Harry Lime

The finish was bare metal, not painted. KM118 QV-X would fit your request, a port side photo appeared in Airfile 19 RAF Mustang Mk IVs in the November 2009 MAM. Unfortunately my lack of a scanner means I can't send it to you! Mark.

It is rather 'warts and all' isn't it?!

Nick, Thanks for getting back to me, much appreciated. I had noted the camo undersides to the main wings, the red/blue roundel and the darker camo part to the rear of the gun pod but hadn't registered the tail plane undersides so thanks for pointing that one out. I have an image of XV778 from August 1979 that clearly shows by then he was a Flt Lt, but fairly sure one of my written refs somewhere says he was a Fg Off during the '77 Belize deployment. I'm assuming the dark area aft of the airbrake is the panel covering the space that was eventually used to house the AN/ALE-40 dispensers later in the GR3's life? I'm presuming it's been swapped out from a wrap-around camo machine in the same way the back end of the cannon housing has been too. It'd be nice to be able to pin down what the artwork on the laser-nosed GR3 is, my suspicion is that it is the double palm tree artwork shown on the image on p.88 of 'Harrier' by Tim McLelland which was an XZ serialled machine, unfortunately the rest of the serial can't be made out. Thanks, Mark.

I'm hoping someone can confirm or otherwise if Harrier XV778 'Beech Buggy' had the artwork on both sides of the tail fin. All the images I have in various publications show this airframe from the port side, it seems that none in the public domain are taken from the starboard side. I did manage a screen grab from this film on Youtube that suggests it was, but it really is a blink and you'll miss it moment and isn't definitely of XV778. It did however (once again from the starboard side!! ) provide a few other details. If anyone has an image of the starboard side they can share, please do! Mark.

Superb looking model. Real quality on show, from the base kit through to the finish and panel variations. I really like it! Mark.

Always nice to see a Mustang in an unusual scheme, this one looks really good. Nice touch with the filled panel lines on the wings too. Mark.

JagRigger, I'm having a D'oh moment here as I completely forgot that option on that decal sheet. Especially since I had it out a few weeks ago to look over in anticipation of the Italeri re-release of their S-55/H-19 kit. Pete, nice image, but I should've said the yellow ones in the SAR role. Mark, much appreciated. From the image I have of XP346 being towed back along the roads to Akrotiri, I'd say it was 'Spades'. Since your records say XD184 was 'Clubs' that would just about confirm it. Thank you very much for the replies so far, all very helpful! Mark.

Can't believe I've missed this until now! Utterly stunning, really superb finish made all the more so by being brush painted. Mark.

Folks, I have run into a bit of a brick wall when trying to find images of 84 Squadron's Westland Whirlwind HAR.10's in Cyprus during 1979 and I'm hoping that someone here on Britmodeller can help me out! The usual image sources (ABPics, Airliners.net, Flickr etc.) haven't got any and the 84 Sqn Association website has a couple of dits but no clear images. I've trawled through my library to no avail as well. Anything that shows the serial number and the playing card symbol would be a great help to completing my 1/72 'Front Line 1979' project. If you'd rather not share images here, please PM me for my email and they will go no further than my hard drive. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer! Mark.

Indeed it does. Yes it would. Mark.

Probably Dark Green as that is what that area of the camo scheme would be painted from the factory. When repainted in Mid Stone for the desert camo, it is the Dark Green areas that are redone. You can see this on some aircraft that have a 'box' around the serial number where it was simply masked over rather than having to re-apply the serial number. Mark.

A really superb effort! The weathering is particularly pleasing to my eye, spot on. Mark.

A superb looking trio of subjects you don't normally see! Fantastic work. Mark.

Simply stunning! The weathering is just perfect. Mark.

It may be the case that there are photos of them, just in company archives rather than in the public domain. @canberra kid might be able to turn something up, he has certainly come up with some cracking images/AP details for other types! The DB Harriers by comparison would be considered the 'shiny new tech' of the day and would be well publicised so would make sense that they are well photographed and that those images are out in the public domain. Mark.