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Airfix Walrus. Irish Air Corps


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This is my Airfix 1/48th scale finished in Irish Air Corps markings. I found the kit to be very well engineered and particularly strong when assembled. The plastic is somewhat soft and tolerances are quite tight so a bit of fettling of the mating surfaces was required. I used the Eduard interior set, some of the exterior set too, particularly the engine parts, tie down eyes and the control surface linkages and the Brassin wheels set. Although I believe guns were never carried by IAC Walrus's I added them anyway using artistic licence.

Rigging is a mixture of EZ line, Wingnuts rigging elastic, USCHI and rolled wire. Decals are of course from Max.

Thanks for looking. 

 

26132215959_faecbd5735_b.jpgIMG_2776 by Keith Sherwood, on Flickr

 

37908344571_7aa6263e86_b.jpgIMG_2778 by Keith Sherwood, on Flickr

 

37198810094_21043584eb_b.jpgIMG_2784 by Keith Sherwood, on Flickr

 

37908354281_41d16070c1_b.jpgIMG_2779 by Keith Sherwood, on Flickr

 

26132238169_dbcab328bc_b.jpgIMG_2782 by Keith Sherwood, on Flickr

 

 

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I see Airfix is still telling modellers to paint the central gear casings on Bristol radial engines No. 53 Gunmetal. This is wrong! the colour should be No. 85 Coal Black Satin.

 

 

Chris

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6 hours ago, dogsbody said:

I see Airfix is still telling modellers to paint the central gear casings on Bristol radial engines No. 53 Gunmetal. This is wrong! the colour should be No. 85 Coal Black Satin.

 

 

Chris

Thanks, Chris, now corrected.

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a beautiful looking Walrus - very well done to you.

 

I'm sure this will be a top seller for Airfix - I had a sniff through the contents of the box at Abingdons clubs show and was impressed with the well thought out kit and attention to internal detail - you have made a great model with the added luxuries you invested in.

 

It wont be long before these new kits start being seen afloat on sea themed dioramas  

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18 hours ago, keithjs said:

This is my Airfix 1/48th scale finished in Irish Air Corps markings. Although I believe guns were never carried by IAC Walrus's I added them anyway using artistic licence.

Very nice build. I think you might be OK on the guns. At one point during the war an Air Corps pilot and two others stole a Walrus, in an attempt make their way to France and join the Luftwaffe, bizarrely. They made it to St Eval where they were arrested and sent back. But one detail I read somewhere was that an armourer at St Eval who on seeing the poor condition of the Vickers on the Walrus replaced it with one in better condition. Typically I can't find the reference at the moment but it would seem to indicate there was at least one machine gun on board. 

As a footnote the pilot in question after serving time for desertion and being kicked out of the Air Corps made his way to England and this time joined the good guys, supposedly becoming a Spitfire pilot in the RAF. 

The Walrus is also supposedly the same one now preserved at the Fleet Air Arm Museum.

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Thanks for that Noel. I had heard part of that story before and I think you'll find the aircraft in question was N18. This was also the one that ended up at Haddenham airfield as G-AIZG and is, as you rightly say the one that's now in the FAA museum. My one (N20) crashed on 9th September 1942 and was written off.  The 3rd one (N19) crashed just after delivery. 

Photos can be found in Donal MacCarron's book Wings over Ireland.

Again, thanks for your interest.

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