sprue

Welcome back. Like you I can remember spending 2 bob or 2/6 on the latest Airfix bag of bits and the joy and pleasure it gave to me. The turning point was the first time I bought Airfix Magazine sometime in the 60s and followed Alan Hall's conversion of a P38 Lightning into an RAF example, which needed the engines to be replaced with balsa carvings. To my surprise I found I could "do it". Apart from an interregnum in my 40s I've been a lifelong modeller. It's impossible to keep up with the latest tricks and trends, indeed 3d printing to me is witch craft, so take your time and settle into the groove. Once again welcome back. Mike

Thanks to all for some very useful information

I have noticed that recently Humbrol have cut back on their paint catalogue and being a lifelong enamel paint user mainly airbrushing Humbrol and Colourcoats I'm looking around for alternatives. I acknowledge that Colourcoats is probably one of the leaders but for me are difficult to get hold of for obscure reasons. That aside I have now tried Hannants Xtracolor paints X001 Dark Green and X002 Dark Earth and they spray beautifully and as far as I can tell the colours look authentic. The gloss finish is certainly helpful when it comes to decals. What's the collective thoughts with regard to the rest of their range?

According to John Sweetman in his book Operation Chastise, 50 Upkeep mines and their casings had been completed by April 9th and sent for filling. He also notes that the Air Ministry had instructed that all live weapons were to be painted green while inert practice weapons were to be grey. All these weapons were delivered to various locations such as Scampton, A&AEE Boscombe Down and RAF Manston plus others concerned with technical issues regarding fusing, handling and balancing. April 18th following a test at Reculver where the cylinder broke free of the wooden casing but continued to perform as expected was the day it was decided to abandon the wooden casing. All stores at Manston were then stripped of their wooden casings. On April 21st Capt Sam Brown unsuccessfully dropped the first bare cylinder from 185 feet and it shattered. Interestingly Sweetman notes that some of the earlier dropping tests didn't involve full size Upkeeps. There were many trials carried out as the main issues seemed to be dropping height, rotation speed and airspeed, and it seems nothing was finalised until about the second week of May. The final drop prior to the raid was May 15th. As to when the order was given to remove all wooden casings is not recorded but the fact the Germans recovered an Upkeep in oxide primer is note worthy.

I can imagine that the original wooden clad mines would have been green as per instructions and regulations but not the metal inners, hence the mine recovered by the Germans was indeed in primer alluding to the notion that the wooden coats had been previously removed in haste. I'm sure that after the raid, which was supposed to be repeated on other targets, the remaining mines would have been correctly painted and marked before being stored. Of course when Bomber Command realised the loses were unsustainable and that the Germans had knowledge of the technique they were never used again. As previously noted it's a can of worms and we can never be absolutely sure. To confuse things further my understanding is that testing continued after the raid in preparation for an aborted campaign and some photographs thought to be taken prior to the raid were in fact taken afterwards. As for the colour for models its your choice, but I settled on primer red.

The bombs were originally designed to be encased in a wooden overcoat to make them more spherical. Testing revealed that the wooden part would break away upon impact with the water and the inner metal mine would also shatter. Barnes Wallis had to accept that the only way of delivering the weapon (which was already in production) was from a lower height of 60 feet rather than the 120 feet he originally planned. Further testing then showed that the wooden overcoat continued to break up but that the metal mine remained intact but importantly behaved as intended. Remembering that design. testing and production was carried out in a very short time frame against a deadline some the weapons were delivered days prior to the raid still in their wooden overcoats. I think it unlikely therefore that the metal parts would have been painted in anything other than primer as there was no point. Doubtless those weapons already delivered were hastily stripped of their overcoats and left in primer as there was probably no time to repaint but it was imperative that the mines were balanced a) to prevent uncontrollable vibration in the aircraft when it was being spun and b) to ensure that the weapon remained true on track after release. I therefore doubt that weapons would have been repainted at the last minute due to these factors. After the raid I'm sure all remaining weapons would have been painted and marked as per regulations.

A technique I use on acetate canopies is to use clear decal painted in which ever colour necessary then cut into strips and applied just like a decal. Some canopies are just too fragile to use the tape and cut method. Start by dipping them in clear or equivalent and allow to dry.

Its a very deep rabbit hole as you have to be aware that by the time a Lancaster had finished its service and been struck off charge it could quite possibly have ended up with sub assemblies from different airframes as the salvage and repair organisation was extremely efficient at recycling.

Very good research and a convincing conclusion. We must never forget !

I've just picked this thread up and here is the discussion I had on another forum and the final comments. Airfix Lancaster II - Page 5 - Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum (raf38group.org) following correspondence with the 3 Group Bomber Command Historian it seems highly unlikely that any Lancaster BIIs carried GH Bars in 1944. These bars appeared in late summer early autumn in1944 by which time the BIIs had been replaced. Thanks Steve for your valuable help and input. Hope this helps Mike

The 1/48 Arma Hobby Hurricane has got to be the definitive model and this one is superb. I'm working on one at the moment and I've reached the painting stage. Interestingly I've reacquainted myself with Xtracolor enamels which airbrush beautifully because I can't get hold of my usual Colourcoats or Humbrol . I wonder if Arma are going to do a MkI? Well done Robstopper she's a cracker.

Hi Jamie I've been trying to purchase paints from you but this happens, the order is confirmed paid for using Paypal and then it's cancelled immediately. I've tried twice and I'm getting nowhere. I don't think there's anything wrong with my Paypal account because it is working elsewhere. I'm out of ideas. Can you help please. Mike

Beautiful, it certainly looks like a Frightning

Masterpiece

Thanks Guys. Small intakes seem to be the favourite. Mike

I'm planning an RAF Dakota Mk.III KG326/19-Y as given on the Xtradecal sheet X72083 using the Airfix kit A08014. The photos I've found on the net of similar aircraft seem to show three different styles of carb intake and I can't fathom out which one is correct for this model. I can't find any photos of KG326. Can anyone point me in the right direction and perhaps some drawings? Thanks in advance. Mike

Thank you

Here's my effort there might be a few clues . Good luck Mike

Master class

Well done Heather it just goes to show that there's life left in some of the old Airfix models, it's just a question of who gives way first. You or the model. Here's the link to the one I did a few years ago

Wonderful, 1st class!

1/144!! You need to get out more! Blimey well done Mike

I wonder if I was dreaming but in the film The Sound Barrier early on there is an Avro Anson featured which delivers our yet to be test pilot to Ridgefields Airfield. I seem to remember it had a three colour camouflage on the upper surfaces. I wonder if there is a link? Unfortunately I can't find an image on the internet in order to check.

The colour of the mine has been discussed before. We have to take account that the mines were rushed into production against a deadline in May, while testing was still in full flow. Originally they were given a curved wooden overcoat to help the bomb skip across the surface of the water. There therefore was no need to paint the inner steel casing other than an oxide primer. As is well known dropping the mines from 150 ft only resulted in the destruction of the weapon. In desperation because the bombs were in production and the looming deadline Wallis asked Gibson if the bombs could be released at 60 feet to lessen the impact with the water. By chance the result was that although the wooden overcoat disintegrated the steel inner part continued to skip and remain intact. Those bombs that had been delivered to 617 were then stripped of their overcoats and probably rebalanced. The urgency of the operation probably left no time for repainting which explains why Barlow's bomb was recovered by the Germans still in an oxide primer finish. An unbalanced 10,000 lb cylinder rotating and shaking under an aircraft would be hazardous to flight safety and therefore the idea that anyone repainted a bomb black just before the operation is doubtful. I think the chief armourer would have had something to say about that. Its self evident that bombs left in store after the raid were then properly repainted as per regulations and obviously without the wooden overcoat.

Excellent work, modelling at it's best.