Afternoon all
So the cockpit parts are all painted and ready for the final assembly.
I've managed to find out quite a bit more as part of my research, mostly from an amateur radio community website called
QSL.NET.
However, first a big thanks to
@Mark1 ,
@Mickc1440 ,
@Ian M and
@Jim R for their helping get me going in the right direction by sharing their builds as part of this GB - not that they're probably aware - it's just one of the great things about a GB!!
Mark (
LINK), Ian (
LINK) and Mick (
LINK) have helped point me in the right direction with things like colours for the radio transmitter and receiver, as we well some basic detail I intend to add. Jim's (
LINK) was particularly helpful in terms of the overall 'look' I should aim for, as it's 1/72 like mine unlike the others, which are 1/48 - and he did it brilliantly.
Ok, so what have I discovered (or think I have)?:
- The Mk VIII air interception radar fitted to Lonesome Polecat (LP) apparently came with either a type 50 or 184 receiver. The kit one has a type 184 supplied, so I have to use that. I have no idea which one was fitted but there isn't a lot of difference between the two (plus it will be impossible to see once buttoned up );
- The Mk VIII radar also came with a type 73, indicator/display unit, also as supplied with the kit;
- Tamiya's colour callouts for these are wrong. They would have you paint the faces black but I could see from old B&W photos that they looked like they were probably a light grey colour - about which I was proved correct!!
Although the kit supplied radar internals are for the NF Mk II
Tamiya would have you make, they fit perfectly for LP and so I got vey lucky there
I wonder if
Tamiya actually booboed because the Mk. II used the MK IV or V radar (??) and from what I've found I think their units were very different....but Mk XII Mossies were based on Mk IIs fitted with the Mk. VIII radar.....so did
Tamiya copy that????.....if you follow????.....I think I have a headache after all the research!!
ACW as usual and up next the pilot and navigator.
ATB
Andrew
PS - if anyone has found a flaw with any of my research please DON'T tell me....
PPS - Mick, Ian, Mark and Jim, thanks again for the assistance!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The cockpit with radar equipment - definitely not black!
According to the Haynes manual it's from a Mk. XIII but according to an online source this might be from a Mk. XII but either way they both had the Mk VIII radar fitted and so it gives a good view of how it went in.
Sources: Various but most state © IWM (CH 16607) or © RAF Air Historical Branch.
The type 184 receiver and type 73 indicator/display unit
Sources:
https://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/signalscollection.html and
https://www.qsl.net/pe1ngz/stories/story-ekco-3.html
Receiver:
Indicator/display unit:
There were apparently two different manufacturers; could this account for the slightly different switch and connector layout?
My 'homage' ready for assembly
And that
is a penny and
not a 2p piece.....