null_null981707818191
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Posts posted by null_null981707818191
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I couldn't decide which area of the forum to post this - should it go into Military vehicles? If so, perhaps a Mod would be kind enough to move it...
Just to make a change from aircraft – and particularly those that require rigging! – I’ve had a bit of fun building the lovely little 1/72 Willys MB Jeep. Like most of the tiny vehicles, it’s got some fiddly little bits, but not many parts overall, so quite quick to complete. I found that Vallejo Dark Olive Drab (71.316) was about the right shade/colour for a D-Day Airborne vehicle. The only real elaboration was to drill out the lightening holes on the gun carriage, and also the gun barrel. I also added some ‘bedrolls’ to the trailer load. As for the paratroops, they came from the WW2 British Infantry set, with the helmets mainly carved off with a very sharp scalpel to sort of resemble berets. DP uniform was a mixture of Khaki, dark umber, rust red and sand in various random daubs! Eventually, this little set will be added to the D-Day diorama which is sitting waiting to be finished. I’ve added two pictures – broadly similar in view, but differentially focussed to show different areas more clearly.
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And as an after-thought (and to prove that Airfix does actually read these wish-list posts) could someone from Airfix post a reply saying why Airfix would not produce a new tool Hampden?
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Virtually every 1/72 scale wish-list includes a new tool Hampden. Let's hope Hurricane Boy is correct and that 2024 will be the year (though earlier would be even better....).
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As a kindred brush-painter, I use the dropper bottles (admittedly by Vallejo - but I guess they are more or less the same) by shaking the bottle very thoroughly, then squeezing a few drops out onto a plastic pallette. That gives me the option of using the paint 'neat', or adding a few drops of water, and I can always refresh the paint in the palette by adding a few more drops. There doesn't seem to be significant wastage - and no air-brush nozzle to clean! It also means that I can mix various shades to get (hopefully!) the right colour...
With Vallejo bottles, you can wiggle the nozzle out (and push it back in when you've finished). That would allow conventional brush dipping I suppose.
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Yes, I've seen the new Fairey Battle advertised as coming soon on the Hannants website. What I find difficult to understand however is why some manufacturers seem to think tooling a new mould is worthwhile (and will presumably recoup costs) but apparently Airfix don't.
Which of course threatens to open up the can of worms that is brand loyalty...
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Hi Randall
You make a very valid point about getting kits whilst they are available. I suppose it does show that the hobby is increasingly popular in that either the manufacturers are successfully limiting their output to be sure of having no surplus, or (and in the case of the Vintage Classic market) nostalgia rules! My problem of course is that I am returning to scale modelling after a gap of more or less 60 years and many of the models that I'd like to build are simply no longer available other than through one or two specialists who can charge pretty much what they like. I frequently look at the wish-lists that appear on this forum (and contribute to them myself - a new tool Fairey Battle and a new tool Hampden both in 1/72 please Mr Airfix!) but it seems that more focus is aimed at 1/48 scale in terms of viability (and of course profitability).
I guess it's also a question (as prices increase) of being limited to buying what I know I'm going to build - it's hard enough to justify my relatively paltry stash as it is!
Anyway, good to chat - and thanks for the pictures of your collection: aspirational and inspirational.
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To continue the post that I put up yesterday, and to illustrate the narrative connected to RAF Warmwell, here’s a list of the possible aircraft that were flown in and out of the station between 1939 and 1945:
Anson Mk 1
Overstrand
Seal
Hind
Harrow
Spitfire Mk 1
Lysander
Spitfire Mk V
Walrus
Defiant
Hurricane IIb
Whirlwind Mk I
Typhoon
Typhoon Ib
Hurricane Mk IV
P-38J Lightning (Two different USAF fighter groups)
Spitfire Vb
Miles Martinet
Master
Tempest
C-47 (emergency landings after D-Day)
And given that there were several different squadrons flying Spitfires and Hurricanes, and different marques of both, the opportunities for different markings and camouflage open up even further!
At least 5 different squadrons flew Lysanders from Warmwell – the difficulty being getting hold of a suitable kit of course (given the price and scarcity of the old Airfix moulding…). I've built one, but it wasn't the Airfix version.
So even if I might go off at a modelling tangent from time to time, I can always come back to Warmwell. It should keep me going for a while!
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I think she'd settle for 'immediately'....
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I’ve been following the ruminations in this thread with great interest – it’s fascinating to learn what motivates other modellers. For some I’m sure it’s the rivet-counting pursuit of excellence and accuracy, whilst for others it’s simply producing something out of the box which helped to fill in a few hours of leisure time.
For me, the narrative is very important, and I’ve found that it can work in two directions. I can read something which inspires me to find a model that is part of that story – for example, my WW1 project really grew out of reading about the formation of the RFC and its development, particularly on the Western Front, whilst at other times, getting a kit has driven me to delve into the story and background – and of course, nowadays we have the relative luxury of t’interweb, and the ability to fit a kit into an alternative narrative by availing ourselves of the plethora of liveries and code letters and decals in general that simply weren’t available when I was a young modeller.
An example is one of my on-going projects relating to RAF Warmwell, just up the road from where I live in Dorset. As one of the BoB satellite airfields it was interesting enough, but factor in what happened when the USAF arrived, and also the ASR aircraft that used the airfield, and the various other tug-aircraft and bombing range users and there’s enough there alone to keep me going for a while, with each thread of the central woven narrative being a rich seam of involvement, reading, research and best of all – modelling – in itself. For example, because several different squadrons flew out of Warmwell during the Bob, I can build several Spitfires (or Hurricanes), but with the assistance of research, they can be varied by their markings, and even personalised to reflect actual pilots of the time.
I returned to ‘serious’ modelling after around 60 years absence, and anyone taking up the hobby (and after all, that’s what it is to some people – whilst to others it’s more of an obsession…) in this day and age has so much more choice and availability and variety that it’s small wonder that there are as many reasons for modelling as there are modellers.
But surely the key to it all is to enjoy what we do for whichever and whatever reason we do it! I did let slip to SWIMBO that I’d been reading about some modellers with in excess of 2,000 kits in their various stashes – she simply said that the thirty or so on my shelf was more than enough to keep me going!
But to return to where I started this reply – I’m really enjoying this particular dialogue! Just one of the many reasons (inspiration being only one of them) which makes this Forum – for all its occasional clunkiness and frustration – such a valuable adjunct to what we all enjoy, for whatever reason.
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Saw the post from Dave Bush... I'd been reading “Above the Battle”, in which Lyell Munro writes about his experiences having joined 'C' Flight, 653 Squadron in April 1943, flying an Auster in an Air Observation Post Squadron. The ‘blurb’ goes on to mention: “Flying from airstrips just behind the front lines, without armament and often with no parachute, they controlled the fire of hundreds of guns and their enemies learnt to dread the sight of the little green Austers in the skies above the battlefield.” The squadron was in Normandy in late June 1944, which is why I wanted to do a military Auster.
I’ve also seen a watercolour by David Shepherd of an Auster with a couple of soldiers brewing-uo in front of a truck. The picture is given the title ‘654 Squadron Auster mkIII in Tunisia 1943’ and actually would make a great diorama if I can find the right truck model!
So Wiki suggesting that the Auster was only in service post-1945 is strange - it's not like Wiki to get things wrong.....
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Hi Randall - thanks for your kind words. Praise indeed coming from your mastery of paintwork and modelling in general. I remember reading somewhere about the effects of scale on perception of colour. I didn't really understand all the scientific stuff about optics and incident reflectivity, but what I think it amounted to was that smaller scale requires slightly more muted colours. Because I paint with brushes, pre-shading wouldn't work quite so effectively, but the main thing is that - as another member of this forum frequently reminds us - this is a hobby and that we do it for fun. If it looks good - that's a bonus; if other folk appreciate it, then that's brilliant!
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Morning Dominic. Thanks for the favourable reception. I used the paints from the Vallejo FAA set, which might account for the choice of colours - I went down the Light Slate Grey route because I wanted it to be a little bit faded - although I rather think you are absolutely correct in your thoughts about the Temperate Sea Scheme. But whilst it might not be theoretically accurate, I think it does what I wanted.
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Hi Patrick. Presumably the same fault because at some time the moulds were shared? I suspect that the blue on your version might be a little more accurate - mine seems a bit bright... but hard to tell from old photographs. I remember as a child (60 years ago...) seeing the aircraft on the pier in Southampton, but memories fade (along with the paintwork). And it also looks as if your decals were the ones supplied. I like the cradles - did you scratch them, or did they come with the kit?
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I've already posted an item rounding off my build of the Airfix 1/72 scale Supermarine Walrus, but way back when I first put something up about the build, I mentioned that I'd also built some other marine-based Supermarine aircraft - but to legitimise posting about "other" makes on this forum, here are all three together:
On the left is the Frog kit of the Supermarine S6B of Schneider Trophy fame. It was the only reasonably priced kit of the aircraft that I could find, and I have to say that it was not the most enjoyable of builds, with several 'fit' issues to overcome, as well as various inaccuracies.
The rear float struts supplied met at an acute angle on the fuselage centre-line, which was not the case, so they had to be remodelled and relocated - meaning some holes to be drilled, and others to be filled-in. The bracing struts between the floats should really have been replaced, but having only two hands at my disposal meant going for the simple option!
The supplied decals were very badly yellowed, and incredibly brittle - they simply fell apart when I tried to use the, so the spares box was raided for fin flashes and appropriate code-numbering. Paint used was brush-applied Vallejo Aluminium (602) and Blue (004) finished with Vallejo Satin finish varnish. Rigging was my 'go-to' AK Thin (you know how much I love rigging...).
The other marine-based Supermarine aircraft that I've completed is the PM kit of the 1/72 scale Spitfire VB which represents the very small number of prototypes of a float-plane variant that was trialled. I understand that it was originally thought of as a possible Mediterranean theatre aircraft to fly around the Greek Islands, but it never got beyond the prototype stage. The PM kit is a bit 'basic' - its main advantages being the float assemblies (and pylons), the tropical air-intake and the downward extension of the tail-plane (which requires a bit of razor-saw surgery and lots of filler to fit).
As usual, paints used were brush-applied Vallejo (Ocean Grey, Dark Green and Yellow). The decals that came with the kit were insufficiently opaque to be of any use, so a sheet was ordered from Hannants with the characteristic yellow-circled 'P' (for prototype).
Which brings me back to the Airfix Walrus - although it's a relatively old-mould, it was a far more enjoyable model to build, being significantly better in terms of fit.
So here's a final picture of the Walrus, followed by another picture of all three of the Supermarine-Supermariners:
Thanks for following the thread through - hope it's given you some ideas!
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I've now finished the Airfix 1/72 scale Supermarine Walrus. As intended all along, I've built it as a land-based Air Sea Rescue aircraft of 276 Squadron that would have been based at RAF Warmwell - hence the chosen colour scheme and markings.
You can see from the picture that all the practice that I had rigging my WW1 project aircraft came in useful! For the record, paint was brush applied Vallejo Air Model Sky Type S for the hull and underwings, with 406 Light Slate Grey and 405 Dark Sea Grey for the rest of the fuselage and upper wing surfaces.
Rigging was AK Thin (AK9137) applied using Roket Hot super-thin assisted by Roket Blaster. You'll notice I've even done the wing-float stays, and of course all the engine rigging.
Talking of the engine, that was one of my favourite parts of the build!
I added microscopic leads to the back of the cylinders using tiny bits of stretched-sprue. I also added the conical gearbox (?) to the front of the Pegasus engine. Main paint used was Vallejo Black Metallic (71-073) with bits of detailing using aluminium, gun-metal and copper from the same 'stable'.
One more picture to show the rigging in more detail, and then a final picture of an aircraft that I'd wanted to build for a long time to add to my RAF Warmwell collection:
I hope you like what I've done, and that you enjoyed reading the progress reports (posted earlier and separately). And I'll be putting up a second post shortly dealing with the other (non-Airfix!) Supermariners...
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Just received this in the post! I wasn’t prepared to pay the silly money being asked for an original one, so worth waiting for the re-issue of this Vintage Classic version of the Auster. It definitely comes with wheels, so I’ll have to work out what else I need to do in the way of modifications to build it as a 653 Squadron AOP as flown in Tunisia in 1943.
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Quite a bit of progress made. It's been painted and decals have been applied. You'll see from the pictures that I have put the lower wing decals on but not added the upper wing yet. I've also added the rigging for the engine at this stage because I figured that it would be less fiddly without the upper wing in the way! Paints used were Vallejo Dark Sea Grey, Light Slate Grey and Sky Type S - all brush applied. I've also slightly extended the front of the engine to allow the air intake to be drilled into a more accurate cone shape.
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Thanks Dominic. I haven't seen the destructions for the 1/48 scale version - the sheet for the 1/72 scale that I'm building is reasonable , though obviously not up to modern CADCAM standards!
I agree with you about needing to be reasonably rational about adding detail - especially to the interior where it won't be seen - but I guess I just like to know it's there, and I suppose the completely blank interior is a bit of a challenge. Perhaps we've been spoiled by the vastly better new tool interiors!
Anyway, the fuselage is now closed up, so I'll be adding the wings etc soon - and I'll post an update accordingly.
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And finally, in terms of progress, the gaping void in the lower wing wells have been given side-walls and a bit of detailing:
Sorry about the multiplicity of progress reports - when I tried to fit it all into one report the 'system' started to sulk and said I had a Bad Gateway... Too much information?
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More progress...
The crew members have been painted and are ready for their next mission:
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A little progress report on the Walrus... I've painted and detailed the interior of the fuselage. Main colour was Vallejo IAF Green, with some dry-brushed aluminium to show wear-and-tear, and then dirt was added using much thinned Burnt Umber:
I also added some spare ammunition drums to the rear-gunner's position, and a winch drum (made from roughened sprue). A steering wheel was scratch-built (apparently an actual wheel was used rather than simply a control column) and an instrument panel was added from the spares box.
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To answer Dominic's points:
In terms of 'livery', I'm going down the route of producing it as a 276 Sq ASR based at RAF Warmwell. Why Warmwell? Because it's just up the road from where I live and I've got a collection of most of the planes that were flown from there during WW2 (609 Sq Spitfires, 263 Sq Whirlwind etc). As far as ASR is concerned, 276 Sq (and 277 Sq) flew from there covering the area around Portland. They also used Defiants, like this one, that I produced from the Airfix kit:
So Dark Green, Ocean Grey etc, and squadron code for 276, which is AQ-
And obviously, as you know from my WW1 efforts, I simply can't wait to start rigging again.... (although I've tried to keep in practice with the S6B).
I'll keep you posted with progress!
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At last I've managed to get round to making a start on a kit that I've had for some time - sourced at great difficulty, I must add - and that I've been wanting to build to go with my 'other' Supermarine Supermariners (which aren't Airfix, so You'll have to wait for the big reveal at the end of this project so that I'm justified in showing non-Airfix builds!) Suffice it to say that I hope this one goes better than the Frog S6B....
Here's the box-art:
To say that the interior is a something of a blank canvas would be a bit of an understatement, so although not much will show that clearly, I thought I'd make a bit of an effort to scratch-build an interior of sorts:
Lots of plastic-card, a sharp knife, a ruler, a bit of patience and some Humbrol Liquid Poly (which I find is the best glue for mating plasticard with polystyrene).
I've now got to tackle some sink marks on the outside of the hull, but then I shall make a start on painting the interior.
More updates as and when I get round to it! If you've recently built this one and have any good tips, I'd be pleased to hear them.
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I'm currently battling with the only affordable 1/72nd scale Supermarine S6B Schneider Trophy aircraft that I could readily find - the fairly accurate (in parts) in terms of shape (at least) Frog version (of indeterminate age). Not the most pleasurable of builds, but I need it to fill a gap in terms of a collection of various marques of Spitfire (and antecedents).
So I'd love to add to my personal wish-list (and perhaps that of others) a reissue or even a new tool moulding of this incredibly important and iconic aircraft in 1/72nd scale.
I mean, who's going to spend £40 odd on the tin-boxed one which seems to be the only Airfix model currently obtainable?
Latest acquisition
in General Discussion
Posted
If in doubt, build another Spitfire!
This one is going to be added to my RAF Warmwell collection and will be finished as a 152 Squadron aircraft UM-V as flown from Warmwell during the BoB by P/O Arthur Watson.
The kit came from the special offer selection at Lidl a lidl while ago...