AIRCRAFT - Battle of Britain Group Build (Jan 1st 2005 - May 31st 2005)

The Tamiya E3 was crtiqued for the shape of the nose. The later E4 tool was modified & looks more correct. The Hasegawa E's still look more accurate in that area, but overall, the Tamiya kits are better detailed. Both can be built up into excellent models.

Regards, Rick

Would have helped if I'd read he post, of course Darren has the kit, he is building it!!

Anyway, here is another really decent referance site for those of us building 109's
http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/index1024.htm

Pretty good pics, and some nice models.

Should make life a little easier for us

QUOTE: Originally posted by j.s.harrison I have both the Tamiya E3 and E 4/7 and i havn't even noticed a difference in the nose, i'll have to have a closer look........ Tweety i may have the pic your after buried in one of my books and i also have a internal diagram or cutaway pic of the Defiant if your interested.......Jules.......

Any pics you have Jules, would be EXTREMELY appreciated.
Internals of the Defiant aren't that easy to find, even on the Internet!!!!

Darren, if memory serves me correctly, the Tamiya nose was incorrect in the way it tapers off towards the spinner, the gun ports, supercharger intake, and panel line configuration.

This was only on the old tooling of their 109, the kit number I am not sure of, but unless you have already purchased this kit, I'd go with the Hasegawa offering.

To fix the problem, have a look for pics of the Hase model on the net, and compare the differance.

Darren

I was under the impression that Boulton Paul manufactured their own turrent?

"Boulton Paul had already a competitive edge, possessing an effective four-gun gun powered turret of their own design which was used in the Defiant"

Let me know more please!

cheers

Mike

I have both the Tamiya E3 and E 4/7 and i havn't even noticed a difference in the nose, i'll have to have a closer look........

Tweety i may have the pic your after buried in one of my books and i also have a internal diagram or cutaway pic of the Defiant if your interested.......Jules.......

Hi all,

I've been missing in action for the last couple of days due to a hectic weekend. It's getting towards that time of year when I barley have a chance to scratch myself let alone log time on the PC or heaven forbid do some modeling.

Thanks very much for the kind words guys, they mean a lot.

Tom, the info that I have on the Defiant turret is that it is a license built French SAMM turret containing as Mike said four 0.303-in Colt-Browning machine guns with 600 rounds per gun. I never knew it was used in the B-24s, it certainly makes sense.

Cruzr, no problems I will change the title page. I am currently building the Tamiya Bf 109 E3 and it is a great kit. I don't know a lot about what the the nose is supposed to look like but I believe that the problem existed on the E3 but was supposed to have been fixed with the release of the E4/7 kit. Perhaps someone who knows about this stuff can set me straight.

Cheers
Darren

interesting thing I found while researching is that the RAF B-24's used in the war also used the exact turret/gun assembly in the tail as the Defiant did.... in the nose they used a 20mm combo I have to go back to see which bomber they nabbed it off of, but I think the Halifax....

Well, that was easy!!

http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=EA4179

Thanks again Mike!!

Thanks Mike, gotta start looking for Brownings now.

Tweety

Defiants carried 4 x .303 Browning machine guns in the turrent, quite a surprise to the "emils" who thought they were Hurricanes and bounced them over France in 1940.

After that the Defiants were dead ducks and relegated to night fighter duties soon after.

cheers

Mike

This question is probably in Darrens foray of expertise, but what kind of guns did the Defiant carry in the turret?

I want to replace these with a PE or resin item, since the turret is the first thing that draws your attention, the kit fare is pretty boring.

At worst I guess I could scratchbuild something, but detailing the breach etc, and the mounting system would require internal pics, which so far I have had little luck in obtaining.
Not to mention time would be against me, allowing for work, kid( he is so cute!!), and volleyball commitments.

Jules

Look forward to that, cheers!

I love the old kits and seem to pick them in preference to the Tamigawa kits in my stash, but the Tamiya Spit is a true work of art!

cheers

Mike

Hey Mike i'm building the Tamiya MK 1 Spit for the Old Guns Gb and the kit just falls together
I'll post up a pic of it when finished seein as though it's a BoB spitfire......

Cheers Jules......

I built the Hasegawa 1:48 Bf109E-4 a while back and would certainly recommend it!

The Tamiya kit is reputed to be nice but the nose appears to be a bit off even for a non rivet counter like me!!

I am looking forward to getting down and dirty with the Monogram 1:48 Spit mkIIa and leaving my prized Tamiya Spit for a little later down the track!

Now where is my Tamiya putty?

cheers

Mike

Well Fellas not all the PE is gonna be going in the Stuka, The PE set is for the G series Stuka so not all will fit but most of the pit parts will be going in including the pilots and gunners seat radio gauges ect ect ect..........

Tom the Aussie GB will start on Australia day the 26th of Jan i think

Darson Tweety's right , your up on those BoB stats eh BTW thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us, your moderation on this GB has been first class
Cheers Jules........

DARSON: Alright put me down for a BF-109E (no idea what kit but will be 1/48) and a Hurricane (1/48 RAF 1 Can). I haven't bought the kits yet but those will be what i'll be getting.

Jules, that much PE in the Stuka is going to look truely impressive.
As for the resin thing, I have no idea why I do it to myself

Darren, you truely are a walking knowledge bank!

Regarding the Defiant, wonder how long it will take for some A/M bits to become available for it?
Actually, are there ANY A/M bits for a Defiant in 1/48???
Maybe could modify them to suit, but mostly I'd like to replace the turret guns with metal or decent resin bits.

QUOTE: Originally posted by darson G'day Aurora-7, Fighter pilots of many other nations flew with the British during the BoB, including some 80 Canadians. Of these, 26 were in the RCAF's No. 1 Squadron, which arrived soon after Dunkirk; 16 flew as a team in the RAF's 242 "Canadian" Squadron; the rest were scattered among a dozen other RAF squadrons. These last included men such as PO. Johnnie Bryson, an ex-Mountie; Flt. Lt. Johnnie Kent of Winnipeg, who flew with the Poles in 303 Squadron; and FO. W. H. Nelson, who served in 74 Squadron with the South African ace Adolph "Sailor" Malan. Another 200 Canadian airmen fought in RAF Bomber and Coastal commands, which throughout the battle pounded at German invasion ports and other targets; 27 of them gave their lives. Here is a link to some information on 1 Sqd RCAF. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/401to601.html edit ---- I have a great reference book on the BoB at home (I'm at work at the moment ) and can give you the squadron codes for these tonight. ---- As far as decals go you should be able to re-create the squadron codes by using generic letter and number decals available from most of the leading manufacturers Cheers Darren

Thanks, much, Darren!

QUOTE: Originally posted by j.s.harrison Here's a pic of whats going in the Stuka B2............ The 109 is gonna be OOB with the exception of PE seat belts......Jules....

Jules,
One look at sheet of PE like that sends shivers down my spine, I don't mind a bit of resin with a couple of pieces of PE, but those big frets give me the willies.

Cheers
Darren

QUOTE: Originally posted by Aurora-7 I'm interested in doing a Canadian Hurricane for my build. Can anyone point in the direction where I could go for markings for Canadian squadrons durring BoB? I mean as in a website for research or if anyone knows if someone makes Canadian markings for BoB Hurricanes.

G'day Aurora-7,

Fighter pilots of many other nations flew with the British during the BoB, including some 80 Canadians. Of these, 26 were in the RCAF's No. 1 Squadron, which arrived soon after Dunkirk; 16 flew as a team in the RAF's 242 "Canadian" Squadron; the rest were scattered among a dozen other RAF squadrons. These last included men such as PO. Johnnie Bryson, an ex-Mountie; Flt. Lt. Johnnie Kent of Winnipeg, who flew with the Poles in 303 Squadron; and FO. W. H. Nelson, who served in 74 Squadron with the South African ace Adolph "Sailor" Malan. Another 200 Canadian airmen fought in RAF Bomber and Coastal commands, which throughout the battle pounded at German invasion ports and other targets; 27 of them gave their lives.

Here is a link to some information on 1 Sqd RCAF.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/401to601.html

edit ----
I have a great reference book on the BoB at home (I'm at work at the moment ) and can give you the squadron codes for these tonight.
----

As far as decals go you should be able to re-create the squadron codes by using generic letter and number decals available from most of the leading manufacturers

Cheers
Darren

I'm interested in doing a Canadian Hurricane for my build. Can anyone point in the direction where I could go for markings for Canadian squadrons durring BoB? I mean as in a website for research or if anyone knows if someone makes Canadian markings for BoB Hurricanes.

QUOTE: Originally posted by j.s.harrison [ Top Stuff Tom, I think we will be using the 2004 GB thread for 2005 also, just need to change a few things around for 2005 BTW were a fairly laid back bunch so we give ourselves 6 or 7 months to finish..... If you need any advice on Aussie machines just ask anyone of us, we have a wealth of referance material available........Jules.....

Great! when's it start again? I might actually pick that Halifax I read about when I was looking for a BoB build...

QUOTE: Originally posted by tho9900 QUOTE: Originally posted by j.s.harrison Yeah Tom i did but this time it's definatly final unless..........................................nah it's final BTW Tom you know that your'e expected to join the 2005 Aussie GB aswell, i think an Aussie bird would look good in your collection actually I was thinking about asking to join! I've seen a few a/c and a little history around them so I'll jump in... when I find my build I'll post on that BG thread if it's already going...

Top Stuff Tom, I think we will be using the 2004 GB thread for 2005 also, just need to change a few things around for 2005
BTW were a fairly laid back bunch so we give ourselves 6 or 7 months to finish.....
If you need any advice on Aussie machines just ask anyone of us, we have a wealth of referance material available........Jules.....

QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 I'm on the Ol' Guns GB G14 ATM. Not really a warm up, seeing as I went absolutely spastic with the PE Couldn't help meself, just sitting there, on Squadrons web page, screaming for me to take advantage of the high Aussie dunny roll (Aus dollar) But, after that, my warm up build will probably be a resin Fokker G1a. Looks kinda simple, but I have a feeling that the vacform canopy is gonna be a bit of a mongrel. Fortunately the resin parts don't look to pitted or warped, but the wings are gonna need ALOT of hollowing out so the wheel struts have at least half a chance of supporting the model. This thing weighs a bit. Might pop a pic into the A/C thread, see if anyone else has built this before. That canopy really has me nervous. Should be fun.

More resin eh Tweetswhy do you keep on punishing yourself?????????

Here's a pic of whats going in the Stuka B2............
The 109 is gonna be OOB with the exception of PE seat belts......Jules....

Darren, Rick, thanks for that.

I tried looking for Ultracast in the UK, no joy, so it looks like a direct order is required.

Are they a Canadian or a US? Either way, how long did it take to get parts to Melbourne Darren?

That seat looks like it might end up on my shopping list as well.

Thanks

Karl

QUOTE: Originally posted by rjkplasticmod QUOTE: Originally posted by KJ200 I had a look at my Hasegawa Hurricane night fighter last night, looks like I'll be replacing the cockpit hood, wheels, decals & adding belts at the very least, and adding the wheel bay insert, as I'm not sure I can face cleaning up those ejector pin marks! Why couldn't they put those on the other side, you know the bit no one can see? Karl The ejector pin marks in the wheel bay insert are the most annoying aspect of this kit. Ultracst to the rescue, as they offer an excellent resin replacement. Regards, Rick

Couldn't agree with you more Rick and for $5 you really can't go wrong.
http://www.ultracast.ca/products/48/079/default.htm

Karl, you can order directly from the Ultracast site if you wish. I have dealt with them before & they have always provided A1 service.

Cheers
Darren

QUOTE: Originally posted by KJ200 I had a look at my Hasegawa Hurricane night fighter last night, looks like I'll be replacing the cockpit hood, wheels, decals & adding belts at the very least, and adding the wheel bay insert, as I'm not sure I can face cleaning up those ejector pin marks! Why couldn't they put those on the other side, you know the bit no one can see? Karl

The ejector pin marks in the wheel bay insert are the most annoying aspect of this kit. Ultracst to the rescue, as they offer an excellent resin replacement.

Regards, Rick

well my warm up was another BF-110. 1/72 OOB almost complete just letting the paint cure for a few days before I add the future coat then wash. i don't have a digi cam right now so i can't post any pics but as soon as i do i'll post them. the fun part was masking the canopy which took me the better part of an hour. the only real problem i had was when i mixed the colors. The darker of the two greens was to thick when i painted the tail that it left brush strokes( i don't have an airbrush yet), so i had to fix that before i could move on. i ended up using a lighter green.

Ha, would you beleive it, a Dornier Do18 G just showed up on ebay.
Now there's an odd build for ya.

Luck 'o' the Irish I says.

(end ramble)

I'm on the Ol' Guns GB G14 ATM.
Not really a warm up, seeing as I went absolutely spastic with the PE
Couldn't help meself, just sitting there, on Squadrons web page, screaming for me to take advantage of the high Aussie dunny roll (Aus dollar)

But, after that, my warm up build will probably be a resin Fokker G1a.



Looks kinda simple, but I have a feeling that the vacform canopy is gonna be a bit of a mongrel.
Fortunately the resin parts don't look to pitted or warped, but the wings are gonna need ALOT of hollowing out so the wheel struts have at least half a chance of supporting the model.
This thing weighs a bit.
Might pop a pic into the A/C thread, see if anyone else has built this before.
That canopy really has me nervous.
Should be fun.