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Found 23 results

  1. I've an abiding interest in the Gloster Gladiator, and in China's pre-Communist history. These overlap, since the first time Gladiators were flown in combat was on the south coast of China early in 1938. They had been more or less smuggled in crated from Hong Kong, surreptitiously assembled in the environs of Canton, and dispersed into the provincial hinterland. In February, the 28th Squadron and 29th Squadron of the CNAF had between them about a dozen operational Gladiators at Nangxiong, deep in the interior of Guangdong Province. Japanese naval aviation off the coast at this time comprised the aircraft carried on two seaplane tenders, the Notoro and the Kagu Maru. On February 24, these sent a dozen Nakajima E8N Type 95 floatplanes to bomb the Nangxiong airfield. Their long flight in gave adequate warning, and all operational Gladiators were off the ground and high enough to engage when the Japanese arrived. I've had an Airfix Gladiator earmarked a while for a Chinese example, and when I found there was a kit of the E8N, I liked the idea of doing a sort of 'dogfight double' build. It's proved possible to identify a plane from each side which took part in the initial clash: the Gladiator flown by the deputy commander of the 29th Squadron, and the E8N Type 95 flown by the leader of the Notoro's contingent. I've started the project with the Type 95 floatplane, and not just the kit but the base. I don't like the 'dollied' look for floatplanes, and there's not much stand alone space on a tender. If it's on a sea base, it has to have a crew, they didn't lower these overside empty. And the crew shouldn't just sit there like lumps, either. So the first thing I did was see if I actually could make a decent sea base. With some help from gentlemen who frequent the diorama forums here, I learned of a cheap and cheerful way to do it. This is layers of facial tissue, six or seven deep, soaked in diluted white glue. It becomes a sort of gel which can be pushed about to take and hold a shape. It's backed by a disk of styrofoam, but anything would do. A cavity for the float was cut out of the backing, and then 'surface' over it was cut away. The surface was colored with thinned coats of dark green, light brown, and dark blue. With the float pressed in place, a bit more 'surface' was added, and the whole thing given a final few glossy blue glaze coats, with some shading and highlights picked out. The kit has a nice interior, and fit together well. Locator pits for struts need enhancement, I think. I've done the interior in the dark blue I understand to have been used pre-war by Nakajima, and have left out a few items figures will render extraneous. With the kit at the 'starts to look like an aeroplane' stage, I've made a run at perching it atop the float set in the base. The kit's forward float struts seemed a bit long, fiddling with one I dropped it, and since I had to replace one, I did them all so they'd match. Their attachment to the float is permanent, the fuselage is held atop them at present only by white glue. The colors are home-brew, brush-painter's pre/post shading done with a school pencil. Color coats are artist's tube acylics cut thin with Future and water and a touch of dish detergent, each of several coats is gone over a while with a 5000 grit sponge-pad when dry. I'm getting started now on the Gladiator. I'll be making use of the ExtraDecal Gladiator sheet markings in part. Having committed to a vignette arrangement for the Type 95, I'll be doing some more elaborate groundwork, and will finish the Gladiator with the hood and port panel open for a boarding pilot.
  2. Apologies for asking yet again another colour question, I'm sure this has been asked many times in the past. I know that Coastal Command and Fleet Air Arm aircraft had their metal parts painted in the so called Cerrux Grey, which is said to be very close to FS 36440 Light Gull Gray. But what about RAF aircraft? Where the metal parts left unpainted? I have a Sword 1/72 Sea Gladiator, and if I choose to build an un-camouflaged version, I will use MRP FS 36440 for the metal panels. But concerning RAF aircraft, when I look at black and white photographs, there seems to be minimal difference between the fabric covered rear fuselage and the nose. Should I paint them in different paints, something for the aluminium dope, and something not especially shiny for the rest? I have also an 1/72 AMG Hawker Hart in my stash. Why is the nose so spectacularly shiny in these Hawker biplanes? That contrast between the nose and the rest will make a good looking kit.
  3. In July 2023 I had a great weekend staying with my daughter and watching the Flying Legends warbird displays at Church Fenton in Yorkshire. I can thoroughly recommend this shows new venue, although we could have done without the thunder storms on the Saturday.😬 To get an idea of the views available from the airfield and inside the village, click here to see my Youtube vid of The Flying Bulls B-25 and P-38 display. In the weeks of anticipation leading up to the show, I looked up the history of RAF Church Fenton and found out that the first RAF Squadron to be based there was 72 (Fighter) Squadron, who moved here not long after the base first opened in 1937. 72 Sqn had just been equipped with the Gloster Gladiator Mk1, the final front line bi-plane fighter to serve in the RAF and an aircraft that following the recent development of monoplane fighters was pretty much outdated for front line use even before it entered service.🤔 I got the yen to build a 72 Squadron aircraft and was delighted when a quick search yielded this 1:48 I💓 Kit, which is apparently a re-boxed Merit kit (Nope - never heard of them either!). It even appeared to have the decals required for the markings of 72 Sqn's red section leaders aircraft. It took me on a bit of a journey, as I've never rigged a bi-plane model before and although the kit is basic in many respects, it goes together well but the decals proved to be a bit iffy in several respects. If you'd like to see the full the build log, the journey starts in Work in Progress - Aircraft here. There were a few mods and additions required to the kit parts. Otherwise, may I present my rendition of K6130 as she may have looked circa 1938. My working assumption was that both reflector gun sight and a radio had been fitted by 1938. I based the two colour prop scheme on a photo of the squadron's aircraft on the tarmac at Gloster's just before delivery here, and I used the kit decal version of the wing flash with straight ends, rather than the curved boundary with the wing roundel seen on other renditions. This could be wrong, but the photo of 72 Sqn from above taken in the air in the Flying Legends show brochure is somewhat ambiguous on this front. The wing and fuselage flashes were airbrushed directly on to the model, because the kit decals had incorrect colours. The kit roundels also have incorrect proportions and colours, so I used the correct 1:3:5 1:48 scale 15" and 40" Type A roundels from Xtradecal sheet X48031. A mixture of Alclad II Shiny Aluminium lacquer and Tamiya Flat Aluminium acrylic paints were used on the airframe and Tamiya acrylic s for all other paintwork. All finished off with the sparing addition of MiG Storm Grey pin washes on the panel work and aileron hinges. Rigging lines are INFINI Models 110 denier (0.121 mm) Lycra Rigging and the Aerial wire is mig Medium Fine lycra rigging (0.02 mm).
  4. Hey everyone Whilst my Eduard Spitfire is in my cabinet 'curing' I've decided to have a look at the new ICM 1/32 Gladiator. From what I've read and seen it looks to be a rather splendid model... ..Is it me or does it look like the pilot is wearing a David Clark head set? Anyway this will be OOB other than a Sutton Harness from RB productions. Cheers Iain
  5. Hola comrades, my latest build is complete. I wanted to just build something quick over the winter but my perfectionism got the better of me again and this build went a little longer than I had intended. I Love Kits' well... kit may lack a little in interior detail (which is why I had to use an Eduard photo etch cockpit set) but it went together pretty well, and my new rigging method worked like a charm so take that doubters. If you want an in depth look at the build process you can check the vid out on youtube here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fahFT6YfnNA
  6. The Gladiator's cockpit is fully assembled, just waiting for the fuselage halves to embrace.
  7. Look who's back, back again, Belgium's back, back in a Gloster Gladiator apparently. Following my love of the Hawker Hurricane and fully aware that the Hurricane is basically a Gladiator without the top wing, decided that this should be my next kit to butch. Not only did this kit inspire me to order putty, which didn't get used and instead I carefully manipulated paint into the crevasses like a married couple seeking to keep the spark alive, thought I didn't do too bad on this. I will admit that I gave up on trying to figure out how to rig it and by that, I mean I ordered a kit from WW1 to trial rigging on. This was brush painted with Tamiya paints because like the above married couple, I too enjoy pain. Wasn't too bad but definitely some colour match issues. Oh well. At least the robot who is piloting it won't know which is probably a good thing based on how hard he hit that port-side gear. Don't fly a Tesla plane any time soon, folks, we know what'll happen.
  8. For my next build, I felt like doing a quick and easy kit to warm me up for what will be an active next few months. So i've chosen I Love Kits' 1/48 scale Gloster Gladiator Mk. II. Aside from an eduard aftermarket photo etch set I got for it, the kit features few parts and should be finished in february.
  9. Hi everyone, just finished my ICM Gloster Gladiator / AIMS J8 conversion, hope you like it. I am obviously not a bi-plane modeler as I went for the option of directly placing on top of the main wires a length of 0.5 rod, believing life was too short to try and drill into it 0.15 by 0.3mm back to back slots and then again in the middle and at the end - twice over - shoot me! Kit was built using the following.... AIMS Mk 1 engine set, upper ailerons, decals, Cockpit PE, bracing wires and external details PE, landing flaps PE, J8 conversion set, Gas Patch RAF turnbuckles x4 and a lot of scratch building. Model was finished using Xtracolour WWII Olive Drab and RAF Barley Grey and as indicated my AIMS decals. I will take some nicer photos once I have it on base, Thanks for looking -John
  10. Good morning, I am about to finish the Gladiator from Airfix, and I'm a bit stuck about the correct antenna. The airplane will be K8027 from 87 squadron (with the blue fin, wheel discs and stabilizer, but silver hump). I have seen cases of Mk I where the antenna was a straight line from the fin to the middle of the upper wing, and connected to the radio by a cable though the hump behind the cockpit. On other versions, I have seen a Y-shaped antenna, which was attached on the fin and two wing points just close to the aileron inner edges. So, both seem to exist, but has anyone a hint on which version would be correct for a interwar-Gladiator? Thanks and have a nice weekend! Alex
  11. I'm calling this one done. A relatively short build for me! And mostly OOB. My usual deliberations on which scheme to go for, from the five RAF markings on offer with this kit. I liked them all, so another build may be on the cards. I picked up an old copy of Roald Dahl's Going Solo in a charity shop for 10p, and have only just finished it. Had I picked it up before I started the build I would have chosen the 80(F) Sqn markings shown on the box art, the squadron Dahl joined in Greece after recovering from crashing his Gladiator en-route to joining them when they were stationed in Egypt. In the end I went with my default preferences for prewar RAF, and chose 33 Sqn based out in Palestine in early 1939. There are a lot of things I could do better on this kit, which isn't without it's faults either, but it was still fun to build. And I received some excellent advice and tips on the build thread. This is my first attempt at rigging a biplane. It is a little rough around the edges and a few short cuts were made. Hopefully they aren't as obvious to you as they are to me! 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr 1/48 Roden Gloster Gladiator Mk.I by Mike, on Flickr
  12. Well, after the 6 month Blenheim build I finished a little while ago, I fancied something quick and easy and a change of scene, so out came the 50th Anniversary Apollo 11 kit from Revell that my wife had bought me for my birthday. Even something as basic as this ancient kit had its difficulties though, and I agonised over the very basic paint instructions that Revell supply! A very simple kit, but little things like cutting and fitting the windows out of plastic sheet, and fixing the gold foil to the lander, were still challenging. Seeing these shots has reminded me I forgot to take the masking off Eagles windows ...🙄 50th anniversary Apollo 11 Revell kit by Mike, on Flickr 50th anniversary Apollo 11 Revell kit by Mike, on Flickr And all the while this pleasant distraction was going on I was wondering, as always, what to build next. While researching one of my pet subjects, Schneider racers, I discovered Special Hobby make a couple of Sopwith float planes, in my favourite scale, 1/48! I'm still struggling to acquire their military Schneider or Baby float planes within my budget, but a Tabloid has been purchased, for under £20 posted, and it looks like a lovely kit, with resin and PE parts. I'm currently reading Sopwith: the Man and his Aircraft which is a mine of information. Another new kit that fell into my lap was the 2010 Revell 196A-3 Arado float plane, a charity shop find! I have Tintin on my shoulder here telling me to paint it yellow, which is very tempting. I'm going to sit on it a while and think. And another sub-£20 kit I found a few months ago, the Roden Gloster Gladiator, which I've decided is next on the cutting table, although I'm still undecided what colour scheme to go for - silver dope or RAF temperate. The kit has two options for prewar/Phoney War, my current go-to. Detail looks good in places, not so good in others. The wings and tail surfaces seem devoid of any detail at all. My current financial situation means building OOB is preferred, but I see there are a couple of PE options available - Brengun and Eduard. Are they really worth the extra expense? Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr [/url]Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr Roden 1/48 Gloster Gladiator - assessment by Mike, on Flickr
  13. On this build i used Eduard Photoetch set and e z line for the rigging. Gloster Gladiator 2 by stuart burn, on Flickr Gloster Gladiator by stuart burn, on Flickr Gloster Gladiator 5 by stuart burn, on Flickr Gloster Gladiator 7 by stuart burn, on Flickr Gloster Gladiator 6 by stuart burn, on Flickr
  14. Hi everyone here is an update for you all.... Decals 32D018 and 32D019 in the post to me....see pics Photo etch 32PE009 completed and off to printers having received my kits and amended measurements from up-scaled 1/48 Roden bracing wires design 32P018 Gloster Gladiator engine/cowl - working on 3D masters now that I have the kit Pat Pattle figure being sculpted by Elan 13 in January (not listed in Hannants Future products as not given a Cat No. yet just in case it all goes wrong haha Upper Aileron correction - in the works (ICM have given upper ailerons same design as lower aileron - upper aileron centre hinge is small like inner hinge - not large like lower centre hinge - makes a massive difference as as things stand you are unable to locate in the correct position the aileron bracing wires just off-set from strut. PE landing flaps - in the works Thanks everyone and a very Happy Christmas to you all. (I am taking the Christmas family service again this year here in Hungary - my Hungarian can be rather comical so please pray people will understand me haha)
  15. Hi everyone this is a future product for the ICM Gladiator. I will post when it is available, thanks for looking
  16. Hi everyone, sending this - my third 1/32 Gloster Gladiator decal sheet to the printers in next few days - enjoy.
  17. This was meant to be a quick out of the box build - which then sat on my bench for months. With the start of the holidays I managed to get it finished - my first completed kit since February 🥺 Completed straight from the box with the kit decals, brush painted with Tamiya acrylics. Minimal weathering as I gather they kept these aircraft very clean in the 1930’s. Thanks for looking.
  18. Hi folks, this might be in the wrong place as I could not see a vendors page, anyway in case you did not know from LSP or my FB page I have some 1/32 Gloster Gladiator decals being printed at the moment - here is the War time sheet, thanks for looking
  19. It's been quite some time since i posted anything, but I recently started hobby boss's Gloster gladiator (or RAF gladiator as they call it). (i hope the flickr pictures will show up as it's the first time i use this site for pics) I also have airfix's gladiator wich is a more detailed and accurate kit, but since i will be finishing this kit as a Belgian maschine i will be airbrushing the markings and since i have limited experience with this i wanted to try it first on a kit that would build up quickly so i could get right into painting. contents of the box 3 piece cockpit At this point i realised the belgian gladiators had a differentstyle windshield but fortunately the airfix kit had this style and the option of an open and closed canopy so since i'll be building the airfix with an open canopy the closed item would be a straight swap right.... Turns out the hobby boss made the rear taper far to wide so the solid portion should only be half the with... what to do... moddify the hobby boss clear part... a lot of work and no accurate result still so out with the saw for the solid portion i made a mold from milliput and plug moded a nes piece from clear blister plastic Cardboard backing with CA reinforcement... took a few tries as usual but works well enought for such small parts. More sanding needed but much better I added a few more details to the interior, i didn't go all the way, as not much can be seen trough the canopy. i'll save that for the airfix kit. For the interior green i started with a much darker green and than came in with a dusting for a much lighter shade followed with an enamel wash since i had some color left i sprayed most of the top as well, it gives an impression of the final color and to play with the wing shading And that's where we are right now
  20. Squadron Leader Marmaduke Thomas St John Pattle DFC*, usually known as Pat Pattle, was a South African-born Second World War fighter pilot and flying ace of the Royal Air Force. Wikipedia His score could be as high as 51. A total of 26 of Pattle's victims were Italian; 15 were downed with Gloster Gladiators, the rest with Hawker Hurricanes.[He is considered to be the highest-scoring ace on both Gladiator and Hurricane (35 victories) I have chosen to model his Gloster Galdaitaor using the current Airfix 1/72 Gloster Gladiator MkI when he was based in North Africa. The kit its self has had great reviews and is typical of the current high standard that Airfix are delivering. There are however a few areas in the kit presents omissions and challenges to the modeller The biggest omission is the lack of a gunsight in the cockpit. Pictures of the actual aircraft show a a simple frame above the instrument panel on which the gunsight was mounted. I built the frame from bent wire and stretched sprue, the gunsight is from Quickboost and is a GM2 which was the standard RAF Gunsight on Spitfire & Hurricane I and I have seen images of this sight in place on Gladiators used in N African, Greek and Cypriot campaigns. I like to include pilot figures and the Gladiator has the newest incarnation of Airfix WW2 Pilot. You can pick out the may west, goggles, and harness with buckle. Whereas earlier pilots were wearing flying jackets this one appears to be wearing the standard RAF uniform often worn in warm weather conditions. The moment you add the pilot you can basically forget about seeing most of the cockpit detail and in the case of the Airfix that detail is very good with accurate decals of the instruments and detailed control column, compass binnacle and trim wheel. Oh beware adding the pilot in my kit meant the his legs stopped the upper decking fitting properly, which meant trimming the forward cockpit bulkhead to fit. Any way hera are some pictures of the Pilot and Gunsight in situ the Gunsight frame may be a bit heavy but I am really happy with it ( oh the pilot and cockpit area is bit shiny so next step is some matt varnish). Thanks
  21. Hello all, this question may leak into the WWII forum but to me it's more Interwar. Contemplating making my first biplane and it's a Gloster Gladiator, my question is does this aircraft have the same sort of turnbuckles as you see on WWI biplanes, or do the rigging wire for practical scale purposes just go straight into drilled holes in the wings? I have tried to get some close up photos of the attachment points and cannot see clearly, they don't look like WWI era turnbuckles but I cannot make out from the photos I can find what the connection is? By the way the kit I am contemplating is the 1/48th Roden example. Any guidance gratefully received. Peter
  22. A new diversion on the bench, just needs a few last details and then the rigging.
  23. Gloster Gladiator RAF & International decals The last biplane fighter to serve in the RAF, and the first to be armed with more than two machine guns. The Gloster Gladiator was the pinnacle of British biplane fighter design and gave many a pilot a taste of the more advanced features such as landing flaps and enclosed cockpits they would soon experience in the soon to arrive monoplane fighters of the very late 1930s. During the early years of WW2, the Gladiator served the RAF in the UK, France, Norway, Africa and the Mediterranean, where for lack of anything else it held the line before newer types were available. When faced with opposition of a similar performance, such as Italy's Fiat CR42, it fared well and was the first mount of Marmaduke "Pat" Pattle DFC & bar, the RAF's top scoring biplane ace with 15 kills on the type ( and quite possibly the RAF's top scoring ace full stop) Perhaps most famous for its service ever Malta for many, the mythical story of the only 3 aircraft defending that beleaguered Isle, Faith Hope & Charity, though historically inaccurate, did at least secure the Gladiator's entry into the Pantheon of famous fighters. The Gladiator was also widely exported in the late 30s to Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden. And it was in China where the type score its first kills against the invading Japanese; while in Finnish service it racked up its last kill in 1943. However - before the outbreak of the war, the Gladiator served from early 1937 onwards with several RAF squadrons, and wore the bright and gay markings of the period with aplomb. Pheon decals are best known for their excellent Great War decals, but 'Monsieur Pheon', Rowan Broadbent, also has a love for things interwar, and has released 3 sheets in 1/48th scale for the Gladiator: Two covering silver RAF machines, and an international sheet with a variety of options. Printed by Fantasy Workshop each sheet has a plethora of markings, and exhibit perfect register and sharp detail. The decals are thin but strong and go down well over a glossy surface. I use a touch of Micro Set to bed the decal, then apply a cloth dampened with very hot water- which snuggles them into any detail perfectly. Micro Sol will also work on them as a setting agent ( I tried this too), but Pheon caution against the stronger types of decal softener. Each sheet comes with a plethora of stencils, all of which are fully legible and pin sharp. Full placement instructions are provided. I have to say that these are some of the most logical and well thought out stencil instructions I've ever seen. The numbering of them and placement order is logical and well thought out, making it a doodle to get your Gladiator stencilled up. A word of caution - apply the stencils before the main decals, as in some cases Squadron markings will cover small portions of stencil. So do like the RAF did - stencil your crate, then take delivery of her and apply the Squadron markings! The RAF sheets have enough stencils for 3 complete machines, while the international sheet has 2 ( it's noted in the instructions that the stencils were probably overpainted when airforces camouflaged their machines - hence the reduction in numbers) For those using the Roden kit- Pheon provided a useful plan to show how to correct the lower wing tip shape too. So - onto the sheet options themselves: 48025 RAF Volume 1: 8 options. All painted overall aluminium. Price £10.50 plus P&P 1: K8027 87 Sqn October 1937. C flight Commanders aircraft 2: K7697 87 Sqn October 1937. A Flight 3: K8004 72 Sqn, 1938. A flight Commanders aircraft 4: K6130 72 Sqn, 1937. A flight Commanders aircraft 5: K7970 65 Sqn 1938. C Flight. Note this machine carries large red chevrons - a la 65 Sqn's Gauntlets. The instructions note this scheme as being unphotographed, and based on written evidence only. However it is a beauty, and is well worth having on the sheet. I used this scheme on my model. 6: K7943 65 Sqn 1937 C.O.'s aircraft. This is less gaudy but supported by photographic evidence. 7:L7612 33 Sqn A Flight 1938 8: K7903 80 Sqn A flight Commander 1938 Options 1-6 are all UK based, while 7 & 8 were Egyptian based 48026 RAF Volume 2: 9 options. All painted overall aluminium. Price £10.50 plus P&P 1: K6150 3 Sqn A Flight 1938 2: K7984 3 Sqn B Flight 1938 3: K6147 3 Sqn C Flight CO's aircraft 1938 4: K7960 3 Sqn 1938 These 4 aircraft show the variations in 3 Sqns Gladiator markings, with plenty of variation and lovely bright green markings. The set has an updated printing of the green items inserted as later research & info showed Pheon they needed to update this colour based on this new info. 5:K7918 54 Sqn A Flight CO's aircraft 1938 6: K7920 54 Sqn B flight - the sheet notes some conjecture about the yellow tailplane and colour of the blue. 7: K7985 73 Sqn C Flight 1937 8:K7991 56 Sqn A Flight 1938 9: K6147 56 Sqn A Flight 1938 - again this is slightly conjectural - but does give you the option of having the Firebird's famous red/white chequers on the fuselage side. All these options are UK based 48021 Gloster Gladiator Mk 1 international: 6 options with mixture of overall aluminium paint, and camouflage. Price £9.50 plus P&P 1: G.30 1st Fighter Sqn, Belgian Airforce " Le Comete" 2: 2909 29th FS Chinese Airforce 1938 flown by Major John Won Pan-Yang - historically interesting as Won Pan-Yang was the first pilot to score kills in the Gladiator, ending up as a 13 victory ace ( though only 4 were scored with the Gladiator) 3: 423 Norwegian Army Air Service 1937. NB you'll need to paint the maroon areas of the Norwegian national stripe marking, but the blue & white centre strips are supplied to save a tedious masking job. 4: 121 1st Fighter Squadron, Latvian Aviation Regiment 1938, with an option for 166 of the 2nd Fighter squadron 1938 5: G-704 5 Eskadrilla II Nailintuva Grupe, Lithuanian Airforce 1938. Note - the blue areas behind the Lithuanian Cross of Lorraine markings. 6: 8-16 Flottilj 8 Swedish Airforce 1939 Overall these 3 sheets provide a wealth of marking options, and will make an excellent change from the Roden kit decals. What I like about Pheon is their research - they are not afraid to tell you when they don't know something too. They are also excellent value for money. If you fancy a brightly coloured Gladiator or something a touch exotic - these are for you. Decals are currently available via email to: [email protected] or [email protected] Their new website should be up soon for direct sales. If you want to get your hands on these - then Pheon will be at the RAF Hendon Model show tomorrow Sunday 19th May with a full range of their decals. http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/whats-going-on/events/the-hendon-model-show/ Just to show you what you can do with these decals: Jonners
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