The Wooksta: Not a Spitfire Blog

[The Wooksta!]

"Three! Where's my supper?!"

Other than pouring the rubber on several moulds, I've done little bar some casting with rather indifferent results.

Nothing spectacular, just various wheels, flame dampers and racks.  I want to do various torpedo fighters and need several specific racks. The AZ boxed RV 190 D-11/12/13 will take a new tail, so the D-12 torpedo fighter, probably with over wing Doppelrieter fuel tanks is quite likely.  I will do the proposed Ta 152C torpedo jager, but that was abandoned before it left the drawing board for various reasons.  Again, tempted with Doppelrieters and quite possibly flame dampers for night attack.
I also moulded the tail surfaces for the Me P.1101A, largely because the B with the T tail was always easier to find, so that's what's there.  I don't like the T tail one that much, so that makes things a bit easier.
I'm quite tempted with a Czech one in overall Aluminium.  Also did the X-4 racks for Fw 190/Ta  152 also.

Finally, I did the engine pack for the rocket Ar 234.  I'm thinking longer wings for higher altitude, but keeping the jets for recovery to base.  It's roughly the same size as a DFS 228, but with a retractable U/C and more fuel I'd suspect it would be a lot more useful.  The rocket pack could also be useful on the P for faster intercept times or on the C to get off the deck in overload or boost once the bombs have been dropped.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

Neil, let's not beat around the bush. Are you going to make supper, or am I going to kick your teeth in?!

I'm out of what was an interminably frustrating spray/mask/spray loop with several Fw 190s and Ta 152s.  There's some paint creep and a few areas that may need some touch up with a hairy stick, but by and large I'm really happy with them.  Especially the Ta 152C.

Next project in mind is a Heinkel He 277, using a warmed over Toad Resins conversion and an Airfix Heinkel as a basis.  The Toad engine fronts have to go, I'm planning on using the DB603 LA ones copied from the IBG Fw 190 D-15, and a load of flame dampers.  Colours could be similar to 177s used during Steinbock, but the late greens are very fetching.
Given the amount of cut and shut work, not to mention upgrading the cockpit (thankfully I have several etch sets), it's more long term.

Next is likely to be one of Alistair's latest and one I've been wanting for a long time, the Hawker P.1103 to spec F.155.  They say change is as good as a rest, but I was going round and round on an RAF carousel before the switch to using up the legacy stuff, only to fall into similar patterns. Again.
P.1103 - what do I want to do?  Three tone greys.  Everyone else is likely to go grey/green/aluminium with some tedious rerun of one of the sexy squadrons unlike to get it. Me? Well, like all of the F.155 stuff I'll put some thought into it and pick a squadron using the aircraft it was intended to replace - the Javelin.  All of the other spec contenders have largely ended up with Javelin units, so why be any different here?  So a hunt through the books over the weekend is in order.  I'm thinking possibly 29 sqn, but I do need to do some research and also some casting - underwing tanks and possibly an IFR probe - with a dig through the Modeldecal sheets a final call.

Having had a quick look on t'nterweb, 29 sqn looks really dull. 64 on the other hand had a rather nice blue spine on their late Phantoms. Only snag is that I've already used it for a P.8 and I've tried to use a different Javelin unit for each type.  IIRC I do have a rather natty set of decals for a 64 sqn Phantom in the greys that Uncle Mike, bless 'im, used on a P.1121.  I think I have a winner.

And if Alistair I'd kind enough to add a few extra nose gears, I may have a P.1121 or three to go with it.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

Look, is Neil going to make the supper or not?

Nice weather so out into the garden with the rum.  I did sit for a while cleaning up a number of Ta 152 wheels, but most of them just look... flat?  Too flat really, so I'll cast some more.

Also cleaned up a pair of He 112s. One is going post war Finnish, the other one of several Yugoslav one is mind.

Having found the etch set I was looking for, as well as another I'd forgotten about, I dug out a Revell He 177 too see if the He 277 bits will fit.  Yes, the wings and tail end will, but the nose barbette section won't.  I do have an Ares 277 conversion intended for the Revell, so I'll have a look at that and go from there.

The Ju 288 I got from Willie looks to be salvageable but I'll get a coat of primer on it to see what needs fixing.  I know the tail barbette needs replacing and I have some Ju 388 ones spare.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

That's a completely brilliant idea, Mike. I've been wanting to do this for a long time!

I did some brief research on the He 277 on t'interweb.  Really, I was just looking for some drawings to jog my memory.  There are a lot of conflicting 3 views, but what I was wanting had the larger canopy with more glazing. Two versions of the same fuselage, one with a nose gear, and the wing has a more standard undercarriage, retracting into a nacelle rather than split into the wing.  Oh, and BMW801s that have the prop axis through the centre of the wing rather than lower on the He 277 V-1 (see the attached drawing, the one I want is the top one).

Now I've wanted to do this fuselage version for years and couldn't quite figure it out.  Many years ago, I did have a go at making one but it was an abject failure.  But having seen one of Bird Models laughable attempts, I finally figured out how to use a standard Airfix fuselage as a basis.  Yes, I'll need part of a 277 conversion for the back end and the tail surfaces, but I can use the Airfix wing with some surgery and a lot of filler.
I need to do some more research and thinking about the nacelles themselves.  I did consider He 274 ones, moulding the Antares ones, but that could prove expensive.

So I went into the loft to have a look at the Antares He 274 for inspiration.  The casting is good, but their approach to pouring lugs needs a rethink as they are so mahoosive that they make Igor's approach look almost sensible. Still, it does mean some time in the garden with the sander and several rum n cokes.

Whilst I was up there, I dug out a long abandoned Toad Resins Ju 488 V-401 that may get resurrected.  Needs a lot of sanding on the wing to sort out my cack handedness, but I really need to copy the tailfins to replace a missing one on the Ju 288C that Willie gave me.

I also had a look at a Unicrap Bv P.188.04.  It's buildable, but the fuselage is way too shallow and the fins undersize, and that's with the drawings in the kit.  The way the master was done looks odd, and hard to describe, but rather than create two halves with a proper split, it looks like it's been assembled and then sawn in two decidedly uneven halves.  To fix the depth, I had thought of using a side profile template sandwiched between the two halves, but the cack handed way the kit was "designed" makes that impossible.  Despite it's issues, the fuselage looks a better fit than his later Bv P.188.02.

A great deal of sanding is in store.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

Brilliant! Let's fill it in!

The Heinkels are on hold.  I need to do some more thinking on donor parts for the engine/wing mounts. First Matchbox Ju 188 and then their Beaufighter.  As I said, more thinking required, so it's time to get the kettle on.

Did some sanding on a Ta 152 but got bored quickly.  Think I've done a few too many recently and I can't face building another Dragon one for a while, even though I've got a handle finally on how to get them together.

So I've done some more cleanup on the Squadron Hannebu.  The fit is not good and the detail is either heavy, clumsy or non-existent.  The cabin is reasonably detailed but you can see sod all though the portholes and the fit of the roof is sloppy, so would need filler and thus it's not removable.  Decisions need to be made.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

Well, I think that should do it!

Having put the Heinkels slightly to one side, I've made a small start on this year's third key build - the Junkers Ju 390.

This is the Planet kit, on which I spent a small fortune, and the large box contains some very substantial resin components.  The fuselage didn't take long, but will need clamping when it goes together.  The tail surfaces, one of the engines, and one of the wings.  There's some moulding mismatch on the engine mounts, and rather than sand it off, I'll build it up with filler.
After that, I gave up as it was just too windy.  I could have carried on indoors, but I was just too relaxed, if you see what I mean.

I've also done some more moulding, as Willie wanted some rail carriages that he'd scratchbuilt done.  A side, complete with windows, and end as well as a few other bits.  The moulds have enough for half, so two sessions gives him the bits he needs.  Made them Sunday and did a test cast yesterday, with a second curing overnight. He took delivery this morning and was very happy with the quality.

As well as the parts for the tail turret mounts for the Heinkel He 277 (I donated one set to Kit, so that needed replacing, and the Antares conversion is geared to go with the Revell He 177 with the tail turret.  I think they got it well wrong, so a few extra casts won't go amiss.  Oh, and I need one for the other 277 I mentioned a few posts back.)
I also redid a few moulds that were a bit "Meh" and that included a turret/fuselage mount for the Beaufighter V.  I've long had thoughts of one fitted to a TF.X with a thimble nose, twin fin and rockets.  That turret could well scare off marauding Fw 190s during attacks over Norway.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

No, I didn't, Mike, I said "Let's throw Rick's record player on the fire, that'll be good for a laugh."

Did I mention trying to unwarp the Unicraft Bv P.188.02? 

Having looked at the other, later project, I decided to dig out the earlier one.  Apart from an issue with the main gears, the fuselage seemed to have an inbaked warp.  Get the kettle on. I dipped the back end of one fuselage and tried to flatten it. Did the same with t'other and then used elastic bands to hold the fuselage together.  Rinse and repeat with the two together and then repeat with the front end.  Leave in the fridge.

It's going to be a long term project, with a lot of scratchbodge work and replacement bits. The kit engines are unusable lumps of crap and I need to rework the fuselage U/C bays, plus source a Ju 388 cockpit interior.

Back to another of this year's key builds, the Squadron Hanneubu II.  Having done some clean up a week or so back, I did some gluing of the upper and lower components.  The fit is awful and the plastic soft. Really don't like it.
As someone with an interest in UFO lore, I know that the gun turrets underneath are no such thing - they are the field propulsion units.  The guns have got to go, so blanked off the mounts with a load of scrap plastic card and then liberally smeared them with filler.  I'll be sanding them completely smooth at some point.
I also filled in the chasms in the upper hull.  The raised rivets are massive, looking more like Blohm und Voss shipbuilders rivets, so like all the raised detail it's all going to be sanded off.

Plenty of opportunities for relaxing with a few rums whilst sanding outdoors.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

I'm completely bloody sick of this!

Having had to assemble a 1/1 greenhouse this week has took a dirty great chunk of time and energy. Highly frustrating, as whoever had designed the instructions clearly hadn't built it and there was a great deal of swearing. One of my former colleagues at Gosforth would have been highly amused.
A visit to B&Q to get some cement did yield a storage box in which to store one of the Ju 390s. Now I don't have to visit the hateful claustrophobic labyrinth that is IKEA. Once was enough.  I'd cheerfully watch the place burn to the ground.

It's also thrown my efforts to besting Alistair's Hawker P.1103, but at least the wings have had a first round of some extreme violence with various sanders, the banding is partially filled, and they've had several coats of primer with the last of a can.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

One of the great things about summer is tea on the lawn.

Finally, some nice weather to actually call it nice, so outside with the sanders and get some work done.

Key build 3 - the Hanneubu.  Those BFO rivets have got to go, so out with some heavy duty sanding blocks.  Even then, there are a lot of the pesky sods and I took to a scalpel for much of the removal as the sanders weren't quite up to the task.
Then the filler on the "turrets" was sanded back, before they had their own rivets sanded off before applying more filler to sort out the panel lines that really shouldn't be there.  The first application was sanded back and the fix is on overnight.  I'll be giving them another sand tomorrow before hitting them with primer.  I need these glass smooth.

I'm unsure if I'll bother installing, let alone painting, the cockpit as you can see sod all through the portholes.  Yes, I did think about a removable roof, but the fit is so sloppy that it will need filler and that negates the whole purpose.

The other task was to cut and and sand the Ju 390 fuselage, which is detailed in it's own thread.  The P.1103 is on hold until I get some grey primer.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

Brilliant. We are completely self sufficient in fertiliser...

Normally this time of year, I'd be scrabbling around like a lunatic trying to finish stuff off in time for Telford.  This year I'm not going through no fault of my own, so the build queue has took a bit of a knock and then other influences beyond my control kicked me when I was down.  Consequently, I've done feck all in nigh on a fortnight.

I've had some time to do some clearing and tidying and turned up a few sets - actually quite lot - of 72nd plans blown up some twenty odd years ago of various Blohm und Voss projects that I'd planned on scratchbodging.  Many have since come out as kits, but some others have yet to see the light of day.

Some of these kits are frankly right parcels of dog turds that I know I can do a better job of, the first being the Bv 155C.

I'd shelled out for the Bird Models kit, but was never happy with it, knowing that it was out.  I just didn't know how much.  Having found a decent set of plans, Justo Miranda ones no less, it's easier to do a cut and shut on a Pegasus 155B that correct the Bird kit. 
The wings are easy enough, once the radiator section is removed, but the fuselage needs deepening and the wing roots moving further down.  I'll make a profile from the plans and then a lot of P38 to build the base,  the radiator scoop under the fuselage/nose can be modified from the kit one.

All very simple?  Maybe, but I had intended on starting with the Pegasus kit as I have one to hand, but given the wing moves, perhaps the Special Hobby one would be better?


I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
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[NARSES2]

Be interesting to see these Lee. The Special Hobby kit is really nice, I just need to decide what to do with my second example.

[The Wooksta!]

"I thought you were dead."

I know I'm doing a tour on Spitfires at the minute, but a few things elsewhere - here and on Britmodeller - have made me think about Tempests.  The first was someone on Britmodeller who's done some 3d printed upgrades for the Matchbox kit and they do look excellent.  Very tempting indeed.  T'other was something I think Zen bought, the Eduard 48th Tempest II and I was almost tempted to get one, before remembering I don't do 48th and have sod all money to buy new kits.  Not to mention having to sort a very full loft.

Having done quite a few Tempests over the years you'd think I'd be all out of ideas.  However, you're wrong, because I haven't started with the annular Sabre ones I have tucked away.  I think I have a pair of each.  One will undoubtedly go 2TAF but the others may need some though as to users.

There was an annular Sabre Typhoon, but I think that would be too much work, but I'll have another look at it.  I also thought sideways, with fitting a similar engine to a Fury, only to remember I just cleared out a load of kits that I could use as a basis.  Still, the PM kit is cheap and Bolton is next week.

Could that engine be applied to something bigger? Well, yes.  There was a Warwick test bed post war that flew with it and the bits are in the Contrail kit.  I'm curious to see how well they'd fit perhaps a Lancaster or Lincoln.  Then again, a Brigand or a Buckingham test bed?  Possibly too much power for a Mosquito.

Will I do any of these?  Probably not, but some interesting ideas nonetheless.


I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

"That's OK, Neil. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

Hornets.

I really, really, really, didn't want to move away from Mosquitoes, but having had cause to go into the loft for something, I pulled out a few boxes with DH Hornets in.  I knew there was some assembled but unpainted ones and wanted to see what was there.  Two NF21s (one Skybirds, t'other Magna) that were going to be RAF night fighters instead, plus several Frog/Novo F3s and one that had been converted to a PR2 many years back and due for some kind of restoration.  One of the F3s is the AZ kit and TBH, I really dislike it.  It does have some elements that are improvements over the Skybirds, but the nacelles seem undernourished and there are panel lines where there should be none.  The u/c is too fiddly as well.  Given I have a big stash of the Skybirds ones, I'm probably going to ditch the AZ ones at some point, although the one that's assembled is likely to be finished at some point as a real one, either 33 or 45 sqn as I have the decals somewhere.

So, what to do with the ones that are there?  Well, the NF21s I have plans for - one actually got a coat of paint today (Med Sea Grey) - but the built F3s are likely to be PR5s as I'd sanded off the gun ports and a quick coat of Aluminium for one, plus the gorgeous Med Sea Grey over PRU Blue with the sexy Type D roundels for another should work.  Overall PRU Blue with codes for 1 PDU as also another option.  IIRC, one was going to be a drone and still might be.  All the masking for it put me off, but me and masking have come to an arrangement over the last few years and it's likely to happen sooner or later.

I did bring down a Frog box that contained a Skybirds F.1.  Other than the NF21 that's going RAF  - and still is, as I'd done the conversion work on it years back so it's wedded to that now - all my Skybirds kits are going to be real Hornets, which means any other kits are cleared for whiffery.  There's plenty of Frog/Novo ones, including a box with a good number of part started ones, plus perhaps half a dozen Magna ones.  I've long wanted to do one with rockets as a 2nd Tactical Air Force one in wartime colours and perhaps another Sea Hornet in British Pacific Fleet markings, although this time in either Aluminium or perhaps the later scheme with the high demarcation.  It was applied to some Seafires, so there is precedent.

But that Skybirds kit...  The wings have the actuator blisters and the wing folds for the Sea Hornet and I'm tempted with the Sea Hornet prototype.  Hmmm.  May have to have another look at that box of Hornets...




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[The Wooksta!]

"Neil, Neil, Neil! Nails aren't in the recipe."

Having remembered another part started Magna Sea Hornet, I ventured back into the cold loft, only to find a Magna Hornet F1 and Sea Hornet NF21 I didn't realise I had and it took me a while to find the F3 I knew was up there.  Having said that, there were fewer than I guessed. Only 5.

But back to that Sea Hornet prototype I'm thinking of.  Skybirds originally released the Hornet as a two option kit, with both the F1 fin and small tailplanes and the F3 fin and larger tailplanes, with the longer channel in the fuselage to accept both.  It also had the attachment points for the arrestor hook.  The would seem to be the ideal option.  It also turned out to be the first one that I dug out of the Skybirds hornet box in the loft.  It's also part started too, the wings being filled and the engine nacelles misaligned.  Now I can't remember doing it and it was second hand, plus if it had been me that had assembled them, I'd have cleaned the nacelles up first before gluing them, but these clearly are not. And whilst it does cut out some of the hard work, frustratingly the smaller fin isn't in the box - the F1 I located yesterday had two sets of the small tailplanes, so that's covered - so yet another visit into the loft tomorrow beckons.

And then there's masking on the Highball Sea Hornet and the RAF night fighter one.  But I'll do that later.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
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For more information, please reread.

[The Wooksta!]

"Oh, it's broken."

The plan to use a Skybirds Hornet F.1/F3 kit for the prototype Sea Hornet has floundered, on the fact that he never have an F1 fin in the kit.  Some F1s were retrofitted with the fin fillet but retained the small tailplanes, at least he says in the distructions. If you want to do the small fin, he suggested you cut it down.  Well, it was a product of that era and mindset - here's the basics, you do the work, I'm not spoiling you.

So they went back into the loft and I dug out a pair of the  proper F1 kit and at first glance it looks to be ideal as the arrestor hook mounts are on the fuselage.  I'll need another look in the box, but it looks to be perfect for my nefarious needs.  The plastic is also a tan colour, which is what he used towards the end, so I'm guessing it was one of those I bought from Mr Skybirds himself, the late Mike Eacock, at the Nationals when it was held at Donnington in either 1995 or 1996.  If it was the latter, he was literally telling anyone who would listen, with spittle infected venom and a purple face full of sheer rage, that Magna had pirated his Supermarine Scimitar.  Having nervously humoured him, I ponied up the wadge for the Hornets and backed away slowly.  Donnington for some reason had traders routinely threatened with violence, as Nigel Hannant was about to do serious harm to one trader that had crossed him at one stage before being advised to do it outside where it was dark and there were no witnesses, whilst another year saw Tony James of Comet being threatened with removal by the show manager if "his crap wasn't removed from in front of a fire exit".  For some reason, no one has done that to wockney canker Uncle Albert at Kit Krazy.

I'd done some clean up at some stage (IIRC, a wet Sunday in August 1997 and I *really* don't know how I can pin that down), mainly removing the wing fold, so that one may well be a different F1 using the markings from the AZ kit.  Possibly the aircraft of W.C. "Tiny" Neale, the Yorkshire sector commander, that had been one of the few Hornet PR.2s.  There's quite a few Hornet F.1s I'd like to do and I have enough Skybirds kits tucked away to do it.

I did manage to get some paint on the two RAF Hornet nightfighters that were assembled, although the Magna one is going darker than perhaps it should be.  I'm planning on colours similar to that worn by 85 Sqn's Meteor night fighters - Dark Green, Dark Sea Grey over Med Sea Grey (I think...need to check that) - as the final colours 85's Hornets wore before they were re-equipped.  The Skybirds one is going in the standard night fighter colours of Med Sea Grey and Dark Green and definitely 23 Sqn as the user.  I have a back story for it somewhere.  In the most recent trip into the loft I found the parts for it, so everything's gravy.

They'll get masked tomorrow, along with the Highball Sea Hornet as that now has the upper colour done to my satisfaction.  There's a pair of Mosquito B.XXVs that need masking too, but the Sea Hornet is first on the list as I really want that ready for Bolton.

I doubt it's worth it, given the lack of replies and all that, but comments for those still remotely and vaguely interested, and who can actually be arsed to reply, go here:
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=35118

For more information, please reread.