Fleet Air Arm Group Build

Rumor has it Aaron has set up a command post to keep an eye on Daves build..

"Red Rover Over"

Dave - I am not going to bombard you with questions before hand , I will just wait and watch it happen then ask questions.. Wow, you are making this look so easy, keep this up and everyone will be wanting to build the  "Vintage Plastic" ... Very Impressive work on re~shaping the wing ..

 Courage CAG! The Hawk shall submit!  

 Bondo! The Whitley is looking like a Whitely! Very cool to see the Coastal Command coloring on that bird!

 Dave if your not just scratch building a Skua using the plastic from the kit I'll eat my hat! That is a remarkable transformation with very precise work very quickly and expertly done! I am amazed!  

Managed to get some more work done on the skua today despite all the hootin and hollering coming from the Captain's quarters.  Hope he's savin' some rum for the rest of us. 

Decided that since I'm doing all this work I might as well go all out and close in the wheel wells while I'm at it.  Don't know how anyone else does this but I have some thin styrene sheet and I just curved it around inside the wheel opening.  

Got smart on the second one and used a brush handle to hold its shape while the glue dries.

This side is complete.

Shaped the wing tip on this one as well.  Turned out pretty good.  The trick I guess is to get the other side the same but I'm feeling more confident about being able to do the tailplanes now.  I chickened out of using the dremel and took it nice and slow with the file.

Now that I've finished two other GB's I am able to really focus on the Whitley. I've built up the airframe, cut away where the Falcon vac glazing will go, scratched up wheel wells and painted her overall white. The next step is the Cammie, woohoo! I think the wheel wells should be black, as she was originally a night bomber. Your thoughts?

I'm also scratch building the rear turret innards, as what FROG gave us is la merde. Then the front Vickers mount, the glass and the little crew who've been quite patient. Little Nam gets a bombsight from another kit, too. The bits for the radar arrays actually look fine, except I will have to make the bits on the sides and bottom.

Thanks Lads!

I was hoping to finish the hawk today, however the blasted canopy still fights me- so some more cleanup, more future and lots of curing time-hopefully that will sort it.

I am still wading through my stockpile of kits as to which one I should start next, at the moment I am looking at my Special Hobby Seafire Mk.III, its a nice kit and I could do with a nice warbird as its been a while since I've built one. Its that or the Firefly, I'll decide closer to the time.........

 The CAG be as old as dirt!  Wise as an owl and cunning as a fox!  Have a great B-day Darren!!!!!  btw where are we going to celebrete at?

tempestjohnny wrote:

wyoroy wrote: I have mailed this years FAA Christmas gift exchange mailing list to the following people: Aaron Frank Richard Mike P. David Sean These where the only emails address I have.  I know there are some who want to list so please PM me you email address and I'll get that off to you.  If you could put mailing list in the subject line. Hey what about me you sent me one too you know.

John, I looked and I do not have your email.  Was it from last year?  PM me your current email and I'll send you the most recent one.

Thank you for your kind wishes chaps!

I guess its time to break out the rum!!

"X/O......don't desturb me unless the ship is sinking!"

"I need time to open my presents..........!"

Darren -  Wooo ~hoooo   Happy Birthday!  Time to head for and isle and drop anchor for some R&R. The crew is getting restless...

Dave,

you are a braver man than me..........................we salute you!!

Word of Dave's massive undertaking has reached strange new worlds..............

"He is not logical Captain. But he has courage."

wyoroy wrote:

I have mailed this years FAA Christmas gift exchange mailing list to the following people: Aaron Frank Richard Mike P. David Sean These where the only emails address I have.  I know there are some who want to list so please PM me you email address and I'll get that off to you.  If you could put mailing list in the subject line.

Well... I really should just walk away from this kit but...

A) Just can't see spending $40 for the Special Hobby boxing of a single engine aircraft in 1/72.

B) Captain Bondo has laid down the gauntlet and I won't feel like a real man if I can't build this thing!

I decided to start on the wings as I feel pretty confident about being able to do the bomb recess and tail hook on the fuselage so no sense in doing those first if I can't do the wings.   So I went on-line and I found a plan view and adjusted it to the correct scale and had a look see...

  Didn't like what I saw.  Holy Beegeebers Batman!!!  Someone sure screwed this one up.  So out comes the bone saw.

Cut a strip of styrene to fill in the gap.

Add the wing tips which oddly are flared up so I'm going to glue the wing together first and then use the dremel to shape them.

Not perfect but much better than what it was.  This is my first attempt at something this major so go easy on me.  The tail planes are going to have to be completely scratched. 

Sean, that's avery cool kit.

Dave, you going to give that kit the Sean treatment?

Summit wrote:

Bondo -  I found this kit hidden away, for some reason it made me think of you. It is a Airfix rebox I believe..

Now that is cool.   Especially the middle profile! 

Bondo -  I found this kit hidden away, for some reason it made me think of you. It is a Airfix rebox I believe.. 

bondoman wrote:

Really bad old kits are what we real men live for. Carry on, sailor.

That is a Great Quote..Years from now future modelers will read that and ask if Gen. Patton said that.. The answer will be "No, But Someone just as Great and Notorious ~ Capt Bondo "

Dave -  Nice subject, I went through 90 % of my collection and can not find a old Skua anywhere. I am shocked that I could not come up with for nostalgia sake..

Anyway I will enjoy watching you work your scratch magic on this one. I cant believe you are not going to use those "Easy Chairs"  you could always scribe a foot rest on them.

bondoman wrote:

Read this: http://freespace.virgin.net/john.dell/modelling_the_blackburn_skua.htm Really bad old kits are what we real men live for. Carry on, sailor.

I saw another review yesterday that said pretty much the same thing.  Looks like I'm going to get my moneys worth in terms of time spent on this kit!

Frank, Roy

your Corsair builds are looking great! I'm looking forward to seeing more of these.

Evil Herc wrote:

I am going to try this again. After realizing my modeling skills where not going to be up to what I wabted to accomplish on the F-14 and since this turned into an FAA build while I was being slow, I went and purchased a 1/48 FAA Hellcat by Hasegawa. I have already gotten a ways into the build but I have taken Pics along the way. I started with the pit and the rear wall needed some much needed attention. and a pic of the throttles with a lil love. I have thrown a lil paint and scratch built the belts. Then following Roys Example I wired the motor. What a tedious process. Thanks for putting up with me in this build. I will have the cockpit done soon and will post pics. I cut out the aelerons and elavators. I found out later that these birds when on carrier had all there surfaces locked in the neutral position. I will try to get the aelerons back into neutral but i think i will position the elevors sagging a lil. Kannichiwa & Arigato- Jason

Jason,

just superb work mate, your detail work is amazing.

I have mailed this years FAA Christmas gift exchange mailing list to the following people:

Aaron

Frank

Richard

Mike P.

David

Sean

These where the only emails address I have.  I know there are some who want to list so please PM me you email address and I'll get that off to you.  If you could put mailing list in the subject line.

Buddy,

Ah, yes... the Blues are in town!  I go see them and the Thunderbirds whenever I possible can.  The Blue Angels were here this past summer, and my brother and I went to the show.  He had never soon an airshow before, so it was a double treat for me to see the Men in Blue perform, as well as the opportunity to share it with my bro.

Dave- A Skua, OUTSTANDING!!!  If anyone here hasn't had a chence to see Dave and Aaron's ME-262 builds, you really should go check them out.  Stunning work from these gents!

Read this:

http://freespace.virgin.net/john.dell/modelling_the_blackburn_skua.htm

Really bad old kits are what we real men live for. Carry on, sailor.