Troy Smith

the Monogram 1/48th kit from the 60's is closest to a Mk.IIa (despite being usually done as a IIc or IId) as it has the right wing panels. Hasegawa have done a Mk.IIa, in 1/48th, using their B wing, with instructions to sand off the outer gun bay panels, which are slightly raised. They may well have done the same in in 72nd as well.

AFAIK, no. But, bear in mind BoB photos are in short supply, photography was banned on bases, so plenty of gaps in the documentation. one idea, or supposition, reports of B/W undersides may well be of training units, or older planes after repairs, before a repaint, but not frontline fighters. A ground observer would not know the difference though. The other problem, an aircraft with B/w undersides, photographed on it's own will just be presumed to be before the Sky undersides came in, unless there is something to date it, what you are asking for is a pic with both being discernible.. HTH

post from Canada is expensive, and potentially getting hit by customs and post charges.

erm, we are talking about a period of four years, and the Soviets built A LOT of aircraft, 36,000 IL-2, 35,000 Yak family fighters, 30,000 or more of the Lavochkin fighter etc etc In the winter 41/42 there was a some chaos, but later there wasn't. Production was safely away from the front lines, and then proceeded tp produce vast quantities of equipment. Not meaning to be rude, but many ideas about the Soviets are hangovers of years of cold war propaganda, build that amount of planes, requires a serious infrastructure, so why should there be problems with getting specified internal paint. Bit like the idea that VVS types should look dirty and worn, when photos show they were very well cared for, aeroplanes don't work well when badly maintained, and that would also be sabotage. And that was a trip a gulag or punishment battalion if you were lucky... I'll stick a @Learstang and @John Thompson in here, as they are Soviet buffs, learstang has written books on the Il-2, Tu-2 and Lavochkin fighters. I know there are photos of Il-2 production lines, not sure about others. here's Yak-7s

I meant more, where did Mark get it.... I assume it's unavailable? Related story, many years ago I was told the story of the Chaos UK guitar player, Gabba, who trashed his guitar at the end of their 1985 Japanese tour so he could fill his guitar case with rare Anderson model kits, which were really hard to find here... .

the whole series is available here. https://archive.org/details/UFO.complete Not stunning quality, but watchable. Where did the model come from? Interesting series, some of it is hilariously dated... lost of smoking, even on moonbase! And plenty of casual sexism... and what is it with the purple wigs... But, some interesting plot lines, not all upbeat and gung-ho. Though am I the only who finds that aliens who can travel across the galaxy can't grow some new body parts, and have to come to earth to steal some.... also up on Archive.org, all of Space 1999, which was to have been UFO part 2.... series 1 here https://archive.org/details/Space1999.Series1

Captured Hurricane. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

What I found interesting in the Key Forum thread was these images Top image shows a A type fin flash while this shows a C type, note, just visible the top image confirms the standard metal wing. The reaper image still seems to be present. New fragments of Hurricane info are always a treat.

Thanks, some very impressive work on show!

Do you meant the lurid turquoise? I think that does not come in till the 60's, late 50's at the earliest. (early MiG-21s were grey cockpits) the safe bet is A-14 steel grey. see here http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/colors/color-table.html scroll down There are other colours earlier on in the war, depending on type, light colured instrument panlels on MiG-3 IIRC, and other on the I-153 preserved at Le Bourget. As with many of the questions nowadays, always asking about a specific, rather than a blanket answer. (which is A-14 Steel Grey) The best place for information on VVS colours is. http://massimotessitori.altervista.org/sovietwarplanes/pages/index.html HTH

The front part of the wing is slightly different, as is the carb intake position. You could, but then you end up two not very useful Hurricane leftovers, unless you want to make the one cannon armed Mk.I from the BoB, or the (not made in any quantity despite what every Hurricane book says) , the Sea Hurricane IC I suspect, unless you need a IIa NOW, then Arma, will issues a IIb in the not distant future, plenty of a Polish units used the IIa/b, and they way they are going, Arama look like they are going to own the 72nd Hurricane market... If you are up for a bit of filling an scribing, I'd try rescribing the IIc wings first. If that fails, then cross kit.

Brilliant. Thank you. I just knew the photo from the Mason Hurricane book, I can be a bit blind to the photos in that as I have had it since I was eight! The book captions it as being a Mki.IIa Series 2 though, now you mention the cowling fasteners, it's obvious! cheers T

http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p024.html So, Vb looks right. @Smithy may well be a chap to ask, or as he is in Norway, will know folks who may well know more. HTH

a caveat, the above I'd treat with caution on colour call outs, as they are not the names of British colours, and are not even accurate as to what some should be (as in the colours assigned to fillings )and the rockets tails are shown as black, when they are orange.. I know the above is posted in good faith @dogsbody, just trying to clarify what I have learned, mostly from @Selwyn though!

AFAIK, copydex is basically the same as Humbrol Maskol, smells the same. Just not dyed pink.