 1956 and then just plain FS 16473. Tony
  7. tony.t
    16473 was still always officially called Aircraft Gray. ADCom aircraft switched to polyurethanes first because of its superior resistance to corrosion and reduced drag, at a slight weight increase because of the use of extra primers. It was also introduced by other aircraft in the 1960s, including some RF-101s, F-4s, C-130s and helicopters inter alia, operated by TAC et al which had nothing whatsoever to do with ADC. 16473 Aircraft Gray was the replacement default colour for aluminium, and yes it took some time to reach the SAC tanker fleet. Paint finishes are a fascinating subject. Tony
  8. tony.t
    Not guilty, I've been praising the ICM 1/48 Foxbat since it first appeared last year. (The company's I-16 Rata in 1/32 is also a gem.) I bought the "RBT" release first, which is currently half built, followed by the Revell boxing which included ICM's corrected nose parts - a great improvement - to do a more accurate RBT. Skipped on the RB-with-bombs boxing but have just ordered a PD from the Ukraine (ebay retailer, not ICM direct). Based on construction to date, I would rate the fit and finesse of this Foxbat series to be on par with Tamiya and Hasegawa and the plastic akin to Trumpeter's. The trompe l'oeil effect intakes are not to everyone's tastes and I have two sets of the full scale size XMM inlets which I would recommend without hesitation. Nuff said for now Tony
  9. tony.t
    There is no such thing as ADC grey - it is plain and simple Aircraft Gray and was a USAF default colour under TO 1-1-4 if no other was specified. Its FS number was 16473, a shiny pale grey with a hint of blue (and the manufacturers have confirmed it contains a small amount of blue). The O-1 and O-2 used 36473 COIN Gray, the same colour as Aircraft Gray but flat. cheers Tony
  10. tony.t
    Thanks ICMF. Interesting to learn the differences between the KH and ICM kits. I'm planning on an RBT and PD to start with, and may do an RBF camo job too. The started one will probably end up as spare parts and might get completed later. Am looking forward to seeing what other AM these kits bring. Apart from bronze LG I wouldn't mind a resin RBT nose pallet with sensors behind the portholes. cheers Tony
  11. tony.t
    You're so convincing yourself the Kittyshambles is still good. It's a bad dream. But it can make a nice model with effort. The XMM inlets are stunning (received two sets a week ago from Russia) so with that fixed it's the ICM Foxbat E for me. I can't see anything wrong with the shorter interceptor type jet nozzles, but there probably will be drop-in resin ones soon, for a fee. I just wished G-Factor made bronze LG legs for the ICM Foxbats. Tony
  12. tony.t
    The PD's out! Sprue shots... http://www.icm.com.ua/news/530-mig-25-pd-soviet-interceptor-fighter.html Tony
  13. tony.t
    Rumour has it that the bloke doing the CAD stepped away a few months ago and so the project is in temporary limbo. The wait till it's perfect brigade are either young enough to be able to wait, or are eternal optimists. My uninformed guess, and it's just that, is that it will be released in its shiny box vista 2020. Tony
  14. tony.t
    Viva Revell! Long may the blue & yellow logo continue. Tony
  15. tony.t
    Still interested to know if the Barracuda PD parts fit the ICM fuselage. Am getting an ICM PD/PDS interceptor boxing regardless, hopefully very soon, and would in theory wait for the ICM RBF later this year. If the Barracuda parts fit the ICM airframe I'll buy a set. If not, I'll reduce the part-built RBT to spare parts locker for the others, as I was being too clever for my own good and goofed the assembly sequence. Thanks if you have tested the fit of the Barracuda nose to the ICM fuselage and can post a reply, Tony
  16. tony.t
    The parts count on the lid is based on the used parts. The unused parts are usually blanked off on the instruction sprue layouts and omitted from the total count. Tony
  17. tony.t
    Ordered two sets of XMM inlets and compressor faces - thanks for the link J Slightly weird request, but anyone tried fitting the Barracuda-for-Kitty PD nose parts to the ICM RB/RBT fuselage? I may have one RBT too many, which I can faff with. cheers tony
  18. tony.t
    I built one nearly forty years ago, when it first appeared in 1979. The canopy parts are horrible, but the decals worked quite well on the Monogram C/D-to-K conversion undertaken a year later. With the Hasegawa kit out there I wouldn't touch it except for masochistic nostalgia. Try and get the Revell repop of the Hasegawa FGR.2 if the Hasegawa remains out of an acceptable price bracket. Tony
  19. tony.t
    Are those Click2Detail (or whoever else makes them) Foxbat air ducts & compressor faces still available? I tried googling and got nothing satisfactory. Anyone have a link? cheers Tony
  20. tony.t
    And thus ends my beautiful 53 year-old relationship with the delightful blue and yellow logo. The Arcade model shop in Newcastle, Woolies in Morpeth; the model shop in Aylesbury, and the one in Woodstock; Model Highways and R.Clark (aka Nobby's Hobbies) on Gloucester Road, along with the Model Den, Beatties and Antics in Broadmead, Bristol; mail order from the big H, and other t'interweb stores. The 1/72 Douglas Stiletto, Dambusters Lanc, Memphis Belle, through the Revellogram Century Series and the spectacular 1/32 kits: the Spitty and Stuka of the late 'sixties through to the Tomcat and Eagle of the 'eighties, and more recent delights of hefty Heinkels, Junkers, the lovely Hawker Hunters, Hawks, Bf 109 Gs, Fw 190s, an Me 262 night fighter and two newer Spitties in man size scale. Goodbye old friend. I know some of the moulds will end up in China to churn out bubble gum plastic animé editions for the Asian market, but will we ever see that blue & yellow logo again, beyond the used trade on e-bay? T
  21. tony.t
    Looks as if Eduard have revised the imminent FG.1 landing gear etch set 72668 to include the intake louvres... https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED72668 No doubt the FGR.2 set will follow suit, unless Airfix revise the relevant parts. Tony
  22. tony.t
    Not yet. Trumpeter announces actual release on its website, updated around the end of each month... http://www.trumpeter-china.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=127&l=en Looking forward to seeing them. Tony
  23. tony.t
    These could look so cool next to 1/72 Lockheed Blackbirds. I wonder if Trumpy will take on the YF-12A, another giant interceptor in the hundred footer category. And throw in a new tool B-58 modded to Snoopy, which had an elongated nose to test the radar, IRSTS and AIM-47 missiles destined for the 93 ADC F-12B Blackbirds (that were cancelled around 1968). Then add a trials Tu-22 interceptor (too difficult to fly). Then scale the lot up to 1/48 and add a Vulcan and Victor. The mind boggles. Well, you can dream can't you?(!) Tony
  24. tony.t
    Amazing build. My Roden 1/32 version won't have more than a fraction of the detail of this beauty. Quite astonishing! Tony
  25. tony.t
    Yes, I wrote the book (USAF Phantoms), with info courtesy of John J Harty at McDonnell-Douglas. Happy Days! Tony
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