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  1. This is the old 1975 Revell kit (original edition!), finished just a few weeks ago. Built by my father, pilot sculpted by my brother, painted by all three . A huge kit, and one that still looks very nice today. One of those old kits with plenty of mechanisms everywhere. The original pilot was unable to exit his cockpit! so a new one was sculpted, with flexible compound, so he can squeeze in and out .
  2. I'm working on a triple Spitfire build in 1/48, using a new issue Airfix Vb, a Special Hobby Vc, a Classic Airframes Vc (same as the Spec. Hobby) and they will all be Malta birds. The Spec. Hobby fuselages need to be stretched, tail canted down, and the wings moved forward using info and suggestions kindly provided by Troy Smith (thanks again). I'm using the Airfix Fuselage as a guide, as it matches the drawings I have nicely ... it's interesting how many of the available Spit's come up with a different length! With the stretch done, my attention turns to the cockpit. The Spec. Hobby kit has a nice cockpit with a few updates needed, The seats are accurate, but the cushion is to long, and needs to be shortened in order to use the nice photo etch Sutton harness provided. The Airfix seat in indistinct and too narrow, so I'll be using an Ultracast seat there. (Dark grey is Spec. Hobby, seat on left not modified yet, also frames drilled out on all) The Airfix panel has a compass, which the Spec. Hobby missed, so I had to make my own. I'll replace the Airfix one also as mine will be easier to paint and decal, compass being separate. The other thing I looked at right away was the weird (IMHO) way Airfix attached the landing gear. I cemented the legs together, then drilled a .020" hole down the center, about half way. I cut the leg back apart just above the upper flange and cemented in a .020" brass pin into the lower section. Fit the leg back together, and solidly cemented the trunion into position. Now the gear can be attached solidly later and fine adjustments made if required bending the pin. It's the first time I've tried a triple build, hopefully it won't take 3 times as long!
  3. Hiya, I normally make 1/48 aircraft and am making a trio of Malta era aircraft (Spit V, Re.2001 and 109G2). Below these three in flight, I am going to try (emphasis on try) to make a water base and have a period merchant ship in smaller scale for forced perspective. Never made a ship but got some great advice on water bases from Telford IPMS when there. Does anyone know of a nice kit that would fit the bill of a Malta merchant ship of that era, the 1942 convoys? Or at least point me in the right direction of what to look for / best places to look / manufacturers likely to have something suitable. I had begun by using this site https://www.naval-history.net/xAH-MaltaSupply01b.htm which has a lot of the individual convoys ship by ship and searching for kits of them but haven't had much luck that way. Thanks
  4. "Swear to shoot down ten for Doug -- I will, too, if it takes me a lifetime." -- Ioannis Agorastos "Johnny" Plagis, 20 March 1942 On 20 March 1942, Johnny Plagis's close friend and fellow Rhodesian, Pilot Officer "Douggie" Leggo, was shot down and killed by either the experte Hermann Neuhoff (who would himself be shot down by Canadian Hurricane pilot F/Sgt Garth Horricks DFM of 185 Squadron and taken captive on 10 May 1942), or Ernst Klager (taken prisoner on 3 July 1942 at El Alamein after being shot down on a frie jagd by a SAAF Kittyhawk Ia flown by Lt Sydney "Moose" Reinders). It appears that a 109 then either fired into Leggo as he dangled in his parachute, or deliberately or by accident (the attack took place at only 50 yards range) collapsed his parachute as it flew past him. Plagis fulfilled his vow with time to spare by 7 June 1942. This is one of the Spitfires he flew, built from the new Airfix 1/72 kit. I made several errors. For starters, I transposed the serial number (BR321) in my head, converting it to BR312. Both Spitfires were delivered to Malta, but BR312 came earlier, during Operation STYLE; the latest research has it that these aircraft were painted Sky Blue underneath and Dark Mediterranean Blue above, and the model is so painted. In fact, BR321 was delivered during the slightly later Operation SALIENT, and was quite possibly Extra Dark Sea Grey up top. For now, we can't be certain, of course, but it bothers me and I was too far along to reasonably go back and respray by that point. For the same reason, feeling slightly deflated, I opted not to steal a rear-view mirror from another kit that I might actually paint correctly. Painting was done with Colourcoats enamels, weathering was Abteilung oils, Alclad, AK oil washes, and AK pigments. The panel lines look substantially less pronounced in person, honest.
  5. So just some thoughts going round in my head for possible future builds. Torpedo bombers based in Malta? wellingtons, swordfish and Beauforts, I know of but have very little knowledge and can find very little reference info (it’s malta so that makes sense) as to what they looked like. I know wellingtons were 38 and 221 sqn and worked at night so pretty much guarantee black lower surfaces. But any info on marks? I’ve found a few pics of wellies being loaded with fish and they appear to have their front turret removed. swordfish were, 815, 828 (mainly albacore?) and 830 from what I can find and preformed many roles, recce of shipping, mine laying, and assault of shipping with torp’s and bombs. I’m sure I’ve seen a few profiles of them as black with camo uppers, maybe one with an M on it’s tail? beaforts I have a fair idea on, and have transfers for two options.... but no kit.... any way any info on wellingtons and swordfish flying out of Malta world be helpful? Anyone build any representations of these? cheers in advance Rob
  6. Hello everyone... This was built as a companion build to my Hurricane Mk.1. shown here in this RFI.⬇️ I built it after asking multiple questions for almost two years, as well as asking more questions in this thread. ⬇️ I built it as one of P.Ofc. George Buerlings Mk.Vb’s. I used the Italeri Mk.Vb which wasn't that bad of a kit. However i am not satisfied with the cockpit. The instructions have you make a weird mount for the seat frame. Mine didn't work out right, so the seat is in very odd position. I went through the entire construction and paint for a Maltese Spitfire. I actually painted it in the Desert scheme. Which was then oversprayed a custom mix for “malta” blue. The final outcome i present to you now. You will note the missing “pitot” that has become carpet monster fodder. Im not exactly certain about the white codes ? But thats the way the decal sheet came. Someday if i need to i will correct them in grey, or whichever color they should be in ? I hope this is a satisfactory example of a Malta Spitfire ? Questions, comments, or jokes if you please ? Dennis
  7. Hello everyone.. Im presenting my Airfix 1/72 Hurricane Mk.1. I built it using Alleycats metal wing resin conversion. It is part one of two kits built to represent defenders of Malta. The 2nd is a Mk.Vb Spitfire which will get its own RFI soon. This Mk.1 Hurricane is V7101 flown in the defence of Malta, by Flt.Lt. George burges of 69 Squadron. I started this project in September of last year. I used this Thread, https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235043421-69-squadron-malta-hurricane/ to confirm some information. Im quite pleased with the kit overall and will be building more. You will note two odd things about the markings. One the distinct lack of serial & the red patches on the wings. The decals for both were sadly destroyed in a desktop accident. I spilled rubbing alcohol over my desk and obliterated all the decals. I was able to make-up the roundels and flashes, but that is it. As far as i know the real plane carried no codes. If someone knows different i could attempt to add them. The red gun swatches are Tamiya tape cut to size and painted. Without further talk here is my Hurricane. I hope this meets with everyones approval ? Questions, comments, and or jokes ? Dennis
  8. Hello everybody ... Im looking for some information about Hurricane’s Mk.1A V7101 & Mk.1A P3144 flown by Flt.Lt. George burges. I have a few profiles (yes i know) listed with #69 squadron @ Luqa. However they all show the Hurricanes painted in a solid color with exception for the vertical/horizontal stabilizers. The profiles show everything from a medium grey to almost black. I have read they were for Reconnaissance ? I’ve read medium sea grey as a possible color ? Is PRU blue another possibilty ? Any thoughts, ideas, help would be greatly appreciated. Dennis
  9. Ok ive been running in circles so im going to ask the forum. What kind of Spitfire did George Buerling fly when flying in Malta ? Ive seen Vb’s and Vc’s accredited to him ? Did he fly both types ? Or is this just a case of confusion from non experts with mis-identifying the V sub-types ? Yes i know a huge can of . But im trying to build a Vb from Malta and it comes with the decals for beurling ?
  10. I'm just about to start building a Bf 110 D or E from ZG 26 in Trapani, Sicily. I was wondering what to equip my kits' underwings with, if I want to depict a fighterbomber on its way to Malta? Centrally carried 2x500 kg bombs are a natural choice, but were the 300 litre fuel tanks for wing racks the only option or did the range allow 2 smaller bombs per wing instead? I'll go for the fuel tanks in my build but would just like to know how it was. Thanks in advance, V-P
  11. The Gloster Gladiator – Airframe Album 12 Valiant Wings Publishing The tagline "A detailed guide to the RAF's last biplane fighter" is a perfect summation of the Glad, which soldiered on long past its sell-by date due to the pressures of a war that it wasn't really designed to cope with. It was always going to be a stop-gap aircraft, and was the winner of the competition for which the original Supermarine Type 224 was submitted. Developed from Gloster's experience with previous biplane fighters, the Gladiator bore more than a passing resemblance to how I would imagine a biplane Hurricane would look, and was in many instances replaced by that very aircraft. Quickly withdrawn from front-line service after some unsuccessful battles with the more capable Bf.109, it soldiered on in Africa, the Mediterranean and in other arenas and with other nations where the competition was also similarly outdated (at times). The book is perfect-bound in a softback cover, and consists of 128 pages of writing, drawings, plans and contemporary photographs, some of which are in colour, which is nice to see, given the period of operation. If you are familiar with the Airframe Album series, the format will be somewhat familiar, and is broken down as follows: Introduction A brief narrative history of the development and operational use of the Gladiator and Sea Gladiator by the RAF, FAA and other nations, as well as captured and evaluated examples Technical Description Detailed coverage of construction and equipment Evolution – Prototype, Production and Projected Variants 3D-isometrics illustrating differences between variants Camouflage & Markings Colour side profiles, notes and photographs Model A build of the Silver Wings 1:32 scale version by Steve A Evans Appendices Gloster Gladiator/Sea Gladiator Kit List Gloster Gladiator/Sea Gladiator Accessory & Mask List Gloster Gladiator/Sea Gladiator Decal List Bibliography The pictures are split between contemporary photos, mainly in the introductory section where the aircraft's service is discussed, and modern photos that have been taken of either a restored airframe, or one undergoing deep restoration, which benefits from much of the surface being stripped away for access. This gives the viewer a useful insight into what's under the skin, which is often the type of information that us modellers are looking for when upgrading details, or opening up some panels. They're also of great interest to the general aircraft enthusiast, as is the accompanying text and the captions to each photo, drawing and diagram. I find the 3D isometrics a useful quick-reference to see at a glance the differences in the airframe as it was developed, and this edition is no exception, even though there were technically only two marks. Due to the development of the early airframes and overseas customer requirements, there are a lot more small changes to each batch of aircraft than one would initially expect. In total there are 27 sets of drawings for the various land-based versions and the Sea Gladiator, which is included in the book's remit. The drawings and diagrams are also particularly useful in giving an insight into the construction of the Glad, and some are culled directly from the manuals that accompanied the aircraft to their squadrons. There is only one build in this book, which is of the resin Silver Wings kit in 1:32. Although the build is excellent as usual, I feel that an additional build using either the Roden kit in 1:48, or any of the available 1:72 kits to add a little wider appeal, but the editor explains in italics that it was due to lack of space. The usual kit & bits listing is included to the rear, and gives a perishable recounting of what was available at the time of printing in kit, aftermarket, decals and of course reference material. Conclusion The Glad is the hero of Malta, fighting alongside its people, the brave soldiers and airmen that kept the island from falling into Axis hands during the height of WWII when it was threatened from all sides, enduring an extended onslaught that would have broken the spirit of many. Faith, Hope and Charity as the three aircraft became known gave the Islanders hope, and it seems to have rooted itself in many a modeller's affections, perhaps because it was almost always the underdog. This book is a great one-stop reference for modellers and aviation enthusiasts alike. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  12. Evening all, Does anyone have a clear idea of what the paint scheme would have been on Upholder in her pomp please? I've seen/heard that green over green is possible, also blue over red or all over one shade of blue-grey. I would very much like to pop my little U-class in for the current Mediterranean GB but have never reached a conclusive answer on her appearance. Many thanks in advance for any thoughts!
  13. Just finish these recently for the MTO GB. Cheers Jes
  14. I will enter this one, the new Blenheim from Airfix. I have just read the exelent book by Tony Otoole, No place for beginners, very recomedable, and been inspired to do som Malta a/c. I have build the Mk. 1 before, so i decided to glue the fuselage together first as I had some fitting issues when doing as the drawing said last time. Cheers Jes
  15. Hello everyone, apologies for my delayed start on this GB. SO much loveliness being built! Between now and Christmas there's a couple of builds I'd like to do but I'm going to start with something of a later vintage than I'm accustomed to: a 23 Squadron Mosquito NF.II based on Malta in 1942-43. The squadron had been flying intruder missions over France before it was withdrawn at short notice, re-equipped and flew to from the UK to Luqa, with a five-day stop in Gibraltar, in December 1942. It was equipped with Mosquito NF.IIs and stayed on the Island until October 1943. The decal sheet has markings for DZ230/YP-A, which was flown by the C.O., Wg Cdr Peter Wykeham-Barnes. He was credited with downing two Ju88s in this aeroplane and it was written off in a landing accident in mid-1943. The squadron's primary roles were intruding over Sicily and mainland Italy, shooting down a Junkers Ju52/3 over Castel Vetrano for its first Maltese 'kill' (Wykeham-Barnes recording that it 'took evasive action by blowing up into a thousand pieces'). As well as air-to-air intruding over Italy, the squadron was also tasked with ground attack operations over North Africa, many of which involved harassing axis troop movements around Tripoli. During the German evacuation, the squadron's Mosquitos were able to block the road over a length of about 15 miles, and subsequently flew up and down the jam strafing targets revealed by burning transports. Attrition was quite high and the squadron faced many logistical issues, not the least of which being a complete absence of replacement Merlin XXI engines. A lot of cannibalism took place among the wrecks that littered the Island, with replacement Merlins being pulled out of Hurricanes and Wellingtons that had no further need of them. In 1943 a review of the squadron's situation stated that the primary concerns in descending order were replacement airframes, replacement spares, replacement crews and overheating. The kit will be the Tamiya 1/72 NF.II / FB.VI and the decals will be from the Xtradecal set X72091 23 Squadron RAF 1940-1990. I'd originally intended to build this in the 2013 Mossie GB but my first (Airfix) NF.II went horribly wrong and I started a new job. Having now finally got off the pot and made my decision to have another stab at it in this GB, I'll post pictures of the kit and decals tomorrow.
  16. It feels like I'm under-performing in this GB. I've got a Mosquito on hold because the canopy needs a set of masks and a 'quick and dirty' P-40B that is proving to be anything but quick. So while I await the kabuki tape assistance needed to finish both of my (current) aeroplanes I've decided to build something without a canopy. Or any windows, in fact. It's HMS Upholder. Despite the human story of the siege and the excitement caused by her heroic aerial defence, Malta's key role in the war was always offensive. The Royal Navy was pre-eminent in Malta's strategic role and in HMS Upholder the Island had an utterly devastating weapon, the most successful British submarine of the war, captained throughout by Lieutenant-Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn - who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his brilliant command. The Upholder was laid down in October 1939 and commissioned a year later. She left British waters for Malta in December 1940 and, in total, went on to complete 24 patrols, sinking 14 vessels totalling 93,031 tons of enemy shipping. Her victories included two other submarines, a destroyer, three troop ships and six cargo ships. On her 25th and final scheduled patrol before returning to Britain she was sighted and sunk with all hands, most probably by depth charges dropped from the Italian torpedo ship Pegaso which was patrolling north-east of Tripoli. The kit is from the Russian (I think) brand Mirage, which produced a 1/400 scale U-class submarine boxed as HMS Undine. Undine and Upholder were all-but indistinguishable: two of the first seven U-class submarines, all of which were built with both four internal and two external torpedo tubes. After these first seven submarines were completed and put into service, the external tubes were deleted from the 42 U-class submarines that would follow because they created an unwanted bow wave and often broke the surface at periscope depth. I've never built any kind of ship or boat before. It's a multimedia kit with plastic, resin and etch. It's all rather unfamiliar but it's all rather intriguing, and makes a change from aeroplanes for me. My stash of Malta bits remains fairly sprawling, so it's nice to pull something out of it that I would otherwise have struggled to get the courage up to attempt! Here goes, then...
  17. Hello all! So I am on a trip to Malta that I planned around their Airshow. Pretty much the only reason Malta came to my attention for a trip this year was that my last attempt to see the Polish Iskra team isn't Florennes, Belgium they cancelled. I wanted to visit Malta anyway - so made it a holiday. Thw he Airshow was actually cancelled on the 25th due to poor weather. I'm very glad I went on the 24rh where it was near perfect skies. There were not many attendees this year...but the main draws were the Polish TS-11 jet trainer display tea m "Bialo-Czerwone Iskry" and the Ukrainian Su-27. There were doubles, support aircraft, and a few extras in the static display - those photos will be added when I'm home later. Please enjoy. (Click here if picture link doesn't work https://flickr.com/photos/99336037@N02/sets/72157670993060924)
  18. Hello I am searching infos about the Fulmar mk. I (N4004) of 800X Squadron, shot down by Italian anti-aircraft fire, off Siracusa (Sicily) on the night of October, 8, 1941. The wreck lies on a sandy bottom at about 15 meters depth. I would like to build this aircraft in 1/72 and I need info mainly regarding camouflage pattern and individual code. Thank you for your help Domenico
  19. I have just been having a trawl around on Google Earth and found, what appears to be, a WW2 or early postwar era submarine in Malta Dockyard's basin, Grand Harbour. At first I thought it was a U-Boat but I don't think any survived to be in a floating condition. Does anyone know more about this and confirm the class, better still the name, of this submarine which is afloat? Mike
  20. Airfix 1/48 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb "Build Introduction" (4.1.16) Hello Chaps, In 3 weeks time, my wife and I will be moving to our new home, so, I'm not going to start another large scale plane build until we are settled in. But, that said, I feel I might be able to grab a few hours here and there, in between packing, to build a smaller quicker build kit. Therefore, I've chosen this kit, which was one of five kits that my wife bought me for Christmas from the Airfix "Black Friday" sale. I have made a start on her this week, but haven't found the time to start a WIP on here until now. So, without further ado, here goes..... The box is a typical Airfix two-piece construction- Lid and Base, which I much prefer compared to the end opening single units offered by Revell. The box art on the lid shows a Mk.Vb chasing and shooting down an enemy aircraft over the Mediterranean waters and is shown in the first of two color scheme/markings that are offered with this kit. The color scheme and markings are for the aircraft flown by Pilot Officer Robert Wendell "Buck" McNair D.F.C (Royal Canadian Air Force), No.249 (Gold Coast) Squadron, Royal Air Force, Operation "Spotter", Ta'Qali (Ta Kali), Malta, March 1942. This is the version that I will be modeling. On the sides of the box there are 5 CAD generated images showing some of the details included with this kit and the two options of color scheme and marking... Inside the box there is a large clear polythene bag containing 5 grey sprues and a smaller clear bag containing a single clear sprue. There is a 16 page Assembly/Instruction booklet and one sheet of decals... The decals are typical AIrfix, which I personally think are some of the best decals on the market, they are nicely printed, with roundels in register, minimal carrier film and the decals are nice and thin and have a matt/satin finish.... The 16 page booklet is printed in black, white, red and yellow and the last two pages showing the painting and decal instructions offering two options of color schemes and markings, are in full color. There are 46 assembly stages which are very clear with CAD generated images, clearly marked part numbers and color call outs. All colors are for Humbrol paints only will require converting should you choose other brand paints. The five grey sprues are very well molded, with nice crisp clean parts that have zero to minimal flash, if any. There is no warp, distortion, stress marks and sink to be seen and ejector pin witness marks are only visible on the inside of some parts. Other parts are ejected via "ejector slugs" that exist outside of the part geometry which eliminates any ejector pin witness marks on the parts. Sprue "A" Sprue "B" Sprue "C" Sprue "D" Sprue "E" Clear Sprue "F" includes options for open or closed canopies with three styles of hood available. All parts are nicely molded and very clear. Well, that's it for the introduction, so I'll see you guys when I have a "Build Update" ready to report. In the meantime, if you'd like to watch my YouTube Channel "Build Introduction" video for this kit, then here is the link to that: Thanks in advance for taking a look at this WIP, watching the video and leaving any comments, should you do so, much appreciated! Happy modeling and have fun! Cheers, ​ Martin
  21. I just ran out of time to complete this one within the Hurricane GB, so here's my take on the famous 242 Squadron Hurricane Mk.IIc that was based on Malta from late 1941 to early 1942. Usually this aircraft is modelled in Desert colours but I think that's a red herring. One or two early Hurricane Mk.I arrivals were in DE/MS and the aircraft flown out from Egypt by 229 Squadron in March 1942 were in full Desert trim. Apart from that, almost every Hurricane on the Island was in Temperate Land Scheme, including BE402. Here is the original aircraft after its famous nose-over moment in November 1941: And here's mine: The kit is the Hobbycraft 1/48 Mk.II, which is a mildly reworked Airfix (old tool) Mk.I. The reworking is so mild that the tail wheel provided is the same simple Mk.I affair, but CanadaMoe, who sold me the kit, added in a Hasegawa Mk.II tail wheel assembly that fits like a glove. Paint is all Tamiya acrylics applied with a brush, as I was feeling nostalgic when I started. From my youth I always remembered Tamiya paints being the best in the business but actually these were like trying to paint using the sort of white glue favoured by primary schools the length of the country. That doesn't excuse the handiwork, however. The spent case and link chutes were drawn on with a marker pen. The weathering is rather heavy but then it looks pretty grim under the wings of the real aircraft. My weathering was looking quite nice until I tried to add the light 100-octane smudges. They're a bit rough. The decals are Rafdecals. The code letters are slightly over-scale. Also they tended to shatter on contact with water, requiring a pair of very thick Airfix upper wing roundels, an Airfix central red dot on the starboard lower wing (slightly different size/shade) and some hand-painted repairs to the starboard 'S'. Anyway, after all that she's done: my fourth and (for now at least) final 1/48 Malta-based Hurricane. Here she is on my home-made patch of Takali scrub alongside the Airfix PR Mk.I conversion that I built for the 2012 Malta GB. Many, many thanks to CanadaMoe for all the help in getting the bits together some four years ago. Hope it was worth waiting for!
  22. Quick and dirty Hurricane build coming up! I've been meaning to get this one done since the Malta GB in 2012. Hobbycraft's old IIc is, I think I'm right in saying, based on the old tool Airfix Mk.I and for the purist it does neither one thing or the other. It looks like a Hurricane, however, and I still think that the old Airfix is the nicest 1/48 Hurricane out there for shape. Keep the cockpit closed and nobody will mind too much about the lack of detail. The subject is to be that old favourite, BE402, which was photographed with 242 Squadron markings LE-S after nosing over on the Island. Mostly people paint her up in Desert colours but I think that's a bit of a wrong turn. 242 Squadron arrived in Malta on 12 November 1941 in Operation PERPETUAL, flying 18 Hurricanes off HMS Argus under the command of Sqn Ldr W.G. Wells. As with most 1941 deliveries, the Hurricanes are pictured in Temperate Land Scheme. There is some confusion about 242 Squadron in this period because the ground crews were sent onward to the Far East, so for a short period at the end of 1941 there were two 242 Squadrons! Ground crew from 605 and 249 Squadrons was seconded to 242 in Malta. 242 is listed in the order of battle in Malta from November 1941 to March 17 1942 when the few surviving aircraft and men were absorbed into 126 Squadron. Here is the famous upturned full-size example: And here is the kit. I shan't be adding any extra details unless I find the tail wheel that I was very kindly sent in 2012 - if I recall the kit item is from the Mk.I and the replacement is a Mk.II from a Hasegawa kit. I'm not going to do too much in the way of weathering. November 1941 on Malta was what Gandalf would describe as the deep breath before the plunge. The Luftwaffe was returning to Sicily and preparing to unleash its full force upon the Island but it had been a relatively quiet summer and autumn in which the Italians had seldom pressed home their attacks with any great vigour. By December the world would be a good deal less pleasant. Onward, to Malta!
  23. I went looking for this, but could only find Part 1. I thought that there was more but can't find anything in the Airfix back issues listings - was more ever published?
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