Battle of Britain GB 2008 - 21 June to 31 Oct 08

The first one is my own build - using an old clock

The two other are from online store (see the rosie the rivetter post). If you are unable to find it I will look into it when got home ...

edit: OK this is the one

/forums/960957/ShowPost.aspx 

Darren, Mike, Guy-

Thanks fellas!  I gotta admit, I am enjoying building a Spit AND a '109 at the same time.  I am really looking forward to seeing them parked together.

 Thank you for the links (and they work) Luftwoller ! I may have to see if I can get some of those Vacuform canopies. They are supposed to be pretty good. I am glad to see it livenng up around here, guess the early start caught us off guard but I am happy about it! Been working quite a bit but have managed to get a few things done. As far as the crew goes at least.

What you think ? Accurate? Perhaps you recognize them from some of your past projects?

 Seriously though I have dug through my figure stash and found some pretty suitably dressed crew and am in the process of duplicating them. This is very much needed to replace the heavy losses no? I take the figures and chop and maneuver them into something I think will mold into a fair multipose sort of kit. I then add pieces of stretched sprue to strategic areas to allow resin flow and minimize any air trapped which will ruin the casting if you get a bubble. Then find a suitable container that holds liquid and is deep enough to cover the parts and glue them to it. It allows for position to be surrounded and keeps them from floating away.

I always try to make more than I need. Better too much than not enough of the mold maker goo. It is very messy and is like trying to pour a thick glue when mixed with the catylyst. emphasis on messy. It takes at least a full day to dry. I usually wait about 2 or 3 days but it makes a stiff but flexable tough mold that is supposed to be able to withstand temperatures up to 450 degrees F. Never been that brave with it though, I stick with room temp resin mixes.

 There it is ready to forget about while it drys. I used the extra mix to copy on of the resin engines. If it works out I plan on using it to fix up that FM Do-24 when I get feeling fiesty and want to tackle another FM kit. The stuff doesn't have a very strong oder and isn't toxic. When it is dry it feels more like latex and is very stretchy to ease release of the parts. You can get pretty rough with it. 

You may also notice I have been watching the required DVD. Great movie but why does it end with Sir Winton Churchill's quote about El Alamein? Is there something controversal about the Few quote? Maybe movie writers just aren't historians I don't know.  SHut up in Polish!

Lastly this is for Frank (Day Walker) Look Look Its a 109! I better stop before he gets mad at me.

sfcmac wrote:

SHut up in Polish!

why ?

I know the movie, watched it many times

REPEAT PLEASE is one of my favored scenes. I just wanted ot make sure there was no disrespect  

Not long ago there was a documentary about BoB. I recorded it and play while building my aircrafts downstairs

BTW: did you get a special edition of BoB ? It includes some special features like" Battle of BoB". Very interesting stories from the making of BoB. Highly recommended. (I have both versions - could not resist when I saw this Hurricane with Polish insignia on the nose ) 

raider83 wrote:

Hey gzt, just looking in here. Are you Polish?

I am, can't really hide it with a name like STAN!

Anyway update for you all, I got the cockpit 95% done. I need to install the gun sight, and fix a few paint and wash problems here the there. The other wall is also done but not much there except a few levers. I added paper to the map holder just to make things interesting. No other scratchbuilding needed, the PE set and tamiya pretty well covered it.  

gzt wrote:

I know the movie, watched it many times REPEAT PLEASE is one of my favored scenes. I just wanted ot make sure there was no disrespect   Not long ago there was a documentary about BoB. I recorded it and play while building my aircrafts downstairs BTW: did you get a special edition of BoB ? It includes some special features like" Battle of BoB". Very interesting stories from the making of BoB. Highly recommended. (I have both versions - could not resist when I saw this Hurricane with Polish insignia on the nose )

Golly I have to be careful with my movie quotes. I don't get my jollies by insulting people but I realize that limitations in this form of communication can be misunderstood and I am sorry if this was the case. As a retired 1SG I usually am pretty direct if I have something to say but not at the expense of others. Please fell free everyone to wack me on the back of the head if you think I need it. 21 years of the Army has it's good points but does not make one a social butterfly if you can understand that. As for the movie gzt I had the old vcr tape and my son got me the dvd off the grocerie store rack for $5. The only features It has is the trailer but I have seen that documentary and been reading a bunch of my old books. I still don't understand

why Winston Churchill's quote, " Never in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few." Was not used?

Wow that is an office! Phoenix7187! Very detailed and the paint job just makes it look real. Makes me feel the need to get back to work myself!

Dont know what you guy's are talking about with the Churchill quote about the few. I have four versions of the movie ( my all time favourite ) and the Few quote is on all of them at the end just before they show the casualty figures for both sides of the battle.

Steve

sidure wrote:

Dont know what you guy's are talking about with the Churchill quote about the few. I have four versions of the movie ( my all time favourite ) and the Few quote is on all of them at the end just before they show the casualty figures for both sides of the battle. Steve

I'll have to double check. I'm getting ready to watch it again and do some work. My movie ended with the Winston Churchill quote , " It is not the end. It is not even the begining of the end, but perhaps it is the end of the begining."  That is what he said after the victory at El Alamein in the fall of 1942.

sfcmac wrote:

Lastly this is for Frank (Day Walker) Look Look Its a 109! I better stop before he gets mad at me.

LOL!  Alright, now I'm mad!

J/K

Is it OK if I take a stab at guessing one of the figures?  I think I see a pilot from the 1/48 Monogram Huey Hog, and I'm not quite sure about the standing British chap and the other seated pilot.

Stan-

Unreal!  Awesome looking cockpit fella.  Thanks for posting that photo, now I realize I made a serious boo-boo with the shoulder belts.  I put them over the top of the back, as opposed to through the slot.  Thanks for the save before it was too late!

sidure wrote:

Dont know what you guy's are talking about with the Churchill quote about the few. I have four versions of the movie ( my all time favourite ) and the Few quote is on all of them at the end just before they show the casualty figures for both sides of the battle. Steve

You guys had me confused there as well (not difficult I know), I watched the Special Edition of the Battle of Britain movie the other night and I'm positive that the "few" quote is used at the end of the movie just before they show the casualty figures as Steve said.  Maybe I'll have to watch it again tonite just to be sure

Favourite quotes of mine would have to be Edward Fox etc sitting at dispersal as Skipper takes up the new boy Simon for training "You can teach Monkeys' too fly better than that!"   "Spring chicken to sh1te hawk in 1 easy lesson. ... Takatakatakatakataka". 

Edward Fox when landing in the greenhouse, the boy runs inside and comes out with a box, he opens it and as english as english can be Fox takes a smoke and says 'thanks awfully old chap'

My all time fave is the Polish pilot who parachutes into the field and tries a halting "Good afternoon", with a reply from the farmer of "Good afternoon my arse, get yer hands up you Bosche b*stard".

Cheers all

Ok just rewatched the whole movie again. Almost have the lines memorized now. The "few" quote is mentioned in the trailer but in my version of the movie it is not there.  If you all are sure you have it in your version then maybe the special edition has cut scenes that my bargin bin one does not. If you check and this is true then I have to get the better version. At the end the casualty figures are only given for the allies as well. Also need some Edward R. Murrow radio news clips, " This is London!"

Darin I also love the quote when the Minister ask to confirm the claims of German Aircraft destroyed, "  I am not much interested in propoganda. If we are right, then they will give up, If we are wrong then they will be in London in a week!"

 Frank you are a real sport!  Let me see, the joke figures are the Tamiya zero pilot, the Monogram F-4 Phantom Black Bunny, and the Tamiya Buffalow. I haven't done much but watch the movie today. ACk!

Nice work on the pit Stan.

Regards,  Rick

I started on my kit that I got from Frank. It is Tamiya Spit but there is something wrong with landing gear I think its warped.

Buyer beware!!!!!

Thad

Aaron- Nice work there!

Stan- Cockpit looks beautiful! 

Thad- Yeah and that Merlin engine looks a little funky too....

We've got wings!!!   Work is slow on my Stuka but wings went on well...more to come

Mark

Mark, your Stuka fuzz is looking gorgeous mate. I love Stukas, so much glasswork to show off your good work too bud. Sorry i missed you out of my praise earlier.

Stan, Off to a flyer and is that the standard pit? Ive not done a Tamiya 109, i heard they were sweet.

Thad, I know im not the greatest authority on Spitfires but what mark was that one? lol Perhaps i should get Jon (JWB) to verify. Where is he these days?

...Guy

Just watched the end of the movie again and the quote is there. After that it showes the nationality of all the allied pilots that participated and how many were lost, followed by the Luftwaffe casualties. Did not look at all 4 versions that I have only the special edition version that I picked up a few years ago, so I dont know if there was a change made for the special edition but I doubt it

Steve

sidure wrote:

Just watched the end of the movie again and the quote is there. After that it showes the nationality of all the allied pilots that participated and how many were lost, followed by the Luftwaffe casualties. Did not look at all 4 versions that I have only the special edition version that I picked up a few years ago, so I dont know if there was a change made for the special edition but I doubt it Steve

Just checking to be sure before I go buy another movie. This is the only quote at the end of my movie. It is from after El Alamein. Not a thing about " So much owed by so many to so few". I don't doubt it is on yours but here is the pic right off my television before the end statistics and casualties.

KINGTHAD wrote:

I started on my kit that I got from Frank. It is Tamiya Spit but there is something wrong with landing gear I think its warped. Buyer beware!!!!! Thad

Whatchasmokin?

Gzt - thats pretty cool. How long have you lived in the U.S.?

 Thad-ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy snikes! I guy gets sick for a week and you guys took of and left me in the dust! I was looking foward to jumping off on this build but fate stepped in and put a hurting on me. Now i feel like i missed out on so much. No worries though. A couple of i.v.  treatments and some rest and I'm back now and will have to try and catch up with the rest of you guys. i just spent the last half an hour reading all of the post and i am seeing some awesome work here guys. Now i know i have to crank out some top notch work to keep up with all of the awesome work i have seen posted here so far. Well I'm off to the workbench to attack all of those pain in the rear casting blocks that all of my parts are trapped in. Hats off to everyone here for a job well done. This build is as awesome as i knew it would be.

                                                                                Soulcrusher

 Greetings all! Mark that Stuka looks like it is gonna be just sinister. Soulcrusher I am very glad you are feeling better sounds like you had a nasty time of it. I'm off work on Wed-Thursday nights so this is when I try to get some stuff done. Let me tell you this kit is starting to be a real zinger of a pain. A lot of fit problems and the instructions are full of so many traps you need a point man. I've pretty well ditched the instructions build sequence as a result.

 Here you can get a fair look at the details in the cockpit and bombay. Pretty cool having a bomb bay. I wish they had included the pulley system that opens the gear doors as it is pretty cool. The doors actually slide up and disappear insode the bombay when open though and I am not certain that this kit shows that feature. It comes with 2 1000KG bombs which I think was the max bombload for this bird. Been cool if it had other options as far as bomb load. Really a lot of room for after market stuff that isn't there.

 You can see some of the large gaps left when the sub assemblys are joined. All I can say is it is a pain and takes a lot of force to get it that close. None of the pieces have any locating pins or such to aid in placement so it is an exercise in caution and liquid cement to be sure. Lots of cleanup needed but the fit actually could be a lot worse, of course it could be better too.

 I am leaving the windows atop the wing there. The instructions say that on some operational AC they were painted over but it adds some  light to the dark bombay to see the details. Letting things dry a bit and then see about filling some of the spaces I couldn't close up.

 Now my wife made me get out the house today so I went to the hobby store (of Course) and found a neat little something that is probably old news to some of you. I bought a Pegasus Hobbies E-z Snap 1/48 Spitfire Mk I. Yep it says snap but was $5 and had some cool box art of the top british BOB Ace, Eric Lock. Figured I couldn't go wrong for 5 bucks and when I opened it I was happily surprised.

 It looks pretty darn good. The panel lines are recessed and the details are pretty good. Especially with the low parts count.  It comes with stickers as well as water slide decals that look like good quality stuff. ( worth what I paid for the kit I'm sure)

 I mean you have a one piece canopy and a spartan cockpit but drop an after market cockpit and add the usual I think it has promise. All the trees and clear parts are separely baged and there is a good history of the AC given. If it had a pilot it is the type of value that could make a kid fall in love with this hobby. After I finish the Do-17 donut I think I'll see how it turns out and look into this company some more. Good modeling guys!

hey guys...just noticed on my Stuka JU -87 B instructions..(Hasegawa Kit)..the decals are for a unit that served in the Russian campaign in 1941...if this is a Battle of Britain build shouldn't I find decals for a unit that took part in that campaign...if so, how do I find those markings..?

BWT..thanks for all the good praise...she should turn out real sweet!!!

Mark 

KINGTHAD wrote:

I started on my kit that I got from Frank. It is Tamiya Spit but there is something wrong with landing gear I think its warped. Buyer beware!!!!! Thad

It's um...a prototype...me thinks...

LOL!

SC- Glad you're feeling better fella!  From your previous work, I'm sure you'll have no trouble catching up and then some.

Aaron- You are really zipping along with that kit there!  I'm guessing that no matter what it throws at you, it'll be a piece of cake compared to that FM kit.   I have one of the Pegasus Models Hurricanes, bought it to see how it looked and for the decals.  Not a bad little kit!  It would prolly make a fun weekender.

Mark- Looking good there!  I checked my Stuka decals, but all I have are more Russian campaign sets.  Sorry...

A little more progress on mine.  Added a couple more decals to the Spit:

And fixed the seat on the '109:

I just loaded up The BoB in my DVD player and am heading back to the bench for another round of decalling.

Tally Ho!

Found a really good site on th BOB including what units participated and even where they opperated out of..Now I've got the unit numbers for my Stuka..hopefully I can find the decals for one of those groups....check it out...

www.raf.mod.uk/Bob1940

Mark

Aaron- The Dornier's looking good, I'll be doing the old Monogram 1/72 kit for this GB.

Frank- Looking good with the stickers on it!