Unkempt

Another one from the Matchbox group build. A few years back there was a thread with a pretty convincing argument that several Heyfords were used for trainers in WW2 and at least one was painted in trainer colours, with yellow undersides. Well, here it is, best as I can make it. Matchbox PK-605 1/72nd Handley-Page Heyford, acrylics by Tamiya, rigging by ez-line, plenty of putty by Tamiya and Perfect Plastic Putty.

PK-605, the 1/72 Handley-Page Heyford, in trainer colours. Build thread:

Thanks again guys, Yep, this is one of the pics I was going on - I think the A-type (?) roundels on the side make it not NIVO or black, and it's not going to be Sky, so... Anyway! Here it (provisionally) is. I've done the major outer wing rigging and given it a sort of sludge wash of my own devising for a bit of weathering. I'm kind of sick of strings and struts right now so I'm putting it aside overnight; if I can't see anything awful about it in the morning this'll be it. Thanks for coming along for the ride, next stop is probably the gallery.

Thanks chaps. It's nearly rigging time... hope I've got enough ez-line left.

Progress slow but steady! Now with decals, the rest of the struts and exhausts: The fin stripes need touching up. Part 21, one of the centre fuselage-wing struts was broken as I believe is traditional. And I think I'm going to do something about the exhausts, they're a bit... orange?

All stuck together now with a coat of future. Still needs exhausts, props, windows, a few struts, tailwheel, rigging... maybe a bit of weathering, but not too much I think. Decals are going to be for K5193; it's an option with the kit and according to the book quoted in that other thread it was one of the bomber trainers, so that's the serials sorted. I'm pretty sure I've got enough roundels and whatnot around here somewhere so off we go.

Still lots to do, but hey! Lots of filing and filling needed for the wheel spats, and I think there's still a seam. I think I can see the end from here though.

Getting a bit yellow in here

Yep, it isn't glued in that pic. I'm currently doing some tedious rigging preparation, then I'll be painting and then assembling the two halves. The struts seem to fit really nicely for a kit of its age.

Progress is being made - it's all just standard sticking and filling and sanding and priming, though. Still, getting there.

Well, it looks a bit like that, hopefully...

Busied up the rear gunner position: I'm having the dustbin gun up, so it's there in the fuselage. Can't see much when it's closed up Now I need to fill up the front

Thanks for the pics, they look useful. The drawings aren't mine, I've just painted over the Matchbox painting instructions. As for the lower wings - well, maybe? The whole thing is speculative anyway, but I'm inclined to have them the same colour (mainly for the reason that I'd have to buy a couple more pots of paint if they were different).

Good news, everyone! Right, on with the Heyford. I'm getting most of my ideas from page 3 of this thread: In particular, there's a couple of images with A type roundels on the side and what looks like a darker top than the sides, which could be yellow with a dark green/dark earth camo on top. One of the images has look like bombs on so it isn't a target tug but possibly a bomber trainer. So I think what's going to happen is a build of the Mk 3 but in this sort of scheme: ... excuse my crude photoshopping. Things I'm still unsure about: whether those K serials would still be on it, what if anything would replace them, not sure about the yellow fins or around the engine nacelles and struts. Now I suppose I'd better start building it.

Yay, another Heyford! And wow, those colours really are different from mine. I wonder why they changed them

Oh it is three different colours, it's just that they're not very different. It's like dark green, darker green and really dark green - it doesn't show up in the photos very well. Or, indeed, in real life.

Well, the postie came and the late night beer and $20 on eBay have paid off. Yay! A few things off the sprues but everything looks intact I think if I actually wanted three plastic colours I'd be feeling a bit cheated... Well that all looks straightforward then. A couple of things: first, boy, I don't like NIVO. I've had a read around these forums and elsewhere and decided that, despite the fact there's no real photographic or other evidence that it actually happened, this is going to be one of the glider tugs in dark green/dark earth/yellow. It certainly seems that they should have been painted that way and if they weren't then I'm just putting that right 80 years late. Need to do a bit more research on whatever modifications might be needed. Second, this is going to be a slow start because I've got an Airfix Eindecker halfway done and I want to get that finished because my Pile of Doom is too big already. Comments/advice welcome!

Well late night beer and EBay are a dangerous combination, and soon I shall be in possession of this: It looks in fairly good nick and I am tempted to do a contentious colour scheme.

Love it - I'm a sucker for the weird camo schemes and that one's a beauty. Now, what are the Day fighter trials schemes? They sound interesting.

Thanks chaps. I wasn't sure which forum to post it in, I think there's six or seven it could fit under. In case anyone's wondering it's a Bandai Hi-Mock building a Trumpeter 1/350th Walrus, with the White Ensign etch. Everything else is scratch.

After a bit more looking around, it could be 26 Squadron, but I really can't be sure. edit: or possibly 77... does anyone know anything more?

Yep, it's actually the one on the front of the box. It's identified as 'BE2c 4207 of Turnhouse Aerodrome', and there's a bit on the Airfix site here that says ' the distinctive black and white scheme applied to BE2c ‘4207’ was adopted to aid airborne recognition of this handsome training aircraft.' To be honest I can't find anything else about it on the net so I'm just taking Airfix's word for all this.

Thanks guys. Only a few little tips: keep the big check decals nice and wet so you can position them easily; I didn't follow the strut instructions which was probably a bad idea, probably best to use the jig parts provided; and it seemed to me that the engine fit was really tight so watch out for that. Other than that it went together pretty easily for such a fiddly little thing.

RAF BE2c, the newish 1/72 Airfix release. Nice kit, I had strut problems but I think that was me. The checks are all decals, some of them don't quite match up if you look closely but again, me I think. Not fully rigged. I might add some tailplane rigging later but I'm sick of rigging right now...