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fightersweep

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Posts posted by fightersweep

    HK Models 1/32 DH Mosquito

    in The Rumourmonger

    Posted · Edited by fightersweep

    ...I've got a hot woman that has bought me a HK B-17 for Christmas! Maybe she'll buy me a Mossie next Christmas?

    I'm such a lucky barsteward. :coolio:

    However, I will be selling body parts for the following 1/32 Goodies;

    HK Lanc

    SH Tempests

    Fisher Sea Fury T.20

    Iconicair Spiteful

    Any future releases from Silver Wings and HPH.

    I think I can spare a kidney and any part of my lower limbs...

    Regards;
    Steve

    B-17 Sally B Nose Art Request...

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted · Edited by fightersweep

    Well, that certainly is a very strange attitude to take...and not a little aggressive too!

    Maybe they should show some interest...and earn some money in the process.

    I did know Derek Smith a few years ago and I believe he is now the head of their sales team. Derek is a top bloke...I'll drop him a line and pitch the idea to him instead. Worth a punt!

    ...Oh, and while they're at it...Maybe it's time to ditch the Memphis Belle theme :coolio:

    Regards;
    Steve

    • Like 1

    B-17 Sally B Nose Art Request...

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi Gary;

    Thanks for the reply and the photos! It's really difficult to get a clear view in a lot of photos of the Ginger Rogers artwork...and of course, there was Ginger Rogers 2! Other subtle differences were the change of number on the nose and the deletion of the red prop hubs. By the time I saw her at West Malling, the prop hubs were silver.

    If I remember rightly, that first photo shows Ted White on the left with Clive Denney to his right. Taken during filming in 1982.

    Kits world do the later decals for the Memphis Belle / Sally B and the decals for the early 457 BG scheme were available from Sally B sales for many years. I would love to see an all inclusive decal sheet that covers the history of Sally B...surely that would sell!

    Regards;
    Steve

    • Like 1

    B-17 Sally B Nose Art Request...

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi Darby;

    Yes! I do remember Flambards! I was only about 9 or 10 at the time I think. Was it on during the late 70's?

    I re-watched We'll Meet Again recently. I wasn't too bad and some of the flying sequences are quite well done. Most of it is on Youtube if you fancy seeing it again!

    I'll happily post the finished B-17 here...but it will be a longish haul. It's all part of a longer project in 1/32 scale. The first "warbird" show I went to was the Great Warbirds Air Display at West Malling in 1983. I was 13 years old and it left a deep impression on me. I plan to build a collection of as many of the aircraft that were there that day. I'm waiting for the Hk B-17 to arrive, but I'm getting the research in place first. On the workbench at the moment in the Trumpeter Bearcat which will be finished as Stephen Grey's aircaft as flown by Stefan Karwowski.

    I must be mad...but it is fun!

    Regards;
    Steve

    B-17 Sally B Nose Art Request...

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi All;

    I didn't know which forum to put this into, Sally B being a current warbird and all. Also, my request takes us back to 1983. Well, it's a B-17, so I've put it into WW2!

    I'm looking for a good colour photos, or even better, artwork of the Ginger Rogers artwork and the early incarnation of the Sally B artwork. I'm hoping to build my HK 1/32 B-17 to depict Sally B around 1982/83 when she wore the Ginger Rogers colours for ITV's "We'll Meet Again".

    Naturally, I've found lots of photos, but none yet that show the artwork clear enough for me to re-draw the artwork to produce some decals.

    If anyone can help, I would be extremely grateful.

    Best regards;

    Steve

    Dazzle Ship Question...What's Available?

    in Maritime WWI to 1939

    Posted

    Hi All,

    Just a quick question from a usual builder of things with wings! The Olympic dazzle scheme question posted previously got me thinking. I've always been fascinated by those dazzle paint jobs, and having the urge to build a ship model, wouldn't mind having a go at a ship in one of these fantastic colour schemes.

    So, my question is this: Are there any suitable 1/350 scale kits out there that would be applicable for the dazzle scheme. I saw a build of the USS Nebraska in a really great colour scheme and something along those lines would be great. I'm open to any suggestions though.

    Thanks in advance;

    Steve :thumbsup:

    Dear Airfix

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    I only made this exact point on the LSP forum yesterday. A re-working of the 1/24 Spitfire Mk I to the standard of the Tiffie would be awsome, and probably give another 40 years worth of sales like the old tool. I would buy several in a flash as it would save me the large amounts of scratchbuilding that I have going on with the five old kits that I have.

    ...And yes, the Bf 109E could do with the same treatment. Airfix would get a lot of my cash for sure!

    Regards;
    Steve

    Opinions sought! Bristol Aircraft School Project.

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Thanks for the input so far! I do have several ideas myself, but it's nice to have some extra ideas. I think at least one Helicopter is a must...shame I don't have the time/money to include the Brabazon!! Will have to rely on a photo...or maybe a scale silhouette to give an idea of the size of the beast!

    Graham; Sorry, I should have explained. Key Stage Two is the 7 to 11 year old range.

    Regards;
    Steve

    Opinions sought! Bristol Aircraft School Project.

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi All;

    Wasn't sure which section to put this in, so apologies if it is the wrong place!

    My daughter has been set a long term school project with the choice of several Bristol related topics. One of these choices is Bristol Aircraft. Of course, I've already assumed the role of over bearing Dad, and want to get involved with this one.

    We've had the idea of a sort of 3D timeline, using a backdrop, models, photos and some original Bristol related brochures that I have.

    The question I have for my learned colleagues here is,

    If I help her create a model timeline of Bristol Aircraft, which subjects would you chose without building absolutely everything? 1/72 would make life easier (except in the case of a Brabazon). It would be good to highlight the development from Boxkite onwards.

    Any thoughts? This is a Key Stage two project by the way.

    Thanks in advance...

    Regards;
    Steve

    New Humbrol Luftwaffe enamels: any good?

    in Paint

    Posted

    Well, just a quick update. I'm still waiting for replacement paints as promised by Humbrol. Maybe they are trying to sort things out first. I'll be back as soon as I hear something. (Don't think I've been forgotten!)

    Interesting to see the similar comments on Hyperscale though.

    Regards;
    Steve

    New Humbrol Luftwaffe enamels: any good?

    in Paint

    Posted

    Hi All;

    Just bumping this thread up. I'm still waiting for a replacement test pot from Humbrol (hope they haven't forgotten!), so nothing to report on here yet.

    Wondering if anyone else has had a chance to try the Luftwaffe enamels and what observations there might be?

    Regards;
    Steve

    B26 Marauder - the thing on top?

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted

    Hi all;



    Found the following text online which seems to reference astrodomes fitted to later B-26's;



    Arriving at Selfridge (or Omaha, for those few who picked up their airplanes there) the 386th found that all had the longer wingspan - 71 feet - and many other refinements which were designed to make the Marauder an outstanding fighting machine. The vertical fin had been lengthened, increasing control in single engine emergencies. Four .50 caliber "package" guns were mounted, two on each side of the fuselage, firing forward. some had Bell hydraulic power tail turret in place of the twin flexible mount .50's. All the bomb stations in the rear bomb bays had been removed and the doors sealed.



    The Bombardier's position in the plexiglas nose held all the controls for the bomb doors and the bomb racks, provisions for a bomb sight and a flexible .50 caliber machine gun. A few models also had a fixed .50 caliber firing forward. This fixed gun was generally removed after the 386th reached England.



    A navigator's and radio operator's compartment, located just aft of the cockpit, provided space and facilities for the navigators and carried the long range liaison radio. A hatch which was equipped with an astro-dome, allowed sextant shooting for celestial navigation. It also provided a spot for a crewmember to ride during taxi in congested areas. He was thus able to clear the wingtips and the tail section and prevent collisions with other aircraft or fixed objects.



    I thought this was interesting as it related to 386th BG training with the long span B-26B's, yet also mentions the astrodome. There's also mention in the Osprey Publishing B-26 book (page 35) of an incident where the group CO of the 320th BG received head injuries whilst observing a raid from the astrodome of a B-26B-45 (42-95759 "Tiger Lily").



    I know that the vast majority of B-26B photos show the astrodome stowed/deleted, but there is evidence that they were still being used. The B-26 astrodome we had in our museum was recovered along with the fuselage of B-26C-25 41-35253 that was recovered from a scrapyard in Warrington. So were the astrodomes completely deleted?



    Having said that, If I were building another B-26, I would have the hatch installed as opposed to an astrodome. It does seem to be the most common configuration.



    Regards;


    Steve

    • Like 1

    B26 Marauder - the thing on top?

    in Aircraft WWII

    Posted · Edited by fightersweep

    I used to be with the Rebel Air Museum at Earls Colne, and the collection very dedicated to the B-26 Marauder.

    We had one of these astrodomes in the collection. It had two release handles each side of the dome. I'll need to fish out my references, but if I remember correctly, all B-26's had these as standard. What I can't remember off hand is if the dome folded inwards inside the fuselage, to be replaced with the hatch cover. I think that it was stowed in the radio operator/navigators compartment.

    I've got the manuals in the man cave...I'll look as soon as I get the chance.

    Regards;
    Steve

    Models in WH Smiths

    in Current News

    Posted

    Don't know why I've only just stumbled across this thread, but better late than never I suppose.

    Good on WH Smiths for bringing the hobby back to the high street. Sure, it may not cater for all of our needs, but it's something at least. It will be interesting to see how they expand the range, if at all.

    What interested me was the comments about grumpy LHS owners. I've never really got that to be honest, unless business was so dire that they had lost the will to live! Recently, I travelled a 40 mile round trip to pick up the new Humbrol Luftwaffe colours. It was the first time I had been to a LHS for quite some time. I came out of the shop wondering if the guy had actually wanted my business...I'm not even sure there was any sort of conversation!

    I wouldn't be like that I tell ya!

    When I was the buyer at Midland Counties at Hinckley way back when, I was tasked with getting them set up for the first time with model kits. ( I had nagged them to do this for years! ) I was tasked with ordering all the stock from scratch, getting things set up and also helping out with the marketing and promotions for the kits too. I've never been happier!

    Being an OCD plastic fondler myself, I also got to deal with most customer kit related enquiries over the phone and in the showroom. It was a pleasure to do and quite frankly, I felt lucky being paid to do it. The customers appreciated being able to deal with someone who knew the hobby and it was the happiest I've ever been in a job!

    Within six months, the kits were about a quarter of our business.

    That's why I don't get some LHS people being so grumpy! I know Midland vanished ( No fault of our own, we were doing ok! )...but I would give my right arm to get back into the trade. Maybe the new WH Smiths Modelzone might have a few jobs!

    Regards;
    Steve

    • Like 1
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