perdu

Ah My small (to allow for a couple of old pensioner's eyesight) screen res must be fooling me then OK carry on it is then

I see my pictures are too big for comfort, I will have a go at reducing their bulk later Bill

Hi I'm a bit nervous about doing this in here, with so many brilliant modellers hanging around. I found this old Frog/Novo Wessex HAS1 fuselage in the garage drawer where I keep tools and odd lumps of metal for car projects. my son ( I think it was he but may have been my missus, she built some Airfix birds and 1/12 soldiers years ago) had started putting it together but failed to become interested and it ended up in the garage drawer. I had given up modelling back in 1985 and this lay undisturbed by the passage of time, no undercart, rotor gear or canopy parts just sad glued in thick clear poly windows and thick glue runs all over inside and out. First I had to open up and ditch the old windows 'cos I intended making a detailed interior (ish) on an SAR2 I added milliput to the window recesses inside the two halves so that framing details could go in easily Then the build began I have cut out the doorway and begun the bulkheads and floor. If you are interested I will add some more pics later, maybe tomorrow. I will be showing how I made the new nose stone filter for the two Gnome engines as well as interior fittings, the stretcher and the driver's cabin too... All undercarriage had to be home made too, which is not a drawback

Cheers chaps Yes it is a very old Novo fuselage I had in a drawer in my garage with old tools, tins of Humbrol Authentics and an elderly large scale vac-form Lightning fuselage for thirty years No extras except the thicko windows and much Humbrol tube cement left by my son when he had a half hearted bash at it back then Still it gives me something to play with I'll have a go at a WIP tomorrow/today (after all it is Wednesday morning now) Beddy byes beckons I have lots of pictures so I will start with a stripped down fuselage later thanks for the help

As you can see, there's someone waiting to go to work

tremendous stuff wow again

Gentlemen, my thanks for that I have most of those pictures but hadn't been able to zoom in close enough to get the necessary info. You have saved the day I can make that lettering small enough in Paint and print the transfer from white decal sheet Is it worth doing a wot I dun entry? Almost finished painting and decalling but have rotor and tail rotor construction to do next Bill

Oh didn't it turn out well? Followed your WIP, enjoying it as we went along and the finished result, regardless of your own too harsh assessment, is outstanding Absolutely delightful thanks for teaching me so much

Hi Having made lots of noise about kits of Wessexii I thought I'd introduce my latest problem child The problem is about half way down the fuselage, just astern of the roundel There is a red white red stripe which I just can't get a clear enough picture to replicate, does anyone know what it is please? I could fake it but I would rather do her portrait properly if I can, I consider any model should represent "a particular aircraft at a particular time" just as a portrait shoould be faithful to the subject...Warts and all. Here's a picture which shows the essential "bit" I hope this works, me and photobucket have a love/hate thingy going on I am in the process of painting and decalling, have to make some extra "lightning flash" electrical symbols too

Balsa wood and wire? Do you think we were born yestiddy? No only kidding, the engine really deserves displaying outside the airframe it is such a classy work of art. I have made models since the late fifties and always thought I could model-make. I was kidding myself. This beauty is utterly outstanding! I'll just sit here in awe, watching if you don't mind… bill

Nobby repaying our faith again The tailworks on this beauty are fabulous Defiants have always been high on my favourite aeroplanes list, along with serious regrets that the operational concept just didn't work. I suppose really she is a direct descendent of the Demon in that way. I wonder if the concept might have been better realised with a huge gallumphing Napier Sabre and forward firing cannon... Looking at your model makes everything right about them again after all those years of neglect top work, I just love it bill

We must remember that real life can take over and (reluctantly) cut our inspirationer some family shaped slack Nobby, we all hope you are OK mate note how we are all suffering from withdrawal symptoms here?

This is getting silly can there be anything you aren't making just a tad magical? Love that interior, it has all the hallmarks of "just bloody rightness" that epitomises the denizens of this hallowed place Well made and amazing wow

If anyone is selling them cheapish at Cosford next month I may be tempted I still think it unreasonable to sell this moulding as a Wessex I can deal with it as can anyone pre-warned but it's just not right to do this in my opinion Now, if I do, what shall I make? Raspberry Ripple? Queens Flight? Or an HC2 in grey-green-black? Or Admiral's Barge? Such a lot of choice

That looks tremendous not too much weathering "just enough!" I do like that one, it's great

For all I have said "back there a bit!" what Darius has made is a smashing model My point was that it takes a lot more to make a Wessex from this kit than just glueing the bits together, as I said even the cockpit steps are way out But the urge for a 48 Wessex will undoubtedly overcome the reluctance, maybe next pension day (april) And again Darius's HAS is lovely (on my monitor it looks almost RAF BlueGrey as it is) the work on it was well worthwhile And Mike, you know the write up is all we need. You tell us what you see and did and then we will all be richer for it mate. I cant make out half of the pictures on "that kit review" all of the right side of the page is missing due I suspect to the screen res I have to use

More thinking cap work here Fozzy maybe it's some kind of non-return tank breather so the engine can continue drawing fuel without difficulties in inverted flight.. Anyway whatever the heck it is, you've captured it nicely

I wonder how hard it would be to simply run a tape measure along some of the remaining Wessexes, just because they could? To answer the "how hard to make a HC2 from this" question here In my opinion first make this look like a Wessex, it doesn't Then change the nose and engine layout Build a proper undercarriage Build proper steps up to the cockpit, why can't they even do that easy stuff properly remove a plethora of riveterry and sort out the panel lining etcetera I may get one to change some time, won't be wasting my pension on one any time soon... When do we get a Wessex? later if we're lucky I did hope that this would do it Well it can but only after you do more than Revell Shame bill

Looking amazing again Fozzy that antenna-thingmy Any chance it might be a fuel tank measure? some kind of float in a pipe device? You know what, that telescope doesn't LOOK as if it could give you a nasty splinter in the eye but we know better... Brilliant work As for Ladas, you will probably find condensers are the worst part of the car, they'm amazing motors. (And as an ex-.. breakdown patrol I never expected to "admire" any machine that was originally a Fiat )

That, Fozzy, is rather nice! I just love the details you put in, the brass screw. Magic

What a lovely clear canopy! Might not even bother rolling my own for that build... Sorry, my personal foibles took over my manners The new Gnat is a fabulous mouldng and you have made a great job of it. You have made it "sit" just right too, I love it I will definitely be Gnatting it sometime soon Thanks for showing it to us

This already has characteristics of excellence I like the additional detailing, it spells Great Model to me I will enjoy this immensely bill

its getting betterer and betterer Love the ailerons, the usual highly skilled "make it right" approach Nobby Well done bill

I would say that as she is at Cosford she's definitely more like a version of the roundel blue (even if I think a tad warmer) than the way James has her, but it depends on how, why and where you want to model her during her career. Few aircraft "retire" in exactly the paint work that they entered service in, most RAF MUs for instance undertake several repaints during a service career. Look up how many guises XV724 (A Wessex, my especial fave aircraft) has re-appeared in. I certainly think that in the first picture she's a lot lighter than the last picture but of course it all depends on "screen settings" Which surely means "It's a model, paint it how you see it" The FD2 had quite a varied life, bless her.

I think Colin is quite close but if I were making her I would "warm up" the Roundel Blue with a dribble of scarlet, Humbrol matt red would be a good start.The photo shows (on my screen which is where all colour comparisions fall down) a slightly plummier tint, red should sort that out for you But to be honest, nothing compares like comparing your colour swatch with the real thing Isn't this FD2 the one in Cosford? If so mix up something you like, paint it on a piece of plasticard and pop along and take a look. Just tiny drop of colour at a time until happy, I know that many people can't get to the last resting place of our favourite eroplanes, so do what you think.