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airbus320

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Posts posted by airbus320

    Desert Beaufighter

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Great info everybody - this site is a great resource!

     

    I definitely think TSS is correct for the uppers, especially with regards to the aircraft running up in photos 1 and 2. Number three looks like heavily faded TSS with some touch ups. It compares favourably to the colours seen on the Sea Hurricane in this post:

     

    http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/thread/1455033261/FAA+Temperate+Sea+Scheme-+whats+the+best%3F

     

    As for the underside, I reckon the first two images show Azure blue, however the colours in the link in my second post (closeup of the engine and wing) above may show LMB undersides. Would these aircraft have been flown out from the U.K. in full TSS with sky undersides and had these painted out at the MU in different colours at different times? Also LMB could be a clue as to the colour of the F.14 camera nose.

     

    Mark, the aircraft shown in that sequence of photos still confound me after years of looking at them! They appear to be a repaint job as the control surfaces are a different colour and the upper/lower demarcations are unusually low. Could they be an early attempt at a Coastal scheme where the sky and dark earth have been replaced with different shades of grey? Something about it says that it is not DE/MS but that could be the psychological effect of looking at the snowy background!!!!

     

    Chris

     

    DeHavilland Mosquito B.IV 627 Squadron 1/48 - COMPLETED

    in De Havilland Mega GB

    Posted

    Thank you gentlemen for your kind words!

     

    Further progress update:

     

    I've got the wings and engines attached along with the landing gear. The fit has continued to poor hence the filler you can see in the photos below!

     

    The canopy has been consigned to the scrap heap sadly. There was a deep internal flaw running all the way through it. Revell are unable to supply a replacement and my spare canopy from the Airfix XVI is way too narrow. I have ordered a vacform canopy for the Tamiya kit from eBay, having confirmed from my FB.VI kit that the cockpit widths are broadly compatible. I've started building up the forward coaming with plasticard in advance but it will probably be two or so weeks before I can get hold of the new canopy.

     

    Here is how she looks now, I think my mods to the gear and the ultracast wheels have improved the sit somewhat:

     

    IMG_0498.jpg

     

    IMG_0499.jpg

     

    There are are plenty of little jobs to keep me going while I wait for the new canopy so updates will continue but maybe at a reduce pace. I will shortly have the bits I need to finish my Airfix/Hasegawa Frankenfire XII plus I'm going to start a Tamiya Beaufighter as side relief from this kit!

     

    Cheers,

     

    Chris

    • Like 3

    Desert Beaufighter

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    There's also this photo:

     

    http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205188544

     

    which shows the blue a little better. Definitely not sky in this case so does that leave Azure as the most likely candidate? With regards to the third picture I think I can see a demarcation on the underside just aft of the code letter N. Is this a replacement tail section with sky undersurfaces? Or possibly the front edge of the yellow ID markings?

     

    I completely missed the date on the IWM photos which shows it to be May 1943 and not August '42 as I thought. Looking at the ORB this makes 'N's registration X7819. Not that she appears to wear it!

     

    Anybody have any ideas about the nose camera fitting? It looks very different to the examples fitted to the later Mk.Xs. It also appears to be painted a fetching shade of blue!

    Desert Beaufighter

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi everyone,

     

    I've always loved this photo:

     

    IMG_0973_1.jpg

     

    It seems to sum up what a beast of an aeroplane the Beau was along with the rugged nature of the environment it was required to operate in.

     

    I picked up a Tamiya Beaufighter a few days ago on a work trip and I have this aircraft in mind. There are a couple of other shots taken around the same time as this one:

     

    IMG_0978_1.jpg

     

    IMG_0974.jpg

     

    According to the IWM photo albums they appear to have been taken in late 1942 or early 1943 and show Beaus of 252 Squadron.

     

    Going back to the first/second images (the aircraft I wish to build), it looks to me like the aircraft letter is D. I did a search of the Operational Record Book for 252 in August '42 which showed a visit by the photographic unit. Searching July's ORB shows an aircraft coded 'D' being delivered with the serial T5032. Interestingly the August entry shows aircraft 'N' as having force-landed at an LG with combat damage, this could be the aircraft undergoing repair in photo 3? 

     

    I'm a bit new to this detective work but I think the aircraft config would be as follows:

     

    Coastal Command Beaufighter Ic with no D/F loop, flat tail planes, short carb intakes

    Cut down rear blister with Vickers MG installed

    Not sure about the exhausts, probably hedgehog style?

    Strike camera (F14?) in a modified nose cone

    Serial T5032 in black, aircraft letter 'D' in MSG

    Temperate Sea Scheme with Azure(?) blue undersurfaces, red cannon dope, blue MG dope and nose cone.

    Yellow undersurfaces to the horizontal tail? I've heard this was applied to desert Beaus and might be visible in the second photo

    Evidence of earlier style underwing roundels having been partially over painted

     

    Can anybody shed any further light on this aircraft? There are a number of uncertainties regarding camouflage, serial number, exhaust config, camera installation and the yellow tail undersurfaces, if anybody can point out where I'm going right or wrong I would be most grateful.

     

    I should probably just build a nice easy UK based aircraft or night fighter but I find this subject fascinating! A rod for my own back...!

     

    Thanks in advance,

     

    Chris

     

     

     

    • Like 6

    DeHavilland Mosquito B.IV 627 Squadron 1/48 - COMPLETED

    in De Havilland Mega GB

    Posted

    Ok so I managed to get the back half attached to the front without too much trouble and the horizontal stabilisers attached. So far so good. I've hit a major stumbling block with regards to the canopy however. On removing it from the sprue a section of the windscreen delaminated completely! I've managed to sand it back, polish it out and give it a coat of quick-shine but it's touch and go on this one. I've sent a replacement request to Revell and anxiously await a response...

     

    IMG_0488.jpg

     

    Chris

    • Like 1

    DeHavilland Mosquito B.IV 627 Squadron 1/48 - COMPLETED

    in De Havilland Mega GB

    Posted

    Thanks for the encouragement gents!

     

    It's been a week of bad weather in the desert so I've made a start on this kit. As Drift hinted above, the fit is terrible! The interior parts needed massive amounts of material removing to get them to fit inside the nose. I managed to get the nose together eventually as well as fill some of the sink marks but test fits of the rear fuselage show further choppy waters ahead...:unamused:

     

    Here's how things look so far:

     

    IMG_0482.jpg

     

    IMG_0483.jpg

     

    IMG_0485.jpg

     

    Should hopefully get the fuselage finished this this week some time.

     

    Chris (currently wishing he had cracked open the Tamiya kit instead!)

    • Like 1

    DeHavilland Mosquito B.IV 627 Squadron 1/48 - COMPLETED

    in De Havilland Mega GB

    Posted · Edited by airbus320

    Hi folks,

     

    I've had the Revell Mosquito B.IV sitting in the stash for a good few years so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get it built.

     

    To correct the kits flaws I've bought some ultracast wheels, extended the main gear using the Tamiya kit as a reference (adding the tyre guards at the same time) and sanded the spinners to a better shape (although they remain too short). I hope this doesn't classify as jumping the starting gun?!?! :worry:

     

    I've got a set of Eagle cal decals and I plan to build DZ415 of 627 Squadron in 1945.

     

    Looking forward to getting started on this one!

     

    Chris

     

    IMG_0419.jpg

     

    IMG_0420_1.jpg

     

    • Like 5

    Beaufighter X ASV radar/bomb racks

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi all,

     

    I'm thinking of building a Beaufighter X from the Tamiya kit as NE825 of 404 squadron RCAF. From the photos I've seen it seems to be fitted with Universal Bomb Carriers under the fuselage and the under-nose projecting ASV aerial.

     

    Does anybody have any information of the UBC and ASV installations on the Beau? Specifically as to how their mounting points attached to the airframe?

     

    Thanks in advance,

     

    Chris.

    Desert Spitfire Staffel...plus a Spanish intruder!

    in Ready for Inspection - Aircraft

    Posted

    Hi all,

     

    a slightly misleading title in that only one of these Spits is a desert bird but the meaning will become clear momentarily! I used to post here until about 5 years ago when I took up a new job in the middle east and modelling had to take a back seat. Having recently moved into a bigger place and my stash grown to excessive proportions I decided it was time to get building (and posting) again. Here are my first few across the bench!

     

    Eduard Spitfire IXc early (weekend edition), EN354 of the 4th FS, 52nd FG based in Tunisia 1943. What a beautiful kit, so good I went out and bought two more IXs and three VIIIs! Built OOB.

     

    IMG_8342.jpg

     

    IMG_8341.jpg

     

    IMG_8347.jpg

     

    Hasegawa Spitfire VI, BS111 of 616 Squadron 1942. A nice kit but not the best fitting. I added some Eduard seatbelts, scratch built pressure bulkhead and DV window. Since the canopy on this version was removable and did not slide I had no idea where to put it(!), so I tacked it to the wing with some white glue as if the erks had placed it there.

     

    IMG_8353.jpg

     

    IMG_8354.jpg

     

    IMG_8355.jpg

     

    ICM Spitfire VII, MD187 of 131 Squadron 1944. This one fought me a lot of the way! Scratch built pressure bulkhead/canopy rails, Falcon transparencies and decals from the spares box. Spare Eduard elevators and Airfix tailwheel plus shortened oleos to improve the sit. Had a lot of trouble painting the invasion stripes, I'm passing their resulting roughness off as being hurriedly applied!!!

     

    IMG_8357.jpg

     

    IMG_8358.jpg

     

    IMG_8359.jpg

     

    Tamiya Spitfire I N3290 of 92 Squadron, May 1940. What else to say about this beautiful kit? OOB with Xtradecals markings. And I should have removed the crowbar and the seat should be green and not plastic!

     

    IMG_8360.jpg

     

    IMG_8361.jpg

     

    IMG_8363.jpg

     

    Academy (Hobbycraft) Hispano Buchon, Spanish AF. Have to say I love this scheme! Looking at photos these aircraft seemed to be immaculate hence no weathering. I added a Eduard Bf109 cockpit set.

     

    IMG_8350.jpg

     

    IMG_8349.jpg

     

    IMG_8351.jpg

     

    Paints used were a mix of Vallejo, Tamiya and Model master. Flat finish by Windsor and Newton.

     

    I've decided to build one last Spitfire before I decide to change subject for a while. I've never been a fan of the Airfix Spitfire XII, to my eye it seems too chubby and does not capture the hot-rod look of the real thing. I had a spare Hasegawa IX fuselage in the spares box so I corrected the length and grafted the Airfix nose onto it, reduced the Airfix wing chord using an Eduard wing as a guide and added a spare Eduard rudder. Although I still wonder why I did this (especially as the Airfix bits fit together so well!) the result looks OK to me. Its currently waiting on some paint masks for the codes, which I should receive this weekend. I am at the end of a fairly long supply chain!!!

     

    IMG_8364.jpg

     

    I hope you've enjoyed looking at these as much as I have enjoyed looking at and being inspired by the work on this site over the last few years. Please do let me know what you think and also any constructive criticism is most welcome!

     

    cheers,

     

    Chris

    • Like 47
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