Ed Russell

Unusual crop circles!

I used one of these https://www.scalemates.com/kits/mark-i-mka14401-raf-airfield-display-base--396433 with the colour photocopier at 200% to make multiples.

It starts with " someone" who recounts his story of what he flew 40 years beforehand, or what he thought he saw or what his cousin told him he thought he saw. Some friend or relative of that person knows some else who works in the model industry. Then the story is passed on by a manufacturer to a profile or decal artist in form of a phone call or maybe even a written note. The artist is only being paid a few pounds per profile so there is no incentive for him to check anything. So it gets into print and is used as a (usually unacknowleged) source by generations of amiable plagiarists thereafter. Here's another one to add to Troy's collection above. https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234972519-hurricane-mki-p2992-of-527-radar-calibration-sqn-red/ PS - I see the pictures in the above link have been Botophucketed - for those unfamiliar with that Hurricane, there is a picture here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234977606-hurricane-mki-p2992-of-527-radar-calibration-sqn/

I would say nothing has been changed in the tooling. It still has anorexia of the tail and obesity of the radome.

You can download the Fujimi instrctions here https://www.scalemates.com/kits/fujimi-72258-nakajima-c6n1-saiun-myrt--942944 and here is the relevant part of the instructions for one of the RD sheets. If you look at the actual decal sheet here, it is just letters and numbers for the C6N http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2015/06/rising-decals-emperors-eyes-ptii-rd72069.html

There are actually quite a few Rising Decals sheets OOP, including all 4 sheets with a C6N - one answer is to email Mirek Karnik (mirik (&) risingdecals (.) com) and ask him to do a reprint of the particular decal you want. If enough people do it then it looks like a commercial proposition.

This set includes even a flag for the C6N aerial. http://www.aviationofjapan.com/2008/11/emperors-eyes-rising-decals-rd72022.html http://www.risingdecals.com/72-001_C6N/K_C6N.htm

I am assuming the OP's native tongue is English. If advised otherwise I will edit out all derision!

Completely certain, according to this https://www.hyperscale.com/features/2000/f5aws_1.htm#:~:text=Between March and October 1942,of different shades of paint. No reason to think Cindy Sexbunny's plane was any different.

Do you mean Santa Ex-Bunny? 😀 The French aviation magazine Icare had seven (+) issues with a series on him. It's probably the most authoritative reference but I don't have it. There is a more approachable discussion right here

https://www.redroomodels.com/product/dh-94-moth-minor-in-raaf-service-1-48/

Delayed as some parts were found to be missing but just about to be released.

From memory - about the same.

You do! I built mine without realising they were wrong and it irritates me to look at it.

You are right about the Hellcat which had manually folding wings..... From the handling notes for the Hellcat "CAUTION The clearance between the part of the wing and cockpit enclosure during wing folding is small; therefore, do not fold wings with anyone standing on walkway, or with arms or any part of the body projecting outside of the cockpit." ..... and the Avenger has hydraulically folding wings, so I suppose even more likely to require this notice!

They weren't. As per the text, they were not night fighters and not USMC - the very nice decal sheet is 25% false pretences! Originally trained for the night torpedo role, VT(N)-90 fired few, if any, torpedos. Half of the bomb bay was taken up with extra fuel tankage. They acted as night intruders (as per @DavidH's comment above) with bombs and rockets. Note the rocket mounts on the model. Enterprise embarked VF(N)-90 as well - a Hellcat F6F-3N (with some F6F-5N) night fighter equipped squadron. They were credited with 36 kills over Japanese aircraft, for 14 losses from all causes - nearly all accidents.

That's a nice build of a pretty old kit. Comparison of 1956 vs 2013 Airfix Gladiators

Baltimore of 459 Sqn. Model by Eamonn Egan with Red Roo (very limited run) decals.

Judging from my collection, the most common scheme was EDSG/DSG/White with a high demarcation. My pictures are biased towrds 459 but include other Med squadrons. The most knowledgeable person on Baltimores I have coma across was Tony O'Toole.

1/48 is not impossible. Do you have pictures of one at Pearl Harbor?

I speak with some bias as I helped with the research on this kit, initially with Dekno then SBS Models. Neither of them developed it but Hobartville Hobbies has made a great little kit. The main parts fit together very well and the detail looks to be really high quality. The parts are very cleanly printed with locating pegs and they are of sufficient rigidity that the assembly should be easy. The only previous Dolphin kits were vacforms by Esoteric and O'Neill. I have seen the former built to a pretty good standard - once! The Dolphin had a fairly undistinguished career in the RAAF being mainly used for training. They were camouflaged in standard RAAF form, like the Walrus and Seagull amphibians they served along side. Patriotically. I will do mine as a RAAF example but the main user was the US Coast Guard. If enough people were interested I am sure a special USCG release would be possible. Link to USCG Dolphin https://travelforaircraft.wordpress.com/2011/08/26/douglas-rd-dolphin-write/

Since 2002 the Czech company, Owl Decal have been making nocturnally themed decals and parts. Their third decal sheet, USMC Night Fighters was a purchase soon after it was released. Three quarters of the sheet was used as per below but the fourth subject has been unmade for some time. It is more inertia than the fact that it is somewhat incongruous with the other three. As per the title – it not a USMC aircraft and it is not a night fighter. It is a USN Avenger torpedo bomber from VT(N)-90. In January 1945, Enterprise was converted for dedicated night operations. She embarked Night Air Group 90 (CVG(N)-90) which consisted of only two squadrons, VF(N)-90 and VT(N)-90, Night Fighting Squadron 90 flew a mix of radar equipped F6F-5(N) and F6F-5E Hellcats and VT(N)-90 flew TBM-3D Avenger torpedo bombers, which were also equipped with radar. Using mainly bombs and rockets, they operated in support of the invasion of Luzon and later the strikes against Indochina, Formosa, Okinawa, and eventually against mainland Japan. VT(N)-90 did have success in air-to-air combat, destroying at least five Japanese aircraft without loss to themselves. One pilot, Lt Charles E. Henderson III, shooting down 3 + 1 probable, was almost an Avenger ace! This is the Hasegawa kit from 1995. It and the Academy kit are pretty much all that is available in Avengers, although I do have an Airfix one somewhere. The main differences between an OOB TBM and this TBM-3D are covered by the Owl instructions – no stinger or turret guns, a radar pod on the wing, exhaust flame dampers, modification of the ASB radar (different aerials in different positions) and underwing rocket stubs. As the Owl accessory set was not available, all of these items were scratch built. None of them are that difficult. The paint is Colourcoats and of note is the black rather than white undersurfaces. The Owl decals work well and, to give it a bit more realism, a Techmod Avenger stencil sheet was used. The instructions indicate positions for a bit over half of the decals supplied on the sheet. Maybe it is a generic set or the decal and instructions designers did not communicate that well. Of note is the one requiring personnel not to stand on the wing while it is folding. Two of the other builds have been here in RFI. The third has a WIP thread https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235028317-venturas-at-night-459-sqn-1575-sd-flt-vmfn531/ but the RFI is not readily findable – probably because it was not ever done! In lieu, here is a picture of Coral Princess of VMF(N)-531. This is probably the first time I have used every option from a set of decals. It’s hard enough with four – I would love to see someone try it with a DK Decals 1/72 sheet!

Very nice build. Great painting and subtle weathering. The RAAF did have PR Mosquitos but they didn't look like that. 60 Sqn RAAF operated Wirraways for a very short time. I think you mean 60 Sqn SAAF.

Federal truck pulling a Sunderland up the ramp at RNZAF Hobsonville This video at MOTAT shows the towing points quite well and shows another sort of (post war) truck

All of the pictures I have seen are D8 Cats and there isn't a suitable one in 1/72. It depends on how picky you are. That D7 would work with some modification and look quite good. BNA in Australia stock them. Buying one from AliExpress, you could end up with anything!