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And now for something completely different!


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In the best Monty Python tradition, 'And now for something completely different!'

 

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After getting the heads up from a modeller here downunder (thanks Phill!) I finally received these. Three towers in one pack. They took a bit long to get here so I am not sure I can get them finished in time for this GB, but they don't look too complicated on the face of it. Maybe. These are the parts:

 

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Looks like laser cut wood. We'll see......

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11 hours ago, Peter Roberts said:

they don't look too complicated on the face of it. Maybe. 

Hah :D

Wait until you start the antenna wire rigging :wicked:

 

But, very cool nevertheless :) How big are they?

 

 

[edit]

Via chainhome.org.uk - 
http://www.niman.org.uk/chainhome/files/Daventry_Experiment_v4b-e.pdf

 

Includes the wiring scheme used. Nifty :)

 

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Antenna wire rigging? Whhaaaatttt? Oh crap, thought they were just a bunch of towers.  :banghead:

 

The set has three towers - a rough measure suggests they are about 325 mm high. I'm not sure if I'll build all three, or do the rigging. They are more a display case companion for the Spitfires and Hurricanes I'm building, but somehow once I start .....

 

Thanks for the link - very cool power point presentation. Hmm, maybe add a scratch built listening station, and death ray. :) 

Edited by Peter Roberts
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So while I do some fiddly bits on the Spitfire and let stuff dry, I had to open these and make a start. Here's what you get:

 

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Two laser cut frames of wood like material - it feels a bit like manufactured wood. Each part is held in place by two or more very thin uncut bits. The wood is quite pliable and bendy where it is thin, but feels reasonably strong and can cope with handling, but I wouldn't advise getting too rough with it. Some parts had come adrift, but most were still in place.

Edited by Peter Roberts
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So, having got this far, I had to crack on. Just a wee bit.

 

Tools for this job were a little different - hobby knives, saw, sanding sticks, bowl of water, PVA glue, No. 4 brush, toothpicks, tissues.

 

One side is quite blackened by the cutting, but the other cleaner side of the frames lets you see where the little strips are that hold the parts in place. In the end I found a no.11 blade worked best for cutting these. The part then simply pushes out. I used the saw to get to some parts that were more difficult to push out, cutting away extraneous surrounding wood. Once I had the parts out I gave them a trim with the knife and some swipes from the sanding stick to clean off the little ridges from those little tabs that were cut. I know, I'm fussy! :) 

 

None of the parts are numbered on the frames, but it isn't too hard to work out what goes where. A check of fit showed that this was very precise, but the fit is okay; you just have to make sure everything is properly aligned. I would strongly recommend dry fitting parts just to get an idea of what goes where and how it interlocks with other bits. This gives you confidence with fit and helps you see where glue goes. Here's where it's at:

 

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The bottom legs will be next, but these fit quite loosely into the 'feet' provided, which in turn attach to the base plate. Not sure if I'll use the base and/or feet yet, but the feet will help align the lower legs. I felt I should leave it here and let it set up before moving on to the next stage. Excess glue has been removed with the brush, dampened with water.

 

The instructions would also have you attach the cap at the top which also aligns with the upper frames. I thought it best to leave this off until I actually install the upper frames just to make sure it all aligns properly. That's about an hours work so far - opening the pack, sorting what was there, checking instructions and removing and assembling that lot. But so far, a very enjoyable build and something of a holiday from the usual plastic bits. Almost brings back memories of carving and gluing bits of balsa. :) 

Edited by Peter Roberts
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4 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Are these to any particular scale?

 

 

 

Chris

 

Good question Chris. I have been told they are about 1/64 scale. I should be able to check when I have one built and a more accurate idea of their finished height. I only have an approximate height at the moment. Sorry, can't give you any thing better just now.

 

Edit: Okay, found the product information; it claims an overall height of 315 mm which makes it 12.4 inches. From info I have found I believe these towers were 360 feet tall, or 4,320 inches. That being the case, I make the scale as 1/348 (or about 1/350). 1/64 is a bit wrong then! 🤔

Edited by Peter Roberts
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I was only joking about the wires.

Mostly.

:P

 

Still, even one tower will be pretty amazing. Just so happens that recently someone asked for aerial shots of a CH array.

There are stay wires to keep the masts up, and the antenna wires themselves are strung between the masts at fixed heights backed by vertical wires.

You've made me curious how to get one of those sets actually..

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Found this which may be of interest.

 

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(Posted for discussion)

 

Looks like two distinct aerial set ups for the transmitter towers, one in the upper part and one in the lower part. The platform setup in the diagram looks a little different to the kit.

 

PS Love that shot of Bacall - big fan of her and Bogie. :) 

Edited by Peter Roberts
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Construction was interrupted by Mrs SWMBO's birthday yesterday. That, combined with some difficulty encountered, means I may not now get this done by COB for this GB. If not, I'll transfer to a WIP. The difficulty I have encountered was with the lower legs, which only have one small attachment point at the top, middle. This was not enough to allow these parts to be attached, unless you are an octopus! The instructions (yes, I actually read these :) ) suggest gluing them along their edge, but as they meet at the point of each edge, this is hardly helpful. I found some thin square lengths from the frame and cut out eight 1 cm long lengths, then attached one to the top and bottom of opposing legs:

 

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I've decided not to use the feet and base in the kit for this tower - if I had that tab at the lower part of the leg would have to have been sited a bit higher to allow clearance for the foot. The legs of the other arms sit on the face of these tabs, so they allow some extra attachment points and help solidify this part of the assembly. I still used some blu-tak to help hold everything in position, and some masking tape was used to hold one part as well, until this all set up.

 

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Note that there is unrealistic groove where the legs meet. I am not sure what I'll do here. I think at the very least it needs some glue run down here to help improve strength, and fill the gaps. I am tossing up adding some strips of balsa and sanding to blend, but this will make the legs look quite thick. I am leaning to just leaving it as is for this build, with the glue to add strength.

 

 

 

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Upper sides added. Need to look at the instructions for these bits 'cause they are in two pairs; one pair are plain, the other pair have slots for the platform supports so need to be positioned opposite each other.

 

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So that is the finished construction of one tower. It is a quick build, and a fairly basic kit; if you like a lot of accuracy and detail, this isn't for you. But as a companion piece in a display cabinet, or something in the background that doesn't get too much scrutiny then this is probably okay. One very obvious issue is the join of the sides to each other - this would have looked better with angled edges so the sides meet more closely. 

 

I have two main concerns with the finished model. First, the attachment of the two part sides. There are lots of unsightly gaps along the joins which I am considering running some PVA along to fill and add strength. The other is the use of tabs; these enable precise construction, but the tabs remain obvious; I am considering filling these, either with CA and talc or some wood filler. This latter step is probably best done BEFORE adding the platforms.

 

Overall though the finished model certainly looks the part, is a pretty simple build, and has been a very enjoyable break from plastic kits. I can thoroughly recommend this one!

 

After I tidy this up the next step will be a coat of a light gunmetal. The wood has a slightly slippery feel so I think a test on left over wood will be the order, and maybe some primer.

 

If I do get this done by the end of the GB I'll post here. Otherwise, I'll move this to WIP, but not sure where - thoughts? WW2 aircraft?

Edited by Peter Roberts
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Looks impressive :) 
And definitely something different. Perhaps combined with a Calibration Flight aircraft? 

 

 

WIP would most likely be in the Diorama section, but not sure.

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I managed to run some PVA over the joints, but got a bit lazy and ran it over the tabs as well without a good result. I primed it with some Tamiya primer out of a rattle can and they tabs were still prominent so I used some CA with talc mix, which kinda worked but wasn't a great move over the PVA. I finally got a reasonable result and gave it a hit with some Tamiya Light Gun Metal out of another rattle can (TS-42). I think it still needs a flat/satin coat as the spray came out a bit too glossy, but good enough to post as done:

 

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In retrospect, for the next one I'll fill the tabs and joins as I go, but this was a good trial build and will still look good I think in a display cabinet (at the back :) ) once dulled down a little.

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23 hours ago, dnl42 said:

Fabulous! :clap2:

Seconded! A great build Peter.

 

There's the remains of a chain home station on the coast at North Hill, near Minehead, near where I live. The towers are long gone but the building is still there. Every year (except this one :huh:) they put on a display for the public and I take my WW2 jeep up there. Info is on this link, about halfway down.

 

Edit - actually, a bit more Googling shows that this station at North Hill didn't have the tower, but another type of aerial;

https://www.exmoorher.co.uk/Monument/MSO7619

 

I must put this 'kit' on my Christmas wish list. Every year the girls ask me what I want and, apart from the obvious - another Spitfire kit ^_^, I usually don't have a clue.

 

 

Edited by Johnson
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3 hours ago, Johnson said:

Seconded! A great build Peter.

 

There's the remains of a chain home station on the coast at North Hill, near Minehead, near where I live. The towers are long gone but the building is still there. Every year (except this one :huh:) they put on a display for the public and I take my WW2 jeep up there. Info is on this link, about halfway down.

 

Edit - actually, a bit more Googling shows that this station at North Hill didn't have the tower, but another type of aerial;

https://www.exmoorher.co.uk/Monument/MSO7619

 

I must put this 'kit' on my Christmas wish list. Every year the girls ask me what I want and, apart from the obvious - another Spitfire kit ^_^, I usually don't have a clue.

 

 

 

This is/was a Chain Home Low station. The tall towers are Chain Home High.

 

 

 

Chris

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