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Avro Lancaster B Mk. I (Serial No. R5727), built in the UK and flown to Victory Aircraft in Malton, Ontario, in August 1942 to serve as a pattern for the other Lancasters to be built in Canada. The fabrication drawings had been delivered in January, 1942. R5727 became the first of the type to conduct a transatlantic crossing. The first Canadian-built Lancaster was a Mk. X (Serial No. KB700), aka “The Ruhr Express” coming off the line a year after R5727 arrived in Canada.

Hi everyone! Let me present my new model. This time it’s Supermarine Spitfire, one of my favourites. There’s no need to specify the facts about the prototype because everyone knows this plane inside out and it’s one of the most frequently assembled models. However, I should point out that I wanted to show the qualities which were specific for early Spitfires. Those were the fighting machines whose creators had no idea about real combat conditions. They were equipped by a streamlined flat canopy that didn’t provide 360-deg vision or have any armoured windscreen panel (when you come to think of it, the plane had no armoured protection neither for life-critical units nor for a pilot). Moreover, the early models were built up with an old-school two-bladed rotor and some throwbacks such as an antispin parachute, and there wasn’t any weapon heating. It rendered the fighter useless on apparent combat heights of German bombers because frozen machine-guns didn’t work there. In other words, the early Spitfires were like Englishmen with enormous potential but poorly aware of what was waiting for them in the heat of the coming major war. I’ve chosen Airfix A02010 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I/Mk.IIa set for assembling. The set makes a good impression, the details are well-fitted, but still there are certain drawbacks in canopy-fuselage attaching and wing-fuselage blending. The model is quite accurate, so it hasn’t raised a lot of my criticism. The only thing is that the upper part of cowl panel has square-flat shape closer to the Mk.V rather than Mk.I. The panel lining is pretty true-to-fact although a bit simplified and needs improvement. The model features the 9th manufactured prototype of Spitfire K9795 from the 19th Royal Air Force squadron in Duxford as in October of 1938. Thanks for looking!

Hi All, My next project will be Wolfpack's B17C, to be completed as an RAF Fortress Mk.I. I have not built a Wolfpack kit before, but my understanding is that this is a re-issue of the Academy kit which I think is 80's vintage. Here's the box art: Here's the sprue shots: All look to possess nice crisp detail. Here's the decals, along with a thoughtfully included set of glazing masks: Other than the instruments those decals won't see the light of day, as I intend to complete as one of these two schemes: Both aircraft have TSS uppers, with the lower aircraft having PRU Blue undersides (albeit with a high demarcation running through the roundel). This one should be fun! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, My latest completion is Wolfpack Design's B17C, built as an RAF Fortress Mk.I. I built this as part of the B17 STGB - thanks very much to @vppelt68 and @reini for hosting this great group build! The Fortress Mk.I was the first time the B17C was used in combat, and the many hard lessons learned by 90 Sqn were directly applied to the evolution of the aircraft into the formidable fighting machine it became. The squadron were based at RAF Polebrook, Northamptonshire in summer 1941, and conducted early offensive raids over Germany. I chose to complete as AN530 - here's a photo of the aircraft: Here's another rather nice shot of crew about to board the aircraft: Here's a link to a propaganda film depicting the squadron's first mission: There is some speculation over the scheme, but I have chosen to complete in Dark Slate Grey & Extra Dark Sea Grey over PRU Blue, mainly due to written reports I have sighted. The kit is a re-boxing of the Academy kit, which I believe is of 90's vintage. There are a few known idiosyncrasies with the kit: - Excessive wing dihedral, corrected by adding 1mm shims to the top of the wing roots - Blank faced turbo intercooler ducts, which were opened out - Incorrect cockpit floor, which was scratch-built Here's a link to the WIP if anyone is interested: I also did a fair bit of work adding an interior to the build (in vain, as it turns out - completely invisible!). Here's the proof: Enough waffle - on with the pictures! Finally, and just for scale you understand, here's a shot with another unusual heavy: I realised after the photos that I'd neglected to add the glazed covers to the landing lights - hey ho! I've thoroughly enjoyed building this unusual mark of the Fortress - despite its shortcomings I believe it builds up into a nice representation of an early Fort. Thanks for all those who have provided encouragement and kind words along the way - it has been much appreciated! Particular thanks to @Robin-42 who very generously provided some invaluable information on the interior of the B17C. Thanks for looking, Roger

LX-W, No.225 Sqn RAF, I just need a serial. More zoom-in-able pics available at IWM: CH 1174 CH 1180 CH 1185 CH 1186 CH 1191 CH 1193 CH 1198 CH 1201 Thanks!

Because I like a challenge and I managed to build three TIE Fighters in the Blitzenbuild (even with 6 hours of masking!), I figured why not go all out and try two builds. Kit number two is the Academy P-51B: At the moment, it’s still sealed up in the bag: The Eduard seatbelts are the only AM I’ll be using, as one of the local model clubs has an OOB-themed competition I’d like to enter this in, and belts are the only thing you’re allowed to use that wasn’t in the box. I’m planning to finish this as PKoG, in the standard RAF day fighter scheme: I’ve made a couple of notes on the painting guide as my research has indicated Academy made a bit of an error on the scheme for this aircraft. As I’m building two kits, I’ll take advantage of the rule allowing us to take the main bits off the sprues in advance, ready to get cracking on Saturday. James

Hi, This week I completed some figures from ICM's excellent 1:48 RAF personnel kit and created a grass field base for a Trumpeter Display case to display them together with a my latest creation, a pre-war 72 Squadron RAF Gloster Gladiator. It then occurred to me that the base and case could also be used to rotate the display of other aircraft in my collection from the late pre-war and early second world war period. Apologies for the striped backdrop, but I have yet to figure out the best printer quality settings, hence the vertical lines. Other than these, it is however a fairly accurate depiction of the skyscape at Church Fenton because its the upper section from a picture I took of the Spitfire line-up parked at Flying Legends here in July😀 Amazing how a simple backdrop can make a model pop! All photos were taken with an iPhone 11 Pro. First of all the 72 Sqn Gladiator based at RAF Church Fenton around 1938 Hurricane P3153 US-U for "Euthanasia" of 56 Sqn based at RAF North Weald in summer 1940 Spitfire Mk1 R6835 XT-W of 603 “City of Edinburgh” Sqn based at RAF Hornchurch in Summer 1940 Finally, some shots more featuring the Albion 3-Point Re-fueller. I based this on an example seen briefly in a British Pathe B&W Newsreel, but took some liberties with the brass radiator and red sun-rise Albion logo, which would no doubt in reality have been painted over when the vehicle was camouflaged.

Finally got round to taking a few pictures of this one after finishing it back in April! Modern jets and RAF are not my normal thing but this was an itch that needed to be scratched. I also wanted to build a machine from either 43 or 111 Squadrons, these being the ones I remember being wowed by at so many Leuchars' airshows. The kit is Revell's boxing of the 1/48 scale Hasegawa moulding which, despite its age, is still a good build. The model was built straight from the box, the only addition being a set of Sidewinders. Just for a change I also decided to add the two crew figures to give a little "life". XV416 did not have a long service life, being lost in May 1975 shortly before the Squadron moved to Leuchers. Fortunately the crew ejected safely. Despite this there are quite a few photo's of the aircraft available on the internet and I was able to use these to help with the painting and weathering, especially the underside which was particularly stained. Enough waffle here are the pictures and I hope you like. As I said, this is not my normal subject so any tips and hints are welcome and thanks for looking!

Short Stirling MkI Series 1, MG-D N3641, No 7 Squadron, RAF Oakington, Bomber Command, late 1940 According to my own rules about my 1940 collection, aircraft such as the Avro Manchester, Handley Page Halifax and Short Stirling shouldn’t be eligible for inclusion. All three aircraft mentioned, although in squadrons by the end of 1940, really didn’t begin proper operational flying until early 1941. I do feel, however, it is important to show how decisions made late in the 1930s led to the aircraft that would take the war back to Germany in the 1940s. Virtually from its foundation, and throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the Royal Air Force followed the doctrine that to be an effective defence force meant having more and better bombers than any prospective enemy. The Air Defence of Great Britain (ADGB) was built on this guiding principle from its earliest days. The strategic bombing force was the jewel in the RAF’s crown, with fighters coming very much second best. A country didn’t need silly little peashooters to prevent an enemy attacking it; it just need more bombers to deter the enemy in the first place. This principle, of being able to hit back just as hard, if not harder, remains to this day – only with nuclear warheads instead of aeroplanes. Until the 1930s, the notional “enemy” the bomber force was to counter was France. With the rise of Hitler in 1933, all that changed. The Air Ministry began desperately chasing an almost entirely fictitious figure, that of how many bombers Germany was able to build, and how quickly. The attempts to retain or even beat parity with Luftwaffe bomber numbers would obsess the Ministry for the rest of the decade, and require ever more precious money from the Treasury. Various schemes were put forward to boost front line bomber strength to match that of the Luftwaffe. From 1934, the stated aim was to reach a total of 41 bomber squadrons by the end of March 1939, but this set of goal posts continued to move until war eventually broke out. With a lack of new designs on the horizon, the various expansion schemes tended to fall back on quantity over quality. Many obsolete light bombers were ordered just to make up the numbers quickly. Eventually, sense began to prevail. Specifications, thrashed out by committee, began to be drawn up to encourage manufacturers to tender for new bomber designs. Aircraft, such as the Bristol Blenheim, Fairey Battle, Vickers Wellington, Handley Page Hampden, and Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, were created and filled the squadrons of Bomber Command - but the Air Ministry’s eyes were always on the next level. In 1936, it was realised the RAF may well need even larger aircraft, capable of delivering more bombs further and faster than the current designs. Air Ministry specifications P.13/36 and B.12/36 were circulated in July 1936, inviting tenders from the main British aircraft and engine manufacturers. The former called for a twin-engined medium bomber for “worldwide” use, meaning it would be capable of operating in a wide variety of environments. It was also expected to be able to carry two torpedoes in its bomb bay. This flexibility in the design of the bay meant both the Halifax and Manchester-cum-Lancaster were much more adaptable to new ordnance designs. B.12/36, on the other hand, was the Ministry sort of hedging its bets in case the “heavy twins” concept didn’t bear fruit. The specification called for a four-engined heavy bomber, capable of cruising at 250mph over 1500 miles with at least a 4000lb bomb load. Tenders for designs were submitted by Bristol, de Havilland, Vickers-Armstrong, Armstrong Whitworth, Vickers Supermarine and Short Brothers. Only the last two were given orders, and work began on detail design and prototypes. The Supermarine Type 317 and 318 prototypes were under construction at the outbreak of war in 1939. Supermarine, however, was a small company, and found themselves virtually swamped with orders for their small fighter and the Walrus amphibian. The bomber prototypes were worked on in a piecemeal fashion at the company’s Woolston, Hampshire, factory, until late September 1940 when a Luftwaffe raid destroyed the aircraft and most of the drawings associated with them. The Air Ministry cancelled the order in November. The only B.12/36 design to see operations was the Stirling. The myth has always been the 100ft wing span limitation was to accommodate the new type in standard RAF hangars. The standard hangar of the time was larger than that, and the specification actually expected routine maintenance to be done in the open. It should be noted the reason for the limitation was more down to the Air Ministry wanting to limit the overall size of the aircraft. Worries were voiced that a very large aircraft simply wouldn’t be able to operate safely from typical bomber airfields, which were pretty much universally grass fields at the time. It was also expected that the new aircraft should be easily broken down into manageable pieces that could be transported by road to maintenance centres. The centre fuselage, for instance, was not to exceed 35ft long, 9ft 6in high and 8ft wide. These sorts of restrictions meant the designers had to be a bit creative about where the bomb load was to be carried. The Air Staff had discussed the types of bombs the new design was to carry. No bomb heavier than the 500lb general purpose was expected to be deployed in any future conflict, and such things as 4000lb, 8000lb and 12000lb bombs were beyond comprehension at the time. The designs submitted to B.12/36, therefore, were to carry a large load of 250lb and 500lb general purpose bombs, only just coming into service in 1936. A 2000lb bomb was also being introduced, but it was considered this weapon wouldn’t be used against land targets, designed as it was for use against heavily-armoured capital ships. The B.12/36 specification omitted the requirement for the new bomber to carry torpedoes. This oversight, perhaps intentional since the parallel P.13/36 specification did include torpedoes, would lead to limitations in the Stirling’s operational usefulness. The first prototype Stirling had its maiden flight from Short’s Rochester factory site, with Lankester Parker at the controls, on 14 May 1939. The big plane handled well, but a brake seized on the port main wheel on landing. The aircraft slewed and the undercarriage collapsed. The first prototype had to be written off, and the undercarriage had to be redesigned to make it stronger. The second prototype didn’t fly until December 1939. L7605 was eventually flown to the A&AEE at Boscombe Down in April 1940 for testing and acceptance trials. The RAF’s Scheme L expansion plan called for 3,500 heavy bombers to be delivered by April 1942, around 1,500 of which were to be the new Stirling. Such numbers meant Short began building aircraft at the Short & Harland factory in Belfast, plus Austin Motors at Longbridge providing a third production line, as well as various subcontracted firms for smaller components. The first production Stirling from Rochester flew in May 1940, but Belfast’s first aircraft flight wasn’t until October. On 9 August 1940, Short’s Rochester factory was attacked by the Luftwaffe, destroying six newly-completed aircraft, and another six destroyed by an attack on the Belfast factory a week later. Deliveries were also slowed as priority from May 1940 was given to other aircraft already in production. A total of 15 Stirlings had been delivered by the end of 1940. No 7 Squadron had been operating Hampdens at the start of the war. It had been disbanded in April 1940, but was reformed in August specifically for operating the big new bomber. Deliveries began in late August 1940, but the aircraft were found to be somewhat underpowered. Shorts were busy trying to improve the performance of the Bristol Hercules engines, but until the improved aircraft were ready the fifteen Stirlings at Oakington were designated as trainers, and used to familiarise the aircrews with the new planes. Upgrades and scratch building enhanced the rather basic flight deck in the venerable Airfix kit. Many thanks to @12jaguar John, part of the Stirling Project, who helped with detail research and information. I was attracted to the early camouflage layout for my model. The first MkIs in service had a retractable belly turret, and lacked the dorsal turret more familiar in later marks. There were other detail differences, and I thought it would make an unusual variant to the Stirlings usually modelled. I chose to do the conversion work on an old Airfix kit rather than invest in the now-scarce Italeri modern tooling. I didn’t realise the modern kit contained parts to make an early MkI. Some aftermarket parts, such as a photo-etch detail set and vacuum-formed transparencies, were acquired, and some old-fashioned kit-bashing and scratchbuilding took place. Sadly, the turrets defeated me. I had planned to use the Falcon vac-form parts and scratch interior details, with brass barrels to finish off. I simply couldn’t get the clear parts to fit nicely, and rather than leave the model as a shelf queen when it was so close to completion, I opted to modify the original kit parts and paint them black as temporary fittings. One day, I will either work out how to make decent turrets or end up buying an Italeri kit and doing a new version! Either way, I enjoyed the research and modelling that has given me a fairly decent rendition of a really early Short Stirling for my 1940 obsession. The WIP thread for the Stirling is part of a much longer thread dedicated to all of my 1940 Bomber Command builds. The Stirling part, full of pitfalls and errors, sort of begins here:

And now for something completely different, the big Meng Me 163 Komet. One option is a captured one, as flown by Captain Winkle Brown. There is debate about the undersurface colour, as this thread makes clear: But there is no firm conclusion! There is an excellent review here: So, the first post will be along soon, starting with the cockpit (where else) just as soon as I've transcribed all the painting colours to Humbrol!

I've just bought a copy of the MENG 1/32 Komet, mainly because it was flown in RAF markings and will fit into my RAFWaffe build plan. The kit includes markings for ME 163, RAF serial VF 241, Builders CN 191060, as flown in England in 1946 and 1947. BUT... the kit calls for the underside to be in trainer yellow. There are many representations of the ME 163 in these, striking, colours, along with solid black green upper surfaces and fin, but not rudder. Some research brings this into question. Photos in Kenneth S West's book The Captured Luftwaffe show a clear difference in tone between the "P" in a circle marking, unquestionably in trainer yellow and the under side. Then I found more photos in ME 163 Part 2 by Ransom and Camenann that suggest the undersurface was a light blue colour. Their photos also show the dark fin and other bits on the fuselage overpainted, but another suggesting the upper surface was not a solid dark green, but a more usual two green splinter pattern. There is a colour profile showing all this. My understanding was that Luftwaffe A/C in RAF markings had yellow under surfaces early in the war, this was not maintained in later years. What are the Luftwaffe experts thoughts on this?

Hi all. Currently working on a 1/72 Airfix Lanc, and I have a little bit of a dilemma requiring any knowledge from those more experienced with RAF markings of the WWII period. I'm aiming to use the kit decals for the roundels so its not so much a case of painting those on all together, but more for highlighting after for a bit of fading as I've done with the camo. The other aspect is the actual aircraft code. I need AJ-T, but the Airfix kit is only AJ-G and AJ-W. The T I have in a KitsWorld decal set, along with the aircraft serial, but the problem is KitsWorld has used an entirely different (and brighter) shade of red. In order to match the shade I have to either mix up something or use something premade. I spray with a booth in a room in the house so it really needs to be acrylics. Lacquers at a stretch. Anything close enough which can be lightened with a drop of white/buff/deck tan, or any combinations would be appreciated. A test I did a little while back for the red had my combining Tamiya XF-7 Red and XF-9 Hull Red for a fairly close approximation (until I forgot the mixture and will have to try it again ><), but the blue is a little trickier. XF-8 Flat Blue is not only too bright, and I'd assume the same for Medium Blue, but also tonally off. Can't just darken with black either as the test for that wasn't too convincing. So anything acrylic ideally. Real Color lacquer would be a potential option, and along with Tamiya (likely have to be a mix) would be best just for ease of spray in a confined area, otherwise I risk spattering. I think I have the red down but again any pointers would be appreciated. Chiefly need help with the blue if you can. Cheers. Gaz

I was honoured to be asked by Airfix to build all 3 versions of their newley released Hawker Hunter for their display at Hornby HQ.This is an excellent kit, straight out of the box, painted with MRP paints This is the scheme B FR10 No4 Sqn RAF 1961 and in my opinion the best scheme offered.

Hallo From the website of JG 300 I found a photo link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8270787@N07/albums/72157605269786717/page1 There are many pages. Some pics are well known. Just some! Happy modelling

Hawker Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 (A09192) 1:48 Airfix Arising from a post war specification during a period where the prevailing government thought there wouldn’t be another conflict for a decade or more, the Hunter took some time to develop into the aircraft we know and love due to the rapid development of aviation at the time, and a constant search for better performance. Eventually, the Hunter F.1 reached prototype during the scramble for capable jet aircraft at the time of the Korean war. The F.1 morphed into a single F.3 whilst still developing rapidly until the F.4 came along with additional fuel tanks in the wings and a more powerful variant of the Sapphire engine. Development continued apace with the F.5 following on with another variant of the engine, and so it went on into the F.6, some of which were later converted into the new FGA.9 ground attack Hunters for service with the RAF. They were given heavier controls to make them easier to fly near the ground, fuel tanks under the wings, and more powerful engines. The FR.10s were reconnaissance airframes that were again converted from F.6s, adding cameras and the majority of the same upgrades as the FGA.9s apart from the control optimisation because it wasn’t required. The Royal Navy took on a quantity of converted F.4s as Weapons Training GA.11s, but seemingly contrary to their intended use, the guns were removed along with their troughs, however an arrestor hook was added, with forty taken on charge for this role. The Hunter was a much beloved aircraft by ground crew, pilots and airshow visitors, remaining in service as a trainer after it was replaced by the Lightning, Phantom and Harrier, which its adherents would cite as a sign of a great aircraft that took three types to take over its role. Whilst it’s an over-simplified argument, at the time it probably had some legs. Most of the remaining airframes were retired from the training role once the Hawk T.1s came into service, with a few remaining in specialist roles as development aircraft, the two-seat T.8Ms in Royal Navy service being amongst the last to retire. We’re lucky enough to still have a few flying examples in the UK, so we can enjoy the distinctive “blue note” of its engine at airshows. The Kit This is an additive re-tooling of the F.4 kit and arrives in Airfix’s red themed box with five sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, a large decal sheet, instruction booklet in spot colour, with painting and decaling guides at the rear in colour. If you’ve seen or already own the earlier kits you’ll know what to expect in terms of detail, which is good, and extends to all the usual places of interest around the airframe. The three main sprues are unchanged, but two additional small sprues have been added to this boxing with a pair of new exhaust fairings that we’ve seen before, as well as two extra nose cones, exhausts, air-brake, drop-tanks and other sundry parts. Detail is just as good as previous editions, but they look crisp in the darker grey styrene that Airfix are using now. Construction begins with the two-part seat chassis, which has a choice of cushion with moulded-in belts or without for those wanting to provide their own. A headbox top is fitted with yellow and black striped pull-handles, then the cockpit tub is made up from a rear bulkhead plus added cross-member, seat-rail, cockpit tub, control column, diagonal lever, instrument panel with decal and a gunsight. The coaming is moulded into the fuselage, but the beginnings of the nose gear bay is attached to the underside of the cockpit tub beforehand. To prepare the fuselage for closure you need to add a small insert in the rear along with sanding a pit behind it, add a couple of outlets under the wing root, and drill a 1mm hole nearby. The remainder of the nose gear bay is fitted after the cockpit is inserted, consisting of two parts within the ribbed nose. A bulkhead with a representation of the first compressor blade of the engine is fitted after being painted a silvery colour aft of the wing root cut-out, and then it’s a case of making up the two trunking halves that form a Y-shape inside, and direct the air from the wing root intakes to the engine for compressing, mixing with fuel and igniting. The auxiliary outlets and drilling of holes are repeated on the starboard fuselage half, and a pair of cylinders on a rack are attached to the nose gear sidewall after which you can close the fuselage. If you’re going for an in-flight model, there are two small holes on the underside that should be opened for the Airfix stand (sold separately) before you apply the glue. You’re advised to place 20g/1oz of nose weight behind the cockpit before you close the fuselage, so don’t forget, and maybe add a few extra grams for good luck. For decal option C, the gun troughs should be filled and sanded to the shape of the surrounding skin, as the Navy airframes didn’t carry guns. Two choices of exhaust trunking and rear engine face are supplied for the variants, with appropriate rear fuselage insert halves, which is to cater for the differing exhaust and cowling sizes between the marks. The insert is glued in place under the tail, laying the full-span upper wing halves over the depression in the fuselage top, drilling a pair of 1mm holes in the outer panel either side of the dog-tooth panel’s cut-line that’s for earlier marks. The lower wing halves are separate, and you have a choice of holes to drill, depending on what you plan on installing under the wings, adding closed gear bay doors if you are making an in-flight model. Another bay door is fixed over the nose gear bay, and slim splitters are added to the outer section of each intake. For the wheels-down model, the three main bay walls are arranged round the moulded-in detail, and a small vane is inserted into a slot in the upper intake lip. For both options, there are a couple of pre-marked holes to drill out if you are fitting the drop-tanks before you close up the lower wings. The separate rudder can be deflected 20° to port and starboard, while the elevators are each single parts that slot into the tail fin with no options for deflection. You can however deflect the ailerons and drop the flaps by 13° either way and 80° down respectively, and add the triangular insert between them, repeated on each side. Decal option C’s parts are slightly different from the other two options, and those are covered in the steps after options B and C. Providing you’ve not elected to close the gear bays, it’s now time to install the landing gear struts, beginning with the main legs that fit into a recess in the outboard wall of the bay, adding a retraction jack and a prominent rib at the same time in each bay. There is an additional scrap diagram showing where the retraction jack and rib sit within the bay to assist you in getting it right. The lower bay door is captive to the leg, and the two additional doors fit into the bay edge at angles, referring to in the scrap diagram below for alignment and angles, while the inner bay door is slotted into the inner side on two sturdy hinges. The tyres are separate from the hubs and have slight flat-spots moulded in that will automatically fall into the correct location on the ground due to the keyed axle on the leg – a nice way to simplify your task. At the front the yoke is formed from two parts trapping the single-part wheel in place, with bay doors and a retraction jack fitted to the front and rear of the bay, attaching the rear bay door to the leg by two links. While we’re in the vicinity of the nose, the two “Sabrinas” that collect the spent cannon casings to avoid them being ingested by the engines are clipped into position on their two holes for options A & B, one each side behind the gun troughs. Moving further back, the semi-conformal air-brake has its hinge fairing added first, then you can either lay it flat for retracted, or add the jack and deploy it for extra visual interest, having a choice of two – C being the odd one out as you might expect. Option C also gets the arrestor hook behind the air-brake to reflect its RN ownership. There are two types of drop tanks, both made up from two halves plus a separate pylon each, the one with fins being suitable for all decal options, while the others are only for A & B. They fit into the holes you drilled in the lower wing earlier, the finless tanks having an anti-sway brace to keep them stable. One option for completion depicts the aircraft with four tanks , two of each type under the wings, while the other has finned tanks on the inner pylons and three-part rocket pods on the outer, which is correct for option C. The wings are finished off by adding the tip lights, with the port one having the pitot probe inserted between it and the wing, so be sure to fit that first. A blade antenna is fitted behind the cockpit on the spine, and for the first two decal options there are a pair of blisters applied to the upper wings in the dog-tooth section where you drilled the holes earlier. You then have a choice of a single-piece closed canopy, or a two-part open canopy, which slides back as far as the antenna location, and remember – there’s no frame at the rear of the Hunter’s canopy, so don't paint one or the purists will lynch you. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, one for each of the three variants, with each one allocated a full page in colour to assist you with painting and decaling, while the stencils that are common to A & B variants are dealt with on one page, and C on another, both in black and white and without other markings to reduce distractions. From the box you can build one of the following: Hawker Hunter FGA.9 flown under Tower Bridge by Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock, No.1 Sqn., RAF West Raynham, Norfolk, England, April 5th 1968 Hawker Hunter FR.10 No.4 Sqn., RAF Gütersloh, West Germany, 1961 Hawker Hunter GA.11 Fleet Requirements and Aircraft Direction Unit, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, England, 1976 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A modern Hunter FGA.9, FR.10 or GA.11, that’s just as good as the other two variants we’ve had from Airfix over the last few years, consigning more old Academy kits to the back of the stash or the nearest second-hand kit dealer. Incidentally, there is a special edition with commemorative coin included that should look nice near your model or on the base once it is finished. It’s a free option, but in case you don’t want one, we’ve included links to both it and the kit on its own. Very highly recommended. With Limited Edition Collector’s Coin Just the Kit Review sample courtesy of

Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix lovely little Blenheim IV. I'd always held shy of buying this kit as I thought it was old tool and hard, but to my pleasant surprise it turned out to be of 2015 vintage and eminently buildable! Rather than building one of the box schemes I went with this one: Of note are the Bristol turret and the gas patch on the rear fuselage - can't resist a TSS scheme! 248 Sqn were based at RAF Dyce (now Aberdeen Airport) during 1941, carrying out maritime strike and convoy escort duties. In June 1941 they then transferred to Norfolk, at which time they re-equipped with Beaufighters. The build was pretty much OOB - here's the WIP if anyone is interested: Anyway, on with the pics: Here's a final shot with some other Bristol lovelies: I've very much enjoyed this build, and it's nice to have another glass-nosed Bristol in the collection! Thanks to all those who have offered kind words and encouragement along the way - it has been much appreciated! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, My next project will be Airfix' Blenheim Mk.IVF. Now I'd always assumed that this was an old tool re-box, but when I did a bit of research I found out that it was a new tool from 2014 (although I suppose that's getting on a bit now!) Here's the box art: Here's the sprues, in Airfix' usual light grey, softish plastic: All look to be nice and crisp with a decent level of detail. Here's the transparency sprue: Here's the decals, which look to be nicely in register: I decided to ignore the box schemes, particularly once I saw this one: Of note are the Bristol turret and the gas patch on the rear fuselage - also can't resist TSS, I'm afraid! A bit of research told me that 248 Sqn were based at RAF Dyce (now Aberdeen Airport) during 1941, carrying out maritime strike and convoy escort duties. In June 1941 they then transferred darn sarf to Norfolk, at which time they re-equipped with Beaufighters. I've decided to run this build concurrently with my N-3PB build, as both are TSS schemes, and I am lazy going to paint them at the same time! Anyway, on with the show, Thanks for looking, Roger

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 Hasegawa Mosquito FB Mk.VI in markings of Sqn.Leader Robert Allan Kip of 418. Squadron in summer 1944. Photos by Wolfgang Rabel. I added metal gun barrels from Master and photo-etch from Part. Decals are mostly from the box, and even though they are over 20 year old, performed quite well. A few stencils (like the "keep off" marking on the wing root) were taken from a Barracuda sheet (BC72008). The model was painted with Mr.Hobby acrylics and sealed with Alclad Matt Cote. The entry hatch was cut open after thinning out the inner fuselage sides with a motor tool. The door itself is a multi-part etch assembly, the ladder is also an etched part. One advantage of the Hasegawa kit is the option for an open weapons bay. Thank you for your interest.

Hi All, My latest completion is Airfix' Defiant, completed as an Air Sea Rescue variant V1121 of 277 Sqn RAF, based at RAF Hawkinge in 1942. I couldn't find any pictures of V1121, but here's another Defiant of 277: The aircraft is modelled in TSS 'B' Scheme, with Sky codes and spinner. There was some discussion in the WIP over the scheme itself - here's the WIP if anybody is interested: The ASR variant carried a dinghy pack along with smoke flares - here's the dinghy pack: These did not come with the kit, so they were designed in Fusion 360 and 3D printed. I also added an Eduard harness and rivetted the airframe, but it was otherwise OOB. Anyway, on with the photos! Here's a final shot with an 'original' Mk.I which I completed a few years ago: This has been an enjoyable build, and it's nice to have an unusual version of the Defiant in the collection! Thanks to all who have offered advice and support along the way - it has been much appreciated! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, My next project will be Airfix' Defiant, back in my more familiar quarter scale after a number of 1:72 builds. Now I have built this kit before as a 'standard' Mk.I, so I thought rather than the usual day or night fighter schemes, I'd go with something a little less common. As @Fritag is currently engaged in a frankly superb 3D printing-enhanced rendition of a target tug, I settled on an Air Sea Rescue variant instead. I shan't bother with the box art or sprue shots as you've all seen them before! 🤣 As my subject I've selected V1121 of 277 Sqn RAF, based at RAF Hawkinge in 1942. Now there are a couple of versions of this scheme available, the first one being this: I personally do not believe that DFS would have been used for this mission, so I am going for TSS instead: I'm also going to go for dark red aircraft codes- I have not found a photo of this aircraft, but did turn up the following of an aircraft of 276 Sqn: As you can see TSS is noted, as are the Dark Red codes and the absence of a Sky identification band. Not apparent are the wing-mounted dinghy pods shown on the schemes. I did turn up a couple of pics relating to these: I will design these in Fusion and 3D print them, but otherwise the build will be mostly OOB. I will however give Rosie the Riveter a day in the sun, as the kit's surface detail displays not a single rivet: As you can see they are a prominent feature of the Defiant, so hopefully that will lift the build a little. I'm rather looking forward to this one! Thanks for looking, Roger

I present for your inspection my just completed Beaufighter? This Beaufighter Mk VI(f), EW-Z, EL154 served with 307 Squadron at RAF Clyst Honiton, now Exeter Airport, between 7 Aug. 1942 and 13 Feb. 1943: "Z" was usually flown by the crew Damsz/Sylwestrowicz. The aircraft is finished in the then new night fighter colours of Medium Sea Grey overall, with Dark Green disruptive on the upper surfaces. Photographic evidence suggests the aircraft was in this finish by late winter 1942. No. 307 (City of Lwów) Polish Night Fighter Squadron was a night fighter squadron formed in Great Britain on 24 August 1940 following an agreement between the Polish Government in Exile and the United Kingdom. It was the only Polish night fighter squadron fighting alongside the Royal Air Force during World War II. 307 Squadron is named after the Polish city of Lwów, and nicknamed "Eagle Owls". This a/c, a Mk VI(f) was the 9th Beaufighter off the line at the Shadow factory just outside RAF Weston Super Mare. In total 1078 Mk Vis were built at Bristol, Weston and by Rootes. After service with 307 Squadron she transferred to No 488 (NZ) Squadron, reformed on 25 June 1942 at RAF Church Fenton, Yorkshire, as a night fighter 'intruder' unit equipped with Beaufighters. The squadron aircraft carried the code letters ME. I cannot find any information about her use with 488 Squadron, but as the Beaufighters were replaced by DH Mosquitos in late 1943 she was probably struck off and scrapped as a she would have been over 12 months old and the Mk IV radar obsolete. The Mosquito replacements had the much more capable Mk VII “centimetric” radar. The Build has been described in the "Work In Progress" board, where I detailed all the changes and modifications. The build went smoothly, I'm reasonably happy with the result, given the starting material. I've discovered errors that could have been corrected, but when discovered it was too late. Many thanks indeed to everyone who helped and answered questions as the work progressed. So, now from the front: From above: From the back And from underneath! This was my first attempt at airbrushing and at using washes to ad effect. Still a bit to learn, I feel! Comments, advice and suggestions most welcome...!!

And so the Eurofighter is done, in the markings of Flt. Lt. Nicolson’s 249 Squadron Hawker Hurricane Mk.I GN-A (P3576) in which he was awarded the VC. But first, two 1/32 scale Typhoons: Intended to do much the same job the Eurofighter is somewhat bigger! The Typhoon is the very old Revell 1/32 scale kit. I think now I have to get the new Revell 1/32 scale Hurricane and finish as GN o A! On to the Eurofighter Typhoon, in detail. Brutal from the front, Elegant from the side.... A perfect Delta from above.... And from the underside.... Not the best kit in the world, the photos flatter my efforts, and mistakes. The build story is here:

Hi All, My fifth 🤩 completion for the year is Special Hobby's Boston Mk.III, completed as Z2230 of 88 Sqn RAF, based at RAF Swanton Morley in July 1941. 88 Sqn were formed in July 1941 and were tasked with the operational evaluation of the Boston, after converting from Blenheims. There are a number of photos of Z2230 (photos for discussion only and will be removed on request): Tail only shot: Third in line: And one showing the code RH*D: You can see that there is a disparity in the roundel type between the first three photos and the last, and that there is a mix of older MSG and newer dark red squadron and aircraft codes between the aircraft. I've chosen to model Z2230 in the 'early' scheme of Type A1 roundel and MSG codes as in the last photo - I have therefore omitted the tail patch seen in the first photo, which looks to be a repair patch. I built this kit as an RCAF Mk.III Intruder last year, so I know there are foibles in the kit. Here's the WIP for this build if anybody is interested: I made a few 'improvements' to the kit: - Shimmed the fuselage by 1mm to correct the mismatch with the glazing - Added wingtip lights using clear sprue - Scratch built a Mk.IX bomb sight Anyway, enough waffle and on with the photos! And here's a couple of shots with the aforementioned RCAF Mk.III Intruder with its experimental DG/OG/Night colour scheme: I've very much enjoyed this build despite the challenges, and it's nice to have an 'early' RAF Boston in the collection! Thanks for looking, Roger

My next Beaufighter build is going to be a very early Night Fighter Beaufighter in Special Night RDM2. For this early airframe I suspect the RDM2 would have been applied over a gray primer, or as a repaint from TLS, rather than the later practice of applying a coat of ordinary night then RDM2 - not sure on this and would appreciate views on when the practice of undercoating with standard night began. This will be a factor when it comes to wear on the RDM2 topcoat, as in, what finish it will be wearing back to as it flakes off, and how much of the underlying coat it takes with it when it goes. I am interested in your preferences for, and views, about replicating RDM2. At this stage I am agnostic about the type of paint, beyond a preference for enamels, but very interested in how to replicate the very matt, very sooty, very black appearance of RDM2. I can get to normal Night easily, using the Colourcoats enamel, but RDM2 doesn’t appear to have a dedicated colour in any range. Once I am happy with the basic approach to depicting RDM2 I will work my way onto how best to weather it. Thoughts appreciated, as I am gathering my own thinking about how to go about it. Base paints, mixes, use of varnish top coats etc etc, I am interested in anything you have tried. For those interested I will be backdating the Tamiya 1/48 kit - its easier to get to a very early Beaufighter 1F from there, than from the Revell kit. Steve

Hi All, My latest project in the 'Reasonably Priced Kits To Keep Dunny Busy On Gardening Leave' Series is Special Hobby's Douglas Boston Mk.III. Now once again, some of you may be feeling a rather eerie sense of deja vu as I built one of these last year as an RCAF Night Intruder, but this time we are going back to the Boston's original role with the RAF as a light bomber. So here's the box art: I shan't bother with the sprue shots as you've all seen them before (here's my Intruder WIP if you haven't and want to): Now I did find this extra sprue in the kit: On finding this I did briefly flirt with doing a Turbinlite version, but then settled back to my original plan of an 88 Sqn aircraft, based at RAF Swanton Morley in 1941. 88 Sqn were responsible for the operational conversion to this type after flying Blenheims - I am sure that the upgrade was welcome. I'm planning to model Z2230 - there are a number of nice photos of this airframe (photos for discussion only and will be removed on request): There's also a couple of nice colour images: And third in line: I've chosen this airframe for a couple of reasons. You can see that there was a mix of MSG and dark red codes as well as roundel types - in fact Z2230 appears to carry a 'hybrid' roundel which looks to have the overall proportions of a Type C roundel but with a smaller red portion, along with the earlier MSG codes. All adds a bit of interest. I have not yet been able to discern the aircraft code, but that shouldn't slow the build down too much - any info on this gratefully received. Compared to the Intruder version this does not carry the porcupine exhausts and has different cowlings, all of which are catered for in the kit. I shall also need to scratch build a bomb sight, as there is none provided in the kit. I shall also be shimming the fuselage to correct the glazing fit, but I am aware of that pitfall ahead of time! I have the loosest of personal connections to this build - I attended a cadet camp at Swanton Mortuary in the mid-eighties, and remember well the delights of wildest woolly Norfolk! Anyway, on with the build, Thanks for looking, Roger