Vulcanicity's Stranraer and Heyford dual mega build!

[Vulcanicity]

Hi folks!

Ages since I've done a WIP, but here we go. Welcome to my latest (and particularly barmy) build! I'm going to be attempting to clear the logjam of biplanes in my stash by tackling these two Matchbox beauties (alright, the Heyford is a Revell repop, but still a beauty)!

 

 

It feels like a nostalgia trip back to the 1970s, apart from the fact I'm much too young to remember. I have always imagined the 1970s as being a sort of beige decade, and my mind is filled with visions of Status Quo, AC/DC, striking miners, institutionalised sexism, raging unemployment and violently awful moustaches. A decade perhaps only brightened up by new heights of luridity (is that a word?) in model kit plastic:

 

 

 

I've had these two for years while slowly trying to scratch together references - which is a remarkably difficult task. What's worse, the longer it's gone on ( since 2009, in the case of the Stranraer), the more determined I've become to do some kind of superdetail job on them, hence more internet trawling, hence more time the kits languished in the stash. There's plenty of big hatches and holes to see into, but Matchbox provided very little to fill them with. "Why couldn't I pick some nice P-51 or F-16 or something else with references falling out of the trees?" you might well ask. Well, that just wouldn't be as fun as eight years of on-off research. Honest.

With my Borneo field seasons done, and a good stretch of time ahead, I decided the time was ripe to up my research efforts, collate all the data I could get, and crack on at last. So I spent an afternoon in the National Archives perusing maintenance manuals and evaluation reports from the 1930s - oh, and purchased these:

 

 

I've also got scans of the Mushroom Modelling Publication Walrus and Stranraer, 1930s excerpts from Flight, and the Profile Publication on the Heyford, which I think completes more or less all the available information known to mankind. Honestly, it's easier to find out about lesser-known ancient civilisations in Asia Minor than the internal equipment of a 1930s flying boat! 

 

I quite often start a complex interior detailing job by drawing sections in large scale with colour-coded bits - it helps disentangle and present complex information much more understandably. This one is a bit rough, and there are a fair few errors, but it's a start:

 

 

I've drawn out the necessary structure inside the fuselage halves. I think my sanity will walk a fine line throughout these builds, so I've already cut myself a little slack and decided to have the nose hatch closed and the bow compartment undetailed - this is the area for which references are thinnest and I think there'll be more than enough to do already!

 

 

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Before I can start adding structure, the Stranraer in particular needs a fair amount of panel lines adding. The only panel lines which the kit provides are a longeron under the window (which is wrong for about 3cm at its rear end) and one other horizontal line above the porthole in the bow.

Take up thy scriber and scribe...

 

 

The starboard side will be tougher as I've got to remodel the access arrangements. RAF and RCAF Stranraers did not have the large access hatch surrounding the smaller door - this was a more commodious postwar modification applied to Stranraers operated by Canadian civil airlines, and MB clearly copied it from the survivor at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon - so I've got to grind off the raised area to the right - fun fun fun!

 

 

Hopefully by next time I'll have either achieved this or written off the kit - so long for now!

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2017 by Vulcanicity

[dogsbody]

Ooh! I'll be following this build fer sher!

 

This is a nice book, too. There's some nice interior pictures.

 

 

Chris

[Martian]

Interesting thread, I am keen to see what you make of the Stranraer.

 

Martian

[celt]

Matchbox build,goodie,

[TonyTiger66]

I will be following this too. I have a big (Australian) book out from the library on Supermarine.

 

I'll have a look and see if there's anything there that may help.

 

I was around in the 70's; your description is very good for the early part of the decade. It wasn't quite as grim as it is sometimes presented as , e.g. on TV. It was a very interesting time; the space race, Vietnam, Airliner hijacking, increase in international travel, more people with colour TV's, the start of video games, FM radio, Watergate and so on.

 

The multi coloured Matchbox kits were superb value for money; I bought one of the small ones nearly every Saturday. Normally with a 'Victor' comic or 'Commando' book.

 

I was recently pleasantly surprised to discover that the latter are still sold! I bought one for AUD $4; they haven't changed at all. 

 

This build will be a great nostalgia trip and provide great information on these rarer types.

 

Great stuff, I'll be watching with my Commando book on my lap and 'Dad's Army' on the TV .

 

TonyT

[Max Headroom]

Can't go wrong with a Matchbox kit! Always fancied the Stranraer kit but never got round to it so watching with interest.

 

So.....the 70's. Berni Inns for a night out. I'll have a prawn cocktail to start, chicken in a basket for main and a slice of Black Forest gateau for afters. All washed down with Blue Nun or a pint of Watneys Red Barrel.

 

Trevor Flared-Trousers

[Rabbit Leader]

I'm in as well.... having both these kits in my stash this will be an interesting thread - so good luck.

Now that I think about it, the Stranraer was a fairly recent purchase (bought about 18 months ago), however my Heyford is an original that I recieved on my 12th Birthday - so it's been in my stash for 35 years!!

 

From what I recall of the seventies - you could'nt go anywhere without seeing or smelling an ashtray (I was always fond of those circular disc ones) and trying hard to catch glimpes of a woman called Abigail (a Brit Bombshell made good in Oz).

 

Cheers.. Dave

 

[TheBaron]

V. Splendid subject Mr.V!

 

I like your dedication in going to the archives - I wish maintenance manuals were more freely available as like yourself I find drawing an invaluable process for getting a feel for shape and structure, and they provide such important primary information.

 

Best of luck with this project.

Tony

[Old Man]

This should be epic, Sir.

 

Will be watching for sure....

[bristol boy]

Looks like a great thread for me as I have the Heyford and keep thinking about acquiring a Stranrear, you can't beat these old Matchbox kits, they still produce a perfectly fine result even compared to modern kits.

Like your sketch to try and understand what's going on in the cockpit, should nave done that myself for the Botha I have on the go.

Look forward to more,

Neil

[perdu]

As a Stranraer owner (even if by default from a son who didn't build it when it was a present to him) consider me a partner in this trip (70s) journey or task

 

I'll be just back here, watching but not interfering except to say I recognise that Scale Models cover, I wonder why I remember it????

[dogsbody]

Don't know if these will be of any use but I'll post them anyway, because it's for the cause and I get to play with my new Flickr account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[bar side]

Yes remember those from the old Matchbox catalogues from the 70s.  I was just a kid, but music was louder (Sabbath, Zeppelin, Deep Purple), football was better (not so long since we won a world cup, Forrest & Liverpool owned Europe) and we still go on about how good the summer was in 76 (it was good)  And I built Matchbox kits by the bucket loads - 1/72 and 1/32, plus cars & ships.  Looking forward to the Heyford most

[bbudde]

Oh that's fantastic . Call me in.

http://www.seawings.co.uk/images/pageheadertitles/Walk-Round Gallery Header Titles/StranraerWRgal.jpg

http://www.seawings.co.uk/

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Yes, please!  

 

[But Oh. Em. Gee.; the colour of that Stranraer plastic...]

[CedB]

I'm in Phil - great start already!  

[Grey Beema]

I'm in.  With my recent debacle with the upper wing of a Sea Gladiator I want to see someone succeed with a biplane..

[Tomoshenko]

Bostin' looking forward to the Stranraer.

[71chally]

Great to see these two classics being built side by side, something I contemplated in the past but never got round to.

Watching with interest!

 

BTW the 1970s weren't always as good as you portrayed them! 

[Antoine]

Nice idea!

Those two highly iconic kits are very representative of Matchbox production.

Got the Stranraer, and I've yet to find an Heyford.

[stevehnz]

Some scarily familiar stories among all those, guess I better buy a season ticket so I'll know what to look out for when I come to mine. Mind you, if this thread goes into the several hundred posts, I'm just as likely to be found wandering in the woods looking for the trees.

Steve.

Edited July 15, 2017 by stevehnz

[Ptmvarsityfan]

Always enjoy looking at builds of these two classics. I built both not long after they were released, the Stranraer came out in 79 and the Heyford in 1980 according to Scalemates, remember being delighted that kits of these aircraft were available and pretty nice they were too! Not surprising Matchbox went bust though, a mainstream manufacturer releasing large models of rather obscure types! My original models have long since been lost but I have both in my stash and have been tempted to make the Stranraer as a post war transport operated in Canada by Queen Charlotte Airlines. Decals are available but needs a bit of conversion work.

Cheers, Paul

[Vulcanicity]

Thanks all! Gosh, what enthusiasm, I'd actually better show something! I'm glad nobody took my comments about the 1970s the wrong way. I'm a mere 27 and can't help thinking it was all like it was in Life On Mars.

Thanks Dogsbody for the plans, I've got a paper version of same (they're in the July 1979 Scale Models) which was my bible for the panel lines.

 

Unfortunately things have got off to a bit of a slow start, but I've managed to get going a bit more on the Stranraer.

 

Firstly, I attacked that cargo hatch (compare the last post) and managed to sand it back to the natural hull shape. I will need to cut out a window here, as the hatch replaced one.

 

 

I've also finished all the hull panel lines. I left a load of dust in them for this shot so you can actually see them in all of that barf leaf green.  If you've spotted a wonky one, then you're just wrong please go to Specsavers try and be polite about it

Several of them involved long, compound curves which needed to match either side of the centreline, and I think I did not too badly, although of course this shot doesn't show any of them!

 

 

Lastly for today, I've also got quite far with the structure inside the port fuselage half. I'm going to have the crew door open which exposes the whole navigator's compartment. There's also a surprising amount that shows though the pilot's canopy. Oh, and I'm having the mid-upper and tail gun positions open and sans crew, so, more structure to go...

It's all as accurate as I can make it from the Mushroom Models book and various sets of plans

 

 

Until next time biplane followers!

 

 

[CedB]

Very nice scribing and internals Phil - good job  

[TheBaron]

Coming a long very nicely Phil. Even the 70s bathroom green grows on you after a bit.