Lee White

Great choice of models, I actually built, and finished(!) this kit back in the 1990s. One weak area of this kit is the nose gear fork, it will snap/collapse in an instant if you look at it wrong. Just wanted you to be aware of this!

Great choice of models, I actually built, and finished(!) this kit back in the 1990s. One weak area of this kit is the nose gear fork, it will snap/collapse in an instant if you look at it wrong. Just wanted you to be aware of this!

Lee White
Posted Friday at 04:45 PM Hi Plm, your build looks great! Could I ask you to post some pics of the landing gear? I have an Fw-58, which has similar gear, but I’m not sure how it all goes together. Thanks
 
 
Sorry not to answer you, but I am not at home right now  but I send you pictural as soon as I'll be Black home. 

I will seriously and in a very convincing manner pretend to start work on my Scratchbuilder’s Me-410.  Put it out on the bench etc.  

Some more progress here. In a previous post, I mentioned that the wing box suffered from some severe asymmetry, causing the model to list to port when placed on a flat surface. This photo demonstrates:
 

 
Try as I might, I couldn't get a useful photo of the area that showed the issue properly, but the evidence of it is certainly there in the photo above! Note that this really doesn't affect the sit of the model on its wheels, as the main wheel bays are still roughly the same height off the ground once the airframe is levelled. And while it's possible that I've introduced this error myself through overly aggressive differential sanding, the difference is over 1mm, and the plastic is hardly even that thick. I think it's more likely to be an error in the mastering of the kit itself.
 
I pondered for a while the wisdom of fixing it, before deciding that it was just too noticeable from certain angles to leave it alone. I decided to bulk out the problem side with plastic strip, and the first step was to determine what size was required on the outer edge to get things roughly level again:
 

 
The answer was Evergreen .040" square stock (which equates to 1mm). I know it's still not completely even in the photo, but it's just roughly positioned to show the overall effect. With that bit of determination out of the way, I began cutting pieces of progressively smaller styrene strip, and building up the slope to meet the high side in the middle:
 

 
So it starts with .040" on the outside, working down to .010" on the inside, adjacent to the middle.
 

 
Success:
 

 
It now just needs to be sanded smooth and blended in, which I've started doing.
 
I've also started the process of filling the windows and blending in the wing roots:
 

 
The wing roots won't necessarily be accurate, but they'll at least look less obviously wrong.
 
I'm hoping to get all this remedial work done by the time the engines arrive, so that once they're dealt with, it'll be ready for paint!
 
Kev

With flights rarely about 10,000 ft the high altitude performance of the turbo supercharger was no longer required, during overhaul at Kelly the entire guts of the system was removed, this weight saving measure increased the what was now nick named the Super Bolt. This helped with both speed and manoeuvrability at low humid altitudes.


During which a conventional exhaust system was rerouted and installed 
 

I think this one *just* scrapes in!
 
Kev

I must have missed the memo.  When did the Kotare Spits go from “outstanding” to “garbage”?

I seem to remember a resin conversion was available some years ago

Following the 1957 Defence White Paper’s cancellation of manned aircraft development by the ridiculous Duncan Sandys, (Defence Secretary at the time), many promising UK aircraft projects came to a close. 
 
As well as wholesale project cancellations, the forced mergers in the UK aircraft industry resulted in English Electric going bankrupt despite having good order books for both Canberra and formally the Lightning. 
 
 
By 1960 the policy of “no manned aircraft” is looking increasingly pointless, and the UK is forced to re-evalute.
 
 
Industrial espionage by Lockheed, (namely by taking the infamous ‘headless man” pictures from the Duchess of Argyles dubious afternoon activities), then blackmailing Sandys into forcing through a multimillion pound deal to buy 300 of the F104 E (English) for the RAF . 
 
Using a licence built J79 (as a slap to RR), although with the new Red Top missiles developed for the cancelled Lighting, they entered service in 1964, just 12 months after Starfighters were withdrawn from frontline US service. 
 
A step advance over the Gloster Javelin, the 104’s problems of stability and high accident rate also dogged the UK’s fleet. Eric Brown described the Starfighter as a hot ship, that "has to be flown every inch of the way", but recommended developing the supersonic Buccaneer II instead. In service they became known as the 'Jinx Jet' . 
 
Various upgrades came as Lockheed developed the G variant, and later, the  proposed purchase of F111’s were intended to replace what had been the short term ‘interceptor problem’.  
 
With F111’s also cancelled in 1970, 104E’s soldiered onto into the early 1980’s when they were phased out in favour of UK spec F15s. 
 
It remains one of the UK’s worst procurement fiascos up until the recent decision to buy the F35 …another Lockheed “one size, fits no one, and costs way too much” effort. 
 
 As this is a fun / silly build I have forked out for the cheapest lawn dart as opposed to the Italeri offering, it will be OOB, no AM lipstick for this pig, markings will be masked, and missiles made. 
 
Laterz
 
PW 
 
 
 
 

Go for it!!

I have a dream!
Looking for a trip to Russville, in memoriam @ruzlkampf  You know, scratchbuilding something weird and large - a Mig-25. But I have at first to call Moscow to get a Go! They have some AM parts I'd need  AM for kits that aren't. Silly times, even for modelling
 
Rugards
- dutik

In with this entry!
Captain Hideaki Inayama was flying this striking Ki-44 in the 87th Sentai that was part of the 10th Hikodan of the Japanese home islands’ Eastern Defense Sector.
He was credited with 5+ victories (Osprey’s Japanese Army Air Force Aces 1937-1945).
 
This is the very nice Hasegawa kit, which is a nicely detailed yet simple kit. I intend to build essentially straight from the box.
 

 

 
Some references:

 

 
The aircraft in question:
The link with this GB is that this aircraft has the number 25, hand painted, on its main gear covers.

 
Stay tuned!
Alain

I have an abysmal record in GB's, but as it is our 25th anniversary, I got to give it a try.

 
I couldn't find any photo references for a 25-marked aircraft, but Romania had several and I found photos of Red 23 and Red 28, so I have to believe there was a Red 25!

Huh. I must have been asleep under a rock when this GB was announced, this is the first I’m hearing of it. Sounds fun, though….

Huh. I must have been asleep under a rock when this GB was announced, this is the first I’m hearing of it. Sounds fun, though….

Huh. I must have been asleep under a rock when this GB was announced, this is the first I’m hearing of it. Sounds fun, though….

I’m glad they arrived safe. The canopy,or windscreen part, was attached when packaged, so I can only surmise that the postal workers were re-enacting one of those old Samsonite commercials with your package. But, I’m glad it’s gone to a new home, I hope we see the finished product one day!

Scott, I have an unused clear sprue for that kit. DM me your addy and I’ll post it.

IMHO, the Constellation was one of the most beautiful aircraft ever. I think the only reason it's not in MOMA is that it wouldn't fit.

It was his birthday today. Still miss him. @ruzlkampf aka "The Shadow" aka Russel. His last project, afaik.
 
Thinking of you, Russ.
- dutik

Scott, I have an unused clear sprue for that kit. DM me your addy and I’ll post it.

Scott, I have an unused clear sprue for that kit. DM me your addy and I’ll post it.

HPH kits always remind me of what’s called ‘dentist’s guitars’ in collector circles. Expensive guitars which only the rich (i.e. dentists) can afford and would never get played. 

Sweet Jesus..!
 
I know you probably bore of being told you are an absolute master modeller, Peter, but you really are. I thought your previous builds were fantastic but this is my favourite so far. 
 
What I also find interesting is the fact you’ve dabbled in doing a whole airframe with 3D printing, but have gone back to the ‘old school’ methods on this one… old habits die hard? Perhaps you get more pleasure building things entirely from your own hand? I love this new 3D technology that’s now with us - and it certainly has its place in scratch building - but you can’t replicate the joy of making something, watching it emerge from an idea in your mind to then see it evolve from scraps of plastic (or metal in your case) and become something that is entirely your work and skill… that’s certainly how I feel but will readily admit I’m nowhere near your level!