JayBee's WHIFs - The Early Years

JayBee · January 13, 2009, 09:06:54 AM

Second attempt at posting this!!

In the mid 1970's I was in the Doncaster area for about six months and attended the nearest IPMS branch - Sheffield.
At one of the monthly meetings there was a group visiting from the Trent Modellers Society, and in amongst this group I met Kit Spakman.
During our conversation he mentioned his tandem-two seat Lightning and that thought stayed with me.
A few years later, when I was living and working in Stornoway, I had the Hasegawa kit of the A-4E Skyhawk with it's overscale fuselage and Kit's idea came back to me.
My thought processes went some thing like this:-
"Why is the fuselage too big?"
"So it can carry two people!"
"but there is already a tandem two seat Skyhawk!"
"OK. Lets do a side by side two seater"

Before you get to the photos, here is a short history about the markings.

At the begining of the USA's involvement in Vietnam, the USN decided that they were going to need a lot more 'Mud Movers' so a number of fighter squadrons were re-assigned to the strike role.
One of these was VF-111 'SUNDOWNERS' who became VA-111. Thankfully they kept the name 'SUNDOWNERS' and associated markings when they re-equiped with A-4 Skyhawks.

JayBee · January 13, 2009, 09:09:09 AM

Photo No. 2, I am still havimg problems with this!

JayBee · January 13, 2009, 09:10:18 AM

Photo 3

Jschmus · January 13, 2009, 10:23:53 AM

A side-by-side Scooter! I love it!!!

GTX · January 13, 2009, 11:14:45 AM

Cool! Be a tight fit, but cool!

Regards,

Greg

ysi_maniac · January 13, 2009, 11:15:42 AM

Hey that side-by-side scooter is really GOOD

Scooterman · January 13, 2009, 11:20:30 AM

EXCELLENT!!!

Joe C-P · January 13, 2009, 01:17:20 PM

Kool beanz!

Ed S · January 13, 2009, 01:36:57 PM

Brilliant idea and well executed.

Ed

PR19_Kit · January 13, 2009, 01:48:30 PM

Quote from: JayBee on January 13, 2009, 09:06:54 AM
In the mid 1970's I was in the Doncaster area for about six months and attended the nearest IPMS branch - Sheffield.
At one of the monthly meetings there was a group visiting from the Trent Modellers Society, and in amongst this group I met Kit Spackman.
During our conversation he mentioned his tandem-two seat Lightning and that thought stayed with me.

I dunno, I get blamed for EVERYthing around here now.

Your TA-4D looks a sight more believable than my Lightning F8 though, well done indeed.

sotoolslinger · January 13, 2009, 02:02:40 PM

That whiff is beauty

JayBee · January 13, 2009, 02:23:35 PM

Kit.

and so you should!
You are an inspiration to us all.

JayBee

noxioux · January 13, 2009, 04:49:58 PM

Now that's a beauty. Just the sort of thing to mess up the rivet counters.

Sisko · January 13, 2009, 05:54:03 PM

Very nice stuff!!!!!!!

Thanks for sharing.

JayBee · January 14, 2009, 09:05:04 AM

....and that was followed by the Twin Vampire HFR-21.

The inspiratuion for this one came from a conversation with Mike McEvoy who mentioned Dassault's project for a twin Ouragan (now there's a thought!).

Two Frog Vampire's, Airfix Hawk main u/c, Matchbox Saab J-29 canopy, plasticard and filler.

Arrmament, two Hispano Mk5 cannon in the centre section, and lots of cameras.