Boltcropper

Thats afirmative Captain! Thanks for the photos, I also thought it must have received a pre gateguard respray, maybe it was given BG on all upper surfaces for speed and ease of finishing? This could also explain the none standard finish of the wing tanks lacking their usual colour 2 x colour demarcation. The spacing you highlight in the registration lettering is also noted, certainly will make for an interesting model when I get round to it....just waiting for the delivery of a Fujimi FGR2 I found on Ebay!

No problem Mike....We've all done it! I was acctually there the day these photos were taken by a colleague of mine. I was working and by coincidence he was over there taking some general shots of XT914. When I explained my plan to make the gate guard model in 1/72 he was only too happy to take loads of close ups for me!..and of course by putting them on his site it means that many other modellers and F4 enthusiasts can benefit from them. In addition, he gave me permission to mention his site in any correspondance I had in the course of my reserach on XT914. What a good egg he is!

Thanks for the feedback Bill, I totally agree that with weathering a paint scheme of not too disimilar greys can fade to such a degree that the original demarcation is all but lost. And you are spot on about the wing tanks frequently being seen finished in MSG uppers and LACG lowers. In fact I have an in service photo of XT914 plainly showing this. However, the photos of XT914 on the website www.simply planes.co.uk show the aircraft shortly after its delivery to RAF Brampton being lifted into position (1992 or 1993?). These photos show the paintwork in a new shiny, pristine condition before any influence by the elements had altered the finish. In these shots the upper wing leading edges appear to be the same Barley Grey colour as the fuselage. Furthmore, there is definately no plain demarcation line visible on the wingtanks, the tanks look all one colour. Photos I shot recently dated 10 Aug 2011 show this is still the case, in fact the rear section of the wingtanks protected from the effects of sun and weather beneath the wings still have a very noticeable sheen as per the original finish, in contrast the forward exposed section, has definately taken on a matt finish like the rest of the upper airframe. Both tanks are finished in an all over LACG colour. Having physically examined the aircraft again to double check the upper wing colour, I'm still 99% sure they are finished in Barley Grey and not the expected MSG. Admittedly, on overhead photos such as Google Earth they do look darker than the fuselage. However, when viewing the upper surfaces close up on site it can plainly be seen that, over time a heavy film of moss and grime has built up on and become ingrained on the horizontal surfaces giving the impression of a darker upper surface The photos I have show areas where the airfame was recently jet washed and brushed in an attempt to 'tidy it up'. The areas where the grime was successfully shifted definately appear to be the same weathered grey hue as the fuselage. At the end of the day, as you rightly say Bill its one of those instances of personal inerpretation. Therfore, based on the current photographic & physical evidence I have (unless anyone out there categorically knows how XT914 was finished just prior to being 'gate guarded') I'll stick with all over Barley Grey upper surfaces and LACG lowers...but watch this space!

Many thanks, I will get hold of a Fujimi kit asap!

I am aiming to build a diorama of the RAF Brampton gate guard Phantom XT914 FGR 2 as it looked when it first arrived at the unit in the early 90's. Its been a while since I built an RAF phantom model and I am wondering if anyone can advise me which manufacturer currently produces an accurate Spey engined model I can use as starting point in 1/72. Also is there a cannon pod currently available in resin? I have scratchbuilt one previously but a resin item would be so much better. The paintwork, particularly on the upper surfaces, is now quite weathered but the demarcations between the greys used in the scheme are still discernable. However, the whole upper surface of the wings inboard of the folding section, appear to be finished in the same Barley Grey BS4800.18B.21 as the fuselage (not Medium Sea grey 637). Archive images I have found seem to back this up so I'm assumining at the end of its service life XT914 was finished with overall Barley grey upper surfaces, can anyone confirm this? Having had a good look underneath the aircraft recently I can confirm that the lower surfaces, including the gun pod and wing tanks, are all finished in Light Aircraft Grey 627 As an additional matter of interest, to anyone attempting the same build of this gate guard as myself in 1/72. When it comes to replicating the brick pattern on the circular mounting pinth, I highly reccommend getting hold of the WILLS scenic materials pack (SSMP212 Brickwork - Plain Bond). Intended for railway modellers this set contains 4x sheets of very nicely embossed brick red plastic the OO scale (1/76) of which is perfect for replicating the plinths brick pattern, its certainly going to make my life a lot easier! Any feedback is much appreciated! Regards, Boltcropper

I have some interesting news for anyone out there wanting up to date photos of the RAF Brampton gate guard Phantom XT914. Firstly: I have been informed that due to the future plans to close RAF Brampton it is intended to relocate the Phantom gateguard possibly to RAF Wittering. However, this is not yet confirmed and no time frame is known. I will send an update when I hear more. Secondly: A colleague of mine has just taken lots of photos of the aircraft (dated 10 August 2011). Having been fortunate enough to be granted unlimited access to the aircraft these photos include good quality close ups of numerous aiframe details. I intend to make a model of this gate guard myself at some point and with decent photos of XT914 being next to impossible to find I can guarantee that his photos are well worth looking at! The photos are on the MobileMe Gallery of Mr Philip Murphy. You can find them at the following link. http://gallery.me.com/pjm07#100058 The album is called - RAF Phantom I am hoping to get access to the aircraft in order to take accurate measurements of the circular brick display plinth it is mounted on (height & diameter) so hopefully I'll be posting this here soon. As an IPMS member myself I'm also going to pass this on to the Phantom SIG.

Many thanks Dave, yours is the only feeback I've had so far I will certainly give PPRUNE a go......I'm that desperate for any info that I'm happy to hear any amount of war stories!

I am currently working on a historic 1/72 scale model diorama, depicting a Bell 47/Sioux helicopter in UN service during the 1970's. I am building this model for a friend who acctually flew 84 Squadron Whirlwinds and Bell 47's in Cyprus at the time. He states categorically the Bell 47's he flew were finished in an 'all white' paint scheme with the customary blue UN badges carried in place of the usual RAF/Army Roundel. However, I'm having no luck in finding any information/photos confirming this particular colour scheme or the style of any markings/lettering carried The only photos I can find anywhere show a restored AAC Bell 47 (XT223) finished in green with UN markings and customary pale blue areas on the tail and fuel tanks . If anyone can provide any information/photos from any angle, or know of anyone else I can contact who may be able to help me with the all white colour scheme I would be very gratefull. Just to let you know, In my attempts to resolve this issue I have so far been in contact with the 84 Squadron Members association, The Yorkshire Helicopter Preservation Group and the AAC museum at Middle Wallop. All have been extremely helpful but can find nothing relating to the all white colour scheme. In addition, as an IPMS UK, my enquiry has been included in the latest IPMS UK magazine.