Ark Royal's last cruise -Phantom FG1:Tractor and base close to completion

[giemme]

1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

Even leggier.

Superb.

Agreed!

 

Have fun while you're away!

 

Ciao

[F-32]

This is a great series of builds!

[AMB]

Now here's some inspiration!   On display at Yeovilton's Air Day was this superb 1/72nd scale scratch-built model of HMS Ark Royal from your period with full compliment of aircraft. 

Now if only someone (White Ensign models?)_ would produce this in part-work kit form, I would love to build it.

 

 

 

 

 

Full electric wiring making radar scanner work and Gannet's props turn

 

 

 

Sea King about to lift off!!!

Edited August 23, 2018 by AMB

[Massimo]

On 23/08/2018 at 13:21, AMB said:

Now here's some inspiration!   On display at Yeovilton's Air Day was this superb 1/72nd scale scratch-built model of HMS Ark Royal from your period with full compliment of aircraft. 

Now if only someone (White Ensign models?)_ would produce this in part-work kit form, I would love to build it.

That'll be inspiring for sure!!!

Great build and collection of colourful aircraft...and some  with the engines working too...I'm just delighted!

It would be really good to have some kits of different areas of the flight deck!

[Terry1954]

2 minutes ago, massimo said:

It would be really good to have some kits of different areas of the flight deck!

I'd love to see a 1/350 kit of this grand old lady. My wish has come true for 1/700, so I can always hope ..............

 

🙂

 

[Massimo]

Hi guys,

I got back from Croatia and found this:

 

I had bought it online before my departure as in it you can find what I was missing: decals for the sea kings embarked on Ark Royal during its last cruise.

 

Anyway, this project , which is already incredibly time consuming, may be extended to earlier periods aircraft. I already have a Sea Vixen and a Sea Venom.

Let's finish the Buccaneer first and we'll see.

Any suggestions for aScimitar?

[corsaircorp]

Hello Massimo,

First thanks for the pics, great rememberances for me since I've been there years ago !!

Seeing these oldies flying was a great experience !!

Really good work on the legs !!

Congratulations !

Sincerely.

CC

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

3 hours ago, massimo said:

Any suggestions for aScimitar?

XD229  

(In its final guise)

[heloman1]

Blerry marvelous and nice decals too...

 

Colin

[andyf117]

Content withdrawn - I will NOT be threatened by a moderator, simply because I queried the actions of another...

Edited June 27, 2020 by andyf117

[crobinsonh]

On 8/22/2018 at 3:35 AM, Scimitar said:

I think that when you clean up the wheels the sit will be just fine.

 

Lovely shot - do you know when and where this was taken?

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

8 hours ago, crobinsonh said:

Lovely shot - do you know when and where this was taken?

That's XN974,the first S2 which has been beautifully restored at Elvington.

By the copyright date it was probably taken not long after its debut after restoration.

[Massimo]

15 hours ago, andyf117 said:

Don't know which aircraft you're going to choose, but I see the instructions show '55' as XV850, when it should be XV650 - hopefully the decals themselves are correct?

Those quoted dates are not right either - the top scheme with the white bird was still in use in 1976 - the stylised yellow one came later (certainly not 1974)...

Thanks for the info!

I'll come back to this later on.

[andyf117]

Content withdrawn - I will NOT be threatened by a moderator, simply because I queried the actions of another...

Edited June 27, 2020 by andyf117

[Massimo]

On 22/09/2018 at 11:10, andyf117 said:

Of course, if the decals are also wrong by having an 8 instead of a 6, you could mix 'n match the serials and codes to produce XZ578 exactly as it appears in the photo in your magazine article!

 

That's a good idea. For the period I'm looking for, I think I'll go for thi one! Thanks for the picture. Of course any info are welcomed!

Saludos de Mexico!!!

Edited September 23, 2018 by massimo2

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

On 9/22/2018 at 10:10 AM, andyf117 said:

Of course, if the decals are also wrong by having an 8 instead of a 6, you could mix 'n match the serials and codes to produce XZ578 exactly as it appears in the photo in your magazine article!

I flew that aircraft on 810 on my last sortie as a student; the day before I went front line, November 10, 1986.  2 hours of GFP at Predannack.  In this photo, though, she is brand new; a new-build HAS2 (i.e. not converted from HAS1) issued immediately to 824NAS in Ark.  Interesting shot; load lifting a Mk.44 without a case almost certainly means it was an EVT (a runner without a warhead).  That might also explain why they were flying without the upper personnel door; the usual reason for that was because you were carrying a photographer, and Phot runs are often done during weapons drops, to help analysis later.

 

To my eyes, used to HAS 5s & 6s, that airframe looks really clean - devoid of aerials, protuberances, add-ons, and general additional mundungus.  Old fashioned weapons carriers, too.  Nice.

 

Good luck with those white stencils!  They are one of the main reasons I have always shied away from building a 1/48 HAS 1 or 2!

Edited September 23, 2018 by Ex-FAAWAFU

[Terry1954]

Great picture @andyf117 and interesting commentary @Ex-FAAWAFU. 

 

So @Chris Hewitt you can safely ignore my comment in your Ark Royal thread regarding intake guards on Ark IV Sea Kings.

 

When you get to my age, the memory becomes a bit dodgy!

 

Terry

 

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by Terry1954

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

P.S. Hard to tell 100%, but I’m not sure XZ578/055 has the anti-icing stripes on the barn door.  If I’m right, then it makes it more likely that it’s 1977 than 78.  The barn door was initially fitted purely as a physical barrier in front of the intakes - which is what I think we see here.  It soon became apparent that its shape encouraged the build-up of airframe ice, so the characteristic 3 stripes were added; they dispensed an evil-smelling anti-icing gloop called TKS.  TKS stripes started appearing in late-77, though the roll-out took a little time, so we cannot be sure.  XZ578/055 was issed to 824 on 18 Mar 77 & stayed with the squadron until late-78 (probably until Ark decommissioned).

 

The Tooms in the background also lack the Silver Jubilee nose marking, so at a guess it is Spring 1977.

Edited September 23, 2018 by Ex-FAAWAFU

[Massimo]

1 hour ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

flew that aircraft on 810 on my last sortie as a student; the day before I went front line, November 10, 1986.  2 hours of GFP at Predannack.  In this photo, though, she is brand new; a new-build HAS2 (i.e. not converted from HAS1) issued immediately to 824NAS in Ark.  Interesting shot; load lifting a Mk.44 without a case almost certainly means it was an EVT (a runner without a warhead).  That might also explain why they were flying without the upper personnel door; the usual reason for that was because you were carrying a photographer, and Phot runs are often done during weapons drops, to help analysis later.

 

 

5 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

Hard to tell 100%, but I’m not sure XZ578/055 has the anti-icing stripes on the barn door.  If I’m right, then it makes it more likely that it’s 1977 than 78.  The barn door was initially fitted purely as a physical barrier in front of the intakes - which is what I think we see here.  It soon became apparent that its shape encouraged the build-up of airframe ice, so the characteristic 3 stripes were added; they dispensed an evil-smelling anti-icing gloop called TKS.  TKS stripes started appearing in late-77.  XZ578/055 was issed to 824 on 18 Mar 77 & stayed with the squadron until late-78 (probably until Ark decommissioned).

Pure gold for my resarch work!!!

Very interesting note about the top door open. Trying to find a configuration to depict it , these info are very important. Would it be realistic to represent her ready to take off with the weapon at the side, or were they taking off first and then they flew back to collect it, thus it appeared later on the bridge?

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

The top part of the personnel door isn’t open; it’s been removed altogether (not hard to do).  Flying with it open would be crazy; too much risk it would detach & fly into the tail rotor, which could spoil your whole afternoon.

 

They’re not picking that weapon up; they are putting it back on deck after picking it up from the sea (if you look between the deck crew, you can see the torpedo trolley they are going to put it into.  That was what I meant when I said it has no box; if they were picking it up to transport it somewhere as an underslung load, it would have been in a box.

 

It would have left the ship on a normal weapon carrier & been dropped - almost certainly by a different aircraft, with XZ578 flying close by taking photos as they dropped.  (Likely: torpedo on starboard carrier of dropping aircraft; photo aircraft flying in echelon starboard taking photos from port door).

 

I’d just build it on deck with a weapon on one of the forward carriers, Massimo

Edited September 23, 2018 by Ex-FAAWAFU

[andyf117]

Content withdrawn - I will NOT be threatened by a moderator, simply because I queried the actions of another...

Edited June 27, 2020 by andyf117

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

So it must be later than that - but very obviously no TKS stripes on 28 June 77.  The cab went to NASU when Ark paid off; maybe they fitted the TKS system then.

 

[Edit, then I’ll shut up before I take over this thread completely!]. I’m almost sure there are no stripes, because there appears to be no filller cap either; you put the TKS gloop into the system via a small filler cap under neath the personnel door ‘air stair’, and I cannot see any sign of it in that pic.

 

I’m no Phantom expert, but I’d always assumed that the 77 Jubilee nose markings (clearly not there on 014) remained right there the end.  But it seems not!

Edited September 23, 2018 by Ex-FAAWAFU

[AntPhillips]

On 9/23/2018 at 4:55 PM, Ex-FAAWAFU said:

.......I’m no Phantom expert, but I’d always assumed that the 77 Jubilee nose markings (clearly not there on 014) remained right there the end.  But it seems not!

My understanding was (and I could be wrong) that the Red,White & Blue flash was introduced with the '77 for the Silver Jubilee, and was retained afterwards modified with the 892 Squadron crest replacing the '77, if so that would date it to late '77 or  '78.

[andyf117]

Content withdrawn - I will NOT be threatened by a moderator, simply because I queried the actions of another...

Edited June 27, 2020 by andyf117

[perdu]

Yesss

Well...