FortyEighter

Boeing 707-465 G-ARWD (first flight and delivered to Cunard Eagle Airways in Feb 1962): Build thread Thanks for looking whilst I'm watching some Baby Boomers music Mike

Just scraping into the Baby Boomers era is the Super VC10: I'm not sure which GB these were in but will update with a link later. Mike and the Build Thread: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235021645-finished-1144-roden-super-vc-10-boac-g-asgb-ba-g-asgh/

Although the finished livery fits the "Baby Boomer" era, the actual loco was built much earlier: Model from a Craftsman kit (soldered brass and whitemetal, again with Romford wheels and Portescap coreless motor) - another one finished about 40 years ago. Mike Looking at the photo closely, the tender has had some light weathering but the loco hasn't (whoops😢)

G-APIM, British Airways Vickers Viscount 800 (first flight 4th June 1958) Built as my re-introduction to aircraft modelling in 2016 Build thread

Introduced in 1951; a pair of BR Class 5 4-6-0 locomotives: Built many years ago (1980s ??) from DJH kits (soldered construction - mainly whitemetal with brass cab and tender sides etc.) with coreless Portescap motors and Romford wheels (and YES they do work!!). Without looking up my records, I'm not sure if they got converted to DCC. Both are examples of those operated on BR (Southern Region) and named after former King Arthur Class locos (73117 Vivien, 73119 Elaine). If you are "in the know" you will realise that both have a BR1B tender but should have a BR1F tender, but those tenders were not available at the time of building. I do however have a full kit with the correct tender in the Railway Stash but am not sure if there is sufficient time / motivation to build it in this GB. Mike

Cockpit assembled as per instructions: but it appears to be that of a Trainer version! I've found a reasonable photo of the NF10 arrangement online, so next step is some surgery (remove control stick and re-position seat on starboard side) and then try to build something that looks vaguely like the radar control boxes (using the same photo). It won't be 100% (or perhaps even 80%) accurate but it will do - the main reason for this model is to partly fill the early jet gap in my 23 Squadron aircraft.

I think that seams and joints are about as good as they can be: Underside has been primed with black and a representation of the shrouded exhausts built from resin Beaufighter parts and plastic tubing. I'm currently fitting seat belts and then need to attach / mask all of the clear parts before priming the upper surfaces in black.

A quick mock-up to see if it's a tail sitter: Yes it is but a couple of nuts in the cockpit will solve that. The fit of parts isn't brilliant eg fans are too large to close up the engine nacelles and cut out in lower fuselage for wing section is too small - but nothing that a sanding stick can't cure.

Thanks Grahame, will keep my fingers crossed but nevertheless see what decal sets are available. Mike

Excellent news, I hadn't realised where it was moulded but can now consider an American Airlines 1-11 400 for the MIU GB Mike

Yes, and 4 of them ended their careers with LADECO

I've just found this thread - your model certainly looks the part Julian. For future reference which red did you use on the fin and how close a match was it to the two six decals? Mike

I'm curious - which GB would a series 300 be eligible for? According to my reference book only nine were built and all delivered to British Eagle or Laker Airways in 1967/68 (the first to fly was G-ATPJ on 20 May 1966). Perhaps one of those ended up "South of the Rio Grande" later in its life - will have to investigate on Planespotters. Mike

Following with interest to see how it compares to my NF build. Thanks for shot of the decals: by cutting up I could use that sheet to do mine as WP247 and would only need to design / print the squadron flash for the tail booms. Mike

Yes, I've read some mixed reviews about the kit - perhaps I'll cut some of the major parts off the spruce before the start date and check the fit nor not 🤣

I'm planning to build at least one BAC 1-11 200 from the 26 Models reboxing of the kit: This is a bit of a nod to my teenage years, living near Christchurch, when the One Eleven was a common sight in the sky - apart from the prototype G-ASHG (which sadly crashed on 22 Oct 1963) I probably saw almost all of those produced up to mid 1969 when we moved away from the area. Although the GB rules would allow any Series 200 version to be built (first flight 20 Aug 1963) I'm going to model one of the British United Airways aircraft which had its maiden flight before the end of 1964, but in British Caledonian livery - BCal was formed in 1970 when the charter line Caledonian Airways took over BUA. I've also got decals for another four airlines if time permits. Mike

As the title says; a De Havilland Vampire NF 10 to be built from the Hobby Craft kit: I still need to research which particular airframes were operated by the squadron (so far I've found pictures of WP242 and WP247 on the net) and as the kit has decals for a different squadron, will probably need to make my own decals. Mike

Hi James, This is what I use to add weight to noses, bought at least 15 years ago and still 2/3 full

Don't know how I found this old thread but... The Kinetic 1/48 F-16AM boxing (48002) has a pair (sprue DD) - I have this kit and won't be using them so PM me if still nterested, yours for the p&p. Mike

Thanks, hopefully fin and nacelles etc fitted this weekend.

Will have to find some photos for tomorrow, so far ?seven? built and four to go.

Starting to look like a Boston: The bomb bay had no positive aids to locating and was slightly too long to fit but easy enough to trim one end and fit parallel to the door opening. After closing the fuselage I cemented the spar (ensuring it was equidistant each side), then glued on the top wing halves and finally the bottom sections. At the moment seams have just been lightly dressed but I don't think that they will need too much work (any darker marks are bleed of paint rather than gaps). Having also sat the model on a plastic tube, it appears to be well nose heavy (phew!). Mike

A couple of 23 Squadron twins; if you're interested the build threads are linked via my Cry Havoc build thread; and in the footer Blenheim Mk1 F and Mosquito FB Mk VI Mike

Most sub-assemblies are now installed in the starboard fuselage (apologies for the cluttered backgrounds but Flickr editor is on strike this morning): Instrument panel is an etch from Yahu, life raft from modelling clay. The box underneath the cockpit floor is full of micro lead shot, if this isn't enough to keep the nose wheel on the ground there is room in the nacelles behind the cylinders for more weight! I've decided to add the nose sections to each fuselage half, any gap at the top / bottom when closed up is going to be easier to fix than a slight step where the nose meets fuselage. I've just painted the bombs, next step to find or fashion some seat belts. Mike

Most sub assemblies have been built / painted during the last week: I now need to choose a particular airframe and find a good reference photo as some of the details vary e.g. stepped or slanted glazing to the nose (research to date suggests all of the Boston III in the British order had slanted but for some reason I assembled the stepped version), "porcupine" or straight exhaust (both of which are not in the kit), bombs or ventral gun pack (the latter not in the kit). Mike