Westland Wyvern - PDRV Magpie Squadron.

[zenrat]

Magpie Wyvern 9 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
It has never been officially revealed how the PDRV obtained it's Wyverns.  All that is known for certain is that the UK Labour government of the time turned a blind eye and the shady Dutch conglomerate Smallbeer Internationaal was involved.
They did arrive without engines though.  A last minute court injunction preventing export of the Armstrong Siddeley Pythons.
Not ones to be stopped by a small thing like a lack of motive power the PDRV fitted locally produced James G81 Turboprops.  These engines, while physically almost identical in size to the Pythons were faster turning necessitating the fitment of an additional reduction gearbox between the front of the engine and the contraprop (a prototype was flown without this but severe problems were encountered due to blade  tip speed).
Magpie Wyvern 5 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Initially the Wyverns were painted in Archipelago Camouflage and used for revenue protection duties in the Bass Strait.  Armed with torpedoes or rockets they were particularly feared by smugglers, many of whose vessels they sent to the bottom.  Replaced, eventually in the mid sixties, by Skyraider floatplanes the Wyverns took up a new lease of life defending the capital, Batmania.
Magpie Wyvern 4 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
By this time the role of the City Defence squadrons was mostly ceremonial, providing fly pasts for sporting events and visiting dignitaries, beating up the local PDRV Navy airfields and of course carrying out the traditional weekly scramble when every airworthy aircraft on the base would take off en-masse and intercept a commercial passenger flight coming into Essendon.  The flight to be intercepted was supposed to be chosen at random but it has been pointed out that the selection quite often just happened to be that of a flight carrying an international sports team or popular music performer.
Magpie Wyvern 8 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
It is not known who first suggested that the Wyverns be painted in a Magpie livery but it was done because their hunchbacked profile is reminiscent of an Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) in flight.  Although never officially renamed they became popularly known as the Magpie Squadron or Magpie Flight and were seen as a good luck symbol for the city of Batmania.
Magpie Wyvern 11 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

The Model.
Trumpeter 1/72 Westland Wyvern S4 built OOB apart from the pilot, extended nose and missiles.
The nose is because I managed to lose the back of the prop and had to scratch build a replacement.  At which point I thought "why not make it longer?"
The missiles are from an Italeri 1/72 MiG 29 and are there because it needed something under the wings and drop tanks (my original plan) didn't cut it.
Magpie Wyvern 13 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr
Magpie Wyvern 12 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[PR19_Kit]

That's awesome Fred, love the scheme, really innovative. 

I don't think I've EVER seen a Wyvern model with the air brakes extended before, nice work.

[Dizzyfugu]

Sexy!  Not certain about the Alamos, but the paint scheme looks excellent on the Wyvern. Almost looks as if there were some Stormtroopers at the controls...?

[rickshaw]

Not a Collingwood supporter by any chance there?   

[Old Wombat]

Sweet!

[KiwiZac]

That paint scheme is stunning!!!

[NARSES2]

Absolutely cracking model 

[zenrat]

Thanks folks.

Not a Collingwood supporter by any chance there?   

No, Footscray.  But when I grokked the similarity I had to paint it.

[DogfighterZen]

That is excellent work!

[rickshaw]

Thanks folks.

Not a Collingwood supporter by any chance there?   

No, Footscray.  But when I grokked the similarity I had to paint it.

Send a picture to Eddie, he'd appreciate it... 

[Captain Canada]

Ooh that's neat ! Love the paint scheme really sharp.

[zenrat]

Thanks DFZ, Cap'n.

Brian - There are things I am often tempted to send to Eddie...
...most of which it is illegal to send through the mail.

[comrade harps]

I can see that doing an ANZAC Day flypast.

Beautiful 

[zenrat]

Three of them in v formation, flying straight down St Kilda Road from the City to the Shrine catching the first rays of the sun at the climax of the dawn service.

[TheChronicOne]

Amazing!!! Oh man, fantastic work, dude!! I love this.....   if not already nominated I would be running to the whiffie thread.