Handley Page O/400

[Ratch]

The venerable Airfix kit from 1969. I was given this and a few pieces had been stuck together. It sat in the stash for a few years and I finally decided to get it built. I used Humbrol and Vallejo acrylics and made a crude job of the wing fold.

 

 

 

 

For comparison, I made this 9 years ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by Ratch

[stevej60]

Excellent work Ratch,a kit that has defeated me twice!

[Ratch]

Cheers Steve

[keith in the uk]

In my best Jimmy Stewart voice , ERRRR YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THIS THING CAN FLY ?

Nice job 

[Ratch]

Thanks Keith - they tell me it can but I've not seen it myself 😁

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Good looking Build 👍

[Ratch]

That's very kind of you 🤩

[spiton]

This new one looks great !

[IanC]

Scariest kit of my childhood!

 

Looks good. I never realised the wings folded...

 

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Well done Ratch, I bought one of these when they first came out, the prospect of rigging it has meant that it has always remained firmly on the back shelf.

[Buzby061]

Ah, pure nostalgia. I seem to remember rigging it wasn’t so bad. The wings had a top & bottom half, you connected the bottom half of the top wing to the top half of the bottom wing with the struts (are you following me?). There were holes you passed the rigging through then glued the remains halves. My 14 year old self wouldn’t have attempted it otherwise. 

 

Pete

[Meatbox8]

They both look terrific.  I've had one I the stash for more years than I care to remember.  High time I dusted down.  If I remember correctly it has the holes for the rigging already moulded in. I hope that chap at the rear is getting some help or he's going to rupture something. 

[junglierating]

That looks fab ...what is the condition of the kit is it kinda ok fit wise and how much of that is oob?

 

[Ratch]

4 hours ago, IanC said:

Scariest kit of my childhood!

 

Looks good. I never realised the wings folded...

 

That's an adaptation of mine. The instructions call for the wings to be joined at the point where they could be folded. I cut off the locating lugs and fashioned fixed hinges from brass PE runners. Only time will tell if they will hold 🤔

4 hours ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

Well done Ratch, I bought one of these when they first came out, the prospect of rigging it has meant that it has always remained firmly on the back shelf.

The rigging holes are formed in the moulding - its all done ready for you 😉

1 hour ago, Buzby061 said:

Ah, pure nostalgia. I seem to remember rigging it wasn’t so bad. The wings had a top & bottom half, you connected the bottom half of the top wing to the top half of the bottom wing with the struts (are you following me?). There were holes you passed the rigging through then glued the remains halves. My 14 year old self wouldn’t have attempted it otherwise. 

 

Pete

Spot on Pete, by far the easiest aircraft I've rigged 😛

1 hour ago, Meatbox8 said:

I hope that chap at the rear is getting some help or he's going to rupture something. 

He's entering World's Strongest Man 💪

25 minutes ago, junglierating said:

That looks fab ...what is the condition of the kit is it kinda ok fit wise and how much of that is oob?

 

It's not to bad, no filler was used though clamps were. I put the little poor fit experienced down to that the previous builder did one or two bits out of sequence 😙

 

Thanks everyone for your comments and observations, I appreciate them 👍

[stevehnz]

I like what you've done to that Ratch, my youthful effort now resides in a pile of bits & tangled rigging but other than some broken struttery, its fairly complete, there is definitely a rebuild planned for "one of these days". Seeing yours helps me believe that.

Steve.

[russ c]

Really nice H.P. there, great job

[Meatbox8]

The chap Airfix provide in the front gunner's cockpit on your older build always reminds of a that photo of a padre conducting a sermon while using an FE.2 observer's cockpit as a pulpit. Having said that, the gesticulating he's doing looks more Billy Graham than C of E. 

 

Those Lewis guns look great btw.  Are they the kit supplied ones?

 

Actually your build has inspired me to get on with mine as I now have the 0/400, Revell Halifax BIII and Airfix Victor in the stash so can do three HP heavies. 

Edited May 25, 2018 by Meatbox8

[Ratch]

7 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

Those Lewis guns look great btw.  Are they the kit supplied ones?

The nose gun on the scarf ring is a white metal replacement that the previous owner had left in the box. The two mounted in the fuselage are the kit pieces. Its quite nicely detailed for its age 😎

 

Thanks for the generous feedback guys 😁

[CT Modeller]

I love the typo as in 'wigfold'. I'm sure the pilot now has a very neat parting. Anyway, apart from that I would consider it brave for anyone to tackle this kit, but to do it twice - with rigging - well done sir!

[Ratch]

Cheers, I hadn't noticed the typo 😯 duly corrected 😉

DSC_0001 by Richard Linnell, on Flickr

I've kept the crew for a future project

[jean]

Hi Ratch,

 

congrats for a kit well done, especially the wing fold (like others here, I had no idea these massive things folded...).

This kit has always scared me, even when I could afford it by breaking the piggy bank. And to be honest, it still does send shivers down the proverbial spine. So I will keep on not trying to buy it and not trying to build it... unless I trip on one, one of these days.

 

Great show.

JR

[Kev The Modeller]

I always wanted one of these as a kid but I never did get one, I too didn't realise the wings folded either!  Nice builds mate  

Edited May 28, 2018 by Kev The Modeller

[Natter]

You've got to be brave to tackle one of those, and you did it twice.  Respect.  You have made a really nice job of it too.

[bigbadbadge]

Great work Ratch they look splendid. Got one in the stash too. Will get around to it one day.

Thanks for sharing. 

All the best 

Chris 

[Ratch]

Thanks for all the generous comments guys 😀