What's on the workbench!

[Tophe]

Know wonder the Mach2 Argosy was so cheap there's no landing gear with it

Thanks for this information about that twin-boomer that I may build domeday.

[Tophe]

The Mach2 Argosy now has the six J47-GE-25 taken from the Hasegawa
B-47E kit. Still waiting for that to dry.

Wow!

[McColm]

Sunday 24th November 2019

So the Boeing RB-47H and Avro Vulcan B.2 kitbash has a new name 'The Grand Hammer ', I've found that the bomb bay doors for the Avro Shackleton MR.3 cover the gap made by the new accommodation and the rear radome.
Whilst the kitbash C-97 gets the wings from a BAe Nimrod and tail from the B-47,  this is now called the Sledgehammer.
Second time lucky and I have successfully managed to fit the wings from a Heller Lockheed L-749 Constellation to the fuselage of the Academy C-97, by removing the middle part of the Connie wings and cutting to slits for the spars to fit into. In fact I seperated the C-97 upper and lower decks. This is more work but the end result is worth while.
The upper and lower decks have their windows and are joined together.  Plus a nose weight and nose wheel well fitted. The vertical tail fin is also glued in place. The outer engines from the C-97A kit are assembled and drying with clamps plus masking tape. I will need to find smaller propeller blades or trim the ones provided to clear the fuselage.
However the propellers from the Lockheed Constellation seem to fit so I will be able to use them.

[McColm]

Monday 9th December 2019

Work is manic at the moment as I am filling in gaps for staff taking leave before the end of the year.  On the other hand may wages have doubled due to the Bank holidays.
2020 will be dedicated to finishing my builds as it literally has come to the stage where I don't have any room to start anything new. Some of them are my best efforts and others well 'what did I do that for?'
Seasonal greetings to one and all.

[Tophe]

Some of them are my best efforts

Congratulations!

[McColm]

Some of them are my best efforts

Congratulations!

Thanks 

[McColm]

Monday 16th December 2019
I have never been a fan of the F-16 Falcon,  I've always seen it as an updated F-104 and although the Americans did try and sell the British both new & secondhand versions they resisted.
So why did I end up with two 1/48 F-16s from the 'spares or repair ' section on eBay,  you might well ask? Well I had already ordered the A-10A Thunderbolt II , it's engines are to be used on the 1/72 Mach2 Martin SeaMaster thus having parts to kitbash with.
The wings,  landing gear and twin tail fins will be used on the best F-16, I have a replacement canopy for the F-16 and the gun will make its way onto the Airfix BAe Nimrod MRA.2P build.

[McColm]

Saturday 28th December 2019

The 1/72 Shorts Cadillac AEW.1 idea is back on track,  having found 4 cowlings from an old Frog/Novo Avro Shackleton MR.3 kit.
The Roden 1/72 An-12 Cub now has one of the twin jet engines taken from the Anigrand SeaMaster which roughly fits on the upper wing junction. A bit of putty/filler should hide the gaps. I found a rotodome from a Hawkeye which fits on the vertical tail fin.
As for the Historic Wings 1/72 Vickers Valiant B.2,  the undercarriage will be tested on my kitbashed Breguet/Vickers Br1250 Mystic AEW flying boat  if this fits the B.2 Pathfinder will revert to the B.1 landing gear.
Got an idea for an AEW platform using the Nimrod AEW.3 conversion set with either the Airfix or Mach2 model (with Alleycat replacement parts).
The Avro Yorktown now has the starboard Rolls-Royce Merlin engine fitted to the inner engine bay, with the two Nene jet engines on the outer engine bays. The Liberator/Privateer tail fins suit this build.
Yes 2020 is going to be a busy year,  finishing most of my started builds. 👍🤔

[McColm]

Tuesday 31st December 2019

I have managed to salvage a 1/72 Airfix Fairey Rotodyne from a "spares or repairs " box of damaged aircraft builds using a few leftover parts from the stash . The main rotor is taken from the Aurora AH-56A Cheyenne kit and the deflated AEW radome is from the Freightdog range. Meanwhile the propellers are from the Airfix Bristol Superfreighter.
It has the original paint scheme which I might keep and use as the prototype.
The Shorts Stirling kit is wrapped,  so I have cut the fuselage into several sections to get it to fit. The Griffon engines have been cut to size and work really well as if they were meant to be fitted to this kit. I know it's supposed to be an AEW platform but the two noses from the Airfix Mitchell B-25 fit rather well at each end of the fuselage with the radome from the Revell Avro Shackleton AEW.2 glued to the upper middle turret . My thoughts being that one aircraft was fitted with a radar to prevent the bombers colliding with each other on a bombing mission and seek out enemy fighters or tested by Coastal Command prior to getting the Avro Shackleton MR.1.

[McColm]

Monday 6th January 2020

Been working on the Shorts Cadillac GR1B.  I think Coastal Command would have used this for anti-submarine and anti-surface duties whilst Bomber Command would have used it as a support aircraft on bombing missions as it could use it's weapons bays plus it's heavy guns to defend itself from enemy fighters.
Well the landing gear is in place. There's still a lot of work to do to clean it up in readiness for painting.

On the job front,  starting from February,  I go back to a 60 hour week with Monday and Tuesday off as my rest days. Having a higher rate of pay seems great on paper but the taxman takes his share and doesn't leave me with much hence scaling back the hours.

The Airfix Rotodyne AEW has suffered broken legs due to a heavy landing during flight trials,  a raid in the spares box should provide the adequate parts.

[McColm]

Monday 13th January 2020

Having a lazy day whilst doing the laundry. The Frog  1/72 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V or Mk.VII now has the vertical tail fin from a Vickers Wellington,  the fuselage is glued together, wings, tail and landing gear all fitted. Just needs painting,  I will use the wheels from the Airfix kit. The engines from an early Airfix Avro Lancaster seem to be a better fit than the ones in the kit.
Meanwhile the Avro Yorktown now has all its engines fitted,  two inner Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce Merlins and two Nene jets on the outer wings. Now to work out the ground clearance and whether I got the angle of the wings right.
The Roden An-12 Cub concept with a pair of jet engines above the fuselage/wing-box section which came from the Anigrand Martin SeaMaster has stuck solid. The real thing would need to be soundproof due to the noise of those engines.
The Breguet Br1250 Mystic  AEW. 1 has lost its twin tail fins,  these can be replaced with two 1/48 F-16 vertical tail fins.
My two tailless AEW concept aircraft (what was I drinking at the time!) Still look impressive although controversial. Paint schemes are still to be decided.
I'm on leave as of the 21st for a week,  so out will come the rattle cans on the larger builds.

[McColm]

Tuesday 14th January 2020

A rather large parcel was waiting for me in the kitchen,  once unpacked the contents revealed the 1/72 Combat Models  Convair Tradewind R3Y-2. There's no propellers or interior details with this kit,  although I think that there was a separate detailing set that was available to buy.
There's building instructions and line drawings that allow for a scratch built cradle,  floats and propeller blades. There's an address for the interior parts and propeller blades from Roberts Models , 18 East Clay Avenue,  West Hazelton,Pennsylvania 18201.
It's a big vacform kit,  I'm thinking did I save any parts from the Revell 1/72 Airbus A4000M Atlas/Grizzly kit. Most of the parts won't look out of place on the Tradewind and with the nose in the open position the Atlas interior would be seen. I can use the Revell Blohm and Voss BV-222 kit as a guide for the interior ribs to make the fuselage rigid. The engines from the Atlas will be used on this build, but I will need to do some research first.

[McColm]

Monday 20th January 2020

I know that I said that I wouldn't start anything new until I have finished started builds but the 1/72 Mach2 Sud SE210 Caravelle was too much of a temptation,  besides I managed to get the wings to fit the fuselage.  Yes the cockpit interior doesn't fit,  nor do the seats or the front nose gear,  the windows along the fuselage don't fit either but the tail elevators do which is a real plus.  I didn't open up the rear for the steps but both windshields now fit.
Yes it will be a whiff using the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye rotodome or Eeryie AEW. I might have a go at the splinter camouflage.
If I can't get the main landing gear to fit, it's gear up and I have a wooden stand.
Update
The engines have been changed to those used  by the Boeing B-52G. Quad engines at the rear,  a pair each side of the fuselage similar to those fitted to the Vickers VC10.

[McColm]

Thursday 23rd January 2020

So I am off this week and I am already losing track of what day it is. Yesterday I assembled my new bed, whilst doing this my fingers had some sort of spasm on both hands. It didn't hurt but felt weird for a few seconds,  as usual the instructions were similar to those you get with any Mach2 kit. If they are going to supply me with different sized bolts then they should colour them to make it easier.
Rant over, the 1/72 Frog Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.VII now has radial engines,  a pair taken from the Boeing C-97. The front and back have been blanked off for the transport version and it now sports a single fin vertical tail taken from a Vickers Wellington.  For the first time this year I am applying filler/putty to the gaps.
Either the Mach2 Sud Caravelle kit moulds have improved or I am getting better in building this model as the parts seem to fit especially the wings which have caused me problems in the past.
However I have noticed that the prices for the 1/72 Breguet Br1150 Atlantic have soared to a new high starting at the £60 mark for the Revell kit and silly prices for the Mach2 model-£83 on eBay. You can get a secondhand B-36 for almost the same price!
From February I will go back to a 60 hour week with Monday and Tuesday off but work the rest of the week including the weekends down at the Southbank,  only covering Batt Cables Erith for holidays on the day shift. Ironically most of the electrical companies have gone back to using cables supplied by Batts, so at least I get to chat with the drivers.
It's a good job that I am off this week as I have picked up a dry cough,  any excuse to stay in bed is fine with me.
Stay safe and keep Whiffing!
Part 2
After lunch I performed a bit of recycling on two builds, the former  tailless Avro Shackleton MR.3 AEW has had it's rear quad jet engines removed and replaced by two body panels from the Matchbox PB-4Y-2 Privateer to cover the gaps. The quad engines are now superglued to the Mach2 Sud Caravelle 'Erieye ' project.
I think that I used a few muscles that I don't usually use in the construction of my new bed, hence a relaxing day.

[McColm]

Saturday 25th January 2020

I tried dry fitting the rotodome from the 1/72 Fujimi Grumman E-2A Hawkeye to the Mach2 Sud Caravelle which seems to work a lot better than the resin Erieye pod which fits nicely on the Hawkeye. I removed the two inner tail fins from the Hawkeye to fit the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley which look alot better than the ones supplied with the kit.
Whilst the Fujimi Hawkeyes' parts are on the thick side,  they seem to fit well apart from the wings and joining the two fuselage halves together although I can't see much through the thick clear plastic windshield so I left this in it's raw state.
To avoid a tail sitter the arrestor hook has been deployed.
Two more parcels arrived today,  one was the Revell Breguet Br. 1150 Atlantic 1 and the other the Italeri MH-53E Sea Dragon.
I know other Whiffers have created their own AEW versions of the Sea Dragon but on reflection non have used the Freightdog  Sea King inflatable radar drum, I think that I have a spare one for the Super Puma in the stash.
I also checked on eBay and you can get a lot of resin parts for the MH-53E, especially the main rotor and rotor blades which have a tendency of snapping off when moved.
Future builds
I keep going back to the modified Andover AEW and thinking that the Breguet Br.1150 would be an interesting build in a similar design. The Cammett BAe Nimrod AEW.3 conversion set fits as I have used the radomes before so they fit and converted the Rolls-Royce Tynes to turbofans, which means finding slipper tanks to fit on the wings .
The Trumpeter Tu-95MS Bear -H undergoing an engine change on the outer wings so that the Heller Boeing E-3A/C can be equipped with them, the rotodome being fitted to the other Br1150,  whilst the Airfix BAe Nimrod MR.2P is converted to a passenger airliner/ troop transporter.
That's after I  have put up some more shelves!