jumpjack

I by mine in traditional 'corner shops', the sort of place that still stocks stuff the supermarkets will tell you is no longer made/illegal to sell etc. Main uses for me are removing tape residue, degreasing and thinning enamels.

As the restoration of TT193 gets under way by Pioneer Aero in New Zealand there will be a greater world wide awareness of the Dh103 , and keen interest in securing the to-date elusive 'accurate model'. It would seem those now closest to the definitive source material are the ex Wingnut folks of Kotare. Regarding market viability, the following are amongst those who have been convinced; Frog (1/72), Dynavector (1/48), Classic Airframes (1/48),Special Hobby (1/72), HPH Models (1/32) and the currently available AZ Models plastic kits and Oxford diecasts in !/72 plus the strange 1/48 renditions of Trumpeter with a 1/32 vacform on the pending list of Tigger Models. Not bad for a subject of ' little wide interest'. Les

Seems appropriate to mention this here- I build a lot of fuselages/bodies with a bread and butter profile technique and have learned not to use superglue. Its shrinkage produces wonderful bananas! Les

Have you seen that Kinetic has recently issued a 1/48 kit of the Pucara with what may be some useful reference graphics appearing on the web? EG, some renditions including cockpit here #https://www.besserepreise.com/modellbau/kinetic/kinetic-maßstab-1:48/kinetic-k48078---ia-58-pucara-in-1:48.htm Les

Hi Peter- Limonene (as sold by Mr Cement but widely available as a commercial product) is a much less aggressive solvent useful for bonding very thin styrene to styrene and other material with a surface key. Smells of citrous fruit. Seasonal Best Wishes to All.

And there was me hoping for a Wyvern TF1! Should it come to making brass look like steel/aluminium, I guess you know about 'immerse tin powder@ used for cold tinning? Les

FWIW, I did some very similar butchery to my Revell 1/48 FGR to eliminate the fuselage/wing joint issues.

Excellent- thanks for the Queen Bee clarification. I wonder if any still fly in private hands. Sorry fo the topic diversion. Les

Wasn't the floatplane Tiger Moth known as the Queen Bee?

I sometimes wish the AM resin suppliers would offer some sort of premium service optimized for minimum shrinkage. I do a fair bit of home casting and generally use clear acrylic resin for just this purpose. Some of the resin aircraft I have bought have demonstrated up to 10% shrinkage- always assuming the masters had been worked to some closer approximation of actual scaled dimensions! les

Brilliant masking! Just a question- were the blades entirely wood with no leading edge sheathing? les

I was intending to ask your recommendations for 3D print glues! feeling your pain. Les

Is this one of the more welcome results of Corvid isolation? Les

May I suggest the gear door fits may well have varied from aircraft to aircraft and have been adjustable to fit the particular airframe? (wheels up test etc). I have dealt with enough refits (not aircraft) to demonstrate stuff as made only approximately fits a drawing and even more rarely matches a stablemate to the nth degree. Otherwise my hat's off to North American for perfection. Les

The new(ish) self levelling acrylic primers go a loooong way in filling striations on curvatures (eg Ultimate primer). Easier to fine finish them than the base material. Les

I'd be very careful determining colour from a monitor screen. Les

Hi Thannus Just for general reference and within the bounds of common facilities, brass and most thin etch metals can be made more maleable with just the heat of a candle flame (suggest non-soot type), electric heat gun or electric stove hob and is advisable whenever a fold or twist needs to be reworked. High heat blow torches etc are not recommended for the chances of competely melting the subject. Les

Hi Thannus I don't know what metal or thickness has been used in the etches but when it is nickel silver or brass the etching process can work harden the material and a gentle pre tempering can be useful- particularly where twists may be involved. I have an idea Eduard has a penchant for stainless steel, an etching material that is very rare in my main hobby of railway modelling, mainly because it is bloody difficult to work with. Les

A lesson learned by all parents whose angelic offspring drew on the walls with magic markers!

For distemper read whitewash rather than a common ( and deadly) dog ailment.

Hi Gunpowder Noted Hornet expert David Collins has a thread on the Classic Airframes Sea Hornet here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234983720-classic-airframes-dh-sea-hornet-nf21/ Well worth a look see for tips as your getting to the finishing point- especially on which panel lines should be there and which should not. from my own experience, David is very helpful in sharing his knowledge. BTW for those unaware, the full restoration of a Sea Hornet to flying condition is in hand in New Zealand, http://warbirdsnews.com/aircraft-restoration/de-havilland-sea-hornet-airworthy-restoration-project.html

With apologies, I also use layered laser cut mdf in the creation of compound curves and profiles especially for for model railway vehicles- it is akin to contour mapping or a rather thick later 3d printing. A big plus is that properly sealed it is dimensionally very stable with a shell thickness of between 2 and 3mm. The trick is in the jigging.

Thanks Mongoose

Beautiful! Is that a proprietary display stand?