Fujimi 1:48th Bf 109 G-6/AS

 

Sixth completion of 2025. This one of the Fujimi Bf 109 Gustav boxings ('G-6/AS Special Escort') finished as 'Green 5' of I./EJG 2, the Ergänzungsnachtjagdstaffel (night fighter replacement training unit), in overall (semi-) gloss back finish. Pilots for this special Moskito hunting Staffel were drawn from the ranks of the Ergänzungsnachtjagdstaffel instructors and tasked specifically with 'Moskito-Jagd' as described by Joachim Geier in the German-language "Jet & Prop" magazine issue 3/03. Decals were a mix of the AIMS 'Monotone Me's' sheet and those issued by Start Verlag (see Luftwaffe im Focus #4). Note rather unusually, for a Luftwaffe machine, the painted prop tips. Seen on the table at model club night. Has subsequently been given a coat of 'satin' Galeria varnish to tone down that glossy finish a little..

 

new Revell SR-71 Blackbird in 48th

 

 ..super new Revell kit of the SR-71 just arrived. No I can't see myself building it to be honest but I'm collecting a few images for reference and such like and re-posting them here so that I can find them easily when required. 

Alan P build thread on BM here

At the 1974 Farnborough air show after its record-breaking New York to London flight. Posted by Mike 'Michou' 

Mildenhall, 11 September 1974 - the same aircraft being prepared for an attempt on a record east to west flight. The flight was aborted because of some problem and the record London to LA flight was made on 13 September.

"...Whenever we took an SR to an airshow (I went with a U-2 once, but we had an SR with us) they always told the local maintenance and fire dept people that if the aircraft is NOT leaking fuel, then we have a problem. Sometimes they would also throw lit matches into a puddle of fuel to show that JP-8 would just put the fire out. It is actually a chemical reaction that is used to light the fuel for engine start...Tri Eythel Bromide IIRC. Not sure on all of the spellings, but yeah, that is what got ignition going. They had a built-in starter system in the barns at Beale, but they were broke most of the time I was there, so it was mostly the Buicks to get the engines up to speed for ignition. Very distinctive sound when the Buicks started up.."    Dave

Airfix new-tool B-17 G Flying Fortress in-box first look - 214 Sqd, 100 Group RAF "spooks"

Just got back from Turner's Models in Dover with the latest addition to the stash - the new-tool Airfix B-17 G Fortress. Inspired by Tony O'Toole's build on BM I'm planning this one as a Bomber Command aircraft; a 214 Sqd Fortress III with H2S radome and ABC aerial. Note the H2S radome on the clear sprue  above - this replaced the chin turret on the Forts used by Bomber Command in the comms jamming role. So it certainly appears that Airfix are planning a Bomber Command version at  some stage. In the meantime I will be building this as 214 Sqd Fortress III "BU-W" serial KH999 mounting an ABC aerial and the H2S radome. Decals for this machine are available via DK decals "100 Group" set..

Other than a brief flirtation with the Fortress I in 1941 Bomber Command showed little interest in the B-17 as British types could carry greater loads - even the twin-engined Mossie could carry a bigger load to Berlin than the Fortress! However the B-17 had good endurance and could fly high so was considered for a new role in the RAF - radio counter measures (RCM). The US 8th AF supplied surplus Forts to Bomber Command's 100 Group and in January 1944 the first machines flew into Sculthorpe in Norfolk to begin RAF crew training, 214 Sqd being one of the RAF's last Stirling units. The first ops were flown during April 1944. Bristling with aerials the Fortresses flew at 25,000 ft jamming enemy radar and disrupting the voice comms used to direct Luftwaffe night fighters.

In total some 80-odd Fortress IIIs were assigned to the RAF (some of which were reassigned back to the USAAC). Working principally from Freeman/Osbourne and the wonderful 214 Sq website, but also other sources like the Streetly 100 Group book it has been established that some 43 Fortress IIIs were assigned to 214 Squadron.

Below;  a Fortress Mk II, B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number KJ118) in RAF service. Handwritten on reverse : 'KJ118'

new-tool Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72nd scale build review - finished

A few shots of my finished Defiant  night fighter using my phone camera.The model represents an RAF 151 Sq machine as seen early in February 1941 at RAF Wittering. Pretty pleased with the way the model turned out..the 'Night' finish I achieved more by good fortune than planning - Humbrol 33 on its own looks a bit too 'black' so I 'misted' some schwarzgrau 66 and then some light grey over the airframe until I was reasonably happy with the effect! An overspray of Windsor and Newton Galeria matt varnish really helps achieve that typical 'sooty' Defiant nightfighter look..

This new tool is another neat Airfix kit with no particular problems and plenty of detail. Scroll down the page for the build log. All the major components go together without any difficulty - the cockpit fits into the fuselage perfectly, although beware to get all the bulkheads aligned correctly as tolerances are tight. The wing root and undercarriage fit is perfect. The placement of the undercarriage doors is a little vague though and the head armour needs filing down a little to enable the canopy to sit over it properly. The decals are very good, but one of my serials rolled up on me; fortunately I bought two kits and am about to finish the second in the day fighter Battle of Britain scheme..

new-tool Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72nd scale build review (3)

" ....All things considered the Airfix Defiant is the best all round kit I've seen in this scale..."
 " ..Apparently the new one is even better. LOL.."

.. the first of my two coming along nicely - canopy and turret framing a real chore though! that, and trying to get a decent finish in black..here I've gone over the black with some schwartzgrau 66 to give it a little faded and worn look..three or four different canopy options on the sprue as well..

left ; gear on and drying; gear door fit/location is a little haphazard. The small curved triangular lumps at the front of the door are the hinges and can be clearly seen in the front view of the Hendon machine in the first Defiant post below..scroll down

...the (phone) camera flash makes the streaky effects I've added to break up the solid black look a little stark; hopefully should look okay-ish under a coat of varnish

new-tool Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant in 1:72nd scale build review reference pics - part 1

A few days off to restore the 'mojo' and make a start on a couple of the new Airfix Defiants. The Defiant holds a unique place in the history of the RAF being the only 'turret' fighter to see service. The 'old' Airfix Defiant must have sold thousands over the years but is a pretty dreadful and rather elderly kit, with its misshapen nose, short tail and generally poor fit of parts.

The new-tool Defiant from Airfix (main sprues above top) seems to have captured the imaginations of many modellers on this side of the pond..the kit presents lots of options - open/closed canopies, rear fuselage decking raised or lowered etc - and is well detailed and molded. Panel lines are engraved and not too deep. I've made a start on the nicely detailed cockpit, above, although in reality the aperture is so small not much will be seen..Elsewhere Rob 'basic modeller' has a concise and pretty neat review of what's in the box which you can view here - just one click ..




References for the build are pretty thin on the ground, although Alec Brew's Crowood title "Turret Fighters" and the Mushroom 'Defiant' books are well worth hunting down for this build. Here I've grabbed some stills from a wartime training film and the video is also available to watch here with a single click.

There have been a good number of questions concerning internal colours and turret details for example. For example, the turret framing appears to be in black even on the camouflaged DE/DG Defiants. Only the base of the turret appears to have received any camouflage although even here that is not obviously evident. Photographic evidence (such as it is) indicates early Defiants had aluminium painted wheel wells with the insides of the doors (and the undercarriage legs) being either night or white depending on the lower surfaces colours. There are indications that the door colour carried over when the undersides were repainted Sky.

There is some suggestion that the wells should in theory be some sort of internal green colour, while a number of images show the insides of gear doors to be black. Note the black upper gear legs and actuators in the images below. The lower unsprung portion of the undercarriage would be aluminium, as would the wheel hubs. The RAF Museum Hendon example featured a totally black finish on every part of the airframe - as seen in the walkaround pics in the Mushroom Defiant publication - but was almost certainly over-sprayed at some point in the past while being prepared for display. Following a two year repaint and restoration, certain details - such as the gear legs - have been restored and repainted to what one assumes was their original configuration. A brief look at the Hendon machine in a short walkaround vid. A single click to view here..

new tool Airfix Hurricane IIC / Heller Hurricane IIC/ Manston Hurricane IIC

With the new Revell Ju 88 already on the 'shelf of doom' and no sign of the Fly Henschel Hs 123 on the workbench, I've been building another pair of WWII 1:72 fighters, the new tool Airfix Hurricane IIC and its elderly counterpart from Heller. Aside from the fact that with a bit of surgery you can build a Sea Hurricane from the new Airfix kit, there is not a lot to choose between the two. Of course the Airfix kit has engraved panel lines and is readily available and I'm already planning a nice series.

You have to cut out the rear lower fuselage to fit the arrestor hook and there are no catapult spools provided so I've added my own using some coloured beads from a craft set, partially visible in the pics below, which show the Airfix kit on the left and the Heller IIC on the right. The Airfix kit looks a little short in the nose alongside the Heller kit but is fine when painted and photographed on its own. I'm pretty pleased with it. In many respects as nicely detailed as the Revell Hurricane, and gets my vote as it doesn't have that poorly done canopy that detracts from the Revell kit.

As usual my pre-shading was a waste of time, but post-shading the panel lines worked nicely, if only because with a single colour scheme it's possible to lightly mist some of the main colour back over the post-shading! The Heller IIC (bottom) is finished in Gleed's well-known scheme from the Aeromaster "Hurricanes at War" sheet.

Worth noting perhaps that one of the three decal options in the new tool Airfix Hurricane kit is the Hurricane IIC BN 230 flown by the first Belgian RAF Squadron Leader, "Danny" Le Roy du Vivier of 43 Squadron. Leading the Tangmere Wing, Le Roy was one of the first pilots over Dieppe during the ill-fated 'Jubilee' operation of 19 August 1942 according to the plaque at the 'Manston Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial'. I mention this because the Manston IIC  is my 'local' preserved Hurricane and is finished as Le Roy du Vivier's machine. Originally LF 751 and built at Hawker's Langley factory in early 1944, Manston's Hurricane was restored duing the 1980's using many original parts especially in the cockpit .