Selwyn

Rich, be careful how you cut the other side, so the fuel filler ends up in the right place! Selwyn

I agree, Just look at the prices of new Airfix releases, especially the excellent Swordfish and then compare the list prices to the Hasegawa kits. They are living on a different planet! I believe The Airfix offerings are moulded in the far east and shipped to Uk the same as the Hasegawa kits, so the costs argument doesn't add up. and I refuse to believe that Airfix can be selling at a loss. Irrespective of the exchange rate I believe somewhere in the Hasegawa sales route someone is involved in excessive profiteering, or it may be just that their RRP is too excessive. Whatever is happening hasegawa kits are definately off my shopping list until they get real. I have recently happily paid £31 for a great big box Packed full of plastic (Revell 1/24 scale Routemaster) so paying upwards of £50 for a 1/72 Phantom that was a new 20 + years ago is not justifiable however good the kit is. Selwyn Selwyn

Lovley build Vitor particularly love the AMRAAMS. Little Criticism - The radome should be coloured grey BS 626 Camoflage grey, (All Typhoon radomes whatever country, are moulded in this colour). Selwyn

Julien absolutely right! The BL755 was classified as a soft skin weapon, and was stored in what was known as a cage. This was a solid base that the bomb sat in and it was then covered by a rubber cover that was slid into a slot on the base. The bottom of the rubber cover had what I can only describe as an inflatable skirt (bit like a bicycle inner tube) that was then inflated in the slot to give a good seal between the base and the cover, and then the air was pumped out of the inside to "vacuum pack" the weapon. the whole thing was then surrounded by a flimsy cage to protect it. Sounds good but it was a bit of a pain to maintain, as they would leak and the dumpies (guys who work in the bomb dump)would have to repack them again and again! There was never a Practice BL755 the only ones you would see were Drill (painted Oxford Blue and marked Not for flight) If I just had a pound for every one I winched up on pylons.........! I could probably still do it in my sleep! Selwyn

Simon you would never see 1000lb practice and CBLS carriers together, and you never carried Rocket pods and 1000lb together. The 4lb Practice bomb simulated the 1000lb bomb release so the config was always 100gal tanks on inboard pylons, and either CBLS, rocket pods, or 1000lb practice bombs on the outboard. Sometimes a single 1000lb prac would be carried on the centreline but with nothing on the outer pylons. The only time you would really see a GR3 without 100 gal tanks would be on Field deployment in Germany. The 1000lb practice bomb replicates the 1000lb live HE bomb in mass and shape. It would be Painted Deep Saxe blue ( a light blue in colour) but the tail unit would be Deep Bronze Green, 4lb bombs were painted DSB overall. The CBLS were NATO green in colour as were the rocket pods but you did see the occasional bare metal pod. Selwyn

from my memory of Bombing up at 233 OCU Wittering 1979/ 1981, If you want to do it in a "everyday" scheme, for bombing training Two CBLS 100 on the outer wing pylons with 4X 4Lb (later on 4 X 3 KG practice bombs) or sometimes 2 X 28 Lb proctice bombs (Later 2 X 14 KG PB's) or if rocket training two M155 18 shot SNEB cans which was, along with guns the norm for daily range training sorties. Very occasionally 1000Lb Inert practice bombs (light blue) with No117 retard tails. In Germany 1981-1983 4(AC) Squadron, Gutersloh, The same as above but with Centerline Recce pod. Field deployments were no tanks and 4 X BL755 Cluster bombs, always Drill weapons. (not flown) Live weapons were very rarely dropped in training, I only loaded live 1000lb for training about three times in my time on the GR3. (Never BL755) There was severe restrictions on where you were allowed to drop them. I think the only place in the UK you could drop live 1000lb bombs was Garvie island near Cape Wrath in Scotland.

Looks a bit clean and shiney for a Danish Hun! must have just gone through a recent repaint! Selwyn (Ducking for cover and whimpering in the corner!) Seriously, a really super build, I love the paint. A Query: Shouldn't it have had a MB mk 5 seat? I thought all Huns in Danish service had them retrofitted, but I am ready to be convinced otherwise!

Whirlybird accessories do a tail conversion for the airfix mk 9 to 1/4/5 and another one for the mk 7. To do the other marks use the earlier tailpipes but it means surgery on the nose cones as well, to depict the US radar fit. The mk 7 8 & 9 used Firestreak (Not sidewinder!) To do Mk 7 and below the wings have various different configs (depending on the mark) of the vortex generators. Gun ports vary, the leading edge of the Mk 8/9 Droops compared to the earlier marks. Another thing to look out for is for the tailplane, early marks did not have a flying tailplane, later ones did. Check your references! Selwyn

Just a quick one, I have spent a bit of time in a past life clambering in and out of GR3 intakes, and this picture does not seem to be ringing any memory bells. Are you sure that this is not a picture of a GR5-9 intake? I would double check if I were you. Selwyn

I am so amazingly happy to see these markings! Selwyn (Ex 4 (AC) Squadron, liney Armourer 1980-82)

Dave. The live bomb used nowadays is the Mk 20. The Bombs in Spikes pictures are probably Mk 22 inert. RAF Phantoms probably used Mk 13 live, Mk 15 inert as these marks were the norm in that time period. This Bomb mark number thing isn't a problem however, as basically the only way you can really tell the differences between Postwar British 1000lb bomb marks are by reading the Data plate or stencilling! They are all the same shape and size. the differences being mainly in the fill or lug configs. Mk 6-9 all had single point suspension (all long obsolete) all marks after twin lugs. (not really noticable on a pylon in 1/72) the only difference in the bomb outline in all that time would be the 960 prox sensor, being fitted with a nose fuze of some type, or by the type of tail unit fitted. The Tail units used by the Phantom are still the same as used on Tornado, so no problem! Selwyn

Dave if you look at the three bombs in the picture in Spikes thread,(link above) the central bomb is a UK Paveway II, the bomb on the right is a 1000lb bomb fitted with a Tail mounted No 960 fuze complete with a Proximity sensor assembly on its nose. (the green fairing and Oxford Blue more pointy nose!) This configuration was introduced for Tornado in 1980 and long after the Phantom was used for ground attack. The bomb on the left of the Paveway is a 1000lb bomb (no tail) without a proximity sensor, and this shows what a 1000lb bomb nose would look like if it was fitted to a Phantom. (i.e. Just the nose plug) This bomb in service would be fitted with a No 947 tail mounted fuze. In your post you are getting mixed up with the No 960 and the No 952 fuze, which are two different fuzes and not interchangable in any way. the 952 was a nose only fuze and replaced the nose plug, it had its own built in proximity antennas. It was silver in colour and looked, in simple terms, like a small beer tankard with two handles. The 952 and 947 fuzes were last used to my knowledge in gulf war 1 in 1991. I believe they are no longer in the inventory. There was If I remember a famous picture at that time of a 1000lb bomb fitted with a 952 about to be loaded, it was in front of a Jaguar with a couple of guys with rifles. I remember being a bit suprised at seeing it at that time! This fuze configuration could also be found on Phantoms in the 1970's. Selwyn

You could have done a Real one of this for Gulf War one. At Dharan the RSAF Hawks were all sat there ready to go with a gunpod and two BL755 cluster Bombs on the wings looking good in the RSAF camo scheme! I must admit I don't know if they ever flew any missions though. The Six Kuwaiti Hawks that escaped the Iraqi Invasion I believe flew a few Ground attack missions from Saudi Arabia on the first Day/Night of the invasion until the Soudis stopped them. Selwyn

Yes its the Tilly Problem! A Wartime built Tilly, of a type not used by the RAF, in Pre war Colour scheme, with mid to late Wartime markings! Tamiya should be hung drawn and quartered for poor research! both Look good made up though! But I think some Erk would be on a Fizzer to let his Spit get so dirty! Selwyn

I know british Tallboy Bombs were trialled on B29 Bombers in 1945. Was this weapon ever put into service by the Americans? Could be an interesting diorama. Selwyn

Read the Data carefully! It has to be the Mk III, as the others (Mk I and II) did not have suspension lugs, so they were only loaded in Small bomb containers. Selwyn

Happyness is watching pretty Wrens loading some Smoke Float No1 to a light series carrier! Selwyn

The RAF ground equipment from that time should be in Standard Camoflage Colour 2 (SCC 2) a Brown Colour (not aircraft Dark Earth!) which was a Army vehicle colour. All RAF WW2 vehicles and ground eqipment used it as a base colour post 1941 until 1944 when UK Olive Drab (different to US OD) appeared on new vehicles. I assume that any new GE was also painted this colour, but usually the policy was that the Brown was still used until stocks ran out. I don't think RAF GE was "camoflaged" I haven't seen anything to suggest otherwise, but it was just left in the SCC2 base colour, but I could be convinced otherwise with Photo evidence! I believe that there were still lots of SCC2 painted equipment around in 1948 when the RAF reverted back to Blues. White Ensign produce SCC2.It is perhaps a little light than it should be, but looks ok as it gives a "scale effect" quite nicely. Selwyn

If you are looking to make your own patterns for the light series carrier you might have problems getting photo's / details of the LS carriers and Type A Electro Magnetic Release units as they are, believe it or not, still "in service " items! Can still be used as an option on Helo's like Lynx and Merlin I believe, and was a fit on the late lamented Nimrods. (yes even the new one!) I am sure you can find details for 40lb bombs on the net, the colour scheme would be overall buff with a red nose band and a Eau De Nil (pale green!) band around its widest point. Selwyn

where's the golf club container? Every Lakenheath / Upper Heyford F111 I ever saw (even on a "Emergency" landing!) at RAF bases in the UK and Germany had a pylon mounted container with two sets of golf clubs in it. (nothing else - just golf clubs!) Us RAF Lineys always thought that they came with this item fitted as standard! Selwyn

I haven't seen the Revell Bombs, but if as I suspect they are moulded with a nose mounted proximity sensor fitted, (not a fuze) the bomb nose would actually have to be profiled to a much sharper point rather than "rounder" to make them accurate for that time period. The proximity sensor fit came in in the early 1980's with the Tornado. Also if you are intending to paint them in the operational Deep Bronze Green colour, the yellow 2" Hazard band should be much closer to the nose (about 4" from the nose IIRC) than would be seen on the Tornado. This band was repositioned later on when they started to use Paveway kits, as the Paveway nose fairing obscured the existing band, so it was moved further aft on the bomb body to make it visible when used as a LGB. Selwyn

The green the bomb was painted was "Bronze green" can be found as a British armour colour. selwyn

Nothing personal, but can I just say it may not be sensible to store your fireworks in front of your fire?!!! Selwyn

I feel you might be as nutty as a fruit cake and in need of serious psyco examination doing this! Saying that - can you delay the show until I get there?!!! Selwyn PS My personal cunning plan is that when I finally pop my clogs and shuffle off this mortal coil, my body will be cremated, ashes then packed in a the head of a large firework rocket and blasted in a shower of pretty colours into the ether. But looking at this I may opt for a vertical launch 1/32 scale F104 Starfighter!

Great "Frightening" Bill! Don't know about AMW, but I do hope the "AA" on the tail does not refer to any meetings you have to go to on a regular basis! Selwyn