LN-KEH

I have been involved in taking measurements and photos in museums for publications and projects in various scales up to 1:1 scale flying. In general, I have found museums to be very helpful as long as the activities don`t damage the objects or cost them money. Borrowing a step-ladder to get some cockpit shots was not a problem, but when it was necessary with a lift to access an aircraft from the ceiling, we had to pay. (and the museum did also take the opportunity to use the lift to remove paperplanes that had been thrown into the open cockpit). Most museums prefer that we do this on a day when there are no visitors, unless we just need to block off a corner. (Too many questions like: are you taking photos? - when I have rigged lights and stand there with a large camera). And in the UK I ran into problems with a visitor who followed me around to be upset about the flash - even waiting outside the bathroom to be sure I didn`t go somewhere without him tracking me It is similar with old drawings - I paid for professional scanning and the museum and I did both get a set of digital files.

The parachute housing is available as a printed aftermarket from https://3d-chute-expert.myshopify.com/products/f-35-parachute-chute-bay

It looks like the communist cousin of the Stratocruiser. I have some other kits by the same maker, impressive works of art - but I will pass on this one, too large and looking too normal compared to some of the other Soviet aircraft he has kitted.

I can easily imagine a release by Revell of this kit in Alfred Wegner Institute colours - these aircraft have often been seen migrating through Norway. Picture linked in from Tom Gulbrandsen on Flickr https://www.v1images.com/airline/alfred-wegener-institute/

There could be a group launch from the balcony towards the Airfix stand at Telford in November. Any upgrade sets or alternative markings available yet?

Hawker Siddeley HS.748 in 1/72 sounds like a typical Valom project; a medium sized British twin-engined aircraft with military and civilian usage that hasn`t been kitted and unlikely to attract the attention of Airfix or Revell.

You have mye permission to add the images in the .zip file to the Britmodeller Seaking Mk.43 walkaround page, Be aware that they are fairly large, so you may have to reduce them to fit the walkaround page. BRgds Knut Erik

I have uploaded some pictures of Norwegian SeaKing 189 on display at Flysamlingen. We had our IPMS nationals there, so some angles were not possible to cover due to competition and sales tables. Should be available to download (313 Mb) for a week - until Sunday 31st March https://wetransfer.com/downloads/c9beb6a7da3c53749982fa90343f28ea20240324134419/093b9c87fc46a71f261c920c9dec6b6220240324134506/459072?trk=TRN_TDL_01&utm_campaign=TRN_TDL_01&utm_medium=email&utm_source=sendgrid

Something like this from lndecals.dk ?

Last time I visited Portsmouth, there were two decent sized aircraft carriers alongside. When HMS QE2 visited Oslo, I saw no wires on the deck - which seemed large enough to land a Tiger Moth on. So maybe there will be another deck landing of a biplane.

Airfix went to "Flysamlingen" at Oslo-Gardermoen to scan the Vampire F.III. F-86F and He 111P there. The museum is only open Sat-Sun except during summer and school holidays and has some room around the exhibits - making scanning possible. Only incident I know about from the scanning sessions, is that they used a lift to get a view from above that very slowly lowered itself - not so much that humans would be concerned, but enough for the scans having to be redone from a more stable lift. There is also an ex-RSwAF Vampire T-55 at Flysamlingen, but it might be risky to base a kit on. It started life as an FB.50, but was converted in Sweden to a T.55 and has in recent years been modified to look like a T.55 in Norwegian service. https://flysamlingen.no/utstillingen/flyene/havilland-vampire-t-55/

SAAB 340 kits in 1/72 and 1/144 should sell reasonably well - the only other alternatives would be some basic vac-forms. They can market civilian versions, SAAB 340s have been with airlines large and small all over the world. The RSwAF and some other nations operate(d) the SAAB 340 AEW and Japans coast guard operate some on SAR missions. I will have a few for SAS and other civilian aircraft operating in Norway.

Flygvapenmuseet in Linköping has Vampire T.55 (Sk 28C) 15745 and a Venom NF.51 https://plasticfantastique.com/walk_arounds/walk-around-the-de-havilland-venom/ Another T.55 (Sk.28C) in Svedinos museum (between Gothenburg and Malmø) And there are also Vampire two seaters in Norway and Finland, including an airworthy one.

I got the 1:72 version, looks good in the box with no visible stepping from the printing process. Somewhat unorthodox breakdown of the parts, remains to see how well it goes together.

I am quite sure CMK has a number of resin and printed accessories lined up like: Deck and weapons crew. More detailed weapons and ammunition. Different weapon fits - some of the KFKs were more heavily armed Wheelhouse with interior and crew.

I can understand AZ/KP approach for kitting the Me 109 and Spitfire, doing both the common and not so common versions. They did a good Spitfire X and XI - a version Eduard might get around to do in ten or twenty years. Same with the Me 109 - doing decent Me 109T and a whole bunch of Luftwaffe 46 versions that Eduard won`t dream of. Visiting the great aircraft museum in Kbely, the little shop there stocked and sold KP/AZ kits with Czech(oslovakian) and Luftwaffe markings. But the P-51D does not have that many versions unless they go for the late Cavalier and racers - it wouldn`t surprise me if KP/AZ will do that.

It is possible to visit them at Rochester airport and have a look at the Scion rebuild - see their web site for details. Should be easier now after they moved to new and larger premises. https://www.mapsl.co.uk https://www.mapsl.co.uk/scion-ii

There are some vehicles and ground support equipment in the hall; next to the Ju 52/3m are 37 and 88mm FLAK guns and a halftrack still in its original colours. (1 ton Demag typ D7 Sd.Kfz. 10). Also in the "Luftwaffe" section of the museum; a starter trolley, an oil cart and some torpedo & bombs on trolleys. Otherwise, there was an M-113 in UN markings next to the C-130 and a "Follow me" JEEP in the RNoAF fifties display last time I visited. According to my sources, they don`t expect the kit based on the scans to be available in the museum shop until late 2024 or in 2025. This makes sense from what we have heard in interviews with Airfix designers - it takes a year or two from start to molding. Picture by Nils Mosberg - https://www.flickr.com/photos/nilsmosberg/43414163120

This Ju 52/3m and four others were salvaged from Lake Hartviksvann - the rest are still there Five of the eleven Ju 52/3ms bringing artillery pieces and ammunition to Dietls hard pressed force at Narvik in April 1940 were damaged landing on snow covered ice. By siphoning off fuel from the other aircraft, one Ju 52/3m managed to take off and fly to Sweden. The remaining aircraft stuck in the snow were attacked by Norwegian aircraft (Fokker CV and Heinkel He 115). After Norwegian forces liberated the area, mechanics attempted to get some of the aircraft flyable, but one day RAF Hurricanes attacked the aircraft and caused further damage. Empty barrels were tied to some of the Ju 52/3ms, so they floated around for a while after the snow and ice melted in May before they joined the rest of the aircraft in the deep. The Ju 52/3m now at Gardermoen was salvaged in 1983 with another batch 1986, this was sponsored by a German collector. None of these aircraft had crashed, but had damage from hard landings (undercarriage and front fuselage), Norwegian and RAF strafing as well as some parts like engines had been removed when attempting to make aircraft flyable in 1940. So in my opinion, it is a time capsule that shows what a Luftwaffe transport Ju 52/3m looked like in 1940. I have been fortunate enough to be allowed inside the aircraft, it was restored to a very high standard by Norwegian and German enthusiasts. Sitting in the pilots chair and standing in the gunners position, I thought the crews must have been very vulnerable. The aircrafts landing at Hartvikvatnet were: CO+EI WNr. 6791(salvaged 1986). Narvik. 1Z+BY WNr.6134 (salvaged 1986). Dessau. DB+RD WNr.6693 (salvaged 1986). Hannover. DB+QU WNr.6654. Still in Hartvigvatnet. DB+RB WNr.6697. Still in Hartvigvatnet. CA+JY WNr.6657 (salvaged 1983). Gardermoen. DB+BP WNr.6694.Uncertain! VB+UP WNr.6821.(salvaged). Speyer. NR+AL WNr.6054. Still in Hartvigvatnet. SE+KC WNr.6664.(Took off again. Interned in Sweden) DB+RC WNr.6631. Still in Hartvigvatnet. A salvaged aircraft and DB+RB left in the lake.

And a Ju 53/3m should be possible to make several releases of: Early Luftwaffe bomber as used in the Spanish civil war and by Luftwaffe for training as well as other nations that wanted bombers on a budget. Military transport with a stick of fallschirmjägern to drop over Denmark, Norway, Holland and Crete. Floatplane, both as civilian airliner as well as military transport. Civilian airliners before and after WW2 Military use of captured Ju 52/3ms - pretty much every Allied nation flew some - the French even building them for use in their colonial wars. It is mainly a matter of different engines, cockpit glazing with and without defensive armament and vary the undercarriage between wheels, skis and floats. The old Heller kit is decent, the old Airfix kit has floats that can be used - but thats all.

There is also another Junkers 88 under restoration in Norway, a Ju 88D-1 in Bodø if Airfix wants to do something slightly different, https://blhf.org/sites/b/blhf.org/files/238238420.ppt

In September 2023, Airfix researchers visited Flysamlingen at Gardermoen (at Oslo airport) for another scanning session. Previous visits have resulted in kits like Heinkel He 111P (1:72); F-86F and Vampire Mk.III (both in 1:48). I don`t know what aircraft they scanned - and the ones who know won`t tell. Personally, I would really like to see a Ju 52/3m done by the current Airfix team. On display are: https://flysamlingen.no/utstillingen/flyene/ Rumpler Taube Farman F.46 BE. 2f - can use parts from Airfix BE 2c Auster J/1 Autocrat Fairchild M-62 (PT-19 and PT-26B) Interstate S.1A Cadet Northrop N-3PB kitted by MPM Noorduyn Norseman Mk.IV coming from Ukraine Lockheed C-60A Lodestar kitted by MPM Douglas C-47A Skytrain (Dakota) recently kitted by Airfix. Junkers Ju 88A-1 is still undergoing restoration and not assembled. Junkers Ju 52/3m missing a decent Ju 52/3m, the aircraft in Flysamlingen is an original German built example. Heinkel He 111P-2 scanned and kitted by Airfix Supermarine Spitfire PR XI - easily available to scan in England. Piper L-18C Super Cub SAAB 91B-2 Safir Cessna O-1A Birddog De Havilland Vampire F.3 scanned and kitted by Airfix De Havilland Vampire T.55 getting kitted by Pilot Replicas Lockheed T-33A Republic F-84G Thunderjet Republic RF-84F Thunderflash North American F-86F Sabre scanned and kitted by Airfix North American F-86K Sabre Canadair CF-104 Starfighter Lockheed TF-104G Starfighter Northrop F-5A(G) Freedom Fighter Northrop RF-5A(G) Freedom Fighter Northrop F-5B(G) Freedom Fighter General Dynamics / Lockheed Martin F-16 AM De Havilland of Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Lockheed C-130H Hercules also available at Cosford. Bell 47D-1 Sikorsky H-19D-4 Chickasaw Bell UH-1B Iroquois Westland Lynx Mk. 86 Westland Sea King Mk.43 recently done by Airfix in 1:48 & 1:72.

They must have been running out of colour schemes for the Bramo engined version. Looking forward to see this one released.

For those who don`t want to go via Facebook, this is the direct link to Badger3d: https://badger3d.co.uk/

Will the Valom kit be a good starting point for modelling a Canadian built Mk.V like LN-PAR?