I popped into Hannants in Colindale, north London

 

I've posted about the 'best model shop in London' previously - that vote went to Kit Krazy in Bexley Heath. Of course the best model shop in London really has to be Hannants in Colindale. Looking more like a warehouse than a shop, Hannants in London is just down the road from the RAF museum in Hendon. Both places are a 'must-visit' if in London. From central London take the Thames Link service from St. Pancras or Farringdon to Mill Hill Broadway and from there the bus runs past the musuem and the shop. Not only does the shop feature the biggest selection of kits anywhere outside of the main Hannants in Lowestoft, there are display cases full of superbly built models, many by Luke of YouTube Channel 'Mach Models'. Also open on Sundays, one of the shop's busiest days of the week apparently. A few pics....

Airfix Henschel Hs 123 'vintage classic' 72nd scale

My first completed build of 2024 - in mid-August! Airfix 72nd Hs 123, nowadays a 'vintage classic'. That means 'not very good' and/or 'lacking in detail'.  Quite a few builds of this kit can be found on youtube, but all of them are pretty poor! None of the modellers attempt to add some extra detail, which given the 'age' of the model, it desperately needs.

A few easy 'adds' including cutting out and posing the tail surfaces, sanding away all the horrible raised detail, adding a 'cockpit' (reshaping the seat, adding belts, a 'stick' and the characteristic 'double' instrument panel) along with the usual wine bottle foil seat belts. Rather like the Gladiator there was no cockpit floor as such. Cut away the pilot's entry doors and replace with plastic card - on the model the coaming is about a scale foot thick! As is the appallingly thick windscreen which is easily replaced with a cut-out from clear plastic - I used an empty water bottle.

 I had a number of disasters during construction, including snapping off a cabane strut and losing one of the footsteps - a replacement was made from wire. 

I've dug out some replacement decals - for some reason the 'Schlacht' triangle is presented in 'red' on the kit decal sheet - and I've chosen an overall green 71 scheme from the MMP booklet on the HS 123. There is some debate on the colour scheme found on these machines - some suggest that they would have been finished in the 'classic' 70/71 splinter scheme, others argue that the type was too early for this.

More pics and some 'reference' material on my Luftwaffe blog.

Blenheim I at Duxford

 

400th post and just passed 993,000 page views. Here's something you don't see too often, some nice cockpit views of the Blenheim I at Duxford, courtesy of Ian Carvell.

East Kent Scale modellers club night 09 April - an impromptu 899 NAS line-up

 

After missing a couple of meetings thanks to other stuff it was nice to get up to RAF Manston and the history museum cafe/canteen for the monthly club meet of East Kent Scale modellers. As usual some fantastic models on display and plenty of model 'chat' and  'advice' and tips being dispensed ..

Dave's Skyhawk and Mitsubishi T-2

Callum's GwH 1:144 TSR 2

Dick's Airfix Sea Vixen in a line-up  of 899 Sqd machines...

Two of Rod's WnW masterpieces, a DH 2 and a naval Camel..

Peter's HPH 32nd scale SG 38 glider (partially built) and Dick's Special Hobby DFS 230 

Robert's Italeri 72nd Ju 188. Re-scribed panel lines and a neat finish..

Dick's Arma Hobby Hurricane. Lovely kit, decals apparently "a pain.."

The end of the 899 NAS line-up featured Bill's Hunter T8M. XL603 was one of two Hunter T8M conversions operated by 899 Squadron as radar trainers, fitted with the Blue Fox radar..

this is Henry's 32nd Hasegawa Raiden ('Jack')

Harrier trainers from the Kinetic kit by Dick and Bill..

Stu's Airfix Meteor in 72nd. Lots of great comments on his super metallic finish - Tamiya

More on 19 Sqn Spitfires, Duxford, 1939

 

As one web site puts it, " the operational history of the Spitfire began with No. 19 Squadron on 4 August 1938 at Duxford... " On this date Jeffrey Quill delivered the first operational Mk I K9789 to Duxford, nearly a year later than originally anticipated. By then the type had been extensively tested. The Spitfire was simple and easy to fly and had no vices. 

Fast forward to 31 October 1938 -  'press day' for 19 Sqn and the squadron's new Spitfires are all in the air, echeleon right behind CO S/Ldr Henry Cozens. Note the '19' on the tails. This was only on the a/c for a short time and was present on 31 October it seems. There then followed a period of intensive flight trials with Cozens - an engineering officer as well as pilot - keen to get 400 hours on the aircraft so that detailed inspections for wear/tear and faults could be carried out. 

Below; K9795, the 9th production Spitfire Mk. I in the markings of No. 19 Squadron photographed in the autumn of 1938. The aircraft is flown by Sqn Ldr Henry Cozens. During that time squadron letters were not yet assigned for the camouflaged aircraft and the unit temporarily used white-painted number 19 on the fin as a distinctive marking. These numbers appear to have only been used for a short period during 1938 and were later removed.

A good view of 'WZ- ' codes on 19 Sqn machines. Note in the image below one machine has only a single roundel painted on the wing uppersufaces and one aircraft has yet to have any roundels painted on - assuming that two roundels would have some stage have been painted on. In the second view below note the darker brown paint around the fuselage roundel where the outer circle has been overpainted. Also the curved demarcation (not along the panel line) between the upper camo colours and the black of the underside on the lower engine cowl.

A view of the airframes already painted in their camo schemes at the factory

Were the gun ports covered on 'pre-war' Spitfires - probably not. The covering of gun ports only occurred when it was found that cold air and altitude was causing them to freeze, gunnery pre war was done at lower levels, and were often in summer...And not much gunnery. So in all probability no red patches and open ports. This images tends to bear that out..

Note the aileron is still aluminium, and possibly the lighter smudge implies a retained aluminium painted wheel well. No gun patches.

Bill Clark's Academy F-4 J (UK) ZE 362 and the 'infamous' turquoise paint finish of the RAF's F-4Js

 

Bill Clark from East Kent Scale modellers and Scale Aircraft Modelling on his colours research for the F-4 J(UK).  This is re-posted from Bill's FB page and draws on his own article in Scale Aircraft Modelling. 

Note that the J-variant can be distinguished from the RAF's FG.1 and FGR.2 (at a glance) by the inclusion of formation lighting strips, the (empty) DECM antennas on the upper part of the intakes (except for ZE 350), the longer exhaust cans of the J79 engines, smaller intakes and narrow(er) rear fuselage while also lacking the 'glazing' on the port side between the two canopies. 

Bill also supplied this unique view of the 'turquoise' shade....

And a view of one of my pictures of F-4 J ZE 353 and David's take on the colour on a build of the Hasegawa kit, also ZE 353..

Preamble over, back to Bill for commentary and a view of his build.

"Here's my take on it.. briefly......

....The first batch of maybe nine of the 15 arrived in that Turquoise shade. There might have been attempts in those nine to correct the earlier problems...The second batch of 6 were painted in shades of 'gray" closer to those specified by the RAF.

from Patrick Martin's 'British Phantoms _Vol 5'. The RAF ordered 15, and the overhauled aircraft were painted in a three-grey finish that was meant to be as close to the standard RAF shades. Flint Grey FS595 36314 was used for Barley Grey, Neutral Grey 36270 for Medium Sea Grey and Light Gull Grey 36440 for LACG. The first nine aircraft delivered had the 'turquoise tint', due to a misunderstanding of the pimer specification by the Mexican manufacturer. (The grey's may well have been affected by the zinc chromate(?) primer.) The mistake was rectified for the second batch, but still not quite right. At least five were repainted in standard RAF shades, including ZE354/"R", ZE357/"N", ZE361/"P", ZE364/"Z". This happened during the summer of 1989.

There is some conjecture as to whether the inner wing panels were actually painted in MSG /NG. They certainly should have been, but bear in mind that the whole idea of having a darker shade here was to blend the whole upper surfaces together. Therefore in most lighting conditions the difference between the two greys is hard to see. That said, it is clear that some of the earlier batches, that had the primer issue maybe(?) the inner wings were very tatty and faded and certainly appear to be the same shade.

"..Anyway....here's my interpretation of 74 Sqn's ZE362/"V", which was one of the later batch of aircraft painted in shades more akin to those specified....with replacement panels and radome...in 'Turquoise". Academy 1/72 kit. Decals from Modeldecal, Xtradecal and Esci kit. Painted in Xtracrylic 'Barley' Grey (fuselage and outer panels,) with Tamiya Medium Sea Grey inner panel. I made my own mix for the Turquoise..."

More 'Air' frames..

 

 Just reading a great article on model 'bases' over on the 'Model Airplane Maker' blog (see link in the side box) while I work up enthusiasm to start a new kit. In the meantime here are a few more of those 'frame' bases posted on various social media. Still thinking that I might try one of these, although I do favour 'splitting' and attaching the canopy. And the instruction sheet 'background' is very cool.