Recent content by TheAircraftBuilder

  1. TheAircraftBuilder

    Airfix New Tool 1/48 Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4....

    Looking forward to this one. With the Airfix 1/48 Buccaneer, Sea King and now Gannet - that's the 1970s Fleet Air Arm inventory well catered for. I just wish they'd re-release the Sea Vixen again.
  2. TheAircraftBuilder

    🇬🇧 V 🇩🇪.....

    That would be the later MR3 Phase 3 - Viper turbojets in outboard nacelles. One of those ideas that probably seemed like a good idea at the time! I've built several Revell AEW and MR3 kits as well as the Airfix MR2 for various customers. The Airfix one is probably an easier build (less flash...
  3. TheAircraftBuilder

    Su-24, Su-25, MiG-29, Su-27/30/34 - any signs of two-engined redundancy saving them during the war in Ukraine?

    My understanding is that most sorties are being done at low level - since to go higher is running the risk of the various SAMs both sides have in decent numbers. Go down low and the bigger systems have a harder job finding you - but it isn't without its own risks. If you lose an engine at low...
  4. TheAircraftBuilder

    "All of Vlad's forces and all of Vlad's men, are out to put Humpty together again."

    Given the 62 needs a crew of four vs. three on the later autoloader types - one wonders if the RF has the manpower to fully crew them up? Running them short-crewed might work for defensive situations but in most other respects we're talking quite an old design firing soviet legacy ammunition...
  5. TheAircraftBuilder

    Sooooooooooon

    Oh please no, that's not even funny! Speaking as someone who sells the kits as well as buying them in for builds, etc - it has been consistently difficult to sell steeply priced 'common' subjects. After all, a customer asks the valid question 'Why should I spend X on a Tamiya/Hasegawa Spitfire...
  6. TheAircraftBuilder

    A few more future releases.

    Got to admit I was rather pleased at finally getting a modern 1/48 Buccaneer. Everything else was nice but 'surely they can't release anything else much better than a big Banana Bomber?' An Anson in 1/48 releasing in the same year? Thank ye kindly Airfix!
  7. TheAircraftBuilder

    Who would you want to design your fighter - 1943

    *Shrugs* We'll have to agree to disagree.
  8. TheAircraftBuilder

    Who would you want to design your fighter - 1943

    Oof - shots fired! Someone doesn't like Hawker! The question was who would you get to design a 1943 fighter. If I were a 1940s decision maker I'd vote Hawker for turning out reliable and usually robust designs that were useful for many years after their introduction. The Hurricane is a perfect...
  9. TheAircraftBuilder

    Who would you want to design your fighter - 1943

    Ahem - Sydney Camm of Hawker would like a word. A few credits include the Hurricane, Typhoon (with caveats), Tempest, Sea Fury, Hunter and the Kestrel/Harrier family. Not too many duff fighters in the family line (don't mention the Tornado) and the company handled the jump from props to jets...
  10. TheAircraftBuilder

    Hawker Hurricane Mk I V6782

    Happy to help! Enjoy your build and the research associated with it - always nice to unearth the story behind the plane/pilot.
  11. TheAircraftBuilder

    Hawker Hurricane Mk I V6782

    Rimmer's Hurricane would appear to have the codes RE-T at the time of its demise. Source...
  12. TheAircraftBuilder

    P-47 vs IL-2 vs SU-2 vs Typhoon

    If I were sat in a metal box that was the recipient of strafing, rocketing, bombing or a combination of all three - I don't think the statistics would make me feel much better. Especially when my supporting infantry have all legged it for the nearest hole, my fuel/spares/ammunition was on a...
  13. TheAircraftBuilder

    P-47 vs IL-2 vs SU-2 vs Typhoon

    2x are fighter-bombers (P-47 and Typhoon) and 2x are dedicated ground attack (Il-2 and Sukhoi). Can you really compare them like for like? The former were probably better in terms of being multi-role and having a much better chance if plying their strafing/rocketing/bombing trade in areas...
  14. TheAircraftBuilder

    Short Stirling

    I'd read the engine choice possibly didn't help - Hercules radials were not generally seen as having enough grunt at higher altitudes. Proof of this can be found with the Lancaster II (Hercules engined) vs. Lancaster I/III (Merlin) - the former struggled at altitudes and suffered in terms of...
  15. TheAircraftBuilder

    'Wilde Sau' - what they were good for?

    From my understanding of it - Wilde Sau was a response to Allied EW and the resulting disruption of traditional night-fighter tactics. In an ideal world the Germans would want to be able to guide in their night fighters all the way and to make best use of the units they had available. With...
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