You kow me Greg, i don't mind off Topic. And while i don't build car kits, i will look forward to seeing that Lotus. It might not be an aircraft but its certainly British and whats more from Norfolk. I grew up about 10 miles from the Lotus factory, which is on what was a B-24 base during WW2, Hethal.

Greg

Bish and Gammy, thanks for commenting.

An Airfix GB sounds like fun, I'd say I'm tempted too.

I think it is odd that Airfix doesn't have 1/32 aircraft, only a few 1/24 (which I'd love to try)

 

Good point Greg, but they have produced 1/32nd military figures, rather than 1/35th. Guess they just like to be different

Greg that typhoon is moving along!

well Im back in the saddle just shot tamiya dark sea gray on the meteor top side 

Looking good Nick.

Nick, your undercoat looks neater than most of my finish coats.

I had no idea the Lotus factory is in Norfolk, Bish. Cool! I'm not a formula 1 racing fan in particular, but I've always loved the color Lotus Green. Ever since I built that kit way back when. I wonder if I even painted it? I bet I didn't.

That's a neat idea about one old and one new tool Airfix kit. I'm actually getting excited to try one.

Greg

Lotus Green? Back when I was hooked on British roadsters we called it British Racing Green (BRG) - if a custom job, often given a white racing stripe. That was the mid-late 60s and Lotus certainly made a mark. As I recall Lotus was racing something in about every class in the sport. They got their attention in the US when guru Colin Chapman developed the F1 Lotus team and took the Indianapolis 500 in 1965 with Jim Clark at the wheel - dooming 60 years of dominance by front engined racers. (US car chauvinists got a little revenge when Carol Shelby won at LeMans with the Ford GT-40: it was half English, but who quibbled?) Depending upon your view that era was the peak of F1 racing or a kind of grim spectacle. The number of great drivers for Lotus alone - Clark, Moss, Hill and even American Mario Andretti - gave the era star power. So did the casualty rate. No F1 season (or Indy 500 or NASCAR for that matter) was complete without deaths and injury. Indeed, people not amused accused racing fans of enjoying the blood. Clark's death in 1968 - at an F2 race in Germany - started some serious examination. Increasingly limitations were put on the cars to slow them down and safety equipment mandated. Now it's a rare to see a fatal accident. A good thing no doubt. But what a show while it lasted! The best car I've ever driven? A 1967 Lotus Super Seven - silver and BRG. I couldn't fit in it today. Glad I could then.

Eric

Eric, i have heardthose comments about panel lines as well. I have built up a small collection of the new Airfix kits, not bad seeing as i used to avoid them like the plauge, and what i have seen does not look to bad to me. I actually prefer panel lines a liuttle deeper as they hold washes better. As for rivets, i am not a fan of those anyway. I have thought about riveting kits,especially larger scale, but then i look at pics of the real thing and even on those you can't see them unless you are right up to them.

I think these model companies just like to use, and even invent catchy names. Its like the terms King Tiger or hanomag, not only did the Germans not use them they were not offical terms. But they look good on a box apparently.

Greg

Nick, your undercoat looks neater than most of my finish coats.

I had no idea the Lotus factory is in Norfolk, Bish. Cool! I'm not a formula 1 racing fan in particular, but I've always loved the color Lotus Green. Ever since I built that kit way back when. I wonder if I even painted it? I bet I didn't.

That's a neat idea about one old and one new tool Airfix kit. I'm actually getting excited to try one.

 

I am not much of a racing fan either, but it is nice having a worldwide brand on your doorstep. I did once get to sit in a Lotus. It must have been the late 70's and we were on a day trip to Great Yarmouth, which is one of the main coastal resorts on the east coast. They had a black lotus carrying the JPS cigerrete branding on it with a Lotus stand and you could sit in it, get your pic taken. I must have only been 7 or 8 at the time. I will have to ask my mum if she still has that photo some where.

Greg I thin tamiya paints alittle more with their thinner.

Bish can I throw in this V1 flying bomb that came in the gloster kit? I now its not British

Ye, sures, its part of the kit so why not.

alrighty then here goes this may take me a while

Nick: Meteor is looking good. Love the pre-shading and nice work there on the engines, pilot, etc. 

Maybe you could fill the V-1 with British bullet holes??? 

Just finished decaling the starboard side of the Tempest. Just the portside and the little dab of stenciling they gave me left. Will have photos up sometime this weekend. 

Gamera thank you.you just got to like the tempest looking very good!!  gotta see the new pics. getting gloster masked and ready for dark green . I started the V1 now bullet holes ?

Sorry, I was joking that you could make the V-1 a RAF model by filling it with some good British lead bullets...  

I thought that was hilarious I wouldnt think the V1 would hold together for too long

Eric, thanks for the interesting backstories on formula racing. Interesting stuff.

I had to look up the Lotus Super 7. Wow! I even found one for sale.

Regarding the "Lotus Green", have you ever called something the wrong thing your entire life then found out? I think that's the case here. I'm not sure where I came up with "Lotus Green". I can't even find a reference to it online. So I'm all squared away with British Racing Green now, and thank you! (OTOH, whatever it is called, I still just love that color ).

Bish, if Mum still has that pic, I'd love to see it.

Nick, as said before, my WWII history is poor. What is a V1 doing with a Gloster Meteor? Hopeless minds want to know and all that.

Greg the English developed the jet engine and incorporated it in the meteor. The meteor was the best opption to shoot down the V! at the time. hows that Bish.

I see. Interesting stuff. Thanks, Nick.

Yeah, if you don't mind me expending on what you said Nick? The V-1 was fast but the Meteor as well as the Typhoon and Tempest were a little faster yet. So they'd be on standby to intercept V-1s as they flew across the Channel. 

The RAF pilots started out just shooting the things. My joking aside it didn't take much ammo, the V-1 carried a ton of high explosive and if hit a few times would detonate in the air. Sometimes the RAF planes would get hit by flying debris from the V-1 though. So later on they started just pulling up beside the flying bomb and sticking their wing under it's wing. Then they could jerk the wing up, slapping the V-1 and tipping it over. The V-1's had only a simple guidance system, you aimed it and the gyroscopes kept it flying straight and level. Flipped over the gyroscopes couldn't handle it and the drone would fall out of control into the Channel or the English countryside. It's some interesting stuff if you ever get the chance to look it up. 

Gamera

It's some interesting stuff if you ever get the chance to look it up.

That's something about flipping the flying bombs over to confuse them.

crown r n7

Greg the English developed the jet engine and incorporated it in the meteor. The meteor was the best opption to shoot down the V! at the time. hows that Bish.

 

Actually a number of aircraft were used against the V-1, speed was only 340mph but they flew quite low, so they needed an aircraft with good speed at low altitude. It was decided to use was the Tempest, but this had only just entered service. They also used P-51's, P-47's stripped down, Griffon engined Spits and Mosquitos. The first aircraft to topple a V-1 was a P-51.

The Meteor was brought into service early to counter the V-1 because of its speed. Of the 4,000+ V-1's destroyed by AA fireand aircraft, the meteors claimed about a dozen.

Bish

The first aircraft to topple a V-1 was a P-51.

The thought of the first pilot doing that is mind-boggling.

Greg

 

Bish

The first aircraft to topple a V-1 was a P-51.

 

 

The thought of the first pilot doing that is mind-boggling.

 

I know, and can you imagine the looks given to the guy who suggested it.

I'm up and running. Just finished off a Space: 1999 Eagle and can now get started on my Spitfire. Not only is this my first group build on FSM, but also the first time I've posted pictures, so please bear with me if this goes south right off the bat.

Here's the contents:

I'm going to do the Battle of Britain version flown by Pilot Officer Osgood Villiers Hanbury No. 602 Squadron, RAF Westhampnett, Sussex, August 1940. This will be straight from the box with the exception of HGW seatbelts. I've used them before and as much as they're a kit in themselves, the results are great.

Good to see you up and running Steve and welcome to your first GB. I concur on those HGW belts, though i have only used them in 32nd.

And i hope you will post pics of that eagle when you have a moment, been thinking of getting one of those kits myself.

Bish

Good to see you up and running Steve and welcome to your first GB. I concur on those HGW belts, though i have only used them in 32nd.

And i hope you will post pics of that eagle when you have a moment, been thinking of getting one of those kits myself.

Thanks Bish! The Eagle is the very old Fundimensions kit built straight from the box. I have the new MPC 22" kit, but have a few of the 12" kits to practice on before I tackle it. I'll post a pic soon - I'm pretty happy how it turned out, considering its shortcomings.

I'll look forward to seeing it. I have been looking at getting the smaller MPC kit, i have seen a couple of the larger ones built up, really impressive. And that really brings back some memories, one of my favorite shows as a kid.

Knocking down V1s was no small matter. The "second blitz" in summer 1944 included V1s, V2s and renewed bomber raids directed mostly against London. I think about 1/3rd of the V1s hit something, but it was bad enough. Years back I had a long chat with a British visiting professor about the war. He was staff in 1944 and often in London. He said the German offensive was a serious blow to British morale - worse in a way than the larger attacks in 1940. Churchill's visits to damaged areas were often met with hostility. The war, the prof claimed, was simply getting old. In 1940 the sacrifices were undefined and in the future. In 1944 British blood and treasure had been flowing for five years and the population was getting weary. No talk of not finishing the war mind you, but the crusade was painful. No wonder Churchill was given the boot in the 1945 elections - the first he had ever stood for.- and Labor given power.

I want to see the Spit also. It's one of those new tool Airfix. Scalemates said the Spit I was based on the 2014 Spit V - so it's solidly in the new generation. Hoping to hear good news about the build quality - that's trump for a non-purist like me. Eric