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Airshow 1983. Great Warbirds Air Display in 1/72 Part 1


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Hi All!

 

Here's a project that I've been wanting to do ever since I was thirteen years old. Exactly 35 years ago tomorrow, on Sunday September 18th 1983, this wide eyed, WW2 aircraft mad 13 year old got the opportunity to go to his first proper warbird show, the Great Warbirds Air Display at West Malling in Kent. Not only did I get to see and hear aircraft that I had only seen in books or on TV for the first time, but I also got to soak up the atmosphere of a genuine WW2 airfield, full of warbirds, military vehicles and trade stands piled high with model kits. Not only that, but my favourite pop star, namely Gary Numan, had sponsored the show and was there on the day. In short, I was in heaven. Despite the torrential rain and dark grey cloud almost hugging the ground for the whole morning, my spirits couldn't be dampened. By the afternoon, the rain eased off, the cloud base raised by a few feet, and the flying display started.

 

Hanging on my man cave wall, I have this GWAD poster that I picked up last year. The previous owner picked it up on the day, after flying down to West Malling in Sally B...Lucky man!

 

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I hadn't ever seen anything like it before, Spitfires, Harvards, B-17, Grumman Bearcat, P-51D, Lancaster, Hurricane, DC3s disgorging parachutists all over the airfield, massed formations etc, etc. By the time the show had finished, I decided that I wanted to build a model of every aircraft I had seen that day in 1/72. Only one small problem. I had very little pocket money and no idea if half the kits that I needed were even available. The most I managed was a rather dodgy rendition of Stephen Grey's Bearcat built from the (even then) old Monogram kit. Fast forward 35 years, and I decided that it was time to try and revive the idea of building the collection. So far, I've managed to pick up everything I need except a Fiat G.46.

 

Here's the program from the day....it set me back a massive £1 (which was a fair chunk of my day's spending money!)

 

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...And in memory of Ted White, who was tragically killed flying his T6 the year before, every aircraft at the show carried the little yellow Teddy bear emblem. Where carried, I have added the little Teddy to the models.

 

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The builds! The rules I set myself are simple. The collection will be in 1/72 scale. and I'll build them as I would have done as a 13 year old. That will be brush painted, enamel paints and hairy sticks and lashings of old skool fun. I will try to convert the models if needed, ie: to try and represent the all the aircraft as they appeared on the day, so the BBMF Spitfire will get a four blade prop, six stack exhausts etc. So, I'll try and improve on what I might have knocked out as a 13 year old, but they might still be a bit ropey...I'm in this for the fun and nostalgia.

 

I'm afraid I don't have time to post up WIP threads for the builds, but I will update this thread as the collection make progress. I hope you all decide to come along for the journey. One quick note, in a rush to get these posted up before the anniversary tomorrow, there are a few odd bits needed done to finish the first five kits. I'll mention these in the descriptions. Onto the the first five builds....

 

First up, Spitfire Mk IIa P7350 of the BBMF as she appeared at the show carrying the SH-D markings of 64 Squadron. The kit is almost done....just needs the red patches over the gun ports added! The kit is the newish 1/72 Airfix kit.

 

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Next up is Hurricane LF363 VY-X of the BBMF carrying the cool looking night fighter scheme of 85 Squadron for the display season in 1983. I had trouble finding roundels the right size and brightness as carried by the aircraft. These are close, but not close enough actually being post war roundels. As soon as I get the better roundels, I'll replace them. The kit is the Revell 1/72 Hurricane IIc.

 

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...And the two BBMF fighters of the day together. Lancaster PA474 to follow!

 

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Next up, Piston Provost G-AWPH. Only the year before, I had got my first Matchbox Provost, and it became a favourite of mine. At West Malling I got the chance to see two Piston Provosts fly, and the all red G-AWPH in it's red and black scheme really caught my eye. Once again, this is the lovely old 1/72 Matchbox kit with S&M decals.

 

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My first "live" P-51D Mustang. Stephen Grey's Candyman Moose as she appeared on the day. Stephen's collection was based in Geneva at the time, and had traveled through less than perfect weather to display. I was seriously not disappointed! This is the excellent little 1/72 Airfix kit. Just needs the pitot and formation lights added to finish. I simply couldn't get the invasion and 357th Fighter Group decals to work, so I had little choice but to brush paint them!

 

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...And finally for now, my star peformer of the show, Stephen Grey's superb Grumman Bearcat flown on the day by the sadly missed Stefan Karwowski. To say it was a blistering display is an understatement. He tore the sky up in that powerful beast. This is the old Monogram 1/72 kit with a few resin additions. That darned cheat line on the fuel tank took me a week to paint!

 

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That's all for now folks! Keep an eye out for the next installment which will hopefully include Beech 18 G-BKGL and Spitfire Mk XIV G-FIRE!

 

Oh! And a big shout out to my best mate Mike. If he hadn't invited me along that day, I would have missed it all.

 

Best regards;

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by fightersweep
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What a great plan for a model display. 

You've certainly got off to a good start with the first five. They're all beautifully finished. This is going to build up to an impressive collection and I wish you well with your project. 

I'll be following this with great interest. 

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Thank you for the comments Chris! I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy the rest of the builds! (I've just noticed I missed the exhaust off the Provost!)

 

Best regards;

Steve

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Thank you for the kind comments gents! It's funny, but now I've seen the photos here, I keep spotting things that need finished off. P7350 and Moose need their walkways added! Oh! and the Spitfire needs a Coffman starter bulge added as I used the Mk Ia kit. (make note for the to do list!)

 

Steve

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Great, I made it to West Malling one year, while on visit to my sister who lived in London, possibly 84, 85 though. I know it was the year a commentator was broadcasting live from the back of a two seater P40. Suddenly his voice went up a couple of octaves as he reported an engine problem and they hurriedly landed. 

 

I also remembered the warbirds were lined up directly in front of the viewing line. So I stood behind the Spitfire, probably MH434 as it started and was enveloped in exhaust fumes and propeller blast. Magic.

It was a great venue for the airshow.

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Some great looking models to celebrate a day I remember very well. My highlight being the Bearcat sneaking up behind my family (who were standing on chairs for a better view) and scaring the hell out of my mum!?! A fantastic show on what is now just another housing estate. Thanks for posting and reminding me of a great day out

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Thank you for the comments and the memories too! Don't get me wrong, the likes of Flying Legends is fantastic, where we get to see types that I never thought we'd ever see flying, but there was something about those initial shows at West Malling. It was a great venue for a start, and the flying was a little bit more energetic. Well, as Simon recalls above, there was nothing quite like Stefan Karwowski in the Bearcat! 

 

Noelh; I wonder if that was Brian Wolfe in the back of that P-40? He was a regular fixture at the West Malling shows. I'm guessing it was Ray Hanna at the helm? 

 

I used to love the North Weald "Fighter Meets" too. I think we were spoilt for choice back then.

 

Steve

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A fantastic theme for a series of beautifully-built models!

My favourite is actually the Spitfire - you seem to have captured it so realistically.

The rest of them are equally as good.

Well done!

:clap::goodjob:

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Nice collection.  I always think it is best collecting to a theme.  What are your plans for extending it out?

 

I did West Malling too.  Do you remeber the Hardboard B17s parked across the airfield, I think thay had been using them for the "We'll Meet again shoot"...

 

 

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Thank you for the comments and feedback. Very much appreciated.

 

I must admit that I'm not sure on the plans for the collection at the moment. It's going to be quite large as there were quite a few aircraft there that day. There are several I don't need to worry about as some appeared on Saturday, but not the Sunday when I went. I assume the rubbish weather played a part in that. I do have plans for the tower at West Malling, and I have had a crazy idea of building a large diorama of a part of the airfield and show. Not sure yet, but open to suggestions! 

 

I do remember those plywood B-17s for the "We'll Meet Again" filming. If I recall correctly, they were parked up over on the far side of the airfield. They did have me and my mate fooled for a few minutes as they certainly looked the part through all the haze and rain. 

 

The only thing I wasn't sure about was the finish of the models. On the day, the real things were mostly glossy and very clean, and thanks to the weather, very wet! After all, they are all well loved and expensive warbirds. This has the consequence of making the models look a bit die cast like. I may tone it down a bit, although the photos make them look way more shiny than they actually are.

 

Tell you what though, posting photos of models on here show up every single flaw going. I take my hat off to those that show beautifully perfect models here...that's quite a feat to pull off!

 

Best regards;

Steve

Edited by fightersweep
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Hi Pete!

 

It certainly was a good show and a shame you didn't get the chance to go. I often think about popping over there to have a look at the restored control tower, but the thought of seeing the airfield buried under a housing estate puts me off! Life has to progress though!

 

Here's a link to Paul J's great photo thread on the 1983 show there. Paul went the same day as me, hence the wet conditions. It's funny, but the awful weather that day just adds to the nostalgia for me...

 

 

...And I'll repeat this in this thread. Taken from the 1983 GWAD vhs video produced by Gary Numan, the late Stefan Karwowski talks about flying the Grumman Bearcat. This was filmed on the Friday before the show.

 

 

 

Best regards;

Steve

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3 minutes ago, Robert said:

Great idea of a modelling theme. If you need pictures of the control tower l live on the old West Malling airfield, it is now a Costa and offices.

 

Robert

Hi Robert;

 

That's a very kind offer! Any extra reference would be very helpful. Have you worked out what part of the old airfield your house stands on?

 

Steve

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A very good idea for a collection. The personal link makes all the difference for me. A cabinet with the poster as a backdrop and all the planes arranged around it would be spectacular.

Do you have any of your own photo's of the day itself?

 

Thanks for the post, it's made my day.

 

Tony.

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10 minutes ago, TonyW said:

A very good idea for a collection. The personal link makes all the difference for me. A cabinet with the poster as a backdrop and all the planes arranged around it would be spectacular.

Do you have any of your own photo's of the day itself?

 

Thanks for the post, it's made my day.

 

Tony.

 

Hi Tony;

 

Many thanks for the kind comments. I do like the idea of a cabinet. I've got the framed poster, and a spare un-framed poster that I could use as a back drop. I've got some other memorabilia too I could mix in.

 

I did have some photos. Being a poor 13 year old, I only had one of those old 110 cameras...the ones with the view finder so far to the right, that nothing came out square on the final print. I only have one surviving photo of Provost G-AWPH sitting on a very wet looking airfield with some very dark, low cloud in the background!

 

Steve

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15 minutes ago, MarkSH said:

Totally agree with the other comments, a really great idea for a collection and some nice builds so far I look forward to seeing the full display compliment.

Thanks for the kind words! Hopefully, I'll be able to add new builds fairly regularly, although modelling time is at a premium lately. It should be quite a fair sized collection once finished....I must count up exactly how many.

 

Steve

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I can only agree with everyone else and echo their comments: such a touching (and familiar) story, a great concept, and some wonderful models. My builds these days are almost all "warbirds" with inaccurate schemes and accessories where applicable so this project really speaks to me.

 

I'm very excited to see your next additions!

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Hi Zac;

 

Many thanks for the kind words. I think it's a story we can all relate to. The show made such an impression on me and has stuck with me to this day, but I'll have to admit that I was shocked when I realised that it was thirty five years ago. Also great to hear from another "Warbird" builder. We don't see many warbird models here and I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but these aircraft and their pilots influenced my passion for aviation just as much as the wartime exploits that I read in many books back then. 

 

Glad to hear that you will pop back in for the updates. I'm currently trying to finish off Graham Warner's Beech 18 G-BKGL, and even though the Academy kit isn't too bad, it's been one of those builds where anything that can go wrong has gone wrong. I may put it to one side and start the next subject for now before I go mad!

 

Best regards;

Steve

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On 9/17/2018 at 9:14 PM, fightersweep said:

 

Noelh; I wonder if that was Brian Wolfe in the back of that P-40? He was a regular fixture at the West Malling shows. I'm guessing it was Ray Hanna at the helm? 

 

I used to love the North Weald "Fighter Meets" too. I think we were spoilt for choice back then.

 

Steve

The name rings a bell and almost certainly it was Ray Hanna up front but maybe Mark if he was flying with them at the time. He was still in the RAF at that point.

 

Actually it's surprising that there aren't more models of warbirds. Many of them are historic in their own right and references are readily available. I have almost the entire collection of the Osprey colour series from the eighties and nineties. Hundreds of photos of all the then extant warbirds.

 

 

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