Ian

Please can someone help, I am building a model of a Polish Air Force Liberator Mk.II GR-U BZ860 of 1586 Flt /301 Sqn that carried out some of the air drops over Warsaw during the 1944 Uprising. It will form part of a display in August when an author releases a new book on the Warsaw Air Bridge at the Polish Bomber Squadrons Centre at RAF Ingham in Lincolnshire. I am confused about the colour schemes. I have a Scale Aviation Modeller International magazine article written by Wojciech Butrycc 10 years ago in which he doesn't actually state which colour he used for the upper colour. I believe they were in reality painted US Olive Drab on the upper surfaces and neutral gray underneath. Is that correct? However, the magazine picture of the model built by Wojciech appears to be either Light Earth or even sand coloured in his article photograph (see picture). According to Techmod's decals instruction BZ860 was a B-24D. But according to the RAF Serial Number Database see here: GR.V; ex 42-63883; dld Dorval 26.7.43; Dorval - Gander 29.7.43, u/s ? retd Dorval 30.7.43; Dorval - Gander 4.8.43, Gander - Prestwick 7.8.43; SAL, Prestwick, 7.8.43; only GR.V diverted to Bomber Command; SAL - 138 Sqn 'C' Flt [V] 9.9.43; 1586 Flt 15.11.43; 301 Sqn 7.11.44 [GR:O]; conv to B.III and issued to Transport Command in ME 28.12.44; SOC 30.5.46. It states that BZ860 was a GR Mk.V. I and it codes were GR-O, I am even more confused now! Can anyone help please regarding the actual colours they were painted and the squadron code letters it wore, am I okay using a Minicraft B-24D as the basis for this model? One other point I can't find anywhere Wojciech's second article about the Halifax Mk. II series 1A that he stated he was going to write for a later issue. Does anyone know did he write it and does anyone have that they could take pictures of it for me as I plan to build the Revell Halifax as a 1586 Flt aircraft too. Thank you in anticipation. Ian

Hi Everyone, I am hoping that the Polish aviation experts on this forum can help me with a problem please. We are in the final stages of preparing to open up the RAF Ingham Polish Bomber Squadron Centre. The Centre has been undergoing restoration and re-decoration work at Ingham for nearly 12 years now and we can now see the finishing line ahead. The Centre will be the only place in the United Kingdom where the Polish Bomber Crews are commemorated, we are working alongside the Polish Embassy and Polish Consulate in Manchester to ensure that the Centre is the best that it can be to celebrate and remember the Polish Airmen and Airwomen who were part of Bomber Command in WWII. Part of our Exhiition will be various models and dioramas depicting the PAF at work and their aircraft. I have just purchased the MPM 1/72 Fairey Battle T Mk. 1 Trainer. In their book on 300 MASOVIAN Sqn History, Chris Ward and Grzegorz Korcz mention that on 22nd August 1940, 300 Sqn flew into RAF Swinderby from RAF Bramcote in 12 Fairey Battles, and Battle Trainer (we have the Hanger doors from RAF Swinderby that the Poish White Eagle was painted on). I am trying to find out what the Serial Number and Sqn code letter the Trainer wore, or if it wore any codes at all. So far I have only been able to find one picture of a Polish Air Force Battle Trainer in the 100 LAT Polskich Skrzydee Fairey Battle book. It is NZ-Y of 304 Sqn and I believe that Classic Airframes did a model of NZ-X. Both of these aircraft appear to have Trainer Yellow lower halves. Did the 300 Sqn Trainer have a yellow lower half? The closest 300 Sqn serial number I can find is P2309 as the 304 Sqn Trainers seemed to have all started with a "P". In the 300 sqn book a Fairey battle is listed with the serial number P2309 Coded BH-J, could this have been the Battle trainer, I wonder? Can anyone help us with this information please. Thanks Ian

Thanks Mirage, Its actually a digitle reprint of the Polskie Skrxydea version, also Stratus will only sell it to Polish customers. When I go to their shop as directed it does not come up on the product search. I am really hoping that some one has copies of the books that they do not want anymore and are willing to sell them. Thanks very much though for letting me know. Ian

I am looking to buy MMP Stratus Polish Wings No 1 and Polish Wings No3. I will pay a good price for these books and postage to the UK. I am also willing to buy the Polskie Skrxydea versions if the English versions are not available. I apologise for asking in English but my Polskie is not good enough. I am building the AZ SPADS-51 C1, HIT KIT SPAD 61 C1, JB Vacuform P.W.S. 10 and converting the KP Avia B.21 to a P.W.S. A. They are all being built as part of the history of the Polish Air Force 1918 -1945 in 1/72 scale for the Polish Aviation Heritage Centre based at Ingham Lincolnshire. I am hoping my Polish Modelling colleagues might be able to help me. Dziekuje Ci Ian Shaw ian.shaw1@btinternet.com

That's good! I am litterally just reading that book by JB Cynk, I haven't reached that section yet but have discovered Appendix 12 with some good info. Thank you Ian

I'm hoping you guys might be able to help me with some information on modelling the engines on 1/72 and 1/48 Wellington Mk.IV as flown by Polish Airmen of 300 Sqn and 305 Sqns from RAF Ingham during 1942 and 1943. Yesterday I visited RAF Ingham Heritage Centre which is 30 minutes away from where I live in Lincoln. A tenacious group of volunteers have cleared part of the old Domestic Site of the Aerodrome to create a permanent memorial to the Polish Airwomen and Airmen who were based at RAF Ingham whilst 300 and 305 Sqns were operating primarily Vickers Wellington Mk.IV Bombers. I have now joined the Group of volunteers as a modeler as they have some kits of the Wellington in 1/72 1nd 1/48 scale that they need to be built . Here lies the problem. My initial research tells me that their Wellingtons had Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp engines and Curtis propellers that rotated the opposite way to British engines. Have any of the Polish members of this site ever tackled converting a Mk. 1C or Mk. X to a Mk.IV ? Are there any companies that anyone knows of who produce the conversion parts in resin for a Mk.IV? I'm sure you guys would know the answers, can anyone help please. I have attached some photos of the Heritage Centre, sorry but the program has flipped a couple upside down again! Cheers Ian

Myszaty, Thanks for the advice. I thinks I will take it to save myself time and frustration!

Just about finished the 504K , just the windscreens to add. I haven't done too much rigging as in this small scale it would look too cluttered. Sorry for the inverted photo but can't seem to get this site tom accept the photos the right way up even if I turn them around!

Here is some of the Polish "stash" I have yet to build. Currently building a 1/48 Lublin R XIIID.

Here is part of my reference library, I have all the relevant MMP Polish Wings Bookzines in the shed too to use as references. My wife thinks I am crazy hunting down all these Polish models and books but it keeps out of the pub!

Greatgonzo, I take your point regarding the political situation regarding the Polish armed forces in the UK at the end of WW2, I guess many of the Polish servicemen stayed in the UK and made their lives here for exactly those reasons. Skalski's book touches on the subject and how badly treated PAF Airmen were treated by the Soviets if they returned to Poland. Here is the book I mentioned "White Eagles" it is still available ON aMAZON FOR £37, not cheap but worth the money. I will post more photos belo of the contents. It is very detailed and has lots of stats and facts in it and several pages of 1/72nd scale side views colour plates at the back.

Twinkle & Greatgonzo, thank you for your inputs, they are much appreciated. I remember when I was a small boy n the 1960's every town here in the UK had a "White Eagle " Club, that was referred to in Derby where I originally lived as the "Polish Airmen's Club" . My Father's best friend was an ex Polish Paratrooper called Ted, he and his wife would often invite our family to the White Eagle for parties and other functions. I have never forgotten the warmth and generosity shown to us outsiders by the Polish members of the Club as those parties. I have a book written by Belcarz and Peczkowski called White Eagles, is this also used as a reference for your Airmen in Poland? In recent years I have just about every book I can get my hands on about the Polish Armed Forces in WWII. The Polish Soldiers at Monte Casino, Paratroops at Arnhem and of course 303 Sqn and the the other Polish Air Force Sqns that flew alongside the RAF. I know how badly Winston Churchill treated our Polish Allies at the end of the war and how he did not allow the Polish Armed Forces to take part in the 1946 Victory Parade in London, to appease Stalin so I can image how some Polish folks could feel antagonism towards the British for the way we have treated the Poles in the past. I know my now deceased Father felt ashamed of it. That said, times have changed and we have all moved on. I am just fascinated by your Culture, Country, Food (especially your food) and History. So please bear with me if I ask questions on these forums in the future. Here are some of the models I have built so far, for your perusal. Best regards Ian Shaw

jmx62, Firstly I must apologize for not writing this in the Polish language, I am truly sorry, however I was hoping that Polish Modellers, for whom I have great respect would be the best experts to ask for advice on this matter. I was not trying to be arrogant or disrespectful towards you or your language. I do have a smattering of German as I served there for three years in the RAF during the Cold War. I would think you would consider me very disrespectful if I tried to "parle" with you guys in Deutch if you knew I was British! Indeed we do have our own modelling forms in Britain which I do use regularly but there is very little information on them regarding PAF colours. I actually came to your beautiful country twice in 2019, Krakow in fact with the primary aim of visiting the fabulous Aviation Museum there. I specifically wanted to see the PZL 11C which I was told I could not see as the main hangar was being restored and the aircraft normally stored in it were not available to be seen by the public. However, all those aircraft were around the back outside a small shed and although the cockpit area was wrapped in clingfilm I did manage to get some photos before being shewed away by a member of staff. I also attended your Polish IPMS Show in the Home Army Museum in Krakow to see some of your models (much to m wife's annoyance). So you can see I am a keen fellow modeller and love Polish aircraft. I study your forums in Polish regularly and click on the Google translate tool to read what your contributors are saying in Polish. In the spirit of modelling brotherhood I would imagine it is not too difficult for you do the same if you are reading British forums! Finally I would like to again say a big Dziekuje Ci in Polish to those who have taken the time to assist me with my enquiry.

Kolekcjoler, that’s brilliant information, thank you very much indeed. Lovely models too.

I have started a project to build as many PAF aircraft as possible in 1/72nd scale. Starting with an easy one the Airfix Avro 504K. Does anyone know which Tamiya acrylic green paint number is closest to the British green that the PAF DH-9A, Bristol Fighter, Sopwith Camel and SE5 would have been painted please. Then the closest Tamiya/Hataka Khaki that the SPAD 51, SPAD 61, Breguet 19 and PWS 10 would have been painted? Thanks

Rav, Thank you very much, Banny's article and build were just what I was looking for. Cheers Ian

Witam, I'm hoping you guys on this forum can help please. Last year when I visited the Krakow model Show on 1st June I bought a set of 1:48 Decals that commemorated most of the aircraft that General Stanislaw Skalski flew during his career. I have built some of them (see his Polish Fighting Team Spitfire Mk.IX built from the old Monogram kit below) and I have just finished reading a book about him "Skalski Against All Odds". In the book it describes how Skalski was awarded a 1/4 of a kill on a Henschel Hs 126 of 3. (H)/21 on 1st September 1939 near Pedzewo. He bravely landed in a field next to the crashed aircraft and rendered first aid to the badly injured crew, an act that says everything about the man. I am planning to build a model of that Henschel and display it next to a Model of his PZL 11C I'm hoping that some of the experts on this site might be able to help me with a couple of questions about the Henschel please. 1. What does the squadron designation 3.(H)/21, stand for? 2. What were the markings and colour scheme of this particular aircraft? 3. Has anyone on this forum ever built a model of this aircraft, especially using the ICM kit (I have one coming from King Kit in the post, it was quite difficult to track down the kit)? 4. does anyone have any photographs of Hs 126's from that squadron or pictures of a model of that aircraft? Thank you in anticipation. Ian Shaw

Thanks Guys, I have in fact just started prepping the Mirage 1:48 PZL 11C and not enjoying the experience. There is a high degree of flash, especially on the small detail parts and the fuselage halves don't fit together vey well. No where near as good as the Arma 1:72 scale kit.

Since I visited Krakow twice last year I have become fascinated with late 1930's Polish aircraft and some Czech aircraft as flown by Aces such as Frantisek. I spent a small fortune in the four models shops in Krakow and since the Covid 19 Lock down here in the UK have built several of the models I bought last year. They are in both 1:72 and 1:48 scales with some kits being marvelous and some like the KP Letov and Mastercraft PWS 26 proving a bit more of a challenge! Here are some of my completed models, although not up to the standard of some of the experts on this forum, I do feel that my skills are improving with every model I build. Thanks for looking. Ian

Witam, As my second project after coming back to plastic modelling after several years I have decided to build the Pegasus Models 1:48 Hurricane of 303 Sqn during the Battle of Britain. I have been researching 303 Sqn for some time now and I'm amazed by their kill tally of 126 Luftwaffe aircraft during the BofB, more than any other Sqn by a long way. The kit is actually a snap together kit but it has very good surface detail and fits together really quite well. However you get what you pay for I suppose, the undercarriage legs are a bit overdone and the pitot tube is missing. Worse of all is like the old Monogram kit I finished last week, it does not have the wing leading edge landing lights installed. As you can see in the third photo I started with the wings and cut out the light apertures. I have cut up the base of an old Airfix clear plastic stand to try and get the curved lens covers but they are a little too big. Does anyone have any ideas how I could get some proper ones? Next I detailed the cockpit, there is quite a lot of rather heavy interior detail built into the kit already all I did really was add some seat belts. Next job is to add the wings, it looks like I will need a bit of filler around the wing roots though!

Hi Guys, yes I would have liked to shown more pictures on this post but I was restricted by the 4.8MB upload limit. KRL, yes my book was the title "Beyond The Horizon", it traces the "true" history of the development of AEW, not the American version written in AWACS & Hawkeyes, which actually ignores the fact that the British scientists were years ahead of the Americans and that the British invented the cavity magnatron, which is installed in every micro-wave oven nowadays! The book took 9 years to write and has some photos never before seen in other publications. The side view colour drawings of the aircraft were drawn by Tom Cooper. It was originally planned to be two volumes and have a modelling section but sadly Harpia cut it down in size. A lot of the data that is not in the book and many pictures of the models I build for it can be found on my website here - https://aewworld.weebly.com/ I wrote the book with a Brazilian co-author, unfortunately he let me down and never met his deadlines to produce work so Harpia demoted him to an assistant. It was very hard work over a very long time and the royalties did not even pay for my printer ink cartridges that I used up over the years! I would never do it again but I'm happy that Harpia produced a good quality book that I can be proud of. There is some of the edited out text and information tables on the website that you can read for free if you like. I have attached some of the pictures here from the Website Gallery for you to look at. Cheers Ian

Witam, for many years I have been interested in Airborne Early Warning aircraft, so much so that over 9 years I wrote a book about them that was published bu Harpia Press in 2014. During my research for the book I built several AEW aircraft, here is a few of them.

Hi my name is Ian, I am 61 years old and English. I have been building plastic models since I was 5 years old and have come back to the hobby after a 5 year break from it. I find that many of my modelling skills have faded and I think it will take some time and several finished models before I am back up to speed again. My skill level is no where near the superb models shown in these galleries but it is my hobby and I enjoy it as a relaxing pastime and not a competitive arena. CI was in the RAF for 32 years and now work for the RAF as a Civil Servant in Air Traffic Control, my Father was also in the RAF during World War 2 as a Rigger in Bomber Command. When I was a small child my Dad's best friend was a Polish guy called Ted, he was a lovely guy but always appeared to be a bit sad and melancholy. In recent months I think I may have discovered why he appeared so quiet and serious. I have become very interest in the Polish Air Force after watching the film "Hurricane" and since watching it have bought several books on 303 Sqn and the Polish Air Force in WW2. The last book I have just finished is "The Forgotten Few" by Adam Zamoyski, it has made me feel ashamed of how the British and Winston Churchill treated the Polish Air Force at the end of the war and the fact that he did not allow the Poles to take part in the Victory Parade in London in 1946 due to Churchill's deferring to Stalin, truly a shameful episode. In early June 2019 my wife and I are travelling to Krakow and staying there for a week so that we can explore the beautiful city (its numerous model/hobby shops) and the Polish Air Force Museum, just outside the City. The first model that I built after coming back to the hobby is the old Monogram Hurricane as I had it in my stash and wanted a simple kit to re-start on, or so I thought. I wanted to complete it as a Polish Hurricane Mk. 2B of 302 Sqn all was going well with the build and my free handed airbrushed camouflage, I gloss varnished it for decalling which went okay then when I went to apply the matt varnish it went horribly wrong and "frosted" the paintwork. So I had to start over, rub it down, repaint it and buy new Techmod decals (some of which broke up in the water!). In the end I ended up completing the model as a Mk. 2C of 309 Sqn. It is far from perfect but in the end I am generally happty with the results, I have learned many lessons and I hope to improve a lot when I complete my next project a 303 sqn Mk.1.