Revell Hawker Tempest MkV 1:32 - 56 (Punjab) Squadron April 1945 , 2nd TAF ,Volkel, Holland - My uncle's aircraft (US-X)

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

7 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Fascinating stuff reading the combat reports, crikey can't believe what Lord Trenchard said about the Squadron on 20th March and I like the one for 22nd  where they say on his first trip out!

Great stuff.

Chris

Thanks Chris. 

Not sure he meant it! lol though Albert ball VC  aka "The Deadly Schoolboy"  was in 56 during WW1! Maybe the following has some bearing on why he made such a remark?

 

"Inaction chafed Ball, and he began agitating for a return to combat duty. He finally managed to obtain a posting as a flight commander with No. 56 Squadron RFC, considered to be as close to an elite unit as any established by the RFC. Ball was still first among Britain's aces, and some documents hint that his attachment to No. 56 Squadron was planned to be temporary. According to one account he had been slated to serve with the unit for only a month to mentor novice pilots" 

 

Imagine trying to do this kind of detailed research without the Internet? Seeing the documents and finding them still excites me!

Regards

Andy

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

5 minutes ago, TonyOD said:

You know on Facebook there's that "wow" emoji? We need one of those on BM for stuff like this.

Tony I concur! 

There must also be so many other people with similar stories to tell about their relatives where the material exists at Kew. I've been lucky as i thought all his stuff was skipped when the house was cleared after my Aunt died.

I'm proud and very happy to share it in my uncle's case. I feel strongly that his story needs to be told and it's a story about an ordinary man who did and experienced extra-ordinary things. 

 

Regards

Andy

 

 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Completed the next step. making up the exhaust stubs. I remembered to allow for the seam welds ! They have 2 boxes in the cowling which the stubs later sit on. I had to cut a lot of plastic at each end of the stubs to get them to fit in. They will go in as one of the last parts much later on. Have ordered some exhaust rust so will try this out on them. authenic looking exhaust colours are very difficult to achieve but turns a good model in to an excellent one!

 

 

 

 

The Revell instructions are a bit vague in many ways. Lacking close detail in many of the steps. Never mind a bit of thinking and patience is all that's needed!

 

The cockpit has to be glued to one half before closing the fuselage. and dry fitting test shows a lot will have to be removed to ensure a smooth and accurate fit with the lower wing part.

 

Thinking about how i will make the harness.. quite fancy doing something scratch built here...

 

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Col Walter E Kurtz

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Making a start on the u/c bays.. tricky indeed. thinking that the bottom half of the cockpit frame is not going to fit easily ..or willingly!

 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Hurrah! Just got a RM package delivered from Scale Model Shop in Halifax... have had great service from these people every time. Also I like to support smaller retailers outside London, seems fair and equitable?  

 

The Master Tools Rivet Maker!.. some Tamiya Medium Sea Grey 2 - XF-82 for the undersides.. will see how i like this compared to the excellent Hataka equivalent...some  MIG-187 Burnt Iron Exhaust and some  Vallejo 76.532  European Wash - questioning if I can indeed use this legally post Brexit? 😐

Love trying out new products ! Also got a dropper bottle of some AK Air Bronze/green for future USAAF interiors.. not found one i'm absolutely happy with so far.. 

 

Jeans pockets now bulging with these paints.. they were delivered ice cold  o get them to body heat slowly and give them a good shake to mix them for the first time..  SWMBO'd NOT happy more modelling supplies have arrived LOL ... oh dear ! LOL

 

 

 

[woody37]

Lovely progress. I could do with a new riveting wheel so be interested to hear your views on this one. I had the SBS one and whilst it was brilliant due to the very small wheel, the spikes bent preventing it from turning freely and you can't replace the wheel.

[bigbadbadge]

Good progress Andy.  Hope SWMBO isn't too mad too fella.  Nice to get a parcel in the post.

 

Chris

[SafetyDad]

I'm really enjoying this thread - very thought provoking indeed. 

I've checked Thomas & Shores 2nd TAF set for you- your uncle gets mentioned twice in Vol 3 but there's no new information in there that's not already described in this thread.

 

SD

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

7 minutes ago, SafetyDad said:

I'm really enjoying this thread - very thought provoking indeed. 

I've checked Thomas & Shores 2nd TAF set for you- your uncle gets mentioned twice in Vol 3 but there's no new information in there that's not already described in this thread.

 

SD

Welcome SD! I'm most pleased you are interested in this thread. I agree it's very thought provoking all round. The wider story of the push over the Rhine.. The part played by Tempests. 

Thank you for checking your sources for my uncle's name. 

Cheers!

Regards

Andy

32 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Good progress Andy.  Hope SWMBO isn't too mad too fella.  Nice to get a parcel in the post.

 

Chris

She'll come round! Usually i try and time parcels to be delivered when she's NOT wfh! lol 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

56 minutes ago, woody37 said:

Lovely progress. I could do with a new riveting wheel so be interested to hear your views on this one. I had the SBS one and whilst it was brilliant due to the very small wheel, the spikes bent preventing it from turning freely and you can't replace the wheel.

Thanks Woody. I will give this wheel a try out and report back to you! Try it out on some scrap first.. gently does it i think!

[bigbadbadge]

11 minutes ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

Welcome SD! I'm most pleased you are interested in this thread. I agree it's very thought provoking all round. The wider story of the push over the Rhine.. The part played by Tempests. 

Thank you for checking your sources for my uncle's name. 

Cheers!

Regards

Andy

She'll come round! Usually i try and time parcels to be delivered when she's NOT wfh! lol 

Yes we are all now deft at good excuses, get a book of raffle tickets for future purchases !!!

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

3 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Yes we are all now deft at good excuses, get a book of raffle tickets for future purchases !!!

I complain but actually it's only really a 'comedic' pose! I'm treated very well. It was Leo McKern as "Rumple Of The Bailey" who always referred to his wife in his internal monologues as.. She Who Must Be Obeyed 😂

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

40 minutes ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

I complain but actually it's only really a 'comedic' pose! I'm treated very well. It was Leo McKern as "Rumple Of The Bailey" who always referred to his wife in his internal monologues as.. She Who Must Be Obeyed 😂

Believe his wife was called Hilda..LOL

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

4 hours ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

Thanks Woody. I will give this wheel a try out and report back to you! Try it out on some scrap first.. gently does it i think!

Hi Woody.

Had a little try with the Trumpeter Rivet Maker. It comes with 4 different wheels and i tried it inside the Tempest wing..hidden from view. It's plastic construction and probably with careful use it will last a fair few models i think. Will reserve final judgement. But i think it's going to be used in my case as intended. Short runs where i've had to remove rivets as part of the sanding process. The blades didn't seem to deform under pressure and the lines i test created were nice and even depth and straight!.

Regards

Andy

[SafetyDad]

10 hours ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

I complain but actually it's only really a 'comedic' pose! I'm treated very well. It was Leo McKern as "Rumple Of The Bailey" who always referred to his wife in his internal monologues as.. She Who Must Be Obeyed 😂

 

And in turn I believe this originates with the H Rider Haggard novel and film 'She'

 

SD

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Got a couple of packs of Tamiya 1:35 scale Jerry Cans packs. Made a few cans and a barrel up. These will be added to the final 'diorama' I know they are slightly out of scale for 1:32 but i think you won't notice the difference in scales. They are so close in scale ratio

 

Have seen some pictures of Vokel and other former airbases occupied by 56 Squadron . The 'jerry' cans.. and definitely German pattern cans at that are in piles next to aircraft at dispersal points. The Eduard Royal Tempest kit instructions has a superb pic of US-X NV-728 at dispersal.  In the foreground there are 3 odd German jerry cans together. I'm not sure if i'm allowed to post the pic here for copyright/ reproduction  infringement reasons? )

 

Just knocked up 5 cans and a crumpled barrel whilst waiting for my next Meeting to start.

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Col Walter E Kurtz

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

A very trying day at work...however I still managed to apply the starboard wheel bay from the separate pieces. This construction is a little over complicated . The instructions are difficult to follow regarding this.  See Me and Could Do Better spring to mind! Lol 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2021 by Col Walter E Kurtz

[bigbadbadge]

Good to see a better use of time in between meetings!!! Might have to try that. Sssshhh don't tell anyone though.

 

Chris

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

59 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Good to see a better use of time in between meetings!!! Might have to try that. Sssshhh don't tell anyone though.

 

Chris

i think my colleagues are doing something similar! not models though.. a good friend of mine is doing a balsa Spitfire but DURING meetings! lol Cheeky indeed!

 

[bigbadbadge]

1 minute ago, Col Walter E Kurtz said:

i think my colleagues are doing something similar! not models though.. a good friend of mine is doing a balsa Spitfire but DURING meetings! lol Cheeky indeed!

 

Crikey that is cheeky,  although much more productive than falling asleep!!!

Someone i know covered their camera and was searching ebay during a 2 hour long meeting,  I can't reveal their details but it apparently made the meeting pass by quickly and seeing as we had already done what they were covering seemed a wise decision. 

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Both wheel wells now almost complete! Some small parts to add but the sides are glued together. So next job after that will be to mask and spray the wells. Cockpit and fuselage halves and then getting the upper and lower wings panels married up.. a bit tired out so time for a break 😀

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Blimey.. and there's more!

 

When i graduated from University.. who handed my my degree certificate at the presentation ceremony? None other than   - Baroness Platt of Writtle. She was involved in the Tempest V project at Hawkers. If only i had known then about uncle Peters association with the Tempest. I'm sure she would have been interested !

 

Platt's first job was at Hawkers Experimental Flight Test Department, where she was one of only three women in the department, working alongside men who had left school at fourteen but were highly skilled technicians and craftsmen.[5] Platt's wage for a nominal forty-eight-hour week, in practice extending to all hours, was less than three pounds.Platt worked on the testing and production of three of the RAF's outstanding fighter planes of the time: the Hurricane, the Typhoon, and the Tempest V, the latter being the first conventional aircraft to counter the German V-1 pilotless jet missiles.

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

Today have ordered the Death Cert so once this gets sent off to the MOD..Uncle's full Service records will come back!. it costs £11 for a Death Certificate copy and £30 fee for the MOD search.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be money well spent! 

 

In the meantime will carry on with the build!

Edited February 11, 2021 by Col Walter E Kurtz

[bigbadbadge]

That will be very interesting when you get that information back.  Crikey admin costs eh!!!

Chris

[Col Walter E Kurtz]

10 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

That will be very interesting when you get that information back.  Crikey admin costs eh!!!

Chris

 Indeed! but actually the MOD archive people  -they are the experts and will do a quicker job as they know the archives and their structure. They will not charge is you are spouse / civil partner or if the persons death happened on Active Duty.