Jump to content

Tears were once my only way back home (1/72 Eduard Spitfire IXs)


Recommended Posts

On 1/9/2017 at 10:20 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

A typically thoughtful Procopian intro.  I was brought up near Newark (Notts, not New Jersey), which had and still has a large Polish community, mostly because the Polish Parachute Brigade (wot dropped at Arnhem) was based around there for much of the war.  An evening at a Polish ex-Serviceman's Club is an experience everyone should have at least once.  Mad, wonderful, passionate, deranged heroes.  

 

Likewise, where I grew up Polish people were a constant part of the background. So many school friends had relatives who had served and has stories to tell.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Tomoshenko said:

Watching and reading intently. Not so keen on that aileron and wing tip malarkey though, but useful heads up. Bring on the gloop!

 

Yeah, I see why they did it, but (speaking from my armchair with no knowledge of tooling processes) it seems like making the carbuerator, postwar wheel bulges and cannon bulges separate parts with skinned-over holes in the wing surface, they could have ended up with the same number of wing toolings (VIII, IXe, IXc, IXe clipped) with far less fiddiliness. Oh, and no separate ailerons. So frickin' dumb. 

 

1 hour ago, Tomoshenko said:

Yes I like the idea. We just have to keep you in Spitfires and modelling material. I'm sure we can set up a benefit gig, hopefully we'll get a few big names along. Happy to donate some vintage tins of Humbrol enamels...

 

I like where this is heading. I just grabbed two late-wing XVI overtrees. Anything for the Union.

 

On 1/9/2017 at 4:20 AM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

A typically thoughtful Procopian intro.  I was brought up near Newark (Notts, not New Jersey), which had and still has a large Polish community, mostly because the Polish Parachute Brigade (wot dropped at Arnhem) was based around there for much of the war.  An evening at a Polish ex-Serviceman's Club is an experience everyone should have at least once.  Mad, wonderful, passionate, deranged heroes.  

 

41 minutes ago, Mitch K said:

Likewise, where I grew up Polish people were a constant part of the background. So many school friends had relatives who had served and has stories to tell.

 

I very briefly dated (and I'm sorry to say treated very badly) a young woman of Polish descent who'd been a schoolfriend when I was twenty. Her Polish grandparents had both been slaves of the Nazis during the war -- her grandmother worked for Volkswagen. It was interesting to hear their stories, especially as that was the same year I interviewed an unrepentant former officer of the Waffen-SS's Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler. Quite a bit of contrast between one of the enemies of humanity and some of the people they'd worked so hard to erase. 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, rob85 said:

Sorry.... you interviewed an SS officer?? I feel I have not done enough with my life...

 

 

Yes, he was the father of one of my mother's best friends. Certainly the most evil man I've ever met.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Procopius said:

 

Yes, he was the father of one of my mother's best friends. Certainly the most evil man I've ever met.

 

I wouldn't describe myself as particularly soft, and indeed around the day job office I am constantly looking for something or someone to take the mickey out of. I do also enjoy laughing at mild misfortune (like people falling over with a wheelbarrows and emptying dirt over their heads etc - general slapstick humour).

 

I must say though that I find people with a lack of empathy very disturbing and I simply don't like being in around them. I also have to discipline myself to hold my tongue, and professionally have a reputation of not hiding my disposition when I believe someone is in the wrong. I don't tend to jump around shouting and punching people - it is an office afterall, but I struggle to just listen to very twisted views without feeling compelled to make an argument against them.

 

I honestly do not think myself capable of interviewing an individual such as you describe. To just ask questions and listen to the evil coming out of his mouth without reacting badly must take extraordinary discipline.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, SovereignHobbies said:

I honestly do not think myself capable of interviewing an individual such as you describe. To just ask questions and listen to the evil coming out of his mouth without reacting badly must take extraordinary discipline.

 

Well, the interview was over the phone (though I subsequently met him later in person when cleaning his daughter's poolhouse for some summer cash), so I'm sure that helped. There was a moment where he was describing the time he was shot by a Russian sniper while getting out of his StuG (the sniper apparently'd tied himself up in a tree and waited and waited quite some time for a German officer to come by) where my mind flashed back to Michael Palin's best line from A Fish Called Wanda:

 

 

He was personally quite jovial, I should add, a very cheerful fellow. He talked about eating with Hitler (the LSSAH, being his praetorians, sometimes messed with him), whom he liked and admired greatly, and meeting Himmler (who he didn't like), and Joachim Peiper, who he served under in Normandy and respected immensely. He was with Kommando Skorzeny during the Battle of the Bulge because of his faculty with English. He blamed the Poles for resisting and provoking Germany, all as part of the Polish masterplan to kill 20% of their prewar population over six years of occupation, presumably. 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if the latest revelations trickling out to the press have anything to do with my Spitfire builds, but what a golden moment this is. I simply must keep building Spitfires.

 

My new compressor came, though I'm still waiting on a pressure regulator/water trap combo to set it up. Winston for scale.

 

31427170983_5677d9dc4a_h.jpg2017-01-10_05-58-58 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

With a mighty effort, the little fella managed to push it around, by the handle, not too shabby considering it weighs more than he does. He's getting so big!

 

32240763485_8209c4beed_h.jpg20170110_184637 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

Tonight I mostly did clean up (and I had a lot of time to do it, because I got snippy with Mrs P for letting her birds out to crap all over the house the night before a showing and she's not speaking to me now) on the seams. As everyone expected, the cowling loses pretty much all detail:

 

32202633266_3471c88d36_h.jpg20170110_221634 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

Look ma, no rivets! Such a transparent attempt to sell resin ones. Well, it's working.

 

The spine:

 

32240758685_44818d5f90_h.jpg20170110_215851 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

Incidentally, pace Modelglue, rivet detail is stupid in 1/72 and most other scales.

 

See a lot of rivets here, do you?

 

Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_IX_-Indianapolis

 

A few, sure, but they're barely visible, not hugely prominent across every panel.

 

I'm fixing some of the inevitable-with-me gluey fingerprints on the underside of the early wing Spit.

 

31430683633_fbbaf07e0e_h.jpg20170110_220847 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

Some work on the wing:

 

32202633926_8e075eba55_h.jpg20170110_215840 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY, EDUARRRRRRRD!

 

31430686033_2784c6431d_h.jpg20170110_215848 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

32240760935_12edefc140_h.jpg20170110_215835 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

32240761955_6fba07f676_h.jpg20170110_215828 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

31430687593_c80837796e_h.jpg20170110_215826 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

This is in general a well-designed kit. Much of the fit is excellent, if not amazing. But it was sheer hubris of them to think this was (1) an elegant solution that (2) was in their power to execute well. It's been done in a mediocre fashion well below the standard of the rest of the kit -- and maybe the separate wingtips can only ever be executed in a mediocre fashion with current technology. 

 

Slight spill of Mr Surfacer 1200 while doing something else, hoping it flattens down as it dries.

 

32240762405_6a60322609_h.jpg20170110_215812 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I would have slugged that SS moodahk (bad word in Russian). At any rate, gluey fingerprints on models! I don't think a model has been well and truly built until I do that. I'm sure I did it on my first model (Airfix's first attempt at a Ju-87B kit - it got the job it deserved), and I've done it on my latest (Airfix Beaufighter TF.X). The only difference between when I first built models and now is that now I labouriously sand the fingerprints out, whilst in my youthful ignorance I left them as a sort of trademark, like Van Gogh's brush work. "Ah yes, just look at those powerful, random, muddy brushstrokes and the gluey fingerprints, surely this must be a 'Moore' model."

 

Regards,

 

Jason

Edited by Learstang
Disambiguation.
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow PC, that new compressor looks great, a real piece of equipment. It's encouraging that Winnie has taken to it already, you'll have him on the bench soon :)

 

I agree with you on the kit problems and thanks for sharing the details with the crowd. I reduced the amount of detail loss on the nose by using my Fritag-inspired seam scraper thing but I had the same problems with the wing tips (where you need to choose from continuous panel lines or outside profile) and you've done a much better job on the ailerons.

 

Fun still to come are the coolers - the PE was too wide on my underwing ones and I had to cut slots on the inside of the side parts to get a good join. The two part under-fuselage intake was also a pain. I also think the instructions for the vent flap positions are 'reversed' so have a dry fit first.

 

All that said it is a nice model and you're doing a great job! HTH.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That looks good so so far and an impressive compressor. You could paint your car with that. For that german person or little zombie, I believe I would have stopped the call very quickly by insulting him as scum or so. And  I think I would have put up a fight, if I had met him. Ok, killing a sniper at war is one thing and happend on all sides, but being at Hitlers Leibstandarte is an enormous other thing. That's a hardcorce Nazi division, like the SS Totenkopfsquadron, who enjoyed killing innocent or helpless people or smashing children against walls. And I don't like jovial people  at all. They want to make you feel being friends and together better than others by knocking or touching your shoulder.  And I'm really not suprised, that he got often in conflict with Hitler as Hitler was a degenerated pschopath. I was told he had bitten in a carpet in rage, when he lost a strategic battle. I'm not sure, if that's true. But surely he was a person you cannot come along with for a long time. No doubt about that. At least I hate these kind of people for a personal reason. They caused the reason, why people at my age were called Nazis on their holidays, when they just opened their mouths to speak german. Not so nice. It happened to me twice in the Netherlands and in England while getting something to eat. But that was mostly in the 80-90th. Not today anymore. Cheers and keep on fine modelling.

Edited by bbudde
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Cookenbacher said:

Where do you order Colourcoats in the States? That Azure blue looks amazing.

 

I get them from two places:

 

http://www.ebay.com/usr/warshiphobbies?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2754

 

http://www.hbhobbies.com/

 

The ebay store is dilly-dallying on my current order, so go with HBH over them when possible.

 

10 hours ago, CedB said:

I agree with you on the kit problems and thanks for sharing the details with the crowd. I reduced the amount of detail loss on the nose by using my Fritag-inspired seam scraper thing but I had the same problems with the wing tips (where you need to choose from continuous panel lines or outside profile) and you've done a much better job on the ailerons.

 

Fun still to come are the coolers - the PE was too wide on my underwing ones and I had to cut slots on the inside of the side parts to get a good join. The two part under-fuselage intake was also a pain. I also think the instructions for the vent flap positions are 'reversed' so have a dry fit first.

 

Thank you, Ced! I can't believe how quickly I forgot all your hard-learned lessons.

 

13 hours ago, Learstang said:

I think I would have slugged that SS moodahk (bad word in Russian).

 

7 hours ago, bbudde said:

For that german person or little zombie, I believe I would have stopped the call very quickly by insulting him as scum or so. And  I think I would have put up a fight, if I had met him.

 

I don't mean to call you out, gentlemen, but I did feel this was a good time for an observation, which is that it's much easier to say what we might do in a situation than to do it. I dislike violence, and unnecessary violence is worse. What cause would be served by hitting an old man? Would the Allies have won the war a little more? And here I'm being a hypocrite, because I have little problem with the postwar murder -- or belated execution -- of Joachim Peiper in the 1970s, so my opinion may freely be disregarded.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, if you're going to mention the rivets,

then it's probably best not to overlook the

divots that are supposed to represent the

positions of screwheads, on, for instance,

the gunbay panels.

I may be wrong but shouldn't they be flush?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For my time, I can call it scum, if not neccessary to do this. For you, at your age  it could be very wise to interview him to get an overview for that "what should I call that" after 75 years.  I don't know, how I can feel compassion for those, who robbed my father's father at the east front when he was 7 and nearly killing my other grandpa, while putting some jews over the border to Holland by a motorcycle just before the Netherlands were attacked. As you can see, I have nothing to feel about them, but getting them away, not even a talk. We moved on in history.In Germany there was just a trial against a person, who was inspector at the Ausschwitz ramps. He was sentenced for a life long with over 80 or 90. It's ok for me! No one ask me, how i feel , when I'm called a Nazi with up to 45 just because I speak german. I can live with that, but nevertheless I have no mercy for such motherf*****s in that position. Cheers Benedikt

Edited by bbudde
  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A proper riveting build (pun intended). No seriously, as per scale you would hardly see any of em, and that goes for a number of the panel lines too. However, the gripe I have would be one of principle in that the nose cowling engineering configuration appears to be a shameless blag to sell the seamless resin aftermarket version. I spose at the end of the day you did the right thing in sanding it smooth and being damned with the detail and consumer pressure. Keep building Spitfires.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be honest, PC, despite my love for warplanes and war history, I'm quite the pacifist and a decidedly non-violent person (I'll actually step around ants on the sidewalk rather than accidentally trod upon one). I'm certain I would not have hit that old SS so-and-so. I was really just expressing what would have been my desire, albeit an unfulfilled one. If face to face with him, I probably would have just muttered something, then walked away. As you say, little would have been served by visiting violence on an old man, no matter how well-deserved it might be. At any rate, back to the Spitfires! Urrah!

 

Regards,

 

Jason

Edited by Learstang
Edited to remove inappropriate word.
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A brief digression, as I've received one of those flimsy folding photobooths.

 

30 inches by 30 inches is a bit bigger than I expected:

 

31417479554_5af3073808_h.jpg20170111_212252 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

And I should probably iron the backdrop and really figure out how I want to do things with it. It was $40 for the cube and the lights on Amazon, though, so I figured nothing ventured etc.

 

31448718873_eb805ce524_h.jpg20170111_212346 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

32139469601_6317e044b6_h.jpg20170111_212747 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

31417473614_20cb87489f_h.jpg20170111_213235 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

32258746045_e86c6cb814_h.jpg20170111_213243 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

Armed with one of these and a feckless willingness to adjust your white balance, and a low-level understanding of Photoshop, YOU TOO can become a master modeller on the internet.

 

31417472534_6dfef8362f_h.jpg20170111_213535 by Edward IX, on Flickr

 

 

  • Like 22
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...