spruecutter96

Bump 14/2/24.

And your favourite fake-fur coat, Buzby and very thick, wooly socks, my friend! See everyone this Sunday. Bump 14/2/24.

How many scale model-makers does it take to change a light-bulb? Loads..... One to fit the bulb....and hundreds to engage in an extremely heated, decade-long online debate as to what colour the light from it is. (Tongue is very firmly in cheek, here. Please don't take any offence, folks!) Chris.

How many scientists does it take to change a light-bulb? Dozens..... One to hold the bulb still and the rest to work out the best way to make the room revolve. Oh, and they need another £15 Million to do the proper research.... Cheers. Chris.

How many feminists does it take to change a light-bulb? ONE AND THAT'S NOT FUNNY!! Alternative punchline: "Two. One to do it and a second to tell her how much better than a man she was". Chris.

How many Zen Buddhists does it take to change a light-bulb? A dog. (This joke has been stolen from the late, great Robin Williams. I have no idea what it means...). Chris.

You do have the option of getting several small jars of the same paint, mixing them all up very thoroughly and leaving the mix in a large, air-tight container. Just as a suggestion.... Cheers. Chris.

Tamiya Acrylics are some of the smoothest, easy-to-use paints I've ever used. Tamiya say they can can be airbrushed straight from the bottle, but this is real hogwash (it's certainly never worked for me...). I'd recommend using a 50/50% paint-to-thinners mix to start off and change the ratio to suit your needs - experience will give you consistent results. Don't even think about handling the kit for 24 hours after airbrushing and the paint should adhere very well. Some folks swear by putting a thin coat of primer before the main painting - I've gone both the primer/ non-primer route and seen no noticeable difference in my results. If your using Vallejo or AK Interactive acrylics, NEVER put them on to bare plastic. The paints just don't stick well in that situation - which is pretty weird, considering that's what they are supposedly designed to do. Thin coat of primer, maybe a very mild sanding for added smoothness and then the European acrylics should work very well. Make sure you remove all the sanding-dust - it's very easy to miss in nooks and crevasses. Also, if you're doing any kind of masking, let ALL paints dry for several days before laying the tape down. Also, leave the masking on for the absolute minimum length of time you can get away with. Some paints give off fumes for a while after application, as they "cure", and putting any other paint on over them can cause some big headaches (unless the curing has completely finished). Hope this is of some help to you. Apologies if you know this stuff already. Chris.

Only 8 days to go, folks! If you've not been before, please note that standard museum admission charges apply, but the fee allows you full access to both the show and the museum's extensive collection. Bump 10/2/24.

Bump 8/2/24.

No offence was intended, Sandros. It is easy to attach a very "political" aspect to what I said, but it was a fairly well-intentioned post, IMHO. Chris.

My pleasure, Mike. I'm really looking forward to the show - should a good 'un! As several posters have already observed, good, warm clothing is a must for this show. Chris.

BIG SPOILER.................................. You won't have to look at his face for long!

As of this year, the Brampton Scale Model Club is organizing the show, having taken over the job from Shuttleworth. All enquiries should now be directed to: [email protected] Cheers. Chris.

I can't answer this one directly, but can maybe give you some pointers. Have a look at the Scale Aircraft Conversions range. I don't know if they produce anything for civilian aircraft, but their range is significantly larger than most others. Hope this helps. Chris.

Those three sentences pretty much sum up the Internet, RobL. I can't help the feeling that the Web is just a huge void and many that use it are simply screaming into it, from a very tall cliff (myself included). Cheers. Chris.

In theory at least, Airfix can supply you with any part from a kit that's featured in their current catalogue. Chris.

Once you've seen it, you can't "unsee" it! Chris.

An educated guess? Yes, it does. Apparently, the lean is a way of counter-acting excessive torque from the engines. Chris.

I hate to say it, but it looks to me that your Spitfire needs a very good, all-over sanding and possibly the use of a paint-stripper . Hannants sell a product called "Purisol", if I remember correctly. I think they claim it will remove most model-paints. Hope this helps. Chris.

Ochre? Corn? Wheat? Or (maybe) something a little more habit-forming..... Chris.

You believe correctly, my friend. IIRC, only the Zvezda 1/48th kit reproduces the slanting fuselage configuration. Not wanting to be a smart-bottom, but the Trumpeter kit is 1/35th (not 1/32). Cheers. Chris.

The video is indeed about some parts of RAF Spadeadam. I'd recommend playing the "Mission to an abandoned military aircraft graveyard" video. The Hind section is about 19:25 in to the video. Interesting to see that the helicopter is securely locked up, presumably to deter souvenir-hunters. Most of the other aircraft on site look like they've been stripped of anything that can be removed. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the vid gives you any clues as to the colour of the upper surface of the rotors. Cheers. Chris.

Hi, cherisy. That Northern name rings a bell, but my memory of the video is super-hazy. I was a bit sad to see the Hind leave the Duxford Conservation hangar, but it was pretty obvious they had no plans to do it up (too many other projects to get to, I guess). Good luck in discovering the right colours for the tops of the rotors. As you might well be aware, when the Soviets used the Hind in Afghanistan, the locals nicknamed it "The Devil's Chariot". The stories about what the Afghans would do to captured Hind crewmen are extremely unpleasant. The locals had very good reason to hate and fear the Russian gunships. Cheers. Chris.

There used to be four Hinds in the UK. Now, as far as I know, it's down to three. Duxford's Mi-24 went to a museum in Texas, several years ago. The Midland Air Museum one is still on display, if looking a little "weather-worn" nowadays (not the museum's fault - they receive no money from any official-body to help their considerable preservation-efforts). If I remember correctly, the rotor-blades are stored on a pallet, behind the gunship. Obviously, there's the WSM example (easily the best-preserved one) and the troop-doors are left part-open (no admittance to the public, though, unless they have them fully-open on open-cockpit evenings). And the fourth is sitting on a radar-testing range up T'North and looking a bit sorry for itself (there's a Youtube video looking around the site, but this area is NOT officially open-to-the-public). It's very remote and in an MOD, restricted-access area. In watching the YT video, you get the impression that the chopper has been largely forgotten about. If you can find a copy of it, I would highly recommend the Wings & Wheels Publication book on the Hind. Full-colour photos of any part of the Hind you could want (and lots more, besides). Last time I saw a copy advertised, it was some serious Dollar. Very possibly out-of-print now. There's also a recent, follow-up volume by W&W Pubs, called something like "Late Model Hinds" - also well worth getting your hands on. Failing both of those, the AK Interactive Hind "magazine" is a great reference-source and a lot cheaper than the W&W books. It contains build-articles on 1/48th and 1/35th models, IIRC. Of course, if any folks know of any other Russian rotary-wing hardware hidden in the back of a dusty UK hangar, please let us know.... Cheers. Chris.