Mirage 2000EM, Egyptian Air Force

The French know how to build beautiful aircraft, and I assume that they are still recuperating from the boxy bombers of the inter-war years. The Mirage 2000 is one of them. This is a Heller kit from the mid- or late 1980s, so we have to deal with partially raised panel lines, uninspiring missiles and fairly minimalistic wheel wells and cockpit. There were some issues when trying to fit the wing to the fuselage, and putty followed by careful sanding was required. Then there was the excellent decal sheet with options for the French and the Egyptian Air Forces. I chose the latter, and patiently dealt with several dozen well-printed stencils as well as the national and tactical markings. It was well worth the effort. The Egyptians bought their 18 Mirage 2000s in 1986, and they still equip the 102nd and 252nd Tactical Fighter Wings. Four are apparently used for conversion training. 

Supermarine Spitfire Mk I X4474, a Heller kit

Last year I picked up a perfectly vanilla old kit of a Spitfire Mk I, and it was assembled as a nice little weekend build. The Heller kit, rivets, raised panel lines and all, was an easy build, and even the decals worked reasonably well. The decals were for Spitfire X4474 QV-I, a late production Mk. I that initially flew on September 16, 1940, and during the Battle of Britain it was part of No. 19 Squadron at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, and piloted by Sergeant B. J. Jennings. X4474 survived the Battle of Britain, and it went on to No. 7 Operational Training Unit (OTU), No. 602 Squadron, 610 Squadron, 53 OTU, and finally Air Service Training Hamble School of Technical Training before being scrapped in 1947.

The pilot, Bernard James Jennings was born on 21st March 1915 and joined the RAF as an Aircrafthand on 1st May 1933. He joined No. 19 Squadron on September 4, 1939 after initially serving in the parachute flight before completing his pilot training in 1937-38. Jennings' first claim was a share in a probable Dornier 17 over Dunkirk on May 27, 1940. This was followed by two Me 110s on June 1 and a damaged Dornier 215 on a later patrol. He further claimed a Me 110 destroyed and a He111 probably destroyed on September 11 and a Me 109 destroyed on the September 29.

Jennings was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM), which was gazetted on April 4, 1941. He served in training units between April 12, 1941 and August 1944, when he returned to operations with 168 Squadron, a reconnaissance unit that flew Mustangs and later on Typhoons. Jennings was appointed CO of 85 GSU Ferry Flight in February 1945, and he retired from the RAF on March 21, 1962 with the rank of Wing Commander. B. J. Jennings passed away in 2000.


Sources:
bbm.org.uk/airmen/Jennings.htm
iwm.org.uk

Armourer Fred Roberts re-arms Supermarine Spitfire Mark IA, X4474 'QV-I', of No. 19 Squadron RAF at Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire, while the pilot, Sergeant B J Jennings, has a word with his mechanic. Manor Farm can be seen in the background.

B. J. Jennings

 X4474 at speed. The absence of a triangular prong on the rear of the mast indicates that VHF radio was fitted. The voltage regulator can be seen under the rear transparency.

On the ground but with the engine running.

SAAB S32 Lansen

The SAAB 32 Lansen (Lance) was the first Swedish aircraft to break the sound barrier, and it served well as an attack aircraft, a reconnaissance aircraft, a fighter, and later during its service life, as an ECM aircraft and a target-tower. The aircraft was produced between 1955 and 1960, and it served between 1956 and 1997. The A version (attack) was the first version to be produced following a request for an all-weather attack aircraft with integrated weapons and electronic systems. It replaced the SAAB B18 piston-engine bomber.

The A and S versions were described as being a bit underpowered, although quite pleasant to fly, whereas the J version had a stronger Avon engine, making it a good all-weather fighter for its era. The J version also carried four 30mm cannon as opposed to the A version's four 20mm cannon. The S version was the reconnaissance version, and only equipped with four cameras. As opposed to the Draken, SK-60, Gripen and Tunnan, Lansen was not exported to any other countries. There were attempts, though, as this ad proves:

The only 1/72 kit available is the Heller kit from the early 1980s. It is a good kit for its era with good fit, a detailed cockpit, raised but subtle panel lines but horrible decals! They silvered, refused to attach properly and repelled any decal solvent, but an acceptable result was had after much work and covering silvering with paint. The canopy unfortunately had a small bubble it the plastic, but since I couldn't find a replacement we will simply have to live with it.

Since the Heller kit doesn't come with any ordnance and since there was a dearth of Rb 05 anti-ship missiles on the market, I decided to go for the S 32 Lansen reconnaissance version. The decals represent an aircraft from the F11 Södermanland Air Force Wing based at Skavsta airfield in Nyköping during 1960. The S32s were used between from 1958, when it replaced the S 18 reconnaissance aircraft, and up to when the wing was disbanded in 1980.