Grey Beema

Great builds there Steve, you must have a very large display case... With my glacial place I wouldn't do a quarter of that volume...

I really like what you have done here. I have the 1/144 Tomcat D in the stash. I was going to build a desk top in-flight model but I can't overlook the lack of crew. Does anyone do a crew for this aircraft?

Very good...

I do know that the UK Government replaced a number of older Hurricanes that had been interned in Baldonnel with new ones for use by the Air Corps. They were lorries down from the North and the older ones returned in the same way.

Just to add a bit more to the history of this aircraft. The aircraft was being flown by Lt (A) Ritchie RNVR when on 08.05.44 he destroyed an FW190. He also flew the machine to destroyed and share in the destruction of He 115s with Cmdr S Orr flying JV125 E*o. A British East Indies Fleet Hellcat II would look mighty fine... BFP ones look good too...

I think the best you'll get is a set serial numbers of aircraft flown by this pilot, which you can get from the ORB. Which of these aircraft match to that picture (if any of them do) you may never find out. Unless of course you find a picture of the aircraft with Saint marking, Sqn Codes and serial number.... I have a couple of these searches going on at the moment but the other way round. I have squadron codes and dates but no serial number... I do have a possible range of serial numbers though...

Looks nice well done... Are you going to follow up with the MkII?

Cheers @tonyot I'm definitely going to go for that scheme...

Some time in the future I want to build a second SH 1/48 Blackburn Skua. I need to do some research over aircraft flown by specific RN Pilots but I want to do an aircraft that was used during the FAAs transition from Sky Grey to Sky. There were examples of Skuas with Sky Grey sides but Sky undersides serving on HMS Ark Royal. I am not sure if this also applied to the Albacore but if it did it would make for an interesting scheme.

As Mark said above some ORBs only quote the serial number and Pilot name (19 Sqn) is another example however some quote the Aircraft letter and Pilot name (213 Sqn) so it can get rather frustrating. The serial number is unique to the aircraft and is used to identify the particular aircraft. The aircraft squadron ID letter could appear on a succession of aircraft as they come and go from the squadron and must have been painted on pretty soon after the aircraft arriving in the squadron. I guess your only option is trolling the interweb for photos... Good luck with your hunt...

I would suggest studying photographs too. Remember that the skin of an aircraft is very thin and that the plastic a kit skin is very much thicker - if you are doing damage or peeled back surfaces you need to replace them with thin material. Maybe aluminium from a drinks can or thigh tin foil from a food container.. This might whet your appetite... http://dioramas-and-models.com/B-17 Crash Landing.html

Like to see this one go together- we have their CASA replacements pass overhead most days..

Hi 825, I like you Martlet it's coming on nicely. I did a similar conversion the the Tamiya kit in the remedial scale. To make it a Martlet II you need to do a little work on the cowling. The MkII did not have the lip intake which is a simple sanding job, and it only had one large cowl flap on either side. You might need to check out the Serial against the type of Pitot tube as well, the earlier serials having a unique Pitot tube. See the IPMS article below to get a brief description of the various (complicated) Martlets.. http://www.clubhyper.com/reference/wildcatfaaba_1.htm

Great work so far Giorgio, I wish that Eduard would make a 1/48 Seafire III with this level of detail. I would be buying a few. As far as animating the elevators go I think I would be applying the razor saw. With careful sawing I think you could separate them without to much damage. Clean up with a file and a smear of filler and Robert is your mothers brother..

I think, and hopefully there is an expert on here that can correct me, the seat belt worked in two ways. One set of straps went over the pilots shoulders then down behind the seat and I assume either mounted to the seat or to the airframe behind the seat which together which when latched to the lap belts would stop the pilot being shot upwards out of the seat in inverted flight or a -ve G manoeuvre and be kept in back in his seat if in a dive. The second set of straps again passed over the shoulder and back into the fuselage into an inertial real (similar to a car), again my assumption is to stop the pilot being flung forwards in the event of a crash (or arrested landing). Or at least I think that's how it works..