Iain

Well - she's in the latest Military in Scale - the full build write-up - and on the cover too - pleased with that! BiG Thank You to everyone that provided input on the build! Iain

Well - I have to leave in 4 hours for Telford - she's not quite done - but good enough to display on the stand methinks Iain

Heading for the wire... Iain

Flying visit - those that have PM'd me will get answers as soon as I have a mo - deadlines and all that! OK - base camouflage is on - lightened/faded colours all-round. Note the 'fresher' paint on the tail covering up the original red band/swastika - as seen on a lot of P-2s One coat of Quick Shine and now waiting for that to harden off before I micromesh the surface and apply the base decals... Iain

To add... It looks like Revell have the front edge of the bomb bay doors exactly were they should be on later aircraft with the 'spoilers' ahead of the bomb cells. Iain

Hi folks! Iain here - and, yes, I've got used to being called Lain on various forums - am presuming it's a US thing - is there such a name as Lain there? Iain (pronounced ee-an) is from the Scots Gaelic and is, basically, a Gaelic version of John - goes with my surname which is Highland Scots There's a more anglicised version also - Ian. Never really worried about it though - I'm just thankful my parents didn't call me Ruaridh (Rory) - forums would have fun with that one! Now - Constellations you say? Drawings wise my old ID kit came with drawings - which I think are blown up from Aviation News and, or, the old Rareplanes 1:72 kit blown up. Not quite spot on - but not bad. I'm also using the Heller kit scanned and blown up on the PC, as well as a host of drawings from a variety of sources. Would love to be able to say 'go look here' - but not that easy I'm afraid! I would recommend getting the Heller kit for reference - helps a lot - just be aware that the cowls and gear bays aren't right. Good luck with build - that's the second planned build from Tiggers' mouldings that I'm aware of. If I can be of any help - just shout (just not this week - I have a self imposed deadline to meet with a Heinkel ) Iain

Underside blue - on - check... No time to take pix. Topside faded greens tonight. Iain

Stunning Nigel!! Iain

Cheers Harvey Have been pondering on the hatching in the 'E' - am going to remove that and re-instate using a white pencil once the decal applied and matted over with varnish. Busy evening tonight methinks Iain

Cheers bud - consider it extracted! Now - I'd be *very* surprised if you weren't burning the midnight oil on something this week too... ?? Iain

Tonight I have been sorting the decals. Plan is to do standard scheme - add most of the standard airframe decals and the KG55 crests - then add the areas of black/black distemper (mimicking the original process...) Once that's done I need very non-standard crosses and aircraft letter in white for the fuselage as shown in the earlier photo. Have designed in CorelDraw - checked sizes (see below) - and will print out shortly in white onto decal film using my Alps printer. I've cross-hatched the centre of the 'E' and will distress this hatching once she's on the model (Alps prints with a layer of wax for the colour - so you can scrape/distress after application... Looks about right size-wise now: Iain

Very nice John!! Iain

Well - she's all primered up - and only a few small teaks needed before paint - the FUN part Am going to be burning the midnight oil this week methinks... Wish me luck - I'm going to need it Iain

Here ya go Derek: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71335&hl=lansen Iain

What Anders said - 1:48 Been in planning for a while - heard delayed earlier this year? Do agree - a 1:32 Lansen and Tunned *would* be welcome Iain

Flame damper exhausts fresh from the mould and ready for clean up: Iain

Hi Neo, Unfortunately it just means they've had to pay Lockheed Martin to licence the reproduction of their intellectual property - name and general shape - absolutely nothing to do with scale acuracy (even if it says 'endorsed by'). Ages since I had a bash at correcting one and giving up - at least 16 years - but from memory: Nose wrong (Flightpath set corrects) Intakes - wrong shape in plan, profile and front views Front fuselage sides are at the wrong angle - look and any builds and you'll see a crease and change in angle around the cockpit - this is flat on the aircraft. As this is wrong this has a knock-on with intakes (see above), rest of the fuselage and the canopy - which has the wrong side angles in cross section Facets on the tail feathers - don't match a/c Wing underside wrong shapes Lack of detail isn't a problem - but a lot of what is provided is just wrong. I did some measuring too - but can't remember what the outcome was - I'd lost the will to live on everything else... Before I binned mine - most of the fuselage had been re-built from sheet styrene - I gave up when I got to the intakes. Others will, no-doubt, know more... Iain

Very impressive - and neat! Iain

Brilliant - thanks Guttorm! Looks like mine's now pretty close in the area around rear of gondola - definitely wrong in the kit. Also supports my thinking that Revell have the bomb cells/bomb doors coming too far forward. <wanders off to look at where the flare hole should go on the model> Iain

Just waiting for the first pour of rubber to go off (watching paint dry has nothing on waiting for rubber to go off! ) so I can flip it all over and do the second pour/mould half. Just trying to pluck up courage to do the rest of the masking In other news I found better images of the aeroplane I'm building - here's one - confirms a 'P' and also looks like it didn't have a grey (or light) overspray of rear fuselage under the black squiggles as depicted in a number of drawings - leaningvery much towards just the faded camouflage greens): Stay tuned... Iain

Gotta have a copy of book and model - well done Radu - really looking forward to this one! Iain

Sorry - couldn't resist that one! (wondered if anyone would pick up on it ) As to interest - I'm kinda with some of the posts - yes - I does lack the charisma of many other subjects - but as someone who's interested in aeronautical engineering and the development aircraft design I'd love to have a decent one in the collection as it did mark a bit of a milestone. I can remember well that first grainy image published in Aerospace Week when it landed on my desk at work back in the late 80's (those were the days - my then job provided all the latest aviation mags to read in company time ) Iain

Hiya James - wasn't going to sell 'em - just made for this project. I've taken a few shortcuts with them so not sure they're marketable... Iain

I have a Hobbycraft Sea Fury in the loft that one day I'll turn into a Tempest II - really like those! All eminently doable - and reminds me of a time back in the 80s when I converted a Matchbox Tempest II to a Sea Fury! Iain

Hi Loic - now fixed - and pipes shortened - am going to call it quits on this and let the primer harden off - then moulds. Looks better now I think: