iamjohnsname

Pleased to say Simon responded the other day and the Gauntlet is ordered! He had been unwell, hence the delay.

I've emailed a couple times trying to buy a Gauntlet but haven't heard back...

I bought one of these Lukghraph Whirlwind J-5s as the closest match I could find when I coudn't wait any longer for the Armory one to do this exact same conversion. Yeah, I was hoping this kit would include that variation. They've also left out the big red spinner and just painted the hub of the propeller red instead. Oh well. Will have to do it the old fashioned way.

This is the 1/32 Nieuport 16 by Special Hobby which I couldn’t resist turning into an Aviatik 30.40. One of my favourite things to do is customise model kits into aeroplanes that you just can’t buy. The Nieuport fuselage wasn’t a perfect match but it was pretty close – and certainly good enough for me. I used a bit of poxy to sculpt the turtledeck behind the cockpit, made the wing from styrene sheet and strips, and the struts and undercarriage are brass rods and tubes. The beautiful wheels are from Gaspatch, the cowling is a spare from Lukgraph’s Ansaldo Baby plus some styrene sheet I warped to shape around the jar my ADHD medicine comes in. I filled in the breather holes on the front of the cowling with more poxy but didn’t like the ones on the actual 30.40 so left them out (we’ll just say this must have been a water-cooled rotary). And speaking of the engine, this is a nine-cylinder spare - probably from an old Fokker Triplane kit - but the real 30.40 had an eleven cylinder engine. Maybe when Aviattic releases their new Pfalz I’ll retrofit one of their engines into this kit. I’ve got a few more Nieuports, one of which I’ll turn into a Hanriot HD1 at some stage. Images are here. (I'm sorry; I just cannot figure out how to upload images or share them on here!! Would appreciate being pointed in the righr direction!)

Yes, it’s been listed as a future release for many many months now, and given the state of things in Ukraine could still be months more before it’s ready. So I thought I’d give it a go on my own in the meantime. But when it’s released I’ll definitely pick it up. No such thing as too many Tigers or Stearmans.

Thanks Jim, I will keep trying to find one.

Thanks everyone! Great news all round. I’m super pleased to hear that ICM are back at work again; I hope that means they are all safe and sound - despite everything. I thought it might be a Pratt and Whitney or maybe a Wright R-790 Whirlwind, which the U.S. Navy stuck on the front of their Stearmans. Luckily Lukgraph make a beautiful 1/32 R-790 which I’ve ordered along with the ICM PT-13 kit and will have to figure out how to mount it on the front. With any luck it will look close enough to the Pratt and Whitney for my eye. I’ll have a look now to see if anyone sells P&Ws in 1/32 as well, just in case. As for the conversion, you’re right, Mike. The one in the movie has an entirely exposed framework forward of the cabane struts, so I’m going to have to figure out a way to either 3D print the structure or perhaps get creative with some brass rod. I’m sure it’s achievable, even though I will feel terrible sanding back the front end of such a beautiful aeroplane! Finally, it gives me some pleasure to learn that the real G-AFEA was a Percival Gull. That’s another beautiful machine and, thanks to the lovely Dora Wings kit (yet another Ukrainian company!) was the model that got me back into this hobby after a 20+ year hiatus.

Hi all, I'm getting more and more confused by the variations in real Stearmans, not to mention ICM's kits. I want to reproduce the Stearman featured in the movie The English Patient, which by all accounts is a PT-17 - but it clearly has a nine cylinder radial, like the PT-13s. But the PT-13 radial in the ICM kit is a much smaller engine than the one on the model in the film. ICM's kit 32050 is a PT-17 which shows a nine cylinder radial on the box... but sure enough, the kit itself only has a seven cylinder engine. There are a heap of variants listed on the Stearman's Wikipedia page and I am wondering if maybe the one in the filme is actually an NS, with a Wright R-790 Whirlwind engine? In which case, I could presumably buy either ICM kit and stick one of these beauties from Lukgraph on the front? As a sidenote, I know that the planned ICM 32053 would be an "English Patient" pack, featuring both the Tiger and the Stearman, and should ICM resmue production, I will 100% purchase that kit (and anything else I can get a hold of from them to support their business). But given the uncertainty around that, I would like to have a go myself in the meantime. Thanks for any help you can offer!

So glad you've picked this for your next build! If my kit arrives in time I might even try to keep up as you go.

I ordered this kit a few weeks ago, despite everyone’s warnings that it will be a challenge. I hope the fact that it’s been three years since your last update doesn’t mean that too won’t was simply never gonna fit!

I want to buy a second WNW Camel just to do this same conversion. I look forward to the results!

I emailed then recently and was told they still had some Bulldogs available. Lucky for me, now they've got one less available. Can't wait to build one of my favourite planes.

I'm also building this right now so will follow with interest!

How beautiful! Are those Aviattic lozenge decals?