The Peashooter goes to the Middle East

[zenrat]

I find rigging is like a lot of modelling tasks - some days the mojo just isn't there and it's better not to fight it but to start another build instead.

[Librarian]

This is like waiting for Xmas....desperate for a picture Love the Peashooter.

[NARSES2]

Pics will be next week before I get really into Xmas.

Had a thought re trying to thread the thread through the holes. Dip one end of the thread in white glue ? Thinking it might stiffen the thread enough to make it easier to pass through the hole ? Water will then clean the end up after you've done it ?

[zenrat]

You could thread a needle and put it through that way maybe?

You have inspired me to dig out from the stash, build and rig another biplane.  Tiger Moth or Dragon Rapide I think.

[NARSES2]

You could thread a needle and put it through that way maybe?

Next time I'm in Hobbycraft (or what ever it's called) I'm going to look in the needlework section for some small needles. Then I just have to get the thread through the eye 

Anyway. Paint touch ups are done and dignitaries assembled for the mounting the propeller ceremony, so she's done.

Pics middle of next week. I'm just starting to get into a very busy social period. 

[NARSES2]

Well she's finally finished.

In the Spring of 1939 a certain U.S. oil company (an ongoing legal wrangle prevents me from naming them) purchased a number of surplus U.S.A.A.C. Boeing P-26 pursuit aircraft and presented them to the Iraqi government as a gift from the American people. Coincidental the same company was at the time involved in negotiations for prospecting rights in the growing Iraqi oil fields.

Anyway the Iraqi government gratefully accepted this gift not so much seeing it as a way of strengthening their Air Force, then equipped mainly with a mixture of ex R.A.F. and Italian aircraft, but more as a way of cocking a snook at the British Government who held the Mandate for Iraq as part of the 1919 Peace Conferences and formation of the League of Nations.

These aircraft were issued to the Iraqi air forces First squadron based at Mosul and currently equipped with Hawker Audaxes. By May 1941 the aircraft had been camouflaged with a upper surface of R.A.F. sand over painted aluminium undersurfaces. During the short lived rebellion against British "rule" in the Spring of 1941 a couple of the few aircraft that were serviceable at the time did make one or two flights over British positions, but these were merely "show" and the aircraft were soon abandoned to the elements. No one knows what happened to them subsequently, indeed they may still be buried in the Mesopotamian desert along with so much more of the areas rich history.

So the kit is the old Revell one which if I'm honest was a joy to build, such is it's simplicity. Paints are my usual mix but mainly Xtracrylic ad Humbrol in this case and the transfers are from the DP Casper Rebellion in Iraq and Operation Exporter sheet.

[jcf]

 

Lovely Chris.

[TheChronicOne]

Hell yeah!!!  That turned out really nice.. looks like the rigging is nice and tight, and what a great story to go with it. Methinks the story could lend itself to future stuff, as well.  Maybe they did indeed wind up buried and the Kurds find them or something and use them fight off Saddam....  orr....   

[Librarian]

That's a work of beauty . Just works so well in desert markings...and a nice open cockpit for the pilot .

[zenrat]

Bonza!   

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Great little model!

[strobez]

Wow. Really nice work.  I love planes with rigging... I mean I love seeing OTHER people build planes with rigging.   

[Old Wombat]

Cute!

[NARSES2]

Cheers gents

[Dizzyfugu]

Cute!

Just what I wanted to post, too. 

Like it very much, maybe I can add a sister ship, I have a Peashooter somewhere in the stash, too...?