1/72 Bristol Superfreighter

[Ron Pearcy]

Excellent. 

[Eric Mc]

I understand that the seeds of the Freighter/Wayfarer lay in aircraft like the Bagshot and the Bombay. They all had a similar layout.

[Mikey-1980]

beautiful nice clean build there chap! Museum quality!

[bzn20]

13 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

did you fly in this type ?

No , not even been inside one .

 

[bigbadbadge]

20 hours ago, replicant said:

Super. Freighter! A statement and a wonderful non mainstream model!

When comes Airfix 1:72 Beverley? I would love to hear the four Centaurus turning ....

Cheers,

Tom

Thanks Tom very kind of you to say. I am not familiar with the Beverley myself, I will have a look.  

 

20 hours ago, TonyW said:

That's a fine looking model, and an Airfix Classic to boot!

 

The original plane had all the grace of a block of flats, but that gives it a certain charm that I like a lot. I have a built Silver City version boxed up in the loft. I thoroughly enjoyed building it.

Thanks Tony, she's a charming aircraft. I like your description.

 

20 hours ago, mackem01 said:

That is one stunning piece of work, faultlessly finished. Give yourself a pat on the back!

Why thank you kind sir.

 

18 hours ago, Eric Mc said:

That is very nice. The only Freighter I saw in the air was Aer Turas' EI-APC (A Mk 31) which was used for race horse flights between Ireland and the UK.

Thanks Eric they were impressive sights in the air, with their size.

 

18 hours ago, RidgeRunner said:

Ah, nice..... I remember those AL engines each night singing me to sleep from the short-nose machine used by BCAL from Gatwick on night freight runs to AMS.... A great sound

 

a great model!

 

Martin

Thanks Martin

 

18 hours ago, F1xena said:

I used to play cricket in Wellington, NZ as a schoolgirl. The ground was under the downwind flight path for the SAFEair Bristol Freighters enroute from their home base in Blenheim. Even then I was aircraft mad, and couldn’t help but look up at these lumbering giants as they flew overhead. It proved such a distraction that my teammates used to call me “Bristol”. 

Later, when I actually became a pilot, I had the opportunity to join SAFEair, but turned it down for an airline career...fortuitously as SAFE ceased operating a few years later. Still have some pictures somewhere of the inside of a Bristol when they were parked up, having been retired, in Blenheim.

Thanks F1xena crikey that could have resulted in some unwanted strikes with a cricket ball. A fortuitous career choice too. You might get some requests for the pictures for the interior views I imagine.

 

18 hours ago, Moa said:

Sublime, Chris, an absolute jewel.

You have done a superb job on a very appealing subject!

Excellent!

Wow thanks Moa. It is nowhere near the standard of your work though.

 

17 hours ago, stevej60 said:

That's a stunning build by any standard's Chris,the fact it's the Airfix oldie takes it to another level!

Thanks Steve. Although the kit went together very nicely indeed.

12 hours ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

Great job Chris- nice to see an old model done really well so that it can pass muster with  a modern kit.  Well done!!

Thanks Colin very kind of you to say.

11 hours ago, stevehnz said:

That is superb Chris, the one photo on your WIP just a teaser which hardly did it justice, justice well done with your photos above, simply sublime if I can call a lumbering old girl that.  I worked with the SAFE Air Freighters that @F1xena mentioned above, they flew into the local airport where I helped load & unload them & were a huge favourite of mine, a flight deck not too removed from a Lancaster or similar, character held together by 50,000 rivets.

Steve.

Hi Steve, thank you. Wow they must be very impressive when stood next to one with the huge wingspan and height. Would love to see one on the ground. I rubbed down all the rivets leaving just a trace but the paint has covered them up.

 

Will catch up with the rest later as dinner calls 

All the best

Chris

[trickydicky210]

Chris

 

great Build, looks fab

 

cheers Rich

[bigbadbadge]

11 hours ago, Ron Pearcy said:

Excellent. 

Thanks Ron

 

10 hours ago, Eric Mc said:

I understand that the seeds of the Freighter/Wayfarer lay in aircraft like the Bagshot and the Bombay. They all had a similar layout.

Interesting, I suppose the stance and high wing too. I am not familiar with the Bagshot.

 

9 hours ago, Mikey-1980 said:

beautiful nice clean build there chap! Museum quality!

Wow Thanks Mikey, very kind of you to say.

 

9 hours ago, bzn20 said:

No , not even been inside one .

 

Ah LOL😄. I am sorry about that. I thought when you mentioned the places that you may have been a crew member. 

 

1 hour ago, trickydicky210 said:

Chris

 

great Build, looks fab

 

cheers Rich

Thanks Rich

All the best

Chris

[bzn20]

3 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

I am sorry about that

Funny ! I was either a spotter or ground crew .. I had Ian Allan's Civil Aircraft Markings or a tool kit  I 'aint Jack Hawkins in The Man in the sky film ! No aircraft had an engine fire that I worked on... Hang on a sec ....I was Airframes !

 

[bzn20]

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Bagshot

Blimey a part of Camberley .. What a rubbish name . Pantiles was okay (where Bader met his wife and in the 80's a Jazz/Funk hang out ) .

Who's project was the Bagshot ? I want to read more , I missed this . Bombay was a bag of of shot though !

 

Don't worry ,found it... A Bombay development that had even more of  ……. Bristol's World of stuff

 

Edited December 17, 2018 by bzn20

[Tomoshenko]

Nice job on that, and I'm glad you enjoyed the build. Brings back memories for me too as I built it as kid.

[stevehnz]

4 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Wow they must be very impressive when stood next to one with the huge wingspan and height.

It sure is, we're lucky to have one of the last to fly in NZ at our local Heritage park, even after 40 years I still enjoy a visit to the old girl.

Steve.

[bzn20]

12 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

It sure is

They were probably the ones I saw at the old Bristol Factory at Weston- super-Mare (they sold it to Westlands Helicopters ) way after they were built there , probably around 67-68 RNZAF in Camo . Mk 31s though , I think .

[stevehnz]

I'm not sure how many of the Safeair machines were ex RNZAF, some at least were ex Pakistan Air Force, I can still recall see a couple of on the tarmac at Woodbourne (Blenheim),  Safeair's engineering base, waiting conversion, that would be early to mid 60s I think.

Steve.

[Greg Law]

I remember our short nose Airforce Bristol freighter in a camo scheme. That was when we had an Airforce.

 

[stevehnz]

The History of New Zealand's Freighters, all Mk 31s with the short nose, I'm not aware a Super Freighter as modelled by Airfix & improved so nicely by Chris @bigbadbadge ever graced our shores. ZK-CLU, our local example features about 1/2 way down page 2.

Steve.

[tonyot]

Wow Chris,...... what a stunner,....... this is the best rendition of this old kit that I have ever seen,....... superb job mate,

 

Cheers

           Tony

[bigbadbadge]

8 hours ago, stevehnz said:

The History of New Zealand's Freighters, all Mk 31s with the short nose, I'm not aware a Super Freighter as modelled by Airfix & improved so nicely by Chris @bigbadbadge ever graced our shores. ZK-CLU, our local example features about 1/2 way down page 2.

Steve.

Wow thanks Steve and thanks for posting this link too. Very interesting site. The camouflaged aircraft and the non camouflaged military schemes look lovely . I will have to add a Mk 31 to my wish list now and will see what the Fly release is like when it comes out .

 

4 hours ago, tonyot said:

Wow Chris,...... what a stunner,....... this is the best rendition of this old kit that I have ever seen,....... superb job mate,

 

Cheers

           Tony

Thanks Tony that's very kind of you indeed.  Really enjoyed making this one.

 

All the best

Chris

[stevehnz]

I wasn't aware Fly had one planned, I have an Airfix kit with vacuum formed Mk 31 conversion but will likely move it on as I'm tending to 1/144 for post war aircraft this size. I've bought 2 of the Oz models Mk31s, one with Safeair decals & one with RNZAF camo scheme decals but I'm very tempted by an earlier version with the white topped, cheatline, bare metal scheme.  

Steve.

[Greg Law]

35 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I wasn't aware Fly had one planned, I have an Airfix kit with vacuum formed Mk 31 conversion but will likely move it on as I'm tending to 1/144 for post war aircraft this size. I've bought 2 of the Oz models Mk31s, one with Safeair decals & one with RNZAF camo scheme decals but I'm very tempted by an earlier version with the white topped, cheatline, bare metal scheme.  

Steve.

I would like to say I would take it off your hands, but it would most likely end up in my far to large stash. I remember seeing these in 1971 when I spent a short time in the Airforce at Woodbourne. I think they were in Camo because the Vietnam war was on. I remember the lectures about the jungle traps. It was all a bit of a game for us boy recruit's.

[Eric Mc]

On 17/12/2018 at 20:58, bzn20 said:

Blimey a part of Camberley .. What a rubbish name . Pantiles was okay (where Bader met his wife and in the 80's a Jazz/Funk hang out ) .

Who's project was the Bagshot ? I want to read more , I missed this . Bombay was a bag of of shot though !

 

Don't worry ,found it... A Bombay development that had even more of  ……. Bristol's World of stuff

 

The Bagshot was only built as a prototype as far as I know. I first heard of it in a BBC West documentary called "Aviation in the West" - narrated by Robert Powell. It was shown on BBC 2 around 1981/82.

[Umut Can]

Looks great, Well done 

[Terry1954]

Beautiful build of an old classic Chris. I recall building one myself when I was about 10. Needless to say it was nothing like your superb rendition, but it was fun. You have done the old girl proud!

 

Terry

[bigbadbadge]

On 12/19/2018 at 7:06 AM, stevehnz said:

I wasn't aware Fly had one planned, I have an Airfix kit with vacuum formed Mk 31 conversion but will likely move it on as I'm tending to 1/144 for post war aircraft this size. I've bought 2 of the Oz models Mk31s, one with Safeair decals & one with RNZAF camo scheme decals but I'm very tempted by an earlier version with the white topped, cheatline, bare metal scheme.  

Steve.

Hi Steve

I am sure I saw it on BM poss in The Rumourmonger section.  Like you I think the earlier white topped machine look spectacular.

 

On 12/19/2018 at 7:59 AM, Umut Can said:

Looks great, Well done 

Thanks Umut.

 

On 12/19/2018 at 9:23 AM, Terry1954 said:

Beautiful build of an old classic Chris. I recall building one myself when I was about 10. Needless to say it was nothing like your superb rendition, but it was fun. You have done the old girl proud!

 

Terry

Thanks Terry. It was a cracking kit to build. 

 

All the best

Chris