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Whilst the Scottish National Scale Model Show we're just back from was bad use of our time in a business sense, I can find a positive slant on it if I consider that we paid £200 to find out that the public seemed to quite like my little motorised aeroplane and helicopter. The moving parts seemed to catch peoples' eyes from some distance and they'd come over to look and talk about it. Notwithstanding that I have no real idea where I may go that would allow anyone to see it, I have decided I'd like to pluck the Revell 1/48 Chinook that I bought in Devon with my then fiancee (we've been married 17 years now) out of the stash and build it as one of British Airways Helicopters' BV234s which I still have some childhood memories of. I did ask my dad @skyscooter if he had a favourite out of the fleet, and the response was that G-BISP and G-BISR were the best ones. From an engineering point of view, I interpret that to mean those two worked fairly well more than the rest of them did. I'm consciously avoiding G-BWFC which was a bad time for dad, although by way of showing it's a small world indeed, @Duncan B is friends with the captain who survived the fairly horrific crash's son. What the show at Perth did demonstrate was that the HH-3E and HC-130P models aren't actually very good. They were unreliable over the weekend and needed a fairly bit of impromtu repair. I told various people that I hadn't really thought them through properly and failed to make sufficient effort because I honestly wasn't confident it was all going to work. In the interests of not repeating avoidable mistakes, this time I'm trying to be a bit more methodical and plan out the whirly bits. I've started by attempting a scale drawing of the Chinook HC1 as kitted, from which I will adapt. I have a Cricut Maker which does cut plasticard well, so will cut new fuselage side inserts with the cabin windows using that in due course. Next I studied various photographs of the BV-234 and marked up the differences. There are more detail differences yet to capture, but for now I'm concentrating on big chunks of plastic in need of carving up. Which upon removing the original layer leaves me with something close to a BV 234 civil Chinook. I had some discussion with dad about the differences, and the relocated undercarriage was a new one, despite him knowing the civil machines literally inside out. It seems the MH-47E which first flew in 1991 is pretty much a BV 234 with military gadgets added and indeed it looks very similar in most respects except the cabin windows. The wheels are in a different place on the MH-47E compared to the CH-47A/D too, I discovered just today. As the Chinook has counter rotating and intermeshing rotors, just having two motors won't be good enough for this. They need to be properly geared together, so I've spent a bit of time on RS Components' website choosing mitre gears, spur gears and ball bearings to suit the required purpose. I've ordered a 300rpm geared motor from eBay, but can't confirm the precise dimensions until it arrives. It'll fit inside though - there's plenty space. The transmission will be 3mm diameter steel shafts. I will design a cradle structure to hold the ball bearings in place, and plan to insert the whole thing in through the floor. I won't use most of the Revell interior hence - the BV 234 was completely different inside anyhow and the small windows won't permit much viewing of the interior. I have two options for the drive layout, and will probably go for Option B as it's simpler and cheaper, needing 2 fewer spur gears and 2 fewer ball bearings. It took me until I saw Option A to realise I could just flip round one of the mitre gears and still achieve the correct rotational direction on each rotor mast. Option A Option B I'll sleep on this and will try to order the gears and bearings tomorrow Power will be external again. I have superimposed D cell batteries on the above layout and they're both too tight and will probably squash the undercarriage. Thanks for reading.

Hello all, May I present my better late than never entry for the recently completed Bf109 STGB. I ran over time so it isn't eligible for judging: It was a build of firsts for me, first wheels up in years, first pilot figure in 1/48 and first motorised build ever. It is not without its faults but I am happy to place it in the front half of the cabinet. If you wish to follow the build it is here. Regards,

I'll probably find some 12th SS markings for this one. It will be OOB except for the necessary additions to plug up switch holes and other gappages e.g. sponson bottoms, and to remove axle tunnels under the hull. Will I add underside detail? Probably not. Will I add foliage? Probably. And I will add the criss-cross pattern of Zimmerit which was typically applied to Ausf As. Hopefully, this will remove a box from my stash, and not add another kit to the unbuilt pile. This is not a classy kit. I want to work quickly on it, and I'm not going to labour over details. Just to be clear