general melchett

Just had a look at your conversion set Ed, very impressive. I didn't realize that so much work was needed on the kit.....should keep Martian busy for months!

Exactly what I thought...badly sprained minds obviously think alike. Also read ''In the morning I was doing micro-soldering'' as ''was doing micro-soldiering''...back to Baldrick again.

I did....she was shot by firing squad. Spot on Martian, according to the IWM, it's Mariner GR Mark I, JX103, at the Saunders Roe Aircraft Ltd works at Beaumaris, Isle of Anglesey, before it was passed to the Maritime Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Helensburgh, and thence to No. 524 Squadron RAF at Oban, who operated the type between 20 October and 7 December 1943. This would make a rather nice diorama....

They've served me well, up to now, if they were good enough for cousin Otto then they're good enough for me...satellite navigation is a fantasy down there, eliciting gasps of wonderment from the great unwashed. Mind you, crawling around at 20mph in the jalopy didn't exactly help, although even at that speed I was accused by one local, brandishing a huge red flag, of driving like a 'ruddy gwallgofddyn' (look it up). I took exception so I ran him over. With honour restored we left shortly after

Your damn lucky I've been ensconced in the deepest, murkiest recesses of Ceredigion for the past seven days else it might have been your turn to do the honours. The interwebs were barely existent there, in fact, I wrote this a week before I got there so no hope of responding to your request, running water is still a novelty and rumour has that the Bell's box telephone will make an appearance next year. Ironically ice cold showers were the order of the day unless I could cajole the Memsahib into firing up the log burner and manning the giant hamster wheel while ordering Baldrick to bung on a few members of the local peasantry. The less said about the 'Final Push', the better... indoor khazis have yet to be invented

Yes, I noticed the scope seemed to move about, you may well be right. Apparently the 'ultimate' Mariner, the PBM-5S2 had the APS-15 radar scope fitted on top of the i/p coaming like some magic lantern. All a bit Heath Robinson. Always like a good partition wall. This is something I know well...the Mem's snoring is now causing historic levels of seismic activity.

Great stuff Pete, makes more sense than the original concept and probably not a great deal nosier. You just have to appreciate your habit of recycling old kits with nothing more than a lump hammer, hacksaw and a pair of pliers, even built ones that have been withdrawn from service and decommissioned. Derek Meddings would be proud of you.... Long live the Empire etc...

I can't decide what impresses me the most, the level of styrene fettlification or the change from a keyboard background for the photos to a blue cutting-mat....outstanding sir! Very limited references, all of which show no partition but this turned up. Do you have more Martian? Mariner cockpit Not so old fashioned that they didn't forget to be airborne over enemy positions or far out to sea, I hope.......Ancient Mariners being ancient mariners in ancient Mariners, eh.

Fortunately, before she was finally blasted off the roof by a particularly vicious sidewind she managed to get down oxyphenbutozone, matching the worlds highest score for a single word...however, from what I heard as she sailed past the window, I think she beat that handily...Bravo, I shouted.

I've heard all about your uncles 'pawn' shop and all the dodgy under-the-counter dealings that goes on there, I believe it's one of Baldrick's favourite haunts and where he picked up some of his more unsavoury ideas. No need for the diving suit as the archive has now been safely relocated to the upmost attic room, out of danger...although it was creaked around ominously yesterday in lieu of Storm Kathy. The mem was almost blown off the roof a couple of times while replacing the odd tile. Looks like you'll need to break out the riveting tool Martian...

Mariner Porthole hatch Is this the porthole hatch in question Martian? Have a word with Tommy Thomason, he may be able to shed some light. Sent the Mem to look in the Melchett Aviation Digital (MAD) archives here at MT earlier which turned up a couple of tomes on the Mariner, nothing about the anchor stowage unfortunately....have instructed her to delve a bit deeper

Well, I could but it's a little early in the day for that sort of thing. Alternatively, I know it's wild but could the porthole be for looking out of? Never wobble on the toilet, runnething over will be the least of your problems... Good luck with the pandemonium old fruit.

Something to do with three seashells...

Ha, what's life without a little innuendo, as a collective we Brits created a whole civilization based on it. Life's cyclic, what goes around comes around, etc, etc. I Haven't read Bob Mason's book but from what I see there's a lot of diorama possibilities there...a M.A.S.H Sioux would be interesting. Torqueing of oddities, I'll have a quick look at the rota and see what's next...

Spoken like a true citizen of Poole. Well, each to his own, I say. Fast progress old friend, quite a beast. Regarding the question of whether or not to add the thunderbox and the deluge of ribald comments that will undoubtedly ensue, then its a firm Wibble from all here at Melchett Towers. To be honest it shouldn't even be a question in a Martian thread...

Thanks chaps, appreciated. Glad you like it. A few more weird choppers in the works.

Looks interesting. The Alleycat conversion scrubs up nicely but it's always nice to see a dedicated kit of the type. Here's a Mauritanian BT-67 fitted with an MX-15 (FLIR) turret for limited ISR operations I built for Airfix Model World several years ago. A nice conversion if you're OK with resin...which I am, love the stuff, (bit tough on the old dentures though).

Too late Martian, looks like CC's already struck...

Remember though, while you can take the man out of the alcohol it's a lot harder to take the alcohol out of the man.... By Jupiter's sainted trousers, the irony!! Ah, yes, well...good point. Technically that aero monstrosity was a Quadruplane or biplane2. Funnily enough we were only talking about firing those up again recently. Work will recommence sometime in this millennium, given the current state of affairs and Martian's fixation with old gasbags, that's the best I can do.

Presumably with a silent P, eh...fnaar, snurf, snurf etc... It'll take more than a few ruddy chainsaws to reveal my age, young fella. If you did, then all you would find there is 'Property of the British Army, hoorah' coursing through my veins (likely/possibly with just a hint of single-malt 'Shredded Sporran' and Turnip Absinth)...

Good Lord, that must have been one small pair of pliers, fnarr, snurf, etc......Ced would be proud of you. Coming along well, nice to see you added the laundry chute...

To unashamedly quote that loquacious dullard Slackbladder, the chances of there being any fair winds near Martian, are zero.... I'll have you know that the contents of my inner vestments were the talk of the Chipping Sodbury Women's Guild reserves for many a year not to mention the focus of a special report by the Humane Society, June 1918... Good job on the Royal, I think that's as near as dammit. Following our little tête-à-tête recently I couldn't find anything either (just one thing old fruit, the foremast looks like it's participated in one of your infamous curry nights!...straighten up man!)

Amazing amount of detail work, resulting in a truly spectacular museum level result, well done that man...

You'll get more than crabs at Skeg Pete!....better try Chapel St. Leonards, better class of crustacea there...

Blimey, he’s at it again!