Alfisti

Went to Las Vegas in 1992,the pound against the dollar was very good,forked out £180 for the wife and me to go on a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon.I sat in the co-pilots seat,flew over the Hoover dam,then down to the canyon,where the pilot landed the chopper on the edge of the ravine.Just awesome,and he piped 'Flight of the Valkeries' through the headset.Deffo a bucket list moment! Dave.

You could have a look at this article on detailing the Blue Max Snipe http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/models/38189-1-48-blue-max-sopwith-7-f-1-snipe.html HTH.........Dave.

Hi,yes some more vehicles of WW1 era would be great.Unfortunately there appears to be little interest in the subject as the main interest lies from WW2 to present day,wonder what the reaction would be if Dragon or Tamiya tooled something up,and yet aircraft seem to be as popular as ever,look at the success of Wingnut Wings kits.Could it be they were not as involned in so many actions coming quite late into the war.Would it be a fantastic marketing point if somebody sat down and realised a profit potential for vehicles to sit alongside all those wonderful aircraft models or in their own right. It will be interesting to see if anything appears within the next couple of years as it will 100 years since the start of that conflict,and interest will undoubtly peak during this period. Dave.

Great walkaround Julien,thanks for pointing me there,gotta re-think the pilots seats too. WAFU,great anecdote about your mate. Dave.

Thanks again guys for your input,much appreciated. Dave.

Thanks chaps .Does'nt the Lynx look 'sexy' in that 'little blue number'? Dave.

I have the Rotorcraft conversion for the Airfix kit,and plan to build as a pre-Falklands era machine in that great looking Oxford Blue scheme.My query is what would the rear cabin seat layout be for a Sea Skua equipped machine. TIA.........Dave.

Hi Chris, I don't think there are any sheets available for XH558.An option you could try is using some of the old Modeldecal sets,cobbling together code and serial numbers and roundels from these sheets then using items from the kit sheet.A good overall gloss varnish coat pior to applying decals provides a good basis for applying decals.A method I have used,especially on older Eduard models where the decals were thick and brittle.Let this overall coating dry throughly.Cut out the decal you need and soak in water,then when its ready to be applied,brush on some Future/Klear in the appropriate position of the decal to be applied and whilst it is still wet apply decal,then immediately apply another brush coat of Future/Klear on top of the postioned decal(use light deft strokes,you don't want the decal to move!).Then apply some gentle heat from an hairdryer,this I find tends to 'suck' the decal down into panel lines etc and helps eliminate decal film.Once all decals have been applied and are dry,give the model another overall coat of the appropriate varnish that suits your requirement.Give it a shot on a scrap piece of plastic card or an old model first just to get the feel of the method. I know it sounds a bit long winded,but it does work,but don't let get the hair dryer too close to the model as the excessive heat can distort model parts(ask me how I know!).HTH and good luck with your model. Dave.

Hi Dave, nice job on the engine.Try an R/C model shop or supplier for a prop,they may have something you're looking for if not happy with your own efforts,it might at least provide you with a basis to work from. To dirty up engines,try Tamiya X-19 Smoke,thinned to your own preference with water or their own brand thinner(buy the larger container if you can find them,better value!),it defines detail well and leaves a nice oily slick like finish.Lifecolor also do a oil wash in their Tensocrome range. HTH..........Dave.

Hi Viper, my own personal experience did not fill me with enthusiasm for them.I'd bought a kit that had a very badly warped bottom wing section.Sent off a request for new wing,about 2 months later recieved,a decal sheet from that kit.Eventually,after a lot of cajoling and help from my LHS,got the replacement part,but it took quite a while. Dave.

Sad news indeed.Used to live in a farm cottage as a kid on the edge of Bitteswell drome in the late 60's and was always in a constant state of awe and wonder when these beasties rumbled down the runway and roared into the air.Have been to several airshows since and still watched in awe at her magnificent spectacle.Indeed,the end of an era is marked. Dave.

Hi,found some info that may be of use whilst browsing the web on an R/C site,it includes loads of line drawings from French and German publications,http://www.finemodelworks.com/arizona-models/reference/ Found a line drawing of the test tower and railway carriage used for aerodynamic testing of full size aircraft,would make for a fantastic diorama. Dave.

Hi,try this link to http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1918/1918%20-%200991.html?search=Hannover CL.III,its the Flight Global site for the archives of Flight magazine. HTH..........Dave.

Hi Carl,yeah I see what you're thinking there,but having looked at the WingNutWings page on their Goth G.IV kit,they show those ammo containers as being a bit bulky,plus their size in comparison to the upper wing tank and nacelle tanks would indicate a quite small capacity for fuel.I went back to the pages you posted a link to,and in the images there is a set of basic plans accredited to Alex Imrie from one of his books.I printed the plan off,which shows a dotted outline for the main fuselage tanks,one behind the other.Harry Woodman also suggests that these fuel tanks filled the entire fuselage section in question and blocked off the passageway,which was then covered over.There is a photo of the pilot using the breathing apparatus,and its just visible that the passage is covered as the tanks now made this impraticable. Its bloody frustrating knowing that this feature was present as it has been described,but no real layout of the tanks is available at present,and as my ramblings are just conjecture,it could be something completely different.I've tried 'googling' my query in several forms,but the results sometimes defy explanation,there is a lot of BS out there in the ether.Let me know if you find anything else as I always find it fascinating,especially about these early kites. Dave.

Hi Carl,just looked at the Willis Nye plans,very good with loads of details drawn,alas no diagram of those tanks.He gives a written description though that they were constructed of brass sheet,I'm wondering if when they took them from the nacelles,they were adapted for the fuselage with those cutouts incorporated,as they reduced the fuel capacity from 95 gallons to 87.5 gallons per tank! Dave.

Carl,it does seems to be a pretty elusive detail!On the site you posted,there's an interesting piece from Flight magazine that describes the twin tanks,but no real description as to shape except noting that both tanks had some form of cut out to allow for the pilots seat,even though its fixed to a bulkhead,which meant the starboard tank didn't utilise a fuller liquid capacity as the cut out wasn't required.On one of the GA drawings,there is reference to the fuselage tanks,which is shown as dotted lines,but either,through my advanced years and failing eyesight,or lack of definition on the drawing,I can't fathom out their true shape. I have to question the layout of the tanks by Hippo/AZ,as having 175 gallons of fuel sitting in the port fuselage half would throw out the handling characteristics somewhat on an already unstable platform! Dave von notquitegotha'dout.

Great site Carl,thanks for posting.I have also been trying to collate info on the Gotha G.V and that site has provided some extra pictures and drawings of interesting details.I wondered why there was a fuel tank strapped to the top wing,now I know it held 10 gallons for engine start! I've yet to find diagrams or pictures showing the internal fuel tank arrangement,Hippo and AZ Models in their 48th scale kits show 2 cylinders mounted on top of each other,but according to other accounts,they took up the whole width of the centre fuselage that blocked off the passageway.Do you have any info on the fuel tank arrangement? Dave.

Can't help with your trailer query,but Tamiya have recently released a M51 Sherman kit #35323.Lovely mouldings,but let down a little with some of the details,ie solid moulded grab handles,jerrycan racks moulded with the cans,but nothing too taxing to rectify.It has no etch brass,so brush guards will have to be thinned or a/m parts sought to replace,and no mesh intake grills.Nice cast surface texture,and apparently a first for Tamiya,they provide sponson covers.Reading web reviews,it represents 'Batch 1' of the type circa 1967.Model Military International issue 71 has an in depth article on this kit,as do Tamiya mags 197/198 issues. HTH..........Dave.

Hi Nigel,you could try White Ensigns site,CMK do a range of figures in 72nd and this pair of rowing boats with oars LINKY HTH........Dave.

Hi Nigel,you could try Hannants for the decal film.Alternatively,give the decal sheet a couple of thin coats of Future/Klear which should help stop the decals from shattering when soaked. Dave.

Hi Martin,check out the above link for WW1 figures,and they also do some under 'Dioramas',some marine AH figures.You could also try CMK resin figures http://www.cmkkits.com/en/figures/index.ph...25&fMaker=0 HTH........Dave.

Hi John,the only real external physical difference was that the D Va carried some extra rigging and 2 small struts that connected to the front leading edge of the lower wing from the front interplane strut.These small struts were introduced to help prevent the wings twisting under stress when the aircraft was put into a steep dive,which in previous models had caused several complete wing failures.There was also a factory fitted metal sleeve over the lowere wing spar to help prevent the wing failure problem,but this wouldn't be seen on your model.There was also a faired headrest provided behind the cockpit opening,but this was frequently removed to improve the pilots rearward vision. Have a look at WingNutWings website,they have a goodly amount of photo's of these machines plus lots of other interesting stuff on WW1 aircraft. HTH........Dave. IIRC the D.V had a shroud covering the aileron crank on the top wing,on the D.Va this was dispensed with and reverted back to through wing surface control wires.The shroud would be visible on a model,and I think in some of the Eduard kits (Profi?),this was supplied as an etched metal piece,but in the cheaper versions,was moulded onto the wing,but I stand to be corrected on that point. Alb D.VaHope this linky works,some nice 3-D work.

Great little story Jack,an interesting insight into how it all began for the WW1 aviation modeller.But,you have missed out that great range of books produced by Harleyford Publications that covered several areas of early aviation.They were quite expensive at the time,and I was fortunate enough to receive for a Christmas present sometime in the 1960's,'Fighter aircraft of the 1914-1918 war',which I still have,albeit minus its dust jacket,which is much cherished and well read.A couple of years ago I managed to pick up 'Air aces of the 1914-1918 war',again the dust jacket is missing,its cost about £25.The store also had nearly the whole range of all their titles,but price dictated that I couldn't really afford them as they were around the £50 mark.The dust jacket painting,which was repeated inside was an inspiration,similar to the box art that Roy Cross produced for Airfix,into letting fly the imagination of a boy(and a grown man!) and occuring him to attempt a scale model. Aaah,happy days,and I think with the range of kits,aftermarket and books available today,that interest is on the increase.(And that Peter Jackson has a lot to answer for too,I'd like him to have a word with my bank manager and SWMBO!) Dave.

Thanks Dragonlance,and 487 Sqdn,thanks for the link to that method with the tinfoil,also read the blog,brilliant stuff,inspirational. Dave.

Very nice build.How did you get the corrugations on the internal skinning with the tin foil,and overcome its fragile nature?What airscrew did you use?I've got the Roden kit but have not started it yet due to mainly the lack of detail on the interior and was wondering how to overcome the problem. Dave.