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Hi All, With the RNZAF Meteor done, and the Mosquito nearing good milestones, I thought I'd try and squeeze this one in prior to the end of the GB As part of my Nostalgia Build, a Queen Mary Transporter and Coles Crane with an RNZAF DH Vampire FB5 Patient The RNZAF operated at various Stations (later Bases) Recovery Vehicles, which did recover Aircraft in various states of distress, but were quite ubiquitous in other ways too Queen Mary From the Whenuapai Station MT Section MT1715 (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) RNZAF Station Hobsonville - Use of the Queen Mary for more Athletic endeavours This is a photo of the Hobsonville Officers vs the Senior NCO's (Sergeants). The Officers are wrapped in paper - Note the Hangar with Tailless Sunderland in the background I seem to recall as a youngster my Dad loading me (along with other kids on a Queen Mary trailer for a little jaunt around the base (ah memories) (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) The Hangar in the background in more modern times - alas no Sunderland This one at Wigram Tractor MT454 and Trailer MT1717 (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) Wigram again with an Anson Fuselage - I recall my Dad having one of those dust/overcoats, to wear over his Uniform when at work (tan/brownish colour) (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) Wigram again, collecting RNZAF Harvard parts from a Train siding at Sockburn circa 1960 (note the head gear, my Dad would have worn one of those for a time) Coles Crane The Lancaster now on display at MOTAT, here in Auckland (Donated by French Navy) at Whenuapai with Coles Crane (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) Lifting spare parts for the RAF Vulcan that had an accident during a visit to New Zealand (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) Assisting the distressed....... 14 Sqn Vampire at Ohakea (NZ5771) - any good landing is one you can walk away from right? (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) Something slightly different and going the other way , Vampire (NZ5776) being loaded on a barge from the Hobsonville ramp - going to a Famers* Store display in Auckland City (back down the Harbour) Looking at the barge, a number of RNZAF Aircraft arrived for assembly at Hobsonville on barges like this, or, as 14 Sqn did in 1946, barged their FG-1D's to Ports Of Auckland for embarkation to Japan (be interested to see if this tidbit of information gets plagiarized) (* Farmers is a department store (high end type merchandise)) (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) So with The Vampire, time to show the "Patient" NZ5767 after a Oops at RNZAF Station Whenuapai - Note Coles Crane in the distance (Circa 1958) - ran off the runway - note the hexagonal blocks for runway (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) NZ5767 at Ohakea later on, in company with Vampire NZ5707 and TA-4K Skyhawk NZ6251 circa 1970, so still wearing (all airframes) the Silver Fern Roundel - Note the Kiwi Roundel did not come into use till November/December 1970 - I know these things, as I was there, when the Change over occurred. NZ5767 in formation with 3 other Vampires (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) The RNZAF had an early "Jetobatics' Team called the Yellow Hamers Very short Youtube Clip RNZAF Yellowhamers Jetobatics (RNZAF Official - RNZAF Museum - Used with Permissions) NZ5767 served with various units, but lastly 75 Sqn and 14 Sqn respectively (May 1970) Converted to Instructional Airframe, August 1970 So the Model kits involved The Queen Mary/Tractor are on the same sprues as the Coles Crane, so there's not a lot to building these two models Kit Instructions The "Patient" I picked this kit up on a local Auction site here in New Zealand (NZ version of E bay) It's the Old Frog Kit but manufactured in Russia (going by the kit Instructions). It's quite well moulded, and old judging by the instructions Thanks for looking in, hope you enjoy this build ( As much as I intend to) Regards Alan