Quiet Mike

Another marvel in miniature Frank!

Well, apologies for my absence so far this year from these hallowed pages. No excuses. I haven’t sat down at the bench at all since Christmas, it’s quickly disappeared under the usual detritus that covers every flat surface around me. Not something I’m proud of, or can find a decent explanation why. Hopefully my mojo will return soon. Anyway, I thought I’d share a model graveyard save I made yesterday at the end of a festival we are big fans of. I’m not sure with my recent track record of productivity why I stepped up to save these. I think I thought the Fury propeller would come in useful for a MkI Hurricane conversion. These were in a plastic tray, the type full of holes for small model bits to fall through. I walked away when he said a tenner, but caved in at a fiver. the SE5a looks saveable, as does the vacform Wyvern. I think the other biplane is a bulldog? Mostly complete bar missing or smashed struts. I now need to decide what to do with them all! Keen to know what others thoughts are. Are they all worthy of saving? Or should I get the lighter fuel and French bangers out?

What a neat little aeroplane. A stunning build as always, that camouflage is very unusual.

Thought I'd share this post seen on facebook, showing the fitters and riggers posing with an airframe, and the stencil they used for painting the stork on the fuselages. Thanks to Steve Brown for sharing this. https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=6222780654427871&set=gm.9299045603446816&idorvanity=134585496559585

Just a heads up for a dodgy ebay timewaster, Andrew Laverty, andlav_8390. They bid on items but don't contact or pay. Only a mild inconvenience I know, and I'm fairly sure their current ebay profile will be delelted shortly. I'm just kicking my heels for a few days waiting to relist. He's only had this account a few weeks and it's already chock full of negative feedback. https://www.ebay.co.uk/fdbk/feedback_profile/andlav_8390?user_context=BUYER

What a beautiful finish. The wood, canvas and metal are so convincing I'm struggling to convince myself this is a plastic kit!

What an excellent era of aviation to cover, this will be a great collection of builds! I feel your pain with the AMP S5. Seeing your post has brought it all back to me! I do like your solutions to the challenges this kit throws up though. That jig is very smart, and I wish I had used rods to support the floats!

Flippin' marvelous! That looks fantastic!

I loved MASH as a kid. We were lucky BBC2 showed it without the canned laughter. I remember one night a tech left it on, and Points of View was swamped with complaints! I hear if you get the latest DVDs, you can turn it off? I think the series started to go downhill later on, as Alan Alda had increasingly more control, but the final episodes where Hawkeye is having counselling still haunt me decades later.

Amazing attention to detail, this is looking marvelous!

Just finished reading I flew for the Fuhrer by Heinz Knoke, and I think he describes using these little mines in Op Barbarossa. Fantastic build @Fuad

Beautiful car and a stunning build to boot!

Sorry to hear your woes Edward. We have been in hospital with one of our '*boys' this week. (*He's 22). For the squeamish among us (including me, I can hardly type this) gloss over the next few lines. He was servicing one of his bikes, and got his index finger caught inbetween the chain and chain wheel, where in true cheap B movie gore flick fashion is acted exactly as you think it would, breaking clean through the bone and severing the end off. He was on his own, and coped really well, calling mum, who called our neighbours round while she rode home from work. He let them in before he passed out. He's just had what's left of the tip, minus the nail, stitched back on this morning. My wife says they've done a pretty neat job. It's not his first rodeo at this sort of thing, he's doing OK. And it's only Wednesday. I only recount this as maybe a slight distraction from your own woes. I wish you much Churchillian spirit to see you through these testing times. "If you are going through hell, keep going"

Looking splendid! I will take tips from your rigging process, thanks.

Did my local charity shops last Saturday morning, and was surprised to see this little number in the window! I did initially leave it, as I'm not one for buying kits not on my current wish list, but I had second thoughts and caved in. (I can see myself slipping far too easily into the trap of having a stash of kits that far exeed my remaining hoped for lifetime. Currently I'm only building 3/4 a year, so that's not a big stash! I'm always trying to keep myself in check ✋) So I now have both Tamiyas 1/48 Mossie kits. And still I'm not planning on building one yet! 🙄 Next up on the bench is, I'm 51% certain, the Albatros DIII. That's despite me just finishing reading McCuddens Flying Fury, and having a Roden SE5a to hand, and currently reading Flying Minnows, and now fancying a Brisfit ... Charity shop treasures by Mike, on Flickr And I'm sure when I get around to reading the book I picked up as well for 50p, I'll need to add more to the stash ... Reading second hand war memoirs used to be a cheap pastime, now I end up deep diving the aircraft they flew! That would get very expensive if Wingnut Wings were my bag!

The 2023 reading pile. Flying Fury was in my secret santa at work (I dropped hints obvs) and has been read already, I couldn't put it down. Interesting to read how McCudden worked his way through the RFC from Air Mechanic to Leading Fighter Ace. Also how he really studied tactics, and understood the need to be cautious as much as fearless, knowing "The better part of valor is discretion". Very much in the 'ripping yarn' Edwardian style. After reading Wind in the Wires last year, (The author flew the famous red 'Schweinhund') the urge to build an SE5a is now quite strong. Luckily a good friend gifted me a 1/48 Roden as a thank you a few weeks ago 👍 2023 reading pile by Mike, on Flickr Now a few chapters into Flying Minnows, so a Brisfit will also have to be added to the stash soon ... A very different account to McCuddens. Vivian Voss is a South African medical student studying in the USA, who joins the RFC in Canada. He is quite candid about getting 'the funk' after a serious crash, and also being under fire. Not so fearless as McCudden, but just as enlightening.

*Double checks I didn't misread the scale in the title ... no, definitely 1/72 and not 1/48 ... 🤯 Great results!

Excellent choice. I'm currently reading Flying Minnows, and as always when reading WW1 accounts, the urge to build their machines is very strong. I noticed one on ebay at the weekend but I was already priced out at £150,* and it was only going up. Now looking at 1/48 options 😉 *Just checked, sold for £201.

Great build, that weathering is spot on!

Mouth watering progress as always Johnny 😋

Very tidy finish Chris, wonderful result!

Such a pleasing little kit. Great job, especially in 1/72. I'm thinking of doing a biplane next, but 1/48 scale at least!

Ingenious. So simple but very effective! That looks perfect.

Well, after kicking its heels around the on bench for a month I thought it about time to wrap this one up, although it very nearly didn't happen! I was just waiting for some Uschi rigging to arrive, so I could add the arial wires. I'm afraid my bench becomes a bit of a dumping ground when there's no actual building going on. Just beside the Dornier, wobbling tentatively on it's M stand, I had placed a recent picture I'd framed up. An old college room mate had given me his grandfathers RFC wings and collar dogs decades ago when we were art students. I had these precious items kicking around in a box ever since. I thought it was about time I framed them, with a sepia photo I had of him proudly wearing his RFC maternity jacket, probably with the very same wings and collar dogs on. Anyway, you can guess the rest. Just placing something else on the overloaded bench, buckaroo style, had a knock on effect, and the picture frame simply fell backwards on top of the Dornier with a loud crack. I was surprised how much damage was inflicted! One wing off, and the support struts. Also two propeller blades. It was late in the evening and I must admit that was the blackest mood I've been in for a long while. Had someone else done the damage, I don't think there would be an ounce of anger, it's just one of those things, it's only plastic after all, but I was unduly hard on myself, for my laziness and untidiness. I sat and sulked while staring at it in silence for a good 15 mins, then another 15 mins of being a nuisance and banging and crashing about in a huff. Not actions this 49 year old is proud of but there you go. Luckily I decided to put all the bits I could find in a tub and leave it until the black mood had passed. One missing propeller blade took hours to find. It was a good excuse for a spring clean. I could have made a replacement far more quickly. Anyway, 24 hours later it was back in one piece. Not a good start to my modelling for 2023! Adding the rigging by Mike, on Flickr The stretchy Uschi rigging arrived a few days later. It's pretty cool stuff, but next to invisible! I got the Standard and Fine. Even the Standard is hair width. I think the super fine may be invisible to the naked eye. nui Adding the rigging by Mike, on Flickr Adding the rigging by Mike, on Flickr I've now put it safely in the cabinet behind me! Apologies for not taking RFI shots. I haven't got a photo of it in there as it's quite dark. I need to look into lighting options. (It's an old 30s display cabinet with glass shelves. A great piece of furniture but not the ideal model display case.) Keen to start the new year with a new build now though! I'm keen to do a 1/48 biplane, I have several to choose from. I know there was a lot of love for the Mosquito on here, but that will have to wait a little while.

I think I'm done on the Dornier, so while I was trying to shoehorn it into the cabinet behind me out of harms way (another story I may put on the build thread) I had a bit of a sort out, and remembered I wanted to add a ladder to the S5. I'm not sure I like this but it is the first attempt. Just plastic rod so I think it's a little crude. I may take it out again in another 18 months and have another bash. Made a little ladder for the S5 by Mike, on Flickr