sloegin57

Nope ! Edit 5 June 2018 Original Colour Photo taken by Lieutenant John Quincy 406th Fighter Group (P-47D's) and passed to the Roger Freeman Collection Just do yer thang - works for me Dennis

Thanks Max and all. You learn something new every day. The SHAR and Lightning conversions are both very new to me. The various decals Dick did for a Harrier T4 were related to the the Bobcat kit. The Lightning T.4 decals (74Sqdn) appear ,as has been stated, as an apparent 'add-on' to Set 70 dated 1983 as do the drawings. Thanks Dave, I had managed to trace that one to my surprise. The decals originally designed for that conversion, or rather left over from, were added into Set 65 dated 1982 which was mostly concerned with grey F-4's and Lightnings Thanks again Dennis

Modeldecal ??. I wasn't aware that Dick Ward did conversions and i am pretty sure that no Harrier T Bird appeared on the Modeldecal sheets. Not sure about a Lightning T bird - I'll check Dennis

I can thoroughly recommend that publication having had a copy for the past twenty odd years. One query. At the back of the book it states that Part 2 will include "colour chips mixed to original paint samples". Was Part 2 ever published ? Dennis

The front end of the intakes were indeed made of pre-formed wood, fabric covered and painted in the normal camouflage colours. Some Units painted this area in either Flight or Squadron colours. Some time ago I compiled this photo essay for BM in answer to a similar question :- HTH Dennis

Slightly off topic but one other thing to remember when building Meteors of any marque, bar the 4, is that the camouflage pattern on the I's and III's was reversed when applied to the 8's and subsequent marques. The 4 is not included as the aircraft stayed in service not that long and was aluminium overall during that time Dennis

There are three noses in the kit. The short one is for the NF.11, the middle one for the remaining marques. The third and longest one was intended for the NF.14 but, as has been proved conclusively by John Adams, the wrong length and therefore not required. The best drawings for the NF series of Meteors can be found in the Aeroclub vac form 48th kits or, and better still, one of the relatively few useful things in the Warpaint series Number 22, Meteor book, where the drawings are a combined effort by John and the late David Howley. Dennis

The aerial under the port engine nacelle was, originally, repeated in the same relative position under the stbd nacelle except that in that instance it was inboard. A later mod moved it to under the fwd fuselage under the cockpits. The intake on the upper rear fuselage was, I believe, part of the tropicalsiation mod and could be fitted in a variety of positions as shown on these NF.14's wfu at 33MU Lyneham :- HTH Dennis

Meteor NF.11's had both types of intakes from very early on :- 60Sqdn Meteor NF.14's were delivered/repainted in DSG/DG/Aluminium after the role and Marque "Night-Fighter (NF)" was declared obsolete and changed to F.(AW) on the introduction of the Javelin. A few non operational aircraft in the UK were repainted in the scheme. 60Sqdn's aircraft were not re-marqued. 60Sqdn NF.14's :- Photo :- B.B. Sharmer HTH Dennis

I've been looking into the same matter with regards to a 48th contra prop 1Sqdn F.21 I am currently building. The cockpit is currently green (deduced from the only small mono photo I have) with home made details but when complete I will be giving the two halves a misting of Dark Grey - just to tone everything down you understand but at the same time................. I have searched what I think are all of the late lamented Edgar's comment on this but can find nothing definitive. Dennis

Interesting Dave. Attached a scan from Moyes "Bomber Squadrons......." showing three of the aircraft on "Op Roundtrip". They are from the same batch as WD980 but whereas the 'D' in the fuselage serial appears to be square, the numerals appear to be of the later rounded variety. :- I have tried scanning it larger but it all goes printers dots. I have a few more in that bloc but mostly after being repainted. When the Service changed from wartime square to the modern rounded will take a bit of digging. Interesting in that the fin "last three" on thew nearest Hastings is of the square type. Comments please HTH Dennis PS - thanks for the update on the sheet Dave - one I will have to get. Like you - hope its not the only one Dennis

Aerocraft Models are Alistair McLean - formerly Mr Allycat of renown. I have never heard of Meridia either

Mike, I cannot give it to you in feet/inches/metric as it depends on freight/fuel load carried etc but I do recall that a crew changed a main wheel at Luqa back in the sixties and tried to roll it under the fuselage. It got slightly stuck but a well aimed boot shifted it. So I would say that the height would be 1 x main wheel diameter plus or minus a bit. Attached a shot of subject "Belf" :- HTH Dennis

Spot on as near as dammit. Not spring loaded but cables attached to each end of the chain halves and probably retracted by means of winches mounted on the bomb bay roof inside the main cabin :- Still from a film made during the raid on the Bielefeld viaduct :- Note the stbd chain being drawn up into the bay. There also appears to be some sort of support "pad" in the bay roof Loading a Grand Slam:- Final attachment of the support chain. Note the electrical cable top right and the "hoist" cable in front of the SNCO's face I would imagine that the Tallboy chains were retracted enough for the bay doors to be closed on them but that the Grand Slam chains would form two neat but secure "loops" when pulled in. The bulged area at the back of the Tallboy bomb doors look as if they were incorporated to clear the fins of the weapon, it being mounted in the bay with the fins in an 'X' position. HTH Dennis (Rigger/Sootie)

The following has been extracted from "Meteor Age" by Mike Cooper, a former pilot on 616Sqdn :- EE239 was flown by Sqd/Ldr Dennis Barry. As related by Geoff Thomas, all the early Meteor III's of 616 had Welland engines and effectively Mk.I mainplanes. None had airbrakes. None of the white painted aircraft had airbrakes. The date of posting to Melsbroek is given as February 5th Once at Melsbroek, Meteor III's with air brakes started to be delivered. First one with, believed to have been EE270 dd 28/2/45 (damaged 6/45) HTH Dennis