Spanish Civil War Whifs

[NARSES2]

I like them.

Me as well 

[stevehed]

Thanks Guys, next one will be a proper whif.

[JayBee]

Now there is a question, define "proper" 

[stevehed]

Oh, can of worms time. I'm sure this has been discussed elsewhere but on a personal level I'm happy to build OOB and apply alternative markings/paint schemes but I also feel I've done a "proper" job when there has been an element of kit bashing. Needn't be major or complicated, just enough so I can say to myself that's different.

Regards, Steve

[Old Wombat]

Yep, an OoB build with a paint/markings change is definitely a whif & I, too, am happy to do them from time to time, but anything with a physical change to the weaponry/structure feels more "proper", no matter how small or great.

[Scotaidh]

Yep, an OoB build with a paint/markings change is definitely a whif & I, too, am happy to do them from time to time, but anything with a physical change to the weaponry/structure feels more "proper", no matter how small or great.

So we're talking about levels of Whiffery, then ... I tend to agree with both of you, Senior Marsupial, and Stevehed - decal-swapping is one thing, major re-builds quite another.

But, I do worry that's not being fair to those who do Photoshoppery.  I can't do any of that, so I don't know what all goes into it.  I suspect that at times it can be as challenging as, say, putting Concorde wings on a ... Mini Cooper, say (and having it look "good".)

[Old Wombat]

As I can't do the arcane arts of digital manipulation ("Bravo!" to those who can ), I was speaking about that which I know - it's all whiffery, it's all good but to some people, including Steve & myself, it doesn't really feel right until some physical aspect is changed. It's not even a matter of the degree of whiffery (whatever that is), it's just about a personal aesthetic & emotional impression.

[NARSES2]

We are an exceptionally broad church in my experience, and all the better for it 

Over 90% of my Wif's are purely paint/markings jobs or putting prototypes/projects/paper designs into service. Mainly I have to say because I don't have either the skill or the imagination to do much else, but the beauty of the site is that we welcome all, and long may that be so 

[Scotaidh]

I agree. 

[stevehed]

The Curtiss Model 32 was the last American biplane airliner. It first flew in January 1933 and 45 aircraft were built. A military bomber/transport was produced and eight aircraft were exported to Colombia and Argentina. Attempts were made to supply the Spanish Republicans from aircraft delivered via Mexico but the arms embargo prevented these machines leaving Central America and they were later sold to China. However, until recently, it was little known that the original prototypes, designated Model 31, had been sold to a Bolivian airline. These aircraft were smaller, carrying only 8-10 passengers against the 12-15 of the Model 32. The 31 had fixed undercarriage while the 32 had retractable legs which fitted into the streamlined nacelles. In 1936, after several years of successful enterprise, the airline ceased to operate and the aircraft disappeared. They turned up in Manaus in Amazonian Brazil. They had been purchased by Republican sympathisers who had the aircraft dismantled and shipped to Spain. They landed at Alicante where they were assembled and issued to the Red air force. They operated as night bombers until wear and tear saw them sacrificed as decoy targets on Republican airfields.

The kit is the Glencoe re-issue of an ITC Curtiss Condor originally issued in 1954. The instructions are dated 1990 and the kit belongs to the era of making the model fit the box hence the scale of 1/81. I thought about stretching the fuselage and wings but quickly had second thoughts and came up with the smaller cousin. It's a simple kit, basically an empty fuselage with three crew figures and wings. There is a choice of a floatplane or retractable undercarriage configuration. I'm hoping to convert the float structure into a fixed undercarriage. So far I have blocked off the cabin windows, drilled two upper gun positions, made a squarish hole in the lower fuselage for a another gun and another hole for a window which will be for the bomb aimer. Internally, AMS took hold and I've installed a floor and two stands for the gunners. The fuselage is now sealed up to stop any more frivolous thinking regarding areas that can't be seen. I've decided on a crew of five which has allowed me to use some of the figures not really suitable for open cockpits.  Regards, Steve

[PR19_Kit]

I LIKE the frivolous thinking. 

[Weaver]

Excellent.

The SCW is prime Whiff territory, since the ragbag of aircraft that actually did end up there and the incomplete info make alomst anything of the period credible. For that SCW GB back in 2010 I bought a whole raft of kits, but then work went mad and I ended up spending most of the GB doing overtime instead of modelling...   Had a whole alternate timeline worked out that could even have been extended to the 1990s...

[stevehed]

Thanks gentlemen. The scope within the SCW period is tremendous. I tend to stick within the timeframe but opening the French border for longer and allowing a few more ships to reach port allows the imagination to flow.

[NARSES2]

Great idea and as you say the Spanish Civil War, especially the Republican side, is such a canvas for whiffery 

For some reason I find the sight of a 66 year old kit next to a computer keyboard slightly amusing.

[zenrat]

Stick more modern wings (DC3?) on a Condor fuselage and you'd confuse a lot of onlookers.