HubertB

Hi Mike, This feature is difficult to see on period pictures, especially as there are not so many from the rear where you can see the upper wing surface. To cut a long story short, the tanks' skins were standing proud of the wing surface, as were the reinforcing ribs, as this was a distinctive feature of the Whirlwind, BUT they certainly weren't standing as proud of the surface as the kit has them represented. They must be sanded down to a proper thickness, which means restoring the surface details and riveting later, and the ribs which will have to go in the process and be redone later The kit provides instrument panels for the early and late production aircrafts, as well as bombs for a "Whirlibomber" which not doubt will be released later in a separate boxing. Another comment : if I read the documentation I have accurately, the oblique cylinders behind the seat were oxygen tanks (step 6 of the assembly), that were replaced by more conventional horizontal bottles in the later versions and from 1943. I may be wrong, and am happy to be corrected on this one, by more experts than me , Hubert PS: to mitigate my comments above about the thickness of the tanks’ skins, one picture of the Whirlwind « Comrades in arms » which can be seen following this link : https://www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-military-photographs/westland-whirlwind/ has them standing clearly proud of the wing surface. I guess paint and weathering can do a lot to enhance or tone down the relief effect, as in the real pics. PS2 : I deserve a for my comment on the « oxygen tanks ». These are in fact port and starboard flares tubes ! On the other hand, on early aircrafts, the oxygen tank, which was a « standard » oxygen bottle shape, was placed inclined vertically behind the seat, and was moved further aft, to an horizontal position on the port side, on later versions.

Agreed. They would deserve a bigger radius. Hubert

Ah ! If it is to find an excuse for Bev, I am happy to shoulder the blame ... especially as there a few thousand kilometers between her and me Hubert

Not only are you weak, Harv, but on top of it, you try to shift the blame of your weakness on an innocent soul ... tsss.... tssss .... tssss .... Hubert, unashamedly assuming his pernicious corruption influence

I used to have one, but sold it to a modeller in New-Zealand, who is more likely to build it than me, especially as the most lively livery I could find was for a « Gendarmerie » plane. Still like it, though, and sometimes have a tinge of regrets of selling the kit... I could have built it to celebrate my 250th birthday Hubert

Great work, Frank. Probably a camera-induced parallax error, and also linked to the « test-fitting » method, but the windscreen frames appear slanted to the right (viewed from the front) compared to the vertical reference of the fin, on your fifth pic from the top. Hubert

Proper Planes props are just amazing. And I like the combo with Rexx exhausts, which are so difficult to find when they are one of the greatest improvement AM to bring to a kit. This said - but then it is true with a lot of AM - making your own wooden prop is not as daunting as it seems. Getting a Proper Plane one just saves time and ensures an easy - and perfect - result. Hubert

There was a (unique) civilian version (G-AGOI), Phil, otherwise I’d have passed . The other goodies are a Braille scale Lockheed Vega, for reference purposes, just in case someone has an idea of scratchbuilding a 1/32 version , some weathering powders, and books on the Avia B-534, the Trident, and an old issue of Air Magazine on the Brewster Buffalo... Got the Whirlwind for less than 60 €, direct from Special Hobby, with the « club » reduction. I need to take the time for a box-opening review. But on the other hand, the lock-down in Portugal is finished and the weather is good for golfing . Hubert

Just got this today, plus some other goodies Hubert

anti g ... like in Star Trek ? Hubert

Office photocopiers seldom have the same enlargement factor in X and Y axes. It is always a safe procedure to draw a vertical and horizontal line of the same exact length on the drawing to be enlarged, and measure them when enlarged. You will sometimes be surprised by the generated discrepancies ... Hubert

I would probably have left the « bashed corners » un-painted, or in a different colour (like putty color) or tone, pr sheen so that the rough appearance is visibly on purpose rather than poor workmanship. Fantastic work going on Hubert

They are absolute gems, and I guess that most current owners keep them to build them in the future. They were rare to start with, and the Paradise fires which destroyed Paul Fisher’s business made them even rarer. I am sure that whichever appeared on eBay would command high prices. Hubert

I love the puny look of the Loire 130. Of course, dreaming of a 1/32 version is in the scratchbuilding realm ... Hang-on there are already plenty of other projects on my virtual list Hubert

You’d see just a pile of white boxes, but ... let me give you the list from top-of-mind memory - F7U Cutlass - F 4D Skyray - TF-8 Twogar - F9F-8 Cougar - F5F-2 Panther - Sea Fury - PT-22 - Bell X1-E - Red Baron - Pitts S2-A - Bulldog Pitts Special That’s about it. In case you are wondering, yes, I love Fisher kits. Of course this list fades away completely in the shadow of Ernie’s one Hubert

The South Vietnamese one looks very much like the one Major Buang Ly, with his wife and 5 children as payload, landed on USS Midway on 04/29/1975, at the fall of Saigon. Hubert.

Agreed, it’s a Fouga Magister. Non-reglementary flying suit though ... Hubert

Landplanes : - Used by Laos : - South Vietnamese Air Force : By the French in Algeria, in green ... ... or grey ... I trust you can find US versions easily. Most were not very colourful nor unique. Hubert

I do not know what you want to do, but this one is certainly unique, and can be done with the Roden kit : Then there is this italian example, a bit of a mishmash between decos : And of course, versions for up North : Focused on floaties, I know, but I cannot resist them Hubert PS: sorry about the weird compressed look in the first two pics.

Hi Tony, I don’t want to be overly pedantic, but during WWII, you had liaison aircrafts like the Piper Cub or the Stinson L5 Sentinel, but no Cessna Bird Dog, whose first flight was in 1947. And of course, you had also liaison and observation aircrafts built on the British/Commonwealth side. I suppose you are looking for a US bird ? If you were using the « bird dog » expression as a generic term, then this remark is of course void. Sorry that I do not provide pics as expected, but I was a bit confused by your query Hubert

Outstanding soldering skills, on top of all the other skills Hubert

Tsss Tsss Tsss ... choosing the lazy way out aren't you ? Hubert

Since you mention it, how about that resin Mig-15 in Korean markings ? Hubert PS: nice haul, Martin

Neat and fast work, in short typically JohnB ! Hubert

Very sad to hear this. We had become friends over the distance, and I loved his witty humour and fighting spirit in everything he undertook. Blu skies my friend. Hubert