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maltadefender

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Everything posted by maltadefender

  1. maltadefender
    I was shaving away with a box knife for 25 minutes! First time I've built one of these that didn't go together like a dream. Would have to be on a GB!
  2. maltadefender
    Thanks Chris, can't wait. Looks like the 1/32 club is an exclusive one!
  3. maltadefender
    Has anyone else had a poor fit on the Spitfire canopy? I admit I was a bit lazy and didn't dry fit it until late in the day, but I've had to scrape away about 1mm from underneath and inside the bottom of the windscreen to get it to fit. Never had that problem before with this kit. Hope that the moulds aren't wearing out already!
  4. maltadefender
    Found my 0.6mm drill bits. EZ Line ahoy!
  5. maltadefender
    Thanks, everyone. Glad you approve! I have got a Matchbox edition of the kit as well, which may well have less flash I suppose. I just thought that if I was going to make a mess of one it should be the Revell! Finishing the first of my Battle of Britain builds today, then giving this one a crack - hopefully making a start this evening. The story of The English Patient was partly based on fact - the character played by Ralph Fiennes, the Hungarian explorer László Almásy, certainly existed and, throughout the 'Thirties, sought out the lost valleys of Zarzura in Libya - one of many legends of the Sahara that were relayed in the ancient histories of Herodotus. Almásy left Africa soon after the war began because the British felt that he was an Italian spy (and the Italians thought that he was spying for the Brits!) In the end he joined the Luftwaffe after the German invasion of Hungary. There was no great love affair with Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) - two things precluded that. Firstly, Almásy was gay and secondly she didn't exist. The character of Katherine was based on the British socialite Dorothy Clayton who, after marriage to Robert Clayton East-Clayton, travelled to Egypt on an expedition to find the lost valleys of Zarzura in the Libyan desert. Her husband contracted a fatal infection in the desert and died just seven months after their marriage. Dorothy then returned to Libya with an expedition of her own. She did indeed discover two of the three lost valleys of Zarzura while the third was discovered by an expedition led by Almásy that was taking place at the same time in competition with her. Dorothy returned to Europe and made another expedition to far-flung shores in 1933, this time to Lapland. Returning to England she was killed when flying from Brooklands aerodrome in a de Havilland Moth. For reasons that were never fully explained, she leapt from the aircraft while it was taxiing - it was thought that the throttle might have stuck - and died of a broken neck. As a regular at Brooklands, I often wonder about old Dorothy's demise, which most likely took place somewhere near the modern day out-of-town superstores located on the old airfield. It's all a long way from Ralph and Kristin in the desert!
  6. maltadefender
    Oh go on, then. Here's the movie trailer as well.
  7. maltadefender
    "Ext. The Sahara Desert. Late 1942 Silence. The desert seen from the air. An ocean of dunes for mile after mile. The late sun turns the sand every colour from crimson to black and makes the dunes look like bodies pressed against each other. An old aeroplane is flying over the Sahara. Its shadow swims over the contours of sand." So begins the screenplay for The English Patient, a fantastic novel by Michael Ondaatje that was turned into a fantastic movie by the late Anthony Minghella, winning a hat full of Oscars. When we got married, my wife and I had a section of the book as the reading. It's a big favourite. And central to the plot is a plain aluminium Tiger Moth, carrying the registration G-AFFC. I'm going to have a crack using the Revell rebox of the Matchbox Tiggy, making the decals myself. I'm quite nervous as I have rotten luck with aligning individual struts such as the four between the wings on this kit. Be that as it may, I'll give it as good a shake as I can and, all being well, will use the standing 'mechanic' figure to make Ralph Fiennes. Not sure how I might do Kristin Scott Thomas yet, but to be honest if I get far enough for it to be a problem I'll be thrilled! Here is the kit and sprues (still bagged!) On with the show...
  8. maltadefender
    Thanks, Dave. Heading for bed with both successfully tested on the stand. Actually they will have to stay there now mostly as the prop blurs are so delicate! Goodnight all. Port weathering on the Messerschmitt is about where I want it...
  9. maltadefender
    Thanks Ced - fells like a lot to do! Some shadowing on the elevators on the Spit, glasswork, little bits and bobs to fiddle with until the cows come home. If I'm missing anything please shout!
  10. maltadefender
    Quite a bit of progress so far today. Weathered both aircraft and varnished them. I've trimmed the prop blurs to the same length as the prop blades on the kit, which loses a bit of the effect, but I'm still quite happy with them. I also painted and test fitted the display stand, as I find the stock black plastic a bit depressing. This shade of blue (it's Vauxhall Pastel Blue from Halfords!) reminds me of the Isle of Wight, where around the beaches and marinas you'll find it daubed on the beach huts and buildings and houses and elsewhere. Both Wick and Dundas fell to the south west of the Island. Somewhere out there, these two aircraft remain.
  11. maltadefender
    Quite agree that any visible panel lines are out of scale in 1/72, whether raised or recessed. But equally they can give a bit of depth to those of us who need assistance! From the looks of your pilot, you won't have much problem finding depth on a blank canvas like that - super job. It's a bit like weathering, which is an art form in itself. I've seen plenty of finished models that have been weathered beautifully, but the art has been pursued to the point where you have a completely inaccurate model!
  12. maltadefender
    Thanks Hockeyboy and Dave, Closer inspection last night made me feel a bit better about them! The decals that Airfix is putting out are lovely quality and sit well with just a little softener. It's all down to the final finish now, with Wick's mount having served him from June onwards without respite it should look a bit tired - although Luftwaffe aircraft were generally better maintained cosmetically. Dundas's Spit only arrived on October 8th so a bit of oil and gun smoke and the odd nick or two in the paintwork should do it.
  13. maltadefender
    Rob - the Malta book is the best of the bunch (not that I'm biased!) - just found it for 1p on Amazon! It's very much based on his diaries and comes across even better than his recollections do. In places it's hilarious (the banter is straight from Derek Robinson at times), and there is some touching stuff about their chaste evenings out with well-heeled Maltese families, looking wistfully at the eldest daughters and occasionally getting the thrill of a dance with them. Plenty of top quality ranting about Hurricanes, tactics, top brass and the Battle of Britain as well. The later books lack that because he was writing from the position of someone who had been top brass and therefore understood what his younger self couldn't. Twin Neil's book (Onward, to Malta!) with R.E. Gillman's story of being among the Blenheim aircrew, The Ship Hunters, and you'll have two very good friends for life!
  14. maltadefender
    Just finished the Patrick Bishop book, James Holland's book and Derek Robinson's Invasion, 1940. About to dig out Fighter Squadron at War (85 Squadron) and Tom Neil's Gun Button to Fire.
  15. maltadefender
    Thanks, Rob. I'm relatively happy with the 109 but the Spit has been a bit of a horror show so far. Not really sure why. It should come out passably but will really need a bit of focus between now and the finish.
  16. maltadefender
    Edging closer... I've still got the starboard wing to rig and I've got to repaint the struts as I did them the wrong way round on the sprue. Not looking forward to that, if I'm honest!
  17. maltadefender
    Warpaint on… and yes, I really hate 1/72 stencils that take forever to align and are invisible to the naked eye!
  18. maltadefender
    Thanks, Troy. I might go back to the drawing board, then. If the 1/72 kit has the correct decals for both Hurricanes (VY-C and -G) pre-hostilities and during the Battle of France, it would be simpler to get a pair of them than try to use the 1/48 metal wing. I shall think of a suitable subject!
  19. maltadefender
    I've found the 'old faithful' Airfix 1/48 Hurricane in the back of my loft that I'm planning to build with the supplied 85 Squadron markings from Lille-Seclin before hostilities broke out in France. Recently noticed that the increase in colours on the spinners, as depicted on Airfix's new tool 1/72 kit of VY-C/G as a ragwing with a three-blade prop. So with this in mind my questions are: 1. Should I go with the black spinner or a specific colour applied by 85 Squadron? 2. Is the kit actually wrong for 85 Sqn in April 1940 by having tin wings? Thanks a mill for any guidance!
  20. maltadefender
    Right then, I was going to split my energies between the BoB and Tiger Moth group builds, but I can't summon the enthusiasm for squaring up the wings on a 'bipe' at the moment. I always find interplane struts a massive hassle. While I'm pretty sure that my current Dogfight Double will come out as well as I can get it, personally I find it much easier to get a sharp result in 1/48 than in 1/72. Which means a 610 Sqn Spit or a 32 Sqn Hurri. As these two squadrons worked in tandem through July-August, I'm tempted to build a Spit/Hurri pair from early July with Sky Blue undersides. On with the little'uns while I figure that out!
  21. maltadefender
    Well everything's pretty much together enough to get decalling, so I've clear coated them. I always forget how much I hate trying to do stencils in 1/72. Then I remember.
  22. maltadefender
    Dry brushed, spread the bristles out a little and just dabbed at it with the blunt end - apparently that's how the 1:1 mottling was done too!
  23. maltadefender
    Here's the progress so far. I've had a few inconsistencies with the way that the paint has gone on at times, but overall fairly happy. I've tinkered about a bit with the finish to try and age Wick's machine a little, and give a bit of depth to the Spit. One thing I've learnt in my five years around this forum is that a multitude of sins can be spirited away in the final stages!
  24. maltadefender
    A fair bit of work done this weekend, but not as much as hoped. The Spit is together bar the smaller details and mostly painted, the Messerschmitt is semi-painted and mostly in bits! The spit had a really tight fit at the wing root - much more so than other examples of the kit that I've previously built. A little bit of swearing helped. In the meanwhile I looked up a bit more information on Dundas's final mount, X4586. She was first flown on 29 September 1940 and sent to 39 MU the following day. She went into service with 609 Squadron on 8 October on the same day as X4590, which has resided in the RAF Museum in Hendon for almost 40 years. Time flies... Pictures follow ASAP.
  25. maltadefender
    I'm working on the pilots tonight, pics to follow. I went to the barber's today and took James Holland's Battle of Britain book with me, which fleshed out some more details on John Dundas. Holland is a bit of a Marmite historian - about 25% of his work is based on his own interviews, the rest is stitched together from memoirs. Personally I find it better to read the memoirs in context, but as a 'greatest hits' anthology, Holland saves you a bit of leg work. By the sounds of it, Holland interviewed John Dundas's younger brother, Hugh, who was also a pilot in the Battle of Britain with 616 Squadron. Both the brothers get a fair amount of coverage as a result! Anyway, what I gleaned was: Dundas was popular with the ladies but he himself had fallen for the well-known actress, Margaret Rawlings. She was nearly 10 years older than him, a divorcee who was also engaged in affairs with the playwright Charles Morgan and the businessman Robert Barlow. Both of these other men were married and neither was intending to leave their families, so the attentions of a raggedy-yet-dashing young journalist and pilot must have seemed like light relief! They had met when Dundas interviewed her for the Yorkshire Post in 1938 (quite a year for him!), and when 605 Squadron transferred south to Northolt in order to take part in Operation Dynamo, Dundas was quick to capitalise on being so much closer to her London home. When 609 moved westward for the Battle proper, he maintained a lengthy correspondence with her about life in the squadron. By contrast, Wick's domestic life was rather staid! He had married Ursel Rolfs in August 1939 - albeit when she was already heavily pregnant with their son, Walter, who was born that October. While Wick was back in Germany after the end of the Battle of France they conceived again - although he would never get to meet his daughter, who was born in February 1941. An interesting insight is that, at the height of the Battle of Britain, Wick, who wrote to his wife in some despair. Being in regular contact with the top brass, he was disturbed by their insistence that, given just a couple of days of clear weather, the Luftwaffe could destroy the RAF once and for all. Knowing all too well the number of casualties that were being suffered and the evidence that, contrary to opinion higher up the ranks, the RAF was very far from dwindling, Wick wrote: "I think, we are winning ourselves to death over England, my dear." Here are my pilot figures - they look a lot better in the plastic. Apologies for poor photography!
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