What's on the workbench!

[McColm]

Saturday 28th April 2018

I found some parts from the Italeri 1/72 EH-101 helicopter kit which fit the Mach2 Super Frelon, so I'll be using them to improve the model.

[McColm]

Sunday 29th April 2018

Been thinking of converting my Midland blue Pullman into the Royal Train, or Royal Mail mobile post office. Although a track repair train looks good as well .
The Grumman Guardian I s the water bomber version. I do have the Airmodel vacform Gannet AEW.3 conversion set which would fit and the Gannet could make a great water bomber or small business plane.
Meanwhile the rebirth of Eric the Viking is making a comeback. The Vulcan was badly damaged and fits nicely on the Revell Blohm and Voss BV222  Wiking.
The Maverick is now a Shackleton float plane with twin booms and twin tail. The Lancastrain resin nose cone fits the rear section I cut from the Revell MR.3 Shackleton with the MR.1 nose.
I have been putting off the filler/puty stage but I will tackle that next week.

[McColm]

Monday 30th April 2018

Three parcels arrived this morning;
1/72 already started YF-23 with gear up and no clear canopy.

Triang OO gauge R133/R125 Observation Coach blue with gold stripes and lettering ' Tri-Ang Railways' car number 20537.
The clear plastic has been reglued,  well worn in some areas with green seats and a fake rear red lamp. The box is very tatty.

The third box is the Revell H-263 18-inch Boeing SST Supersonic Clipper, no decals or instructions, includes stand. One model almost built without the engines, whilst the swing-wing model hasn't been touched.
I think that I might have a 1/144 Concorde in the stash

[McColm]

Tuesday 1st May 2018

I was planning to start PSR but with the two Revell Boeing SST kit in various stages of builds my curiosity got the better of me.
I washed both kits to find that the nose on the mid-swept wing was damaged, so it now has the drooped nose from a Revell 1/144 Concorde,it also has the engines from that Kit as well. I will make a set of FOD doors that close on take off and open in flight. The nose wheel will be replaced
as well.
The swept back wing model will get all the remaining parts from the original kit.

[McColm]

Monday 7th May 2018

I have been using a lot of Milliput 2 pack filler/puty on my current builds.
I went with the folding tail on my Westland Super Frelon AEW.1.
The Mighty Thor now has the Avro Vulcan fitted in place. I have also added the resin Cammett BAe Nimrod AEW radomes fore and aft to the Revell Blohm and Voss BV222  Wiking. They are a good fit.
The Spartacus jet C-27 looks good with its skis.
Just waiting for these to dry.

[McColm]

Wednesday 16th May 2018

Since going on to days to cover holiday leave I haven't got up to much.
I got hold of a 1/72 Novo Fairey Gannet Mk1/4 and added the tail end from a Airmodel vacform Gannet AEW. I removed the vertical tail fin and replaced this with the twin tail fins from an A-10A. I reglued the vertical tail fin to clear it's new tail and also glued the rotodome from a Revell 1/144 Boeing E-3A AWACS.
I have added the engine from a C-130 Kit.
The wings and main landing gear are in place.
I found another Airmodel Gannet AEW, thought of a jet version, using parts from a BAC Lightning.

[McColm]

Saturday 19th May 2018

I have been having a radical rethink on my current builds.
The Majestic could revert back to a kitbash between the remains of the Mach2 Martin SeaMaster and the Airfix BAe Nimrod, keeping the vertical tail fins. I'll see if the Nimrod fuselage can be flipped upside down which will give the wings a downward appearance.  ( I already have the cockpit section from another Airfix BAe Nimrod glued in place) I'll have to check if I kept the wingtip floats if not I'll make a pair or use something from my spares boxes.
With the X/YB-35 wing turned the correct way round this should fit the vacform B-36 fuselage. I'll remove the seats and put them to one side as I will need to fit a false floor for the gaps and cut the space for the new roof. I need to trim down the Monogram parts so that they fit the interior, the
C-71 Stardust. I think that I still have parts from the Revell Airbus A400M Kit to make a cargo ramp, I know I have the T-tail so I will fit that.
SAC provides a white metal landing gear for the B-36, so I will use that. A few extra windows a long the fuselage, I could add a upper deck above the cargo bay.

[McColm]

Tuesday 22nd May 2018

Just seen two photoshoped pictures on facebook "Great Planes that never flew". Which has got me thinking, I can make them. One depicts the B-36 Peacemaker with forward swept wings and jet pods on the wingtips, whilst the other looks to me as if if was a B-29 with the wings at the rear and flaps in the middle, the canopy looks different.
I'll see if the wing from the YB-35 fits. I've got an Academy B-29 in the stash.

[McColm]

Friday 25th May 2018

Well I never knew that there were three different blue and white paint schemes for the 'Blue Middleland Pullman", two with yellow fronts. This might be due as the third scheme was replaced with the grey and white livery.
Meanwhile the recycling continues with the Breguet Br1150, jet powered Atlantic AEW. The Mach2 cockpit has been replaced with the forward fuselage from the Revell Atlantic with the front of the Airfix BAe Nimrod MR.1 Not quiet a perfect fit but it seems to work.
The fuselage stretch doesn't look out of place. I may need to change the main landing gear to those from the Airfix kit.
The other parts are being used on the Mach2 SeaMaster.

[McColm]

Wednesday 30th May 2018

The Mighty Thor continues to take shape whilst the grey and green camouflage paint scheme of the Airfix Avro Vulcan flakes off from the previous builder. I managed to use most of the Vulcan on this build with the resin used & abused Cammett BAe Nimrod AEW radomes. I've been considering using the floats from the Revell Blohm and Voss BV222A Wiking only this time depicting a scene at sea using a slab of polystyrene as a base.
Meanwhile the Majestic has the wings from the Revell/Matchbox Victor kit. These seem to be a better fit, I know that they hide the Airfix BAe Nimrod fuselage section, but the window holes were very useful when aligning the wings.
Parts from the Airfix Avro Shackleton MR.2 interior fit neatly in the resin fuselage sections of the 1/72 CMR Avro York conversion set, I cut out the cargo door section so the doors can be glued in the open position. With a bit of whiffery the workstations can now be seen. The wings come from a Novo/Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 and the leftovers are being used with the Revell wings which have the Matchbox A-10A engines fitted to the main landing gear housing. Jet powered Shackleton or Shackleteer as I think I have called it once before.

[McColm]

Tuesday 5th June 2018

For those Whiffers who have ever tried kitbashing the Academy 1/72 Boeing
B-29A Superfortress Enola Gay with any of the Airfix/Heller or Rareplane 1/72  Lockheed L1049 Super Constellation, will know that the two kits are not compatible.
However the B-29A does fit inside the vacform fuselage and with a bit of trimming can turn the Connie into a bomber. All be it a Starliner bomber with a vertical tail fin and a lower landing gear.
The bomb racks are glued in place, the rear interior, I didn't add any cockpit interior as you won't be able to see it. I had to cut out the wingbox section on the Connie so the wings from the B-29A can fit snugly to the new fuselage. The bomb bay doors will be positioned open.
The Academy kit supplies the gun turrets and refueling system used by the KB-29P. The some of the glazed parts are for the
B-50.
Tomorrow I will make a start on the interior painting.

[McColm]

Wednesday 6th June 2018

The second half of the vacform fuselage was Superglued on to the B-29. Holes have been cut out for the bomb bays, turrets and side windows.

Got a large parcel delivered today inside was the 1/72 Revell DC-4 Balair/Iceland Airways.
My first thought was to add the wings from a Avro Shackleton and engines with a tail wheel, this would look a lot like the Avro Tudor. On second thoughts just add the Rolls-Royce Griffons.
I've got a DC-6 in the stash which I know that the triple tail fins from the Airfix Connie fit rather well, sort of DC-5 in the layout.
I also have the Revell DC-7 but the scale is much smaller than 1/72 and larger than 1/144.
I've ordered another Revell HP Victor, which I will convert into the Sea Victor using the Airmodel vacform Martin SeaMaster.

[McColm]

Saturday 9th June 2018

I caught the 11:00am National Express coach from London Victoria coach Station, Elizabeth Street on Thursday down to Falmouth in Cornwall. I'm staying at my mums bungalow until Sunday night and catching the overnight service to London which should arrive at 06:20am on Monday morning.
I have never seen the coach packed with people, there's two coaches that go down to Penzance , one at gate 8 and the other is at gate 20. Which is at the other side of the universe especially when you're in the wrong que.
Not all coaches have Wi-Fi or phone chargers that work. One of the passengers offered a student a book to read, the baffled student whispered' it's got no lead I can't plug it in'.
I haven't located any model kits in the various antique stores or car boot sales. The shop in the high street has closed down. Not too sure if the one in Truro is still there. I'll keep looking.

[NARSES2]

Not all coaches have Wi-Fi or phone chargers that work. One of the passengers offered a student a book to read, the baffled student whispered' it's got no lead I can't plug it in'.

Why does that not surprise me 

Long coach trip, but a lovely part of the world

[zenrat]

I was once on an 18hour flight from Dubai (no, it was a freebee) to 'straya where the entertainment system went tits up.
Some unprepared passengers were forced to read the in flight magazine.