thorfinn Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Having firmly forbidden myself any new WNW Sopwith Camel until I had finished at least one of the old Academy kits in my stash, I did this one with a Part/Poland etch set and a home-made decal for the personal insignia. New Zealand ace Harold F. 'Kiwi' Beamish flew with No. 3 Naval (later No. 203 Sq. RAF) on the Western Front, credited with 11 victories in some 500+ hours of combat flying, most of it in Camels. He scored 4 of those victories in 'Tiki' (N6377) during the summer/autumn of 1917. Poor 'Tiki' ended up on her back following a landing accident, but Beamish apparently took the panel with his personal markings with him home to New Zealand, where it was proudly displayed on the wall of his home. New Zealand's last surviving WW1 fighter pilot, he passed away at the age of 90 in 1986. The Part p-e set provided a lovely interior, detail parts for engine and control surfaces, and lots of tiny rigging brackets (with separate attachment parts, no less) which I used with EZ-Line (and lots of CA) for the flying and landing wires. Major mods to kit parts included adding styrene-rod pushrods and brass-tube and rod spark plugs to the engine, and cutting the kit-molded 'rigging loops' from all the struts. Guns are kit breeches with the Part set's p-e jackets and faces/ringsights. Most tedious of all---but necessary---was sanding down the molded rib detail on wing and control surfaces, which looked more like corrugated sheet-metal than the fabric-over-rib surfaces we all know and love. Paints are my own mixes of Tamiya acrylics, weathered/textured with oil glazes and drybrushing. Decals are almost entirely from the old-but-sturdy kit sheet, with name and serials made up from railroad letter/number sets. Beamish's personal insignia---the golden fern leaf, iconic symbol of his beloved New Zealand---was made up from a tweaked online image of a real fern leaf, and printed on my home inkjet. Great fun, and rather an absorbing project once I got into it. Hope you enjoy the photos. 43 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 A stunning model with beautiful attention to detail. Those Vickers look great. Thanks for the back story too. I've always liked Naval aircraft from this period because of their flamboyant colour schemes. I can't help thinking that RNAS pilots must have been pretty miffed to be transferred to the RAF, if for no other reason than that were ordered to re-paint their aircraft in rather dull regulation markings and any individuality was to be removed. Still, I'm sure the 'powers that be' new best as to what was good for morale! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 33 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said: I can't help thinking that RNAS pilots must have been pretty miffed to be transferred to the RAF, if for o other reason than that were ordered to re-paint their aircraft in rather dull regulation markings and any individuality was to be removed. Still, I'm sure the 'powers that be' new best as to what was good for morale! Ah, yes, well don't they always?? Many thanks for the kind words. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Beautiful model. You've really nailed the wood effect, in fact an all round excellent job. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basuroy Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Fantastic model , love the wing paintjob ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha Delta 210 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Great work! I can't wait to see what you do with a WNW Camel! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 Thank you, gentlemen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 You`ve done a wonderful job and I love the colour scheme, plus the back story,...... thanks for sharing it with us and cannot wait to see what you do with the WNW kit, Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerrardandrews Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Brilliant made model 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazey Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 sweet as 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 That is a truly superb job on that & a great bit of info about one of my countrymen who, I'm ashamed to say, I'd never heard of. That shall be rectified with more research. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F1xena Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 It was all news to me as well Steve! Thanks for celebrating a New Zealand pilot, and showing your magnificent build so close to our ANZAC Day (25 April) when we remember those who served and sacrificed so much. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute. Cheers Tania 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 The googlesphere turns up quite a bit about him, one thing that struck me was, after being turned down for army service with a weak heart, he travelled to the UK, enlisted in the RNAS & scored 11 victories, mainly on Camels. He was on leave back in New Zealand when the war ended so stayed farming on the family farm & lived till the ripe old age of 90. Some weak heart. He sounds like he was a can do type. Steve. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountain goat Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 What an interesting and thought-provoking backstory to this magnificent subject. As magnificent is how the model turned out I might add - Makes me happy looking at it. Jay 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 More outstanding WW1 subject matter displayed,superb build and finish 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcode Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 nice work...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 (edited) 7 hours ago, F1xena said: It was all news to me as well Steve! Thanks for celebrating a New Zealand pilot, and showing your magnificent build so close to our ANZAC Day (25 April) when we remember those who served and sacrificed so much. I cannot think of a more fitting tribute. Cheers Tania Thanks to all for your lovely comments! I had actually attempted to 'get it under the wire' for ANZAC Day, but alas 'real life' intruded and I missed the mark. Having been of a generation to actually have known some of the veterans of the Great War---including my grandfather---these builds all eventually lead me back to thinking about the men more than the machines. The idea of any project being a small tribute to those hardy and dutiful souls is never far away. Thanks again, to all. Edited May 1, 2017 by thorfinn 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rholland Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Splendid model and interesting story, thank you! Richard in NZ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Great result from the Academy kit, the etch really adds to it as well. I've heard that it is a pretty good kit, though I have not seen one, and you have certainly got a lovely result fro it. Cheers John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorfinn Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 1 hour ago, Viking said: Great result from the Academy kit, the etch really adds to it as well. I've heard that it is a pretty good kit, though I have not seen one, and you have certainly got a lovely result fro it. Cheers John Thanks. The Academy kit is basic, but not horrid---soft detail and some flash and such, plus some things that are just odd...like a tailskid that looks like a (large) truck's rear-view mirror, and instructions that direct you to install the guns upside-down. Worst is the 'corrugated' wing ribs, but an hour with some sandpaper resolved that rather nicely. The rest is just adding the detail one fancies---but the Part p-e set is grand, and really adds a lot. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Ford Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Wow, great model and what a great thread. Love the head on shot, machine guns staring me in the face. Congratulations on a great build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldwin8 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Great precise workmanship. It's not the name on the box, it's what you do with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod bettencourt Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Great job!! Thanks for sharing. Rod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darby Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 That my dear chap is delightful example of an RNAS subject. The PE and dorsal fern are lovely indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangor Lad Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 What a gorgeous build. Simply superb! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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