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Back in the dim and distant past of 2013, I did the first build of my long-running "Aircraft my Father fixed" project which you can read about here This first build was supposed to be of a Hurricane IIc in 1:32 scale, using an old Revell kit. This was enhanced to be a more accurate IIc and then had some panels cut out to show the internals behind the cockpit and with a figure to represent my Dad, which in the end looked like this: I was never entirely happy with this build as lots of compromises had to be made to get it to look like a IIc. Therefore in this build I wanted to build the newer Fly IId to replace this one. I had already build the Fly IIc, so the IId seemed the obvious choice as a replacement aircraft. So without further ado here are the photos of the finished model The tool box is of course non-regulation for WWII RAF, its actually modelled on the toolbox my Dad had when I was a kid One of the last things I did is add a pouch for the First Aid Kit on the back of the port fuselage panel - there are markings on the outside highlighting its location. These last shots are trying to capture some of the cockpit detail - tricky with the lighting... There it is - another of the builds I've been wanting to do for a couple of years since the Fly kits started appearing. This fits well in the sequence between the Spitfire IX in Tunisia diorama from mid 1943 (You can see that build here:) and the "Clang" diorama which would have been in mid 1944 (which you can see here:) Finally, the box for this kit

As an aside to my "Aircraft my Father fixed" project, I've decided to build examples of other 5 Sqn aircraft from periods when he wasn't ground crew. So to begin with, here is an EE Lightning, the 1:48 Airfix kit. This is pretty much OOB with just the addition of a resin seat and decals sourced from numerous places to represent a 5 Sqn aircraft. I opened up a couple of ports and intakes in the fuselage. I can't honestly say this is one of my best builds - I made a number of mistakes during the build which caused me a certain degree of grief. The paint is Tamiya Acrylics for the camo and details and Alcad Aluminium for the undersides. Its the first time I've used Alcard for large areas, prior to this I'd just used the chrome on the Routemaster handrails. I didn't have too many problems with it. So here are the photos with my new camera!

Coming in a bit late on this GB, having only just completed my Made in Britain GB entry. However, better late than never eh? My entry will be another in my long-running series of building the aircraft my father worked on when he was in the RAF during WWII. 3 Years ago (bloody hell is it that long ago?) I built the 1:32 Revell Hurricane IIc (see build thread here) as one that operated in Burma while my father was attached to 5 Sqn from Dec '43 until they were replaced by Thunderbolts in Sept 44. So how come (I hear you ask) did 5 Sqn also have IIDs - after all the logistics, operation tactics and target options are somewhat different between IIC and IID. Very good question and its puzzled me for a while. I've got several references that say 5 Sqn operated both, but one of the most authoritative sources is Christopher Shores "Air War for Burma" which claims 5 Sqn only operated IICs. Then I found a reference in Michael Pearson's "The Burma Air Campaign: 1941-1945" which says "No 5 Sqn, which had been equipped with Hurricane Mk IID 'tank busters' but re-equipped due to a lack of suitable targets in the India/Burma theatre." So that makes sense - they started off with IIDs and then swapped over to IICs at some later date. In that case this will be a build from the early stages of my Dad's deployment with 5 Sqn. On to the kit, its the Hasegawa kit of the Hurricane IID. I picked it up some time ago, no idea where from now, its been in the stash for quite a while! Here is the box: and the obligatory sprue shot. You can see the Eduard Zoom etch set in there as well. I'll replace the decals with SEAC markings. I've got a possible set of serial numbers for IIDs, these may not be 100% accurate, but the best I can do at present.

I built this back in Jan/Feb of this year but never took any photos, build thread or even and RFI up to now! So here are some photos from the IPMS Farnborough website... This is another entry in my project associated with my Father in the RAF, namely building the aircraft that were in 5 Sqn before and after he was attached to that squadron while in Burma in 1943-45 Previously I've built a Curtis Mohawk which was flown by 5 Sqn from 1941 to 43 and a F6 English Electric Lightning that was flown by 5 Sqn in the 70 up to the mid 80s. This brings the story further into the modern era as 5 Sqn flew the F3 Tornado from 1987 to 2003 Larger pic here Larger pic here Larger pic here Larger pic here This was the Italeri kit plus the Eduard PE with 5 Sqn decals sourced from elsewhere - I can't honestly remember where. The pilot figures are from PJ Productions - its the same figure but modified for front and back seat One of the reasons I do build threads on here is so I remember what I've done!

Does anyone know of a source for 1:48 scale decals for a 5 Sqn Tornado F.3? eg:

I've just realised that I didn't post about the 5 Sqn Curtis Mohawk I built towards the end of 2012. This was during my period of - ahem - enforced absence from BM at the end of 2012, so it got completely missed. This was as a preliminary build for the "Aircraft my Father Fixed" project I've been working on for the last coupleo f years and which you can read more about here. This build involves a plane that was used by 5 Squadron in India/Burma in the end of 1941 until it was replaced by Hurricane IIc and IId in June 43 after which in Nov 43 my father was posted there from his time with 81 Sqn in North Africa and Sicily. The Curtiss Mohawk IV (also designated Curtiss P-36 Model 75) was considered a formidable fighter in close dogfighting by the Japanese air forces. The RAF's Mohawk IVs came from at least three different sources. The majority of them were part of a French order for 795 Hawk H75A-4s. These were powered by a 1,200hp Wright R-1820-G205A Cyclone engine, replacing the Pratt & Whitney engines of the earlier French aircraft and the Mohawk I, II and III. They were armed with six 7.5mm guns, two in the nose and four in the wings. The source kit is an old one from HobbyCraft: with decals sourced from Aeromaster: I can't truthfully say its one of my best builds - several things went wrong or didn't turn out as I intended. For a start, the base didn't work as well as I expected. Its made up of a layer of claycrete (aka papier mache) which when it dried shrank much more than I expected, so pulled away from the edges and also lifted the base card up at the corners! The major thing that went wrong however is I attempted to fade the paintwork using a new technique which didn't turn out at all well (as you can see!) It was a useful experiment in that it told me NOT to try this again! To add some interest, I broke out the 1:48 scale Aber toolbox PE I picked up a couple of years ago and spent a headache inducing afternoon working with microscopic sized PE pieces to assemble the tools - each spanner came in two parts and the handles on the screwdrivers, files and hacksaw were also two extra pieces. The pliers and scissors were also two pieces. The toolbox should have been a 3 layer cantilever thing, but It was waaay too small and complicated! The steplader was robbed from my old Battle of Britain diorama and comes from the ICM RAF ground crew set. (this photo showed me that some of the machine guns are a bit crooked!) Toolbox: As I said, not one of my best builds but interesting in its own right and I thought I'd post it here anyway for completeness sake with my ongoing project.

Planes My Father Fixed - Part 5 5 Sqn Burma Oct 1944-Jan 1945 Thunderbolt II In the autumn of 1944, the Hurricane IIc and IId aircraft were replaced by Thunderbolt I and II - othewise known as the P-47D Razorback and Bubbletop. 5 Sqn and 123 Sqn converted to the type together at Yelahanka in sothern India and it was intended that 5 Sqn would be equipped with Thunderbolt Isand 123 Sqn would have Thunderbolt IIs, but both squadrons left with a mixture. 5 Sqn retained its Thunderbolt IIs until January 1945 when they were swapped for Thunderbolt Is from 258 Sqn. Here we see a Thunderbolt II of 5 Sqn on a muddy airfield at Nazir in what is now Bangladesh in early December 1944. This is the Tamiya kit with aftermarket undercarriage legs, wheels and cannon barrels. Decals are from the spares box. At this time, 5 Sqn were not using their "OQ" squadron code on their aircraft, just the individual aircraft letter. I used some artistic licence as I coudl find no information about specific Thunderbolt II serials for 5 Sqn, but this serial is authentic for the aircraft shipped to the RAF in India at this time. ... and here it is... and here is the cockpit