Paul Bradley

Indeed!

Wow, that's very decent of you, Laurie! PM sent.

It's a very nice kit, Laurie - I built one in BEA colours a few years back and it went together really nicely. Certainly a nice palette cleanser after that Mach 2 kit! Incidentally, it was Whirlybirds that did a detail set for this kit - the set includes decals for two Dragon Rapides operated by British European Airways during the 1950’s, specifically G-AFEZ and –AGSH. Did either of those operate out of Jersey? A small etched brass fret has a new instrument panel, cockpit trim wheel and two tiny propellers for the optional wing-mounted electrical generators. Rounding out the set are three resin parts – two engine fronts and a DF loop aerial teardrop mount. I didn't realise the Xtradecals sheet had Swissair markings - I'll have to get a set for my Swissair collection! Gives me an excuse to do another Heller kit. 😎

Cool, thanks for the link, Laurie!

Nice one, Laurie! Where'd you get that blue Fina tanker? Oxford Mins?

Cheers, Ray! i saw his build photos on Facebook, but there was no explanatory text, so this is very helpful. I'm thinking of getting the American Eagle boxing - I've flown in a couple of those, and they are the only jet that operates out of our local airport.

Has anyone acquired one of these? What's the scoop on accuracy and buildability?

With the airframe complete and seams and other minor issues fixed, it's time for paint. I decided to try something new to me - the 'spatter' or mottle pre-shading, rather than the preshading of all panel lines that I've used in the past. The idea is to give a more random effect over the whole of the airframe. I've seen this done as white/lt grey mottling over a black base, or vice versa, and as I'd already added a grey primer coat, I went with black spatters. Apparently, you can now buy these masks pre-cut, but I created my own mask using a piece of 10 thou plasticcard, and cut random shapes with a modelling knife. And this is the effect it has: For the undersides, I went with a more 'traditional' panel line and other areas pre-shading, then added a coat of Sky: Which I think worked pretty well - it isn't quite as stark in 'real life.' Then a coat of Dk Earth on the upper surfaces: I'll know more when I've added the Dk Green, but I think the spatter mask method has potential, though I'll need to work on my mask, I think. BTW, the canopy is one of the spares in the kit, so don't be concerned that I forgot to mask it! I'll swap it out before I add the Green.

Glad - and amazed - to see that the crew escaped serious injury. Looks nasty. The irony is that they restored it with an R2800 because they didn't like the reliability of the Centaurus....

Splendid set! Thanks for sharing!!

Nice collection! Some of the last photos of the twin Sea Fury, too. 😢

Just acquired the MiniArt 1/35 Avro Rota, which I intend to finish as the trails aircraft aboard HMS Courageous in 1935. I've an idea for a small vignette, but I cannot seem to find any suitable 1/35 or even 1/32 1930s FAA pilot figures - does anyone know of one?

Cheers, guys - a couple of crappy photos this morning just to show last night's work. Dihedral is not excessive. I wonder if my lower wing part was slightly warped, and this action corrected it. IMG_0280 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr IMG_0279 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr I think it turned out OK. A couple of spots needs some remedial work, but a touch of PPP seems to have set it right. IMG_0279 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr Me, too! There's always some smug bugger who says "I had no issues at all!" 🤣

I had some time this weekend to put the airframe together. Inserting the cockpit tub to the fuselage went down a treat - no hang-ups and a good, tight fit with no breakages. Then it was time to put the wings on: IMG_0278 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr Seriously......?! Those of you who followed my new-tool Airfix DC-3 build will recall my distress at the unfeasibly large gaps at the wing roots. I seem to have a curse with these new-mould Airfixes at the moment! I was able to fix that by 1. Taping up the wingtips while the glue dried, which also remedied the rather slack dihedral, and 2. Judicious use of filler. That was sanded down and polished this afternoon and I just applied a primer coat which will reveal if I did a good enough job. 🤪

Cheers, Pete! 😎

I've completed the cockpit tub and the fuselage halves to go along with the wings, so I'll be able to assemble the complete airframe shortly. I need to touch up the paintwork a little, then add a shadow wash, and at that point I can insert the tub into the fuselage from underneath. The reason for deviating from the instructions here is that the fit of the fuel tank cover, just ahead of the cockpit, can be a bit fouled by the cockpit tub if you follow the instruction sequence. By assembling the fuselage first, then fitting the tank cover and allowing it to set, the tub can be inserted afterwards. A dry fit shows that it'll be a very snug, seamless fit. IMG_0275 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr IMG_0274 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr IMG_0272 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr This is OOB, the only additions being the Kabuki tape seat belts and a Mike Grant instrument decal for the compass, because Airfix doesn't provide one.

So I just ordered the Rota, which I intend to do as the carrier trials machine, but I've been unable to find any photos of the aircraft on board Courageous - does anyone have a photo or link to one? I'm also struggling to find an inter-war RN pilot figure, standing, in 1/35 - does anyone know of one?

Nice! Looking at that person's YouTube channel, he has footage from the RAF Leuchars BoB Open Day in 1969 - my very first airshow, aged 5! 😎

Thanks, Peter - a very clear photo!

Cheers, Oz - they also say "You can never have too many Spitfires" 🤣

Yes, yet ANOTHER Airfix 1/48 Airfix Spitfire I..... we've got a whole squadron of them between us! 😆 AX05126-2 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr I'll be doing this one as a 19 Sqn aircraft in September 1940, the mount of S/L Lane: Spitfire-19Sqn by Paul Bradley, on Flickr Just for a change, and flying in the face of instructions, I started with the wings: IMG_0268 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr IMG_0269 by Paul Bradley, on Flickr All went together quite well, though the trailing edges of the wings and ailerons are abysmally thick! It took most of an evening's bench-time to thin them to something approaching reality.... I also had to sand down some unrealistically raised detail on the upper wings - three separate features that are not nearly as prominent on the real thing. This is not the first time I've seen this on the newest Airfix kits - the Hunter has the same. I think some designer not of an aeronautical bent is mis-interpreting LIDAR data, and not checking it against the features of the actual airframe before committing to the mould. One, the flap actuator panel, shouldn't be raised at all, while the other two shouldn't be nearly as high as they are - they'd have the aerodynamic properties akin to a brick if they were that big in real life! Still, mere minutes with a sanding stick restored reality.... One question, though - should the Spit Mk.I have bumps on the upper wings above the undercarriage wells? I thought those were later marks only...

Cheers, Adrian! Not much I can do about this one now unfortunately, but useful info for any future builders! 😎 Cheers, Chris, I'm glad to have stirred pleasant memories for you!

Well, that's the thing - I went into this with both eyes open as all new Airfix need care due to the tight tolerances. And though the fuselage and wing sub-assemblies had gone together pretty well, mating the wings to the fuselage resulted in some nasty gaps and steps. Very unexpected and most unwelcome! I'm still not at all sure where it went wrong.

That explains the less-than-stellar fit to the new kit.

I had a feeling they were curved over the top but couldn't find a good reference photo. Unfortunately, the 26 Decals instructions are rudimentary and don't include a top view. I have no idea! And I was more into OMD than Numan!