AntPhillips

Well, that would be a remarkable coincidence

There is a FB page called the Cromwell Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/489550191179200/about If you do FB then it might be worth asking on there.

Looks like the clear sprue has both long and short span wingtips too, IIRC the Gulf War a/c were fitted with short span ones. And 3 ejector seat frames? Wonder if that's with and without flared side supports for the observer? If that is the box artwork its a winner No sprue F in the pics so that must be the RAF specific parts sprue. I wish Airfix would update their pilot figures though, or at least give them possible arms.

Maybe the instructions will tell you to remove this detail, even Tamiya do this sort of thing:

Following along with this one, I have the A-6A version with a Steel Beach KA-6D conversion set to do at some point. My only experience of building a HobbyBoss kit is their 1/48 F3H-2 kit and thats been a pretty pleasurable experience. That nose gear certainly looks well detailed

Nope, I do that too, build up little sub-assemblies clearing out the empty sprue as I go along. I also invariably build up the munitions/things under wings early on, although I rarely finish painting and decalling them before the end of the build, maybe I should

Steel Navy still there on: http://www.steelnavy.net/ I suspect the direct link to the Cumberland is faulty.

After a little bit of wallet bashing, I've given myself a couple more options: Having never completed a Group Build before, I'm not planning to attempt more than one, and that one's going to be the One-Oh-Wonder with Caracal decals for the Hooligans, if (and it's a very long shot) I make good progress with that I might consider adding another probably the Deuce, again with Caracal decals for Penn ANG. I've also picked up a very second-hand Monogram F-100, but it's missing a couple of critical parts (nose intake and lower intake duct half), I've ordered an AMS replacement nose with FOD cover but it's coming from Australia, so not sure when it will arrive, if it gets here in time that one might replace the Deuce.

Got to love a Happy Hooligans build, its what I've got planned for the Century Series GB later this year, but in 1/48 using a Monogram kit.

That was my understanding, that the tool was retired as unviable rather than damaged, it was proving virtually impossible to get a useable product from them, far too many distorted parts, probably more to do with the design of the fuselage breakdown, not much point producing it if every purchaser is going to ask for replacements for badly warped or misshapen parts, especially when you cannot guarantee the replacement parts will be any better

The Katy was announced in lat years big reveal and is one of 2021's new kits that have slipped on delivery date, Gecko also announced a K2 kit slightly later and it's also slipped on release date but is due out fairly soon.

I thoroughly expect there to be a new tool Jaguar from Airfix in the next couple of years.

Great to see this one back in the range.

I'll order one at somepoint, but I doubt it will be more than the one at £70+

Hi Mike, yes both Ambulance and Pink Panther kits use the same inner hub, just the tyre portion and outer hub changes. As Richard E mentioned sprue A is common to both kits.

IIRC the Tamiya Land Rover Ambulance kit shares a common chassis and has standard chunky tyres.

The official USN font is "Long Beach USN" it is available online

IIRC the ECS exhausts are the vents situated on the upper fuselage between the tail fins. Someone correct me if I'm wrong

I use that too, a very useful tool.

I wondered that too, I think its probably to do with the differing type of ECS exhaust but I've never heard them called that, enquiring minds need to know

To be fair Dan, you and Chris @stringbag helped me out immensely you took a load of kits of me at a fair price, the stash had got well out of hand and the funds raised from selling most of it off helped pay for our wedding This build is immense, I look forward to seeing it proceeding to the finish.

I whole heartedly agree a fantastic build. See here for an explanation of the "First Navy Jack": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Navy_Jack

It is my understanding that the Lightning Force will not carry individual squadron markings but just the Lightning marking on the tail, the UK aircraft recently deployed with CSG21 didnt even have the "Q" tail marking denoting HMS Queen Elizabeth, something to do with the special radar absorbing paint required. It seems that unit heritage and "Esprit d'Corps" is a thing of the past in the modern UK military.

I seem to recall it is going to be 809 Squadron. Just checked and confirmed: https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/the-fighting-arms/fleet-air-arm/future-aircraft/809-naval-air-squadron

Wow, looks brilliant I've got a similar build in mind but set in a slightly earlier timescale of the USS Nimitz's med cruise from '77/'78, it would be part of a planned project to build a representative aircraft of all the units attached, I have the Aeromaster 1/48 CVW-8 special decal set which includes decals for the bulk of the units involved: F-14A Tomcat of VF-41 & 84, A-7E Corsair II of VA-82 & 86, A-6E & KA-6D Intruder of VA-35, EA-6B Prowler of VAQ-135, S-3 Viking of VS-24 & SH-3 Sea King of HS-9. That just leaves me three (maybe 4) units to source, the kits for these weren't available when the Aeromaster set was released, so understanably weren't included: EA-3B Skywarrior - VQ-2 (like you I'm starting with the Trumpeter TA-3B kit, the EA-3B conversion seems relatively simple, and I believe the aircraft just had the Sandeman VQ-2 tail markings similar to yours but possibly smaller and set on a yellow triangle, quite basic so I'm tempted to have a go at producing these myself, I believe that although VQ-2 was the assigned unit due to the proximity of their base in Rota, aircraft chopped in / out on a regular basis.) RA-5C Vigilante - RVAH-6 (as luck has it the Trumpeter kit includes markings for this one). E-2B Hawkeye - VAW-112 (Kinetic / Italeri kit backdated to an E-2B) not sure what to do on decal front though as I can't turn up clear photographs. The maybe unit is the COD aircraft which I believe was a C-1A Trader from VRC-40 Your build will be very handy for reference with the EA-3B conversion.