jackroadkill

Fully aware that I'm signing up for far too many GB's. With that in mind, it's with a heavy heart that I say.... I'm in!

Go on then - GB's seem to be a great way for me to whittle the numbers down, stash-wise.

This update is much smaller than I hoped it would be this week I've been back on the farm and as the weather has been so hot, by the time I've finished work, got home and had a shower and got myself in any useful sort of shape there hasn't been much time for kit-ruining. That said, I've got this far now: Since taking the photos I've done some touching-up of various flaws that the pictures showed, and am in the process of adding the Eduard seatbelts, as well as sorting out the bleed on the wash inside the fuselage. It's coming, but slowly. Once I have the tailwheel sorted I can get the fuselage halves together, get the wings on and then we should be looking at something that vaguely resembles a Beaufighter.

It's because of Sod's law.

Hmmm, that's a worry. I have a big van and I've never been to Hannants...... Is the universe trying to tell me something?

That's really nice to hear, sir. I'm lucky enough to teach Autistic kids for a living and whilst it can be hard it is an incredibly rewarding, inspiring and humbling experience. A lot of young people with ASC (Autism spectrum conditions) struggle due to lack of understanding from other people and channelling their energies into activities that fully tick their boxes. It's great that your godson has found an activity that he can let himself become absorbed in, and it will be especially beneficial if he can do it alongside your building as this will provide him with wins all round. All power to your elbow, sir.

That's come together very nicely, Pat.

8 AEF were stationed at Shawbury, certainly while I was a cadet. I was lucky enough to have many flights from there in the venerable "Chippie".

Nice one, Pat. She’s looking great!

A rather uninspiring and poorly lit photo, I'm afraid, of the first stages of the Beaufighter. So far the kit seems pretty nice, although I've done some minor re-shaping on a few bits as I've gone along.

Here's my (first, hopefully) entry to the SGTB, an Academy Bf109T-2 (WN 7767) as flown in Norway by Herbert Christmann of JG11. Not many actual photos of this airframe seem to exist even though pretty much every manufacturer who offers a Bf109T include this scheme as an option. What profiles exist seem to be uncertain as to whether it should or shouldn't have a Reich Defence band, although they agree that it should be yellow. Academy's own box art shows it with one but the paint scheme in the instructions shows it without.... I opted to do it without, as although it was shown as being based in Norway in 1944, the construction of the T's took place much earlier in the war when the Kriegsmarine was still intending on getting the Graf Zeppelin afloat. With that I mind I chose to show it without the band and thus earlier in its career. This kit was pretty basic; detail is lacking (for example, there is an inlet for the chin radiator but no outlet, for some unknown reason) and there were some glaring errors, such as the struts for the horizontal stabilisers being way too long, the cowling and canopy not being the right sizes for the fuselage etc. I pepped it up a bit with some Master gun barrels, cut the undercarriage legs and wheels up so that they could be fitted in a retracted position and added an Airfix pilot. I will build a T again, but I'm looking at the A&A Models kit, dear though it is, for the next attempt as it looks far and away a better kit.

Cheers Col, that.s kind of you. A curious mix of serendipity and necessity above anything else!

Thanks Dennis; I'm going to do another at some point, I think. I like the look of the new A & A kit, so I might give one of those a try.

Okay, going to call this one done. There are things I would do (will do) differently next time but overall I'm quite pleased with it. One thing that irks me is that there's no aerial mast on the tail and I didn't notice this before painting, hence not having scratched one up and why there's no aerial wire. RFI and post in the GB gallery to follow.

Thanks Dave. I'm really looking forward to getting started with her. The Bf109T-2's final matt cot is drying as we speak so hopefully the Beau will make an appearance in the next couple of days. Brilliant, thanks Tony. I'll peruse your WIP, paying particular attention to the nacelles! Also, chaps, I owe you both and @Greg Law and apology - I only just saw that you'd all posted on the thread; I wasn't being an ignorant git, honest!