AIRCRAFT - Battle of Britain Group Build (Jan 1st 2005 - May 31st 2005)

here ya go...

http://www.dalnet.se/~surfcity/falco_bob.htm

I even thought about it a little while... might still do it as that Classic Airframe kit is a bit steep yet here... in addtition to my recent additions to my stash that is...

QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 Ta tho, but I had a look for that kit, and if I'm not mistaken it is OOP.

I found it one place but sounds to me you might want to stay away from it...

the only 1/72 kit was from a company called SK I have never built anything from them... the kit DID have tons of AM stuff... cockpit, propellers, engines, wheels etc...

There were 2 italian bomb groups and a fighter group that participated (if you wanna call it that) that would be something different, I'll look up the link I have and send it to you.,.. the site even had some interesting details... the sight of late WWI biplane bombers coming in over the channel painted bright "festive" colors... the RAF didn't know what to do... they also used monoplane fighters and bombers as well... will look it up and post it in a sec for anyone else who might be interested...

myself, I am in a quandry... I guess I will spit out the cash for that Classic Airframes kit (the Defiant) that's why I decided on something different from the start, figured everyone would be doing 109's and Spitfires... I need to go back and see who is building what... Might be a light load on one of the common aircraft. I might even go and see what it would take to retrofit my Spit Mk V to a II or so... I got a 1/24 Hobbycraft Spit and the kit looks decent.. and at 1/24 there's plenty of styrene to sand to my hearts delight...so I dont worry about fit much...

QUOTE: [i] But saying that a couple of people have warm up builds going (me included), to get us in the mood for the real deal. Cheers Darren

Include me in that. i have that BF-110 that i picked up at the flea market a few weeks back on the go. Once i'm done this i'll be moving on to a FW-190 that i should be getting in the mail somtime later this week. it's in the package with my GB projects ( the 110 & 109)

By the way Everyone that is Building a 109 could you post what Squadron you'll be doing so i don't end up building the same one. they might be painted the same but at least we can have different markings. Thanks to my location it take awhile to get things shipped here so i need to order well in advance. mine is a Tamiya kit so i don't have a clue what markings are hsowing up in the box
Later eh'
Cliff

Avoid the Hobbycraft Do17 unless you enjoy banging your head against the wall. It's a horrible kit. It's also the only Do17 in 1/48, a shame but true. Monogram made a very basic but accurate Do17 in 1/72 eons ago. I see it on eBay every once in a while.

Good news is Classic Airframes has released all new tooling of the Defiant in 1/48. Two versions, both day & night fighters are available. Might be worth looking at.

Regards, Rick

Ta tho, but I had a look for that kit, and if I'm not mistaken it is OOP.

Back to square one.

For this build I wanted to be a bit different, and try not to stack the build with too many 109's and Spits, but seeing as some kits are hard to find, from my location anyways, I may have to stay with the more available items.

Not only availability, but I also wantd to stay away from a mongrel build, got enough of those under my belt, so kinda want something easier, maybe the 88 or 87.
Cant do the 111, the Ol' man would skin me alive if I make one before him


Then again, a few 109's on a dio might be the go.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tho9900 QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 Now, I have been searching for a Do17, in 1/48, and haven't been able to fiind anything. Tweety, HobbyCraft makes the only 1/48 Do17 I know of... I saw it on greatmodels.com so maybe you can get it somewhere more local...

i would avoid the hobbycraft do-17....i've built it and it isn't pretty! the fusalage has a huge banana-like bend in it, the cockpit canopy is way too large and there is no internal detail.

this is the only do-17 kit that i know of.

alternatively, you go for the do-217 kit out there and retro-fit it...tough work!!

speak to swanny...he's done both kits i believe.

as for my defiant, my girlfriend is getting it for me for christmas!

kind regards,

Nichols

QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 Now, I have been searching for a Do17, in 1/48, and haven't been able to fiind anything.

Tweety, HobbyCraft makes the only 1/48 Do17 I know of... I saw it on greatmodels.com so maybe you can get it somewhere more local...

Actually, the theory is now that space is crumpled and that we can go the shortest path. To illustrate take a flat sheet of paper and put a dot in two oppposing corners. Then crumple the paper. The dots are are now closer.

Apparently scientists have worked out that when the big bang occured the universe expanded in 4 dimensions and not the others. Too heavy for this little black duck but that is the guist of it!

I have also read that we have the theory, know how to get a drive up and running but simply do not have the power source available yet to get us there. I do not think we will ever go at light speed ever, but we will go around it by utilising the theory mentioned above. Apparently Einstein hinted about it in his theory of relativity but never went into to much detail.!

On a lighter note again, it is about time my shelf had a Spitfire in it, so I am going to leave my Tamiya Mk1 in the stash and dust of the Monogram 1:48 kit along with a fresh tube of putty.

cheers

Mike

QUOTE: Originally posted by pingtang I think I'd like to get in on this GB. It's about time I built a spitfire or a BF-109. Don't know exactly what I'll build but I'll tell you when I know. I've got plenty of time to get to the LHS though. Looking forward to this one. When can I start using the badge? I like the look of it.

Hi Daniel,

Mate, you’re in.....

You can start using the badge any time you want. Most people are using it already as a bit of advertising for the GB.

I've set this GB up so that it doesn't start till Feb 05 due to the fact that most people already have a GB (or three) that they are finishing up before the end of the year and I figured that a lot of people are not going to be able to do much serious modeling over the holiday period. But saying that a couple of people have warm up builds going (me included), to get us in the mood for the real deal.

Cheers
Darren

I think I'd like to get in on this GB. It's about time I built a spitfire or a BF-109. Don't know exactly what I'll build but I'll tell you when I know. I've got plenty of time to get to the LHS though. Looking forward to this one. When can I start using the badge? I like the look of it.

The speed of light is the fastest recognised thing that WE know of, I am sure there are other methods of travel, faster than light.

Unfortunately, us being humans, we can only utilise 10% of our brains, so maybe when we get a bit farther along in our evolution, we can come up with something.

Now, I have been searching for a Do17, in 1/48, and haven't been able to fiind anything.
A Ju88 might be worth a look, or a 1/48 110, but there are none of the correct type.

Maybe a Spit MkI, or............I just don't know

Little green men eh Tweets...........Not very likely, when you look into astronomy you come to realise that even a space vehicle travelling at light speed would take 10 years to get to the nearest star.........
BTW just an afterthought to date around 180 planets have been discovered orbiting around other stars in this galaxy and the list keeps growing, within the next 20 or so years 2 space telescopes will be launched to take a closer look, the trick is to find one the right temp.........
Well back to the BoB i think i might put the Sabre on hold for a while and make my 109 pre GB at the start of Jan so by the end of this GB my BoB collection will be 5 models strong, 2 109's a spit 1 a stuks and a dornier..........Jules.......

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, a helo in the Aussie GB eh..............
Curious.
Actually, I'd like to see an Aussie helo that DOESN'T sporadically fall from the sky, or hunt down the closest hill to hit!

Jules......well spoken words, but I kinda hope that the cosmic entity that allowed life to begin here, will not let us leave this rock, only to do the same rubbish again on a whole new piece of blue dot.
I may be a tad negative I know, but we have a tendancy to repeat the past, hence WWI, then WWII, and now it appears to be WWIII, for this terrorism thing is totally global.

Ah well, maybe a little green man will visit us one day to give us a rap over the nuckles for being naughty little children, then send us to bed with no dessert.
That would be cool.
Highly unlikely, but cool all the same.

Enough banter I say.
Back to modelling, it appears I need to find a 1/48 scale Bf110, seeing as the 1/72 item I got from ebay is going to be hell to make.
May have to change to something 'easier', time will tell.

Once we do get out there, we will certainly find a common cause for all the human beings on this planet. Reaching the stars and colonising them (first the solar system) must be a whole Earth thing. It will happen....eventually!

But this terrorism thing is worrying the hell out of me, as I want my kids to grow up in a world that has an even tolerance for everything. Islamic terrorism is about hatred and fanaticism. These hardliners will not tolerate any criticism of their version of the Islamic faith while still blaming the papacy and thus all christians for the crusades of 900 years ago.

You are right as well, though. Some governments are to blame for their foreign policy/arms dealing in the region. Oui Monseur? Because of their involvement, they vetoed any action by the UN.

Perhaps it is time that the UN stands as a truly independent body, with it's own military arm. Maybe then these sorts of things will cease to happen.

whew.....off my soapbox. Hope I have not offended anyone!

On a lighter note. I got my high vis RAAF Chinook decals today, so I think my Aussie GB entry for next year will be the 1:72 Matchbox Chinook .

cheers

Mike

Tweets i missed your last post ( i was typeing my last post when it went up )
I know what your saying mate and i have to agree that the problems go way back but seeing airliners crash into buildings and seeing burnt Australians dragged out of what used to be a night club just plain angers me......
How do we fix this "i have no idea" Maybe one day when we find life out there in the stars we may come to realise that were all basically the same and we all live on a tiny little blue dot in the middle of space....Jules.....

here here Mike
Darson i havn't done mottling before either but i'm approaching it with some confidence cause everytime i paint i practice with the left over paint on my test board,in fact the board is full of spots and stripes and some rather unflattering toons of my wife

North African GB eh, now thats one i've been waiting for, looks like the Stuart Honey will get built afterall.....
Another GB i thought about moderating around the June/July time was a Nightfighter/Heavyfighter GB...Just so i can get that HE 219 done...

Anyway back to the BoB i had a look at the LHS today for a DO 17 and all they had was the Revell DO 217 in 48 scale, a quick check of my references revealed some very noticable differences so the hunt continues......
On a lighter note i should be finished the Old Guns GB i a week or so and the subject i'm building is a Spitfire MK1 BoB so when it's all done i'll post up a pic for y'all to see..
Cheers Jules....

Jules, Mike, I agree with you guys, to a point.
While innocent people and military are dieing hand over fist, and while everyone, including myself, condemns such action, it is nothing new.

One has to ask themselves what has caused these atrocities to take place, AGAIN!!!!!!

Which organisations helped 'prop up' these countries and their militant groups in the early '80's for their own gains, and now that things are TOTALLY out of control, whom are we supposed to blame?

Funny thing about war and it's side effects.
It used to be about land and outright power, now it seems to be more along the lines of financial gain, and the 'buddy system'.

Sad days in which we live.

QUOTE: Originally posted by j.s.harrison There must be a million "if only's" and "What if's" about the second world war.... The sad thing is after all the sacrifice's and loss the world is still a dangerous place, after WW2 we had the cold war and we feared nuclear holocaust, now we don't have to worry about the country with a thousand nukes we have to worry about the terrorist with one........... i probably shouldn't say this here but don't these terrorists know that there not invoking fear in me theyr'e just pissing me off more and more, this must be the same for many more people out there,you don't scare us you just anger us Cheers jules..............

Jules

Spot on mate!!

The number one sought after meathead in Iraq is not even an Iraqi but a Jordanian. He and his fellow murderous scum are there because it is the best place to have a go at the US/multinational military and civilians. Hacking innocents heads off does not help his cause an iota, rather anger the civilised world even more. That includes me as well!!



Love a Western Desert GB, I have a few choices that would suit!

cheers

Mike

There must be a million "if only's" and "What if's" about the second world war....
The sad thing is after all the sacrifice's and loss the world is still a dangerous place, after WW2 we had the cold war and we feared nuclear holocaust, now we don't have to worry about the country with a thousand nukes we have to worry about the terrorist with one...........
i probably shouldn't say this here but don't these terrorists know that there not invoking fear in me theyr'e just pissing me off more and more, this must be the same for many more people out there,you don't scare us you just anger us
Cheers jules..............

QUOTE: Originally posted by Cruzr well me other 5 kits are on back order, which includes the Mark IV Bristol Blenheim. So i hope they show up by Feb. But i do have a BF-110, FW-190 A3 and a BF-109 E3 on the way, (they had those in stock). not sure what model the BF-110 is though, probably a "C" S as it looks now i'll have the same build as tweety1 unless the Bristol shows up

OK Cruzr, I've updated your builds to be the same as Tweety's. If you change your mind just let me know.

Cheers
Darren

well my other 5 kits are on back order, which includes the Mark IV Blenheim.
So i hope they show up by Feb. But i do have a BF-110, FW-190 A3 and a BF-109 E3 on the way, (they had those in stock). not sure what model the BF-110 is though, probably a "C"

So as it looks now i'll have the same build as tweety1 unless the Bristol shows up

I've ordered my Hasegawa Hurricane Mk1 Night Fighter, ready for Feb..

Now I just need to work out if it's going to be vaguely OOB, because they never are totally OOB, of with a load of resin & PE added. At least the painting should be fairly straight forward.

Tweety, it was Churchill who argued for an invasion of Italy, both Eisenhower and Tedder were against such an excursion, believing that the Italian Navy, the only real threat to an invasion could easily be kept at bay by the Royal Navy, as it had been for the previous 2 years.

However both Eisenhower & Tedder wanted an Allied invasion of North West Europe, if possible in 1943. This did not happen as a result of the Italian campaign, a campaign that went on for a further 2 years, and which acheived little for the Allies, while allowing the Germans to tie down vast amounts of men & material at limited cost to themselves.

My grandfather served in both North Africa and Italy, I don't think he actually took part in the fighting, as his job was the gruesome task of body recovery.

During one such recovery operation he was stung by a scorpion. Miles from the nearest medical facilitiy his mate did the only thing he could, and cut out the sting, along with the surrounding flesh before the poison could spread. This saved his life. Unfortunately he died just a few years after the war of TB.

Karl

For anybody who's interested
The 1/48 CA Boulton Paul Defiant is now available and in stock at Great models for $37.45. Both Mk.I day and Mk.II night fighters are available, but I believe that only the Mk.I is relevant to the BoB.
The link is http://www.greatmodels.com

Cruzr if you're looking for something a little unusual, you could have a look at the Gloster Gladiator, a Bristol Beaufighter Mk.I, a Fairey Battle a Focke-Wulf FW200 (ouch that thing would be huge), or maybe a Fiat CR.42.

Cheers
Darren

QUOTE: Originally posted by darson Cruzr, sorry I'm dense but what is PEI? Also, don't worry too much, I'm sure something to build will pop up before Feb.

Sorry PEI: Prince Edward Island. it's a province on the East coast of Canada
Ya I'll have somthing to build but i'm trying to find somthing different

::rolling eyes:: ok count me in for the N. African GB... haha a sucker born every minute I tell ya!

I also agree with the necessity of the N. Africa/Italy campaigns... at that point there was some forward movement in the ETO war, and any successful campaign would need a stable front, get rid of Africa, get rid of Italy, you only have one front, no worries about a two front battle at that point.... you have Germany with only one source for supplies by sea, worried about a possible invasion from the south, from the west, or both at once, and the Med was now safe for ferrying of supplies. Add to this the addition of several Bomb Groups and Fighter groups to the south you have an effective means of harrasing the enemy from that direction which diverts resources from the west...

My great-uncle flew tail gunner on a B-26 out of N. Africa. I've been reading about this bombing campaign lately and they carried out some brilliant pin point bombings of strategic targets, especially on transportation and supplies.. this must have been a nagging thorn in Hitlers side...


---edit---

Tweety, you're right about that... sad (and scary) times these are indeed... today was a sad day indeed...

Progress update (pre GB build) on the Bf109. Things are going well so far, last night I futured the canopy and started detail painting the cockpit, so far so good. I have decided to scratchbuild the oxygen hose using two different thicknesses of fuse wire, so I'll let you know how that goes. I’ve got the spark back now and I’m having fun modeling again

One thing about the Bf 109 E that amazes me is just how small the aircraft is. Even when comparing it to a Spitfire, it's tiny. When I hold it up against my P-47 it looks like a toy (no pun intended).

Cruzr, sorry I'm dense but what is PEI? Also, don't worry too much, I'm sure something to build will pop up before Feb.

I'd definitely be up for a North African GB starting after BoB.

Cheers
Darren

QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 Cruzr, sorry to hear about your kit dilema. Maybe you could pick them up via online sources?

that's the problem, they are. it's a company in PEI and i'm in
Nova Scotia. i'll see how it goes in the next few days. i use my local shop for Paint supplys cause' they don't have much in the way of kits anymore(directed at WWII that is)
i'll keep on it. being in Canada i don't have the options in plenty like you folks south of the 49.

QUOTE: Originally posted by tweety1 Maybe a North African Campaign GB would be an idea?

I have a Matilda sitting in it's box! But I'd like to do that after the BoB build.

Well, heap of responses time.

Tho9900-Your right about the US keeping to themselves mostly during WW I and II, their political stance kinda made sense, having their own problems to worry about, of which there were many.
But now, Geez, you can't keep those pollies out of any political nightmare, got a finger in too many puddings me thinks.

Karl- Darren is right about this one, the Allies couldnt take the risk of trying to secure the south of France, and having a bowl of spaghetti storming up behind them.
Best to cover your back side first, not that the Italians were much of a match for the Allied forces, but they would have been a thorny bunch nonetheless.

Aurora-7- Whether Roosevelt did or did not know the Japs were going to attack will never really be clear, it's the same argument as "Did the Japs surrender BEFORE we dropped the bomb?"
In war acceptable losses must be calculated, logistics, and it has always, and will always, be that way.

Maybe a North African Campaign GB would be an idea?

Cruzr, sorry to hear about your kit dilema.
Maybe you could pick them up via online sources?

well i've run into a snag folks. the shop i deal with for kits doesn't have the ones i've order in stock, all FIVE OF THEM!! it's been about three weeks now so i may have to change what i was going to build as soon as i find out what i can get. i'll let you all know as soon as i do