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My latest completion. Fortieth in my Fleet Air Arm and now RNAS collection and my third completion this year!! Sopwith Camel F1 B6390. No 13(N) Squadron RNAS. France. December 1917 Flown by Raymond Collishaw December 1917 Victories number 19 & 20 (of 60). 09.12.17 1520) Albatros D.V (OOC) Ostend Sopwith Camel B6390 10.12.17 Two Seater (OOC) Sopwith Camel B6390 Kit Revell 1/48 Sopwith Camel F1 (Old mould Eduard re-boxed). After market Look Instrument Panel Eduard 'Big Sin' Bentley Engine upgrade set (Bentley engine, wheels, seat, Vickers Mk.I gun, Rotherham air pumps, (not used; 20lb bomb carrier, 20lb bomb). Paint Colourcoats enamels. Tamiya, AK, Life Colour and Hataka Acrylics Decals Box Home Printed. Rigging EZ Line. Reasonably straight forward model to build. Beware though that the after market is designed for the new mould Eduard model. Some trimming is required... Pictures Now, what to plunder from the stash next… Thanks for stopping by..

Landing gear must be installed way too early in the build according to the instructions. I couldn't figure out another way to do it. Miracle of miracles, I so far have not broken them off. Did the spinner early. I figured this was a critical paint job and wanted it done and out of the way. Xtracolour Sky and Extra Dark Sea Grey. Hours of masking fun. Next to the USN scheme of light gull gray over white, this is one of the top five operational schemes ever. Finally got those two 1/48 Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba turboprop engines up and running courtesy of some K&S tubing. 😀

Cousin Bill’s Hellcat “25th July "The dusk CAP took off at 1700 hrs and Taylors RT went for a very smart burton. At 1845 hrs Fosters Engine began doing queer things and it is believed that the drop tank could not have been completely full as all went on main. Five minutes later Mackie and Atkinson were sent off on a vector to 20,000 feet and Foster told to stay at 5 with Taylor and both to land. At 1915 hrs the two types at 20 caught up with a number of Graces (Aichi B7A) carrying torpedoes. Atkinson hacked down two before you could say ‘Bob’s your uncle’ and Mackie brought the score to three and probably a forth. In no time at all. Atkinson then perceived aJapanesemaking what might be termed an ‘ugly dash’ at him, so to quote our hero ‘I did a tight loop and rolled out on his tail!’ This statement is believed to be one of the best lines we shot, but the fact remains that he badly damaged this aircraft and it has been claimed by him as a probable. It was last seen in a 40-degree dive towards the ‘oggin’. From that moment signals came in thick and fast, the all-important one from Rear-Admiral Vian, ‘Hearty congratulations’ and Admiral Halsey, ‘May I congratulate your CIC Officers and CAP pilots’. Churchills famous statement, ‘Never was so much owed by so many to so few’ was written about such gallant men as these two dashing young pilots’”. Heaven High Ocean Deep – Naval Fighter Wing At War. Tim Hillier-Graves I have built a representation of JX772 previously, as have many. I started this particular build with revision, going through the various notes and posts in Britmodeller and other sources. JX772 was assigned to 1839 Squadron, 5th Naval Fighter Wing HMS Indomitable, British Pacific Fleet in May ’45. In June HMS Indomitable returned to Sydney for refit. Six Hellcats were detached with six 1844 Squadron Pilots, Mechanics and Fighter Controller to HMS Formidable, 4 for Dawn & Dusk fighter cover (JX772 was one of these) and two for Photo Reconnaissance. My search for wartime photos of JX772 has been unsuccessful but in the Britmodeller notes @iang refers to unpublished film that shows JX772: X/119. An unusual feature with JX772 it that it has the serial applied above the carrier code on the fin in white and no Royal Navy titling. There is a published wartime news reel shot on board HMS Formidable which has in the background two Hellcats. Closer, frame by frame, inspection showed one of the aircraft being serviced was Hellcat 119. Items of note. The Aircraft is painted Gloss Sea Blue. Round Rear view mirror. High contrast colour around Engine cowling panels. High gloss finish. Sky auxiliary fuel tank (paint worn on nose). I decided I would try to emulate the photograph in my model of JX772 / X119 Sharing the family name with Bill Atkinson I wondered if there was any family connection. My wife, Lornagh, is a very good amateur genealogist and she built a family tree for Bill Atkinson. She traced his family from Canada where Bill was born back to Huddersfield, Yorkshire in the United Kingdom. Bill’s Second Great Grandfather being a Wool Stapler, Arthur Atkinson. My family also come from Huddersfield, Yorkshire, my Third Great Grandfather, Arthur Atkinson being a Wool Stapler. Thus, Lornagh established there is a strong probability of a family link between Bill Atkinson and me. Bill is probably a distant cousin. This is my representation of Grumman Hellcat Mk II. JX772 / X119 – Cousin Bill’s Hellcat. Kit is Eduard 1/48 Grumman Hellcat MkII, with:- Eduard etch F6F-5 Interior detail set Eduard Brassin Hellcat Engine detailing set Wolfpack Wingfold Set Scratch built changes & detailing Trolleys, Cases, oil cans – Airfix Ready for Battle set ICM & Resin printed Figures, Colourcoats enamels, Tamiya Acrylics, Generic Markings. On its display base.. Hope you enjoy the photographs Thanks for stopping by..

🎵Here I go again🎶 another Matchbox build. The kit is from 1974 (I turned 2 that year) and these little kits are wonderful. The model in itself fell together. Almost no filling and sanding. Details were sparse so I added a little, like extending the oleos, adding brake lines, torpedo suspension bands and engine F.O.D covers. The covers were a great way to disguise the terrible intakes. Main colour was Games Workshop “Necron Abyss” blue. And the original decals were fine! Interesting detail on this model you will notice are the odd weapon stations and the 3 windows in the cargo doors. No Matchbox didn’t get it wrong. This is how the pre-production Lynx looked. The windows would be replaced by a single egress type each side and the fancy weapon stations changed to accommodate the release system that already existed.

Once again, an old kit reboxed, but I’m a sucker for a bargain. £14 I think this cost me. Unlike expensive kits, there is no pressure to “get it right” so I relaxed into it and had fun. New for me on this was scratch building engine cables and photo etch seatbelt. And it was my first attempt at painting strips which was good practice before I did the Seafang. The base is made from an old kitchen draw face which I routed out and glued sticks down , stained and sanded. (Yes I know British carriers had metal decks, but it looks good).

Well, the Hellcat is on hold at present waiting for a replacement part to arrive from Eduard. So no time like the present to start another build. Here we go with the Special Hobby Supermarine Seafire Mk.III as used by the No. 3 Air Spotting Wing at RNAS Lee-on-Solent in June 1944 for Naval Gunnery Spotting for the Allied Fleet off the Normandy Coast. It will mostly be build out of the box, I may purchase a set of masks and some new exhaust stacks and maybe a pilot for it. Here's the obligatory photos of the box and sprues. 🙂 Thanks for looking Regards Matt

After having finished my wildcat I immediately started on my next FAA project. I enjoyed making the Martlet and its camo so I decided my next project would be a birdcage corsair (Tamiya 1:72 specifically). I got printscale decals ready and it will most likely be Corsair F.Mk.1 JT150. Cockpit Should be quite a quick build, similarly to the Martlet which I finished in six days.

Secret Santa was very good to me this year. He managed to bundle up the Tamiya 1/48 Fairy Swordfish MkII, the Special Hobby 1/48 Fairey Albacore and the Hobby Boss FAA Grumman Avenger all in one parcel and get it down the chimney at Chez Grey Beema. As is my way I have been looking at aircraft to represent by each model. I have identified several Swordfish MkIIs that sunk U-Boats that I could build and have also identified an Operation Torch Albacore from a HMS Formidable to build. But now I’m on the hunt for a suitable Grumman Avenger. I am looking at 875 NAS Avengers aboard HMS Indomitable in 1945. This is where the Britmodeller bee hive mind cuts in. Perusing ‘Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-1945’ I saw this aircraft which would fit right into my collection:- JZ552: 857 NAS HMS Indomitable. Operation Meridian II raid on Palembang. TAG shot down Ki44 29.01.45 SL AH Hunt & LA M Rees. I know the serial but what is the side number? So I am calling on the usual suspects @iang @ClaudioN @Lee Howard @Graham Boak @Seahawk @85sqn @Dunny @Giorgio Nand anyone else who can help. Looking at other 857 aircraft I find:- JZ563 W1H:W357 JZ565 W7N:W1N JZ566 W7O JZ576 W1C:W372 JZ592 W1S:W386 JZ594 W1A JZ614 :W372 JZ615 W1A:W370 So I would conclude that the side number on 29.01.45 was either W7? or W1? I am wondering if anyone could help identify 7 or 1 and the individual aircraft letter? If you have also com3 across a picture - that would be handy too.. Thanks in advance..

I’m feeling a bit of group build burnout, so I’ve decided to start a couple of builds of kits that have been occupying the stash for some time. Both, obviously, fit my 1940 remit, and both will probably be a fairly slow burn. First up, a final Fleet Air Arm build - until I can get a Fairey Sea Fox, Gloster Sea Gladiator and possibly a floatplane Swordfish - is the Blackburn Skua MkII from Special Hobby. Ages ago, I built the Roc turret fighter from SH, and this kit shares many similarities. This boxing dates from 2009, and offers three aircraft that took part in the attack on the Scharnhorst in July 1940. I may dig around and see if there are other aircraft I might choose, but one of the three in the box will probably be quite adequate. Typical SH family instructions. I’ve already made notes on colour callouts, and I will go over the runner trees with a fine felt tip to number the parts. Three runners of pale grey plastic form most of the parts. Some fine flash is evident, and some care tidying up feed points will be needed. The clear parts are a single piece canopy, so no chance of having the clamshell open for the observer, plus two landing light covers. A small PE fret for cockpit fittings, belts and engine detail. The engine is resin, and every inlet and exhaust pipe is separate. Transfers by AviPrint. I may be tempted to try cutting my own stencils and painting the markings, now I have the Silhouette. So, that’s what’s in the box. I’m not sure quite when I shall make a start on construction, but it won’t be too long. While my day job work is still busy, I am getting styrene and plastic cement fumes withdrawal symptoms!

Good day to you all, Happy Thursday! Welcome along to my latest completion. This is my Trumpeter 1:48 Seahawk FGA 6 converted to an FB3 and dressed as a member of the Red Devils. The Red devils were an aerobatic team of 5 aircraft from 738 Naval Air Squadron running for a couple of years in the early 1950s. Their claim to fame was being the first team to (intentionally!) use smoke as part of their display. I have depicted the aircraft folded as the aircraft started their display folded, taxied to the dispersal and then did some synchronized wing spreading just before taking off. Also, it shows off the large underwing Royal navy. The model is OOB with only an aftermarket seat installed which is a huge improvement on the kit version. It was a spare I had kicking around, it looks a bit different so may well be the wrong type for this aircraft but it does look better! I also remodeled the nose, gun ports, wing fold, intakes and tail bullet. The decals are aftermarket from Model Alliance Naval display teams set, a nice set but I felt the white was a little too transparent. The paint finish is Model Master Acryl signal red which almost gives the red a 1950s shade to it! To convert from a FGA 6 to an FB3 was more or less just an antenna change around. There was no other major modification involved. See link below for the WIP Build link Anyway, enjoy the phots! And here it is with their Classic Airframes counterpart Thanks for looking in! Bob

As a very very newbie (my first post) - Sorry if this is a topic covered before (can't find a reference to this) - I am struggling to complete the Hobby Boss 1/48 model of the Fleet Air Arm Grumman F6 Hellcat. (I found a really good deal for this on e-bay, sourced in Belgium I think)! Overall the kit is a bit of a Curate's egg - but with perseverance I'm getting there. The kit itself is very good - a great pity that the superbly detailed radial engine cannot be seen! (I assume one can cut away part of the cowling to show it off). Unfortunately the painting instructions are Zero/Zip/Not At Home. No information about what colours for the external bits and pieces. The diagrams are ok but some of the left/right captions are a bit cockeyed. It appears that Hobbyboss made a great kit and then got a bit tired with it and added the "build instructions" as an afterthought. As supplied the kit offers two underwing ?500lb.? bombs plus six underwing rockets and the usual underbelly fuel tank. What colours should these be? (As Fleet air arm munitions - not US colours). Rockets/bandings on them/tail fins - the same with the bombs. Also - should the fuel tank be the same as the under-plane surface colour (grey or some-such?) Many thanks to anyone who can help. I have another problem with Vallejo paints - but I don't know what bit of the forum to post it on. With all respects to members Peter

Continuing the Royal Navy theme, it's way back to the time of HMS Glory serving in the Korean War, with her air group of Fireflies and Sea Furies. First up, the Fairey Firefly. I'll be making it oob as usual but adding a few odd bits here and there. I might try and do a different serial number/code to the decals, as I try not to ever make models of aircraft that have crashed. Only problem is, information from this far back is hard to come by; I have no idea which specific Fireflies 812 NAS used, so it might be time for artistic licence. Nice box art ... It's an old kit, so I assume there'll be errors and fit issues? Anyone have any tips? As a start, I've given the observer a few more boxes to play with, his position was looking somewhat sparse. And the crew can now safely belt up ...

I‘ve always assumed Mk. Is were to be found on fleet carriers as fleet fighters of the day and Mk. IIs were later found on escort carriers (having not made it to fleet carriers before more capable types replaced Sea Hurricanes). However, I’ve been looking at RN escort carrier air groups and found out that some Mk. Is did briefly operate from some escort carriers before they were replaced by Mk.IIs or Martlets. Whilst there are some well-known front line squadron photographs of Mk.Is on fleet carriers (Indomitable and Victorious) around the time of the Malta convoys in July/August 1942, and of Mk.IIs on escort carriers (Striker and Nairana) in 1944, In investigating photographic references on the web, I found the following photo of a Mk. I said to be AF953 on HMS Avenger in June 1942. It is a lovely photo which I thought I'd share. From my references, I make the following observations; I’ve looked carefully at the serial number and it definitely says AF953. It is not in the standard font as used for the ‘ROYAL NAVY’ legend, but in a different font something like STENCIL font (AF953) which I’ve also seen used on the odd Seafire and Swordfish. It seems that the aircraft has had a re-spray and part of the original colour has been left behind part of the ROYAL NAVY legend and serial number. Until recently I assumed this was S.1.E scheme Sky Grey but other topics have discussed Sea Hurricanes in early high demarcation camouflage schemes. It is commonly believed that some were originally delivered in the S.1.E scheme with high demarcation and Sky Grey side and undersides. However Sky Grey was officially replaced by Sky Type “S” in September 1940, well before the Hurricane appeared in the FAA., but although this apparently took some time to filter through to operational units, there seems no reason to suspect any other colour on aircraft delivered to the FAA after this date. Also this aircraft is hooked, whilst the Sea Hurricanes in early high demarcation camouflage schemes seem not to have been. Interesting that the background colour is seen behind only part of the legend and serial number, as if they had been previously applied differently, or perhaps the background colour was in the process of being carefully painted over, after the more general re-spray. The aircraft identifier letter is black (roundel confirms not yellow or blue). There also appears to be some patching up with patches of darker colour (red oxide dope or fresh application of TSS colours Unfortunately, Air Britain’s book on FAA Aircraft 1939-45, doesn’t give any squadron history for this particular airframe. This photo can be found on the ‘World War Photos’ web site (http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/uk/raf/hurricane/). The caption ‘Sea Hurricane AF953 on the flight deck of HMS Avenger June 1942’ seems quite detailed and smacks of a note on the back of the photo or in a photo album. HMS Avenger was not used as a deck landing Training carrier, so any Mk.Is would have been on her deck for work up or operational purposes However HMS Avenger was delivered in May 1942 and delivery modification work to the flight deck, communications equipment and armament wasn’t completed until July 1942. 802 NAS did visit the ship with Sea Hurricane Mk.Ibs on 13-15th July as part of her pre-operational work up. 883 NAS joined the ship on 16th July and 802 NAS joined the ship on 22nd July, both with Sea Hurricane Mk.Ibs as part of her air group (along with 825 NAS and its Swordfish IIs) for trade protection work. So, is the date wrong or is the ship wrong? Any comments on my observations and queries would be welcome Simon