perdu

In your er, absence I built a Wokka of my own and like I had a hell of a yukky time with the rear suspenders. Must go with the course. Surgeons huh? The guy who gave me my first 'knew knee' didn't actually get the fore and aft alignment right so it points a bit more fore and aft rather than slightly aside. Any sergeant major would have me off his lovely parade ground because untidy but 'taint ever going to be a problem. Only reason I'm telling is that after the knee jobs I can't ride a bike either, I get the knee lock about ten-to or ten-past on the crank. I'm sorry you've had such a s--- time mate, but hell, keep on keeping on. The Wokka looks a lovely as ever.

Well Martian old alien, if you says you wasn't there I'm sure you wasn't. Right?

Durn it, now look what you made me do. I have this on order which is why I haven't stuck it all together yet Which will be better than the version I did for my last little foxy build, I hope. It will not be worth adding much inside the coalhole but something is better than nowt So whilst waiting I think I will do a bit towards inventing the Kestrel outriggers now, ciao.

But in the meantime Top and bottom greyed out, only the bottom has had the first toughening coat of TS-79 semigloss. I think I'll be doing the first coat on top and maybe a second one underneath. Busy day, swept blooming roof moss off the front drive and step. Not really warm enough for gardening yet. Brrrrr.

B----y good to hear from you mate Hips? Update required bud.

Yup, and what a rewarding week of revision that will be

Wilco Jonty, today possibly.

Masking ensues Colours tomorrow LAG obvs I am not attempting to mask the tanks here yet though. Cowardice rules, OK?

An update, the red has had a couple of whizzes over by Tamiya TS-79 Semi Gloss and a few days to let it harden and now seems ready for masking of the grey. Back to @Fritag's thread for colour notes now before part two, the paint job returns.

Thanks Dave similar back story to mine I see although I have built the Javelin too. As one with the pen-nib jet pipes in a major early try out of the conversion game, I turned the jetpipes for it from steel in a works 'foreigner', one of which I still have in a small drawer set alongside me now. I'd like to point out to the assembled massive that having been in touch with Miggers he has given me carte blanche to use and publish, if I will, any of his research and actions for producing his versions. And may I add that any help or commentary on the subject will be welcomed with open arms from anyone here.

One recalls that savage butchery Bill, I sincerely hope you have taken tactical, situationally aware considerations aboard for next time you and that chisel approach the model. Always cut AWAY from the human element of the Bill/Model interface. Advice I still find myself ignoring 9 times out of 10 This morning has been a 'cut and be damned' start to my day Ah According to Miggers, gods let him guide me well, I need to find one and a huff Millimotors reduction. Where's the uberfile? Yep here she is. After attention to both sections a gentle exploratory pushing together over the plan shows less than 1.5mm reduction but enough so that I will 'stick' at this. so for now this is the lady's bottom face(?) which can be exposed to the world Glued lightly together, let's see what the day brings huh? But not immediately, I have a shower to fit in a domestic role. No Martian, not in the Vixen.

Active Steve? Let's see, two Hawker hunters awaiting LAG-ing, two Harrieralikes undergoing paint adjustment (some more of that this morning) one JP awaiting me getting up enough nerve to put it in the LAG queue and the Gnat under discussion about Dockerblazing. Paint or stickers? Looks like six and this but the painting of the grey will be a big deal for at least three of them so they must wait for favourable auspices Sacrificial goats notwithstanding

A lovely drawing Dave, poached immediately Thanks but may I point out that the dimension I am discussing is the wingspan which is given here as 50ft (15.24m). I promise you the length dilemma is one I intend to shy well away from far too many erudite hours of perusing that thorny subject in the past. Phew no-o-o-o-o way.

Thinning beginning

Ah thanks for authoritarian thinking Adrian, obvs you know all about that then huh, say no more squire. I think I will attempt a slimming down but the whole idea might just be a worry too far, so who knows as yet? Not I says the Bill. The kit wing tip fits the drawing if I do slim the body section down, interesting huh?

Thanks Dave, very useful almost too useful ( ) but one does have to do what a bloke has to do I took a scan from the Warpaint print as a datum and placed the 'begun but not completely cut apart' lower fuselage on the drawing By now I had removed the vestigial tanks from the underside of the about to go missing boom extensions, I hadn't realised the moulding had two sized underneath boom bits, but they are history now and it couldnt matter less. But I do clearly see what Miggers was referring to about the width. She definitely needs displacement therapy... The necessary scale check against unknown drawings. Good as gold Other unheralded problems raise their little heads. Ian don't expect tripoddery of viewing aspects such as these mate. Please, but Tip to tip = two feet short Yikes, now what? I know check info bank Miggers Wikid another resource How about the dH Museum website ?

So. I have begun, first assemble artifacts to make the changes. From the left: a kit in a box, a nice sturdy box too, below a set of scale drawings from the fabulous interweb* Next a nice wide razor saw to begin the excavations sitting next to SIHRSC, the uberfile and two engineer's files, very useful for scraping errant paint splodges from surfaces which accidentally acquire them. And yes, measuring things and cutting them with straight lines, very useful if trying to work tidy, see boyo. Also with a view towards accuracy, and yes tidiness, a pair of steel rules of a more bigness. 12 inch engineers and probably about to be the most useful since I bought it an Expo 1/72 scale rule in inches/feet and millimotors/metres. Yes that nice box again, Eastern Express own product which so far I like. Inside said box the Frog/Hasegawa made moulds produced this set of mouldings, I like the wheel well details moulded in. I wonder if I should try to save the roof image when I hack them open? This panel of runners is the first one I will be working on, handy having it on top like this, bet I put it in this way the other day. Handy having a short term memory issue probably. As you can clearly see the drawings are roughly 35.23% too small and it is in the plan for me to enlarge them later so I can use them face to drawing for the build. Short term answer, scan the fuselage pieces to use as build sketches, at least they are good to go, dimensionally. The writer of the referenced build on the Unofficial Airfix Modellers forum, our own Miggers I believe has written a short piece on the dimensional quandary Frog found themselves in and I append it (apologetically) here for transcription. Miggers old mate I hope this gets your blessing, if not a sharp message by way of communication channels will result in its swift removal. Miggers writes: The main modifications were around the nose,cockpit and pinion tank noses. Dependant on what scale you fancy,you have a few options. However, there are only two pretty accurate, mainstream I.M kits to be had(there is another, more anon of that.),those being the Airfix in 1/48 and this, the(originally) Frog in 1/72. The main reason for this is very simple, there are two quoted sets of dimensions out there for the aircraft, one being the totally spurious often quoted 55' 7" wingspan and the totally accurate 53' 6 1/2" wingspan from the DeH drawings. Working from plans drawn to 55' 7" will give you a model that is actually 3% too big all round. Only the Airfix 1/48(come on lads, do the decent thing and scale her down to 1/72)and the old(1976)Frog for 1/72 are actually done to the correct 53' 6 1/2" wingspan. Although bang on for dimensions, one main issue is that Frog made the fuselage too wide wingfold to wing fold(about 1.5mm) and shortened the outer folding panels to get the correct span. This also affected the positions of the weapon/tanks pylons ,if you fit missiles(Red Tops)onto station two and the tanks onto station three(the correct "fit for Sea V's),they foul each other due to the too short outer folding panels, plus it also throws the tailplane/elevator span out by 1.5mm. This is the hardest thing to correct, you'd have to split the fuselage and radome longitudinally, remove the offending 1.5mm,add that to the outer folding panels and reduce the elevator span accordingly too otherwise it won't fit between the booms, then move station three pylons outboard by 1.5mm to get the correct weapon/tank clearances. The others are around the cockpit area, namely the hot air/demistor ducting(the bit the windscreen/hood sits on)and the pair of Microcell FFAR fairings(fitted to the FAW.1)either side of the nosewheel bay. Frog made the ducting too deep, slightly too long and the hot air feed from the port engine too short and the rear ends of the FFAR fairings too deep making the fuselage look short and tubby. Reduce the height of the ducting from underneath and reshape it plus sand back the rear area of the FFAR fairings. Another dodge is to add a 2mm spacer 'twixt radome and fuselage(although this takes the length over size),it does help to "stretch" out the fuselage look along with the other cockpit area modifications outlined above. Also sand the fuselage ahead of the cockpit slightly flatter(the fuse. is actually an ovoid "box" at this point)it also helps to improve the look. So from his very extensive notes I have begun making changes The overhanging, very unwanted on this voyage noses of the slipper tanks. Gone, just like that and using Miggers helpful description of the road ahead a line has been drawn, all along the outside of the lower fuselage and my next move with this will be to whip it downstairs to the rather more warm and welcoming garage** and attack the centre section with 1.5mm of hacksaw blade, front to back. *the interweb, I know that such drawings gleaned for that source can be wildly speculative but in the absence of factory spec. drawings these will have to do for a start. **rather more welcoming and yes warm garage rests on the fact that I found some brushy-type draught excluding self adhesive stuff which actually keeps the cold of 'out there' out, instead of letting it in to chill my bones. This might be the best self preservation act of the twenty-first century coming out of Streetly. In other builds, the Harrier and Kestrel are undergoing gloss varnish treatment, downstairs, yes there. The JP is hardening of its surface under a coat of Tamiya TS-79 Semi Gloss, the gnat is silver awaiting a decision on paint or strip dayglo decal? The Hind is under repair and the two Hunters await a surface treatment, namely application of Light Aircraft Grey which will wait until the marathon Grey-fest on the JP and them. The Demon can wait another year when it may appear as a Turret Demon... No work has been begun on the Vampire yet, soon baby, soon!

Dammit Dave, you knew I was going to have to get involved once you sent me there didn't you. Okeydoke I'm hooked. I have ordered a new Falcon canopy set for Royal Navy aircraft to go with the remnants of the other two sets I have. Also to get the innards close to the 'right' cockpit interior I have sent for the Airwaves interior set. I've decided not, yes not, to fold the wings on this on so that decided me not to buy the Airwaves wingfold etch set. This is not going to be anything like Tony''s wonderful Vixen, don't get your hopes too high please. The Frogegawanova Lightning F6 may end up as a green one from RAF Germany rather than as a silver Wattisham beastie, decisions not yet made. Ciao.

Thanks David, I'll pop in there to scope it out but I think I might do just enough for this pair.

Should work out OK Ced but if it is still dodgy just try a second application of Daco, usually needs nothing more. We can always build you some new stars and bars if you needs them. Really looking business-like now Ced, yowsah!

Thank you for those pages guys, a great help

I wonder if you could be persuaded to allow us a view of the link could you? I would sell my soul, no lets make that the souls (in plural) of the kids next door who... Anyway I would love to see that .pdf and archive it, plans lie in my head for more 61Ns And the Irish Coast guard livery is a delight

It's gorgeous Dave, really lovely.

W O W !

Dave did that with his old head, still leaked (funny that) then replaced the heads with some hydraulic tappets. That rattled for miles before they oiled in This T2 Absolutely the sort of thing that would raise dear old Deb's swear filter to [GONE AWAY AND HIDING] level. Just wonderful , thanks for the ride.