MikeC

Nice. What was the unit, and where/when is it depicted?

Looks like the love child of a He111 and Ar196! Very well done indeed, I've never tried a Valom kit, but I understand they're not the easiest to get such good results from.

Nice Pony Well done for going off-piste rather than oob: it's very satisfying to know that you have a model that's slightly different, isn't it? Glad to see someone else realises that 8th Fighter Command consisted of more than the 357th and 56th FGs . It's a great little museum at Fowlmere, I agree. And I don't say that merely because they were kind enough to accept my 1/32 model of D "The Comet" for display last year.

Yes, they were definitely glazed, of course. I had a correspondence with the much-missed Edgar about protection from mud while taxying and on takeoff, and I assume they had the same system as the PR Spits. A metal disc covered the camera port. This was held in place by a spring-loaded catch system; after takeoff the pilot pulled a toggle in the cockpit which released the covers to drop away.

Nicely finished, and well presented.

The Scouting Force originated from the bomber world. The pilots were volunteers drawn equally from Bomber and Fighter groups. The idea was that the bomber guys knew how the big bomber formations operated and what info they needed, while the fighter guys had the knowledge and expertise if the SF had to defend themselves and/or the bombers. More info in the first "Gallery" entries here http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/scouting-force/

Well if we're talking display prop-driven aircraft, the oldest airworthy aircraft bar none is the Shuttleworth Collection's 1909 Bleriot. But wasn't this about jets?

Yes, an interesting organisation, and I have a Tamiya P-51D in the loft earmarked for a 1SF machine. Trouble is, my research rate is several models ahead of my build rate, but I will get round to it eventually.

But where did you leave them - on the bus or train, perhaps, or in another room, or ...?

Those wingtips remind me of the Trumpeter offering in this scale. Not suggesting it's copied, but does it suggest that Pilot used the same drawings or other sources as Trumpeter perhaps? Likewise. My Air Cadet squadron had a real Vampire in the 1970s (VV217, last heard of recently undergoing restoration at the DH Museum) and not a rivet do I recall. At least none visible. Look forward to seeing how this turns out.

It was a good day out, thank you to the organisers. Good to have a catch-up with a good many people, though I may regret it a little when the credit card bill comes in

Sorry to disagree, they are turrets. I can't recall the exact disignation, or even where I found this info. They were more streamlined indeed, so more efficient aerodynamically, which was why they were there; alas, in service they were plagued with technical and usability issues, hence the change to a more conventional design of turret on the Mk Ia ans subsequently. Second apology: sorry to divert the thread.

Nice

Nicely done, always a pleasure to see a well-modelled recce bird.

My instinct says not, but I have no evidence for that, just a lack of positive photographic proof. The nearest I've just found is a photo in The Buccaneers (Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork) of an aircraft with a rocket pod on the port inner station and empty practice bomb carriers on the other three.

Nice! Although shame on you, it's a piece of coal in your stocking this year I very rarely do an OOB scheme, even less so the one on the box art, but when I get around to mine it's going to be a rare exception.

That's not too bad at all. Don't sell yourself short, everyone has to learn, and nobody's first tries will be perfect. This is sound advice. In a nutshell, just think about the real aircraft: which bits would wear the most? Where would the airflow in flight take any exhaust or other stain? Where do the aircrew get in and out, where do they put their feet? Where do the groundcrew stand when servicing the aircraft, refuelling, replenishing munitions? Is it operating from a runway, a grass airfield, or a volcanic strip in the Pacific? (Which will influence whether and where you put anything like mud on the wheels.) I could go on, but if you approach it with that mindset you'll be well on the way. Finally, remember that even the hardest-used types would have got what cleaning they could: at least the canopy would be kept clean and clear as this could mean the difference between survival and not.

Just picked this up on Netflix. About an hour in, wondering whether it's worth watching to the end, and feeling glad I didn't pay for a cinema ticket to see it. Asfor 633 Sqn, I always wonder why they didn't send another Mosquito squadron in first with rockets to suppress the flak. Just my opinion, if you disagree that's fine, no need to get the torches and pitchforks out.

Nice work Indeed

Thanks folks. I have, just, but there is some rearrangement of other things required. Good incentive for a long-overdue clear out!

I've not been idle for the last 6 months or so: this has been on the bench, and now it's finished. Here are a few photos until I get out and do some "beauty shots". The model is Italeri's 1/32 GR4 in one of the box schemes, the Tornado retirement scheme for IX(B) Sqn. This squadron was the first RAF operational unit to be equipped with the Tornado GR1. IX Sqn flew several types in WWI, and was briefly disbanded in 1919. It reformed as a bomber unit in 1924 - hence the "(B)" in the title - and starting with the Vimy, flew Virginias, Heyfords, Wellingtons, Lancasters, Lincolns, Canberras and Vulcans, before reforming on the Tornado. Italeri's GR4 builds up quite well: it needs a little work to make it fit, but in the end it is a solid construction. I did use rather a lot of aftermarket, to whit: Eduard canopy masks; Bandit Resin Factory empty Sidewinder rails; HGW safety ("RBF") flags; Jet Passion 1500 litre tanks, exterior detail set (partly not used as not needed imo) and replacement back seat monitors (scrapped and reverted to kit parts for reasons I won't bore you with); Master pitot tube; Scale Model Developments (SMD) seats; Tradewind67 (eBay trader name) intake and Jet pipe covers, other covers, and back seat grab handles); and home-cut masks for the roundels and serials. And until I get what I call the "proper camera" out, here are a few quick post-finish bench shots. Comments and feedback welcome, thanks for looking.

Yes, built as an F6 by Armstrong-Whitworth. Served with the AFDS and DFCS before going to 229 OCU/234 Sqn and the TWU. (The Hawker Hunter: A complete History, Tim McLelland, Crecy, 2008. ) If you want to be really correct about these things, it's an F6A rather than an "FGA6". But whatever you call it, great model, well done.

But back to the OP, here's an extract from some notes I made some years ago: NA.39: original prototype. There were also twenty development aircraft, each used for a specific series of trials. Buccaneer S1: original service version with Gyron Junior engines – FAA only. Buccaneer S2: second major version with Spey engines. There were various suffixes: S2 The original RN aircraft. S2A Designation in RAF service for S2s transferred from the FAA. S2B RAF new-build aircraft; these had no catapult points. S2C RN redesignation of S2 in 1972. S2D RN redesignation applied in 1972 to aircraft modified with MARTEL fit. Just to muddy the waters further, once the transfer of all FAA aircraft to the RAF was complete, the S2Cs and S2Ds became S2As and S2Bs respectively. Hth

The modelling police are not going to ban you from all fora, drum you out of IPMS (if you are a member) and turn up in the middle of the night to confiscate your stash. Chances are 99% of people looking at the completed model won't spot the difference. And as for the other 1%, I find a polite "Thanks for the feedback, but the model's finished, I'm not changing it now" closes that down. By all means sweat getting it 100% correct if it's what you want to do for your own pleasure, but not otherwise. My own philosophy is that it doesn't have to be 100% accurate, but must be 110% plausible. Interestingly, I've just acquired the RN boxing of the new Airfix 1/48 kit to go with the RAF one already in the stash. The RN kit has the Martel fit provided, so I can feel a bit of mix-and-match coming on. Early days, I have a lot more reading to do, I'll try and remember to post any significant information here.

"Site not found" - any chance you could post this as an actual hyperlink please? [Edit] Just found it via Google, I think you meant http://www.eastmidsmodelclub.co.uk/