Grey Beema

Here are some statistics that bring a bit of focus to the losses of The Great War.

Fantastic build Cadman..

That is such a shame Nick but you're right not to rush it. Looking forward to seeing the result.. Good luck..

Spitfire is looking good. Thinking maybe of buying one and converting to a Seafire II because of you. As a constructive critics I think the spinner looks good weathered but I don't think the propellor blades are right. From what I understand propellor blades were made of compressed wood, with a thin brass strip on the leading edge. The paint didn't flake off to leave an aluminium finish maybe a little brass on the leading edge but that is all. I also think that the propellor blades were highly maintained and any damage repaired very promptly, an unbalanced propeller would not be allowed.. Good luck with the rest of your build..

Hurricane now finished... Hellcat and Sea Hurricane now in the Gallery. I hope you like them...

C'mon Pat final push... Get the Barra in the gallery...

As well as the Hellcat I, I also attempted a Sea Hurricane Ia in this group build. Hawker Sea Hurricane Ia Z4550/G 800 NAS HMS Indomitable, Operation Pedestal Aug 1942 12.08.42 Ju88 & S79 Destroyed, Ju88 Probably Destroyed, S84 Shared Destroyed (LtCdr JM Bruen) 12.08.42 Ju88 Destroyed, Ju88 Damaged (Lt WH Martyn) Lt Cdr JM Bruen The model is the Airfix 1/48 Sea Hurricane Ia. It really is a terrific kit which rewards taking your time over building it up. There are a few things however which are missing, namely the headrest, the oil collector ring and the rear view mirror which have all been added. I have previously built a pair of Airfix 1/48 Hurricanes which I did as RAF Hurricanes flown by RN pilots during the battle, so I was reasonably familiar with the kit. @Beard has inspired me to build another the represent Lt DM Jerams middle east Trop. Hurricane but that is for another day. The markings come from spares I had from the Italeri Sea Hurricane kit that I have built in the past (its lingering around in the background in some of the photos) a special mention goes out to @Graham Boak for help he gave me in confirming the markings for Lt Cdr JM Bruens aircraft. The Saint stickman was home made.. Lt Cdr JM Bruen was Irish born and in action from 1940 with a record of 4 Aircraft destroyed, 4 shared destroyed, 2 damaged, 2 shared damaged, 1 shared damaged on the ground, flying Skuas, Fulmars and Hurricanes, commanding 803 NAS & 800 NAS. JM Bruen survived the war.. Again a big thank you @trickyrich for running the group build and for everyone's support and encouragement throughout.

Well I have done it, completed my first Group Build. First off thank you everyone for your help and support, I have really enjoyed the experience and think I'll have a go at another. Roll on Pacific War... Grumman Hellcat I JV132/EoF 800 NAS HMS Emperor Operation Tungsten & Operations off Norway May 1944 08.05.44 FW190 Destroyed 15.05.44 He115 Destroyed, He115 Shared Destroyed. Lt B Ritchie RNVR The model is the 1/48 Eduard Weekend Edition Grumman Hellcat I, which I must say is an excellent model and builds up well (even I can make it look half decent). It is pretty much built OOB but I have previously built the version with full PE, so I did things like do my own engine wiring, detailed the cockpit with wire etc, built new throttles, opened up the cooling flaps and added a mesh behind the chin intake.. I also cut away the external tank supports and made new ones from aluminium food containers. Having built the Hellcat before I had spare markings left over which I used to make Lt Ritchie's Hellcat . Ritchie had 5 confirmed aerial victories and had previously fought during operation Pedestal and Operation Torch in Sea Hurricanes. Unfortunately Lt Ritchie did not survive WWII and died 12.07.1944. Thanks to @trickyrich for running the group build and for everyones support and encouragement throughout. Looking forward to Pacific War GB now...

Irish Aer Corps Augusta Westland AW139 shuttling back and forth to Baldonnel for fuel. The aircraft is toting a 1,200 Bambi bag to fight the fire raging on Bray Head. So far he has shuttled for fuel at least four times this afternoon... Might try to catch pictures later...

I have built 3 Eduard 1/48 FAA Hellcats and enjoyed them all. The only pictures of on-deck Hellcats I have seen with flaps down are either preparing for take off or are landing and have engines running but that seems to be FAA practice - not sure about USN practice. As another comment I think the control surfaces on the Hellcat were spring loaded - I have always assumed this meant self centring so off-setting them in an unmanned aircraft would not be right. Hopefully someone can steer me right...

Nice work on the Roc, an aircraft with some unique characteristics. I like the SH short run kits, although I only build in the remedial scale. You can make up for the lack of locator pins or tabs by cementing yout own in made of short lengths of plastic strip. That what I did for wing and fuselage alignment on the Skua I built earlier this year. Firefly next but I'm waiting for the Pacific War GB before starting.

Brilliant Helldiver. Love the finish and the weathering. Excellent job - well done..

It looks good, well done. Props are not bent back I think it's just an optical illusion. I have the SH Firefly in the stash waiting for the Pacific War GB, hope it turns out as good as this one..

Quick update- First the bad news the Sea Hurricane still has a bit to do. Glue panels in position Gun patches to be put on Exhaust to be completed and attached Saint stick man logo to be painted... Hopefully next Sunday completion - hope that's still in time.... But the good news is that the Hellcat MkI is done... I'll post proper photos in the Gallery once I have them done.. First time in a group build for me and it's been an enjoyable experience even if a little fraught at the end. Thanks for your help and support.. Next up Pacific War GB and the Eleventh Hour WWI GB..

So you need to check it out but yes use an old spare phone charger to provide the power. You might have to incorporate some resistors into the wiring in the base and a socket to plug the charger in but use the phone charger to power the motor. You need to know the rating of the motor (volts and amps) and the rating of the output of the charger (volts and amps) then, and hopefully someone on here can do the maths, if my 'O' level physics is right it's V=IR.