Jump to content

Modelling RAF aircraft, c.1943


Procopius

Recommended Posts

Those look like really nice models too; I wonder what they were made of, and painted with?

Cheers,

Stew

I was wondering the same things myself! He seems to have achieved results comparable to a rather skilled modeller today, while (presumably) far more limited in the tools available to him.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Notice how many of the upperwing roundels have a significantly lighter tone in their blue part?

... and not only the black ACs ... the Wellington and one of the Spits have that too in strong contrast to the Mossie for example

The model painters must have known something

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The models are almost certainly made from Balsa. They could have been carved from solid, working from plans, but some kits were available with some partially-preformed shapes for the wings and fuselages, and details such as formed acetate transparencies.

There are a number of photos showing upper wing roundels with the blue noticeably faded than the red, or the blue on the sides - I suspect the modellers were using the Mk.1 eyeball for such details.

Edited by Graham Boak
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Or indeed whatever easily-workable wood they could get their hands on in wartime. Balsa would indeed have been difficult to find commercially, but modellers did get inventive about such matters.. I don't think any of the models are from the prewar bakelite plastic Frog Penguins, but perhaps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of them can't be Penguins. The Penguin Blenheim and Wellington were produced pre-war and were Mark Is, while the Blenheim in the photo is a Mark IV and the Wellington appears to be a Mark III, and Penguin kits of the Mosquito and Beaufighter didn't come out until 1946.

There were solid wood kits produced during the war - the 1943 volume of Aircraft of the Fighting Powers has adverts for CMA kits in 1/48 scale and Tru-Scale in 1/72.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

..."Flight Lieutenant J G Eadie, Medical Officer at No 11 Group headquarters at Uxbridge, photographed with part of his miniature air force, 16 April 1943."

Whatever they were made of, he did a really good job on them - it's a shame we will never see the rest of his miniature air force too.

Cheers,

Stew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I tried searching to find out what happened to Eadie (a member of the FRCS and a LCRP, per the Air Force List) after the war, but no dice. I like to think he lived a pleasantly eccentric life as a physician somewhere, but I suppose we'll never know, more's the pity.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I tried searching to find out what happened to Eadie (a member of the FRCS and a LCRP, per the Air Force List) after the war, but no dice. I like to think he lived a pleasantly eccentric life as a physician somewhere, but I suppose we'll never know, more's the pity.

Haha, I tried that too with similar results... but let's hope that prototypical modeller lived a long and happy life :)

Cheers,

Stew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took some guesses at a first name. If you google "Dr John Eadie Colne" the first few links point to a GP of roughly the right time frame. It seems the gent in question had rather dapper dress sense and a liking for fast cars.

J.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I took some guesses at a first name. If you google "Dr John Eadie Colne" the first few links point to a GP of roughly the right time frame. It seems the gent in question had rather dapper dress sense and a liking for fast cars.

J.

So it would seem! This seems at least probable to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although my father was too young for WW2, he did his national service in the RAF in the late forties and wrangled himself a position as an aircraft recognition instructor. It seems that he spent the best part of two years making models, watching films, writing to aircraft manufacturers for freeby advertising brochures, oh and occasionally teaching.

He still has a number of models displayed on shelves and was making them out of wood right up to the sixties. Next time I see him I'll see if I can get some photos to post here if anyone is interested.

Peter

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Solids from balsa, yellow Pine or Obeche. Dopes were cellulose Gloss. Balsa cement in tubes or you made your own by putting nitrate photo film in cellulose thinners to thicken it. There were many ranges of kits Skycraft, Skyleada, Skybirds, Chingford Model Aerodrome, Adastral. etc. Penguin made a range of part shaped balsa models, I have a Barracuda in a case at the side of me now. With a range of celluloid canopies from The Model Shop Newcastle. Punched metal props or cast ones from different companies ranges of transfers (decals) including letters. It was far from the dark ages. Plans in Aeromodeller every month or Aircraft of the Fighting Powers. You just had to work a bit more to produce your model.

John

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although my father was too young for WW2, he did his national service in the RAF in the late forties and wrangled himself a position as an aircraft recognition instructor. It seems that he spent the best part of two years making models, watching films, writing to aircraft manufacturers for freeby advertising brochures, oh and occasionally teaching.

He still has a number of models displayed on shelves and was making them out of wood right up to the sixties. Next time I see him I'll see if I can get some photos to post here if anyone is interested.

Peter

Sure! Would love to see more of that.

Cheers,

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although my father was too young for WW2, he did his national service in the RAF in the late forties and wrangled himself a position as an aircraft recognition instructor. It seems that he spent the best part of two years making models, watching films, writing to aircraft manufacturers for freeby advertising brochures, oh and occasionally teaching.

He still has a number of models displayed on shelves and was making them out of wood right up to the sixties. Next time I see him I'll see if I can get some photos to post here if anyone is interested.

Peter

I'd like to see those too, Peter, thanks :)

Cheers,

Stew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

A lovely collection of such beautiful models! This gentleman definitely had great skills! He was a man truly deserving of the title of "Master Modeler". I'd love to see the rest of his collection, too. John Aero, thanks for the bit of history of what they had to make their models. It does appear that modelers had a good selection of materials to build, and finish their models. Just more work to achieve the end product. Maybe we complain a bit too much when we talk about the kits available today? Procopius, where did you find the photo? Hurricane Rosie, tell us more about you dad, please.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember seeing a similar collection some years ago , also made by a serving RAF airman , they were carved from solid wood with canopies carved from solid pieces of perspex from real aircraft canopies. Paints came from RAF stocks and could therefore be considered authentic. I often wonder where these models are today.

 

Andrew

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi 

   Nice link :)

    Ideal work  for him getting the colours correct 

 

    just go to stores or the paint shop

 

   and for accuracy the dispersal bays 

 

  cheers

     jerry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favourite wooden kits in the war years were made by a firm called Airyda . They were in ramin , an almost knot free medium hardness

wood . All carpenters know it well . Many kit makers , including Frog,often included glass tubes about two inches long with a cork in

either end containing real dope ! , it didn`t have a long shelf life .

I built a couple of the Penguin Spit 12s (which were not Bakelite ) and have still got the instruction sheet . I remember their Mosquito 6

with the oval rockets and a canopy so thick it would have withstood a hit from a Flak 88 . The only cockpit detail was a little plastic bucket

seat on the end of a stem which was cut to length to suit the particular model . There was a firm that put out a short transfer sheet

with about five instrument panels on . All the Penquin models had retractable undercarts , though rather rickerty , but the Mossie

and P38 Lightning didn`t have u/c doors ! . Just think what that firm started .

I built the Frog wooden kits of the Beau and Wellington but can`t remember which wood they used , but do remember they included

the dope and plastic props from the Penquins , but it wasn`t balsa .

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...