Airfix DH88 Comet

[sanguin]

For those of you able to pay rather more than Airfix prices, may I suggest a look at the Heritage Aviation kits?

They do Grosvenor House in 1/72nd and both Grosvenor House and Black Magic in 1/48th.

Their site is here: http://www.heritageaviationmodelsltd.com/

I must confess that I have bought neither, but they do look very nice and they are available.....

For the Francophiles in our midst, Aeroplane magazine did a two part feature on the French trials of the DH 88 for mail flights.

November 2009 and September 2010 are the relevant issues, a fascinating exploration of one of those murky aviation byways by Philippe Ricco.

Makes a change from the red, black and green racers that we know so well.

Mind you, sort of mini-Mosquito version would be nice in camouflage, too.....

Unarmed, of course, I suspect the recoil of a gun would probably cause self destruction!

John

[stevehnz]

Oh, lots.

There were 5 machines built, 3 of which were entered in the MacRobertson race (Grosvenor House, Black Magic, and the unofficially named green 'un). They wore a variety of colour schemes afterward, too. I have a book written by a subsequent owner of G-ACSS, and it has some interesting photos (all b&w) of later schemes worn by this one, including RAF markings and serial.

Obi-Jiff

Obi Jiff, what book is that? Does it have any decent pics of G-ACSS as Australian Anniversary? It might be one I should try & track down.

Steve.

[crookedmouth]

For those of you able to pay rather more than Airfix prices, may I suggest a look at the Heritage Aviation kits?

They do Grosvenor House in 1/72nd and both Grosvenor House and Black Magic in 1/48th.

Their site is here: http://www.heritageaviationmodelsltd.com/

I must confess that I have bought neither, but they do look very nice and they are available.....

John

I did see that but I don't have any experience of HA or resin kits. I can't tell from the pictures, byt what sort of surface detail (panels etc) are they likely to have? Would they require much more work than just gluing & painting?

[Madmonk]

Crooked,

Resin kits usually have as good surface details as plastic but do need a lot more work, mainly due to the casting plugs that tend to be left on. Also they tend to be a lot heavier.

[dylan the rabbit]

Not having seen this kit in the flesh,

How basic is the crew compartment?

How hard would it be to cut out the necessary bits to put in a resin tub?

Would it be worthwhile to a resin maker to do the cockpit?

Lovely airplane.

I must have one!

There is no crew compartment on the Airfix kit. Just a couple of bobbles on the fuselage to represent the pilots, and that's it.. I cut them off mine, sanded it flat, and painted it black. Simple!

(Still not finished the undercarriage covers yet!)

Nick

[andrewfl290]

As it is a wooden racing aeroplane it will have a very smooth surface so not too much in the way of panel line detail etc. I have the Aerotech 1/32 one and apart from cooling louvres and a few access panels that's about it.

Andrew

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Obi Jiff, what book is that? Does it have any decent pics of G-ACSS as Australian Anniversary? It might be one I should try & track down.

Steve.

I can't remember the title or the author off-hand! Age catches up with us all... It's a 1950s paperback, covering the author's life as a pilot (he was a New Zealander who became an RAF test pilot in the 30s and 40s), but I'll have a look for it over the weekend and let you know.

Obi-Jiff

[stevehnz]

Obi Jiff, that sounds rather like "Dangerous Skies" by Arthur Clouston, the pilot of Australia Anniversary that I mentioned in my previous post. I've got both paper & hard back but don't recall any good pics of G-ACSS in it, least not that show paint schemes, guess I better dig it out & have another look. I've been prowling the net & picked up a bit of info. My take is it was pale grey with blue flashes/trim. Not a particlarly dark blue either by the look of it. It carried Castrol logos on the engine cowls, port one anyhows. Wonder what colour those would be, green?

I can certainly recommend "Dangerous Skies" as a read, one of the best aviation books from that era.

Dylan, have a squizzey on google for G-ACSS, those inner wheel hubs are all wrong, yours & some others I've seen on different sites, they should be the same as the outside. Other than that its a nice looking build & decapitating the pilots seems to work very well.

Steve.

Edited October 1, 2010 by stevehnz

[marty_hopkirk]

As it is a wooden racing aeroplane it will have a very smooth surface so not too much in the way of panel line detail etc. I have the Aerotech 1/32 one and apart from cooling louvres and a few access panels that's about it.

Andrew

I too have the Aerotech kit - it is a masterclass in resin engineering. Despite it's size it is a top notch 'entry level' resin kit, for those that have not made a resin kit before. It has rubber tyres, fanatastic white metal and decals are bordering on art and have options for: Black Magic, 'Green 'Un and Grosvenor House (the Black Magic option is particularly nice, being in gold leaf) If one wants one, I think Marsh Models are down to their last half dozen.

Is the Whirlybird and Heritage quarter scale kits, one the same? Both the Airfix and Frog kits have issues but on basic outline the Frog one is the better.

Marty...

Edited October 2, 2010 by marty_hopkirk

[andrewfl290]

I too have the Aerotech kit - it is a masterclass in resin engineering. Despite it's size it is a top notch 'entry level' resin kit, for those that have not made a resin kit before. It has rubber tyres, fanatastic white metal and decals are bordering on art and have options for: Black Magic, 'Green 'Un and Grosvenor House (the Black Magic option is particularly nice, being in gold leaf) If one wants one, I think Marsh Models are down to their last half dozen.

Is the Whirlybird and Heritage quarter scale kits, one the same? Both the Airfix and Frog kits have issues but on basic outline the Frog one is the better.

Marty...

Mine is 148 of 150 and I've had for for about 12 months. Has to be Black Magic, don't know why but just has. Lovely kit and because of this thread it is now on the workbench.

Such an iconic aeroplane I don't want to build it and yet I do.......aargh!!

Andrew

[marty_hopkirk]

Mine is 148 of 150 and I've had for for about 12 months. Has to be Black Magic, don't know why but just has. Lovely kit and because of this thread it is now on the workbench.

Such an iconic aeroplane I don't want to build it and yet I do.......aargh!!

Andrew

Me too...

I have a low number, without digging it out I can't say what it is, below 50 from memory. I have the same thoughts as you - it's a brilliant kit of an iconic machine, almost too good to start. Mine won't get started for a while as I have need to finish what I have started first.

Yes, not much thinking required - it has to be Black Magic.

Marty...

Edited October 3, 2010 by marty_hopkirk

[Andy Mullen]

Looking forward to this re-release, as I need some more to replace my previous three builds, which were damaged during house moves.

I also have an Aerotech DH88 (#8 of 150) which will stay in my stash for a wee while longer.

[martin b]

If someone did a set with resin cockpit, vacform canopy, and white metal or resin props and undercart, I would be very happy.

Obi-Jiff

WHIRLYBIRD DO A RESIN COCKPIT AND VAC FORM CANOPY SET

THEY ALSO DO ALL THE DECALS FOR THE FRENCH,PORTUGESE,AND MILITARY K5084

[Madmonk]

This thread seems to have generated a lot of interest in the plane but my initial question still remains unanswered, does anyone know when it is due for release.

Some of the models shown are very good, with the number of contributors to the thread are we edging towards a GB or even a one kit themed build?

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Obi Jiff, that sounds rather like "Dangerous Skies" by Arthur Clouston, the pilot of Australia Anniversary that I mentioned in my previous post. I've got both paper & hard back but don't recall any good pics of G-ACSS in it, least not that show paint schemes

I found the book over the weekend, and it is that very one. The photos that I remember seeing aren't in the book at all! There are a couple of photos, but not much, and none of the Comet in RAF markings, which begs the question: where did I see those photos?

Obi-Jiff

[stevehnz]

You'll be sure to let us know when you remember I hope.

Steve.

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

You'll be sure to let us know when you remember I hope.

Steve.

When I do remember, I'll probably have forgotten this thread!

Obi-Jiff

[Neil Lambess]

When I do remember, I'll probably have forgotten this thread!

Obi-Jiff

Im hoping that the extended release delay for the airfix kit is a sign that they are doing some tool mods ala the F-27 , its now coming with Black Magic decals and i believe RAF as well as Grosvenor house.... (ive read it somewhere) so maybe a cockpit interior and a few tweaks?

heres hoping

[andrewfl290]

I found the book over the weekend, and it is that very one. The photos that I remember seeing aren't in the book at all! There are a couple of photos, but not much, and none of the Comet in RAF markings, which begs the question: where did I see those photos?

Obi-Jiff

Was it in "Dh 88 The Story of De Havilland's Racing Comets" by David Ogilvy?

G-ACSS is pictured in RAF markings as K-5084. The last picture of the 3 is after its final landing in the hands of the RAF when it suffered undercarriage problems and was damaged.

Andrew

Edited October 5, 2010 by andrewfl290

[Cometracer]

Hi,

I'm told the Airfix DH88 is supposed to be released this month, October. Having said that, I've just received the Airfix Club newsletter and there is no mention of the kit in it. That saddened me, as I am partial to the aircraft.

There has been some discussion as to the kits available and in injected plastic there are three: Airfix in 1957, Triang in 1962 and Kelloggs in 1976. Of the three the most elusive is the Kelloggs kit, and as fate would have it, despite it being a snap together kit, it is probably the best representation with the Triang (FROG, Airlines, NOVO, Tashigrushka) kit being a close second.

All told, there were probably 15 liveries on the five machines produced by deHavilland. The most elusive is the French military livery for which only half of the matricule is known. Between Ogilvy's book on the DH88 and magazine articles over the years, British and French, there is a multitude of good information about them.

We at the Mildenhall and District Museum have been working with Hornby over the past two years in the hope of getting the Comet kit re-released. We had hoped to have it for the 75th anniversary of the Centenary Air Race (2009), but a year later is fine. I welcome the re-release and hope is does come out this month.

Tommy Atkins produced a 1/72 DH88 in white metal many years ago, but it was not a big seller.

For you truists, Skybirds did a DH88 wood kit in 1/72 in 1935 - one of their best sellers.

Gary

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Was it in "Dh 88 The Story of De Havilland's Racing Comets" by David Ogilvy?

G-ACSS is pictured in RAF markings as K-5084. The last picture of the 3 is after its final landing in the hands of the RAF when it suffered undercarriage problems and was damaged.

I haven't seen that book, but that's definitely the photo I'm thinking of. Must have seen it somewhere else...

Obi-Jiff

[Kev1n]

"edging towards a group build"....??

I could be interested in that - provided I can get a kit...duuuh...

[ptcruiser]

Here you go Obi:

IIRC that was a Frog DH88 but I acquired it sans decals and any glazing, hence F-ANPY, which actually started life as G-ACSR. The picture that Andrew refers to is on the same page as one of F-ANPY. The registration was built up from individual letters from a Modeldecal sheet I think.

Rich

[Obi-Jiff Kenobi]

Thanks Rich. I must have a look for that book when I have some spare cash.

Obi-Jiff

[Madmonk]

Wondermodels are showing stock of the kit on their website so just ordered a couple. Every other site appears to be waiting for stock, several had a March 10 release date. Will let you know if they arrive.