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My very longsuffering wife allows “plastic creep” from the den (aka model room) into the living room… BTW while I’m waiting for the monster to arrive, for a training run, I’m having a bash at the Mach 2 Britannia. Bash is the operative word… Cheers!

escaping from his own

Tashkent was built on an Italian shipyard in Livorno 11 Jan. 1937. When completed the destroyer was delivered October 1939 to the Black Sea fleet without guns. The Russian navy fitted Tashkent with arms shortly before the German army invaded Russia. ⚓👍

That's a good question, Pat. I've read those two books in the past (I thought I had a copy of Scramble but can't now find it) and never thought about the gap. I have an idea that he was sent home sick from Malta and then went on to a training role. But I may well be thinking of someone else. The conditions on Malta took their toll on the Pilots. And of course everyone else there. World of books has one called Questions of guilt by him. And there is Gun button to fire but that is the Battle of Britain. I recently re-read First Light, and it is still an excellent read and hard to put down

I've recently read Tom's autobiography 'Scramble' which covers his time from joining the RAF right through the BoB and on to his exploits over Malta which came to an end at the close of 1941. I'm also now reading 'The Silver Spitfire' which covers his service from early 1944 until the war's end, both being first rate reads and only matched IMHO by Geoffrey Wellum's 'First Light' book. However this leaves the period from early 1942 to the end of 1943 so did he also write about his exploits during this time? I know his books have been 'reconfigured' over time and that 'Scramble' for example combines a couple of his books into one tome but what about 1942-43? I'd love to know if there is such a book as his accounts are quite superb and I'd love to fill in the gaps of one of our most successful fighter pilots who seems to go under the radar a wee bit compared with the likes of Bader, Tuck, Nicholson, Johnson etc. Pat.

A 'Goldilocks' finish - everything 'just right'. That's very nicely done indeed.

Serves you right for using Ex Luftwaffe Baedeker maps of the U.K. And staying in a Caravan Crocheted by Her ladyship. Cut price Holidays indeed! (Boyo).

A while back I saw a YouTube clip in which a chap used a stiff paint brush to flick paint onto a base to represent splatters of dirt on concrete. I liked the effect and gave it a go using an old toothbrush. It's not bad, but overscale. Some of those splatters would be puddles 6" across. But it would be great if this were 1/32 or bigger. After grumping over it for half an hour I came up with a plan to tone it down a bit. That is much better. I used a damp sponge pan cleaner with a circular scrubbing motion to remove most of the splats leaving more subtle staining. Buoyed up by that I decided to experiment with some scenic grass scatter materials that have been in a drawer since a stalled railway layout project for one of my sons about a decade ago. I started by mixing a few drops of brown acrylic paint with PVA glue and brushing that onto the corner that I wanted to cover. I made a blend of medium green Meadow Grass and a very dark, almost blue, Moorland Grass and sprinkled that onto the brown PVA. No spring flowers in Wyton in December! It's still a bit bright and summery looking. I will have a think about that, but not now. That's all for tonight folks!

He's a Runway Runaway

That's a nice looking lil Zero.

First coat of Tamiya X-1 black, looks a little rough but I'll work on it. And no, this colour is not a base coat for silver.

She's beautiful

There is an article in a journal where her mechanic describes painting the 02 on the fuselage of her Yak. This was the reference for a model in our club Aviatrix display in 2012. PM me your email and I will see if I can find the article.

The never-ending saga... I'm in one of these moments. No, not the murdery one, but wondering how does this and this... ...get me 'dis..? Yes, that roundish lump within the liquid is the paint. That's an acrylic and that is an acrylic, and so the two acrylics should be in acrylical bliss, instead they'd gone to the paint version of divorce court. Their child (me) is not happy... Confused in North East USA... Thom EDIT I just tried mixing a bit with Tamiya X20 and had the same result.

Many years ago in a pub in Queenstown, a regular gathering spot for tour drivers, one of our number did just this with his jug of beer. When he got back to the table, there were several other sets of teeth in there. A good laugh was had by all, teeth were retrieved & the owner of the first set of teeth went to buy another jug. Steve

Thanks Steve 👍 Dave

As far as I am aware it was related to the reformulation of Armour Yellow on their locomotives to not to involve lead (lead based zinc chromate) and cadmium yellow plus some other unhealthy products. Then it turned out the new paint was very weak so it had to be covered by clear coat, then it turned out that clear coat does not give the proper look of the old color so the color had to be modified to give an appearance of old armor yellow with proper layer of clear coat. That implies that the resulting color depends now on the application of the protective layer and that suggests the end result can vary. Not to mention that 100% replication of those not available anymore (zinc chromate and cadmium yellow) pigments is next to impossible.

That looks super. Your mud looks especially effective & really sets it off well. 👍 Steve.

I do want to build one of these in the B.o.B. GN*A Markings. https://i.imgur.com/MpkjLiy.jpg

I will get a start on this one soon, I have a couple of others on the bench that are more of a priority

I am slowly sorting out that wing root, it has been primed and reworked. The engines are primed as well now. There will be a bunch of masking when the wings and engines are painted because of the bare metal finish.

I retrieve my Airfix boxing of the PM Sea Fury from box "C" in the garage (thank goodness for spreadsheets!) and dry fitted some parts: It looks the part and matches the profile very well. I like the restrained panel lining, although I will sand back some of the more textured areas, and I will consign the crude undercarriage, stores and cowling/propeller to the spares bin. I have to construct a new cowling, propeller and radiators, and adjust the fin and rudder shape. I have just bought another PM kit and will make the Griffon engine version too, which will be a lot easier if Peter can find the engine he has so generously offered to me. Now I'm going to forget about the Fury until the "Project Cancelled GB" starting in June, and concentrate on my more immediate builds! Regards, Adrian

Not a film or tv, but I found this on Youtube, the 70th VJ Day commemoration. Recites the poem very well, doesn't he?

Just one thing: release this family in 1/72, I can wait.

Consolidated Mess apparently does have this information. Or some of it. @Graham Boak whose just refound his copy maybe able to confirm? True of many types.