Rob S Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 (edited) The usual caveat of “no great promises with this one” but hopefully I’ll be able to at least make a start and if time allows and the “mojo” gets going maybe even finish it (#AMAZING STORIES!). So I was in a bit of a quandary as to what to try and put in this Fantastic GB (all credit to Wez and the Mods) and initially thought something from the 1:50 range was very reflective of the word “classic”. Going back to last year and being “home” I was leaning towards one of the Jaguars in the range as Heller did three in 1:50. The “A”, the “E”, and the “M” of which I think I had the “A” and the “E” in the “stash” at “home”. However fast forward to 2020 and with family and personal things going on and of course this curse known as CoVid 19 I’ve found my self near “real home” working on the Mother-in-Law’s home which has to be sold. Now the “benefit” of being near “real home” is being close to “stash prime” which is probably who knows the size of the “stash” so lots more 1:50 scale kits to chose from. So ... (catch breath) eventually settled on the Buzco boxings of either the Mirage IIIR or Etendard IVM. But a couple of factors and general absence of “mojo” (pity it can’t be bottled and bought at the Supermarket to take orally) made me question attempting one of those. So Strike One there. Then going through some random kits to be taught a lesson and stored in a box of common kits I came across the Bobcat “Dumper Truck” aka a Wabco Hauler. Now this appealed as having been on more Haulers than most people have had hot breakfasts as well as being a simple kit I was looking forward to tackling it. Without looking it up does anyone know where the Name WABCO came from? (And no Dave Rabbit you can’t give the answer away!). However ... Bobcat Wabco fell foul of Rule IV because it was not French it was a Foreigner! So Strike Two! Looking through the list I wanted to put forward some thing that hadn’t been done yet and having a bent towards Airliners and that some (well at least one) Airliner had been selected I thought “Oooh no one has selected the Heller 1:125 Airbus A300B2 ... yet!”. But not one to do modelling straightforward and not really being a fan of 1:125 I thought back to the days of AMD and Airliner Cafe when I had discussed with some modellers there how to do the progenitor of what became the A300B2 when it was originally proposed as wider and with more powerful engines. So try any stay with me with this “explanation” : The original Airbus A300 concept was for a 300 seater which required a fuselage cross section of 6.440m and a pair of the yet to be developed RB207 engines. However when they “shrank” the design to around 250 seats (originally termed A250 but then A300B) they decided to reduce the length of the fuselage by 5.62 meters and the diameter by 0.8 meters which reduced the overall weight by 25 tonnes and also allowed the selection of an existing engine in the GE CF-6. Airbus built two A300B1s (the second slightly different to the first) and then produced the slightly longer A300B2 as the Production model. So as it turns out the Heller 1:125 A300B2 fuselage diameter in 1:144 is within 1mm of what the A300 fuselage diameter should be which to me is good enough. I’ll think I’ll have to check the fuselage length, either cut down the Heller wings or use Airfix A300B2 wings and probably the Airfix cockpit area or at least Windscreen and then try to figure out what engines to put on it but the rest of the Heller kit should able to be used as is. When I explained this to the guys on AMD and Airliner Cafe years ago they said even though you are making something in 1:144 in actuality it will look like a 1:125 Airbus A310 which to some extent it probably will. I have wanted to do this for a while and now (well a year and a bit ago) having started an A300B1 from the Airfix kit it will make a interesting side by side comparison of their original design concept to what they eventually produced. So hopefully if I get the “mojo” going on this I’ll also get the“mojo” going to finish the A300B1. So to the Heller kit and according to Scalemates the 1:125 A300 has been released in four issues since 1977 : https://www.scalemates.com/kits/heller-858-airbus--654120 I think I’ve got at least two of those issues so will probably use the horrible photo one and not the lovely Black Box one. The first mission now to get off the mark is to find the ****** kit! Edited November 29, 2020 by Rob S Added WIP Link and corrected AMD. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Well Rob, that all sounds pretty complicated 🙂 I'm glad you could finally join the GB, and with something that is not being built yet so that's great. Good luck with the build (and finding the kit first) and I do hope you'll be able to finish it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 Thanks Jeroen I hope I can make inroads into this one. And thanks also for this GB it is much appreciated all of the work you all put in and encouragement you all give. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 Great stuff Rob Disappointing you couldn't find something a little more challenging than this but beggars cant be choosers Just teasing obviously, good luck with this one, delighted you have joined the GB. @Rabbit Leader you owe me a beer, I told you we would get him Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 Oh I feel so violated! Trouble is I don’t know if it’s because I was the subject of a Bet that only delivered a Beer or that Rabs bet AGAINST me joining in and actually doing some modelling! (Well truth be told the latter part is yet to occur!). (Maybe that should be the Subject of another more substantial Bet? No no I can’t encourage the Betting Industry!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) Oooh! Here’s trouble! First Mission completed. I found it in the seventeenth packing box I looked it. I wonder what the odds were on finding it so quickly? Pat? Dave? (Someone might get drunk here at this rate!). Edited November 19, 2020 by Rob S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 2 hours ago, Rob S said: I found it in the seventeenth packing box I looked it. I just gotta ask... How many of those boxes were left? And how far were you willing to go 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 5 minutes ago, JeroenS said: I just gotta ask.. And how far were you willing to go 🙂 You're such a smoothie Jeroen.. I bet you say that to all the girls ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Just now, JOCKNEY said: You're such a smoothie Jeroen.. I bet you say that to all the girls ! Oy! That quote's out of context! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 Just now, JeroenS said: Oy! That quote's out of context! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted November 19, 2020 Author Share Posted November 19, 2020 4 hours ago, JeroenS said: I just gotta ask... How many of those boxes were left? And how far were you willing to go 🙂 How many? “Stash Prime” has many boxes! Packing that is! How far? Hey Aussies go as far as is required to go! (I could have said “Hey Aussies go all the way!” But I didn’t to avoid the inevitable innuendos!). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 19, 2020 Share Posted November 19, 2020 3 minutes ago, Rob S said: But I didn’t to avoid the inevitable innuendos!). Yes, always watch your back with @JOCKNEY on the case 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted November 22, 2020 Author Share Posted November 22, 2020 OK so the next Task is to find my copy of Air Enthusiast (International) August 1972 which has the article “Big Bus - European Style” which will be my primary reference source. While surfing on my phone I found some of the information from this article on a Russian website. There are some useful drawings of the development linage to the A300B2 of which the first of interest is the HBN100 And then the Sud Galion Followed by an image of the resulting merging of these designs as the A300 compared with the downsizing to the A300B It then goes on to a Drawing of the A300B2 So once I find my issue it will be off to the Printer to resize the Drawings and compare with the Kit/s. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted November 22, 2020 Share Posted November 22, 2020 At last we managed to get there with you! Welcome to the GB Rob, I wish you every success! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted November 23, 2020 Author Share Posted November 23, 2020 (edited) Thanks Wez much appreciated. I managed to complete the Task of finding my copy of the relevant Air Enthusiast and am currently having a read. Although it is hard to concentrate on the particular article as that August 1972 issue has a great range of interesting (well to me anyway) articles including : the Northrop Cobra; Argentine Air Force upgrade; the first gas turbine aircraft (Heinkel); Morane Saulnier MS230 (a vintage one maybe of interest to anyone building the Heller kit); the Battle and the Nomad; and the “more violent Hurricane” (Typhoon) just to name a few! They certainly knew how to cram articles in a magazine back in the day! Now snapping back into concentrating on what I was supposed to be reading “Big ‘Bus - European Style”! Edited November 23, 2020 by Rob S Typo correction. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Hi Rob Have you made any progress with this one ? The GB has been given an additional 2 weeks, will that be enough time for you to finish this one ? Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 Not yet Pat but I’m trying. I’m at Stash Alt at the moment after having driven 13 hours from Stash Prime to Stash Alt on Boxing Day (and into the next morning) and then turned around after two days driving my Daughter’s car back from Stash Alt to Stash Prime (and again into the next Morning literally after getting away really late) and then fronting up for a BNE-EMD flight (after having spent FOUR HOURS on the phone with Qantas - three and a half waiting and then 39 minutes with someone in South Africa who for some unknown reason finally picked up the call - after they cancelled my Booking for some inexplicable reason) on NYD (missing the Rabbit Man @Rabbit Leader at Gate 1 by probably minutes) to get back to Stash Alt for a few days before having to drive back in my car to Stash Prime. The beauty about Stash Alt though is that it should also have a Heller 1:125 Airbus A300B so I’ll see if I can make the time to dig it out and take some photos that is if I can find what box it is in! Also Stash Alt has a copy of the Air Enthusiast and a resizeable Printer so I should be able to blow up those Plans and see what results. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Great to hear from you Rob. Just reading about your travels is tiring enough for me. I hope you get a chance to enjoy a bit of relaxation soon. Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted January 3, 2021 Author Share Posted January 3, 2021 Thanks Pat much appreciated. It’s funny when you don’t have any great expectations (mmm interesting name for a Novel or a Play!) and just stuff around with something that it seems to work out. So I was resurrecting the Printer here that hasn’t been used for ten months and after cobbling up three ink tubs out of five and deep cleaning a couple of times it looked like it could print in black so I went looking for something to print and decided just to use the phone which waa already wirelessly linked to the home internet so with the help of the tech savvy Boy linked the printer wirelessly to the home internet as well and went to this BM page and managed to select the page with the A300B image on it and lo and behold it printed it! So then went looking for an Airfix A300B kit and not only found one straight away but also found Stash Alt’s Heller 1:125 Airbus A300B2 kit! Winner Winner!! So measured up the print to the Airfix wing and started at 350 percent blow up and settled on 325 percent blow up and the Airfix wing was pretty much spot on. So stretching my luck that the other Air International plans were of identical or similar size tried 325 percent on the HBN100 plans an lo and behold the Airfix wing was again pretty much spot on! On to the fuselage diameter then and placing the Heller fuselage on the 325 percent blow up and it too was pretty much spot on diameter wise. Length obviously needs shortening but we knew that already. Same with the Gallion and expectedly it’s fuselage diameter was slightly bigger and of course it’s wing planform is different but span pretty much the same. So unexpectedly I now have some plans to work with! #AMAZING STORIES when you least expect things to work out! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 With a lucky streak like that, might be work buying a lottery ticket today........"you never know it could be you !" Look forward to seeing some pictures on here when you have got underway. Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted January 3, 2021 Author Share Posted January 3, 2021 6 hours ago, JOCKNEY said: With a lucky streak like that, might be work buying a lottery ticket today........"you never know it could be you !" I’ll be showing my age here but if you ever saw the Dave Allen Show and his Joke about the Irishman who continually prayed to God to win the Lotto and wondered why he never won and finally In frustration God spoke to him saying “At least meet me half way and buy a Lotto Ticket!”. I’m like the Irish bloke - I rarely manage to buy a Ticket and when I do I never check if I’ve won so could easily have been a Millionaire already! Yes photos soon or it never happened! (Have to also find or buy some magic tape tomorrow to stick these silly plans together!). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted February 7, 2021 Share Posted February 7, 2021 Hi Rob Assuming you didn't win the lottery and aren't currently sipping something lovely while chillaxing in the sunshine, any news on the Airbus ? Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 Hello Pat : Many thanks for checking up on me. True to form I didn’t buy a Ticket so obviously had no chance of winning. I’ve totally lost interest in modelling since January 22 so no progress on the Airbus and to tell you the truth I don’t know when I’ll ever feel like getting back into modelling anything. All I know is it’s going to take a while as it’s just too painful at the moment. Best Regards Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Hi Rob First and foremost great as ever to hear from you mate. I'm really sorry to hear your modelling mojo has absconded, I popped you a PM a while ago and when I hadn't heard from you, knew that you weren't yourself. Please keep in touch with us here on BM even if you aren't building yourself as it's always great to hear from you. I'll pop you another PM after this post. Take care Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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