Global Scale Modeller

RangerNeil wrote: Sun May 12, 2024 2:31 am Had any one ever read this book about the adventures of the crew & passengers of an Imperial Airways C Class flying boat? If not I can recommend it.


Anyways there was I sitting looking at the off-cut from the base of the big Mil 's display wondering what I could do with it when my eyes caught this book on the bookshelves and the cogs started tirning. Slowly I grant you but turning nonetheless.
I got to thinking - could I modify a Mk 1 Sunderland into a C Class? A quick nose on Scalemate revealed no conversion kits - BUT- CMK had a resin & PE release of the C Class in their books and Hannants had two in stock. Now they have one...
Digging on the dreaded Ebay got me the Airfix S6 float plane racer and their TBD-1 Devastator. All feature in the closes pages of the book as 109 becomes a bullion flight trans-Atlantic and - suspend all belief in reality a moment - a baddie in the US buys an S6B, cuts the wings open and installs a pair of 50 cals in each wing. Reality says he could never have bought one and first time they were fired the recoil would make the wings fold as their structure wasn't designed to cope - but this is a fiction story so.....

I am thinking a dio showing the C Class having landed on a lake, the S6 behind it being blown up onto a muddy bank by the C Class's prop wash and one of the TBD-1's, sent to intercept the fighter, passing overhead.

Watch this space!! (And read the book - it really is good)

digger303 wrote: Sun May 12, 2024 6:04 am From 2009 ...bit of a long shot and not sure if it's the right one.

"I am now offering the above conversion kit, for those of you who have an Airfix Sunderland kit lying about that doesn’t know what to do with itself. The resin kit includes a tapered nose, pointy tail turret plug, dorsal turret plug, and P&W engines. Also included is a small three-view plan, 1/1 fuselage diagram with window locations, and basic directions. All you have to add are some B-17/B-24 props, some tubing for stacks, some .060″ sheet styrene, and loads of patience, (plus the cost of the kit.) The cost is US$40.00, plus postage. If interested, drop me a line here, or get me directly at: dkopher@wt.net "

RangerNeil wrote: Sun May 12, 2024 3:56 pm

digger303 wrote: Sun May 12, 2024 6:04 am From 2009 ...bit of a long shot and not sure if it's the right one.

"I am now offering the above conversion kit, for those of you who have an Airfix Sunderland kit lying about that doesn’t know what to do with itself. The resin kit includes a tapered nose, pointy tail turret plug, dorsal turret plug, and P&W engines. Also included is a small three-view plan, 1/1 fuselage diagram with window locations, and basic directions. All you have to add are some B-17/B-24 props, some tubing for stacks, some .060″ sheet styrene, and loads of patience, (plus the cost of the kit.) The cost is US$40.00, plus postage. If interested, drop me a line here, or get me directly at: dkopher@wt.net "

Thanks for the pointer Digger - I 've actually got one of these on order from Hannants though:


A complete 1/72 scale C Class in resin, Edouard pe and clear parts by Czech Master Resin - Kit # CMR72-200. Its got quite good reviews online. This is an example:
https://www.internetmodeler.com/scalemo ... t_S-23.php

Together with these from the dread auction site of spousal infamy:




These are the three aircraft in the closing pages of the book.

Definitely going to be a BIG jobbie - not least because it will require the creation of a water diorama base and thuse use of poured resin - which I've never done before!!! If I say that quickly I don't question my sanity!!

SUPERMARINE S.6.B.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Assemble the floats by applying glue to the inside edges of the float halves and joining them together (1, 2, 3 and 4).

2. Apply glue to the ends of the spacers and place them in the slots on the inside of the floats. Make sure the assembly is correctly aligned, then let it dry (5 t 6).

3. Paste the driver on the platform in a half of the fuselage (7).

4. Glue the stabilizer plane and the wing on the starboard side to the fuselage by inserting the tenons into the holes in the fuselage and gluing them inside (8, 9 and 10).

5. Repeat this operation for the port side of the aircraft and allow it to dry (11, 12 and 13).

6. Glue the rear spacers into the floats, gluing the tops of the spacers to form a single assembly, with the spacers angled forward at the top (14 and 15).

7. Glue the propeller shaft to the propeller, and leave to dry (16 and 17).

8. Glue the fuselage halves together by applying glue to the edges, after putting the propeller shaft in place. Make sure that the glue does not come into contact with the shaft or the propeller.

9. Glue the boxes to the flat surfaces provided on the front fairing (18 and 19).

10. When the fuselage is dry, glue the rear branches of the floats in the housing provided in the fuselage. Position and glue the front branches, ensuring they are correctly aligned before drying (20 and 21)

11. Glue the cockpit top in place by applying glue to the front and bottom edges of the cockpit top (22). NOTE: If you wish to paint the model, you must do it at this stage of construction.

12. Apply decals. First cut the sheet into seven separate subjects. Immerse each of them in very hot water for a few minutes; Apply decals in place as shown in illustrations. The tricolor stripes of the drift plan must dry before the serial numbers are applied The name of the aircraft is applied to the transparent base.

13. To increase the realism of the model, guying wires can be used, following the guying system shown in the cover illustration. It may be necessary to drill out the wire locations with a needle to allow them to move to through the model parts (these wires can be made of fine sewing thread or fuse thread).

14. Glue the support arm into the base.

15. Glue the support arm into the slot provided for this purpose in the fuselage.

COMBINATION

Silver: Upper and lower surfaces of the wings and stabilizer plane, top ,propeller masts with spacers and branches, underside of the fuselage between the wing connections. Royal Blue: Sides and underside of the fuselage, fin plane and fairing along the top

To paint, use AIRFIX paint. To glue, use AIRFIX polystyrene glue.

RangerNeil wrote: Thu May 16, 2024 1:40 pm First two kits have arrived ready for when the Mil build finishes:




Not sure about the state of the decals in the TBD-1, this one might need another visit to Hannants for a modern decal set for pre-war TBD-1's. In the book they are Marine Corps aircraft, but a quick look on line says the Marines never operated this type in the pre-war years so the choice is either go with Navy markings or fudge up some mythical Marine markings. Going to need some thought!

The S3's are good though. I think I might have to bend things a bit though, the fictional S3 in the book is G-ADHO "Carerina", the font used for the kit decals is not one I've seen before so unless I can find a way of replicating it I might have to use G-ADHL "Canopus". Got to give this some serous thought too!!!
Nothing is ever simple...

digger303 wrote: Mon Jul 08, 2024 3:35 pm

RangerNeil wrote: Thu May 16, 2024 1:40 pm First two kits have arrived ready for when the Mil build finishes:




Not sure about the state of the decals in the TBD-1, this one might need another visit to Hannants for a modern decal set for pre-war TBD-1's. In the book they are Marine Corps aircraft, but a quick look on line says the Marines never operated this type in the pre-war years so the choice is either go with Navy markings or fudge up some mythical Marine markings. Going to need some thought!

The S3's are good though. I think I might have to bend things a bit though, the fictional S3 in the book is G-ADHO "Carerina", the font used for the kit decals is not one I've seen before so unless I can find a way of replicating it I might have to use G-ADHL "Canopus". Got to give this some serous thought too!!!
Nothing is ever simple...

Nice Empire flying boat.
I think the float plane ver of the TB-1 and there was only one was used to test torpedoes, but I'm not totally sure about that.

digger303 wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 6:05 am I've never seen a kit with such a rough surface on the inside of the kit. True it won't be seen and doesn't matter, but it does look rough.
I'm sure you will get everything to line up......you've enough experience

RangerNeil wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 9:28 am

digger303 wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 6:05 am I've never seen a kit with such a rough surface on the inside of the kit. True it won't be seen and doesn't matter, but it does look rough.
I'm sure you will get everything to line up......you've enough experience

Its a very old kit Digger - according to Scalemates it was first released in 1957, the artwork on this one dates to 1959!! I was 3 then so the kit is over 64 years old!!! If it were to be released on new tooling today I'm sure it would be far higher quality inside and out. I'm counting myself lucky it was only the wings that had ejector pin parks on visible surfaces.

digger303 wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 10:36 am

RangerNeil wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 9:28 am

digger303 wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 6:05 am I've never seen a kit with such a rough surface on the inside of the kit. True it won't be seen and doesn't matter, but it does look rough.
I'm sure you will get everything to line up......you've enough experience

Its a very old kit Digger - according to Scalemates it was first released in 1957, the artwork on this one dates to 1959!! I was 3 then so the kit is over 64 years old!!! If it were to be released on new tooling today I'm sure it would be far higher quality inside and out. I'm counting myself lucky it was only the wings that had ejector pin parks on visible surfaces.

Must be the oldest kit ever attempted here.



Ps...I know where there is a bunch of wnw kits

RangerNeil wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 10:54 am

digger303 wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 10:36 am

RangerNeil wrote: Tue Jul 09, 2024 9:28 am

Its a very old kit Digger - according to Scalemates it was first released in 1957, the artwork on this one dates to 1959!! I was 3 then so the kit is over 64 years old!!! If it were to be released on new tooling today I'm sure it would be far higher quality inside and out. I'm counting myself lucky it was only the wings that had ejector pin parks on visible surfaces.

Must be the oldest kit ever attempted here.



Ps...I know where there is a bunch of wnw kits

What ones? And, more importantly, how much? I could be open to an SE5a and/or an Albatross Scout at the right price!

"The nose, float struts and upper wing surfaces were all plated with polished Duralamin,the remainder of her body glistened a freshly painted white.

Twokidsnosleep wrote: Sun Jul 21, 2024 2:19 am Nice paintwork coming through here
I like the pilots, very well done

digger303 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2024 4:07 am Oh those decals really aren't good. Might be a bit much to touch up with paint. This is where my mojo takes a dive if it was mine cause it's looking like a respray then sourcing new ones or knocking up some masks and that's a pain too.

digger303 wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 4:11 am Valom are short run kits much the same as special hobby ones that require a bit of work and missing some details , but turn out ok is what I've heard.