Hans

Thanks a lot Greg! That is a most interesting and very useful article. It will certainly save work as I plan to build one of those caramel-coloured/greenish grey birds that flew from Rabaul in 1943. The French magazine "Avions" had a special a few years back on these Rabaul Zeros with some very nice aircraft profiles by Thierry Dekker. These included Fs colour calls for the "caramel-and-green". Regards, Hans

Thanks gents , From the photos in the link the M3 cockpit is very much like the one of the M2 model. Looks I'll have some scratchbuilding to do... Regards, Hans

Hi all, I am looking for photos or drawings of the cockpit interior of the "Hamp" for a makeover of the old Hasegawa A6M5 into a model 3 using Dave's (Umiresin) nosejob . I have info on the A6M2 & A6M5 cockpits but noting conclusive on this version. Did the cockpit look like any of these two or was it a hybrid? Hans

Sorry gents, I don't have a scan. You could politely ask Dave to post them once they have arrived on his doorstep or post a pic in this forum of the specific aircraft you want to build so I can see if I have any details on the set(s) used by that aircraft . Hans

Dave, Pics & scale drawings are on their way (via snail mail). Hans

Hacker, If you mail me your adress I'll send you photocopies of drawings and photos from the German handbook on the armament installation on the G-2 version, most of which applies to the G-4 as well and other info useful for your build. Hans

Hi Hacker, I know this drawing, it is from "Wings of the Luftwaffe" by Eric Brown. I think the draugthsman has it wrong. The swivel seat was used on earlier versions, but not on the G-4 nigh fighter. Squadron's walkaround book on the G-4 has a lot of very useful interior shots showing among other things the two-man seat and the set-up for the upward firing guns. Hans

Hacker, As far as I know the 3-man crew was mantained on the Bf-110's after the installation of the upward firing cannon; last but not least to defend the rear of the aircraft against Mosquito night fighters with the rearward-firing Mg 81z. The Bf 110G-4 in the RAF museum has both the 2-man seat for radar/radio-operator and gunner and the set-up for the upward firing gun, although this has been removed from this aircraft. Hans

Hacker, You are a brave man indeed ! To me the bumps on the flap when compared to drawings and photo's look correct. By the way, the G-4 nightfighter had a 3-man crew; pilot, radio/radar-operator and a gunner, making it a very cramped working environment. Hans

Keith, No need to hurry (though I am rather curious ) Regards Hans

Hi Matt, What drawings did you use? I have this one on the bench as well. I compared the fuselage with two sets of drawings -scaled up drawings from the Monogram Close up on the bf 110G by G. Hopp and drawings published by Scale Models (Nexus). I think Revell used the Scale Model drawings for their 110 as both kit and drawing have the wrongly shaped upper engine nacelles, radiator baths and spinners. However, the fuselage fits the Monogram and Scale Models drawings quite well. It is a bit short though, about 3 mm or so. Hans

Keith, You can use the Eduard Bf 110G interior set for the C/D version as both interiors, that is apart from the gunners/radar operators contraption used in the Bf 110G, were very similar. For the pilots' seat you can use the Cutting Edge seat for the Bf 109E as again, it was very similar to the seat in the Bf 110. If you need pics of the "C" interior mail me your adress off-line and I will send you photocopies of what I have. By the way, did you find any information on the Mossies of 192 squadron? Regards, Hans

Gentlemen, A hobbyshop owner in Rotterdam told me this afternoon that the kit will hit his shelves tomorrow. I ordered one on the spot so if all goes well tomorrow or saturday I can see with my own eyes what this kit really looks like.... A merry Christmas to all of you. Hans

Stuey, "Dutch Spitfires: a technical study" by H. van de Meer & T. Melchers has a b&w 1:10 scale drawing of a Mk. XIV Jablo propellor blade showing logo & stencils: even at this scale you need a magnifying glass to read them...I have no clue about their respective colours. Mail me your adress off-line if you want a photocopy of the drawing as I don't have a scanner. Regards, Hans

Keith, I found some pics of the Cutting Edge resin cockpit and the Eduard etch set for the Tamiya 1:48 B. IV kit on the web. They show a cockpit that is not much different from later Mosquito bomber marks. The rear of the engine nacelles need reshaping as well. I think I am in for some scratchbuilding... Other than that I agree it is a great kit. I wonder what Mr. Trumpeter will come up with. Hopefully a FB. VI or a version with the two stage Rolls Royce Merlin engine (NF. Mark XXX??). Cheers, Hans

Hi Keith, That is very kind of you. Much appreciated. As for the cockpit, I have the SAM Datafile, but it has no information on the equipment installed on the B. IV cockpit sidewalls. It won't most likely be much different from the B. Mk XVI that is show in the datafile, but I'm afraid I am a bit a stickler on details.. Thanks, Hans

No one? Nothing on the Mossie B IV cockpit interior as well? Hans

Hi all, For a possible future project for my Revell Mosquito I'm looking for photographs of 192 Squadrons' Mosquito's which were used on elint -electronic intelligence gathering- duties during WW II. I have the series of articles by Martin Streetly on the aircraft of 100 Group -of which 192 Squadron formed a part- published in Scale Models in 1981, but have found so far no useful photographs, unfortunately. Also information on the B. IV cockpit interior will be much appreciated. Regards, Hans

Fred, How about a Junkers Ju 287V-1? Basically a Heinkel He 177 Greif fuselage with a Junkers Ju 388 tail and forwardswept wings. A very cool looking bird... Regards, Hans

The German aircraft magazine Jet & Prop had a rather extended feature on the He 280 in 2004. The magazine can be ordered directly from the publisher: Verlag Heinz Nickel, www.vdmedien.de. Hans

Hi Mark, Your reply is most helpful in clarifying some of the questions I had, but it raises another: is the radio equipment on the rack placed directly over the battery behind the pilot's seat or is it sitting above the fuel tank somewhat further aft as in the Accurate Miniatures 1:48 P-51B/C kit? I will be modeling the aircraft after the Malcolm hood was fitted. I will have to do more digging as to the exact color scheme I will apply to it, but at the moment that is something far behind the horizon... The Revell kit was the first one I bought after returning to the hobby some four years ago. From the Detail and Scale book by Bert Kinzey I already had it looked like a simple conversion but when I had the book's drawings enlarged to 1:32 scale (the ones with the funny kinked wings) it became clear that the fuselage and cockpit opening were too small. I have solved this problem by cutting the Revell fuselages just forward and under the windscreen and cockpit and in between the tailwheel and supercharger outlet and grafting the so obtained upper and rear halves of the Revell kit to the similarly cut (up) forward and lower halves of the Hasegawa P-51D. To my eyes the fuselage looks much better now. The project has been dormant for quite some time. Chris' and Geoff's-Ironwing online builds of their P-51B and P-51D however have been an inspiration to continue the work (thank you for that gentlemen ) -I only hope Geoff can repair the damage to his Mustang and finish it! The shape and accuracy problems of the Revell kit seem to arise from the fact that the Revell people measured up a converted air racer (or so I've read somewhere). Looking at the skinny nose, thin wings and it's too small fuselage it was probably a rebuild P-51H. Now how about that for a conversion? Hans

Thanks Chris, That site is an exellent source for detailed pics of the P-51 B/C . Hans

Hi all, I'm currently working (sweating) on the old Revell kit of the P-51B. I want to use the kit decals to build "Salem Representative", a P-51B-15-NA flown by 1st Lt. Ralph K. Hofer, of the 334th Sqdn. 4th Fighter group 8th AF, serial no. 42-106924 in 1944. So far I have more or less fixed the fuselage of the animal by using parts of the Hasegawa P-51D kit and the fuselage interior is next. From my references (mainly Rodney Williams P-51B build here on LSP, Bert Kinzey's Detail and Scale book on the P-51A to C models and the internet) however it is not clear to me what type of fuselage tank, radio rack and radio was fitted to this specific sub-type of Mustang. Does anyone have information on what these fittings looked like what dimensions they had? Thanks, Hans