Westland Wyvern S-4, Suez Crisis, 1956, 830 Sqn HMS Eagle...

[John Masters]

Ok...here we go.  I don't think we have one of this here yet...I checked.  It is a strike aircraft...and I don't have enough FAA aircraft on the shelves...

 

Nice box...

 

 

Comprehensive looking sprue...

 

 

Plenty of party favours and nice looking decals...

 

 

Profile...

 

 

I'll get into it sometime this week...have to finish the Hornet...and work on the 19 Sq Mk.I...

 

--John

 

 

[trickyrich]

Nice!!!

 

I do like these aircraft, they are quite odd, so of course I'm attracted to them.

 

Good luck with her.

[John Masters]

6 hours ago, trickyrich said:

I do like these aircraft, they are quite odd, so of course I'm attracted to them.

 

Thanks Rich.  I agree.  Ungainly looking.  Also that strange period of jets vs. props...less than 100 built (not counting prototypes) and withdrawn from service in 1958.  Short lived and, it seems, only really used during Operation Musketeer.  And I do love the Cold War...

[Col.]

Nice

Good subject choice John and a good kit of it if all the reviews are true.

[CliffB]

Anything with stripes gets my vote 

[John Masters]

3 hours ago, CliffB said:

Anything with stripes gets my vote 

I agree.  Always fun.  I'll be waiting those, by the way.  No decals needed!

 

3 hours ago, Col. said:

Good subject choice John and a good kit of it if all the reviews are true.

Thanks Col.  I liked their Gannet too.  

[MarkSH]

Nice choice John, I have the 1/48 Trumpy kit and it was on my radar for this GB.  Looking forward to seeing how this one goes together.

[John Masters]

1 hour ago, MarkSH said:

Nice choice John, I have the 1/48 Trumpy kit and it was on my radar for this GB.  Looking forward to seeing how this one goes together.

Thanks mark.  Me too!  I am looking forward to yours as well.

[stevehnz]

Good call John, this is one of Trumpy's better kits by most accounts so should make up nicely. I'll be along for the ride.

Steve.

[John Masters]

5 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I'll be along for the ride.

Excellent.  Thanks!  😃  

[PeterB]

Hi John,

 

Got to be better than my old Frog one I suspect. Like Frog I always had a soft spot for the post war FAA planes, though as ever they were about the only company to produce some of the less well known ones for many a year. Pity no production Wyverns were preserved, the only survivor being an unflown TF1 at Yeovilton and that has the R-R Eagle piston engine which was installed whilst they were waiting for a turbo-prop engine to be developed.

 

Not the prettiest of planes but it should look impressive.

 

Pete

[John Masters]

3 hours ago, PeterB said:

Not the prettiest of planes but it should look impressive.

Esoteric and unique.  😆

[Dave Swindell]

16 hours ago, stevehnz said:

Good call John, this is one of Trumpy's better kits by most accounts so should make up nicely. I'll be along for the ride.

Steve.

That's because it's a Monochrome tooling from Japan, not a Trumpy original 🙂

 

[Bertie McBoatface]

It's an aeroplane with a certain strange charm. If you were being set up for a blind date with one, you'd be told that it "has a great personality".

[John Masters]

8 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

it "has a great personality".

Yes.  That's it.  

 

The kit looks nice.  I have been going through and figuring out the Mr. Colour code since there isn't a chart in the plans.  No surprises.  There are also some excellent Wyvern builds that have been posted previously here on BM.  You know who you are!

 

I now have a good base for where to begin, colours, etc...internet research has told me this kit and its Suez history are also not without controversial discussion:  call signs painted over, or on the nose? Custard stripes on the finlets, or not?  Nose and finlets red, black or brownish maroon?  Answers: painted over; no stripes until after Suez; Red-brown, maroon, wine...also, don't fold the wingtips if the wings are folded.  Seems this combo rarely happened.  So it goes...

 

--John

 

 

[John Masters]

First on the bench is the Martin Baker Mk. 2 ejection seat.  Lots of little pieces.

 

 

I'll get to it this afternoon before supper...

 

--John

 

[Col.]

There's certainly plenty detail to pack into the black coal-hole of a cockpit on this one John.

[John Masters]

4 hours ago, Col. said:

the black coal-hole of a cockpit

Yes...the instructions say otherwise, but I'll go with what I have seen online.  Black indeed.  I will, however, lighten up some of the detail with some (gasp!) dry brushing.  For now, this is what I've got...

 

Cockpit office...

 

 

I assembled the MB Mk.II, painting the cushions, etc...separately, as they are separate.  I'll add some harness of some sort.  Then hit the whole package with black primer.  I've adjusted the contrast so you can see stuff.   I know the cockpit will be lost but maybe with an open canopy something can be seen.

 

 

Bit of clear IP and foil...\

 

 

So there it all sits for the time being.

 

--John

 

 

[John Masters]

Funny kit.  I usually am able to leave the propeller and all that until the end of the build but here it is essential to build the 'drive train', so to speak, first.  This means painting it too.  It is because the component sits inside the fuselage before you close it up.  It is antithetical to my practice.  

 

But first, the finished cockpit...Once it was all assembled, I gave it a dry brush of grey/silver.  There are nice details there.

 

 

Prop...I guess the kit is designed so that when the prop is all together, one can carefully spin it thus replicating the contra-prop movement.  Hmm...we shall see.  First, cleaning up, and priming the pieces that will be painted.  I am not painting the internal pieces since they won't be seen and any paint might gum up the works.  

 

 

 

 

I have given the props some yellow for the tips.  I'll mask those today and airbrush the props blades.  Also, mix up a little custom 'wine/maroon' for the nose cone pieces. While I have it, I'll paint the finlets, too, so they match.

 

 

--John

 

 

 

 

 

[John Masters]

By the way...I am giving away a partial set of Xtradecal decals for the Hawk.  I am using the Spitfire set for another build, but the other three are complete.  Send me a PM if you want them and I'll send them to you next week.  First come, first serve.

 

 

--John

[Col.]

Neat work in the 'pit John and hopefully still visible once encased by the fuselage.

Is it possible to leave the powerplant section separate from the main airframe until the later stages or must it be fitted before the fuselage halves come together?

[John Masters]

3 hours ago, Col. said:

must it be fitted before the fuselage halves come together?

That is the scheme.  Kind of odd, I think.  To build it the other way would require snipping off positioning pins and...

 

 

So you see, that is the way it is...

 

--John

[Col.]

Ah, that's a pity, plenty masking and careful handling required from now on then.

[John Masters]

13 minutes ago, Col. said:

plenty masking and careful handling required from now on then.

Yes indeed.  I think I will 'finish' the entire power plant and mask it completely (yet gently) before assembling the fuselage. That's ok.  I'll probably use a small plastic bag.

 

 

[John Masters]

"Some paint, a few throw pillows..." --Marty Feldman

 

I mixed up some paint.  I think it looks pretty good.  I thinned it with some Ajax.  Sprayed very nicely.

 

 

No need to use glue for the cockpit.  It slips into two slots on each side very snugly.  And...masked and painted the props...painted the finlets and the nose cone pieces.

I gave the fuselage interior some primer grey.  You won't see it anyway.

 

 

The pieces in the dish are the innards.  No paint for them!  I'll assemble everything, including the 'casing' then mask the red and prop bits, then spray the casing the Dark Sea Blue, or whatever the FAA colour is.  I have some.  I used it on the Gannet.  After it's dry, I'll assemble the fuselage halves.  Oh yes...I also painted the rear wheel.  Why it's not in the picture I do not know!

 

--John