MikeR

As Ray_W's posted, as decals, they're excellent with good colour registration and density, even if some details can be incorrect. They're also thin with great adhesion, so don't try to move them around too much as things like serials will curl back on themselves if you aren't careful. Place them onto the model as close to their final position as possible and work from there. Mike.

Could be one of the production team was a modeller. Nice that they included it. Mike.

Sorry to be "that guy"() but the Fletcher was a "Round Bridge" unit whilst the Sullivans was a "Square Bridge" one, so it would be the USS Cushing boxing you'd need. Navsource is a great site for anything US Navy related with a massive selection of photographs. ModelWarships.com also has a 105 page megathread on the class with loads of excellent photos too. Mike.

Currently reading this new release from Helion and Company: First heard about this campaign when I was reading the Bolitho series book "Command a King's Ship" by Alexander Kent/Douglas Reeman when I was teenager. Apparently both Suffren and Hughes were, er.... big lads who liked their food! Mike.

A German modeller did the same thing with the 1/700 Flyhawk kit not long after the kit was released: LINK. The article is in German, but gives a rough idea of what he did. Mike.

Nicely done! If I remember correctly, this was originally issued by AMT as part of a three piece adversary set along with a Klingon Bird of Prey and a Ferengi Marauder. Never bought that one, but I did have the ToS, TMP and TNG Enterprise set. Mike.

The price difference was a major facter in my decision to "curb my enthusiasm" and wait for the SH kit! I still went ahead and bought a MV IIIB as I wanted a two seater, though. Not sure I want to try and graft the MV IIIB nose onto an SH kit, so I'll just have to live with any visual dissonance between the two kits! Mike.

It's possible the release of the Modelsvit kit might have had an impact. As the IIIC/B only had a maximum of four users, unless your building an example of every unit that operated the type, most people would, I suspect, only buy one or two kits at most. I'll be honest, if I had purchased the Modelsvit IIICJ beforehand, I wouldn't have bought the Special Hobby example I did. Mike.

Very nice indeed! I have both the Kajika and Fujimi kits of Hiei as an "Alpha and Omega" comparison, but I'm very tempted to built the Kajika as per the photo Melchie posted. The intermediate period between the original tripod and the full pagoda configurations is fascinating. Mike.

Profile Morskie did books on the Baltimore, Nashville, Savannah and Helena. The first three all being late war fits whilst Helena was "as sunk". As it's fairly evident Trumpeter use the Morskies as a basis for their kits, it'll be one of those four.

Finally managed to get a copy of this courtesy of a secondhand book seller in Norwich via Amazon, a mere 18 years after it's publication! From Hannants, one of these: Mike.

I'd need at least two. The RAF SEAC one here and a RAAF New Guinea based example!

The only certainty will be that whatever Eduard releases will delight some and disappoint others. A new 1/72 MiG-21Bis would be welcome, but a WW2 type it isn't and I suspect that's where the really big bucks lie. So a WW2 type is a reasonable guess.

Another thing to add is currency fluctuations. Most of the Chinese produced kits were very cheap in relative terms to start off with, now they're very expensive. An arguably overvalued Chinese currency versus a weak UK pound means I have to very choosy about which kits I choose to buy. I'd rather like one of the new Vee Hobby 1/700 USS Cleveland kits or the Flyhawk Matapan period HMS Formidable in the same scale, but they're both waaaaay too expensive. Mike.

I can't really help with the paints, but I can for kit recommendations. For the Texas, there's the Trumpeter kit, but it's her late war fit festooned with AA guns, so backdating it would be a substantial undertaking. You'd probably need to replace the main deck completely rather than try to remove all the gun tubs. Arizona has the Dragon kit, but it hasn't been released for while and might be hard to find. IIRC, there's a HobbyBoss kit as well but it's on the basic side. Flyhawk have done the Iron Duke in her WW1 fit, but it's "arm and a leg expensive". Trumpeter have done a 1931 boxing of the Hood with an aircraft catapult on the quarterdeck, shouldn't be too difficult to get, I would think. Finally, the Royal Oak has only been done in resin, by WSW and Orange Hobby. Both are in her as-lost in 1939 condition, so would also need backdating. Hope that helps, Mike.

I was thinking along the lines of potential top weight issues, particularly once you get radar fitted. The only reason for York's high bridge was a requirement to clear a catapult fitted atop B turret, which was never designed, let alone built. Once that requirement was scrapped, Exeter was modified accordingly whilst on the stocks, York being too far advanced. Mike.

Some subjects are always more emotive than others, rightly or wrongly. Besides, with Simon Kohler in charge Hornby/Airfix are aiming for the British-centric nostalgia market, the Alabama doesn't fit that. Not that maritime subjects are a strong point for Airfix at the moment. That may change, of course. Mike.

Hi peeps, I've recently acquired the new 1/700 Trumpeter kit of the HMS York and, although I'll be building her in her final fit, I've had a random thought: If we assume that her damage from Suda Bay was nowhere near as bad as it was in real life, what modifications would have been done to her if she'd returned to the UK? I can think of the following: 1. Twin 4 inch replacing the singles. 2. A pair of octuple Pompoms being fitted, most likely aft of the bridge where there's room for them. 3. Possible changes to the torpedo mounts as per her half-sister Exeter. 4. Radar fitted, perhaps a search radar replacing the catapult and Walrus in addition to the likely gunnery sets. 5. Lastly, here's the biggie: alterations to her bridge as I believe there were plans to lower it as early as 1937. I'm particularly intrigued as to what the last likely mod would've entailed. A cut and shut of the existing structure or something completely new? Anyone any thoughts or ideas? Mike.

I can't see Airfix going anywhere near the Alabama, not a British subject (even though she was British built) and the history tied to it is way too hot a potato. Mike.

Agreed, I think 3d printed resin panels designed for a specific kit would be the way forward. A bit like zimmerit sets, but on steroids! Mike.

AK-Interactive and Eduard have had a go in 1/35 using photoetch. Not sure how easy or not it is to use but I'd imagine it'd require a bit of effort to make the most out of it. Like the current penchant for digital camo it does add to the challenge of modelling modern military vehicles. Think I'll stick to historic stuff, much easier! Mike.

Which for those of us who aren't from the Clyde Valley area can find a bit exasperating. It's a bit like assuming everyone South of the Border speaks Estuary English, which we all know is far from the truth. I blame the TV and Film casting types. Mike.

As someone from the North East of Scotland, specifically Aberdeen, I'm not going to mention what we sound like, or how we pronounce things. All that I shall disclose is that we when we let rip with our native accent and speech pattern, even Glaswegians have difficulty understanding us...... Mike.

One of my other pastimes is playing games and lately I've delved into the world of mobile game called "Arknights". Apparently it's what's called a tower defence game, all I know is that you really need to be aware what the various characters actually do in terms of their skills. If you don't, you lose. Quite badly, in fact! Currently there's an event called "Il Siracusano" running which fills in the background of two of the more popular characters, Texas and Lappland. Basically, their both ex-Mafia who have tried to escape their mobster pasts. What makes this event rather unusual is the number and quality of the animation features released alongside the event. What's even more unusual is that the game developers, Hypergryph, have included Italian language voice packs for the Siracusan characters. First off, here's the preview for the alternate version of Texas tied in with the event (mobile games seem to love having multiple versions of the same character!), Texas the Omertosa. This one is VERY heavy with the Godfather vibes! Next is my personal favourite, the event teaser which is based on Chapter 6 of the event: I thought I'd share these as I think they have been so well done! Mike.

Nasty scuff mark on her port quarter. Wonder what happened? Mike.