Many thanks Rhino
The UK model scene is not very pleasant.
There is a strange class system, a sort of hierarchy where each level looks down on the lower level and rising up these levels depends much more on personality and kowtowing than any ability to build a model.
This is one reason i only post on 2 websites and both are American.
For Example....There are several self proclaimed Spitfire "experts" her that troll the various model making websites . No doubt they have a few books that make them experts and between them they have decided on the definitive answers to 100% of all spitfire related questions. No if's no but's n o discussions "they " have heard it all before and are pretty derogatory to anyone even asking these questions.
The classic one is always, what colour were the undersides of early Spitfire and Hurricanes. SKY you shout, but there are many different skys and no paint manufacture has ever agreed with another on which is which,
As a 1960's child i was bought up on Airfix Duck Egg Blue ;-) and this was also the colour used by the film makers in the "The battle of Britain" just 20 years after the event so well with in living memory. Remember top fighter pilots from both sides advised on this film from Adolf Garland to Douglas Bader, James Lacey, Robert Stanford Tuck, and Dowding himself. I even found a War ministry reference of the time referring to "Duck egg blue" as a "paint used in the field" to cover over the early black and white scheme. But oh no
I was treading on the toes of the self appointed experts and i was relegated down to lowest of low, no comments were made on my builds anymore, questions were no longer answered and i was ostracized from the sites.
Do you know what ? I would much rather mix with the beginners or those that try hard, get fun from the hobby, paint with thick brushes, get glue on canopies and get satisfaction from their builds anyway and don't need to be judged by these experts, most of who have not built a model in years anyway ....
Sorry for the rant
There was classic comedy sketch here in the 60's about this sort of class system that spoils the clubs here be it a motorcycle club, car club or model club.