vince14

Oh yes, this is coming to my house soon!

I'll second that - in fact, I've only ever seen white/white with blue Skyvans over Weston.

Nope - don't feel assured at all! I've been researching this over the last few days and the matter is far from clear. It appears that the earlier Lancastrians were converted from bomber airframes and thus retained the bomb bay doors (although some were operational, others were sealed shut), whilst later aircraft were built from new and may or may not have had bomb bay doors.... If you're building a Lancastrian, then (as ever) I would suggest seeking out specific pictures of the one you're modelling to see if it has bomb bay doors or not.

IIRC Lancastrians had an almost completely new fuselage, so the bottom wouldn't have the 'swollen' look of the Lancaster as the Lancastrian didn't ever have a bomb bay.

Airfix chose to manufacture kits in India (who have almost no experience in this arena) instead of China (who do) to keep their costs down. To point that out is in no way 'rude', it's showing why their manufacturing and QA processes are lacking for a modern day 'New Tool' kit. I don't get it - what's so special about Airfix that they should be immune from criticism?

If you want to step outside WWII, then I have two words for you - Wingnut Wings.

I wouldn't thin a Halford's rattle can after I've decanted it - you risk ruining the balance of the primer, and could well end up just spraying grey thinners onto your kit rather than primer. I use Zero Paints primer from Hiroboy if I just want to prime smaller parts.

DACO are proposing to make a 1/32 Fouga Magister - they've put a section on their website (http://www.dacoproducts.com/) to gauge interest and to see what price people are willing to pay. I'd be up for it, I'd love a couple of 1/32 Magisters - one in Algerian colours, and the other from an African air force.

There were two versions of the Alley Cat Fury - the one in the link above, and this one; Might be worth waiting to see if this version gets re-released.

Try the Hiroboy paint. It's completely airbrush ready - just put however much you want into your airbrush and away you go! There's less risk of the dreaded 'orange peel' effect, or paint drips when you use an airbrush over an aerosol.

From all the pictures I've seen, it's just a 'standard' gloss white. If it helps, for their new 1/12 kit Model Factory Hiro also recommend Gunze H2.

Just drink the Kool-Aid and keep repeating the mantra 'Airfix are back! Airfix are great!'.

EZ Line is probably the easiest solution. I used to used fuse wire (heated and rolled straight) which was cut to length, which for me was just as easy but took a lot longer.

If you're happy to spend hours of your free time fixing a sub-standard product, then kudos to you. I'm happy for you. I'm no shake-the-box modeller. I've built more than my fair share of A-Model kits, I actually managed to build an acceptable 1/72 Potez XXV out of the lamentable HitKit model, and I have more resin kits from obscure Japanese manufacturers in my stash than I do Hasegawa or Tamiya. I do, however, expect a certain standard for my money. If Airfix are selling the Gnat as a 'New Tool', then I expect that kit to be at least on a par with other mid range 'New Tool' kits - which is what I got with the Vampire, and which is what I certainly didn't get with the Gnat. The price of the kit is irrelevant. I'm still paying my hard-earned for a product that should meet some minimal standards. If I buy a short run kit, or a model which I know was produced from molds that are forty years old, then I expect to deal with issues regarding flash, fit etc. I won't accept that from a 'New Tool' just because it's cheap, or just because it's Airfix and, hey, they're the underdogs, right? All of the issues I had with the Gnat were down to a basic lack of Quality Control on the part of Airfix, and their decision to use cheaper injection molding companies in India rather than paying a little more and using ones in China. In a way it's a shame I disposed of the kit, because a few photos here would have demonstrated just how poor the kit was. I won't buy another Airfix kit again until I know that, upon opening the box of a 'New Tool' kit, I'll be presented with a product that is on a par with current injection molding techniques and Quality Control. You lot can buy them to your heart's content, and I'll leave you to wave the Airfix flag and sing their praises whilst the company goes under again because of poor decision making by the management. As to addressing the problems, here's what I recommend if your Airfix Gnat has the same issues as mine - namely excessive flash, a short-shot canopy and staggered sprues, all caused by the two halves of the molding machine not being correctly aligned before they injected the plastic. Return it to wherever you bought it from, and ask for a refund.

You wouldn't buy a new car, discover that the brakes don't work, and then spend the time and effort fixing it yourself because, hey, you're a mechanic - you'd take it back to the Dealer. And when you took it back, you wouldn't got away with the brakes still not working because he told you that two cars of the same model he sold last week had brakes that worked fine. Airfix won't be getting any more money off of me until I know they've sorted out their QC issues. If a small manufacturer like WNW can make practically perfectly fitting kits every time, why can't Airfix?

Thumbs up for adding the 'Hot Shots!' aircraft!

Now that IS cool!

I've used MSM Creation decals before - they're from Hong Kong. They're decent decals, you should have no problems with them.

84 Sqd used playing cards as Flight identifiers, with an appropriate suite on the fin, whilst in the Middle East in the 1920's - although they were equipped with DH.9's, rather than the Bristol Fighter.

This is now inbound to my model room...

That's where I'm at now - I'm reluctant to buy any more Airfix kits until I know I'll get a good one every time.

Looks like the 'Post War' Brisfit from WNW might be getting closer to a release...

My Gnat had excessive flash, a shortshot and misaligned moldings (where the two halves of the injection mold tool are not correctly aligned prior to the liquid plastic being injected), which meant things like u/c legs were 'staggered'. It's a QC problem - I know other people have bought Gnats that were perfect in every respect, as my Vampire was.

Strip and re-paint - it's worth the extra effort.

Airfix quality control is all over the shop right now. I had both the 1/72 Gnat and Vampire, and whilst the Vamp went together like a dream (honestly, it was one of the best fitting kits I've ever built), the Gnat ended up in the bin because absolutely nothing fit. They really need to get some control over these issues, they're having an great revival which could be spoiled by allowing kits of, frankly, 1970's quality out onto the market.