rob Lyttle

Story of the modelling life right there, Heather 🤭

,Well, thanks for that, @HOUSTON I like doing the old-school kits

Salute, CC... 2024, come on 🧚‍♀️ I got a couple of wins on Veteranus online. More cars ,one of my all time favourites 😍 And a few other old classics, Looking forward to these arriving. I also found a model shop that has the Britten Norman Islander kit by Valom in 1.48. I've been searching for that one for ages. I shall place an order directly 👍 Best wishes and good health 🙏

Great save, @kalle ❗️😎 And looking very smart in this livery, I love it. The old Italieri DC3 has its own little building challenges and I'm sure you'll enjoy the luxury of the new Airfix kit, but this old girl looks great 👍 Well done

Well, as you know I'm not an enthusiastic modeller on the splodge camo schemes, it's just not my thing. But that looks good to me! Bit of subtle variation, and what I'd call "sympathetic" to the whole airframe and it's scale. Colour values toned down a little... yeah, I like it 👌 What's the opposite of Blitz build?? Whatever it's called, that's what I'm doing 🤭😴

Oooh, that's interesting. Didn't know about that one. Well let's see what this old one is like

I just won a few old beauties on a good auction site for modelling people. Favourite (at the moment...) is an Entex Triumph TR3 in 1.24. I think my absolute favourite little sports car is the TR2, and I'm already wondering if a conversion is feasible . I don't think there's much difference apart from the big shiny grill, externally anyway. And an Austin Healey 3000 from Revell in 1.32. It's gonna be old-school for sure-- I'd better go on Scalemates.com and check it's history. A few other wee gems included ✨️ Not sure when they'll arrive with the whole festive season kicking off, but something to look forward to 😎

OK Marvin, 👍, I was looking at the position of the prop discs relative to the fuselage nose and I keep thinking I'm seeing a difference.

Sure enough, I think I'm going for a light grey on the wings and tail. Here's what I'm considering.... In the picture in that link above, the nearest 2 Beagles are the 206S with the 3blade props etc. They have white wings. The 3rd one out however, is an original B206 and it has grey painted wings. Also of note is the tailfin flash, with white letters on a black band, as opposed to the other planes with black or coloured letters over white. I may be over-interpreting the picture but it gives me something to work with for decision making. So, Question for the Eagle eyed... Would you say the nacelles/cowlings are a little longer on the supercharged 206S planes? Or is it all in my head? Don't even mention the extra window on each side❗️ 🙄😇 Not going there, not this time anyway

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d8d_48oWdTs/TwSf0VM8thI/AAAAAAAAAcg/T_s9zf3LaCo/s1600/206S.jpg

I've been thinking about how this is going to be finished, some kind of livery, and there are some good looking options available. Bearing in mind my limited facility for production of homemade decals , I need to look at the situation and choices from a "doable" perspective. One scheme that pops up on various airframes is with a yellow lower half of fuselage and black stripes. Also featuring yellow nacelles with stripes and white areas. I thought I should make a start and see what I can make of it. I don't have an overall strategy worked out, just taking tentative steps... I've lost a tip of an elevator but I think that will be an easy fix. Cutting and chopping these thin pieces does put some extra stress and strain on the plastic. There's an extra little visual "joke", a pun if you like, at play with this scheme. Liquorice Allsorts are a popular UK confectionery-- may be globally known for all I know 😉-- and a long-standing product of the sweet manufacturer called Bassetts. I'll try to find a picture or two that will illustrate the Liquorice link. As usual I'm struggling to find good photos of wing tops or bottom views, always just the side portrait photos standing beside the plane. I think some Beagles may have grey or silver painted wing and tailplane surfaces . But I've found a couple of airborne pictures that show white wings, so my current thinking is to stick with white. But it all might change 😎

I just tracked down a build I completed in 2021 in the Heller Classics GB. The Caravelle airliner was France's pride and joy in the late 50s and Heller produced their very first plastic kit to ride the wave of national pride. It is in 1.100 scale. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a limited edition reissue, the box, decals,instructions and plastic being a facsimile of the original 1957 kit. All the problems and challenges carefully reproduced! I never had such an exotic foreign kit in my youth, but it was definitely a nostalgic kind of build that took me right back in time, both in aviation and in modelling terms. The box carries a barcode on the back which is a bit of a giveaway but that's the original box artwork. Finished as the second prototype airframe with Sud logos on the tail, as supplied on the decal sheet 😎

There's something wrong with this mindset, but I get the same. I had-- unusually-- the opportunity to put in a bid for a MFH car kit online... but I didn't do it and I think it's pretty much the same reasoning 🙄 You can always try to break the spell in the style of the Entropy Group Build. Try giving Tamiya a bit of this. (That's the remains of an Airfix Hudson which I know you like 😇. The rest of the kit is required for a Lodestar conversion)

Well, here's hoping, Chris I think this is my Happy Place, Adrian. Gotta be honest, I built a Tamiya F4U not long ago, and the finished plane looks just right. But I was kinda getting bored just assembling stuff 😇 Felt like I was working for Tamiya or something.....

This is what I've been up to with the nacelles..... My tendency with propellers is to fit a metal bearing tube in the engine and mount the propeller on a metal shaft of the right diameter to slide into the bearing. I usually have brass and aluminium tubes around for this. So first on the agenda is some brass tube for the engine position... The cowling front has been glued and the hole drilled to take the brass. The bearing needs to be kept straight vertically and horizontally. Then plasticene sausages alongside.... Next up is some 3mm solder wire, one each side.... There's room for a bit more plasticene to fill the cowling, I just need to make sure the propeller shaft isn't fouled as it emerges from the brass tube. So I'm hoping that with these two loaded plus the nose filling, she can stand on 3 legs in a dainty manner 😃

Some paint is applied and the overall look of things is improving. I had a chance to look at the wings and I have one flap cut free.... I've also been adding weight to the nacelle/ cowling, but I've forgotten to take pictures. I'll get some organised and explain what I've done. Like I said, maximum effort needs to be made to put the C of G ahead of the main legs on this

Sorted! I remember using stretched sprue to fill those lines, they are quite deep. And the files and abrasives. Your fix seems to have addressed the situation 😃

Thanks Marvin. I don't need to tell you how much modelling fun can be had from a cheap little box of plastic stuff❗️ 😃

Tailplanes are progressing, I've taken it upon myself to put some deflection on the elevators and the trim tabs while I'm at it. But the tailplanes fit into slots in the fuselage in the straight position so a slight workaround is required. The inboard ends of the elevators need trimming back and the corresponding rear parts of the slots need filling. Here's what I've got on the tailplanes, The port side got trimmed just a bit too much 😳 and that's a strip of skinny plastic attached onto the inner face to make up the difference. So only the fixed parts of the tailplanes will be glued but because they're inserted in slots they should be strong enough. I also had a run in with the top tip of the vertical fin, or more properly the rudder. The parts for the balance piece were too flimsy once I made cuts to free the rudder-- I'd say Airfix have made them too small. I cut the whole top off and made a new one. I'd say this one may be a bit too tall and I can hone it down a bit more if necessary..But it looks more like an aerodynamic balance now. The rudder trim tab has been given some definition too. The other thing I've been fiddling with is up front, I made 2 drive points for the wipers. I thought it would be easier before the windscreen is attached. Just a couple of small holes, probably around 0.5mm, and stretched sprue glued in. Clippers applied later I think I need to get the tailplanes attached and get some paint on this lot to see how things are looking when primed up 😎

There was me, happy in blissful ignorance for all these years thinking-- assuming-- that it was a handle, you know like the push bar fitted to a fire door.....🙄 So it's a crowbar, eh?! Who knew?? Everyone except ME, that's who 🤣🧚‍♀️ My G-IRTY bar is red as per the current state of regulations

Very challenging scenario, Nils, so tricky to achieve. A matt black plane at night, at speed. Well, you have done it and with style 😎

The front transparency is just having a test fit in the previous picture. And it does seem to be OK 👍 A little bit of tinkering around the overhead area and the corresponding roof bit on the fuselage. I'm hearing that Airfix have done a bit of a makeover on these transparencies, and the older original kits are bad. I know they've re-done the canopy part for the Auster Antarctic and it's transformed that little kit, so maybe the Beagle has had the same treatment. Bravo to Airfix then! The canopy has had a few things done while it's unfitted. The central glazing bar has been painted inside and out with the aid of masking strips, and 2 pieces of stretched sprue applied on the moulded wiper blades. They will get trimmed later. I'm starting to look at the tailplanes-- they really need some help.... The instructions have 3view drawings for the paint and decals placement and they are much better than that nonsense moulded on the plastic. What I did with the previous build was this.... So some remedial work required before they go on

Progress has been made (as the opportunity arises)... Interior fitted complete with 2 aircrew in the front seats, instrument panel in and plasticene filling the nose area in both halves. And finally committed to the glue.... Not a perfect fit-- I note that Chris removed the alignment pins and did the seams manually-- maybe I should have done the same. But it's joined 👋

Oh yeah...... little bit of shuffling around recommended for the main gears 💡 Are those resin engines? Silly question really 🤣......they ain't grey styrene, that's for sure

Precious little time available these days for modelling activities but I managed to get the 1st window fitted. The 2nd picture looks a bit iffy, doesn't it? But it's caught a reflection. There was a surface mark when I had a good look but it cleaned up and buffed away with metal polish on a cotton bud so that was a pleasing thing to sort. I shall persevere with this method, trying to avoid the masking 😷 I found time to have a read up on the Beagle. There is a "Mark 2" type with uprated engines and this may explain the 3blade props on some. It seems that Beagle were of the impression that they would supply 80 or so to the RAF but like many other UK companies they were stuffed by the powers that be. I think the MoD purchased 20 or so, leaving Beagle's costing and business plan in shreds. The 206 did OK in the civil world though. The Australian Flying Doctor service used them too. Turns out that the plane is known as the Beagle 206, and 206S for the uprated version. The name Bassett is the RAF name for the type in their service, so I'll update the title here I guess. Not much else to report on the build though