JohnMacG

As far as the camo goes the info I have is that it was standard RAF camo pattern & paints but with a semi-gloss lacquer finish (over PAINTED aluminium undersides). The only info I can find re the guns is "one fixed & one flexible 7.65mm guns".

Did the Belgian AF's Battles have aVGO in the rear gunner's position (a la RAF) or did they have a Browning there (as on other Belgian AF a/c?)

The old Frog B-17E kit had decals for "Suzy-Q", a very early B-17E that fought in, and survived, the disastrous Java campaign of early '42 These decals ain't too hard to find. This IS a very early B-17E with the remote control belly turret.

I'm sorry,but I can't work out how to post pics on here, so if someone who does know contacts me directly at - zzzzzzzJohnMacG6@hotmail.com (remove the z's) and I'll email you the pics so you can post them here.

I'll be delighted to share my pics once I work out how to add pics on this site! (My worn out eyesight again!)

I built tris kit some years ago as the Thai version. The engine provided in the kit is totally useless - FAR too small, more 1/72nd than 1/48th! I used an Aeroclub white metal repladement - no idea about its' availability now. Also the whell spats are far too small, they're too small for any of the versions in the kit. I was lucky enough to go o the Thai AF museum in Bangkok and actually measure the spats on their example.

Anybody have any idea about the C.Ve's interior colour? (I'm doing a camo'd Dsnish a/c.)

Carlos, thanks for the reply! that's the kit I was thinking about - quite rare now, and really expensive whenever it comes up on E-Bay. Thanks dor the drawings of the various engine cowlings - I can see how the conversion COULD be done, but it does difficult. Definately one to think sbout.........

OK, so I'd like a SB-2M103 - the later version with the 'refined' engine cowls. There is a kit of the -2M103 version (by ICM, I think), but it's rare, and when it comes up on e-bay it's waaaaaay out of my price range. Now, I seem to remember, MANY years ago a conversion article (in Airfix mag?) using the engine cowls from an Airfixz Pe-2 grafted on to an SB-2M-100 kit to produce a -2M103. Am I imagining this, or is this actually possible? I,ve compared the two on Google Images and the engines of the two a/c do seem very similar.

.Omer, Robert Forsyth's book 'Mistel' has a colour picture of 'Red 6'. It's given as a Mistel I at Burg a/f in April 1945, operating against the Oder Bridges, east of Berlin. The Bf109 looks like an 'F' (or an early 'G' - it's impossible to see.) It's in standard 74/75/76 and the tsil band is yellow. The code in the centre of the fuselage cross is '57' and the '57' is repeated in the centre of the underwing crosses. Forsyth has the spinner bottom black with a white front section. Everything you have on the Ju88 looks correct, except I couldn't make out any fuselage codes on Forsyth's pic. (maybe just my aging eyes!) One last point - the canopy hood on these Mistel '109s seem to have clear glass side panels - i.e. no central strut.

For anyone looking for the camo pattern of the Belgian Buffalos there's a pic here - http://www.belgian-wings.be/Webpages/Navigator/Photos/MilltaryPics/interbellum/Brewster%20339B%20Buffalo/Brewster%20339B%20Buffalos%20on%20Bearn.html This shows the six Belgian Buffalos on the French aircraft carrier 'Bearn', the ones that were later to be dumped on Martinique.

Sorry, it was issue #28 of @Aero Jourmal' noot ~32. Old age, you see!

It seems likeky that AX805 (as modelled above) was the ONLY 805Sq Buffalo to carry the unit badege. The now defunct French mag 'Aero Journal', #32 (Dec 02-Jan 03), has an article on thre UK use of theex-Belgian Buffalos; there are a couple of pics of 80Sq machines in Egypt - AS415 & 420 - neither has ANY markings other than the A/C serial.. There are pics of the Cretan Buffalos, they don't have the unit badge either. AX814 carries the black codes '7Y' high up on the rear fuslage between the rear of the cockpit glazing and the leading edge of the fin. As to the camo....well theairccraft did have the Belgian matt aluminium undersides overpainted in Sky, but my tired ol' eyes can't tell if the uppersurfaceswere repainted too. The Belgian a/c seemingly were painted in US equivalent to dk eart/gk green and the camo pattern was very similar to, but not identical to, the RAF camo pattern. So MAYBE the FAA just kept tyhe original Belgian camo? So maybe someone with sharper eyesight than mine can confirm one way or the other.

Well, this is probably obvious, but 'Bloody Shambles' Vol.2has some pics that may be of use to you, plus a description of the air fighting over Ceylon in April '42. Now, anybody know of a pic of a Ceylon-based 788 Sq Swordfish?

I'm not aure if this book has been mentioned before, but you should try and find the book "Skua!" - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Skua-Dive-Bomber-Peter-C-Smith/dp/1844154556/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366551392&sr=1-3 which, although a history of Blackburn Skua, includesa full history of the Roc as well - service history as well as development. The Roc did see a fair bit of service use, particularly over Dunkirk, but also over the North Sea during the Norwegian cMPAIGN. and it was used from RN carriers. The big problem with the Roc over the North Sea was its' inferior range (compared to the Skua), which meant it couldn't work in conjunction with the Skua. The reason for this is simple, when you think about it. The Skua's radio set-up was in the rear fuselage. It coulsn't be there in the .roc because of the turrt, hence it was placed in the port fuselage, just in front of the turret (so thae gunner could, with a lot of difficulty, operate it. This in turn meant a reduction in size of the port fuselage fuel tank. Smaller fuel tank = less fual = less range. So operating together with the Skua reall;y wasn,t an option. Incidentally, the Skua! book has drawings of the rear cockpit fom the A/C's handbook, showing that the Speciall Hobby's 1/48th scale Skua's rear pit assembly is completely mythical.

Yep, that's the pic I have. Notice how the original Soviet starsare 'bleeding through' the Mongolian markings, at least on the tail. Now, how about somebody having a spareset of the Mongolian decal from the Airfix Il-2?

A week or two ago somebody was asking about the Mongolian A/C portrayed in the Airfix kit. I was having password problems before, but that's sorted now, so if whoever was looking for a pic of this A/C contacts me directly at- JohnMacG6@hotmail.com I'll send you a jpeg pic. BTW, does anyone have a set of those Mongolian decals from the Airfix kit (a suitable exchange can be negotiated); following the Great Coffee Cup Disaster of January '13, I have a more-or-less finished Il-2 awaiting a new set :-( TIA, John MacG

Did all Magisters have the rear fuselage strakes? If not, when were they introduced? TIA

I read somewhere (cas#n't remember where, my aging memory, you see....) that the float-Roc was an experiment to see if it replsce the Seafox and float-Swordfish on board the RN's battleships & cruisers - the idea being that the Roc's power turret would provide it with at least some kind of defence. Also, I seem to recall that a few Rocs were converted to float a/c. At least one went to Bermuda (before it had an airfield) asa target-tug.

If you go to - http://blog.goo.ne.jp/summer-ochibo/ you'll find some pics of Hurricane IIAs captured by the Japanese at Singapore in February 1942, probably at Kallang..BM208:O is quite familiar, but I've never seen the pic of BM904:F before. Now, I have a couple of queations for your consideration; 1 - what do you think the camo of these a/c was? Desert scheme or brown/green? 2 -on BM208 there seems to be a rank pennant under the cockpit. What rank? 3 -again on '208 there's a white 'dot' with white semi-circular lines under it on top of the engine cowl. A personal marking? Or what?

The Smith Skua! book is currently available from Amazon.co.uk for £15-16. HTH

One very important point about the Smiyh book *Skua!) is that it has drawings, from the official aircraft handbook, of the Skua's interior. Thiese show that particularly the rear cokpit (gunner's seat) in the SH kit is totally mythical. The book also covers the Roc as well.

Nicolai, if I understand you correctly, you have a 1/72nd 'Fresco A' kit and would prefer to have a 'Fresco C'; now, I have the Dragon MiG-17F kit, but would prefer to do a 'Fresco A', so, if you would like to swap the tail assembly bits from your 'Fresco A' for the tail assemby parts from my MiG-17F, please contact me direct at - JohnMacG6@hotmail.com You can have the decals from the Dragon kit (they're for Chinese, North Vietnamese, Egyptian, Polish & Czech a/c). What decals does Bilek provide with their 'Fresco A' kit? BTW, I'm in the UK Regards, John MacG

those Aeroclub 'eams head' exhausts - the tag on the glasine packet they're in has the # V009 Secondly, colour pics of the Hartbees in the SAAF Museum (just Google Image "Hawker Hartbees" to find these) is currently displayed in what seems to be a Dark Green/Earth/some kind of light blue scheme. Now, of course, this IS a museum exhibit, etc., etc. One other thing about the Hartbees; did it have two forward-firing guns, as pics seem to suggest? Lastly, how DOES one currently contact John from Aeroclub?

'ram's head' exhausts - Aeroclub did a set in white metal (1/72nd scale). I've got a set, somewhere................