Raymondo53's messy workbench

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Raymondo53
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Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

My wife bought a box of old models from the tip/recycling centre.
She was the Lancaster on the top of the box and just had to save it.
She wanted me to re-build it depicting an aircraft and crew who survived the war.
I found a few candidates, from which she chose J A ‘Flash’ McCollah and his crew with PA975 MG-G of 7 squadron.
excuse the photo - it's hanging up.

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Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

Some of the stuff didn't get to the workbench, Nazi's and Imperial Japanese are not for me.
These are still in the box..
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and some will get fettled.
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Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

I've got a couple of fine Bristols in hand ..
I do love a Beaufighter ...
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it's a bit shiny - I'm awaiting decals/transfers from somewhere in Europe to arrive.
This will depict one of the Banff strike wing 'planes


The Blenheim makes me shudder when I think of it. This was a truly awful aeroplane to fly in so many ways, and yet our guys went out in it and did the business. I will build this in the markings of 57 squadron during the spring of 1940.
I'll just drop a statistic in here. 57 Squadron had a total of 57 Blenheim Mk IV'S.
Only eleven of these survived, some were lost while on other squadrons.



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Neither of the Bristols had propeller blades - so replacements have been found.
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Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

the Blenheim tailplanes were made from a CD case. Each of the clear canopy parts have benefitted from a good splash of 'Klear' and some gentle sanding.
Still to do are a B-25 - which is a bit of a challenge.

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I have stripped the Tempest V, which is a bit of a wreck - but I like fixing things.

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Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

The next diorama is shaping up, I have lots of figures to work on but am waiting (perhaps in vain) for an order from Matador Models.
You have to post (or fax!) the order form and just wait - we'll see how that works.
I got some stuff from a chap in Taiwan in just ten days!

this is still WIP - gluing the guy-wires on the tent was fun . .

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the tents and the hut are made from card, the hut has it's interior in place but I'm still working on the blokes to go in it.

The aeroplanes have flaps added and carry makings of significant aircraft of 41 squadron during 1944.
Details will be added later.
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wokka
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by wokka »

Looks like you have your work cut out. Another interesting fact, I believe 7 Sqn were the only sqn that had the aircraft ID letter on the side of the fuselage larger than the SQN ID letters. As for the Blenheim, Derek Robinson's 'Damned Good Show' gives a pretty good idea of what it was to fly these early war british bombers.
It's only pain, work through it.
Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

Derek Robinson is a damn fine author - his Goshawk Squadron is one of my favorite books. The whole issue of squadron codes and ID letters is of course a bit of a maze to navigate, Different sizes, different colours and outlines were all used. Many squadrons had two sets of codes. The thing I remember from a lifetime of service, in with and for the RAF is that the words 'Always' and 'Never' should be applied with care and rarely when dealing with anything air force related.
We know how thing should have been done, we also know how they were done.
In the situation of a full-scale war over a few years involving many thousands of aircraft - the idea that there was a 'standard' to which everyone adhered to is asking a lot.
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Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

A little bit of progress on the B-25 - I've made the missing flying surfaces from scrap plastic.
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Clashcityrocker
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Clashcityrocker »

The replacement parts look very good.

Nigel
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DavidWomby
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by DavidWomby »

Some wonderful restoration work there!

David
Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

I decided to rebuild it as a Canadian operated 'plane.
I cleaned the clear parts as best as I could , but only the cockpit one responded well, the others had too much glue on them.

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the two 'halves' were broken

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the crew were painted and fixed and the mid-upper turret 'perspex' disintegrated

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Out with the candle and I heated up some gash clear plastic and pushed the end of my inhaler into it - 'twas the right size.
Thus emboldened I made a new tail cockpit cover too.

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the tail unit was made by pushing the original into some hot clear plastic.

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early this morning I joined the fuselage and added the home-made missing control surfaces.


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It's beginning to take shape.
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iggie
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by iggie »

Good Lord, that B25 has improved greatly with your scratch-built parts! Great work 👍
Best wishes

Jim
If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing. If you use the airplane the next day, it's an outstanding landing
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow"
Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

When scratch building curved surfaces I find it handy to use old plastic bottles. At my scale 1:144 scale, the Micro-Set bottles work well. I used one to make the missing undercarriage doors, bomb-bay door and the odd missing panels.
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The props are from Quickboost.net and went together quite well. The boss needed a bit of drilling to make a good fit.
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gnomemeansgnome
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by gnomemeansgnome »

That’s a heroic restoration dude.
Ego no habeo consilium.

ICBM = Insatiable Collector and Builder of Models
Raymondo53
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Re: Raymondo53's messy workbench

Post by Raymondo53 »

replacement bomb-bay door works
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I like that it gives access to the slot for the display stand. I don't know what type of adhesive was used in the original construction. It looks like evostik or some other similar thick clatch. It has to be sanded out.
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Microset escape hatch in place and some of the worst holes and splits fettled.
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It's still going to look like a rough old kit left in the dump - but a cared for one.
The wing leading edges had reacted with the evil-stik and have blistered and warped. That will need straightening out.
I want to get all the sanding done before I attach the nacelles as they have the rather brittle resin props in place.
My hands shake with old age and I'm likely to drop the thing and snap them off.
They'll go on when I'm happy to paint it.
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