In the Bear-ginning

[Knightflyer]

The Mission - A Bear (amongst other models) is required for the plan (should that be 'The Plan') for what my local modelling group is doing for Telford. I won't reveal the plan, because as a relative newbie I don't know whether these things are kept 'quiet' until the day, or whether they become common knowledge and are discussed for months beforehand. Anyway as Radish is my local club secretary the punishments that might be meted out if I do talk when I shouldn't have don't 'bear' thinking about! 

The Challenge – I do aircraft with roundels on, specifically British roundels (are there any other type?!  ) so how to get a bear in RAF's clothing?

The partially thought out scenario – The 'Lurch to the Left' that followed Labour's second general election win of the 1960's took everybody by surprise; the Americans, the Europeans, the British themselves and even the Russians. Within a short space of time the United Kingdom went from staunch member of NATO to a leading non-aligned nation turning its back on Europe, NATO and the 'special relationship'. 'Finlandisation' was mentioned by some without those some really knowing what it meant. So as the Americans mothballed their bases and made (secret) plans the Soviet Union made their own plans and in a jaw dropping propaganda move presented (in the spirit of international friendship and in recognition of the UK's bold step to turn its back on the bi-partisan camps of the cold war and forge a peaceful path of neutrality of course!) the Royal Air Force with five Tupolev Tu-95RT 'Bear-D'

Scheming on colour Schemes – So we have Bears, what do they look like? No chopping, cutting or changing to the model, so it will still have the large radome beneath its belly. So my thoughts are -Maritime Reconnaissance, Electronic Reconnaissance, or with that nice big bulge somewhere to put those ex-Gannet airborne early warning radar precluding the Shackletons by a few years

The Model – Is of course Revell's 'Bear-D' model obtained for a very nice price from my local 'The Works' store

The Build

Day 1– Following the instructions, assembly of engines, wings and engines on wings and spinners painted red and blue because I could!

Day 2- Okay, note to self, when dealing with contra-rotating props – paint BEFORE assembly! Four engines with eight blades and each blade having two faces.....groan! The fact that these blades and engines are now attached to a boomerang sized wing assembly does not make life easy! Still 64 blade faces and 32 forward facing propeller tips painted.

Day 3-Out of bed, and whilst my morning cup of tea brews, the 32 rearward facing propeller tips get painted, and even though I thought I was methodical, painting the one blade face I appeared to miss yesterday!
So after walking the dogs and other minor things like breakfast and getting washed and brushing of teeth, the silver leading edges (64 of them!) get painted and here we are, time to tackle the fuselage methinks

[Captain Canada]

Ya, I can see where that would be a pain painting all thos blades whilst wrestling with the wing, and trying not to break any or get paint on yourself or the adjoining furniture etc. !

[kerick]

Definitely a case for painting while still on the sprue!

[Knightflyer]

Day 3 (continued) -Well the glorious Spring weather meant that the task called 'gardening' had to take precedence (how SO very dare it!) so not much more done on the Bear, and the propellers are the best bit so far!  Test fit of the canopy (a large piece of clear plastic extending back to beyond the astrodome inside the upper fuselage half) was so successful in that trying to remove it I snapped the fuselage forward of the windscreen off!  x2!!

Anyway....painted the internal cockpit area black and packed the nose with lead (30 grammes the instruction say) and then mated the lower fuselage to the upper fuselage trapping the wings in place. A partial success, I think the lead in the nose presses against the clear plastic of the canopy and stops the join being as good as it could be...grrrrr! Glued the broken bit of nose back in place and I now have something that with a bit of work will continue to look like a Bear

NOTE - As there is at least one Shackleton planned as a future project I shall definitely plan ahead with multiple contra-rotating propeller blade assemblies!)

[McColm]

Thats why I have left the Griffon engines and the contra-rotating propellers to the last minute on the 1/72 Lockheed EC-130V 'Mad Hatter' and Lockheed PC-69 float plane Connie Francis.
Bought the 1/144 Bear, still thinking of a Tu-126 Moss but with the E-3 Sentry rotodome or the Playfix Bear Tanker versions.

[Knightflyer]

Day 3 - Part 3 Gardening done - I return to the beast, I mean Bear!
So with the propellers behind me (Oh no their not!...mmm Idea for future Tu-95 meets B-36!  ) It's now time to move on with assembly. The empennage (oooh, big word time!) is next and goes together well. I decide to leave the rear gunner's station in place....that's so the new 'neutral' RAF can defend themselves against all their ex-allies that they've now made 'slightly fed-up' with them!
Anyway that was it for day 3. The Bear now definitely looks like a Bear, and is ready for filling, sanding and decorating perhaps!

[McColm]

Have you thought about the finish decals. If it is anti-flash  then you could call it the Polar Bear. Red and blue, Brown bear. As this was native to Europe.
Made in China - Panda.

[Knightflyer]

Going with British/RAF sense of humour my first thought was Paddington! 

I think my choices are basically the white and grey scheme used on the early Nimrods or if i go for the wildcard then all over dark blue for an AEW version to precede the Shackletons. Just got me thinking though, when did maritime patrol Shackletons cease operating, and what scheme did the R.1 Comets fly in? Mmmm....pondering time

[McColm]

The maritime shacks flew from 1951 until 1972 and the AEW started  1972 until 1991. The Comet flew in colours similar to transport command.

[Leading Observer]

Give when this is set, surely Rupert would be more apt than Paddington 

[Knightflyer]

Give when this is set, surely Rupert would be more apt than Paddington 

You're quite right...how could I forget Rupert!  Paddington (on TV at least) was 10 years later (although checking again the books date from the late 1950's) The only trouble is that when I think of 'Rupert' in military terms I think of the slang for an officer (certain type of?) in the Army, but then this is the RAF we're talking about. I like the idea of my RAF Bears having individual names, like the 8 squadron AEW Shackletons, the Rupert stories would certainly supply some interesting names!

The maritime shacks flew from 1951 until 1972 and the AEW started  1972 until 1991. The Comet flew in colours
similar to transport command.

So colour choices ....the white/grey of the early Nimrods ....with the blue cheatline if I use the R.1 Comets as my 'template'
or
the white/blue-grey (what colour is that, seems to depend on the photos? ) of the MR Shackletons
or
the blue/grey (again what colour is that exactly? ) of the AEW Shackletons if I decide that my RAF Bear is going to have the ex-Gannet radar put in it's belly-radome!

Also wondering whether my Bear should have some sort of additional marking - like a coloured band on the wings and fuselage to denote the new neutral non-aligned stance of Her Majesties Armed Forces in this what-if timeline?

[Rheged]

Give when this is set, surely Rupert would be more apt than Paddington 

You're quite right...how could I forget Rupert!  Paddington (on TV at least) was 10 years later (although checking again the books date from the late 1950's) The only trouble is that when I think of 'Rupert' in military terms I think of the slang for an officer (certain type of?) in the Army, but then this is the RAF we're talking about. I like the idea of my RAF Bears having individual names, like the 8 squadron AEW Shackletons, the Rupert stories would certainly supply some interesting names!

I was already thinking about British Bears (someday I'll post my backstory). May I offer the following list:-

Rupert
Winnie the Pooh
Paddington
Yogi
Fozzie Bear
Sooty
Baloo
Beorn
Shardik
Biffo
Bungle
Pudsey
Superted
Aloysius
Mr Biltitude...AMENDED LATER ...should read Bultitude...typing error....apologies

Make a game of it and try to identify  the origin of these ursine fictions!!

[Knightflyer]

I was already thinking about British Bears (someday I'll post my backstory). May I offer the following list:-

Rupert
Winnie the Pooh
Paddington
Yogi
Fozzie Bear
Sooty
Baloo
Beorn
Shardik
Biffo
Bungle
Pudsey
Superted
Aloysius
Mr Biltitude

Make a game of it and try to identify  the origin of these ursine fictions!!

Well straight off the only ones I don't recognise are Beorn and Mr.Biltitude, Shardik I have this impression of the book cover ....a large bear rearing up? (Richard Adams???)

Shame I'm at work ....else I could get really involved in THIS game

One thing .....Fozzie Bear .....A British Bear?

[Rheged]

Well done, sir!!  You have managed all but the two tricky ones.   I only included Yogi and Fozzie as Britrish children would recognise them- the RAF  have to consider their public image at air shows.

Sorry, spelling mistake----- it should be Mr Bultitude  not Biltitude 

For everyone else, answers next week.  

[Knightflyer]

Just sneaked a look on Wiki ....it's Mr. BUltitude, but if you were doing it from memory I'll let you off!

I must have read about Beorn ...I've read the source book, and if I'd been asked to guess where he was from I think I might have guessed the author if not the book

As for Yogi ...I missed him being not-British ....maybe my non-aligned UK could re-invent him as coming from a British National Park 

And now I really must get back to work!