Handley Page Sparrow, Normandy 1944-Contrail vacform

[bristol boy]

Just before Valom release their Sparrow I have finally completed my vacform Contrail version.

For anyone interested or who missed the WIP it is here

 

To say it was a little stressful from time to time would be an understatement due largely to the incorrect nose and tail, both of which were ceremoniously removed and replaced..and the canopy is wrong too... etc. I am indebted to John Aero for replacement engines, props and nacelles.

The prototype is the one below, but a few months earlier when it had full D Day stripes, look carefully and you can see they have been painted out on the wings.

 

 

[Thud4444]

This is one of those few planes that is both beautiful and hideous depending on the viewing angle.  Your build is very impressive. 

[occa]

Stunning result from a difficult kit !!

Yours totally appears like it is made from a modern injected one.

 

Truly fantastic !!

[kev67]

Very nice, you should be very proud, especially as it is a vac-form, and not the easiest one

[tonyot]

I`ve always liked this scheme on the Sparrow and you have got it off to a tee with a superb model,.....well done sir!

 

Cheers

            Tony

[JOCKNEY]

Congratulations, I've seen quite a few of these old Contrail kits but never a built one, thanks to you I now know the reason why !

 

If I ever feel brave enough to tackle mine, rest assured I will be following your excellent WIP in great detail.

 

cheers Pat

 

 

[polo1112]

Fantastic model you built there with this Sparrow (just a bit bigger than a sparrow!)

I knew the Harrow but not at all the Sparrow.

Impressive aircraft and a very good job on it.

[invidia]

Really good model. fantastic result from a vac form.  

[RussG]

Very impressive model and an interesting subject!!

[JimHead23]

What a result! Absolutely fantastic!

I have this in my stash and many a time have looked at it with a sense of foreboding. I have the Valom Harrow now but I will attempt the vac form at some stage as your excellent work in progress has shown that there can be a blinding light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Well done that man!

 

Regards

 

Jim

[perdu]

This Sparrow came out a treat and you have made a fabulous job of that awkward shaped triangular front screen

 

I love it, it's beautiful

 

Well done with a difficult model

 

b

[TonyTiger91]

It has turned out wonderfully  .

Theres something about vac forms that, imho, when they're made well, I think they look better than injection moulded kits.

I think it maybe is related to the fact that the plastic for the fuselage, wings etc often seems thinner than that in IM kits and so looks more to scale, more realistic.

 

That's how this Sparrow looks.  

 

It would look amazingly realistic in a diorama.

 

 

 

All best regards

TonyT

[BerndM]

Impressive build of this beautiful aircraft.

[JWM]

Very nice result indeed! I have doubts if the new Valom can turn out better  You did a great effort with upgrade basic vacu set here.

Regards

J-W

 

 

[woody37]

8 hours ago, Thud4444 said:

This is one of those few planes that is both beautiful and hideous depending on the viewing angle. 

Totally agree!

 

really enjoyed your build. This kit still remains to be the only kit I've ever attempted that's beat me, so seeing someone win against it, especially by such a margin is great! 

[Maxidad]

That's just brilliant - it's an aircraft that I really know very little about; it's got that awkwardness that heavies of the period had.  I think you'd be hard pushed to find an aircraft that reminded you less of sparrow than that!

[stevej60]

That is absolutely superb,I've never heard of or seen this aircraft before so it;s great to see a new type posted and hat's of for

being one of a small band of modellers willing to tackle a vacform.

[Tony C]

Can only agree with everything written above, a cracking build 

[stevehnz]

I do like that. I've never felt any love for the Harrow, maybe it was the night undersides they had in the early war but seeing this, I do like it a lot, the later roundels & sky undersides give it a totally different look to my eye, the D-day stripes just complete it.

Steve.

[cngaero]

A great build and a stunning result.

If you look at the Sparrow long enough, it does have a strange beauty about it.

Good old Contrail.

 

[bristol boy]

On ‎31‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 0:55 PM, Thud4444 said:

[bristol boy]

Please ignore post above; I still struggle with some aspects of Britmodeller, I'm not a natural when it come to computers!

Anyway... thanks to you all for your positive responses to my Sparrow, it certainly helps to know that you think it turned out well and to all of you that hesitate when it comes to vacforms, my message is give it a go! All you need is lots of patience and a plentiful supply of filler.

Looking forward to the first Valom Harrow build, please do a WIP. Hopefully their Sparrow will not be far behind although I still wonder how the fuselage windows will work.

What next? I've just bought a Contrail Blackburn Botha and I also have a Sanger Blackburn Iris which I'm keen to do, but I need a rest from vacs for a bit so it will be a High Planes DAP Bristol Beaufort IX- the transport version.

Thanks again for appreciating my efforts!

[tonyot]

I`ve just got a Valom Harrow and the Sparrow nose and tail are included on the sprues,.....so I`m very tempted to do this variant,....as you say,..the windows though? 

 

Like I said earlier,.....your vacuform is sublime,

Cheers

           Tony

[bristol boy]

14 minutes ago, tonyot said:

I`ve just got a Valom Harrow and the Sparrow nose and tail are included on the sprues,.....so I`m very tempted to do this variant,....as you say,..the windows though? 

 

Like I said earlier,.....your vacuform is sublime,

Cheers

           Tony

I'd love to see the Sparrow as a WIP!

Fuselage plus sharp scalpel = windows, only trouble then is you need to represent what you can see through the window!

[CedB]

Very, very nice BB. Impressive result and I love that weathering on the nacelles. Good job