Graham Boak

The.middle picture seems to have some kind of ramp ahead of the pod - judging from what seems to be a raised area reflecting the light. However it seems to start nearer the pod than the blast shield in the first picture. Is this pod what was meant by a more rounded version?

Edinburgh is further west than Bristol. Time zones are human, artificial, political and hence odd, almost by definition. Japanese military aggression against the British started before the Pearl Harbor attack although on the following date. See "time zones".

Try low-stick masking tape?

Junction 31 of the M6, turn inland onto the A59, follow it to the left, as it sweeps past BAES you'll see a sign to the Canberra Club.

It was assumed that they were painted at a local level, but this was always just a guess, based on the similarity to Italian colours and the known darker 78/79. Now we know that initially lighter variants of 78/79 existed, and that the aircraft were painted in these colours: not at the factory but at an intermediate stage in Germany. For a fuller description see Classic's books by Merrick and Kroff. I'm afraid that modelling sources are still full of similar guesswork some dating back to the 1950s when knowledge was thin and guesswork substituted. Often reasonable enough, given what was available, but now only serving to confuse. Just to help (or not) there were four different Italian colours Giallo Mimetica - just which one was the Germans supposed to have used?

Sounds like a different thread is required. Academy were accused of copying Frog: let's just say clearly inspired by! I didn't know about the Tempest but seeing how good the Heller one is, any other should have a close match to the shape. Their T-6 was certainly very reminiscent of the Heller, but then again so it should be. Their Zero was accused of being copied from a Japanese kit but I got rid of mine because it needed a better canopy so I can't judge. On the other hand they seem to be the only company to get the Ju.87D right.

The SH Mosquito toolings have been shown at the latest trade fair(s) and the first variants are imminent. There have been a number of Spitfire Mk.XIIs in 1/72, and an even greater number of ways to get around: I'm still waiting to get around to my Aeroclub vacform fuselage with (latest option) modified Italeri Mk.IX wings and odd bits. I do have the Xtrakit one which looks OK to me, but I haven't studied it closely. I certainly don't understand the criticism of it where the poor Airfix Mk.IX/XIX get the thumbs up and the awful Tamiya one is praised - apparently because it fits together. The story about the Manchester is that Airfix looked at it but decided that there weren't enough options to make it profitable. The 1/144 one (from AModel) never appeared either. Some (at least) manufacturers do use their announcements to test the market. If not enough would-be buyers show up then they drop the idea as unprofitable. See AZ as a modern example. However in the upper regions of the hobby Academy released a very impressive list when they first appeared and the general consensus was "not this year...". It took them a long time to bring them out but they did, though I never saw the Ju.87B in the UK. Then there were the Dragon/Cyber Hobby Spitfire and Hurricane - mind, seeing their Vampire perhaps it was just as well.

Use something pointed to make holes into the silvered areas and flood with Microsol (or your favourite transfer softener). Perhaps the surface wasn't smooth enough?

The original suggestion that Italian colours had been used came from Ken Merrick. He has since discovered paint samples from an early attempt at North African colours, and documentary evidence that all aircraft heading there were to be painted/repainted in these colours before leaving Germany. See the Classic work on Luftwaffe camouflage by Merrick and Kroff. This excludes, as we can tell from photos, some aircraft that ended up there still in their original colours. To my mind there remains the possibility that some of these were repainted in theatre using Italian paint, as there is a strong implication that the early Germans ones were limited supply. Likely aircraft such as those of JG26 retained standard camouflage because of the intention to operate from temperate Italy and not cross the North Africa. This does not apply to JG27, in this particular case. I'd also add that a respray of the base wing colour in Germany would be every bit as likely as a respray on top of a green base.

You are too definite. One hint which was right would be the date of the photo. If it was early then it cannot be the darker hazelnut - which it certainly doesn't look like. So that's a guide. Interesting point about possible overspray of the wing root, but the exhaust staining is confusing matters. The comparatively light staining suggests only light use. Another hint of an early date for these photos.

So they had a green mottle on the sand and blue fuselage and a sand overpainting on the green wings? I don't see any logic in that. I can imagine a sand camouflage being applied over a 02/71 scheme, and the nose may indicate that. This may be because I've seen a sand fuselage with 71/02 (or possibly 74/75) wings attached, clearly the result of combining two damaged aircraft? However there's no sign of two different colours under the sand on the wing so this was painted in a single green first (if a new machine, or on top of the previous camouflage) and then overpainted sand. Could have been a bit bored with nothing else to do...

However, my suggestion was that it would be a good compromise between the dark, possibly excessively so, paint and the wish to provide contrast when viewed through the canopy. I rather doubt that was Airfix's thinking.

Could you make the keel from a top strip and a bottom strip, with pieces glued in between with appropriate spaces for the slots? I can't think of an equivalent for the frames, I'm afraid.

They are all 1/144, and rather nice models, check out their website if you haven't already, but there is a recent 1/72 AModel Jetstream for which markings are available: I have a spare set if you need it. You may need to get it from abroad. The Jetsream is not a large aircraft. I think that there was a Varsity vacform long ago but there is a recent 1/72 Viking so there may be hope.

I'll check later in case I misread something, I no longer have a complete instruction sheet. 02 would still be correct for the rest of the interiors. The rest of my comments still stand.