Deckie

Thanks, that’s a great idea Rob G. I do have some miniature reed switches and some tiny neodymium magnets for a similar purpose. I think they’re normally open but it could work, the model is a Lancaster so there may be room in the bomb bay or somewhere. I’ll have to fashion somewhere to put the batteries.

Thanks Malpaso, I gather that these motors no longer exist which is a shame. I searched for "Mabuchi RM-01" and "flick start motor" but no results. I’ll have to think of another solution, probably having to use an on/off switch unless I leave the propellers static. Thanks Pete, I’ll have a close look at one of the motors and see if I can cut one of the windings. The propellers are quite small and light so there may not be enough inertia to keep the motor running.

I have several tiny electric motors like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225061248900 but to spin a scale propeller it ideally needs to be of the type that is off until you give it a little push so there’s no need to mount an on/off switch anywhere. I’ve tried Googling them but nothing comes up, probably because I don’t know what they’re called and describing them didn’t help either. The last time I saw one was in a 1/32 scale Airfix kit of a Spitfire I made 50 years ago in 1972. Can anyone advise please on whether these motors still exist (or if there’s a better solution that doesn’t need an on/off switch). Thanks.

Thanks Andy but having seen the Skyraider I’m as sure as I can be that it’s the one I had as a kid. Specially now I found one the same on eBay, brand new in box and parts still sealed in the placky bag!

I’m familiar with the feeling, I was the same when I saw the kit in a shop in about 1972 and when I said it was what I wanted one day an auntie we were with went went and bought it for my birthday there and then 😊.

There happened to be one on eBay with the same box as in JagRigger’s link showing the same instructions as above so I snapped it up! Shame to make it up as it’s survived in kit form since 1966 but I figure that’s what it was made for and I haven’t bought it as an investment. I feel guilty now, is that bad? If it turns out ok maybe I’ll post pictures in the Ready for Inspection section.

Thanks JagRigger, I think that must be the box as well.

Many thanks Space Ranger, these are the instructions for the Skyraider I was talking about which confirms it... https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/1/5/0/168150-80-instructions.pdf

Many thanks everyone for all the suggestions. I thought it may be the 1/48 Monogram Corsair SAT69 but when I found an old listing on eBay, the parts look far more sparse in the box than I remember... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-48-Revell-Monogram-F4U-4-Corsair-Gullwing-WW2-Plastic-Scale-Model-Kit-6833-/193418192768?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l10137.c10&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true Yes it probably looked bigger to me then, I was probably about 12 at the time. However, compared to the Airfix kits I was used to, the box was enormous and the depth of the box made it very appealing. I looked at a few pics of the Lindberg 1/48 kits John but didn’t see anything very familiar. It could have been the Monogram Helldiver Chuck but I don’t remember that long canopy. As far as I can see, the Skyraider looks very familiar Space Ranger. Although the box looks a lot earlier, if it was updated and re-released in the early 70s and still had the detail, folding wings, etc. it could well be the one 😁. I’ll have to dig down into the various websites and see if I can find more evidence! I might put an alert on eBay just in case.

I remember being given an aircraft kit for my birthday when I was a kid and being so excited about it. Unfortunately, the build turned out to be a bit too advanced for me at the time (I was used to making small Airfix kits) and I made a bit of a pig’s ear of it. I’ve searched extensively online but I doubt any will still be available now. It would be great if I could find one, relive those moments and build it properly this time. Or at least find some old pictures of it. My memory of it is a bit sketchy, I don’t remember the name of the aircraft or the kit manufacturer (though I’m sure it wasn’t Airfix) but it was in a really big box so would have been quite a large scale, maybe 1/32 or 1/24. The kit would have been made in the late 60s or more likely in the early 70s. It was a WW2 plane and it had hinged wings that folded up and undercarriage that retracted. It could have been a Corsair F4U or something similar but I’m not entirely sure. There was a lot of detail on the radial engine, it was made up of lots of parts and you could open various hatches to see it. The instruction book was extensive and called for lubrication of the moving parts ("lube" with an arrow) and at least one point, the application of a heated screwdriver (which I wasn’t able to do at the time). Does that ring any bells with anyone? I don’t know if that’s enough detail but any thoughts or pointers would be appreciated.