LSP_Kevin Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 Well, I just had to take some more photos, didn't I? I would be happy to share these last ones, I have taken my self in an Album (LSP_Kevin) Wonderful! I just need your full name so I can credit the article properly. Kev kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkarlsen Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Kent Karlsen, Skanderborg, Denmark... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piprm Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) Brilliant Kent! I am floored by this Diorama! I thought I'd share some of my Dad's war-stories about the Wards Strip Beaufighters here... Amongst the many .... here's two! Wards strips operation area was ( as Kent correctly stated earlier) New Guinea, and the South /West Pacific areas including the Coral sea (which saw a lot of big Sea Battles)... Whilst on patrol, a Beaughter pilot saw a P-38 lightning hovering around a aerodrome with gear-down - about to land... He radioed the pilot and said, "I would not land in there, if I were you... mate" The Pilot came back with, "why not?" The Aussie said "that's Rabaul Japanese aerodrome, in which you are about to land ... the Biggest south of Tokyo" The P-38 raised it's landing gear immediately and got out of there - real quick! The other is during the Battle of the Coral sea (the turning point to the war in the Pacific) Beaufighters were part of the main attack group.. They would come in to attack the Destroyers and Troop carriers with Cannons, bombs and rockets.. One pilot told my Dad that, after the carnage was over and most of the ships were sinking and on fire... he came in to low level-strafe any survivors with his cannons ... Only to see - many in the water, and that the sea was blood-red... He thought - why waste ammunition on them, when the sharks are finishing them off.. Such is war.. Phil Edited January 23, 2016 by Piprm kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkarlsen Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) Thank's for sharing these stories! It's really one of the more decisive battles of the early parts of world war II. I was facinated by it, when i watched "The Kokoda Trail Campaign" documentary! The Aussies standing their ground against the overwhelming forces of Japan... It was the first time the Japanes forces were defeated and their advance stopped! The Beaufighters pendled back and forth between Port Moresby flying over the Qwen Stanley Range, trying to support the Aussie troops, by hitting the reinforcements of the Japanes forces. Here's a beautiful photo of A19-15 'O' flying over the Owen Stanley Range, Papua New Guinea. Edited July 5, 2017 by kkarlsen Piprm, sandokan, Whitey and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClumsyDude Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 You know, I believe that the first time both the Germans and Japanese were stopped, it was by Australians ... the Germans at Tobruk and the Japanese at Milne Bay in New Guinea. I'm probably wrong on that though, and ready to be corrected ... Cheers Jim kkarlsen and Uncarina 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkarlsen Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) This was one of my first modelling projects in 30 years. My skills weren't up-to-date in any way and watching all of the amazing work done in different modelling forums, I thought "I have so much to catch up with and to learn". But I didn't want to get a new kit, the danger of destroying it because of my lack of skills were too obvious. That's why I chose my good old Beaufighter. Well this would do no harm, if it ended up as a disaster! The kit was taken apart and sanded down, cutting open gunbays, fuel tank and rubber dinghy compartments. New panel lines were rescribed, using Tamiya scribing tool. Rivetting was done by hand, one by one, as I didn't have any rivetting tools back then. The wheelbays were rebuild from scratch, as the old kit ones are completely wrong. Wheelbay doors were detailed. I also wanted to display the Hispano 20 mm cannons, so this compartment was also build and detailed. There's almost nothing useable in the kit interior, all of it had to be build from scratch, instrument panel, radio equipment in the navigators station in the back. The large 20 mm Hispano cannon ammunition magazines and a lot of other details were build. Including lead wirering. Only Aftermarket parts used were RB Productions 1/32 Sutton Harness, Quickboost 'Porcupine' exhausts, Ultracast .303 wingmouted Browning .30 cal guns. The gunbays were detailed with ammoboxes etc. I could have used the very nice Vectors Hercules engines, but they were a little too expensive to me. So I went on detailing the kit ones, with Lead wires, building the very special manifold and cooling ring of the Hercules engines. Oil tanks were added and also the cowling ring 'flaps' were replaced. Wing mounted RAF Universal Bomb Carriers were build from scratch. My airbrushing skills are non existent, but i did try some 'salt' weathering. What a mess! But I'm quite happy with the result. Markings and lettering were painted, using masks and printed serial numbers. Further weathering was done with my own mix of dark oil washes. For the diorama, the Ford 2000 of Revell was converted into a Australian build Ford, cab converted and larger truck wheels. The rubber dinghy was made from Magic Sculp, as were all of the tarps. Wooden workbench with the half oil drum a wooden chair, ladder and pallets. This started out as a project, with no expectations, as to the result. The object was to get to know a lot of new modelling techniques, getting into the modelling work again, and it ended up, being a tour de force of 'trial and error' I am, to say the least, astonished by the fantastic reponse by you guy's! Kent Edited January 23, 2016 by kkarlsen Piprm and Uncarina 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piprm Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) You know, I believe that the first time both the Germans and Japanese were stopped, it was by Australians ... the Germans at Tobruk and the Japanese at Milne Bay in New Guinea. I'm probably wrong on that though, and ready to be corrected ... Cheers Jim The Aussie Rats of Tubruk! ....after defeating Hitlers Desert Fox....they were called back by our Prime Minister Curtin, to take on the Japanese in the Jungles of New Guinea. (Much to Winston Churchills objections and displeasure!) Milne Bay - New Guinea , is where the Japanese landed and Yes - were first defeated , but other Japanese forces were still moving along the Kokada Track - New Guinea... still advancing south towards Port Moresby... so... (technically) were totally stopped at Kakoda from any further advancement or taking territory in WWII. But which-ever way you look at it..... these were the places and the men who stopped the Axis Forces and gave them their first bloody-nose in WWII.... which were our Desert Rats! But whether it's Milne Bay or Kokoda Track / Tobruk ......, I believe you are right Jim! Phil Edited January 23, 2016 by Piprm kkarlsen and Uncarina 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Here's the finished article, Kent: http://www.largescaleplanes.com/articles/article.php?aid=2559 Please let me know if there's anything you'd like changed. Kev kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkarlsen Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 I'm honoured! LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shbemo13 Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Excellent Build!! Shawn G kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Sensational build and photography Kent. kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncarina Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 It's hard to add to the justifiable superlatives posted previously, but what you've done, with the kit you started with, is absolutely amazing. Absolutely sensational, this re-creation of history. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Tom kkarlsen, Piprm and LSP_Paul 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismcc Posted March 28, 2016 Share Posted March 28, 2016 Fabulous build and an even better diorama, one to be proud of. Cheers Dennis kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wimmer Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 You really did a stunning job here. Beaufighter and diorama, everything looks fantastic. cheers Chris kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lothar Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 This diorama is one of the best I've ever seen. The figures look absolutely realistic and the whole scene is coherent :wub: Lothar kkarlsen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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