Least modelled RAF Squadrons?

[Nick]

After seeing numerous (but great-looking) models of 56 Sqdn Firebirds and 617 Dambusters, I want to know what the least seen squadron markings are?
I'm thinking more of long serving units, not some of the 1 month wonders of WW2 for example.

Same goes for the Fleet Air Arm, most models show the Omega of 892 Sqdn. What great units are also out there?

[The Rat]

There's probably quite a few, simply because they never achieved anything especially memorable. But we should remember the old phrase from Milton, "They also serve who only stand and and wait". One I can think of is my father's old squadron, 209. It had a hand in shooting down the Red Baron (but let's not open up that argument again!), and it was one of their PBYs that located the Bismarck and allowed for the final attack on her. They were also the only RAF squadron to ever operate the Blackburn Iris and the Saro Lerwick, so any modelers who have made the Contrail kits of either would have no other choice for markings, although we here certainly would! 

[pyro-manic]

Don't see many 8/208 Sqn machines, especially not whiffs. I have some planned though, for their Khormaskar era.

[Mossie]

Probably more than you think, the What If? SIG tends to avoid low number squadrons as we see them as cliched, but in doing so we almost entirely neglect some of them.  56, 43 & 617 Sqns tend to get picked up because of their histories & striking markings espeically by non-UK modellers but we don't tend to see that many others.

A lot of the support squadrons we tend to miss, 7, 10, 18, 99 Sqns, also SAR such as 22, 201, 202 Sqns, several of these have operated front line aircraft in the past.

12 Sqn is one of my favourites, just like the colours & foxes head marking for some reason I can't really explain, I put my Granby TA-7C in their Gulf War markings.  I can't remember seeing any one elses whiff from that squadron.

[Thorvic]

The biggest problem is finding suitable symbology in decals form for the Squadron emblems, the modeldecal sheets and some of the modelart sets can be a source for the older squadrons for RAF & FAA respectively.

In the FAA obviously the likes of 800, 801, 899 are most represented, but Sea Vixen decals should provide proper 890, 892 & 893 decals, Buccaners provide 809 and Scimitars 807 sqdn. BTW 800-810  together with 890-899 are for Fighter strike aircraft, 811-830 are ASW, 700-799 are training sqdns

[Maverick]

There's a similar arguement for RAAF/RAN units.  Nearly every fighter is 75 sqn, nearly every post-war bomber is 1 or 2 and most, if not all RAN aircraft are 805 NAS.  Whilst there are alternative decals for some of the rest, modellers rarely avail themselves of these whether whif or RW.

Of course, this applies to most nations, eg Germany, US, etc whilst other nations aren't supported at all.

Regards,

Mav

[PR19_Kit]

If a Squadron doesn't have a distinctive marking it'll tend not to have decals produced for it, and we whiffers won't have any source material for our stuff. That's not to say that some research and worl on the PC and printer wouldn't stop you doing one of their aircraft, but it's easier to use someone else's efforts.

[Mossie]

Of course, this applies to most nations, eg Germany, US, etc whilst other nations aren't supported at all.

Yeah, with post war Germany I've noticed that most whiffs get landed with JG-71 Richtofen decals.  To be fair, most German models out there are from this unit & it's difficult to find others.  I'll echo Geoff, it can be difficult to find decals of lesser known squadrons & this can limit you somewhat.

[Knightflyer]

I've just been trying to catalogue some decal sheets that I have, and to echo the above posts it's very much what squadrons are already covered by the decal manufacturers. You do find 'rarer' squadrons though. I'm particulary thinking of the Modeldecal RAF Sabre, Vampire and nightfighting Meteor sheets, plus the early and 2nd TAF Hunter sheets by Xtradecal (i think) these provide a lot of colourful squadron bars for relatively lesser known squadrons from the 1950s. As an immediate thought you could use the small squadron bars from Vampires (smaller to fit on the tailbooms) on modern fast jets to provide some difference. Combined with alternate desert camouflage (please somebody reply to my RAF desert camouflage post! ) they could provide interesting whiffs

[Gondor]

One of my themes for r/l aircraft has been 20Sqn which has actually been very well covered by Modeldecal for post WWII aircraft.

Gondor

[Geoff]

249 Gold Coast Sqd.

[Mossie]

OCU's.  In more recent history you get them having shadow squadron idenities so you get the benefit of two lots of markings.  Also, in whiff world you can take combinations that didn't happen in real life as no rules apply to which sqn was assigned to which OCU.  It just tended to be one that was going spare & at risk of being forgotten.  Some squadrons have even shadowed more than one OCU, such as 65 Sqn.

[Howard of Effingham]

[support sqn stuff snipped]

12 Sqn is one of my favourites, just like the colours & foxes head marking for some reason I can't really explain, I put my Granby TA-7C in their Gulf War markings.  I can't remember seeing any one elses whiff from that squadron.

mossie!, i don't think it helps that relatively speaking few 12 sqn options have turned up astride GW1 in their era of operating bucc's and  in
decal form. a 12 sqn option was in the first issue of the 1/72 buccaneer S2 kit from airfix [the matchbox bucc never did] and about this time xtradecal
did a RAF bucc' decal sheet with a number of 12 sqn options regarding differences in the foxes head. and in MA/TAW's  coverage 12 sqn has
only featured twice i think, both with special schemes, which generally are a pain to adapt to types other than they were designed for.

as for support sqns or OCU's, i did some years ago do an italeri V-22 osprey in 240 OCU markings. that unit's hummingbird emblem [obtained from modeldecal
#67 iirc] seeming highly appropriate. must see if the model still exists.

[Mossie]

I think you're right Trev, there's not a lot out there.  I've got one of those Model Alliance  sheets which would be just about adaptable.  I believe that their TSR.2  sheet also had whiff markings for 12 Sqn, I've got this one too.  The 12 Sqn GW1 markings for that I used on my SLUF came from the current Airfix Bucc boxing.