AIRFIX 1/72 DH Chipmunk T10

[LongMan2]

G'day All,

Here is some finished photos of the old AIRFIX 1/72 DH Chipmunk. There has been a heck of a lot of work to this kit just to bring it to this stage. Those that have built the kit will know. When I started this kit there was very little information out there and what was turned out to be wrong. I don't normally build 1/72, yet I did build this for my brother. He seems to have caught the AIRFIX 1/72 bug; like many have.

I posted here on Brit, in a vane hope some one at AIRFIX will see this and put the DH Chipmunk into the 2016 list of new kits. I'm hope'n it will be in 1/48 but I'm being selfish there. So I hope Mr. Airfix is watching.

Incidentally if you wish to see the all the WIP pic's of this build, please just head over to the Hyperscale, on the Airfix group build page search for the tag of “Justa fool'n around”.

Here are the photos:

Thanks much for looking.

Note: Please just view the image only. The image site where I posted these images is saying there is too much traffic which has drowned the bandwidth.

Thanks!

PHILIP.

Edited March 4, 2015 by LongMan2

[Kuro Nezumi]

Superb detail in the cockpit! Wonderful diorama! Well done!

[Martian]

That's beautiful!

Martin

[ForestFan]

Superb. Agree about the need for a decent 48 scale one

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice!, great detailing Phil

[woody37]

Now that's a stunning little display. I'm sure anyone who has seen the airfix kit can appreciate how much work has gone in to this. The base really sets it off too

[Mr B]

great finish lovely work on the panel.....

nice setting tooo

rgds

mr b

[LongMan2]

G'day All,

Seems my photo hosting site was shut down for some reason. Things seem to be better now.

Big thanks for all the comments and I hope those at AIRFIX can see fit to give us a new mold kit hopefully in 1/48.

PHIL.

[Fritag]

Hi Phil,

Wonderful. Loved watching her grow on Hyperscale - love seeing it again here. A show stopper and a show winner

Steve

[Fatboydim]

Such a lot of detail on such a little model! Excellent.

[SimonR]

Wow, another stunning Chipmunk build, really lovely, just don't know how you guys do it!

cheers

Simon

[batcode]

superb chipmunk, very nice job on the finish

[Rod Blievers]

Phillip:

Here's "your girl":

Forgive me if what follows seems supercritical. It's not intended to be so, merely to "set the record straight" for both yourself and anyone else contemplating an RAF Chipmunk model. Yours is a superb very realistic model, and I have to keep reminding myself it's in 72nd scale! It's brilliant ! I totally approve of your choice of colour scheme, but then again I'm biased towards the 2 FTS scheme:



This is my 1:1 scale Chipmunk WG478 (VH-MMS), wearing the markings she carried as a "Blue Chips" aircraft with 2 FTS, c.1972.

What I'd like to point out is that, although the national insignia/serials style and size remained virtually unchanged throughout the Chipmunk's service career, the stencils and smaller markings were constantly evolving (I suspect this applies to all RAF aircraft). The markings carried in (say) 1970 would be quite different to a machine 15 years later - and here's where I think you've fallen into the trap of using decals portraying a chronologically later aircraft.

I'm lucky here in that I have a "snapshot" of a 1970-1974 Chipmunk. WK507 arrived in this country in 1975, resplendent in the first variant of the Red/White/Light Aircraft Grey scheme (red leading edges etc) and Birmingham UAS markings. The new owner had the wit to carefully preserve all of the markings present. Move on 20 years, this aircraft (now owned by my brother-in-law) desperately needs a re-paint and the fabric work renewed. I was tasked to supervise this; I carefully recorded and photographed every marking. This proved invaluable and helped win several arguments with the gent doing the re-paint (I'm always amazed at how people don't actually see what's there). Subsequently this became a template for my own Chipmunk restoration. It becomes immediately apparent when examining the Chipmunks that arrived here after the 1994 and 1997 auctions just how different the minor markings were.

Turning to your model of WG316:

1. The text on the flap trailing edge should read NO HAND HOLD; this appears centrally just forward of the trailing edge on the elevators, flaps and ailerons (upper surface) as well as the rudder. Further, this text appears on both sides of the dorsal spine as well as below the upper blade (UHF) aerial and the top of the fuselage strakes (just visible in the tail cone photo), meaning that NO HAND HOLD appears no less than 13 times.



2. Walkway surrounds were plain yellow during this period.



3. The no step "feet" were larger and solid black. On red surfaces they had either a yellow or white cross, on the grey areas the cross was yellow or red. Being larger, they were painted athwartships on the upper tailcone. They were also liberally supplemented with NO STEP stencils.



4. The yellow "2" symbol under the windscreen frame is a standard NATO hooking point symbol and is not appropriate for your period.

5. There should be a fire extinguisher symbol on the RHS of the nose, aft of the firewall, although I can't locate any photos of WG316 at the correct angle showing this. Good luck with this one! The symbol could be either a thin black outline, a thicker "stencil" outline, or a solid silhouette painted anywhere from vertically to nearly horizontal!

Again though my congratulations on a brilliant model. I must note (ruefully) that you have the propeller tip markings absolutely correct. I wish I had - I only found the Instructions showing this a few years ago which resulted in some frantic re-painting on both WK507 and WG478!

I hope this is useful,

Rod.

[Ratch]

Splendid

[Orion]

Excellent model.

Superb setting.

As mentioned before, you do not need expensive models to create a jewel.

You did just that.

Regards,

Dirk

The Netherlands.

[gazza l]

Stunning attention to detail considering how small it is in 1/72nd scale.

gazza l

[mobydog]

That really is rather pretty. Well done indeed.

Moby

[LongMan2]

G'day All,

Well things aren't working out with the images. Again I'm deeply sorry but my photo image site is yet again saying there are too many requests to download. Please fellow modelers just view the image and help reduce the bandwith for others.

Thanks much.

PHILIP.

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Philip, every time some opens your thread they are downloading the image to their browser, I don't think it is a case of people actually saving the images...

It is is nice to be popular

[LongMan2]

G'day Thunder,

Well it is frustrating. I'm going to vent here...so please understand. Its the size of the image actually. If my photos were postage stamp size it wouldn't matter. Yet it could be up to 1 month before it becomes visible again. But, the full story is my image provider is trying to get me to pay $25 for unlimited bandwidth per year. This would enable me to post as many large images as I like without impacting their server or fear of this grey blocking image sign. Yes the DH Chipmunk I posted is popular. I'm glad people like it. However I feel the fee which this image site is asking is only just extortion. Their site has quite a lot of existing JAVA C**P advertizing to which I get bombarded every time I enter their site to post. It locks up my computer and slows my entry to their site...because is a mess... I don't want to see ads...esp if I'm paying.

I feel this image site gets many people looking a most of my library of photographs often. It becomes public I believe. Especially when I post...like I have on BM. Trouble is I do all the work and on top of it I have to pay to post...I think that is a bit tough. I feel those that don't get the traffic should pay to host their photos or get them deleted. May be those who are not popular should get their own server. However that would be a web site managers nightmare...and a security issue.

Then I ask you what I would get for that $25? Its really a big unknown. Certainly it is not security; as my image PW has been hacked, images made over size without my knowledge. Many images are moved around and altered. The troubles for me just goes on. I guess its like lending a stranger your nice new book and the pages get returned with pages bent or torn....no one would like it. I certainly don't. Upshot is they charge you for nothing but space...and FA anything else.

So the burden is all on me posting on sites like BM. So why do I even do it? I ask myself that often when computer is trashed and things go wrong...But I guess I do it because its a link to others in the hobby. And the friendship .

However, when this sort of thing happens its the modeling public that suffers...and the hobby industry in general.

PHIL.

[Leonl]

Very nice, currently building this one too, I'll be happy if mine is half as good...

[LongMan2]

G'day All,

Thanks for the kind comments. I've had to post a link to the image and the bandwidth is still a problem.

PHIL.

[Shar2]

I'm afraid your photo problems stem from Photobucket, not BM. Since you appear to be attracting a lot of traffic you might want to either upgrade your Photobucket account or use another photo hosting site. It would be a shame for us modellers missing out on your work.

[CedB]

Hi Phil

I use PhotoBucket too and the issue here is the number of requests to view your images (albeit from another site), hence 'bandwidth' and not storage.

I guess they have to fund their servers and network connections and, as a commercial outfit, make some profit. Not agreeing, just think 'that's life'.

I'm doing a WIP at the moment and I too have had the 'upgrade your bandwidth' message. The charge is for over 10Gb in any month so I'm hoping the new month will make the problem go away, otherwise I (and other users) have to decide whether to find another site or pay the fee 'for our fame'.

I guess we need to read the small print (like I haven't). Groan.

[LongMan2]

G'day All,

To be honest the model is just a AIRFIX 1/72 DH Chipmunk with nothing special but a bit of work required on any model. I'm glad many like its old school modelling skills. Hopefully more will follow suit. Sadly the modelling world has become exposed to the shake-in-bake build with resin wheels and decals philosophy. Easy in and out...and I guess you have a masterpiece...interesting. Funny, I purchased this model (with parts broken and decals yellowed) for $1.00...

The posting of photographs on the web for works in progress has been a massive boost to the hobby. Without a doubt. Sure finished photos are nice; but its the old 54,000,000 question....how did you do that? Many older sites didn't have WIP because many didn't want to show their wears...basic how they did it. I believe that is very counter productive and stiflingly to our hobby. Trouble is its all at our cost (to me the modeler)...when I'm sure others do benefit. Magazines don't have the ability to provide comments to the extent of the web...that is the very large advantage of a web magazine like Britmodeller over the paper magazines. Lets face it our hobby is tough to do...in order for it to grow...we need to give it every opportunity to do so. Otherwise one day when all us older modelers quit there will be no hobby at all. Is a dooms day coming? No surely no...no way, right?

Like I've said I have had problems before with troublemakers posting links to work all over the web. And I'm sure my photo hosting site would say its not their fault! But I don't mind.....so long as it doesn't stop the purpose. Yet I'm at a loss for these recent bandwidth issues...never happened to me before. Its stopped the purpose. Huuh, no..not for a little 1/72 DH Chipmunk...no way.

In the interest of promoting debate I wrote the above...I'm sure Britmodeller etc...could have a talk to the photo hosting site and move it into an account where the bandwidth was suitable. All it would take is an email and an ok...We would all benefit...

PHIL.