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NZ Flight seeing Islander


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Starting with this one as I am inspired and in the mood because of a trip to NZ in 2019!!  

 

Airfix 1971 mould in the last known issue of the kit.

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Just a little white primer done 'cos I got carried away... but all the bits on show here.

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Date stamp on kit highlighted with a pencil.

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Extended wing tips marked for surgery to standard shorter wing tips.

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Primed doors.

Going to get on and do the interior next. A bit of research to see if I can find pics of my subject on line some where.

 

Thats it for now.

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I'll be watching as you progress with this one Paul.  I've been trying to get hold of some islander plans for a future project so Might have to drop you a PM later. :wicked:

 

Chris.

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Found lots of pics of 'DBV on line  and found a couple of points. One is, the narrow green stripe seems to have been replaced with what looks like a silver one.  Also extra windows on both sides one in between the existing windows and one aft of the last window in a strange shape due to framework or whatever. Now debating whether I should try and add these and it depends if I can find suitable clear plastic to use for them.

One other up to date issue is I see that its for sale as Real Journeys are (or have)replacing them( the Islander fleet) with Cessna A208 or something.

 

Back t the build the pics I found are pretty good in showing the various antenna fits and extent of the red wing tip colouring. See link below that shows the main points I speak of.

 

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8504400

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Nice idea for a build Paul, I'll enjoy seeing it come together. A search on the web will reveal photos of -DBV in an earlier incarnation with Mt cook Airlines, I think Real Journeys or perhaps their predecessor took the Milford route over from MCA. I was privileged tp fly into Milford in 1983/84, I'm not sure quite which year, with MCA in one of their Islanders, possibly even -DBV, a superb & spectacular trip, pure magic.

Steve.

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Cheers for the support.

 

Hi Steve, found lots of pics of DBV and saw the MCA pics.  Milford sound will be on my itinerary though not sure if there will be enough funds for a flight. If so it won't be the BN-2 as I understand they have been sold or for sale.

Re my tour, it  will start at Christchurch then Lake Tekapo, Wanaka( a bit of me time at the airfield there), Queenstown, the Glacier coast, train across from Greymouth back to Christchurch. Then up to Blenheim( so I can pop in to see the Omaka Museum.  Across the water to Wellington, Napier, Rotorua, Coromandel Peninsular, Auckland with a bit more of me time at MOTAT, Then across to Sydney in Oz and back home from there. All in around four weeks. Obviously other stops on the way. A night in Singapore on the way down. 

Part of the reason to go is my wife lived in NZ as a little girl near Auckland back in the late 1950s to early 60s so a bit of a memory jogger for her.

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I made three trips to NZ and your plan brought lots of memories flooding back. So much so that I got my old photo albums out and found that I flew into Milford Haven on DBV in 1999 when it was  in MCA colours but flew back in GAF Nomad FVX and had the luck of sitting in the co pilots seat and flying it as he had some paperwork to do. I asked him if it was on autopilot and he said there wasn't one.  Wouldn't happen today. Looking forward to your finished model.

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had a look at Old Models Decals site... loads of fantastic sets to choose from and includes the Islander. So I may well order a set to bring my build more in line and not use the Airfix set. But I will have to add those extra windows.

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Apologies for responding late to this one Paul. The Islander is another unique Airfix subject that no other manufacturer has touched, so a great subject to display within this GB. Now New Zealand holds a special place for me as well. I proposed to my (then) fiancé at a place called Thames along the Coromandel Coast. The 'pop the question' location was a lovely spot that I thought was completely isolated, only for some strange 'Lord of the Rings' looking chap to bust his way out of the nearby bushes, shake our hands and congratulate us!! Very odd. 

 

Anyway - enough of all that. This is a promising build that should prove to be another popular thread. 

Cheers.. Dave. 

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Need encouragement or not for I am undecided whether to carry out the surgery on the kit in order to add the extra windows. Found some clear plastic card stuff that I used on my Intra DC-3 a while back.  If I do do the windows I'll need to send for the Old Models Decals I mentioned above. But at this present time I am lacking enthusiasm as preparations are in hand for a week away. Maybe when I come back I#ll be refreshed and set to get on with it. 

The only other little extra I have started on is to replace the blurred rendition of the exhausts and replace them with some bits of very thin rod or something. Also need to make sure of the interior colouring.. Does anyone here(especially NZ members) know what colour the cabin is???

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7 hours ago, Paul J said:

Does anyone here(especially NZ members) know what colour the cabin is???

Sorry Paul, not really, I was too busy looking out, but light greys & blues suggest themselves.

Steve.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been away for a week sunning self in Southern Spain, needn't have bothered seeing as its bben a bit hot hers... but the difference being I had a glrious view of the Med, did some ship spotting a couple dips in the pool and nice things to eat. But back home now and spent Saturday and Sunday evenings, once weather cooled down, in my hot shed and did some more work with my Islander.  As you will see, I opted to cut aout the extra windows and found my small sheet of fairly rigid clear plastic to make the new windows with. Also progressed with the assembly and priming and more...

 

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Hope these pics help to show those who are unsure the 'chain drilling ' method for opening up areas where needed be thye windows hatches etc.
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This last pic shows where I needed to repair the trim tab/trailing edge of the tialplane due to a tiny bit of short moulding. Just trimmed it to a squarer shape and inserted a piece of scrap card. A few bits of lead flashing that I have handy cut in to small shaped pieces to fit the nose and inside the engine nacelles provide about the right weight to keep it on its nose. Still a way to go but will need to send for those decals mentioned earlier.

 

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This is coming up really well Paul. The additional windows have been tackled especially nicely. Your doing a fine job of this old kit. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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I have to build one of these someday, I got a few hours in them in Guyana and the Caribbean. Bloody noisy, but great fun!

 

Ian

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Update: just a few pics of the assembly going through paint stages:

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Masking all aplied...
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Humbrol Midnight blue No.15.
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Red paint applied. Humbrol 19. It dried rather quick in this heat!!
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Masking removed and showing the unders.
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This was the heat in my shed last night at around 7.30pm ish
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And this is what I went for to help cool down... to no avail and so stopped work.

 

Might have it done over the coming week. Decided to settle for the Airfix decals but will order the others and possibly re do it some time.

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Been doing some decalling the last couple evenings after sun down but my eyes get very tired now...

 Pics to come.

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Another nice General Aviation subject, Paul. Nice work on that Airfix classic. 

1 hour ago, Paul J said:

........ doing some decalling the last couple evenings after sun down but my eyes get very tired now...

I think that might be the beer :winkgrin:

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  • 4 weeks later...

managed to get a lot of the decals on and its almost complete. Just aerials and a bit of touching in a place or two. Just the pic below for now.Will do more now the evenings are a tad cooler...

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The reg last three on the fin are printed exactly the same whereas on one side the gap between the D and B on one side and  B and V on other that should be more due to the hinge line of the rudder. It was a simple matter of cutting apart the letters to apply them in correct spacing. ( This wasn't the only decal error on this issue of the kit... Not enough lettering for the civvy reg for the Aurigny options. Take a look back at the beginning and study the image showing the kit and decals... you';ll see what I mean.
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Actually its been ready , except the aerials, for a few days now but been too hot to spend time in the shed and with the respite in the weather I have got on with this and a couple other stalled builds.

 

By the way pics of completed model in the Gallery and RFI.

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