dwomby

This is the old Airfix Whirlwind. Try as I might, I could not get all four wheels to touch the ground plus I just realised I missed some vertical stripe decals below the cockpit doors but decided enough is enough. Westland Whirlwind HAR2 XJ436,22 Squadron RAF. Summer of 1955. XJ436 first flew on March 18, 1955 and was delivered to the RAF on June 6. On August 30, she was selected to do a SAR demonstration in front of the press. She was to lift a journalist from RAF SAR launch 2749 at sea off Selsey Bill watched by other journalists and news photogr

What a great weathering job on that. David

I like that! David

Supermarine designed the 553 to meet a UK requirement for an aircraft to research the kinetic heating effects of sustained flight in excess of twice the speed of sound but the UK government chose the Bristol 188 instead. The 553 never got beyond a paper design but would probably have made use of stainless steel, to avoid the heating limits of aluminium alloy. But what if it had been under construction when the UK government chose the Bristol 188......... Following selection of the Bristol 188, Supermarine halted work on the partially completed 553 and focussed totally on

This is a later Ertl re-issue. It was a cleverly engineered kit in its day but the moulds have aged - lots of flash on the metal parts and poor fit. It also no longer comes with whitewalls for the tyres or glazing. I glazed the windscreen and back window but that's all.

It is the ancient (originally issued as the TFX in 1966) Revell kit. This is an issue from a couple of years later

A8-125 was, IIRC, the first to arrive in Australia and was definitely the last F-111 to fly ever. I added a closed Pave Tack, a correct boat tail and the chaff/flare dispensers in the tail. Decals are by Aussie Decals. The decals are silvered in a couple of conspicuous spots but I overpainted the worst bits which helps a bit. And here are some of her doing her party trick which I was lucky enough to see an F-111C do in 2006! David

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Last week if you want something mailed from UK rather than from USA

Buyers other than the UK or Europe, including the US, I will package here and advise a total cost including USPS mail. Postage to the Europe makes it too expensive for many of our members to buy stuff from over this side of the pond. I am visiting Scotland over Christmas, if anybody in the UK (or the EU) wants to buy any of these, I will take it with me and post it there. I don't know the cost of postage there as I will not package the items until I get there but it has to be less than posting from here - especially for the larger or heavier items. If you want me to post from UK,

I can make some passable ones but if anybody can spare one of the 3 sets provided in that above kit, it would make like easier. I can pay or maybe have something to trade. Thanks David (in Florida)

Thanks, gents. David

Airfix Grumman Avenger as AS.5 XB443/384/C of 814 Squadron, HMS Centaur c.1955 . This is the Airfix kit with FreightDog decals. I scratchbuilt the large AS.5 radome and the stores rack under the port wing (thanks to fatalbert at Britmodeller). The launch rails are the Airfix rockets minus fins and warheads and squared off. The arrestor hook is homemade and relocated. Airfix's representation of the exhausts is pathetic but I left them alone to keep this as OOB as I could. I got a few details wrong and mislaid one decal but I'm not telling you where. The whitewall tyres/tires w

This is Airfix's Meteor III done as EE337/FD/051. She was one of the Meteors used to test operations on carriers but this is her later in 1948 at RNAS Ford. I added an arrestor hook from plastic rod and faired in the gunports with the tips of wooden toothpicks. The exhaust nozzles also needed shortening for this one and some bumps on the nacelles had to be removed. It's a nice little kit for its vintage. This was built from a first release and included a stand! The fit was very good all round and it had delicate, but raised, detail. I did sand off the rivets from the fuselag

It's Avenger XB320/998/J - I am hoping to find the serials and codes and the Operation Grapple noseart. I am happy to pay or trade. I'm in Florida. David