tomprobert

Decal debacle over!! I’ve been re-enthused and have raided the spare decal stash and have cobbled together enough stencils to at least give a representation of a Vulcan - the green/grey camo previously damaged on the nose through stubborn decal removal has also been corrected and repaired. The roundels came from Xtradecal and I’m just waiting on delivery of some stencil lettering for the serial on the fin. Thankfully, I managed to salvage the Aeroclub fin badges and got them applied ok. I’ve also painted the smaller detail areas and it’ll soon be ready for some matt varnish. Air brakes, bomb bay and gear doors need adding first - a job for another day. Anyway - excuse the terrible lighting in my kitchen and the too-shiny appearance at the moment, but I think I’m back on track… More when there’s more… Tom

I'd be very happy to - I think a 1/48th example of a Stirling would be a really popular kit (along with a new-tool Halifax) and if HK are going to do the Sunderland and Halifax in 1/32nd I'd be hopeful they would do a 1/48th version of each too, as they did with the Lanc.

The Sunderland is massive in 1-32… …and the Halifax too! I have one of those built as well. In fact it seems HK is rumoured to be following my lead (by that I mean I spend 2+ years building one in vac and then HK release one!) so you can bet your bottom dollar a Stirling will be next!

It’s important to remember, gentlemen, that one mustn’t rush these things!

Thanks, Graham - it’s a lovely kit to build and even from the box it has some lovely detail. A super-detailer could have a field day if they so wished, however.

No - but I’ve been looking through the decal stash again this afternoon and I reckon I can cobble enough together stencil-wise to make it work…

The roundels and serials aren’t a problem as I have an Xtradecal sheet for them. It’s the many stencils that are causing the issue - I could leave them off but it would look a bit bland, but having had a rummage through my spares box I have a few odd stencils that may do the trick. They won’t be perfect, but I think I can make it work. I now just need to find the enthusiasm to repaint the affected areas… My other concern is the 44 Squadron badge on the tail and the City of Lincoln badges - I’m hoping if I trim very close to the artwork itself and remove the carrier film silvering will be kept to the minimum. I am going to give it a week or two and will then have a bash and some repairs. Still not in the mood for it to be honest.

Cheers, gents. I did some research and couldn’t find any pictures of 58 Sqn Hunters looking anything other than very clean, so that’s the way I replicated mine.

No worries - I’ve now got a beautiful British Airways decal sheet and this will, one day, be finished in the timeless Landor livery after BA took on the Caledonian DC-10 fleet. Cheers, Neil - and I agree the DC-10 is one beautiful bird. It’s a shame we don’t see much of them these days - only the occasional cargo hauler but even these are becoming a rare sight.

Thanks, Kev - it might make Telford if I ever overcome the decal issue! Yes indeed. There’s no point slogging on with a model if your heart is not in it. It’ll only end up causing more frustration and then, as you say, things start to go really wrong! I’ll come back to it one day, when the mood takes. Yes - they are the original decals. I imagine any kit if the same vintage will have the same issues unfortunately. And an aftermarket set would be splendid - but the market very small, I imagine! This is going to have to be a case of cobbling together but and bobs from other decal sheets - I’m not obsessed with accuracy so I’ll make something work… Tom

That is some incredible modelling, Neil.

Holy thread resurrection, Batman! I found this lurking forlornly in the back of my loft so did some work on it today. I filled in the cockpit windows I’d previously cut out as I have some photo-realistic decals from Authentic Airliners, and also rubbed all the fuselage joints down and made them good. Wheel bays have been made from plastic card previously (didn’t take any photos at the time) and I am now ready for a marathon scribing session… The tail is just plonked on for the photos and will be finished off and added as and when I’ve done the stabilisers and wings.

Greetings all, An Easter holidays completion from me - Revell's 1/32nd scale Hawker Hunter FGA.9 more or less OOB, other than some aftermarket decals from AeroMaster and some home-made FOD guards. This kit is really under-rated in my humble opinion - it has lots of detail OOB and beautiful surface detailing from a time when Revell were at the top of their game. I had no issues whatsoever with the build - it's about as close as you can get to building Lego - and it went together in a few days. Paints were Xtracolur enamels with a splash of Humbrol Matt Cote to finish it off. Some light weathering was done with Mig pastels. All in all a very enjoyable build - and it only cost me a tenner under the table at a show! All the best, Tom Hawker Hunter FGA.9, XG207, 58 Squadron, RAF Wittering, mid-1970s.

Hi Christian, I’m from England but have been in love with the Fortress since I can remember. When I was a wee lad my dad gave me a 1/48th Monogram B-17 to play with and my life long obsession with the Fortress began then and have never stopped! I even visited the US a few years back specifically to fly in a B-17 and what an experience that was! You are correct in saying that most restored B-17s are painted/restored incorrectly but this is due to conservation - painted interiors help prevent corrosion. Why interior green is usually used is still beyond me - although Yankee Lady is painted inside at least they’ve used Bronze Green which is the correct colour. Sentimental Journey is the most accurate warbird - she’s been left in her factory finish aluminium inside. Doors were indeed left in natural wood from the factory - the only exception is the one at the rear of the cockpit which was often (although not always) painted in Bronze Green on the flight deck side. However, this does seem to vary between airframes and batches. All other doors were unpainted. The nose compartment was unpainted in all models, with the exception of the rear bulkhead which was Bronze Green. Models up to mid-batch Fs left the factory with an olive green noise deadening material between the ribs and stringers, but this was deleted from production as it proved to be a fire hazard. Many had it removed when in service, too, revealing the natural aluminium beneath. This was also fitted in the radio room up to mid-batch Fs too, but the bulkheads were aluminium. Bomb bays were unpainted on all G models - including the racks. There were some F models which had their bays painted in Neutral Gray (Memphis Belle included) but I’ve not been able to pin down exact construction blocks yet - they do all seem to be Boeing built though. By the time the G model was in production, no paint was used - including on the doors. However, it does appear that there are some exceptions the rules above. Keep in mind over 12,000 B-17s were built in three different factories. Douglas built B-17s did seem to have more green used inside - I have managed to track down one image of a crashed B-17 and it appears the radio room walls were painted. It’s the only picture I’ve ever found showing paint in the radio room though. Also, with many parts manufactured and prepared by subcontractors, there was/is some variation. I have seen pictures of some ribs and stringers in Zinc Chromate Green primer, as well as other various interior parts. However, B-17s were never fully painted inside - at least I’ve never found a photo of one and the Boeing construction manuals specifically state that as such. What’s important to remember is unless you have a specific photo of the interior of a specific aircraft in time, no one can prove you right/wrong either way - and even if they did it’s your model so who cares!

Just be aware that the early versions of the Anigrand kit have the wing a scale 6 feet too far forward which ruins the look of the model. I believe later versions were corrected but it may be worth checking. Also, the whole cockpit and nose is totally wrong - again it can be corrected but it is a lot of work. I built the Combat vac a few years ago and it seems it was a direct copy of the Anigrand kit (or vice-versa) and it proved to be a lot of work to get it up to scratch. However, it was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately I think this will just exacerbate the problem - I’ll likely get silvering on top of silvering. I’ve resigned myself to another re-spray but have had enough for the time being. I’ve got plenty of other projects to keep me amused until the Vulcan juices start flowing again… I’ll definitely finish it but need a break as I’m fed up with the hassle!

That’s exactly the same method as I’ve used - and getting them off is now proving rather problematic..! I’ve got most of them off, but inevitably it’s damaged the paint - out with the masking and airbrush (again) it seems. I’m rapidly losing interest in this project as it’s becoming a real faff, so it may well be consigned to the loft for a while until I get the urge again.

@treker_ed has covered the colours above… and I believe Black Buck Vulcans were resprayed Dark Sea Grey on their lower surfaces for those missions. They also painted out the squadron badges and City of Lincoln emblems on the tail. In other news, I attempted to apply some decals yesterday… their age has conspired against me and they have silvered terribly - even over the super smooth gloss and a bed of future. Not happy. They’ll have to come off and I’ll need to raid the spares stash - which won’t be easy for some of the Vulcan specific stencils. One step forward, two back…

I’ve spent many years studying the interior colours of the B-17 and my research, although far from definitive, points to the following… - B-17 interiors of all models were unpainted with the exception of the flightdeck. Specifically the G model was as follows: - Exposed metal in this area was bronze (or dark dull) green, with olive green padding on the sidewalls. - The nose, bomb bay, radio room, rear fuselage and tail turret were left in natural aluminium. - Floors were natural wood with black anti slip mats fitted throughout. - Inside of wheel bays, engine cowls and flaps were all aluminium. - US Interior Green was never, at any point, used in B-17 production, despite it usually being plastered all over the insides of 99% of B-17 models built. The above info comes from studying probably thousands of WWII era pictures as well as the Boeing production manual so I’m fairly confident it’s accurate. If you want any more detail then do ask as I’ve got lots of extra detail if needed. To give Airfix credit, their interior paint instructions are pretty accurate in their new tool kit. Best regards, Tom

Cheers, Colin - the bomb bay was a lot of extra work but I feel worth it. Although sadly very little is seen when on the display table! Ha! The fact that this was already cut from the backing meant I didn’t feel so bad about building it. But, saying that, even if I did have a mint one I’d probably still build it - it would be very expensive loft insulation otherwise and kits are made to be built! Thanks, Mike - I did need to take a few deep breaths and step away as I was furious with myself. I’m glad I didn’t send it for a test flight though… Yes - being a private school I get closer to 4 weeks so plenty if bench time! I’ve actually got three builds in the queue and ready for paint so I’m making the most of time away from the classroom. Enjoy the sun - we could do with some of that here…

I’ve taken advantage of some time away from the classroom and have splashed some paint on the big brute of a Vulcan. Xtracolor enamels are my go-to paint brand - whilst they’re a bit ‘pongy’ and take a good 24hrs to cure, they’re bullet proof and provide a beautiful gloss finish perfect for decalling. I first sprayed the RAF Dark green, and then this was masked to give the hard edged camouflage pattern seen on the 1970s/1980s scheme - that’s a few hours of my life I won’t get back! It was when I was merrily spraying the Medium Sea Grey that disaster struck - I hadn’t secured the lid on the airbrush paint bottle properly (I think it was cross-threaded) and as I began working out from the centre of the model, I realised far too late that paint had been dripping out and all over the carefully applied green… I managed to take a step back and avoid putting my fist through the model and put it out of sight whilst I gathered myself after such a major setback! After a day or two to cool off, I stripped the whole lot off and began again - along with another 3 hours of masking time lost to the modelling gods. Anyway, over the next few days I got the main camo done - along with the Light Aircraft Grey undersides. 5 tins of paint later and here we are: It’ll now sit for a week to allow the paint to harden fully, before getting a good polish with some micromesh to remove the small paint ridges left over from masking and I can finish the detail painting before adding some decals. Until next time, Tom

Guilty.

A couple of interesting review videos for those interested: https://youtu.be/uGJOloLAgyc?si=du19_2H_T_77pFrQ https://youtu.be/ssavM_AzfZg?si=S5ExekwESFTOCucG

Good Lord that’s a beauty!

I have flown Qantas 747s a few times, and believe the one you refer to in the museum is VH-OJA which brought me home to Heathrow from Sydney once. In the back was a plaque commemorating the fact it was the then record holder for the longest non-stop flight - it flew London-Sydney non-stop as part of its delivery flight. On the same trip, I also got to fly on VH-OJB which was then painted in the first rendition of the 'Wunala Dreaming' scheme. Two special 747s on one trip was fantastic. To top it all off, on the next trip to Australia I came home on a 747SP which went like a rocket! Sadly, the SPs were retired shortly after.