The Wooksta: Not a Spitfire Blog

[The Wooksta!]

"Look, I'm in a bit of hurry actually. You see I'm trying to hide from someone. You haven't seen a would-be Sociology student being chased by a lion, have you?"

Two of the Bricks are moving along nicely.  The S1 is now resplendent in a new coat of white primer, but that showed up quite a few flaws, so they got filled.  I decided on white primer as firstly, it was intended to be an RAN aircraft in white.  I *think*...  And secondly, that's going to be the underside colour anyway - I decided to keep it in similar colours to the pre-production TSR2s.

The Red Beard one is together, largely.  The tailplane and nosecone are being replaced with resin ones I found in a bag in a Mosquito box of all places and for the life of me I don't know where I got them. 

One of the things I may well do with a new tool Brick is something I intended to do years back - a Navy one with the bulged bomb bay, tanks and a pair of Sea Eagles, or given the time frame anti-radar Martels, chaff dispensers, with the usual overall EDSG and the 1970s tactical roundels.  This will be one of the aircraft operating from CVA01 during the Falklands and will sink the Argentinian carrier.  I still want to do the spoof front page of The Sun with a carrier on fire and the headline "GOTCHA!"  I also quite like the idea of one with Shrikes and certainly another with cluster bombs.

The number of Bricks that I want to do is starting to grow exponetially, which is not good for the bank balance.

Did some more clean up on the Pegasus Swift and I'm coming to the conclusion that it's closer to an F4 than an FR5 - the nose is definitely too short for the FR5.  Which means the CMR original was probably wrong too.  It wouldn't take too much effort to backdate to an F2 either, largely by sanding back the dog tooth, but I'm doing another FB4 and I'm happy with that.

The Jaguar laser nose is now spliced into the assembled Airfix one and it looks...  Well, odd, almost like a beak, if that makes any sense.  Undecided as to scheme or user - I did think wraparound and early 80s, possibly with one of the tactical weapons units, but then thought of the type's swansong marking targets for Buccaneers and TSR2s in Gulf War 1 and overall desert pink.

The first Magna FR5 that's becoming an FB4/FGA4 now has it's tank on and I've sorted out the tailplanes as I'd given them the wrong angle.  After that, I cleaned up the second one and with luck I should have the fuselage of that and the second F7 together tomorrow.

Really need to do some more work on the 545 though.

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[The Wooksta!]

"What do you mean? It was your idea to play 'Hide and Seek'!"

One of the things I've been looking to do was a delta wing Hunter, using the Revell kit as a basis, but I needed to blow up the drawing in the Mason book on the Hunter, which naturally I've loaned out and don't have access to.

However, I have the greatest reference library in history at my fingertips, even if much of it is porn, I managed to find a decent sized quality 3 view of said aircraft.  Downloads it, pulls it into Quark to resize it, and thankfully downwards.  To this end, it has a very useful scale on it.  I should be able to get a few copies run off to play with.

One of the other interesting things I noticed about the drawing, apart from the re-heated tailpipe, is that the wing appears to have a 60 degree sweep, in common with the Lightning and the TSR2.  That being the case, could the latter provide a basis for a conversion wing?  I'd also intended to do a delta Lightning using the same wing, but possibly an Airfix one, given that the wing is in two halves which means that putting in wheel well bays would be easier.  If I want to do a flying one, the mould I still have for a resin one was dug out last week.

So, long term, I may be able to cobble something together using an Airfix TSR2 wing for use as a possible master for a delta Hunter based on the Revell kit.  In the short term, I'll cobble together an in flight one using the resin wing.

Still not sure quite what I'll use for the tail fin, although after consulting the three view again, repurposed TSR2 bits could be useful and the Airfix one that's on the go its getting it's fin replaced by an Odds and Ordnance one I've had for well over a decade.

And does this mean there'd be a delta winged Huntsman too?



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[The Wooksta!]

"It's a thought, I suppose. Make a great play!"

Just poured the resin for a TSR2 wing to scratchbodge the delta Hunter.  It's the first time that mould's been used in a good 15 years  so hopefully it should come out okay.

Also cast a few other useful bits - TSR IFR probe, more spinners, RR Eagle Tempest cowling.  I've had a thought for the latter, putting a pair on a Lancaster in the outer position as a testbed.  Only snag is that I don't have any Wyvern props.  Still, it'd look good anyway.

Really need to get the rubber poured on the other moulds.  They've been sitting there long enough...

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[The Wooksta!]

"Doesn't it? Well maybe that's what's going wrong!"

The wing came out of the mould intact, although the trailing edge is a tad thick.  Now, that may be a problem for a TSR2, but not for a Delta Hunter.

Finally managed to get the drawings printed off and having dropped an Airfix FGA9 over them, I know it'll work.  But not with an Airfix one, because the whole fuselage is a lot shorter for a start and the intakes move forward - same size, just further forward.  With the Airfix kit having the intakes moulded integral with the fuselage, they can't be moved forward, so I may have to start with a Revell one (but had on a bit...) It also looks like the u/c is in the same location, so the cutouts are going to have to change.  It's not quite as simple as it looks.

The wing.  Well, I was right about that saddle - it is indeed 60 degrees of sweep and a TSR2 wing just falls over it, and the tips of the delta Hunter are just inside where the wing tips start to droop.  The wing is shorter in chord, so I can hack off that over thick trailing edge and give it a jolly good sanding.  Tailfin, well I haven't checked that yet but I went rummaging in some spares boxes and located the remains of an unbuilt Merlin TSR2 (don't snigger at the back there, Spackman!)  Now, the wings are twisted useless garbage, but the fin may well be useable.  Bearing in mind it's going to get cut down and sanded to within an inch of it's life, it may be a decent enough basis.  We shall see.

I did think about backdating the whole concept, even before I got the plans and realised that the intake location had changed, and going back to the very early P.1067 Demon with the T-tail and the nose intake.  I've got a couple of the abortive kit kicking about, so I may well cobble something together along those lines.  The nose intake requires a bit of work, but it's all fairly straightforward, especially if I do a gear up flying model.  Which isn't a bad idea as it would only comprise about 9 bits.  May be my entry for the prototype gig, but I'd want to do mine in camo rather than boring prototype markings.

In other news, the Meteor NF14 fuselage is now together, having had no fewer than four transverse bulkheads installed to try and stiffen it up. It seems to have worked and feels quite solid.  The filler is on and curing, so the proof of the pudding will be sanded off later.

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[The Wooksta!]

"And what's the problem, Neil? The dummy run was a complete success!"

Well, the filler on the Meteor is all sanded off - around the upper decking that is - and it all looks pretty decent, although the real test is when the Halfords primer goes on.  The tailfin went on, courtesy of some Locktite before bathing in Plasticweld.  Sounds somewhat brutal perhaps but you can't do anything by halves with this kit as it *WILL* fight you EVERY. STEP. OF. THE. WAY.

On with the belly tank and then Stop! Filler Time!  Part assembled the wings and then left it.  Given the vile ill fitting nature of this beast, small steps are those best taken, otherwise despair and utter frustration will set in, before being overtaken by sheer rage and a desire to throw the thing off the nearest wall.  Especially after a test fit displayed that the wings do not want to attach to the fuselage properly, as the imbeciles who did the pattern ensured that the lug placement holes are too high up.  Cue trimming down with a scalpel to lower the level.  Got it to a point where I knew it'd fit better than it did, but by this point I was rapidly losing the will to exist, let alone live.

The new tool Brick has arrived and I've spent an interesting half hour doing some test fitting , before deciding that a great deal of the engine ducts really don't need painting at all as you can see SOD ALL inside them.  The fit looks daunting, but is rather ingenious and I'm looking at the various parts on the sprues that will be for the RAF boxing  - such as the early wingtips (also post 1980) and the wing spars with some detail for the open section (again post 1980 after the crashes that grounded them due to wing spar cracking).

I'm so impressed that I'm likely to do at least some sub assembly tomorrow.  I can't really do much else until Uncle Colin gets the WE177 set back in stock.  And whilst I really want to do a wraparound one with the bulged bomb bay and a quartet of Paveways to drop on bridges in East Germany in late February 1984, that will have to wait for the RAF boxing.  I'd rather have two decent Brick kits for this, plus a new tool Vulcan for The Last Flight of XM594.

Delta Hunters.  Tempted with two seaters now, although given the fit of the wings on the Xtrakit one, replacing them with some scratched delta ones may not be such a bad idea - they can't possibly be any worse than the kit ones.  And it means that I don't have to use one of my jealously hoarded PJ ones either.  I did think about a delta 1081, but that would be silly.

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[The Wooksta!]

"That's OK, Neil. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

The Brick was going quite nicely, as I've got a lot of the sub assemblies for the interior done and in place, but I can't close it up until I find out the correct shade of grey that's represented by Humbrols 40 and 196.  I know they're greys, but what shade?  I'm tempted to just go with Halfords finest in the lack of information coming my way, despite asking on the board THREE days ago and no one bothers answering.  Cheers, guys.

The tailplanes and outer wings are on the Red Beard one.  This is going to be a really early one, so likely Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green over white, possibly 40 sqn as I have the decals on a TSR2 sheet.  Underwing it'll just get tanks and RWR bullets.  KISS basically.

Meteor NF14 fuselage just about done, bar sanding odd another skim of filler around the nose.  This really is the definition of a filler hound that fights you every step of the way.  The wings are all done and ready to go on.  Hopefully, I should have it ready for primer by monday, but I'm not holding my breath.

The twin tail Blenheim is together, although I've yet to sort out intakes and exhausts for the engines yet, plus one or two panels have lost their masking due to all the sanding.  I'm planning on giving it a preliminary primer coat of Aluminium to show up the flaws - which Aluminium is perfect for - and then sort those out.  The intakes may well get the sand filters from the word go and I do know that there will be filler needed near the back of the engines, but just the change of engine has done much to make the Blenheim look different, more purposeful, the twin tail just gives it more kick and the four gun turret will be the lead icing on the top of the death cake.

Went back to the Hornets, having cleaned up the Magna F3 which is getting the wings swapped with the NF21, the latter becoming an RAF NF10 and the F3 will become a Sea Hornet F20, although I'm going with the low demarcation scheme and Type C roundels - I've done a SEAC one with BPF markings and don't want to do that again.  The Skybirds one that I got for a pittance at Bolton finally got the wings glued together yesterday, with the engine nacelles getting similar treatment.  The Skybirds kit is one that you can't rush because it will fight back.

So what tangents have we moved onto this week?  Well, I found an Airfix  Vampire T11 that was part started so decided to try and get it to the primer stage, and it's not far off now.  I'm thinking 607 - I don't think they got T11s OTL, as they had a Meteor T7 (I've got those markings but they're now going on a Hunter F4) - but in camouflage rather than High Speed Silver.  You don't see many T11s finished that way.

And then it snowballed from there.  You see, I had a look through the Special Hobby F1 and found the Swiss long nose on it and thought it may be better as a PR nose on an early RAF one, so this is going to be a conversion of the F3, so I get to use the long span tips.  The guns are removed and all the ports are filled.  Erything is largely together, airframewise, although I've yet to add the intakes.

And then I had a look in the Heller Vampire stash, because i had an Airfix box which held quite a few, including a bagged Mistral I'd bought for a quid at a show - although it transpires that it's actually just a Vampire).  There was one assembled pod, one assembled wing and lots of bits, but definitely one part started Mistral, so I just started work on the Mistral and the part started Vampire.

The former is going to be a Nene engined F2 in RAF markings, using a set of Heritage wingtips.  It's together and the filler is curing, although I have to locate a pair of Griffon Spitfire intakes to go on the dorsal section.  Not sure of final markings yet, but I'm thinking of doing it camo, PRU Blue underneath, and with 112 Sqn's sharkmouth, although that's possibly too obvious.  I do want a camouflaged machine though.

And the FB5?  Well, that's an easy one.  Add something that approximates the Sperry autopilot bulge and stick it in RAAF markings and wait for someone to say it isn't a whiff.  Don't don't try it, son.  Wings are on the pod, but I've yet to add the booms.




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[The Wooksta!]

"I don't see what all the fuss is about! Vampires only attack... virgins!"

All the Vampires are largely together and at various stages in the PSR cycle.  The T11 is now ready to prime and I've a comfirmed scheme and user - it's going camo over Aluminium Dope with 607 Sqn markings; they had a Meteor T7 when they were flying Vampires, which really makes sense...

T'other three... The Nene F2 has the upper intakes in place and hopefully the last lot of filler is curing, although I'm sure it'll need more.  The Australian FB5 now has what purports to be a Sperry autopilot blister, actually it's one of the separate blisters Matchbox gave for the side of their Mosquito B.IX. And the PR one looks to be close to a coat of primer.

The Venom that had been given a bit of on and mainly off treatment is now together.  I used the Heller Vampire cockpit, although it took a bit of judicious sanding to go into place.  The tailplanes needed similar treatment as they were a bit too wide.  It's a typical 80s limited run kit that will fight you but once it's together is actually quite satisfying. Pegasus, Aeroclub, Maintrack, Ventura - all give you the basics and you have to do the rest.  They treated the modeller with respect and allowed him to use his abilities to finish it off.  Vast cry from today where people will whinge if they don't have masks or merely have to trim a little bit here and there. 

May be a risky, but I'm going to do it in overall Aluminium dope, because Venoms were always camouflaged, so this will look somewhat different.

The Meteor NF14 is now together and all the PSR is largely done, so a coat of primer tomorrow.




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[The Wooksta!]

"That's brilliant Neil! It's working!"

Haven't got much further, other than finish the PSR cycles on the Vampires, so I'll get the u/c sorted out later and get that on so I can get them primed tomorrow.  Same goes for the Meteor NF14.

The Venom is fighting back, as I noticed several things that were all to cock - one of the booms wasn't quite vertical and the tip tanks weren't quite square, so they got ripped off, resanded and superglued back at a better angle.  Still not quite right, but TBH, it'll do and if it sits at the back of a display, I doubt anyone will either notice or care.

TBH, it's a milestone, as it was one of the few single seat post war RAF fighters that I've yet to do (anything designed post 1965 doesn't count)  I've never actually built one, despite having one in the collection for nigh on 30 years.  I think that may well have been an FB4 whereas this is an F1.


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[The Wooksta!]

"Brilliant. We are now completely self-sufficient in fertilizer. Speaking of which, where's Neil?"

I've been messing about with a Frog Sea Venom to see if I could backdate it to an RAF one but slung the bits back in the box when I realised that a: it's too much work and b: I'd cocked it up anyway.  I had planned to do something akin to the Meteor NF14 - take something that doesn't have bang seats in, insert said MB seats and apply OTL markings, sit back and watch the punters scratch their heads.  I still want to do it, but the Frog kit isn't the best option.  Unfortunately, the other options appear to be either the expensive and inaccurate Dragon kit or a horrendously expensive resin kit - 60 notes for a Venom?  I can get a CMR Brick for less than that.  So it may well have to be a Dragon one IF I can get one for less than twenty notes.  Okay, the span is out, but as this is the NF4, I can explain it away in the back story - blah blah, altitude, more lift needed due to extra weight of seats, increased fuel capacity, undefined engineering reason.  Take your pick.

So I'm coming back to toying with Vampires, largely because I had to dig out the Aeroclub one I won off ebay a while back as Uncle Frank said he needed the Frog Vampire wings and I said I had some that I didn't need.  This set me looking at it and seeing what I could do with it.  Whoever had it before selling it had opted to use the Heller FB5 wings rather than the Aeroclub ones and TBH, whilst the Aeroclub ones are okay, the Heller ones are better.  All the other bits are still there though.  Said seller had also modified the Aeroclub booms to go on the Heller wing which is nice, but I'm after something just a tad different, largely because the Airfix T-bird is a better kit.

So, what am I planning to do here?  I'm thinking either a backdated trainer or nightfighter, with the original rounded wingtips (easy with some thick plastic card cut and sanded to shape) and the square tail fins with high tailplane.  Canopy, I was thinking about a Mosquito one and crew entry would be via a Mosquito NF style side entry hatch.

As for a possible early NF.  Do similar and I've enough Heller bits, let alone complete donor kits, although I may well use the wings from the Marivox one with the Special Hobby F1 tailbooms.  I'd also like to do a late one, but with a pair of bang seats.  Sadly, I don't think there's a Vampire NF10 kit available, unless CMR do one I've yet to see.  Dekno and Airmodel did conversions (I have one of the latter) but they're both sadly long gone.

I made start on another Airfix Brick, one of the Gulf war boxings of the 1989 tooling.  This is going to be flying off Eagle during the Falklands and one of a trio I have planned.  One with tanks and either Martels or Sea Eagles and partly responsible for sinking the Argie carrier (so it gets a sharkmouth and the pirate flag as the pilot had a relative who was a sub skipper who flew a prate flag after sinking anything, so he's keeping the tradition).  The second is planned to have anti radar Martels with the third - now in wraparound camo (Dark Green over EDSG) with the three row SNEBs from the new tool Brick or the Airfix Phantom and possibly some kind of cluster bombs to keep the Argies heads down.

The Buccaneers are there as it's Eagle that's mothballed rather than Ark Royal (the former was in better condition so it made more sense) but it takes a bit longer to bring her back to service so she sails as soon as she is ready rather than with the Task Force, about two weeks later, so the early Black Buck missions go ahead and destroy the runway.  As Eagle closes in, the Buccaneers are used to supplement the Vulcan raids on the Argie radar. 

If anyone wants to do a Phantom to go with this scenario, feel free.  There's more likelihood of Nicola Sturgeon becoming the next Pope or Sunderland AFC winning the Champion's League than me building a Phantom.

And that, gentlemen, is the current state of play.

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[The Wooksta!]

"I've been down the morgue!"

I had a thought earlier with regard to the Phantoms in my "Eagle goes to the Falklands" AU Falklands war - the ex-Navy ones don't go because they've been integrated too well into the RAF and with tensions with the WarPac on the rise, the MoD decide that they're more useful in the UK.  Besides which, the Sea Harriers are good enough for CAP.  Ah, say the Navy, we'd rather have something a bit heavier and we did mothball a number of Sea Vixens, so we'll give them a quick refurb and a repaint and we'll send them down with Eagle. Good show, says the man at the MoD, who sits back and dunks a malted milk biscuit in his tea and promptly pulls in a few ex-FAA Vixen crews who are now on the reserve list.

The Sea Vixens also kind of make good - at least in part - the lack of AEW cover.  Their longer range and thus loiter time plus bigger radar means the possibility of a larger CAP around the taskforce and thus the Etendards may have a bit more difficulty getting to the fleet with their pesky Exocet missiles and even more once the Buccaneers have dropped a load of BL755s and 1,000lb bombs on their mainland airbases during Operation Autosprinkler.

It's also possible that Eagle could carry extra Harriers, she'd certainly have the space.

Why Sea Vixen in the Falklands?  Well, it makes use of a built and primed Sea Vixen that's been tucked away in one of the Drawers of Doom and fills a Phantom shaped gap in my carefully considered "back of a fag packet" timeline.  I've even sourced some interesting nose art, especially for the Buccaneers.  Think along the lines of the 8 Sqn Shackletons and then think sideways.  I'm saying nowt else.

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[The Wooksta!]

"I'm right here. I thought the vacuum cleaner looked a bit on the tentative side so I souped it up a bit."

I've made a tentative start on the Vulcan, this being a Martel equipped one for penetrating Soviet airspace as part of "The Last Flight of XM594".  I've plenty of them in various Buccaneer kit, not to mention a box with what remains of a few Airfix NATO weapons sets that I think is in the loft at me Mam's.  Didn't get much further than assembling and cleaning up the intakes, which is a job and a half to get rid of the seams. In addition, some of the scoops and vents underneath are now in place and I've fitted a complex web of scrap plastic card to ensure that the closed bomb bay doors fits a bit better than where it touches.  I'm waiting for a set of exhausts from Uncle Colin to improve that area before I can get any further, whilst on ebay I spotted and then snaffled a set of Mastercasters wheels to improve that area.

Not entirely sure how many Martels I want to fit, although four underneath - two per pylon, cobbled together from those in the old tool Airfix Brick - should look interesting.

Got the wings on the first of the Eagle Bricks and it's not far off a coat of primer, whilst there's another pair on the go now.  One of them came part painted and I did make a start before realising that the paintwork was just too bad and it had to go, so it's in a second bath of Mr Muscle oven cleaner.

Finally, I've had a look at a bagged Fairey Delta I had sitting around and I was thinking of a shortcut prototype fighter version, an ER103A (the ER103C I do have part started somewhere...).  Basically, as little change as possible from the research aircraft - pair of missiles on underwing pylons and a conformal fuel tank under the fuselage plus a radar nose.  I'd have to do something in the cockpit as, well, there isn't one, so I may use a resin tub from an Attacker and a Hunter canopy.  Might do the trick...


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[The Wooksta!]

"Do you think ants go to discos?"

The old tool Airfix Vulcan is a right pain in the arse and no mistake.  It is fighting me every step of the way.  The intakes are bad enough, although they're in and don't look too bad - I've a nice new tube of Revell filler, which is white-ish, so it blends in a bit but it'll need a respray or six, so I've got some sponge in the tubes to protect the fan blades.

Colin's new exhausts are really nice and add a little something, but did take a fair bit of fairing in - either my cackhandedness or the horrid nature of ye olde Airfix kit.  And then we get to yer actual airframe assembly and everything goes all Pete Tong.  Conventional wisdom from people on Britmodeller who say they've built several Vulcans is to attach the wings to the respective top and bottom halves to make everything line up easier.  Well, I did that with the uppers and it made it awkward to handle, so I left them off the lowers and attached later.  Then noticed that the port upper was warped (and this is one of the original boxings, judging by the plastic) so that necessitated several baths in boiling water to see if I could get it looking something nearer reality.  It worked, a bit, and it's sitting drying out.

The other thing that going by this method is that it makes it very awkward to get at the various areas that need major filling and sanding - just holding it to sand out the intakes needed as many arms as Vishnu.  The rear section that houses the parachute and ECM is a particularly bad fit, being shallower than the fuselage.  Cue slices of plastic card and lots of filler, although I did it underneath to try and hide it.  Dust everywhere, but thankfully, this was out in the garden.  I'm about three stages of PSR and I know it needs another.  The back end of the bomb bay door has similar issues and I've only just started that.

Thankfully, this is going in a dark scheme - Dark Sea Grey/Dark Green wraparound - but I'm now rapidly coming to the conclusion that I should just parcel up the remaining Vulcans I have left in one big box and flog it off before the new kit comes out, because I *REALLY* don't want to have to do this kit again - I think this is my fourth, or fifth if you include the bulk of the kit that formed the basis of the Atlantic, in the space of thirty years and largely with ten year gaps in between each build.  Although I'd still like to do an RAAF one...

Bricks.  The third has had the fuselage glued together and it's got some filler on it.  This one, in the current plastic, seems to be be a bit more warped than the others, so it may go in the wraparound scheme and toting SNEBs for strikes against dastardly Argie troops.  I may have to do a fourth, with underwing tanks and a refueling pod, with the remaining station getting a 'winder, as one of the tankers for the raid on Argie mainland bases during Operation Autosprinkler. Can't remember who suggested a low level flythough of Buenos Airies, but that operation would need a different codename - Toiletpaper or perhaps Murdoch?  I'm leaning towards the latter, possibly a humourous jibe with naval high-ups being a bit unsettled by headlines in the gutter press. The former... well, a load of bog rolls dropped over the presidential palace would have Galtieri needing several new pairs of undercowies, so they may just do it for the LOLs.

Finally, the Vampires get a coat of primer and all the flaws show up.  The Venom, in aluminium and being a short run kit, naturally had the most.  The bulkheads in the Meteor may have made it nice and sturdy but that sodding join lined showed through the primed.  Again, more sanding and hopefully that should be it, although like the Vulcan, the top is going a dark scheme so maybe it might mask it a bit.

Speaking of Vampires, I did make a star cleaning up the CMR F1 that arrive the other day.  The resin u/c is going in the spares box and will be replaced with more sturdy white metal.  Looks a nice kit, although cleaning up the pouring lugs was a bit tricky.  Basically, the wings, tailbooms and tailplane are all one piece, with a conventional cocpit that goes in as normal and then the lower fuselage goes on.  Toying with RAuxAF for this one, as I don't think they got them.  No, 501 and 605 Sqns got them so I may have to have a slight rethink, although one in DSG/DG/PRU Blue and 2 TAF markings may be more appropriate, and the dark scheme could hide a few moulding flaws.

Now, do I give it rockets or bombs?


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[The Wooksta!]

"You didn't know I was going to do that, did you?"

Not done anything since thursday as I had some news regarding work that basically took the wind out of me sails and kicked me feet from under me.

Anyway, for those on tenterhooks as to the spiffing nose art that going on the Eagle Buccaneers, I can reveal it here as it's finally arrived:



Didn't see that coming, did you?  Naturally, Dick Dastardly will sink the Argie carrier...  Oh, the Sea Vixen is getting Batman.





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[The Wooksta!]

"No, look. I'm supposed to write an essay on it, right, but... I think I'm just gonna stick it on the bonnet of my car!"

So, what's the thinking behind the Wacky Races nose art for the Bricks on HMS Eagle during the Falklands war?

Well, Eagle (having been in better nick than Ark Royal which was apparently falling to bits in the mid 70s) is the one that gets mothballed, so when the Falklands kicks off and Thatch says "well, what about the Buccaneers and Phantoms on Ark Royal?"  she's told  "Well, we don't have that ship any more, Uncle Jim had her scrapped, but we do still have Eagle gathering moss and barnacles at Pompey"  So they Navy are told to get her ready for sea pronto but it takes a bit longer than the rest of the Taskforce, so she leaves about two weeks later with a quartet of destroyer escorts and an SSBN luiking just in case things get a tad heavy.

During the madcap period to get her ready, there's a load of Bricks transferred back to the FAA but no Phantoms as the RAF says they need them in case of tensions rising with the Russians.  Fine, say the Navy with gritted teeth, we'll just use the Sea Vixens we mothballed with Eagle.

Anyway, the scratch squadrons aboard Eagle enroute south are a mixed bag of reservists and a few dragged back from the Sea Harriers.  They comment on it being a bit of a wacky race to get there and some wag says that what they should use as their nose art - Wacky Races.  Everyone's happy with that and out with teh rum and the gin in the wardroom, whilst the groundcrew good with brushes get busy with their charges.

Basically, I just wanted something a bit fun and different from the usual nose art  and I can guarantee that no one has done this before.

And that, gentlemen, is it.




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[The Wooksta!]

"Oh, God. I think I'm going to be violently and copiously sick."

God help me, I started the other Vulcan that was in the same box  as the one that's going to be a Martel equipped XM607 - of which more anon.  This one is going to be an RAAF one - they requested Vulcans in the early 60s and it's something I've been wanting to do for a long time.  I did have a built Vulcan that went to someone else to do in RAAF markings, but it never came back to me and I still want one of my own. Externally, it'll not look too different from an RAF one, similar camouflage other than black undersides as it'll be operating over 'nam.  I'm keeping the tail mounted RWR but the terrain following radar on the nose will be going.  There may be a Buccaneer or a TSR2 to go with it, although the former is more likely to be RAN than RAAF.

I went for the more normal approach and glued the wings together as per the distructions and it's coming along slowly, using some of the lessons hard learned from XM607.  Despite being a later boxing (2005 I think), the plastic seems to be pretty decent and the wings at least aren't warped, although there seems to be a fair bit of flash here and there.  The intakes are together and under a coat of filler - that was done yesterday, so it should be hard enough to sand back now.  I'd like another set of Colin's jetpipes but if he doesn't have any, I've a mould that may provide something a bit better than the awful Airfix ones.  IF they come out that is.

Why build another Vulcan so soon, and why the old Airfix one?  Simple.  It was there and I wanted to see if it was any better than the other one.

XM607 isn't looking too bad - she's got the Olympus 202 jetpipes rather than the 300s she had OTL, but as she's now virtually together and not too far off a coat of primer.  I've tackled the fuel dump pipes, which I absolutely detest and the associated plates above them are going on after the splitter plates were trimmed down.  That whole piece is one of the worst features of the kit and I've got it to look forward to again with the RAAF one.

Next bits to tackle are some filler under the wings and getting the tailfin in place, the gap under the rudder looks big anough to get the Ark Royal through, so I'll extend it a bit with some plastic card.

The Bricks haven't got much further, although I did start number four, this being one of the tanker aircraft for Operation Gardner.


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