Bennygman

Would you believe it ... I'm there Friday and Saturday! Maybe it's fate? Plans for the rest of the year Legends - Sat (+ maybe Sun, but only if I don't get decent shots of 'Glacier Girl' on the Sat') RIAT - Fri-Mon One of the Old Warden shows, and one of the Duxford ones (definitely if '558 is turning up at one of the later ones). SMW - Sat. Steve.

Well, I might struggle with the B-52 at Fairford! Your point about the lack of a zoom is definitely worth thinking about before splashing out. The way I saw it was that any missed shots would be compensated by the improved quality of the ones I got (quality vs quantity). So far I think that's been the case, although the clown holding the camera is still the main limiting factor for me. I've noticed a definite improvement in the quality from the prime. The IS has definitely helped with sharpness and my % of 'keepers' has risen as a result, despite my continuing tendency to wave the camera around like a conductor's baton. So far I've used it at Biggin and Kemble and I'd say that the only shots I'm missing are those directly in front of me on the runway, which tend not to be the most exciting angles anyway. By the time they are airborne and displaying the extra height means that even going past the camera most subjects will still fit in the frame. I have a theory that it's also forcing me to take more care over composition. In the past I would have recomposed using the zoom as something got nearer. Because I can no longer do that I think I'm concentrating more and holding the camera in a more stable position (by not adding the zoom motion into the equation - hope that makes sense)I have the Dynax to fall back on if I need a zoom, but eventually I'd like to get the 70-200 f2.8 as a partner, but that would mean a second body to go with it and I'd probably put me back out trying to carry it all. Long story short, I'm glad I did it and for me I don't think it's a limitation for single aircraft, but it does make things difficult for display teams or formations. Not impossible mind, just difficult. For displays I usually shoot in JPEG, for convenience (and maximum number of images on a card). A few weeks back I went to Coningsby and shot about 150 images In RAW which took me about two days to process. At Kemble I took about 400 (ish) and got through them all yesterday on my day off. On reflection Sunday was the kind of day when RAW is useful as the light was a bit of a 'mare, but to be honest I'm a bit too impatient for the results, so JPEG wins when I'm shooting in bulk. Processing is generally some or all of; Rotate image - for some reason I always have trouble with wonky horizons. Levels adjustment - to make sure I have the full range from black to white covered. Dust spot removal - funny one this, some shots look like a bad case of acne, others are spot-free. Can't quite understand that one. I either use the clone brush or healing tool. Crop and resize - Usually for composition purposes to square up the subject or sometimes just to bring it closer and fill the frame. Some people get all excited about this but I think it's one of the best features of digital and nothing that photographer's haven't been doing in darkroom's for years, just like... Dodge and burn - either using the dodge and burn tools or a selection, to bring out shadow detail or tone down a highlight. Unsharp mask - to sharpen the image and make the details 'pop' (think of it as a photographic 'oil wash'). It sounds like a lot, but it gets easier with practice and it's all about improving the image. I certainly never add anything that wasn't there originally, but I have been known to remove the odd head or background distraction and more than one blue cone or rope has mysteriously vanished from a RIAT static shot. If you've gotten to the end of this ramble - well done, I'm not sure I would have Off to bed now - night, night. Steve.

Some stunning pics there Jens Your Stars, PDF and Frecce shots are superbly exposed. Really beautiful images. Steve.

(If anyone's wondering; we had arranged to meet up, but due to a SNAFU on my part, it didn't happen) Steve.

Thanks Mike, I had a great time and thoroughly recommend it. Rich, I got this one (not my greatest effort, but you can see what it is)... Quite glad they did it this time as I saw them practice it while heading for the loo at Biggin, then they scrubbed it from the display due to (I think) a comm's failure. Main lens on the day was the 300 f4. Basically it's the only really decent one I have so it'll get used as much as possible. If you look at the pics here, they were all on this lens apart from the formations and the Herc' loading the landrover. I took Those with my girlfriend's Dynax 7D (which has a 70-300 zoom). Even with the small pics here I think you can see the superior quality of the Canon kit. The Dynax results are sharp enough and its a great backup, but the others look more 'natural', I guess due to higher resolution, better glass and maybe a better processor in the Canon? Steve.

Headed down to Kemble on Sunday for my first air day in search of classic jets and to see if it lived up to it's reputation. Glad to say it did although the weather could have been better, but at least it didn't rain. Classic jets I wanted , classic jets I got, and how... They also put up a couple of formations to mark the celebration of Sir Frank Whittle... The RAF role demo provided some more great Tornado opportunities... These were my favorite pics from the day - great light on the Extra... Finally a small selection for Jen...looks like '886' has been working hard of late... A good day out and not too much of a bother getting away and home. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in British aviation history. Steve.

Some nice models there, and impeccable taste in subject matter I'll look forward to seeing the rest. Steve.

Here's what I've been experimenting with lately. Spray the entire cockpit black. Mask out the panels which are to stay black. Spray entire cockpit with main colour. This gives you the well defined black panels and as long as you spray in light 'dusted' coats the black also acts as a pre-shade on the rest of the 'pit and leaves some highlights and shadows. I try to spray the main colour from the direction the light would be coming to try and get a kind of 3D effect. Then just un-mask the black panels and drybrush light grey or white to bring out the details. Still experimenting with this but it works quite well. Incidentally it was inspired by Skii's late lamented Tornado build on ARC. Steve.

True enough Nev, it's not cheap, although CMR's wing fold for their own Gannet kit comes in at 20-odd quid, so it could be worse.. That said, the Gannet is a bit of a nightmare to try and scratch build the fold on, so I've called in the cavalry . Actually I've just been looking at my copy and first impressions are quite favorable. Lots of VERY delicate resin parts for tubing, hinges etc and they all look nicely cast. It's still not going to be an easy build and I can imagine a need for some extra re-enforcement to hold it all in place, but I'm looking forward to it. It was produced in association with CMR and the packaging and instructions are in the same mold. It has the potential to make a really nice model in the right hands (Skii's, probably) I'll put together a review and pics for the site in the next few days, but the actual build will be a little further down the line. More soon, Steve.

Seconded Steve. PS obvious I know, but I always adjust pressure with the trigger depressed. That way you know exactly what you'll get out the end (as far as air is concerned anyway).

Jeezus Gary!! That may be just about the most realistic nmf I've seen. Definitely something to aspire to Got any more? Steve.

Saw these on Hyperscale (sorry), I have a set on the way from the owner Alistair, who seems like a good chap. http://www.a2zeemodels.com/index.asp?funct...mp;productid=24 Anyone interested in more pics and a review when they arrive? Steve.

Excellent job, and beautifully displayed. Steve.

I'm about 100 page into this at the mo' Worth buying just for the Royal Marines' response to an Argentine request for surrender at Government House . Not sure how lenient Mike's feeling with regards to language, but to paraphrase: "go forth and multiply you persons of Hispanic origin and dubious parentage"! Their version had considerably less words and totally unambiguous meaning. Well worth getting I'd say. Steve.

Blimey - weather looked a bit grim early on! Glad it got better for you. Like the two F-3's, I'll hopefully be seeing it a few more times so I'll be after something similar. I enjoyed the role demo at Biggin, and as I was stood directly in front of a speaker about 6 feet away, the commentary was loud and clear. The pyro seems to have gotten everyone's attention, were they broadcasting warnings again? Seen for the angle of your pic it could easily be mistaken for something else by someone who hadn't been paying attention. Steve.

Can't wait to see a build you are interested in! Nice job. Steve.

I believe SAM Publications do a set of resin beer barrels for the Spit', but I'm not sure on scale. just checked here... http://www.sampublications.com/sampubs.htm And it appears to be 1/48th so may not help you. Looks nice though. Steve.

Yeah been there, I once put a little Xtracrylix thinner in my a/b, added my white Xtracrylic, then added some more thinner to get the consistency I wanted. One problem, I had a total brain fart and used cellulose the second time - instant moment . Ever seen a gravity cup full of cottage cheese? Not my proudest modelling achievement. Steve.

Thanks all ... you'd have loved it Sean, it really was a cracking hot day. A couple more by request. Bob; These were all courtesy of the Great war display team who (I think) put up eight aircraft in total, but made it seem like 100 - the sky was full of tail-chasing stringbags! Jen; Had to think what you meant by '881' but then it all fell into place . From what I've read elsewhere we should be grateful to the Lyneham boys (and girls) for providing a machine at present - I for one appreciated it Rich; Not half! I thought it performed very well, with any problems being due to operator error (like leaving it on mode 1 for the first thirty minutes - ask me why I have no Spitfire & typhoon shots ). Gary: Hadn't planned to, but just checked the web-site and saw the bit about the Falklands flypast making a detour for the show - plans are forming as we speak . Any ideas what the sun is like there, I've only visited once many years ago when the OV-10s were being serviced there. Steve.

Had a great time at Biggin last Saturday. As usual they put on a great display with something for everyone, including my first view of the RAF's new 'Role demo', which I thought was quite good. Here's a few from my new toy (and one from the Dynax) The only problem with Biggin is that in the afternoon the sun comes round into you face - I decided to embrace the problem and go for some (hopefully) dramatic Black & white shots.... Role on Waddo' at the end of the month! Steve.

Another Iwata fan checking in! I have the Eclipse CS and Sprint Jet Compressor, and am very pleased with both. A good and lightning quick supplier can be found here... http://airbrushes.com/index.php?osCsid=7c5...6eb04ecfdddf348 About the easy cleaning. I found that with the supplied .35mm tip and needle it became unusable for acrylics after a short space of time, spluttering and eventually clogging completely. As a result I've got into the habit of stripping it after every session (but not every colour). Every time I take out the needle it has some paint on it - can't imagine that'd be good if I let it dry in the body. The problem has been solved by switching to a .5mm tip, which works fine, though I do still note paint on the needle, even after spraying cellulose through. I just think that not cleaning it properly is asking for trouble eventually. That said it now takes me about 2 minutes to do so it's no problem really. I have no spraybooth, I just use a sheet of cardboard and throw it away every now and then. I work at fairly low pressure so the overspray is very minimal anyway, and I always work by an open window to let the worst of the fumes out. That said, if I was designing a custom work are I'd probably include one. A good investment is a spray mask from Halfords, I have a twin cartridge type which works well and wasn't particularly expensive - it's also great for scaring the cat for some reason! Steve.

Not much wrong there mate ... and you've retained more surface detail than I have on the Do-335 I'm building for the ARC GB! Picking up on Mike's point about the tanks and missiles, I read once that you should treat them as individual models that are then added to the whole. It's the approach I take, though not always successfully. But as they say; "don't do as I do..." Nice result at the end of the day Steve.

Wouldn't it be great though? That's one of my abiding memories of my first Air Tattoo at Greenham, the other being the noise the Harrier made. How Ironic if the Vulcan returned the year the Harrier disappeared from the circuit. A few years back I bought some merchandise form the Vulcan stand and my uncle was telling me how 'it'll never happen'. Don't think my contribution will have made a huge difference, but all credit to the guys involved. Steve.

Thanks for the offer Richard...but it arrived at 9am this morning. If only I was less impulsive . I'll keep you in mind for next time though (and we know that once you start down this road there will always be a next time). Steve.

Nice one Sean! I've got a couple of these lined up, one a Duxford example and one a Navy machine. It's time we got our tiger sqn back...those markings would look good on a Tiffie. respect to 230sqn, but you know what I mean. Steve.