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Haynes manuals for modelling


maltadefender

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Hi all,

I've seen some thoughts for and against how useful Haynes manuals are for modellers. Has anyone tried the new Sopwith Camel book, and is there anything specific that you would want to see in a future manual?

All thoughts welcome...

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..funny you ask that. Was stood in my local emporium just the other day with the Haynes Blenheim manual in one hand and the Valiant Wings 'Airframe album' for the Blenheim in the other. In the end I put the Haynes back on the shelf - it was more expensive (modellers don't need hardbacks), had fewer pictures and no manual drawings (that I could see) and while the Haynes had a lot more text, that text wasn't specifically orientated around the pictures. Overall while the Haynes book was probably the more attractive product, it wasn't the best book for my requirements. Even the owner commented that if I was wrestling with the Airfix Blenheim (I am, two of them) then the Valiant Wings book was the best buy! That said I've got a few of the Haynes manuals- Ian Black's F-4 volume in the series is essential..

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Yes hardbacks are problematic aren't they? And a lot of subjects have got fairly authoritative modelling guides already. But on one side far fewer people are going to restore or recreate a 1:1 aircraft than will model it. I know that the manuals are hardly exhaustive in the preparation of engines and airframes but still... they need to look and feel a bit manual-ish don't they?!

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Well, my first addition to the series is done and dusted: Ferrari 312T series (1975-80, all models). Next up, though, is the one that I really, really wanted to get so I'm delighted to say that work is underway on the S.E.5 (1917-20, all models).

Any thoughts and requests gratefully received. At present, as I said before, I'm working on the basis that there won't be any readers actually planning to restore one and that a lot of potential readers already have a decent stock of books. So while there will be a lot of the sort of content that you would expect from Haynes on the 1:1 aircraft, there will be a chapter on modelling, too. And other things. Can't wait to see how it all comes out.

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I have a rather exhaustive collection of reference material on the Camel, Internet photos, magazine back issues, Chaz Bowyer's book, etc., but I still bought the Haynes manual as soon as it came out. Nice book, great photos, not much in it I hadn't already learned about the Camel but I still would have bought a copy. A chapter on modelling would have been useful: 3 views, available kits, colour samples, and so on and might have helped shift a few more copies. An SE5 manual sounds interesting and will probably have broad appeal. I would, however, like to see a manual on the early U-2, my current obsession. Doubt that's in the pipeline, though.

Cheers,

DMC

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Well I hope that the Ferrari book tickles your fancy, ozo. There's some dynamite stuff in there from team members on the 1976 season in particular that I'd never heard before.

With the S.E.5 it's all been fun so far. The first challenge has been trying to write an interesting type history that doesn't read like the many books that have come before, whilst being accurate and pertinent. It's a reminder that having a particular interest in an aircraft or period is so heavily dependent upon the quality of information and the way it is written - and in that the S.E.5 has been very well served by some extremely diligent and entertaining authors until now. Hopefully I won't drop the ball on that front (no pun intended!)

That part is just about done. The remainder of the content depends upon input from expert restorers, display pilots and original documentation. Again, we're pretty well stocked for expert contributors and I'm not losing sleep over what they can bring to turn ribs, spars and magnetos into strong copy!

I've been unearthing some rather nice photos that I've never seen before. Aerial photos of all the factories in which the type was built for one thing and some extraordinarily photogenic young Brummie girls building S.E.s at the Austin works... one senses the hand of Lloyd George's press bureau at work, selecting only the most winsome seamstresses to be recorded for posterity, but the resulting images are fantastic.

Also, I completed a lifetime's ambition in meeting Derek Robinson and interviewing him about the writing of Goshawk Squadron as the focal point of a thoroughly brilliant afternoon spent yarning about books, flying and all matters in between. They say you should never meet your heroes for fear of disappointment... this one delivered. And then some! I think that this piece will go into a chapter dedicated to the S.E.5 in films, books and modelling - how to appreciate the S.E.5 in your own home, sort of thing. We'll see!

More as and when...

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  • 4 weeks later...

So apparently no two versions of Indra Lal Roy's life are the same. Depending upon which account you read, he was born variously in 1892, 1898 and 1899, he either went to Balliol or didn't and what the heck he was up to during his service is a mystery apart from the last two-and-a-half weeks.

He didn't go to Balliol, by the way. That was Malik, the Camel pilot. And it looks like 1898 is the lucky number.

I'm not doing all the 'aces' but one or two deserve a bit of attention - or at least clarity, where a combination of factors have obscured things.

Soon be on to the actual construction and maintenance content.

Is anyone else here either going to Shuttleworth this weekend or Stow Maries next month?

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  • 1 month later...

I've some titles in the series and I'd advice to a modeller without hesitation. In my experience I found more useful the ones related to planes always full of details. For the armour and wheels vehicle not so interesting but I have only the Churchill and jeep volumes. Not enough to issue a final verdict, I'll buy other tank titles without hesitation.

Unfortunately non of them trating wwI subjects. For these ones I search before purchasing anything the Windsock datafiles http://www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk/datafiles-10-c.asp.

Maybe the main problem with Haynes is that they usually ar missing of scale drawings so they are mainly precious for the details of the interiors

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These Haynes manuals generally have some good info. Some of them seem to stretch what's available to suit the format though.

I didn't like the Eurofighter Typhoon one though. Too much like an RAF and manufacturer's advertising puff. It's too up to date to get proper perspective.

Edited by malpaso
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Progress report:

I've now visited five of the factories that built the S.E.5 - Vickers Weybridge, Vickers Crayford, Martinsyde Woking, Bleriot Addlestone and R.A.F. at Farnborough. Taken some 'now' pics to put with aerial photos of the factories in their heyday. Next trip will be to the Midlands to capture the Austin and Wolseley sites.

So far only Crayford offered up anything resembling a WW1-period aircraft factory. It's now a retail park but behind the modern buildings it's a nice old grubby industrial area and one building was clearly of the right period and had the 'sawtooth' roof that so many aircraft factories had. The rest are mainly glass and steel office blocks or out-of-town retail parks. Looking at Longbridge it seems that all the aircraft factory buildings have been pulled down for redevelopment but I have high hopes for Wolseley in Adderley Park.

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I've also taken photos of key locations in London (Hotel Cecil - home of the Air Board - the War Office, the Home Defence offices at the Admiralty, the RFC Club and the RFC/RAF Memorial). And finally I've photographed key British airfields in the S.E.5 story as they are today: Farnborough, Joyce Green, London Colney, Bekesbourne, Gosport and Stow Maries.

The two events I've been two so far haven't really worked. The pre-dawn photoshoot at Shuttleworth was a bit ho-hum. I've taken better pictures of F-904 on a public day. The re-eneactors that were laid on were somewhat less than convincing, and the smoke machine employed to create early morning mist was a bit farcical.

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Stow Maries was a real eye-opener in terms of what's there, how well restored the active buildings are and how much more there is to come. The re-enactors were much better. I'm still not convinced about re-enactors generally but it was a lovely evening event with plenty of flying - but the advertised S.E.5a replica was a no-show! I got some cracking photos of the B.E.2 and Sopwith Snipe but doubt that either will feature in the book.

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Of course all of this will only take up a fraction of the book as background. I'm hoping to do the factories as a complete section but the airfields will probably just go into the appendices.

Of rather more importance to the content is what's going on with the Gosport heritage group, who are helping with the pilot training section, the RAE who have got Folland's notebooks and drawings, Shuttleworth and TVAL with the actual maintenance, restoration and flying sections and the surviving airframes in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and so on.

The interview with Derek Robinson about how he came to write Goshawk Squadron is done. I've got several artists ready to talk about depicting the aircraft and Wingnut Wings are primed and ready to talk about modelling the Hisso. There are probably a few things that I've missed out from what's going on towards the book as it's quite hard to keep track of. In general it's all going pretty well - and the note on scale plans is duly filed. I will see what we can do on that front and hopefully there will be enough in the finished product that hasn't already been covered in previous S.E.5 books to make it worthwhile.

Meanwhile, here's a pic of the Snipe firing up at Stow Maries because it's such a lovely thing.

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Edited by maltadefender
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  • 5 months later...

Apologies for the lack of updates but the summer got rather busy with my day job and then from the end of August to now it's been flat out getting the book where it needs to be.

 

There was an additional week's delay because there is now another S.E.5 in the air - or to be exact an Eberhart SE-5E. This is the former Patrick Lindsay-owned machine that was operated by Mark Hanna for a while in the early Nineties. It's now back in Britain and had its maiden flight after restoration last Friday, ready for a busy 2017 airshow season.

 

Ultimately I'm delighted. There should be plenty of new and period photos not seen before, plenty of 'then and now' with airfields and factories etc. plus some fun stuff in the interviews and (I hope!) sufficient focus on the joys of modelling.

 

Heck, there's even a cake recipe in there!

 

I think I might make a model now myself to celebrate!

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  • 1 month later...

Proof-reading is almost done and one or two stray pictures being chased. It's been a wonderful experience, not least because the S.E.5 population has increased by two since I started it: the return to the skies of Eberhart SE-5E G-BLXT in the care of Richard Grace and the restoration of an original airframe - E5668 - to static condition by The Vintage Aviator Ltd.

 

Thanks to all who've followed and to AndrewE for the use of his WNW model and photography skills!

Edited by maltadefender
Pictures not working
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I've mastered posting photos! Here are some of the pages from the proof. Thanks to all for sticking with the thread.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Many thanks, Beardie!

 

The publisher's pretty happy. In fact I've now got another one to do. Any guesses on the subject matter???

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No - would be a fun one! It's the Bristol Fighter. So plenty of post-war Empire policing as well as its wartime career. As Rob Millinship, Shuttleworth pilot, put it: The Camel's for a posthumous VC, the S.E.5 for scoring victories and the Bristol if you want to live to see peace.

 

I think that the Fokker Dr.I is going to appear before the Biff. Snipe could be quite a hard sell to the people who sign off on the budgets!

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