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

[Bertie McBoatface]

I just read all this again and realised it’s the 1/72 version and not the 1/48 as I had assumed. Please take that as the compliment I intend. 
 

You’ve managed the build and the tricky painting really well and produced a gem of a model.
 

You’ve even changed my opinion of the Wyvern itself. It no longer looks odd to me because I don’t compare it with birds anymore. I realised that it’s actually a fish, as you suggested with Hergé’s drawing. 

[John Masters]

4 hours ago, Bertie Psmith said:

I just read all this again and realised it’s the 1/72 version and not the 1/48 as I had assumed. Please take that as the compliment I intend. 
 

Thank you!  I only build the 'Gentleman's Scale.'  1/48th or larger? No thank you.  I will make an exception this weekend for the M3/M4 GB.  I'll delve into 1/35th which is the best armour scale, although 1/72nd is wonderful for that subject also.

[Charles H]

Hello everyone

 

Sorry I am eight months out of date in this thread. I just hope someone might read this very late reply!

 

My father (Lt George Humphreys) flew a 830 Sqn Westland Wyvern (374: WF122) from HMS Eagle in the1956 Suez Crisis. I have just discovered this thread tonight - I've been a Britmodeller member for a while, but not posted much.

 

He served in the FAA from the mid 1950s to 1963, when we moved to Australia. I was only born in 1960, so I remember nothing of his service, apart from what he told me, and the few personal military possessions of his that I have.

 

I have a 1:72 scale model he obviously in dedication hand-built of this particular airframe, many years ago... not of styrene, but of balsa wood (and/or of similar?), at least partially. It got damaged (I don't know where or when), and I have purchased this Trumpeter Wyvern S.4 model, to add "replacement" rebuilds to his original model - but... I need help as to exactly where to start.

 

If I take some photos (I have not tried it here before) I guess I'll help to explain myself - I will at least learn how to do this.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Charles H

[John Masters]

On 12/4/2022 at 3:42 PM, Charles H said:

Hello everyone

 

Sorry I am eight months out of date in this thread. I just hope someone might read this very late reply!

 

My father (Lt George Humphreys) flew a 830 Sqn Westland Wyvern (374: WF122) from HMS Eagle in the1956 Suez Crisis. I have just discovered this thread tonight - I've been a Britmodeller member for a while, but not posted much.

 

He served in the FAA from the mid 1950s to 1963, when we moved to Australia. I was only born in 1960, so I remember nothing of his service, apart from what he told me, and the few personal military possessions of his that I have.

 

I have a 1:72 scale model he obviously in dedication hand-built of this particular airframe, many years ago... not of styrene, but of balsa wood (and/or of similar?), at least partially. It got damaged (I don't know where or when), and I have purchased this Trumpeter Wyvern S.4 model, to add "replacement" rebuilds to his original model - but... I need help as to exactly where to start.

 

If I take some photos (I have not tried it here before) I guess I'll help to explain myself - I will at least learn how to do this.

Thank you Charles.  That's a good back story.  What's currently on your bench beside the Wyvern refit?

 

Cheers,

John

[Charles H]

John - thank you! I have also just last week bought the Academy F/A-18D Hornet 1/72 kit, as detailed on this forum at: Aircraft Modelling-->Ready for Inspection-->Aircraft. It is waiting on my bench to begin construction; I'll post about it sometime soon, at that thread. BTW, a superb Wyvern model you have made - congratulations and thank you! If my father was still alive, I would be asking him who flew 378 in Operation Musketeer...

 

I'm colour-blind, and also the old 1:72 model of the Wyvern my father made is "king" - ie, I don't want to change anything, just replace and paint the missing pieces, which fortunately are mostly small (undercarriage, etc). What colour are the invasion stripes, please? Is it (equivalent to) Humbrol #24 (matt Trainer Yellow) or simply matt Yellow (Hum69), or otherwise? I am simply inexperienced apart from Humbrol paints, with a few exceptions. No blind loyalty - just what I grew up with! I haven't made any models for over 30 years, until I restarted a couple of years ago. I don't need to repaint much except undercarriage legs (silver) and wheels/tyres, plus missing prop blades. I assume the prop blades are gloss black, and the tips are some sort of yellow? I have only 3 original blades he made, which seem to be approximately these colours. I'll have to separately fit 5 blades from the kit, onto the original spinner assembly, which I really don't want to totally replace with new parts from the kit.

 

What I mean is - I want to restore it as HIS model, as much as possible, with only essential intervention! I'll have a go at posting a couple of photos as soon as I can, once I've read the instructions on how to do so.

 

cheers,

 

Charles (PS - next for repairs is a similarly damaged Fairey Gannet, which he also flew and hand-made a 1:72 model of)...

Edited December 6, 2022 by Charles H

[Col.]

On 12/6/2022 at 9:33 AM, Charles H said:

John - thank you! I have also just last week bought the Academy F/A-18D Hornet 1/72 kit, as detailed on this forum at: Aircraft Modelling-->Ready for Inspection-->Aircraft. It is waiting on my bench to begin construction; I'll post about it sometime soon, at that thread. BTW, a superb Wyvern model you have made - congratulations and thank you! If my father was still alive, I would be asking him who flew 378 in Operation Musketeer...

 

I'm colour-blind, and also the old 1:72 model of the Wyvern my father made is "king" - ie, I don't want to change anything, just replace and paint the missing pieces, which fortunately are mostly small (undercarriage, etc). What colour are the invasion stripes, please? Is it (equivalent to) Humbrol #24 (matt Trainer Yellow) or simply matt Yellow (Hum69), or otherwise? I am simply inexperienced apart from Humbrol paints, with a few exceptions. No blind loyalty - just what I grew up with! I haven't made any models for over 30 years, until I restarted a couple of years ago. I don't need to repaint much except undercarriage legs (silver) and wheels/tyres, plus missing prop blades. I assume the prop blades are gloss black, and the tips are some sort of yellow? I have only 3 original blades he made, which seem to be approximately these colours. I'll have to separately fit 5 blades from the kit, onto the original spinner assembly, which I really don't want to totally replace with new parts from the kit.

 

What I mean is - I want to restore it as HIS model, as much as possible, with only essential intervention! I'll have a go at posting a couple of photos as soon as I can, once I've read the instructions on how to do so.

 

cheers,

 

Charles (PS - next for repairs is a similarly damaged Fairey Gannet, which he also flew and hand-made a 1:72 model of)...

Hello Charles. It may be more visible to post your questions and story in this section

 

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/forum/24-aircraft-cold-war/

 

For the moment I'd say you are on the right path going with Humbrol Hu24 for the stripes and prop tips along with Hu33 black for the stripes and prop blades.

[Charles H]

Will do, Col. Thank you for the advice, re: any future related postings on the subforum you indicated. I meant to say MATT black (Humbrol 33) for props, not gloss (Hu21). Same (matt) as the Suez stripes, but my father's original paint there is fortunately OK still - it is just the five prop blades from the kit I'm going to have to install separately (to preserve his intact spinner assembly) I'll have to paint from scratch.

 

Thanks!

 

Charles

Edited December 9, 2022 by Charles H