Farmer matt

Thankyou Chris, It is funny how the hobby has developed so that car and transport guys are usually happier working in metal, whilst the aircraft side is wedded quite firmly to plastic. Did you ever build one of the LDM record cars? Regards, Matt

CHRISTEN EAGLE 1 continued Moving on with the Christen Eagle build, the next task is to attach the centre-section strut cradle, which thankfully is one piece and locates quite willingly onto the fuselage. A line in the instructions reads 'due to some variation in castings, this unit may need slight packing or filling to acheive a good fit', but for now ignorance was bliss. Now we reach the point where if you are clever and doing things properly like Greggles, you construct a jig. Or you can wish you had a detachable third thumb and start juggling, which was the method employed here to test fit the outer struts and upper wing. The struts themselves are clearly handed, and their location is engineered in such a way that they do actually want to acheive the correct position. Two things were determined from the juggling act. Firstly, the key to obtaining the correct geometry lay in the amount of dihedral of the lower wings. Once that was suitably adjusted life became much easier. Secondly, the centre-section struts were going to fall woefully short of their objective. To address this, the longitudenal upper bar was cut away from its position × between × the apexes of the strut triangles, and replaced with plastic strip resting × atop × the apexes. This was then shaped in situ to allow for the section of the upper wing. It is not perfect, but preferable to a 2mm gap. That issue resolved, attention returned to the outer struts, which were glued to the lower wing and packed in place with tac. The upper wing was then dropped on (but not attached) just to help keep the struts in line while the adhesive cured. After some cleaning up, I next took the opportunity to give a shot of primer to the underside of the upper wing, and the upper surfaces of our main component since these areas will be shielded from coverage with the wing in place and getting at least some paint there now helps out later. Some of you may prefer to leave actually gluing the upper wing in place until much later in the build, but I elected to do it now. Looking at the decal sheet I may regret that, but we'll see. Once glued, the wing was strapped down with masking tape, wrapped around from below the lower wing, over the top and back under, two strips either side. When I was certain everything looked OK, I put the model down and left well alone for a day. Now we have the main part of construction completed, and after a tidy up it is time for an all over coat of primer to check for any issues. I use automotive paints from a rattle can, in this case yellow 'filler' primer, which has a slightly thicker consistency than the regular stuff. It won't fill trenches but does help with minor surface imperfections. Automotive aerosol paints are now usually acrylic based rather than cellulose. However you should still ensure there is proper air extraction and ventilation, and wear a mask. Who would have thought that would become a thing IRL too!

Aerobat, there was no problem with your post as I recall. I wasn 't sure how people would react, whether just looking, posting what they'd spotted, arguing about it, or just wandering off again because they werent interested. I have a WIP running at the moment for the LDM Christen Eagle, so there is a bit of general LDM conversation around that, but I thought this would do better elsewhere. Feel free to join in over there. Regards, Matt. I am clueless about the symbol thing, I tried to leave a heart 'like' but no idea if that is what you got. So help if you know how its done!!

TT, and Malc2 as he asked earlier too, Whilst it may seem a bit random in the context of the rest of the range, TSR2 was a subject close to Brian's heart as he was apprenticed to Vickers at Weybridge and went on to work in the drawing office on TSR2. The LDM model was mainly available as a built up on a plinth with a case, released to mark an anniversary of the projects cancellation, so I would say 25th 1990 would be the one. Some went out in kit form too, but I think the main effort was towards the finished examples. At that time your only options for a TSR2 were a couple of vac forms, which I seem to recall lay somewhere between challenging and challenged, depending on your viewpoint. Who would have imagined a mainstream Airfix release, not just in 1:72 (pretty good if needing work) but 1:48 too (oddly not so great). Not to mention a fully finished diecast from the same stable (Corgi). There are also 1:144 and 1:200 from smaller makers too, so spoilt for choice! So a left field excursion, but for a reason. Regards, Matt.

Thanks TT, I wish I had a Chilton myself ,that was one of my favourites. These two kits, and the masters are all I have. However that decision was made many years back, and I am still pretty content with it. Now, if someone turns up an unbuilt 1:144 TSR2, I would be sorely tempted. Really don't know how many of those made it into the wild, but certainly not many. Funny how you re-evaluate stuff over time, but I find now I can view things almost as a third party its a better perspective. I always respected Brian's talent and his work, but living amongst it all was too claustrophobic. It has been hugely gratifying to learn of the affection that still remains for the LDM range all these years later. Regards, Matt.

Since we are about to encounter the phenonomen or however you spell it in the CE build, I am now going to mention shrinkage. There is now far greater awareness of shrinkage than in the past, due to the numbers trying resin printing and sometimes getting unexpected results from their carefully calculated programs. Put simply, it can often seem like 'apples in, pears out' which can be confounding to say the least. The alloy used for white metal casting is poured into the mould in a molten state and spun as it cools to solidity. In cooling, it shrinks by approximately 3% volume, and a good pattern maker will need to allow for this by making his master slightly oversized. However the dimensional effect on any given piece is hard to calculate, as factors such as the shape and thickness of the part come into play. Additionally, the precise composition of the alloy, temperature at pour and cooling rate will also influence the result. It is therefore pretty much an educated guess on the part of the pattern maker as to what will happen, and this can of course be complicated by the knowledge that a piece will be expected to join nicely with another entirely different part (ie to make a kit). So due respect. The dark arts of mould making and centrifugal casting are concisely explained in a 2011 book by Ray Strutt and Davis Wright; A History of White Metal Transport Modelling ISBN : 978 1 907 292 40 8 which documents what was really a one generation cottage industry.

That is a lovely quirky thing. I built an original 1960s boxing of the Airfix 1:32 B type troop bus for a customer a few years ago, and the research for that led to all kind of variations like the pigeon loft. Tempted as I was to convert another build for myself, it wasn't the most user friendly kit so I didn't bother. I must try and get hold of one of these now. Edit, just looked and you converted yours before the kit. Sorry. Makes your build doubly impressive! Matt.

Zephyr, thankyou for your interest. A recurring theme is developing here of replies whilst I am typing! I will get to the ASK soon! As mentioned before, these kits were not cheap, and so not a casual purchase, especially as many would have been wary of them being metal rather than plastic, as indeed they still are. Matt.

CHRISTEN EAGLE 1 LDM 1:48 white metal kit EDIT additional photos The diminutive Christen Eagle is well known for the colourful feather graphics worn by many examples. Comprehensive decals for this scheme are included in the kit, and I have taken the precaution of scanning them in case of SNAFUs, but that is a long way ahead of us yet This kit represents the single-seat Christen Eagle 1, which utilises the same basic airframe as its two-seat parent, but with some aerodynamic refinements. These include running the aileron control linkages within the outer struts rather than externally. Fortuitously this is mentioned in the instructions, as I had thought it rather a strange omission to make on the model! Hopefully the assembly diagram from the instructions pictured above will help you visualise the parts breakdown of the kit, and also give some clue as to what I am talking about. EDIT photo of original master cemaster by Matt Farmer, on Flickr The build commences with the lower fuselage, which is cast with the lower wings in situ. This had aquired a bend to starboard (easily fixed), and some damage to the inboard trailing edge of the port wing. That would have been simple enough if attended to at this point (cut out damage, add new metal, blend - like you would a rusted wheelarch on your car), but my initial focus was on understanding the kit rather than aiming at a full build, and also no-one was watching then! It still niggles me, and could still be done, but would be a faff at this late stage. There is a clearly marked disc inside the part at midspan, which should be drilled out now to accomodate a stand when finished. However, it can also be really useful simply to drop the model on a pole a times both during construction and paint. Next for attention is the seat which comes with a control column, bringing us to our first and only real decision of the build, because Johnny pilot is also grasping a control column. If you are going to use him, remove the one attached to the seat, if not- don't. Simple. Johnny himself can be dropped in later, and actually CAN be (certain mainstream makers of now amputee aircrew please note ), but the seat is best placed in the lower fuselage now, taking care by test fitting to ensure it will locate beneath the headrest which is moulded into the upper fuselage. Seat safely in, the upper fuselage is next, and this casting incorporates the tail surfaces. The fuselage halves are stepped at the cowling, which greatly assists with correct location. EDIT photo of original master cemaster2 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr The prop does not need to be inserted yet, but it is worth checking the hole for fit at this juncture. The prop assembly is designed to enable rotation, so there is a shaft, sleeve and cap arrangement, it is the sleeve that needs to fit the front of your airframe. I am minded to follow Greggles lead with regards to the prop and remove the blades. It looks so effective, and I really do not like prop-blur. Not commited yet though. Next up is the zinc undecarriage, which had a few alignment issues but located easily enough. Now we have at least half of an aeroplane already, and it is time to tidy the seams before we move on to the 'interesting' part of the build. Out of laziness I use the same modelling filler for wm as for plastic or any other medium, but it seems to function just as well. A little less adhesion but that can actually be helpful. With a white metal build you can be a bit freer with the grit paper or files when cleaning up without worrying about damaging the surface, but unless you have really slathered the putty on or got a step for some reason, you should not need anything coarser than 400 grit wet+dry paper here. I think this is a convenient point at which to pause, so I am going to consume some seasonal chocolate goodies. Meanwhile, I invite you to wander over to the Aviation Chat area, where you will find some light entertainment in the form of the ' LDM master ID challenge'. I do not know how to make a link so please tell me how and I will give it a go. Happy Easter to you all. Matt.

CHRISTEN EAGLE 1 sports biplane IMG_7139 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

Welcome on board, Texan Tomcat. Sorry if it shatters any illusions, but the stands were converted commercial items, whilst the swivels were culled from pen holders- remember those? Looked the part though. However, to my knowledge the stands were only supplied with fully built models, and the plaques were not included with kits. As the Comper Swift was an early release that would be a round stand and horseshoe plaque? Later ones were wedges with rectangular plaques. If your model was in a robust square card box with foam inserts, thats original. With the obvious caveat of me not having seen your model, if it was one of those originally supplied in built up form, then it was personally constructed and finished by Brian himself. Please feel free to share pics here so those not familiar with the range can get an idea. That goes for anyone else too, if you have any LDM goodies this is surely a good time and place to give them an airing! Regards, Matt.

Hello to you all, My father Brian Lawrence produced a range of white metal aircraft kits in the 1970s/80s. The original brass masters were destined to be weighed in for scrap, so what had been collated ensembles became a box of random parts which may or may not equal an uncertain number of airframes. Or scrap basically. Anyway, Malc2 suggested that some fun could be had trying to identify the various bits, so to that end I photographed a selection for your entertainment here, providing I get the pics up which this is a bit of a test for. For amusement only, there are no prizes, see what you can spot! Matt. LDMmaster1 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr LDMmaster2 by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

We have been bumbling about in the circuit for a while now, so lets try and gain some altitude before we get too distracted and the scenery makes an unscheduled appearance. As you have seen, construction was already at an advanced stage when this thread was begun. The build notes that follow will therefore be a fast forward precis of events so far, so I must stress that patience is your friend with these kits. Do not let the low parts count lure you into trying to knock the entire build out whilst SWMBO is watching Corrie. It will end in tears, not to mention a disdainful look - you know the one. When using 2-part adhesive, the bond is pretty firm quite quickly, but it can take a day to cure fully, so unneccesary handling is to be avoided. It is wise to strap up the joins, (I use our favourite yellow masking tape) and/or support pieces with tac. Once you are sure everything is where you want it, put it down and walk away. If you do notice something has slipped a little, you can often still retrieve it after a couple of hours, but major movement will simply break the bond. An important property of white metal that you will encounter is that it is quite soft, and thinner parts can be prone to accidental bending during assembly or even cleaning up. The key distinction is BEND not flex. Therefore once a part is out of alignment it will not return to neutral of its own accord, and must be gently co-erced back into shape. You do not need heat or anything, just firm but gentle finger pressure. However, you must be careful not to go too far and start creating a bend the other way, as you risk tearing the metal, and that is a real pain to sort out even if you don't break the part. The build notes will follow soon I promise, but I confess that not only had I under estimated this part of the task, the debacle with the photos was really hacking me off so I lost focus a bit. Thankyou for staying with this so far Matt

Malc, I had not seen your post when I did the above just now. These were in a seperate box, but yes the Britmodeller Easter quiz may be just around the corner. I will try and sort out a suitable selection for a couple of pics when I get a bit of clear time. Matt.

Hey thats a picture! Not 100% sure how to do it again, but its there. These are the masters for a series of desktop models produced towards the end of the LDM era, which apart from the Jodel I am not sure were properly marketed, if at all in some cases probably not even cast. The real problem is that they all have a 125mm wingspan ,about 5 inches, and are to some bizarre scales like 1/173 or something. Where else woud you find a range where the Saro Princess is dwarfed by a Jodel? Anyway I thought some of you might like to see them, and I have finally at least got one photo posted of my own accord! Don' t hold your breath though. Thanks for looking, Matt.

aa LDM125series by Matt Farmer, on Flickr

Long story short, I have a box of many brass pieces that may or may not add up to an unknown number of airframes. What I do know is that the TSR2 is not amongst them, because thats the one I was looking for. (And its rather more pointy than the others so you can tell). Perhaps that should have been a lockdown project. Matt.

Hi Malc, Thankyou for that link, I have bookmarked that page and please leave the link on here so the others can see what can be acheived with these kits. I wonder if he ever posted his Christen Eagle ?. One of the replies to that post mentions a 1/72 racer and Spitfire, they were definitely NOT LDM products. Brian was very tetchy about the prospect of ever modelling a Spitfire, and it was very late in the day before just a tie pin was produced for another firm. You may notice that the Speed Six is conspicuous in its absence from the sales list in my pics. I do not know if there was an issue with the casting (it is quite a chunk of metal), or it had just sold out of stock and another casting run was not justifiable. Interestingly, although the kits were very much engineered to empower the 'average modeller' , for the Speed Six along with the Caudron, Mew Gull and Knight Twister, it was assumed that you would be happy taking a heavy duty file to the fuselage to create some variants. Many racers were modified for pretty much every season, or even every race, so narrowing down a spec is a bit of a minefield as Greggles has discovered with his KT. Matt.

Bell 209, thankyou for your interest, along with the rest of you who have done the heart symbol thing which is another bit I havent fully grasped. Learning curve all round. Matt

Fritag, thanks for your interest.I havent worked out the quote thing on here yet. Like the advice from Chris with the soldering, there really is nothing to be scared of with a wm kit, just start with something simple (so not a biplane preferably!) and be prepared to learn the first time rather than aiming at a masterpiece. Matt.

Hi Malc, thanks for the link. That is a genuine review sample, as that is Dad's handwriting on the box. An interesting piece, and for once not seller's hype. The Jubilee Duo boxing was the first kit release of the S2A. Probably originally tucked away by a magazine editor, and just goes to show what randomly does survive. Hope it gets built now though! Matt

Thanks Chris, I was getting ahead of myself with the stand!!

Hi Malc, If you had asked 25 years ago, I could have told you exactly, as there was a chart on the wall! I doubt any went above 300 at most except the S2A. There were no real duds sales-wise, but I don't think the ASK or Deperdussin were ever properly brought to market so they would be probably dozens. The first incarnation of the S2A was as a finished built up only in Rothmans colours, with many going the tobacco co as promos. The S1 also had built up runs for Marlboro and Dunlop, agsin as promos. Not sure what is meant by prototype, because that would be the brass master, and not on any well known site. Thankyou for your support in this endeavour, Matt

Thankyou Dave Swindell, you are a lifesaver! You caught me midway through typing the above so I did not see what you had done. I am struggling with this a bit so your help is truly appreciated. Matt

So, with thanks to Dave Swindell, part two is with us, and the crash tenders can be stood down for now. Meanwhile, this is a kind of part 1A. Despite, or perhaps because of, the fact that I grew up surrounded by these models, I had never built one of Brian's kits before. The passage of time means I can now view them in much the same way as any other kit in the stash. It may seem obvious, but the first thing you notice compared to plastic or resin is the weight. Modern eyes may feel short changed by the low parts count and lack of PE, but it certainly speeds construction. Many current kits have more parts for the cockpit alone than these two entire boxings combined, and to be honest my thumbs can't cope with that. Those parts that you do get have obviously been engineered with consideration for not just the builder, but for the limitations of the moulding and casting processes. Unlike plastic or resin, there are no sprues, runners, or casting blocks to deal with. And now, a health and safety notice. I know we are all adults here, but white metal has a high lead content, so you may want to wear gloves because if your hands are black after handling the parts, thats lead and it is not good for you. All parts should be given a good scrub to start with, as otherwise glue and paint adhesion will be compromised. Although you can use CA 'super' glue for assembly, it is really only suited to small parts. It is best to use two-part epoxy resin, as not only is the join less brittle, you get a fair bit of adjustment time. You do have to be a bit watchful of the mix, as you can end up with it just not curing. If you are really clever you can use low-melt solder, but that is a whole different ball game so we won't be going there. Incidentally, these kits were not exactly cheap in their time (£14.95 for the CE, and £23.50 for the ASK in 1990, plus postage) and I remember there were persistent problems with people expecting a fully finished model for their money. Now where's the fun in that? If you have stayed on board so far, thankyou. Matt