Sky Pirates of the Nullarbor Coast: Kawanishi H6K5 (finished pics pg9)

[zenrat]

Before Captain Fat Hamster's flagplane was his Handley Page Henfield Triplane it was an armed airship.  But more of that in the future.
When the Henfield got too long in the tooth he replaced it with a heavily modified Kawanishi H6K5...

The starting point.
Kawanishi H6K5 Start 1-11-17 by Fred Maillardet, on Flickr

[strobez]

Sky Pirates! We need more Sky Pirates! Yay! 

[Old Wombat]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Arrrrrh!! 

[zenrat]

Splice the mainbrace!

I have begun.  I have glued the cockpit bulkheads to the cockpit floor.  Arrrrgh.
Upon opening the parts bag I found 3 out of 4 props broken.  Oh no.  Whatever will I do.  I can't possibly render the build inaccurate by using these bigger diameter, wider bladed Lancaster props from my "engines and props" tub...
Given the basic level of Hasegawa's interior parts I think I will borrow stuff from an Airfix Shackleton (which will never be seen inside it anyway).

[zenrat]

I've been gluing together the components made of parts.  This thing is huge.  It has a wingspan of over 500 mm (that's 18" in old money) and all the control surfaces are moveable including the flaps.

[NARSES2]

When I was a kid, back in either the late 50's or early 60's a neighbour had a massive collection of 1/72 Japanese aircraft and his one of these was the star of the show as far as I was concerned. It was huge.

I've no idea where he got them from back then ? Indeed they may have been scratched ? Wish I'd been old enough to realise that I should have asked 

[Tophe]

It has a wingspan of over 500 mm (that's 18" in old money)

So big... that I will not suggest to have a second copy to build a Zwilling. Alas...

[jcf]

When I was a kid, back in either the late 50's or early 60's a neighbour had a massive collection of 1/72 Japanese aircraft and his one of these was the star of the show as far as I was concerned. It was huge.

I've no idea where he got them from back then ? Indeed they may have been scratched ? Wish I'd been old enough to realise that I should have asked 

Most likely scratchbuilt, as the Hasegawa kit was originally released in 1969.

[NARSES2]

When I was a kid, back in either the late 50's or early 60's a neighbour had a massive collection of 1/72 Japanese aircraft and his one of these was the star of the show as far as I was concerned. It was huge.

I've no idea where he got them from back then ? Indeed they may have been scratched ? Wish I'd been old enough to realise that I should have asked 

Most likely scratchbuilt, as the Hasegawa kit was originally released in 1969.

That's my thoughts as well Jon. As said just which I'd realised how special they were.

[PR19_Kit]

Maybe it was one of the RAF official recognition models?

They were all 1/72 scale, and I had one of the reco Sunderlands as a kid. It was HUGE and weighed a ton as it was solid wood.

[TheChronicOne]

Yessuuuuuuuuuh.....   I like this.   


Fred's Sky Pirates are the best. 

This a biggin'......   the "bigazz bomber sized type-a-plane" itch must still need scratchin'.

That said, and I'm not the most knowledgeable cat, but this Mavis kit reminds me of the Do-23 I think it is??  (Do-24) Similar set up for sure. (More engines on the Mavis, I just went and looked it up.)

[zenrat]

I have a number of 1/72 bigguns - C97, Pe8, Shack, Marlin, Boxcar, Marsupiale, Privateer and of course the mother of them all the Peacemaker.

Six Do 24s were operated by the RAAF during WW2.  They were ex Dutch aircraft which fled from the Dutch East Indies when the Japanese arrived.
On 3rd March 1942 a number of Do-24s (along with other aircraft) were strafed and sunk in Roebuck Bay, Broome by Zeros while they were crammed with refugees.
https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/alliesinadversity/japanese/broome
IIRC the remains can still be seen at low tide.

[zenrat]

First blood to the Kawanishi.  I was cutting out a loading hatch in the fuselage side when the hard and brittle Hasegawa plastic (is it me or is the dark green always hardest and most brittle) snapped and a piece penetrated into the tip of the rude finger on my right hand.

So, I have cut out the aforementioned hatches on the fuselage sides.  These will be where the Sky Pirates load their loot and captives from the zodiac inflatable.
I have also cut a hole in the top of the nose where I will position a pirate with a vickers gun.
And, I have built a teardrop section conning tower (OK, it's a pylon but I prefer to think of it in submarine terms for some reason) on top of which will be the wing, flying bridge, fifth (and possibly sixth) engine and if there is room an Oerlikon cannon.
The cockpit interior I have primed but I now need to make additional internal floors for under the nose hole and adjacent to the loading hatches.  That's always fun, trying to cut a floor to fit accurately inside a fuselage.

[NARSES2]

So the necessary blood sacrifice has been made ?  And yes the old green plastic they used was particularly hard, wouldn't say brittle as such but I know what you mean.