Jonners

Cheers Ian - absolutely agreed! Perhaps that big float and the undercarriage retraction gear kept the CofG fairly low, but that narrow track makes it looks really quite unstable. I imagine that you wouldn't want any drift on touchdown, either. I was also intrigued by the bottom of the water rudder doubling as a tailskid - it must have had pretty beefy hinges!

Cheers Mark: I used EZ Line. Dividers to measure the length required, a dot of superglue gel at the attachment points, Zip Kicker accelerator applied to the end of the EZ Line with a very small paintbrush and angled needle-nosed tweezers to position the EZ Line. The line doesn't always stick first time, but it works eventually. I used to use invisible mending thread through small drilled holes and tensioned with clothes pegs as weights; the invisible thread looked right, especially when I used a fairly dark brand, but I could never properly eradicate the holes on the rigging side o

Yeah, right! That was 6 days ago... I've eventually completed the rigging: There are just a small number of final jobs that I need to do, such as adding that wind-driven generator on the starboard fuselage side and interwing rigging tiebars: I'm about to tinker optimistically with some figures, though the small number that I have aren't great starting points for interwar aircrew. We'll see. Nearly there! Jon

"Clunk!" That was the sound of my jaw dropping, by the way. Jon

My current modelling desk: Tools, glues & tape (and those all-purpose milk bottle lids!) live in the left-hand black plastic tray, parts for the current build(s) live in the right-hand tray. Cement, micro drill bits and cocktail sticks live top right next to the desk lamp mount and the bagged box top left is used as a mini-bin. I'm rigging at the moment, hence the EZ Line/dividers/tweezers/Zip Kicker on the big cutting mat. Paints, plastic card, rod and tube and other consumables live in plastic storage boxes in one of the modular bookshelf sections behind

It would be a no-brainer for me, Mike: it would have to be the Sopwith. I also have the Sopwith book, and it's very good indeed. I've browsed through the various 1/72 plans umpteen times - one day I might actually commit to building something from them! An Antelope, maybe... Definitely have a look at Moa's Batboat build here on BM - it's fantastic. The Glad is a little bit too late in timescale for my current tastes, but only just; you can't get better for a Gladiator than one of the pre-war silver schemes. As for the aftermarket vs OOB 'dilemma', I'm pretty sure that y

Wow... Model engineering indeed! It was a good idea to photograph the stick grip assembly with that enormous oversized dressmaker's pin, Peter, but I'm not entirely convinced by your definition of 'rudimentary' regarding all those homemade frame brackets! All my own creations suddenly seem a bit naff - I'll definitely be following this epic build. Jon

Thanks, as always, for the very generous comments, especially those whom I consider to be master scratchbuilders! You know who you are... As usual at the moment I've only managed to snatch short stints at the modelling desk, but the rigging is 2/3 complete: I've used EZ Line for convenience. It's a shame that it's black and not grey, but you can't have everything. With luck I'll be able to add the last few rigging lines tomorrow. Jon.

Fantastic - another Pheonix scratchbuilding masterclass. I fully expect that this will be as interesting and educational as usual. Me too, P! Looking forward to seeing the developing build nonetheless. Jon

Hi folks, Here's a quick update to show where I'm at with this. I've bodged up a gun ring and decking - how on earth did I forget about that before adding paint?? - and I've fettled a windscreen from clear acetate: The windscreen still isn't a great fit at the edges but, rather than remove it and risk pulling the paint off, I'll fill the slight gaps under the end corners with Formula 560 canopy glue. Once the windscreen is tweaked I'll only have to add a wind-driven generator before it will be ready for rigging, then I can call it done! I've put

Very nice model and tribute, Dermot. Sadly, the accident report is something that all SAR crews should read, inwardly digest and learn from. The level of institutional pressure that 248's crew was put under, unrelated to the specific SAR task, should never have happened. Jon

I’ve just caught up with the last three weeks’ worth of posts here, and I’m very glad I did. As well as great craftsmanship, Hendie, there are some fantastic ideas that I’ve filed away in my mental ‘must-try-that’ file. I particularly like the brass multi-branch exhaust (I’ve often wondered how to scratchbuild something like that!), and using heat-stained steel to create a heat-stained steel effect is pure genius! Great, clear photos too, which illustrate what you are doing very nicely. Inspirational stuff. Jon

That isn't just modelling - it's genuine craftsmanship. Brilliant. Jon

!!!!!! Now then, Ian, make sure that you do what those nice people in the white coats tell you, and don't make a fuss about taking your medicine... Bonkers, but in a nice way! Jon

Cheers Ian, though I really wish I'd put the gunner's ring and decking on before I added the paint, and especially the decals! Jon