Braille Dave

Based on my experience in the RAF- BS381C:285 unit applied paint was consistent within batches- the batches varied a bit, from a darkish shade akin to H86, to H102. When the vehicles were supplied new, that's when you get some larger variations. Bedford MKs were nearer H102- the CF vans and Lutons we had were nearer H86. Our Sherpas were a satin H155, although the Scammell T45 tractors were matt. When the Scammell T45 refuellers came back from their major refit- they were a glossy H102! The Renault 3-tonners (both GS and ops caravans) were actually issued in a French Army Green! even the Pinzgauers were in an Austrian Army green (like the German) that's before you take into account fading- sometimes it faded to a grey-green, sometimes brown-green. Often it darkened, particularly if they were kept inside the MT hanger (TBH, that was generally the minibuses and the lutons).

If you google it, you'll find pics of RAF Tornado's having their Desert Pink camo being applied with soft brooms and household rollers (Yes, allegedly, the Eng. W.O., cleared the local DIY hanger) for the first gulf war. As said upthread, ARTF was designed precisely for application in the field... So it could be applied by any method, and in theory removed easily...In practice, it either fell off, or stuck so fast the airframe needed a repaint.

Err, no....you've all missed my point. I'm trying to point out why there may not be a market for small scale ships- because those with a nautical bent tend to build in 1:100, where they can achieve their desired level of detail and get to sail them too. And BTW, many 1:100 warships are built in styrene- with accurate frames, longerons and planking (or skinning). The weight and stress calculations of a steel hull translate well into styrene at 1:100. It just means you don't start with a one piece hull- you build from the keel upwards, much as the real ships are made.

The National Maritime Museum was opened in 1937- and was the only one of its kind in the world, let alone the UK, for a fair while. It also maintains the biggest maritime archive in the world. It also holds most, if not all of the general arrangement, building and modification drawings for rn and RFA ships of the last two centuries, and a good many before (where ever they were built). My point is the archive and research is there, albeit that there are few preserved examples compared to the amount of military vehicles and aircraft. R/C modellers seem to come up with many weird and wonderful examples, and there is a thriving market and aftermarket for 1/100 and similar scales, as well as a thriving boat club scene (two national magazines, and a very influential national organisation)... Maybe in that is the answer.... It could be that in the UK, most marine modellers build in the R/C scales- I've seen some wonderful, accurate to scale models that could also be swum on the water. Lets face it, 1:100 is an excellent scale to work in, giving as it does the ability to get some minute work in.

'Lots of people can't afford to build a huge range of 1/350 or 1/400 ships, nor do they have the space....'- The same argument has been poised for 1:48 Aircraft and yet the range is going from strength to strength. Equally the R/C enthusiasts seem to have no issues with space, with their 1:100 and 1:72 ships. They also have a thriving aftermarket in white metal and resin. '....many people have links to the navy,...'- That is a specious argument frankly. The army has always been, and still is, much bigger than either RAF or rn, and yet the vast amount of kits are military aircraft. By your argument, the 40-odd million air journeys a year starting in the UK (and the constantly changing liveries) would ensure the popularity of civil aircraft, but they remain a niche market. 'There is a natural market for ship kits in the UK....'- Yet when you go into a model shop there is barely any Ship kits compared to the wealth of aircraft and vehicle kits. And what there is are largely Japanese, US or WW2 German. Any type 21s? Leander class? Tribal Class? County class cruisers?. And if there was, where are the aftermarket products, in white metal and resin? 'The idea that these firms would produce British ships in considerable numbers and not have them aimed squarely at the British market is quite wrong.' They don't produce '...British ships in considerable numbers....' They produce a few famous British ships, that have world appeal, so are obviously not '...aimed squarely at the British market...' anyway. '...the dreadnoughts and battlecruisers of WW1 are still poorly provided for...'- I wonder why? 'These would be great sellers, worldwide,....' Then why hasn't any firm produced them then? There are firms who make a living out of producing unusual and odd kits, but they haven't picked them up. I'm sorry to pour water on your fire, but the facts are stark- what the market demands determines what will be offered. And a company on the long road, like Airfix is not going to risk money on uncertainties.

Could it be that Heller's core market (France) is more ship-orientated than Airfix's core market (The UK)? We've already discussed ad nauseum why Airfix might not be producing ship kits, and in the end what the market is buying determines what is offered. I don't hold with the 'build it and they will come' argument. if that was the case Airfix would be building way more military vehicles than they do (based on the amount of Resin and White Metal kits that are available).

Thin it down to about spraying consistancy (think semi-skimmed milk) then it'll be fine. I only use Humbrol mattcote, and have been pleased with the results. /media/tinymce_upload/d4950711fe4e1fada8508e9884358990.jpg The Mammoth Major was sprayed. /media/tinymce_upload/44c210ef4adc380eba21ed8f6f26de23.jpg The Jeep brushed- both with the same consistency. TBH I thin all my humbrols down to spraying consistancy, I'd rather put three coats on and achieve a fine finish, than one thick one.

How about releasing it in 1/48th just to p**s off all the begrudgers who think nothing should happen in 1/72- then never release a 1/4 scale plane ever again.. seriously though, I think they could make a real go of a range of 1/72 lifeboats- the RNLI are always very much in the public consciousness, and If they did something like 10% to the RNLI I reckon it'd be a winner.

There is a lightweight filler that I've found useful for scenery effects- generally used for decorators, it is available for DIY too. the stuff I've got is Red Devil 'Onetime'- which is made in the US, but Polyfilla do a version, and the best, if you can get hold of it, is 'One Strike'. You can dye it by using acrylic paint or paint powder. In its undyed form it's good for snow. Some examples below:- http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w592/Dave_Haine/Rolls-Royce%201920patt/DSC_0009_zpshxxepc2z.jpg, and:- http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w592/Dave_Haine/Fordson%20MH%20Snogo/8D026F49-90A6-4FDE-97C0-592F4F8FF381_zpsjlizalyw.jpg

Actually, I didn't feel that disparaged....(I did actually only count vehicles) And, Sarge I wish you would (but only ones I can get in the UK)- I'm not so wedded to 1:76 as you think I am... I've long since accepted that in order to complete my grand project I'm going to have use both scales. It's just that I feel Airfix's ancient vehicle sets are actually quite good, and they're one of the few mainstream companies that actually do WW2 British Softskin. Unfortunately, the others seem to think that Allied= US. IBG's erstwhile QLs (even with their faults) excepted. And...finally, I don't think wargame=1:76 is as clear-cut as is being inferred. Most of Milicast & MMS offerings are way better detail and accuracy wise, than some of the mainstream offerings. In fact isn't 1:100 the wargaming scale now?...as witnessed by Zvezda's range? Makes sense to me- easier to scale distances (in metric anyway)

Quick bit of research reveals to me that the two biggest ranges of braille scale vehicles are both exclusively 1:76; MMS with 250+ items, and Milicast with.... Wait for it... 800+ items. Langley Models have only got 170 items and RTI continue to withdraw and release, both in exclusively 1:76. Matador bought out a number of different companies, over the years and consequently have both 1:72 and 1:76. John Day, and AS Models produce exclusively in 1:76 .....Hannants list 700ish 1:72 items from all manufacturers.

I'm not so sure that 1:76 has 'no future' as some upthread are inferring- there are manufacturers still only producing 1:76= MMS, Milicast & Matador,

...To me, half the fun is in the research, and producing as accurate a representation as I can... that's what floats my boat, and that's what the OP asked... If you have a different view, then fair play to you...

Can I point out that pilots are not the operators of the aircraft! They only fly the things and are told where to go ( in both cases, sometimes) by operations staff. The aeroplanes themselves are fixed by engineers, and are operated by squadrons, or airlines or operators. Operations staff, rightly IMO (having been one), think it's their aeroplane, as they decide what aeroplane does what flight, and what crew will fly it that day...Engineers, think it's their aeroplane, because they maintain them and care for them... The arguments often go on all nightshift. ...Pilots just want to fly, and frankly don't care much what colour it is let alone how clean it is...

I have to say, from personal experience- the only naval aircraft I've seen that are kept tidy are the Hawks- which are maintained by a civvie company. The Lynx's are decidely 'tired' now- the gray is faded and patchy (unfortunately, a side-effect of matt grey paint), there are oil stains and various unidentified drip stains. the other thing I want to say....having worked on the apron of a large airport, and having been within 72feet of an aeroplane...I can safely say that you cannot see panel lines...Two reasons for this; One, civvie aeroplanes especially are painted with all the panels in place (usually a complete repaint, including previous finish stripped off, is about 8hrs, new livery might be 18hrs)... And the other is that most panels are angled- not butted. Civvie aeroplanes are also washed frequently; a smoke wash (some aircraft when using reverse thrust get exhaust stains on the rear fuselage) every couple flights, a complete wash weekly. Now the military aircraft I've seen: A couple of F3 Phantoms, dirty and streaky, but no panels apparent...although the panels on the wings were obvious- the grey paint had faded differently on different panels. The Tornado F3's had really prominent panel lines around the rear fuselage- due to the thrust reversers leaving soot in every crevice...including screws! In fact the Tornado's back end is always dirty- not so noticeable on the grey/green ones... Until you put your hand on it... Dominies, HS125's, Jetstreams and 146's were always tidy, and 10 sqn weren't called 'Shiney Ten' for nothing. The RAE Viscount always looked very tidy...until you got up close, then you realised most of it was brush painted!

No! 12, XV or 16 sqn markings, preferably in 1977 or '78 Red Flag colours... Maybe even the two-tone desert colours briefly worn by participants....

And mine

Not sure that the micro-scale would do well for airfix TBH? On my occasional visits to model railway exhibitions, I've noticed that the vast majority are 'OO' (Actually, 1:76; which is why Airfix produced vehicles in that scale- they had one eye on the model railway market). 'N' (1:150) is uncommon, and 'Z' (1:220) rare. That's probably a fair guide to the relative popularity of those scales. Equally, the wargaming scales I suspect are niche at best. We were regarded with amused awe, at the local RPG club, when we set up our 1:300 wargaming tables (admittedly we did take the whole scale thing awfully seriously- if you think that a mile scales out at 17ft in 1:300, and modern battles are fought over 30 or so miles- In the end we just had to assume artillery support, otherwise the warhammer chaps, wouldn't fit in the room with us). And even then the one or two companies that supplied the models were struggling to keep going.... ....So can't see 1:56, or 1:300, being winners for Airfix. Those scales, being for niche markets are pretty well covered by niche manufacturers, I suspect, and I can't see a major manufacturer getting a return on their investment, costs being what they are. Because let's face it; Airfix is a business, and it will only survive if it can make a profit. 1:48 is a growth market, I think, and could be a goer. I think Airfix could do with widening the vehicle catalogue, to include tanks and more support trucks... ....Although, not before doing a Bedford RL, AEC Militant, and Leyland Hippo/19H in 1:76/72... (and perhaps a Stalwart, Ferret, Austin K9, Foden DROPS, Thorneycroft Mighty Antar, & Big Ben, Scammell Crusader....) :-)