Hi,
Alright, that is a very good looking Halifax! I managed to purchase a 1:72 scale recently and I would like it to look just like that paint scheme, however it will have different letters. Any idea how I am going to accomplish this paint job? (without having to sell it to you). Also did the RCAF have the Maple leaf inside the roundel in WW II?
Alan
Hi Alan,
The paint scheme should be fairly simple to achieve, the problem you will have is with the unit markings. Depending on what you require, you can modify what "Matchbox" supply - I think their kit comes in 3 variants. Otherwise, you will need to get to a good model shop. I know that there are some specific Halifax decals on the market just now - produced in Italy I think? Alternatively, you can get sheets of 1:72 scale letters from good model shops. As for the maple leaf in the roundel... Well, to the best of my knowledge, I have never seen such an example on a Halifax.
Good luck with your model, let's see the finished results some day.
Best wishes
Ian
57 RESCUE
If you need good decals, this fellow will probably design what you're looking for. He owns a company by the name of "Whiskey Jack Decals". He also works at a nice little Hobby Shop called Blue Mountain Hobbies. I saw his decals for the first time last week. They were beautiful!
He's located in Coquitlam, B.C,Canada. His name is Gordon Parker. His address is below...
Thanks to the both of you for information, now I can track down these items to be prepared for this winter in northern Canada (Edmonton). By the way I lived in Coquitlam when I was an ankle biter, played laccross at Blue Mountain Park 1969-70, lived on Draycott st.
Alan
Alan,
RCAF used the standard RAF-style roundels during WW2. The style evolved somewhat during the war (the outlining yellow/orange band became thinner on the fuselage, etc) but remained the same as the rest of the COmmonwealth Air Forces.
The only variations that I'm aware of are for:
RAAF: in the Pacific, the red center was left out (for obvious reasons), leaving a blue&white roundel.
SAAF: used orange in place of the red center to reflect the colour of the SA flag
RCAF did adopt the maple-leaf within the Air Force ensign during WW2.
The roundel with a maple leaf centre was formally adopted by the RCAF on 19 Jan 1946. It appeared on post-war Canadian Lancasters but as the RCAF sqns left their Halifaxes behind in the UK when they returned to Canada, it would never have appeared on Hallys.
