Jonny

Thanks very much, Scimitar ... Your thoughts mirror mine. I'm sad that you are the only person to reply. It is odd, isn't it, that there seem to be no pics or other info. about this! I think I'm going to have to build mine with the doors closed. A shame because I thought the contrast between the white undersurface, black bom=bay and whatever I might find to put in it would be interesting! Cheers, Jonny

I'm planning to build one of these based on the Revell kit. I hope this is the appropriate forum ... Does anyone know what weapons load (if any) these aircraft carried? Thanks in advance! Jonny

That's interesting! Learstang's photo shows guns in the rear turret! That's the first time I've seen that - all other pics I've seen of the GR3 / MR3 suggest there were no guns in either turret. Useful bits of detail - a whip aerial under the fuselage, just behind the entrance door, a generally grubby appearance including heavy exhaust staining on the wing top surface. Thanks for posting it, Jason!

I've just picked a reference book (Lancaster - Britain's Iconic War-Winning Bomber) from a well-known high street shop.. There's a pic. in it showing armourers making belts of .303 ammunition - they seem to be fitting them into links taking rounds from a box. On the table are several coild belts. It's on page 79 if you're interested ...

MiniRiggers - You haven't said where you live but I'm going to assume that you are in the UK. If you go to a well-known high street newspaper / magazine shop they sell paperback books published by the Aeroplane magazine publishers (www.aeropkanemonthly.com). I've just picked up one called "LANCASTER - Britain's Iconic War-Winning Bomber". In it, page 54, there's a photo of a crash-landed Lancaster. It was damaged by flak over Augsberg (hydraulics knocked out) and then attacked by a Bf110 nightfighter, but somehow got back to base. Damage visible in the photo (taken from the rear) show a heavily damaged elevator, bent props, a huge hole in the wing and bomb doors open and splayed out from the fuselage. The wreck is next to some FIDO installation pipes. It might be better if you tried to create something like this rather than a fire damaged engine 0- as Miggerrs has said, if a fire started in an engine the crew had very little time to react before it spread to the fuel tanks so the crew had to bail out. If that happened the aircraft would crash and I doubt anyone could - or would wish to - model such a wreck. I hope this helps, Jonny

It's quite possible to combine the Airfix 1/48 PRXIX with an ICM IXe wing ... a magazine covered this in it's August 2013 edition. I'm rather tempted to put it on my 'to do' list. Basically it involves modifying / filling / rescribing the Airfix fuselage and lower wing half, and grafting on the ICM top wing halves, and replacing the wheels. I have the feeling one of our members might wish to comment about this!

Thanks, Tom - I guessed that was how but thought I'd check. Running out of excuses to start mine, now! Cheers, Jonny

Nice one!! I think that, using the nose that you have, it's necessary to fill some of the glazing (teardrop windows and the small ones below them). How did you do that so neatly? (Only asking because I collected my Halifax today and want to build a similar version to yours).

I've been trying to pluck up courage to rig a biplane but so far haven't. It's all I can do to get the top wing on and to stay on! Thanks for this, John. This has to be the best advice centre going. I've learned so much from watching 'In Progress' threads and others like this.

I visited the MZ store in Norwich last Wednesday during a short visit to the city. Very little there but I bought the Airfix 1/48 Fury for under £7:00 (much to SWMBO's succinctly expressed disgust, I might add). I was really hoping to get a Revell Halifax (I'm planning on cross-kitting it with the Airfix Mark III wings, etc) but although they had a few Lancasters, no Halifax. I'm sad MZ is no more - LMS's are becoming a rarity these days.

Aeroclub do correction sets, 2 actually, with a choice of radiator. Contact johnaero who regularly posts into Britmodeller

Hobbycraft / Academy did some 1/48 Corsairs, including the birdcage one. I think some if not hall had engraved lines on the inside of the wingtips to show where to cut for a RN version. I can't speak for the accuracy ... .

I'm sorry that MZ is no more. When I worked in London I almost always popped into the Holborn store during my lunch break. I got quite friendly with the staff there and am so sorry that they - and everyone else employed by MZ come to that - will have lost their jobs. To compound it, 'er indoors and I will be visiting Norwich in about a week's time and I was planning a sneaky walk-past and "oh look, I must pop in to have a quick look" routine .... . There is another model / toy shop in Norwich which I shall have to try that on! One big advantage of having a model shop to go to was you can, if you askenicely, have a look at the box contents. Not possible with mail order. Oh well ... I haven't been following this thread but I wonder whether MZ's demise was caused by bad corporate management or the economic situation. Despite what HMG would have us believe, I see no definite signs of 'recovery' (Soap box OFF .... GO).

Ssssshhhh, Chris - no need to be personal!! Actually, I missed that while looking at the pics - the mainwheel covers are on backwards. Such a shame - the diorama is really super, as is the kit (inevitably I have one in the stash!) - I like the B&W shots, really atmospheric.

I've had two emails fron the ever-helpful lady at sampublications. The first says I don’t need to worry about it because they, use a different address system on the actual package, , the second says I can gnore what the packing note says because they don’t use ethat anyway. I shall probably buy (or try to!) other products in the future but it's disconcerting when you can't make sure that the invoice & deliver addresses are correct! Anyway, I have volumes 1 to 6 of the publications so I'm alright!

I seem to have missed number 5 in this series (Classic British Bombers). I tried to register as a private customer with sampublications but it's difficult (the registration software refuses to accept the County I live in (Hertfordshire) and relocates me up in Scotland (Aberdeenshire) for a delivery address (Don't ask what happens with the Invoice address!). The lady at sampublications has been very helpful and said she'd corrected the adresses but when I logged-in to place an order they were still wrong. I've emailed a screendump to her to show what's happening. Has anyone else had similar problems or is it a weird combination of me, Windows XP and IE8? I quite like this Build & Convert series - a lot of what's in each volume has been published in Scale Aviation Modeller International but it's nice to have the articles in one place. Meanwhile, I've tried WHS and Martins in my home town and three other neighbouring towns but none has Volume 5 (I'm not sure that all WHS stock the publications anyway). Jonny

Hi, everyone - Coasting around in the WWW I came across a reference to an American product called E-Z masks. It seems they make a range of masks specific to various manufacturer / scal / aircraft combinations. The website gives prices in USD and CanD only. Does anyone know of a UK or European distributor? I'd quite like to try the product but neither of my usual suspects (UK based mail / Internet Order companies seems to stock E-Z products. It could be useful to try. I have to say a couple of reviews I found were a bit lukewarm! Any & all comments very welcome! Jonny PS If I've posted in the wrong place abject apologies!!

Just what I was hoping for! One small thing, Drew ... from the first couple of shots of the fuselage it looks as though you've included the H2S display box next to the navigator's table. If you have, I suggest you remove it - the Chastise Lancs. weren't fitted with H2S. Sorry if I'm wrong. I'll watch this with interest: I've already learnt one valuable lesson, anbou dealing with the apparent need to build the wings round the spars and wheel bays. Will you be representing the fuel tanks either side of the wheel bays? Jonny

Why did they only ask BAE? the Tonka was built by a conglomerate of UK German & Italian companies

It looks very very nice! What did you do for the cockpit? The instruments seem to pop out in the 3/4 rear view! Are these the kit decals (I haven't got the kit so have no idea what's in it!) or aftermarket?

Yes, I spotted that too. I was sure Sea Kings weren't around in 1955! Thanks for the replies - this isn't on my shopping list.

This (1/72) kit is listed in the new Newslett. Is it a really new kit or the old old one re-issued? The blurb says 'NEW' but ... ! Anyone know, please?

I agree, Steve. I've seen what's left of TL S / W1048 at Hendon several times. Apart from the nose turret there is the restored Merlin, of course but as for the rest ... . Now the Dornier's been raised from the Goodwin sands (most of it anyway) I just hope that it WILL be restored to at least resemble what it once was. The RAF Museum always has a 'wreck' in each of its exhibition halls so I'm hoping that since the BoB hall already has a Hurricane it might have a restored Dornier.