Apologies,I would have posted this earlier but my graphics card went awol! Needed an upgraded driver and a clean-up of the Windows registry. Don’t know why that should suddenly happen?

Anyway, its a great model, a fairly old release and one that I had put aside without realising what an excellent one it is.

No rocket racks on this model though. Lots of photographs of LT-6Gs here:

http://t6racer.com/gallery.html

This a/c is featured in the painting on front of the Squadron/Signal T-6 In action (Number 94) and shows the rockets.   

Received my Jumblies Models commisioned Gemini Aces P-51B Mustang ‘Snoots Sniper’ today. I’m very pleased with it, and I’ll feature it in the update after next (Corgi model is the next one).

As usual I’ll quote the Osprey publication that this subject appears in . This time it’s:

 Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 by Jon Guttman;

Sopwith Camel Aces of World War 1 by Norman Franks;

Sopwith Camel Vs Fokker Dr I: Western Front 1917-18 by Jon Guttman and British

and finaly: British and Empire Aces of World War I by Christopher Shores, Mark Rolfe. 

 Usual problem with tampo printing over raised detail e.g. the rudder.

Also here’s a quick plug for one of my ‘Favourite’ websites. OK it’s a US orientated site but there’s some great stuff here:

 http://www.asb.tv/

Great model too. The ECM pod comes packaged with the stand. Quality wise the only  complaints are the slight overspray on some parts of the camouflage and the loose fit of the wing stores. 

Featured in the Osprey Israeli F-4 Phantom II Aces By Shlomo Aloni and, according to this website, the airframe still exists in an IAF ‘junkyard’. US serial was 68-0398 and it was supplied along with 68-0396,7 & 9  McDonnell Douglas F-4E-38-MC Phantom as  new builds under Peace Echo I (Joe Baugher’s serial site again). 

http://idfaf.110mb.com/Phantom/Kurnass108.html

By the way, found a useful website for decoding all those project names etc.

http://www.designation-systems.net/

Inevitable that this one would appear in the bargain basements with such a high run number (3940). It’s from 2007 so comes complete with a red token (collect 6 and you were to get a special edition Spad – let’s not go there ).Still, it’s an interesting model and worthy of my collection! That lozenge pattern must have presented a bit of a challenge to the production team. It’s all tampo printed so there were lots of passes, at least 10, and that’s after the two base spray (light blue upper, pink underneath). There are problems if you look closely with some drop-outs, overlaps, registration, and issues with paint take-up in the ‘panel-lines’ but it’s not that noticeable.

Featured in the Osprey Albatros Aces of World War 1 By Norman L. R. Franks. There are lots of profiles there – all challenging!

 

First the Lysander AA36806…

And the Sabre AA35816.

 

If it’s representing the a/c at Berlin Gatow then the camouflage on this pre-pro is the wrong pattern.  However, it’s probably too late to comment on these modesl as they are just about to be released!

Back to normal updates…

First the Hunter. In the same SKU series as the single-seat Hunters. Corgi didn’t create a new SKU series as it isn’t a new tooling. The logic is that it’s a modified one rather that a completely new one like the Spitfire Mk.I.  Note the holes for the tanks. I hope it’s going to end up like the image in the link below.

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1194881/

 Note aerial blade and warning light on top of fuselage in the picture. Not sure either about the white outlined serial, however, a profile in Warpaint series No.8 does show it like this? 

… the Sea King. Lovely, but the serial is wrong. ZD490 was never assigned – it should be ZD480. You’ll have to look hard though to spot it! This is a pre-pro but I’m assuming there will be some changes e.g. black anti-glare panel below the cockpit, additional aerial blade under nose etc, etc…    

Last two coming next…

First AA34109 the Buccaneer XV352. I hope this is an early pre-pro because it needs to be checked. I’ll use the Model Alliance Group decal sheet MA72177/48177 as the basis for my comments.

http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Rev3/2401-2500/rev2456-ModelAlliance-MA72177/12.shtm

First the desert camouflage on the tail need to sweep round more towards the clam-sheels. Secondly the radome has been painted with the desert scheme but the decal sheet and some other profiles I have seen show it with the Grey/Green camouflage in place. I haven’t had time to dig out any photographs to back this up.

 

Should it look roughly like this?

The decal sheets also show some other interesting schemes that I’m sure would be popular.

Secondly the Tornado AA33613…

Thers’s a good photo of the a/c on airliners.net. Note the accurate use of overspray .  The model photographed has been modified if you compare it to the catalogue picture. The warning triangles have been placed correctly and there is the black anti-glare panel on the nose etc. 

Both of these pre-pro’s had bits broken off  that I have ‘repaired’ with Photoshop e.g. the Buccaneer fuel probe and the Tornado probe.

First AA35708 the Me262 2-seat trainer. Corgi really are getting to grips with the Luftwaffe camouflage. This is a a good example of how their latest tampo-printed (?) colour technique and it is getting good. Slight mistake with the canopy? This a/c didn’t appear to have the bars in the front lower part of the canopy.

Note the minor show-through of the white flash over the dark colours. The flash itself is slightly too low on the top part of the fuselage in front of the canopy. The bottom should align with the canopy frame. The rudder trim-tab appears to be white on the photograph I have seen and this detail is picked out on the 1:72 Hasegawa kit HAS00000917.  Now if I’m getting really fussy, the camouflage should be slightly lower down the engine fairing where it joins the wing.

And A33314 the ‘Hells Angels’ B-17.

The model does have an Olive Drab/Green splotchy camouflage. Note the different colours of the elevators, ailerons and rudder that isn’t apparent in the catalogue photographs. Also note the blueish (Sea Gray?) fuselage squadron codes. 

More…

First the Ju-87-B1 AA32515.  Engine exhaust slightly wrong because the tooling is for B2 faired ejectors. The fairly common colour photograph of the a/c shows the unfaired B1 exhaust stubs. No starboard wing pitot on this tooling either. Profiles I have seen don’t have the black outline to the teeth, however, looking at the photograph I can believe it was there…

…and now AA38703 the Newbury Spitfire Mk.XIV. There has been much discussion about the light orange outline to the squadron codes.  There is one photograph I think makes it clear. It’s the one with DW-D in formation with A, E & G. Looking at the codes of D, they do appear ‘thick’ and this supports the outlining so I’m happy with it! Fuselage band is also a little too far back. Whilst I’m relatively happy with the port side markings, I’m not with the starboard ones. The squadron codes on this side were DW-D not D-DW, and the DW partly covers the RB159 serial – clearly borne out  by the photographs..   Hobby Master have got this right with their 1:48 version of the same subject  HA7102 http://www.tricatus.co.uk/Twin%20Plane/ha7102.htm. They have chosen to represent the squadron codes without the highlights though.  Note the catalogue picture doesn’t show the port-side Squadron Leader pennant, the pre-pro does. Pitot on the pre-pro is the wrong way round but I suspect it got knocked off at some stage and was stuck back that way. V1 is excellent with some really detailed stencilling detail. 

More coming…

Added the Corsair and the Swordfish from the January April supplement. Firstly the Corsair AA33015. Lots of  (small) images of FAA Corsairs on the IWM website. Pre-pro is missing the port wing pitot tube?

And the Swordfish AA36309. Still one of my favourite Corgi toolings. Good account of MAC ship operations in Stanley Brand’s Achtung! Swordfish! Merchant Aircraft Carriers. He didn’t fly this particular a/c but did fly, and crash-land (after an engine failure), W5856 the other RNHF Swordfish (or Blackburn Blackfish  ).

More coming…