Hurricane Trio - Arma and Airfix 1/72

[2996 Victor]

4 hours ago, CedB said:

Thanks Mark  

I recommend 'Hurricane' on Netflix - a great telling of the story of the Polish pilots in 303 Sqdn.

A friend reminded me yesterday that the Polish were all rounded up and 'repatriated' to appease Stalin - many suffered persecution and some were executed. A terrible outcome for such heroes.

Great film though. Stefanie Martini plays a great character too  

Hi Ced,

I saw quite early on in lockdown, so my memory of it has been rather swamped by subsequent daytime TV.....🤪 I do seem to recall enjoying it, though, so will have to re-watch soon. No fear of my better half wanting to watch it, so I can enjoy Stefanie Martini's performance without fear of brooking adverse comment.....

Enjoy your afternoon out, you'll come back to the bench refreshed and raring to go!

Kind regards,

Mark

[keefr22]

46 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

The story of the Poles ‘ repatriation ‘ may not be entirely accurate,

 

I seem to recall reading that to appease Stalin, Churchill denied all those Eastern Europeans who had fought so bravely for us, the right to participate in the victory parades? 

 

With even more thread drift, I'm currently reading a Kindle book written by a Wehrmacht Panzer crewman about his experiences on the Eastern front - and given the way the Russians apparently treated their own troops, I wouldn't be surprised by any treatment they inflicted on our wartime allies....

 

Keith

[dogsbody]

8 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

 The Chipmunk was designed by an expatriate Pole who had worked for DH in the UK during the war.

 

Wsiewołod Jakimiuk. He was working for de Havilland Canada when he designed the DHC Chipmunk.

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

[2996 Victor]

6 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

I recommend 'Hurricane' on Netflix - a great telling of the story of the Polish pilots in 303 Sqdn.

Ced,

 

you're a bad influence!

 

My better half is seeing her parents this evening, so I thought to myself, "what shall I watch?" Yes, you've guessed it!

 

It really is very good, the live action flight sequences are great, but I do think it's let down a bit by the CGI, which is a huge shame. But a certain WAAF character does make up for it.....slapped wrist!

 

The only thing that's missing is, "Repeet, pleeze!" 😆

 

Hope your trip out has left you feeling refreshed.

 

All the best,

 

Mark

[2996 Victor]

I meant to add: I feel a PZL coming on. Arma, of course!

[CedB]

On 22/07/2020 at 09:39, Graham Boak said:

The Poles were not rounded up and "repatriated" to appease Stalin: this appears to be a confusion with the Russian ex-POWs who joined the German Army.  Many Poles remained in this country - and presumably others in the West.  There were many in Lancashire, because of the wartime home of the Polish Air Force in Blackpool, and I was to work with the son of  one when at Warton.   At round this time or slightly later there were stories of the oldest Flight Lieutenant in the RAF - another Pole.  There are also accounts of the predominantly Polish loco cleaning men at Kings Cross in histories of the LNER and BR.  The Chipmunk was designed by an expatriate Pole who had worked for DH in the UK during the war.  A fighter ace spent his post-war years smuggling and flying as a mercenary in Africa - most notable as the B-26 pilot in Biafra.  If I wait long enough I'll remember his name - he wrote a very enjoyable biography.

That's good news Graham  Another film script gets it wrong… actually the closing credits.

Was the B-26 pilot Jan Zumbach? His Wiki entry gives the details.

18 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Wsiewołod Jakimiuk. He was working for de Havilland Canada when he designed the DHC Chipmunk.

 

Chris

 

Thanks Chris  

On 22/07/2020 at 10:08, keefr22 said:

 

And it really sounds like you're kicking and screaming...!! 🤣

 

Have a nice day y'all....!! 

 

Keith

On 22/07/2020 at 10:39, bbudde said:

Yep, just like the delight of taking recorder lessons as a kid, I guess.

Cheers

Well, maybe not screaming…

We did have a nice day out. Westbury Court was OK (apart from the lack of parking) but on the way back we stopped off at Lydney Harbour having been pointed there by a 'brown sign'.

Fascinating place.

Used to be the port for the Forest of Dean coal fields and later for wood imports. Now has some moorage and a set of locks taking the river out to the Severn:

 

Made us realise there are lots of undiscovered places to see in the UK.

 

23 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

The story of the Poles ‘ repatriation ‘ may not be entirely accurate, but there were people who had fought for the allies who were not treated very well post-war. My father in law fought in Burma for 4 years during WW II and he and many others were very angry about what later happened to the hill people who had supported them. Sorry for the thread drift.

 

John

No need to apologise John - we need to remember these people  

 

22 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Hi Ced,

I saw quite early on in lockdown, so my memory of it has been rather swamped by subsequent daytime TV.....🤪 I do seem to recall enjoying it, though, so will have to re-watch soon. No fear of my better half wanting to watch it, so I can enjoy Stefanie Martini's performance without fear of brooking adverse comment.....

Enjoy your afternoon out, you'll come back to the bench refreshed and raring to go!

Kind regards,

Mark

Thanks Mark  I was a bit raring this morning (see below)

 

22 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

I seem to recall reading that to appease Stalin, Churchill denied all those Eastern Europeans who had fought so bravely for us, the right to participate in the victory parades? 

 

With even more thread drift, I'm currently reading a Kindle book written by a Wehrmacht Panzer crewman about his experiences on the Eastern front - and given the way the Russians apparently treated their own troops, I wouldn't be surprised by any treatment they inflicted on our wartime allies....

 

Keith

Thanks Keith - I think you're right and there's a scene in the film where he's in a hotel while the parades take place  

 

15 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Ced,

 

you're a bad influence!

 

My better half is seeing her parents this evening, so I thought to myself, "what shall I watch?" Yes, you've guessed it!

 

It really is very good, the live action flight sequences are great, but I do think it's let down a bit by the CGI, which is a huge shame. But a certain WAAF character does make up for it.....slapped wrist!

 

The only thing that's missing is, "Repeet, pleeze!" 😆

 

Hope your trip out has left you feeling refreshed.

 

All the best,

 

Mark

15 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

I meant to add: I feel a PZL coming on. Arma, of course!

Thanks Mark - refreshed indeed!  

 

 

I even got the masks finished this morning:

 

 

Arma Expert with supplied masks.

Then, on the Airfix, I started with Washi tape, then realised I was supposed to be using Oramask, then got out the Molotow masking pen for the tricky bit over the windscreen and thought 'I wonder if I can use that for the rest' and splodged it on:

 

 

We'll see how that works.

Feeling guilty at my laziness I scanned the provided template for the second Arma and used the Portrait to cut those.

 

Into the spray booth.

Don't forget to mask those scratched lights on the Airfix Ced:

 

 

Only a bit of primer on there first and I wiped that off (I think).

 

Three primed Hurris now drying:

 

 

Can you tell which is which?

Oh, OK smarty, the Airfix is the one with the big canopy and less detailed tailplanes.

 

Right, if you're that good, which Arma is the 'Expert' with the PE internals?

Who knows - not me, that's sure

 

[keefr22]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

Right, if you're that good, which Arma is the 'Expert' with the PE internals?

 

Well, 50/50 chance - I'd say it's the grey one....!!

 

K

[alt-92]

I think a close look at the masking will help there  one's kabuki tape and the other vinyl, right?

 

 

4 hours ago, CedB said:

Used to be the port for the Forest of Dean coal fields and later for wood imports. Now has some moorage and a set of locks taking the river out to the Severn:

 

 

Made us realise there are lots of undiscovered places to see in the UK.

Lovely spot  

Every once in a while, I dig up the BBC Coast series I've managed to squirrel away, for travel ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

[2996 Victor]

Hi all,

 

Many apologies for hijacking Ced's thread again, but I just wanted to say that I've taken delivery today of an Arma Hurricane Mk.I Expert set.

 

It's all I expected, of course, but I'm surprised to find that the interior is significantly different to the Mk.IIc kit from the same stable. The most obvious difference is the triangulated cockpit sidewall framing on the Mk.I  kit which is absent from the Mk.IIc.

 

Were the airframes different? If not, it seems strange that Arma would make the Mk.IIc kit less detailed.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mark

(AKA curious of Derbyshire)

[CedB]

21 hours ago, keefr22 said:

 

Well, 50/50 chance - I'd say it's the grey one....!!

 

K

18 hours ago, alt-92 said:

I think a close look at the masking will help there  one's kabuki tape and the other vinyl, right?

 

 

Lovely spot  

Every once in a while, I dig up the BBC Coast series I've managed to squirrel away, for travel ideas.

 

14 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Hi all,

 

Many apologies for hijacking Ced's thread again, but I just wanted to say that I've taken delivery today of an Arma Hurricane Mk.I Expert set.

 

It's all I expected, of course, but I'm surprised to find that the interior is significantly different to the Mk.IIc kit from the same stable. The most obvious difference is the triangulated cockpit sidewall framing on the Mk.I  kit which is absent from the Mk.IIc.

 

Were the airframes different? If not, it seems strange that Arma would make the Mk.IIc kit less detailed.

 

Kind regards,

 

Mark

(AKA curious of Derbyshire)

No need to apologise for hijacking Mark, all part of the craic  

No idea why the kits are different but I'm sure someone will enlighten us…

 

 

Took Mrs B to the dentist this morning and Mols for a walk so not much time… 

 

Cleaned up the blades and masked the prop tips though:

 

 

[keefr22]

Is Mols better now Ced? Hope so....

 

K

[perdu]

Me too, is she?

 

[RichieW]

This has progressed very nicely since my last visit Ced. How are you enjoying the Arma hobby kit? 

 

By the looks of it these will be scrambled to join the Battle of Britain ceiling dog fight soon.

[Meatbox8]

On 7/22/2020 at 9:16 AM, CedB said:

Quite right John - and the same today!  

Thanks Mark  

I recommend 'Hurricane' on Netflix - a great telling of the story of the Polish pilots in 303 Sqdn.

A friend reminded me yesterday that the Polish were all rounded up and 'repatriated' to appease Stalin - many suffered persecution and some were executed. A terrible outcome for such heroes.

Great film though. Stefanie Martini plays a great character too  

Thanks CC - ah, I've had a look at the build but, sorry matey, not my scale. I could join in for the craic I guess…

 

 

Low mojo again this morning but I got the provided Arma mask on and started the Airfix:

 

 

 

Lightweight indeed  

 

Mrs B is dragging me to Westbury Court Gardens today so I doubt I'll get much further  

I think your friend is misinformed regarding the fate of Polish personnel who fought with British forces.  Once the nature of Stalin's imposed government in Poland was known, with all democrats expelled (as Churchill had predicted) the British government passed the Polish Resettlement Act of 1947 which granted British citizenship to over 200,000 Polish servicemen and women who opposed Stalin's rule.  A couple of them were still living in my home town in the late 70s/early 80s.  The Act also included similar status to their immediate families.  It was, at the time, the biggest single act of immigration in UK history.  Many of them later moved to Commonwealth countries and established large Polish communities in Canada and Australia.  Stan Skalski actually voluntarily returned to Poland and was arrested on trumped up charges, tortured and sentenced to death which, I think, was later commuted to life imprisonment.  He was released after Stalin's demise and became a high ranking officer on the Polish AF. 

Edited July 24, 2020 by Meatbox8
grammar

[Meatbox8]

Sorry Ced, I've just seen that Graham Boak has already addressed this point but I hope I have added some interesting background. 

 

I'm not really sure why modern feature films do this but there is a trend for portraying the British as 'evil' in just about every context these days.  The film's assertion is completely false and one wonders why the screenwriter would make up such an inflammetry statement.  I also heard that in either 'Hurricane' or the similar '303' it's asserted that the British were completely dismissive of the Polish pilots, which of course they weren't, used the Poles as cannon fodder during the B of B (I mean, even if they wanted to how would they have been able to in any practical sense?) and that they gave them 'inferior' Hurricanes instead of Spitfires, rather conventiently forgetting that two thirds of Fighter Command Squadrons were flying Hurricanes.  I've been very wary (and weary) of WW2 films in recent years, particularly after U-571 which was, quite frankly, a disgraceful film.

 

Anyway, back to the issue in hand, the Hurricanes are coming along nicely. 

[CedB]

3 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Is Mols better now Ced? Hope so....

 

K

1 hour ago, perdu said:

Me too, is she?

 

Thanks Keith and Bill - yep, I think Mols is on the mend, apart from the fact that the antibiotics, as the vet warned, are making her gassy and she keeps doing that 'Who did that?' look over her shoulder. Fingers crossed though  

 

 

The paw up is because Mrs B is preparing food and Mols wonders if she'll get any…

 

1 hour ago, RichieW said:

This has progressed very nicely since my last visit Ced. How are you enjoying the Arma hobby kit? 

 

By the looks of it these will be scrambled to join the Battle of Britain ceiling dog fight soon.

Thanks Richie - yep, not long now  

 

24 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

I think your friend is misinformed regarding the fate of Polish personnel who fought with British forces.  Once the nature of Stalin's imposed government in Poland was known, with all democrats expelled (as Churchill had predicted) the British government passed the Polish Resettlement Act of 1947 which granted British citizenship to over 200,000 Polish servicemen and women who opposed Stalin's rule.  A couple of them were still living in my home town in the late 70s/early 80s.  The Act also included similar status to their immediate families.  It was, at the time, the biggest single act of immigration in UK history.  Many of them later moved to Commonwealth countries and established large Polish communities in Canada and Australia.  Stan Skalski actually voluntarily returned to Poland and was arrested on trumped up charges, tortured and sentenced to death which, I think, was later commuted to life imprisonment.  He was released after Stalin's demise and became a high ranking officer on the Polish AF. 

6 minutes ago, Meatbox8 said:

Sorry Ced, I've just seen that Graham Boak has already addressed this point but I hope I have added some interesting background. 

 

I'm not really sure why modern feature films do this but there is a trend for portraying the British as 'evil' in just about every context these days.  The film's assertion is completely false and one wonders why the screenwriter would make up such an inflammetry statement.  I also heard that in either 'Hurricane' or the similar '303' it's asserted that the British were completely dismissive of the Polish pilots, which of course they weren't, used the Poles as cannon fodder during the B of B (I mean, even if they wanted to how would they have been able to in any practical sense?) and that they gave them 'inferior' Hurricanes instead of Spitfires, rather conventiently forgetting that two thirds of Fighter Command Squadrons were flying Hurricanes.  I've been very wary (and weary) of WW2 films in recent years, particularly after U-571 which was, quite frankly, a disgraceful film.

 

Anyway, back to the issue in hand, the Hurricanes are coming along nicely. 

Thanks MB - another case of history being written by the authors I guess  

 

 

Reach for the Sky:

 

 

Colourcoats of course - love the stuff.

 

Props and spinners done too:

 

 

[giemme]

Smooth paint job, Ced

 

Ciao

[Meatbox8]

That photo of the three undersides looks like one of those stylised Art Deco pre-War adverts seen on the front page of The Aeroplane.

[Teuchter]

Nice formation!

And just to add, plenty Poles went to Scotland, Hieronym Kwiatkovski taught me Higher English back in the sixties.

 

Don

 

[keefr22]

3 hours ago, CedB said:

she keeps doing that 'Who did that?' look over her shoulder.

 

Are you sure it's actually Mols doing that, eh Ced....?!  🤣

 

K

[The Spadgent]

Thanks Ced. Half way through catching up with this you mentioned “Hurricane” . It’s been a built day at the coal face so I figured why not. 🙂 A somber film that I really quite enjoyed. Bit of a Sunday afternoon Affair but I’m glad I watched it because of the story of such brave souls. 
The Hurries are coming on rather well and I’m glad Molls is on the mend.

 

Johnny. 

[Cookenbacher]

Phew, managed to catch up with this one Ced - the trio look lovely in Sky.

[Whofan]

On 23/07/2020 at 12:50, CedB said:

On 22/07/2020 at 09:39, Graham Boak said:

The Poles were not rounded up and "repatriated" to appease Stalin: this appears to be a confusion with the Russian ex-POWs who joined the German Army.  Many Poles remained in this country - and presumably others in the West.  There were many in Lancashire, because of the wartime home of the Polish Air Force in Blackpool, and I was to work with the son of  one when at Warton.   At round this time or slightly later there were stories of the oldest Flight Lieutenant in the RAF - another Pole.  There are also accounts of the predominantly Polish loco cleaning men at Kings Cross in histories of the LNER and BR.  The Chipmunk was designed by an expatriate Pole who had worked for DH in the UK during the war.  A fighter ace spent his post-war years smuggling and flying as a mercenary in Africa - most notable as the B-26 pilot in Biafra.  If I wait long enough I'll remember his name - he wrote a very enjoyable biography.

That's good news Graham  Another film script gets it wrong… actually the closing credits.

There's a thriving Polish community in Kidderminster too, many descended from their parents' who came here at the beginning of the war.

 

My father in law was in occupied Austria just after the war's end when he saw Russians being returned on trains to Russia - he never knew who the Russians were whether or not they were prisoners, or "escapees" from the Stalin days, but the troops knew what was going to happen to them.

 

We also have a lot of Italian descended families here too, again mostly from Italian POWs who worked n the famrs around the area and who settled here, often after starting families while they were POWs !

 

I'm not sure how they (and presumably the Land girls/local girls) managed that, but as I once heard, where's there's a will(y), there's a way ..........................

 

Back to regular modelling now .....

[keefr22]

19 minutes ago, Whofan said:

 

We also have a lot of Italian descended families here too, again mostly from Italian POWs who worked n the famrs around the area

 

Same in South Wales, and they've left an excellent  legacy of some great ice creamparlours and fish and chip shops...!!

 

K

[Meatbox8]

12 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

 

Same in South Wales, and they've left an excellent  legacy of some great ice creamparlours and fish and chip shops...!!

 

K

My missus is from the NE of Scotland where many Italian POWs worked on farms and settled there after the War and, thus, there are many ice cream parlours.  When she was a teen she used to work in an Italain deli at weekends, the owner of which was a former POW.  I think there was, or is, a large community in Cumbria as well. I wonder what those Italians thought of all that rain!