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My first question is when did the single seat RAF Jags receive the mk 3 ejection seats in place of the mk 2? I’m planning to build XX741 as at 1986, would it have had the mk 3 seat by then?

I greatly admire ICM's figures, in particular their range of 1/48 fellows. They are superbly sculpted with convincing drapery and exquisite detailing, and are a joy to paint. This one is one the RAF pilots in the 'Bomber & Torpedo Pilots' set, number 48090 and I painted it to form part of a vignette featuring 2 other figures from that same set (1 slightly modified) and the torpedo also from ICM. I have a wee video about painting this pilot on my YouTube channel, should you be so interested.

Hi All, My first completion for 2025, and it's a big one! For the last couple of months I have been working on designing, 3D printing and finishing a conversion of the Airfix Lancaster (A08013A) to the earlier Avro Manchester Mk.I. This is the base kit: This is the aircraft I have chosen to model: L7427 was part of 83 Sqn, based at RAF Scampton in April 1942. The aircraft was lost on its 15th mission to attack the Blohm und Voss shipyards in Hamburg on 8th April - all crew perished. The aircraft had completed 10 missions at the time this photo was taken, denoted by the mission tally on the side of the nose. This is an extensive conversion, which has entailed the design and 3D printing of the following: - Wings at 90' wingspan - Nacelles for the twin RR Vultures along with propellers - Empennage at 28' span, with smaller vertical stabilisers and central fin - Main and tail wheels - Bomb bay doors - Control column and Mk.IX bombsight - Mast - Vacuum formed FN7 dorsal and FN4 rear turrets, along with landing light cover Here's the WIP if anybody is interested: All the printed parts were produced on an Elegoo Saturn 3 Ultra using water-soluble resin. This is the final result: Here's a shot showing the kit of parts with the finished article: Here's a final shot with another unusual Lanc derivative: This has been an ambitious project (for me), and I'm pretty happy with the outcome. I have had much assistance along the way - @Walter Lindekens and @brewerjerry were most generous in supplying information on the type. @AdrianMF, @Marklo and @TeeELL were all most generous in offering vacuum forming advice to a noob. Thanks to everybody else who has added kind words and encouragement along the way - it has been much appreciated! For those who are interested, I will be making this kit available for sale in due course, Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, Well, what have I gone and done now? Emboldened by the relative success of my recent Manchester conversion project, I have decided to jump in with both size 10s and attempt a whole aircraft design and build. I did toy with another Lanc conversion (I'm thinking RAAF Lincoln Mk.30/31, which is still a distinct possibility for later down the line), but the idea of a whole aircraft would not go away. With the Valom kit the only available option to build the Albermarle, it was an obvious choice. Twin engines, tricycle undercarriage, lots of transparencies - what a challenge! There is also the enticing prospect of invasion stripes, and even the possibility of a diorama with a Horsa glider - I am positively frothing just thinking about it! With excitement levels at 11 I decided to order this: Until that turns up I have the small matter of a pair of Bristol Hercules XIs to occupy my time. This will definitely be a slow burner, so this is a bit of a placeholder. Let the dance begin... Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, Now, what is it I enjoy doing again? Oh yes, modelling WWII aircraft! For the last 5 months I've been on a bit of a treadmill with a commission maritime project. With the future of the rest of the project a little uncertain, I've decided to take a bit of a break from it and revert to that which gives me joy. I have been following along with @Heather Kay's wonderful Manchester build, and it inspired me to have a go at a 3D printed conversion kit for the Airfix Lancaster (A08013A for those of you wondering) to see how well I can integrate with the original kit parts, rather than cutting and shutting as is the norm with conversion kits (although Heather has made a great silk purse from what appears to be a bit of a sow's ear). To that end, I've got one of these winging its way from t'internet: My plan is to design and 3D print as follows: - Complete new wings & flap assemblies at the 90' wingspan - Vulture engines, integrating the kit undercarriage into the nacelles - New tail assembly (not sure yet whether to model the vertical stabiliser with the smaller vertical rudders, or use the kit parts for a later model) - Remodel the interior, including provision for the second pilot position - Vacuum form new dorsal turret and nose blister using 3D printed bucks - Maybe model the ventral turret, depending on the aircraft I choose - Lots of other things which I have yet to get my head around I suspect that some aftermarket parts may also find their way into this build - a mask set at the bare minimum! This is a bit of a placeholder as I have no doubt it will be a long-term endeavour. I may also kick off a couple of mojo-restoring builds too, but it's good to be back in the kingdom of wingy things! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hello Friends, To begin this thread I want to introduce who I am, as this is my first post on this Forum. I am a 16 year old modeler from Minnesota. Around 5 years ago I had became very interested in anything aviation. This would eventually lead to me building model aircraft about 3 years ago. I had began this giant project at the end of February and have gotten much work done on it so far. My first set of photographs depict the pilots seat and the pilots quarters. This section of the build was quickly built up, only taking around 3-4 hours to put together, paint, and weather. I had primed with Alclad II gloss black lacquer primer and had done black basing with Tamiya white. The RAF interior green was done using MRP RAF interior lacquer paint. The various detail painting was done with Vallejo, Tamiya, and Mission Models acrylics. I had used brown Tamiya panel line washes.

Airfix Avro Lancaster B.IIII 1/72. Built this for a friend who's father served in the RAF in this very aircraft as an Aussie bombardier/navigator in the Pathfinder Sqn. I used his log book as the ramp and rescaled the crew group photo to 1/72. Enjoyed the research about the RAF Pathfinders as much as the build. First time for a new Airfix mould and suitably impressed.

Hi All, Happy Easter to one and all! Whilst I am waiting for a replacement kit for my DAF duo project, I thought I'd start another build! Inspired by @AliGauld's lovely 1;48 B25, I thought I'd have another crack at Auntie's lovely Mitchell II. This was one of my very first RFIs on this forum, a whole 5 years ago, so I thought it was about time to build another. As that build was one of the kit schemes, I thought this time I'd try something a little different, so I'm going to build this as a PRU version, specifically MA956 of 684 Sqn RAF: You will note that this is a single colour scheme, so I will have to try and add some texture! I was a little dubious regarding the scheme as presented above - an AVM flying on operations?? There is very little photographic evidence I can find of this scheme, but the legend Tony O'Toole did build one a few years back. Here's the scheme as presented on his thread (I believe it is a DK Decals sheet): That shows no mission tally, no AVM pennant, white centres to the roundel, and a serial in white - hmmmm! Any photographic evidence gratefully received, but at least I can paint it PRU blue. Interestingly this version of the scheme shows de-icing boots, whereas the other does not (I suspect the latter to be correct, and it will certainly add a little interest). So, here's the boxart: Here's the sprues: The lovely transparencies: The decals (stencils only will be used), along with obligatory mask set: In order to make a PRU version there are a couple of changes I shall need to make: - Fair over the astrodome behind the cockpit - Plunge mould a large astrodome in place of the dorsal turret - The ventral turret is faired over - The 3 cameras were mounted in the ventral turret location arranged in a lateral fan (one pointing downwards, two oblique), so appropriate holes will need to be drilled. I don't think the cameras will be at all visible so no point adding them. As I say, references are scarce for this one, so any information gratefully received! As the wife is infected with the spicy sneeze we will be laying low this weekend, so plenty of available bench time. There's always a silver lining,,, Thanks for looking, Roger

Argosy T.1 XP411 (The one at Cosford). MikroMir 1/144 As the Argosy transport fleet was being reduced with the arrival of the Hercules, a plan was devised to convert some into navigation trainers. The first of these was XP411, designated as the Argosy T.1. Subsequent conversions were to have a larger radome, and were designated as T.2's. However the scheme was not successful, and only 3 (or 4) airframes were converted. Of these only XP411 appears to have received full Training command colours, and today resides in the museum at RAF Cosford. This is my second MikroMir Argosy, it builds into a nice model, but being limited run needs a bit more work than your average kit. The schemes from the box are this one, a few with variations on the 'blue lightning flash' cheatline, and a desert camouflaged one. The decals are basic, with no cheatlines provided, so you are on your own with these. I thought that the red lined T.2 would be simpler to do, so went with that. It involved lots of masking tape & red paint, and is still fairly complicated though! I'm slowly building a collection of 1/144 RAF 1950-60's aircraft, here with have the Argosy with its predecessor, the Blackburn Bevereley: And its successor, The Lockheed Hercules: All together now: I encountered many self inflicted setbacks on this build, turning it into a major fight! First I didn't notice that the cockpit glazing had fallen out of the box and onto the floor. The crunching sound of my chair rolling over it alerted me to the fact! What to do? I resorted to my old vac-form tactic of building up some framing with strip, and glazing with krystal kleer. Then when I got the undercarriage on, I discovered I hand not put enough nose weight in. It was a tail sitter. As I had not yet filled the cabin windows with krystal kleer, I was able to push some lead strips in through the windows. Mr Stingbag again coming to the rescue with some suitable lead strips. (Thanks Chris), Then I noticed it was sitting way too tail high, so I had to cut the main gear legs off and shorten them to obtain the correct 'sit'. I didn't have this problem with my previous build, so it must have been something I did wrong. There were several other minor issues I won't bore you with here, suffice to say I decided not to be beaten by the gremlins possessing this kit, and pressed on! And yes, I will build another one 'coz I still have a civil BEA one in the stash. Thanks for looking, John

Air-Graphics has just releaseed a 1/72nd RAF Fluid Replenishment Trolley resin kit - ref. GSEa-120 Sources: https://air-graphics.uk/shop/ols/products/gsea-120-raf-fluid-replenishment-trolley-mk2 https://www.facebook.com/airgraphicmodels/posts/pfbid0BZJWwDPrwp5TfYLeSYEQc2BLi24wM2km9nxdMmJTbVFE2MYE7J4x8q5ibrS4B7PMl V.P.

Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA WWII British Torpedo bomber (48315) 1:48 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Beaufort was originally designed as a torpedo bomber by Bristol, using the experience they had gained in developing the then-excellent Blenheim. They were ready in time for the outbreak of WWII, and as well as their prescribed role, they were also used as light bombers, undertaking many ‘Rhubarb’ missions over enemy territory in the so-called ‘phony war’, embarking on daylight missions that saw heavy casualties, although the accidental loss tally outstripped combat losses, surprisingly. Roughly 1,200 were built in the UK, with the total being elevated to almost 2,000 by additional Australian-built airframes that were known as DAP Beauforts. They were rapidly overhauled by the German fighters and were withdrawn from frontline service as early as 1942, by which time they had also been tasked with Aerial mine-laying. From then on, they were assigned to serve away from the front, and saw extensive use as a trainer, which might go at least some of the way to explain the high attrition rate due to accidents. The Mk.IA had an improved turret fitted at the rear of the crew compartment spine, that was notable because it was more square in profile, and torpedo bombers were fitted with early ASV radars, the antennae for which were mounted on the leading edges of the wings. A further development of the Beaufort was the Beaufighter, which used important components of the Beaufort that included the wings and engines, with a new cut-down fuselage that was comparatively low and streamlined, with a powerful cannon armament under the nose that was useful in its assigned duties as long-distance heavy fighter, and later nightfighter, where it excelled. Some obsolete Beauforts were even converted to Beaufighters to make further use of the shared parts, which gave many of the original airframes a more honourable end than they would otherwise have seen. In an attempt to improve on the original Mk.I that took up the majority of production, the designers created additional variants that used other engines, had faired over turrets when they were to be used as trainers, and even a project that saw the fitment of a pair of Merlin XX engine that didn’t achieve the desired effect, so was cancelled, in much the same manner as the Merlin powered Beaufighter that managed to be “underpowered” despite the pedigree of the engines that propelled it. The Kit A lot of modellers that build in 1:48 were thrilled when the new tooling arrived from ICM, and now it has been with us for some time, with a few boxings already on the shelves. This new issue includes a sprue of torpedo parts and trolley to sweeten the deal, and it arrives in a reasonable-sized top-opening box with their usual captive lid on the lower tray. Inside are nine sprues in mid-grey styrene, a large clear sprue, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet that has colour profiles on the rear pages. Opening the resealable bag reveals the detail that has been lavished on this kit that includes lots of internal ribbing, a set of ribbed flap bays and flaps, a representation of both banks of the Bristol Taurus engines, detailed gear bays and bay doors, and a torpedo to complete the package. Construction begins with a narrow torpedo bay under the fuselage that is glued to a section of the aft floor, then detailed with ribs, flipped over and joined to a bulkhead that has a doorway cut in it, then has a chute made up on one side before it is attached to the rest of the interior floor, which is initially free of detail, apart from underneath, where it has bomb shackles moulded-in, and a semi-cylindrical bay toward the front of the fuselage, which will allow the torpedo to nestle into the fuselage semi-recessed. The starboard fuselage half has an insert fitted into the wing-root depression to match the crisp moulded ribbing that is all over the interior as far back as the trailing edge of the wings, with another section in the tail-wheel bay. The side windows are inserted from inside, swapping the rear one out for an opaque cover if appropriate, then the floor is mated on several recesses in the starboard fuselage sides ready for the twin spars and a good quantity of detail. The forward spar is detailed with four parts to depict the radio gear with a plotting table below it, and on the other side a section of fairing is fixed, then the assembly is glued into its slot, joining the bottom of the spar with the starboard fuselage. The cockpit is a two-tier assembly that is started by joining the two halves of the side console together, adding a raised floor panel, the instrument panel with five dial decals and rudder pedals, a short half-bulkhead and the swivelling front seat. Another simple seat is made up and glued to the rear spar along with another step fairing, and it too is slipped into the rear slot in the fuselage and glued in place. The pilot’s seat is made up from two parts and has a bow-tie control column placed in front of it, while to the rear, an Elsan toilet is dropped onto a raised plinth in the rear fuselage floor. The tail wheel bay is made up from ceiling with two small bulkhead ends, and is glued into the very rear, which already has ribbing moulded into the sides. The tail-wheel and strut are moulded as a single part than inserts in the bay ceiling on a peg, so can be left off until after main painting. The port fuselage half is prepared in a similar manner to the starboard, save for the optional rear window, and two 0.9mm holes that are drilled in the ceiling. Just before closing the fuselage, another detail part is fixed to the bulkhead behind the pilot’s seat, with more glued into the nose, and a platform at the rear of the floor, all of which might be better added before you paint the cockpit. The main canopy is glued over the cockpit cut-out, and the nose is glazed by four additional clear parts, and a choice of port-side aft door with a circular porthole or gun port fitted over the hole in the fuselage, which can have a Lewis machine-gun with dinner plate magazine on a spar across the opening. If you are installing the gun, the clamshell door part should be left off. The Beaufort had mid-mounted wings, so each one is separate, and made from two halves. The port wing has a small landing light bay inserted before it is closed, and a small dome is optionally removed from the leading edge, then the clear glazing is inserted once the glue has set up, drilling two holes further outboard. A clear wingtip is fitted, and a one-piece aileron is added and able to be offset if you feel the urge. You must also make a choice whether to fit the wing surface over the inner flaps with a trio of strakes in a nacelle extension, or a straight section with curved root fairing. The same process is carried out minus the landing light bay on the starboard wing, then both wings are slotted over the two spars that have corresponding guides moulded into the inside of the wings to ensure good location. The elevator fins are each two parts and are mounted in the usual slot/tab method, to be joined by one-piece elevators and rudder, the latter having a pair of horns near the hinge. Two flap sections are added to each wing’s underside, then the two nacelles are made up from halves along with a bulkhead near the front, and another that is glued into the wing before the nacelles are put in place. The roof of the bay is free of any detail, and is the location that the twin strut gear legs and their actuators are fixed once they are built up. The main wheels are each two halves, and they flex-fit into the lower section of the main leg, which has a curved tubular framework added to the top section, probably to assist with the smooth opening and closing of the bay doors. The upper section of the main gear forms a twin triangular framework that is linked by several cross-members before the lower section is glued into the sockets in the upper section, and has another pair of actuators added at the rear to brace the top section. Both assemblies are inserted into the bays on each level of the roof, then the twin bay doors with their ribbed inners are added to the sides of the bays on hinge tabs. At the same time, the bomb bay has a small insert attached to the front bulkhead to add detail to the area. Each Taurus radial engine is formed from two well-detailed banks of cylinders with a circular collector ring attached to the centre by three stators, plus a complex system of tubes installed around the circumference in between the cylinders, and another at the rear of the engine that has a square peg at the back for fixing them to the wing through the cooling flaps at the rear of the cowlings. Two holes on the top of the nacelle receive a different two-part intake, then the cowling is wrapped around the engine, comprising two halves and a pair of curved exhausts for each engine. She’s looking very much like a Beaufort now, but needs some defensive armament in addition to the optional Lewis gun in the side. The new mid-upper turret is mounted in the back of the cockpit “hump”, and is built upon a separate section of the fuselage with a circular base that receives the guns’ mount and gunner’s bicycle-style seat below the lip, gluing most of the turret into position along with a fairing lip around the front, then deciding whether to mount the clear glazing in the top of the nose, or the alternative that mounts another two Lewis guns in the nose. The bomb/torpedo bay forms a cruciform shape when viewed from below, as it was lengthened to accept the torpedo, and has the mount fitted into the wider centre section, and if not carrying a torpedo, two inserts close off the bomb bay from its two narrower sections. The bay doors are in three sections, the narrower front and rear sections having one door per side, while the wider bomb bay section has two doors each side that fold together, minimising the aerodynamic drag, as well as fitting in the space below the aircraft when on the ground. If you plan on posing all the bay doors closed, there are three additional conjoined parts to ease your path, which is always nice to see. The torpedo has been seen in a separate box before, and its build is covered on the last page of instruction steps, making it up from two halves, adding a three-part H-tail with twin spinners, and another spinner-plus-spacer at the business end. There are also five steps to create a trolley for moving your Torp about and loading it onto the Beaufort on rising scissor-links if you want to add a bit of diorama appeal to your model. The torpedo is mounted with all bay doors open, and glues onto a long tubular frame in the centre of the bomb bay. While the model is inverted, the underslung nose turret can be built from three parts for the gun and two-part dome, or a blanking plate can be fitted over the opening. A pitot is also mounted under the nose, a towel-rail antenna under the fuselage, and three small outlets are mounted on the wings and just behind the bomb bay. Back on its wheels, the cockpit hump is detailed with two more antennae, and another either flush with the roof or in a typical clear D/F loop fairing. The radar antennae are reminiscent of TV aerials, formed from a main antenna with several dipoles perpendicular, one under each wing, mounted on two brackets that fit into holes drilled in the wings earlier, and another offset under the nose on a single post. These are most definitely best left off until the very end so that they survive without damage. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, all wearing substantially different schemes, two of them from torpedo training units in the UK, the other an operational unit overseas. From the box you can build one of the following: DX135, No.5 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit, Long Kash, 1943 LR906, No.2 Torpedo Training Unit, Castle Kennedy, September 1943 DW816, 22 Sqn., Ceylon (Sri Lanka), April 1944 The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy, using the printed shapes on the right of the page and the diagrams on the left to create your own masks if you wish. It goes up to 64 thanks to the extensive glazing. Conclusion A well-detailed model with Torpedo and trolley to add some interest to or around the kit. A disparate choice of decal schemes adds extra appeal. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Hi All, I have recently finished this kit, which is intended for use with the newish tool Airfix Lancaster kit (A08013A). The kit is intended to be a minimal fuss conversion with the only minor surgery required to the kit flaps and undercarriage doors (both cut to length). Here's the WIP and RFI if you wish to see the finished result: The kit provides the ability to produce an early Mk.I with the smaller 28' empennage and central dorsal fin, or the later Mk.Ia which used the same empennage as the Lanc (the kit parts can be used for this version). This is an extensive conversion, including the following elements: - Wings at 90' wingspan - Nacelles for the twin RR Vultures along with propellers - Empennage at 28' span, with smaller vertical stabilisers and central fin - Main and tail wheels - Bomb bay doors - Control column and Mk.IX bombsight - Aerial Mast - FN7 dorsal and FN4 rear turrets, with vacuum formed transparencies (also included is the landing light cover) A few CAD images follow. Here's the port wing assembly: Port empennage: Central dorsal fin: Main wheel: Tail wheel: Dorsal FN7 Turret: Rear FN4 Turret: Dorsal Turret Fairing: Flat bomb bay doors: Mk.IX bombsight Dual yoke control column: I think that's everything! You can find this kit via my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561410731459 Thanks for looking, Roger

If you need to be introduced to the immortal Lockheed C-130, please turn in your scale aircraft modeling card this afternoon to your local IPMS. In 2006, Minicraft issued their first C-130 in a USCG scheme. Even in 1/144, the Hercules is not a small model, it is bigger than a 1/48 Spitfire. Before the Minicraft kit, the only way to make a 1/144 C-130 was from the Revell C-130A issued 50 years earlier. Draw Decals issues bagged versions of this kit (with all three different props: C-130A, C-130E, C-130J) and two different size of fuel tanks. Conceivably, you could build an “A” model up to the most recent “J” version of the short fuselage Hercules. The kit’s scheme by Draw Decal is for the Royal Air Force “delivery scheme.” That is not quite correct, as I was informed when doing the WIP. The RAF’s C-130K were delivered to the UK in natural metal and then painted in country by Marshall Aerospace in the Light Stone, Dark Earth and Night Black scheme depicted here. The kit has engraved panel lines, probably too deep for this scale, and clear parts for the cockpit and wingtip lights, and landing lights. No flight deck with crew stations is provided, but it would nearly be impossible to see anything anyway, but a basic interior cargo hold is provided. No masks are provided for cockpit windows, which was fine for me, since I was going to use the Draw Decal windshield decals. The fit on my kit was excellent. The only place I needed super glue for filler was for the seams where the wings attach to the fuselage and faring in the clear cockpit piece. Every other seam could be attended to with a light sanding or at worst and application of Mr. Surfacer 1500 with a brush. You need to decide before closing the fuselage if you going to have the ramp down. The initial operational paint scheme of the RAF C-130K is one of the sharpest ever worn by an operational C-130. For the white cockpit crown, I used my favorite, Tamiya Liquid Surface Primer. For the Light Stone, I used a 40 year old tin of Compucolor 2. For the Dark Earth, I used the late, great Testors Model Master FS30219. This bottle might be as old as the Compucolor 2 tin, since it still had its AAFES (Army Air Forces Exchange Service) price tag on it. I paid the princely sum of $1.10 for it sometime in the 1980s. For the Night Black, I used Mr. Hobby 137 Tire Black. I used Tamiya XF-1 Flat Back for the nose, just to contrast with the Tire Black. I had some paint adhesion problems and had to sand and repaint some areas. I do not recall any mold release agent or grease on the kit parts, but I had sections of paint lift, even under Blu-Tac or drafters tape, which is low tack. Learn from my rookie mistake and wash all the plastic parts in Dawn Dish soap to degrease everything. Given the depth of the panel lines, I refrained from adding any wash to accentuate them further. Only the flight control surfaces received a light black wash. This was the first time using Draw Decals. They are printed on a continuous clear film and have to be individually cut. The clear sections are as thin as I have ever seen on a decal. The decal portions are a bit thicker than I am used to with screen printed decals, but under an airbrushed coat of Vallejo Polyurethane Satin cut 1:1 with Vallejo Airbrush thinner, it was acceptable. WIP:

Hi all This is a long shot I know but I am wondering does anyone have photos of a 109 Squadron Mosquito B Mk.XVI - ML979 - HS-A ? The aircraft crashed in the Netherlands in 44 and quoting from the site Trace of War- "This was a Mosquito of 109 Squadron which was based at RAF Little Staughton. It was part of the Pathfinder Squadrons and on the night of the 27th November 1944 took off on a mission to mark targets at Nuess with Pilot M. Williamson and navigator Flying Officer Alfred Kitchen. Due to engine failure the aircraft crashed. The pilot managed to bail out and was captured. Flying Officer Kitchen died in the crash. His body was recovered 4th March 1945 and was buried at Kampen cemetery. " I am interested in modelling this aircraft using the recent released Mosquito form Airfix in 1:72 building as it features 109 a/c and looking at photos of other Mosquitos from 109 Squadron many have the nose painted over and carry a letter on the flat plane of the bomber aimers (painted over) glass. Many also carry nose art and mission markings in the form of bomb silhouettes. Thanks Brian

The tricky 1:48 Revell Tornado GR4. It included Eduard and extradecal extras and using MRP paints.

For the Light Stone I used a 40 year old tin of Compucolor 2. Thinned it 40% paint, 60% Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. Sprayed like it was manufactured last week in England. That paint has been in Germany, Arizona, Tokyo, Virginia and now Utah.

Started about an hour after the RAF announced the scheme, not my strongest build but for something I did with a deadline of today, I'm quite happy with how it's turned out! Photo quality isn't great, will start using a real camera after this one I think. Looking forward to seeing more builds of this stunning new typhoon scheme to pop up! Kit is Revell, decals are a mix between Revell, Mark 1 Models and Platz from various kits and sets. Decals aside this is just the base Revell kit, not much additional work other than the scheme. There's definitely a fair few inaccuracies, mostly down to the small number of reference photos I had to work with at the time but regardless I'm glad it turned out the way that it did.

Hi All, I believe that the Manchester was fitted with a smaller diameter main wheel than the Lancaster (with a diameter of 5'6"). My belief is that the former had a diameter around 4'10" - does anyone have further information? Cheers, Roger

Building something outside of the BM group builds section for a change, this is Airfix’s recent-ish tooling of the Buccaneer in 1/72, which I’ll be building as an example in the wrap-around camo of the 80’s rather than the kit supplied Gulf War schemes: There’s going to be some AM with this one, I’ve got an Eduard PE set, some 3d printed bang seats, and some Eduard resin wheels. Construction has started with the cockpit, which has had a coat of Medium Sea Grey and various bits of PE applied: I’ve also stuck some PE to the nose bay and door: As well as the main gear doors: The excess fluff shown up in the photos on those has now been removed! I’m going to have to motor on this one as it needs to be done for my club’s 80’s themed night on the 19th November, giving me just a fortnight to get it done. And Telford’s right in the middle of that… James

Hi All, I am embarking on building a Manchester L7427 of 83 Sqn, based at RAF Scampton in April 1942. My question is - what bombsight would have been fitted to this aircraft? My assumption would be the Mk.IX Wimperis as below: Any further information gratefully received, Cheers, Roger

Hello everyone, it's time for me to join another group build! I'll be building a Revell 1:48 scale P-51C Mustang Mk.III, FB145 PK*F, straight from the box for this GB. According to Revell, this plane was in the No. 315 Squadron based in Coolham, England in June 1944. Box shot below: The kit contains six sprues of parts, detailing seems nice: Only problem is the weather which is unusually nice for a Finnish summer weather and thus limits my time at the bench, but I suspect this problem will be dealt with shortly /Jari

Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix' lovely little Beaufort, with a rather unusual twist. Whilst idly looking at schemes I came across the top right option: Yes, an experimental prototype of an airborne flamethrower, evaluated by the A&AEE at Boscombe Down in 1943! Interest fully piqued I did some further research which led to this video: https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060021056 Although this never went into production I couldn't resist such an unusual concept. I designed and 3D printed the flamethrower assembly, along with the Yagi antennae fitted to the aircraft - I also cut the markings using a Silhouette cutter. Here's the tank design: The video included a wealth of information on the flamethrower which was invaluable in the design process. Other than this the model was OOB, albeit with an Eduard mask set. Anyway, on with the photos! Here's a final shot with the rest of the growing Beaufort family: It's been nice to add an unusual twist to this kit which I just do not tire of building, and how many can say they've got an airborne flamethrower on the shelf?! Thanks to all those who have offered support and encouragement along the way - it has been sincerely appreciated, Thanks for looking, Roger

LukGraph resin is to release a 1/32nd Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c resin kit - ref. 32-038 Source: https://www.facebook.com/LukGraph/posts/4654986227918038 V.P.

Inspired by an A-4F Skyhawk 'What If' profile by Damian, I thought to myself, why don't I try something similar but base my profile on a scheme that could be easily modeled with easy to get hold of decals too! So what I've come up with is an A-4F Skyhawk in RAF colours of Dark Green and Dark Sea Grey in a wrap around pattern using markings from a Lightning F.6 of 74 Squadron based in RAF Tengah in Singapore in 1970. We all know the scheme of a silver Lightning with a black fin. I'm not going to bother with a backstory for it. It is, as they say, what it is! Cheers Richard.

RAF PBM Martin Mariner, USN says 42 acceptances for Britain. All off contract Nos 76927 with the note the Lend Lease contract dated 11 July 1942 scheduled 100 PBM-3C for Britain. 6 PBM-3C in May and 6 in June 1943, JX100 to 111 from BuNos 6505 to 6754, 1 PBM-3S in July, 5 in August JX112 to 117 from BuNos 6693 and 01674 to 01728, 3 PBM-3S in September and 13 in October 1943 JX118 to 133 from BuNos 48125 to 48163, 8 PBM-3D in November 1943 JX134 to 141 from BuNos 48124 and 48164 to 48223. The final 8 listed as having Wright R-2600-12 like the earlier Mariner, a note says change over from PBM-3S with R-2600-22 engine with 48124 modified for experimental purposes and assigned as first PBM-3D (Though 6655 is listed as a PBM-3D accepted in March 1943) The RAF have taken on charge dates for JX100 to 119, 121 to 123, 127, 129, 131, 132, total 28, JX100 and 101 in May 1943, JX103 in August, JX105 in September, the rest October to December 1943 Air Arsenal North America says JX100 = 6667, JX101-05 = 6686-90, Jx106-11 = 6738-43, JX112-17 = 01690-95, JX118 = 48143, JX119-21 = 48145-47, JX122-33 = 48152-63, JX134-41 = 48185-92. Also that JX101 was lost at Bermuda en route to Britain. The trans Atlantic flights file on the Air Britain site lists JX100 to 119, 121 to 123, 125, 127, 129, 131, 132, total 28. The following do not have a return flight, JX101, JX103, JX111, JX117, JX118, the RAF says JX103 sold SOC 6 Aug 1947, JX111 Cat E 8 Dec 1944, JX117 SOC 14 Nov 1944, JX118 SOC 11 Jan 1945. 524 Squadron records Mariner on strength during its first formation 20 October to 7 December 1943, based at Oban, it was supposed to have 12 Mariners at full strength, was allotted 6 but reports only receiving JX100, 105, 106, 111. The squadron is reported using the code 7R, unknown whether that was for both or just the second formation, April 1944 to May 1945 flying Wellington XIII then XIV. Trans Atlantic list in date order. Date / serial / route 19-Jul-43 / JX101 / Bermuda-UK. Sank taxying for take-off 18-Aug-43 / JX103 / Gander Lake-Largs 30-Sep-43 / JX105 / Gander Lake-Invergordon-Largs(Oct 6) 3-Oct-43 / JX106 / USA-Largs. 6-Oct-43 / JX105 / Invergordon-Largs. 7-Oct-43 / JX100 / Gander Lake-Largs 13-Oct-43 / JX107 / Gander Lake-Largs 13-Oct-43 / JX112 / Gander Lake-Largs 15-Oct-43 / JX113 / Gander Lake-Largs 28-Oct-43 / JX110 / USA-RK-Largs. 29-Oct-43 / JX116 / Gander-Largs. 29-Oct-43 / JX117 / Gander-Largs. 5-Nov-43 / JX108 / Gander Lake-Largs 5-Nov-43 / JX109 / Gander Lake-Largs 5-Nov-43 / JX111 / Gander Lake-Largs 5-Nov-43 / JX115 / Gander Lake-Largs 6-Nov-43 / JX102 / Gander Lake-Largs 9-Nov-43 / JX114 / Gander Lake-Largs 12-Nov-43 / JX118 / Bermuda-UK. (Also noted -Largs 2/12) 29-Nov-43 / JX104 / Port Lyautey-Largs 29-Nov-43 / JX131 / Gibraltar-Largs. 9-Dec-43 / JX122 / Gibraltar-Largs. 14-Dec-43 / JX123 / USA-Largs 15-Dec-43 / JX125 / Gibraltar-Largs. 15-Dec-43 / JX121 / Port Lyautey-Largs 15-Dec-43 / JX132 / Port Lyautey-Largs 16-Dec-43 / JX119 / Gibraltar-Oban. 16-Dec-43 / JX127 / Gibraltar-Oban. 20-Dec-43 / JX129 / Gibraltar-Largs. 13-Jan-44 / JX100 / UK-Gibraltar-Norfolk. 13-Jan-44 / JX105 / UK-Gibraltar-Norfolk. 14-Feb-44 / JX123 / Wig Bay-Gibraltar-Norfolk 20-Feb-44 / JX121 / Wig Bay-Gibraltar-Norfolk 1-Mar-44 / JX131 / Wig Bay-Gibraltar-Norfolk 8-Mar-44 / JX132 / UK-Gibraltar-Norfolk. 11-Mar-44 / JX125 / Wig Bay-Reykjavik-Norfolk 18-Mar-44 / JX127 / Wig Bay-Gibraltar-Norfolk 23-Mar-44 / JX129 / Wig Bay-Gibraltar-Norfolk 9-Apr-44 / JX122 / Wig Bay-Gibraltar-Norfolk 18-Apr-44 / JX115 / UK-Port Lyautey-Norfolk 30-Apr-44 / JX106 / Wig Bay-Reykjavik-Norfolk 24-May-44 / JX109 / UK-Reykjavik-Norfolk 30-May-44 / JX113 / Wig Bay-Reykjavik-Norfolk 10-Jun-44 / JX112 / Wig Bay-Reykjavik-Norfolk 13-Jun-44 / JX119 / UK-Norfolk, (N route) 19-Jun-44 / JX102 / Wig Bay-Reykjavik-Norfolk 23-Jun-44 / JX108 / UK-Reykjavik-Norfolk, 7-Jul-44 / JX107 / UK-Reykjavik-Norfolk, 9-Jul-44 / JX114 / UK-Reykjavik-Norfolk, 26-Jul-44 / JX104 / UK-Reykjavik-Norfolk, 7-Nov-44 / JX116 / UK-Port Lyautey 26-Nov-44 / JX110 / UK-Norfolk