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Derek B

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Everything posted by Derek B

  1. Derek B
    Hi Dennis, Thank you also for your kind words. I am probably not old enough to remember the Lightning entering RAF service, however, my modelling (and aeromodelling) experiences go back to the mid-60's, so I understand and share tour experiences in this respect. Best regards and thanks Derek
  2. Derek B
    Hi Bob, always a pleasure and a honour - thank you. Good memories indeed. After my service on Lightnings, and then the Red Arrows, I moved on to the RAF Exhibition Production Flight (EPF) as a full time professional model maker - this is where my skills really were honed and took-off big time. I have always maintained that modification and conversion work on any model using only basic tools and materials (plastic sheet and epoxy putty) is well within the skills of any and every modeller, irrespective of scale or model type. I know that you love the Victor aircraft and of all of the V-Bombers, it is probably my favourite also. I would love to have one in 1/32 scale (if I had a plastic tube of the correct corresponding diameter, it could very easily be the start of one! (same for the Tu-95 bear as well). Thank you again for the kind words and memories. Regards Derek
  3. Derek B
    Hi Treehugger, All very true. It is obvious that they based their level of detail upon a limited range of images - this is very evident in the cockpit (ironically, there are many knowledgeable modellers whom could have offered their assistance, but apparently were not requested to do so!). I wish you well with your Dora railway cannon, and unless metal is a necessity, I would consider 3D printing for the barrel and wheels? Best regards Derek
  4. Derek B
    Thanks Kev - in reality, to be honest, I 'wing it' most of the time! Generally, I spend an inordinate amount of time studying and interpreting photographs and images to really understand the areas of interest (a fault of too may years of scratch building model master patterns I suppose?). Eventually, I decide that I cannot live with a specific kit feature (or lack of such) and feel compelled to correct or add it (yet another failing of mine!). I often have no real idea of how I am going to achieve what I want, only a clear idea of how I want it to look when completed (or to obtain the desired effect). My choice of methods vary, and there are almost always a few ways of achieving what I want, so that is the first hurdle. The final choice very often comes down to what materials I have at hand (this is chiefly where the inventiveness comes in). Then comes the brave bit - actually cutting the plastic or severely modifying it, which is not really as scary as it seems; sometimes it works, other times not (luckily for me, it more or less works out OK first time around). I have long maintained that there is nothing on any kit that cannot be replaced or improved by using plastic card and Milliput! (or any other brand of epoxy putty). It is a really good way of expanding your modelling experiences and skills, and may be one reason why we see so few kit conversions these days. Grab an old cheap basic kit and have a go, there is nothing to be afraid of. Cheers Derek
  5. Derek B
    Starter turbine gearbox exhaust completed. Derek
  6. Derek B
    The fuselage turbine starter gearbox exhaust is now mostly completed (just needs a new external shield, as the kit one is the wrong angle). Meanwhile, work continues on correcting the jet exhaust area of the fuselage to make it look a little less 'pinched' in cross-section. I had to 'estimate' (guess) how much I needed to widen this area by in order to look correct, so I have made two marks, one is 2 mm out from the kit surface, and the other is 3 mm out - this is just precautionary until I can also adjust and build up the jet exhaust nozzles - I can finally adjust both to match later. Derek
  7. Derek B
    After much personal deliberation, I decided that I could not live with the gas turbine gearbox fuselage exhaust as portrayed by the kit, so I have drilled it out, opened it up and added a short tube (deformed at one end to match the elliptical opening) to represent the exhaust much better (this is still WIP). Additionally, whilst I was at it, I also decided to mark out the area of the rear fuselage jet exhaust where the kit has formed it as too much of a pinched shape. This area (like the inside of the fuselage exhaust tube above) has been filled with Milliput prior to correct shaping. Once this is done, I can complete the exhaust nozzle area which I have already made. Derek
  8. Derek B
    Thank you Marcel! Derek
  9. Derek B
    That looks great John. Derek
  10. Derek B
    Thank you Kevin, that is very kind of you! Derek
  11. Derek B
    Reshaping of exhaust shrouds complete. As I had lost about a millimetre of material during the process, I had to reinstate it. Also, the kit exhaust nozzles when inserted into the shrouds were more or less flush with the ends - they should be set back inside a little. So the answer was to extend the shroud depth by about 2.5 mm. Unfortunately, I have not got any suitable diameter tubing to help me here and I was not convinced that wrapping plastic sheet around a mandrel would provide me the the seamless and concentric ring that I was looking for, so I had to do it the hard way from 3 mm thick plastic sheet! Derek
  12. Derek B
    Nice work John. Derek
  13. Derek B
    Thank you Maru. Jet pipe reheat flame stabilisers fixed in place and jet pipes attached. meanwhile, shape correction of the jet pipe exhaust nozzle shrouds are taking place (the chamfered angle is too shallow as portrayed on the kit part). Derek
  14. Derek B
    Lovely work Thomas - I really appreciate your scratch building skills. Derek
  15. Derek B
    Zac, Ben, thank you Gents! A bit of colour added. Derek
  16. Derek B
    Derek
  17. Derek B
    Thanks guys. This provides a better idea of what all those aluminium parts look like when assembled. Derek
  18. Derek B
    Lovely work John - I hope that you are enjoying it! Derek
  19. Derek B
    Whilst I am working on the intake, destruction and mayhem ensues elsewhere! (Improvements to the jet pipe nozzles and creation of afterburner flame stabiliser rings). Derek
  20. Derek B
    Nice work John, well done. I also share your passion for this aircraft, and have the ancient Revell 1/32 Mirage IIIE kit as a basis for scratch building one at some future point. Hopefully, mine will end up looking like this: If it comes out half as nice as yours, then I will be a very happy man! Regards Derek
  21. Derek B
    Loving this build Kent - well done! Derek
  22. Derek B
    Great work Kev, it looks brilliant. Derek
  23. Derek B
    Fuselage sections reunited once more. Radar centre body shock cone located. No.1 engine swirl vanes added to intake. Derek
  24. Derek B
    Although I have been working on my current model project (1/32 Trumpeter EE Lightning F.Mk.6) since the start of the this year (2022), I had been been 'off the scene' as it were for the past few years or so. The reason for this is because I was creating a full kit master pattern tool of a 1/144 scale Avro Lincoln for Welsh Models. Now that Welsh Models has officially announced it within their range for sale, I can now show you all what I had been up to and how it turned out. The kit was designed to cover more than one mark of Lincoln aircraft, so I included additional parts for the B.1, BII and RAAF B.Mk.30/MR.Mk.31 (with long nose) variants. It also has a fully detailed cockpit and bomb bay interior and two styles of engine exhausts (the photographs will speak for themselves, which are of the finished master pattern parts before they were sent to Welsh Models). Derek
  25. Derek B
    Thank you all for your continued encouragement and kind words. Lower radome shock cone mounting extended in order to correct the forward position an allow me to drill the hole for the G.90 camera. The next stage will be fixing the final position of the shock cone itself into the intake, so that will be point of no return. Whilst sanding and filling of the intake area continues, a start was made on the fuselage extension. looking at various drawings of the aircraft, an average calculation of 6.5 mm was arrived at for this extension. This was accomplished by measuring the fuselage shell (wall) thickness and finding some plastic sheet of a similar thickness and backing this with thinner plastic card. The sheets were cut into the correct sized strips and bent to match the fuselage shape, eventually being glued and superglued in place. Test fit. Left (Port) side completed. Right (Starboard) side in progress. Derek
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