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dpm1did1

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Everything posted by dpm1did1

  1. dpm1did1
    Just think what a variety of typhoons you could have on a display shelf Grey single seater Grey 2 seater WW2 special scheme Tiger stripes And...err...err...err... Well I suppose there's plenty of software variety if you have it plugged in to monitor with lines of code running!
  2. dpm1did1
    And now I have fancied up the seat it might help if I can see it once fitted...so chop chop at the cockpit side doors Without the cowling attached the fairing on the revised nose looks U.G.L.Y.
  3. dpm1did1
    Rather more prototypical now. ...also think I need to polish my (once was shiny) coffee table!
  4. dpm1did1
    I was going to make it a slow start but the pilots seat irked me... As you'd expect its little more than an L-shaped afair, albeit here with an attached floor panel...but whats going on with the triangular seat back? Seems there's been some confusion between the chair back and the rollover structure. Firstly though lets make the L into an actual seat by adding a back and sides I can shape Much better already
  5. dpm1did1
    One of the things I'm missing from my practice builds is a boat or ship. - after several years with little building I allowed myself 10 before my self critique become self criticism and crying in a cupboard, I'm currently on #8 (i suppose #10 will have to be a choice between an AV or a car...) Don't fancy going back to tiny Sweeny 700 scale, nor even the less taxing 350s, so I make a shortlist of 72/48/35 kits that won't just the bank or be huuugggeee eg. Airfix MTB or Rescue launch (or Revell equivalents), Tamiya PBR, Revell PCF. Anyway today I spotted a nice online price for the PCF and am tempted. I know it's a old kit with basic internals and details but it's supposed to be a decent effort shapewise and easily upgraded even without using AM parts. WIPs and references are rather few and far apart though so I was hoping for pointers to decent articles and threads to shorten the search. ... Thx in Advance D.
  6. dpm1did1
    Sprue time... Not a lot to it then! Although it appears it's an "OMG look at the exaggerated fabric effect" kit appearances can be deceptive. Firstly the light angle on the wing makes them appear as hills and valleys rather than the subtle effect when seen close up. Also this was one wrinkled aircraft. More obvious than the wing is the fuselage lengthways ribs that are very clearly seen to distort the lines in most pics. This is no smooth polished racing bird! ...don't panic, I had already cut off the rudder and added the larger forward fuselage sections which hold the wide chord Dowling.
  7. dpm1did1
    Vickers Wellesley, one of those forgotten types from the unfashionable side of modelling. Here's the very first boxing that I will be using for the build: Typical Matchbox kit, basic but accurate to the eye. I'll add a few details but won't be going rivet crazy - actually theres very few rivets in the design as it is a smaller brother to it's more famous stablemate the Wellington and shares it's fabric covered geodesic structure. As befits the simple kit it's appears a simple build: Schemes are two similar green/brown birds differentiated by their engines. Option 1 is a standard short cowl Mk1, but option 2 is more interesting as it is a form generally associated with just 3 aircraft of the Long Range Development Unit that flew from England-Egypt-Australia with the longest leg being 7300miles (in 1938!). But to confuse matters the kit decals arent for one of these 3...but more on that later
  8. dpm1did1
    But manufacturers moving a first batch to retailers means nothing. They need to move them off the retailers shelves to sell the subsequent batches otherwise these will be sat in the warehouse eating money as opposed to making money, and the first batch will be filling shelf space that faster selling kits could occupy. If the shops cant sell them, and I don't simply mean internet suppliers to avid UK fanatics in week 1, then it will be a long grind towards prifit - remember the Nimrod or Valiant...hype, mass sales, lots of WIPs and shows...then quiet...
  9. dpm1did1
    Been adding some stru in the fuselage halves whilst getting the motivation to pencil in the box positions... ...and silly me if I haven't reversed the bits around the centre window - one rib slopes forwards, the other back...oops... I blame lost maintenance records!
  10. dpm1did1
    I never trust any singular source as I've seen too many errors. Obviously some are simple ommisions, misprints or misinformation,(such as K files not noting the 45sq reference) however there's also the more nefarious types - eg personal opinion disguised as fact (as in much of the "UFO' thread). Rarely do I simply take one reference if it's of real importance, and it was only the oddness of L7717 not fitting the usual LDRU stories that made me dig deeper. Teach me for not going for a well photographed MkI..! There's a good few sources for RAF serials so it's not difficult to find the basic user/fate etc of most. It's when an aircraft has multiple users, especially the 'less attractive' types and particularly if the aircraft itself is a less well covered types from ye-olden days - I believe the VW fits the definition snuggly, and the test/maintenance airframes doubly so. Suppose I had better start a WIP at some point now ive stared at gazillions of pics and done the usual 'lets take the hard route' decision on which set of decals to use...
  11. dpm1did1
    They must be empty boxes in my PlasticFantastic then!...and don't check fleabay...
  12. dpm1did1
    ...but there's always non-flight ground trials...with double torps. Not exactly a Wiff, more of a wishful
  13. dpm1did1
    I know the H is announced but without a variant # which is why I specifically added the 'late'. ...and if they could add a V-1 to the package...
  14. dpm1did1
    A late He-111H to go with the P, and supplant the old timer... Or a Defiant II... Or... Nothing new but certainly a welcome addition to the fold.
  15. dpm1did1
    And now my Profile on the Wellesley has arrived!. Could have saved myself a couple of days. There is a different pic of my bird, although just how different can be measured in degrees. I think there's more on the LRDU than the whole of the web combined. It adds 45sq as home for the tropical trials on the XVIII engine although it's not on the allocation lists. .... I now fancy a twin torpedo K7736 or K7740, however that would need the extended canopy.
  16. dpm1did1
    Just to be clear I didn't just type 'Wellesley' in to wiki and cut & paste without checking and crosschecking where possible. If the internet is wrong then it's not my fault that it tallied after 2 days of searching a stupid number of site. If it doesn't match Putnam then it's nothing to do with me. (And who's to say the book is 100% correct anyway. Not saying it is but errors have been known on printed material too!) Re: confused serial - impossible because L7777 was a Wellington. I did find a list of all Wellesley serials and squadron use but can't find it again. K7734: Missing 23/2/38 http://www.crashsiteorkney.com/page29.htm
  17. dpm1did1
    If you don't like Poirot/Columbo/Molder & Scully/The Scooby Gang...or a host of other TV detectives I suggest you look away now... ******* I may have finally solved the mystery of K7717. Seems Matchbox have pulled a rare bird from a rare nest to add to their collection of rare feathery friends. We have all seen the pic: ...and this is the accompanying Wiki text: Type 292 of the Long-Range Development unit. Unlike production Wellesleys, the engine cowling is blended with the fuselage profile. And for Vickers Type 292 Three aircraft were modified for long-distance flying. The aircraft were used by the RAF's Long-Range Development Flight. (standard Wellesleys were type 281) This is where it gets murky. For example: http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?9013-Long-Distance-Wellesley-Flight ...the four machines were...L2638...L2639...L2680....L2681.. So 3 of the LRDU now becomes 4!. Actually L2681 only went as far as Egypt and so often gets forgotten from the list. But still no K7717! Probably the only direct reference I have found to the airframe http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft26028.htm This matches well with production notes that state quite clearly that K7717 was a type 281 Wellesley 1 delivered to 148 squadron. It also ties in with the photo matching the Matchbox kit but running contrary to the stated RAF service. Back to Wiki: Five aircraft...were modified for long-range work with the RAF Long-Range Development Flight. Well we've already accounted for the 'famous 3' + 1 other, and now it seems we do indeed have a 5th! Maybe there was once more info, or it still exists but it is hidden away from the prying eyes of the webosphere, either way why didn't Matchbox just give decals for a LRDU machine instead of an obscure bird that , it would have made life so much simpler... Now I just to to build the damn thing! **** TV detective haters can look back now...
  18. dpm1did1
    All the (limited number of) internal pix seem to be nicely lengthwise along the fuselage, and although they do look nice just don't make it so easy to determine placement for the numerous boxes that these aerial critters invariably seem to attract. Cutaways, for once, are even worse. Geodesic fuselages were not designed with the modeller in mind as the ribs seem so much closer to each other than conventional frames and ruin the view - designers can be so inconsiderate Will probably start off by copying the basics from ther builds - err I mean be inspired by... - before coming back to the pics to add the ickle bits later (and then promptly close the halves and never see them again!) I can't completely ignore the panniers, because that wouldn't be masochistic enough. Must build and detail them...and then not fit them .... After this a nice easy Bristol Bombay? Loads of references available am I right? Or a Fairey Henson... ...I have books with obscure 1 off Russian prototypes with more info and pix
  19. dpm1did1
    And then there was one... But that's ok as we now now have a shiny new, and very pink, diner...
  20. dpm1did1
    Looked at...noted it...forgot about it...OLD AGE!Unfortunately it's pretty much what can be seen in dozens of other pics available from that angle. Really only the long cowl signifies theres anything different about it, and even then most would probably say it was a LRDU bird, and the only detail not shown on the box top is the pilots turnover structure (which having now added to the modified seat is barely visible anyway, let alone the side details.) If i detail the interior I will have to open the canopy or else it'll be all bit invisible - the work never ends. Now about the ventral hatches, undercarriage extension markers, internal pannoer structures...the list goes on...and internal colour notes as web builds differ... Suppose I may have to consider a new engine too. ...perhaps call this a practice build and go nuts on Wellesley #2 should I ever find one again (it took years this time around!) ...or maybe stick to the Wiff plans...
  21. dpm1did1
    I shall be a heretic abd admit I never really saw the advantages of buying the Warpaint books. I had some of the earlier ones bit don't miss them. Colour profiles look nice but they don't really help with detailing a model. The pix never seemed to be able to match the quality and detail I could find elsewhere. And the 'wordy bits' too often were around the operations and stories surround the types as opposes to tech details. Overall i found them lacking. For the price I would rather dig out an In-Action, Red Star, Aerofax book, or one of a handful of others, some of which may not even in English. Of course sometimes a subject will crop up where information is scarce (and o seem to have the knack of jumping in with both feet) but then I often find scouring the net is just as effective. Now I admit I havent had my paws on the Warpaint for the Wellesley, notably because I don't have a local stockist atm, but I currently see no driving motivation to spend £ on it simply on the off chance one pic might be halfway useful. I don't build competition standard models (more of a 'throw plastic at glue and pour on paint' type) so buying for the sake of buying just isn't worth it in many cases.
  22. dpm1did1
    It's not a case of 'Do 1950s RAF subjects sell well?' but rather 'Do 1950s RAF subjects sell well outside the UK and long-term?' These are very different questions and just because BM goes nuts over the the latest Airfix 50s RAF only kit doesn't mean it will taken to heart anywhere else. Also as I have pointed out previously there is often a rush for the first production batch that rapidly slows to a trickle. An obscure type with limited options, markings and users, and particularly if early builders report problems with accuracy, fit or qc, is not an automatic world wide best seller. Firms may be able to afford the occasional long-term selling drive toward a profit making mould, but they certainly won't be announcing the esoteric types each and every time. - leave that to the real niche, and often higher cost, sellers. The reaction to the B-17G news was notable for it's 'don't care' or 'what a waste' attitude (and I've read more hostile or apathetic than those) with scant regard in some quarters for the fact that Airfix do actually have to sell the kits and aren't run as a charity.
  23. dpm1did1
    Don't confuse early sales with long term success - I wonder how many Shackletons will fly after the first Xmas. The Hunter simply lacked box variety. Considering it's I'm the <£10 bracket it should be getting plenty of 2nd box buyers, except the largest market for such kits simply didn't have the chance to see how varied they could be. To a kid how different are these: ****stupid pix won't all work properly despite all being from Scalemates**** https://s1.scalemates.com/products/img/9/8/5/105985-11185.jpg Answer...not very. Could be the same plane with red/yellow options. Whereas the Phantom: https://s1.scalemates.com/products/img/3/0/8/102308-b.jpg https://s1.scalemates.com/products/img/9/8/5/105985-11185.jpg We know it's the same basic airframe but to the 'visual' buyer they are very different. And there are other boxes too. What is often lacking however is the standard camo that would make the specials even more 'wow'
  24. dpm1did1
    I actually like the Javelin and still remember the one I built early on in life before I knew virtually anything about it. But... ...it's one type that really need more than just paint & decals to bring it to life otherwise I've seen livelier sheets of plasticard. Missiles and tanks are a must. Open canopy is also a very good idea. What it really needs though is a ladder and a base, and preferably figures. I suspect at some point there will be a new Slab from Airfix, bit I do hope they go the extra mile or else it'll be like looking at a painted cheese triangle.
  25. dpm1did1
    Trust me to pick the most awkward and unphotographed of options...a long cowl non-LRDU bird...not a single pic of K7717 has surfaced yet but I bet I could find all the other airframes if given time Little done so far apart from adding the nose to the main fuselage and making the sear less of an odd pointy topped L to something a little more chairyfied - not that it will be seen unless I find the pics to mark the cut points for the Spitfire-esque pilot drop down side panels (so far all are bad angles or the grease monkeys are in the way). I love a challange but even the Prototype D4Y3 had more pix - all 2 of them! Tempting to remove the nose and replace with the short cowl option...but where's the fun in that? :)
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