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Picked this one up locally over the weekend... First new kit in over a year... and it's a beauty too! S

Sorry Mike, Should have said "Interpretation", rather than "Version". And it will probably take as long as necessary to reach their standard of accuracy, even if that means the Old man gets a little older (along with the rest of us of course). S

Hi Guys... According to Reschke's own flight book, White 1 was the aircraft flown during the Aprul 14th engagement. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=7608 S

So... It's Reschke eh? I think I can do him justice. Will send another PM... Steve.

Any word on the scheme or pilot for the Ta Ted? S

Yes I did Jim... It was spectacular, but your use of the Uschi decals is probably a little beyond my skill set at this point in time. This one will be a more simplified build, perhaps I'd like to do an opened and stripped version once I see how this one goes together. S

We can Natter about it later...

Wow, that came together really well Jim... Currently working on a much less complex Fly kit, so I can imagine just how much work has gone into the '234 to get her finished to that standard. Lovely as usual! S

Peter, From memory the Revell Fw190F-8 is due out in March this year, so not long to wait now. Rog, I don't thinks it's as bad as it seems with Revell. The types of errors showing up are silly but not terminal enough for any of the subjects to be rejected by the majority of the market... like the problem of the angle of the engine nacelles and wings on the 1/32nd scale He219; they measured the individual parts well enough but the AOA is wrong because the wings weren't on the NASM machine at the time. Similarly with the Bf109G-6 kit... Revell measured the Speyer Museum Messerschmitt, but it's a G-4 made from spare pressurised airframes which accounts for the gun cowl errors and misplaced cockpit fresh-air vents on the kit that the measured subject lacks altogether. These little things annoy perhaps 1-2% of modellers, but not enough for the majority. And for many, the low price point (in most markets) is the clincher. So perhaps not a shell of a Company, but I do think the passion is a factor. These latest Revell kits are designed well, and packed with lots of features and detail. But they're designed by people who are Designers first and foremost, and Modellers a distant second if at all. People with a passion for design, not aircraft. People who don't know what a CWSD hatch is on a Bf109G-10, so of course wouldn't know that you shouldn't run a seam through the middle of one. People who ignore knowledgeable others who tell them repeatedly that the bulges on the Bf109G-6 are way too small, because the design they've produced is sound, and after all they're the designer after all so they know best. And then there's the price point again... I too am waiting to see what Zoukei-Mura can do with their version of the Butcher Bird... S

Rog, you Goose... You were one of those kids up the back of the class, that giggled uncontrollably whenever the Teacher said "Focke", weren't you? S

Hi Rog, Sorry I missed your earlier post, hope your Christmas break was a good one. When the Revell Bf109G-6 first came out, I attempted to source a couple from a UK supplier. However, the £60 postage charge (the equivalent of $100 Au at that time) that they wanted to charge , plus the subsequent issues revealed from reviews of the kit, soon put paid to that notion. Mike... The F-8 kit looks good built up. Really like that pinched canopy. But still some niggles... Main gear is too long, easily addressed by adjusting at the oleos, but the noticeably forward rake of the main gear may be a harder fix. Hopefully the gun cowl and fan blade errors will be addressed as mentioned elsewhere by Andreas Beck, hard to tell as there are no clear shots featured here. Main wheel bays are much less detailed that their Hasegawa equivalents - in fact, The Hasegawa bays may fit the Revell kit and if so will, like the Bf109G-6 gun cowl issues before it, be yet another example of Revell failing to represent features that the competition got right a decade ago. So, a mixed bag from my POV... S

The most important thing I take from these sprue shots, is that Revell seem to be thinking more and more about the modeller. Their Bf109G-6 was a bit of a mixed bag, lots of detail but some challenging assembly issues and puzzling decisions. The Erla kit seemed an improvement on all counts. The inclusion of an engine with this Wurger kit is a bold step, and overall it looks to be a kit developed more from a modeller's perspective. Which can't be a bad thing in the long run. S

And it appears from sprue shots posted elsewhere today that Revell are indeed giving us separate wings wings with the flat panels for the dedicated F-8 variant, which is a far better option than alluded to in the initial promotional photos. Price however remains a sticking point in my (and for a little while still your) part of the world. I estimate that this kit will be around the $70- $75 Au mark when we see it here, taking into consideration that the Hasegawa competitor can still be had for $35 plus shipping on sites like Noppin for instance. S

Yes Mike... But unfortunately, Revell seem to have moulded the underwing cannon bulges for the MG151 into the wing. Which means they will need to be removed for the F-8 version, and modified at least to accurately represent the MK108 shape of the A-8/R2 Sturmbock wings. From my perspective, I would rather have interchangable parts such as the Hasegawa kit has for these wing panels, rather than niceties like separate ailerons and cowl gun inserts that are easier for the modeller to add should they so desire. S

Another great review Jim... That clear frosted cockpit front piece so reminds me of something you might often find in this part of the world, if you were to venture up into the roof cavity of your house... a carpet snake skin having been shed by the previous inhabitant. Both of them with a suitably menacing presence! Another must-have from Zoukei-Mura. S

Welcome Dinesh, and... Very atmospheric look to this SPW. Can you tell us more about the build please? Is it the Dragon Ausf.D kit, did you source parts from the '250 kit or any aftermarket parts for the barrel / wheels / tracks? And how do you apply your weathering techniques? Steve

Sounds great Rog... So long as there's not too much resin involved. A bit here and there I can get away with, but a whole kit made of the stuff like the HPH Hornise would give my Oncologist fits if she were to find out what I was doing in my spare time. S

Nice scores Dodger... Particularly like the '410, wish I was able to have one. I'd be all over an IM version should some nice Model company choose to release one. S

Arno... When you say "Volunteer" do you mean information, or someone to make the figure for you? I would like to help if it's the second option. Steve

Thinking of your Dad Mike... Inside trashed is bad enough, but structural damage is far worse of course. Hope his toubles are limited to the former, and glad he's safe at least. Have an Aunt up in Red Bluff so this kind of thing is always on the radar. S

Hi-ho Nicko... As you know, I'm more of a Jagdwaffe guy rather than Kampfgeschwader, but I'll take a stab at it. I believe that the first photo shows a pre-BoB aircraft, perhaps only fresh from delivery and maybe even from the earlier period of operations over the North Sea. There certainly has been no attempt to tone down the visibility of the upper Balkankreuz. Lack of badge, introduced in April 1940 also points to this time frame, if it is indeed a "6N" code - there are no other unit markings present. Heinkel built H6's in the "GN+_ _" Stamkennzeichen batch, so this may also be a possibility. Perhaps overpainted, it seems Heinkel sent them out with white codes... http://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/germany/aircrafts-2/heinkel_he111/heinkel-he-111-planes-on-assembly-line-in-factory/ Early C-stand, but hard to tell about the glazing... More on this and colours soon. Second photo... Based in France, although pre- Night Blitz 1940. Most likely "6N+DK", and possibly the fuselage and tail D in red, although maybe yellow for 2./Kgr100?... http://ktsorens.tihlde.org/flyvrak/lagodal.html Possibly only white outlines to the Wing "D"s. Field of the badge appears much lighter than the Staffel colour. Spinner tips may be overpainted... http://www.worldwarphotos.info/wp-content/gallery/germany/aircrafts/heinkel_he111/Heinkel_He111_France_1940.jpg Third... My tip is Vannes France later in 1941, having arrived August 1940 via Luneberg Saxony in May 1940. Appears to be at least two different machines in Neil's blog, or at least in two different time frames, as the "I" is visible in your photo but overpainted in another on the blog. Exhaust combination is very unusual, but deliberate as indicated by the patterns caused by the efflux. Note the difference in the fuselage "I" as compared to both the spinner colour and the field of the badge. Colours... It appears that the early H2 and H3 machines operated by KGr100 in Norway were extensively repainted. Note both the lighter underside and darker topside colours applied to this crashed example as dictated by the area within the wing root... http://www.airliners.net/photo/Germany---Air/Heinkel-He-111H-2/0659892/L/&sid=d0bdd5151ed04a33a935abdf67b9d7b6 Also note the glazing at the front of the C-stand. Normal colours for He111 would be 65/70/71 but it appears that some artistic licence can be applied depending on your interpretation of location and time-frame. Hope all that helps some, and hasn't made things worse! S

Your explanation is easily understood, and quite correct as well. The wing bulge modifications on the Barracuda set are unnecessary, and wrong. Logically it makes sense that the bulge should be higher at the inboard part of the bulge, however this fails to take into account the fact that the side of the tire is curved and is actually falling away from the wing's upper surface at it's closest point inboard. Perhaps it was modified in this way by Barracuda, simply so that the replacement part is 10% different from the original to avoid copyright issues? Secondly, both the Revell original part and the Barracuda replacement incorrectly depict the underside area of the bulge, showing the area as a reinforced riveted plate with the bulge on a separate panel underneath. This actual piece was a single stamped part, which inserted from underneath and up into a kidney-shaped hole cut into the top of the wing, and was riveted from underneath into place. The results of this can be clearly seen in the Mushroom Publications photo shown above. A more accurate 1/32nd scale depiction of this area is shown in this effort by RB Productions... http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_68&products_id=195&zenid=e12224d9cfb4c4187c5e157fa951e918 S

Ooh, just lovely Ralph. So very different to see a '109 in the British camoflage scheme. Will we be seeing her in the flesh at QMHE in a month's time? S

Um... let's just say Mike... If Revell had put GUN PODS in their kit, I'm sure this wouldn't have happened. S

Great build and paintwork there Mike... But when you see it, you'll kick yourself!