80 Years of Airfix GB

John, You've got to give your brushes and tools a week to cool off after that build!! So awesome!

All components are ready for paint. It's pretty cool outside so I'll have to give this primer a full 24 hours to cure. Normally our Texas summers are pretty hot and dry so primer normally cures in an hour or so. 

Nice quick build there Chad, looks nice.

tempestjohnny

Well my 5 Airfix Mustangs are complete. The only complaint I have with this kit is the dorsal antenna breaks every time you take it off the sprue 

John

 

What a great line-up!

Sorry TJ, i missed your posts there. Great line up there, those 5 are going to make a great display. And nice seing the 3 Bodney aircraft.

Will get the front page update and add your Gnat, looking forward to that.

Piers, the Gladiator has really nice detail out of the box, the PE just adds that little extra.

That looks nice with the orange on.

TJ, i meant to ask, how where those eagle strike decals.

Bish

TJ, i meant to ask, how where those eagle strike decals.

 

Thanks TJ.

Got the Gladiator wrapped up today. The one pic i have of the real thing shows a larger than normal antenna mast on the fuselage and what appears to be another mast on the wing. I have seen pics of other aircraft with this wing mast, so i fitted one. I used EZ line for the rigging.

Then finished it off by fitting to the base and adding a couple of figures. The decal instructions place this aircraft at Bircham Newton. But the info i found is a bit confuseing. But from what i can tell, they were at Bircham in 1942 when they were merged with another Flt to form 521 Sqn. But in early 43 521 were broken up and 1401 reformed this time at Docking, not far from Bircham. As i alreday have a subject for Bircham, i have placed this at Doking after 1401 reformed.

I had planned on having the pilot walking away from the aircraft after returning from a sortie. But as the kit includes a rather nice starting handle, i reversed it.

I got the Mossie finished as well, will hopefully get that posted tomorrow.

Cracking build mate.  Almost 33,500 views and still going strong! Did you anticipate this group build having this kind of activity?  May I ask if you could add the LCM & Sherman to the front page? 

Bish, your Gladiator display is terrific! Hard to imagine it's 1/72 scale.

So well done...

Beautiful Bish

Your Gladiator is absolutely outstanding Bish. And as usual, a terrific base.

Cheers guys.

Chad, now i didn't. This has been one of the trickest GB i have hosted because the builds are coming thick and fast, i'm struggling to keep up and it takes me ages just to scroll to the bottom of the roster post to edit it.

Done, it is 76th isn't it?

Thank you Bish.

Thanks guys.

Bish

This has been one of the trickest GB i have hosted because the builds are coming thick and fast, i'm struggling to keep up and it takes me ages just to scroll to the bottom of the roster post to edit it.

That's because it's hosted by a rockstar 

Your GB's are always hopping 

modelcrazy

 

 

Bish

This has been one of the trickest GB i have hosted because the builds are coming thick and fast, i'm struggling to keep up and it takes me ages just to scroll to the bottom of the roster post to edit it.

 

 

That's because it's hosted by a rockstar 

Your GB's are always hopping 

 

I wouldmn't mind the money of a rock star, but i am not sure about the rest

Cheers mate, but thats only down to you guys.

So here are the final pics of the Mossie, first just the aircraft. As you can see, i left it clean ashide from the exhaust staining. BOAC only operated these for a short time before having the undersides re-painted black, so i just left it looking new.

When i saw this decal sheet on Hannants, it was the frist time i had ever come across these military aircraft operated by BOAC, seems to be a forgotten part of the war. The companies role was to keep the UK in touch with her Colonies, Allies and neutral nations. This often involved flying close to enemy territory, and those aircraft flying to neutral contries of course had to be un-armed and maned by civilian crews. One of these routes was between Scotland and Sweden. This of course involved flying between German held Norway and Denmark, a task that became more tricky after the Germans deployed Fw 190's. In 1942, BOAC asked for faster aircraft and recieved a single Mosquito Mk IV in Dec 1942. In early 43 they recieved a further 6 aircraft, this time Mk VI's, painted in an over water scheme at BOAC's request. In August, the 5 remaining aircraft (one had crashed and been written off earlier that month) had the undersids painted black. In 1944, a further 3 Mk VI's were delivered with the undersides already in black.

These aircraft carried diplomatic items, cargo such as ball bearings and passangers in a modified bomb bay, with a mattress installed and in flight service consisting of a flask of tea.

One such passenger was a Danish physicist Niels Bohr. It seems that Mr Bohr didn't filly understanded the instructions on donning his oxygen mask. Durying the flight, the pilot could get no response from his cargo and, guessing what had happened, dropped to a lower altitude, saving his life. It is claimed that on landing, Niels claimed it was the best sleep he ever had. He went on to join the British team working on the Manhatten Project.

BOAC operated these routes until the end of the war and continue as a company until 1974. It was merged with BEA to form the UK's current flag carrier, British Airways.

I have not added any figures, just the aircraft awaiting its next flight to Sweden.

I really enjoyed giving a different look to this old kit, thanks Bobby for sending it over.

Now, time to get the Belfast wrapped up.

Very cool Bish!

Nicely done.  I have  set of decals to do this bird.  Ernie Gann wrote about the BOAC Mosquito operation in "Ernest K Ganns Flying Circus", 1976 Isbn 0340206934.

What an exceptional subject Bish. You did some righteous justice to that amazing Mosquito. I also greatly appreciate the very interesting lesson on some little known history. Wonderful stuff mt friend. Cheers!

Thanks guys. I think there is a lot of interesting history out there that we hear little about. I like coming across things like this.

That's such a neat looking aircraft!

Well I've started my second build for this. The Red Arrows Gnat in 72nd. Man this thing is tiny