Metropolitan Police Bumble Bee

[zenrat]

If ever an aircraft called for chunky faired undercarriage legs and spats it's this one.

[NARSES2]

If ever an aircraft called for chunky faired undercarriage legs and spats it's this one.

A Stuka's would probably fit

[NARSES2]

Progressing very nicely.
For the proposed role, this airframe appears to be a very neat fit.

Thank you, but do you know what it's proposed role was ? 

[Flyer]

Progressing very nicely.
For the proposed role, this airframe appears to be a very neat fit.

Thank you, but do you know what it's proposed role was ? 

Spraying herbicides on drug crops?

Edit: almost immediately after typing that I realized that there is Metropolitan in the thread title so maybe not...

Tear gas dispenser for large riots?

[kitbasher]

If ever an aircraft called for chunky faired undercarriage legs and spats it's this one.

A Stuka's would probably fit

Often toyed with the idea of a civilianised Ju87 crop sprayer.

[Flyer]

If ever an aircraft called for chunky faired undercarriage legs and spats it's this one.

A Stuka's would probably fit

Often toyed with the idea of a civilianised Ju87 crop sprayer.

So have I, wanted to build one as such for at least 15 years... 

I'll get around to it one day...

[NARSES2]

Edit: almost immediately after typing that I realized that there is Metropolitan in the thread title so maybe not...

Tear gas dispenser for large riots?

I have started to check my flat for bugging devices 

[PR19_Kit]

I have started to check my flat for bugging devices 

I thought you did that as a matter of course. 

[zenrat]

I have started to check my flat for bugging devices 

I thought you did that as a matter of course. 

As he's usually the one planting them, a daily sweep is part of his routine.

[NARSES2]

I've dug out some stencils for it as the downside of the superbly printed transfers in the kit is that you can clearly see they are in Czech and Magyar and I don't think the Met' can read either  . Only a few stencils but the plain white background needs something.

Get those on, coat of satin varnish, conduct the prop mounting ceremony and she's done. So should be sometime this coming week ?

[NARSES2]

Now need to sort out a backstory. I have a synopsis, but have to check a few dates and then fill it in. Won't be a long one just a raison d'etre really, but it needs something.

[NARSES2]

Models finished, just need to sort photo's and backstory.

[buzzbomb]

 

[Flyer]

 

[NARSES2]

In the early Summer of 1990 Whitehall was full of extremely worried and concerned civil servants let alone their "Lords and Masters" the Ministers who were theoretically in charge. The recent Poll Tax riots had introduced something new to British politics. There had been clashes between police and demonstrators in the past, most notably during the Miners Strike of 1984/1985 which had resulted in at least 6 deaths and over 11,000 arrests, but whilst an extremely violent dispute, by British standards, it had still been played out according to the unwritten rules that had seemingly been applied to these affairs since the 1920's. The Poll Tax riots however were something completely different.

They were the nearest thing that the British political establishment had seen to what could be termed a Continental style demonstration, seemingly more at home on the Champs Elysée's than on Whitehall. As such the city's Metropolitan Police had just about held, but in the words of Wellington "it had been a dammed close-run thing". There were concerns that if these riots should be repeated over the course of the summer and beyond then the thin blue line would not hold and there was even talk of the Army, already heavily committed in Ulster, having to be called in. So, a highly secret committee was set up with an urgent remit to explore possible alternative ways of policing these affairs whilst utilising the resources that were currently available. The Army was to be a desperate last resort.

This committee, soon known as the "Tea or Coffee Committee" by virtue of the fact that that was the first question you were asked upon joining it, began to explore the various solutions put before it in absolute secrecy reporting only to the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary, and the Chief of the Defence Staff. By the autumn of that year however the degree of urgency had reduced as the new PM John Major signalled his intention to replace the hated tax and with its abolition in the March of 1991 seemingly the crisis was over. However as is the way with Governments the world over this did not necessarily mean that the "Tea and Coffee Committee" was abolished, indeed it continued to meet and came up with some intriguing ideas on the subject of riot control using "minimum resources of personnel" and it is one of these that is the subject of this build.

Whilst water cannon and chemical agents had not been used to control civil unrest on the mainland UK it was recognised by the committee that this would be an extremely effective method of crowd control, especially if its possible use could be kept secret. Unfortunately, the ability to maintain secrecy would be impossible given the necessary procurement of the necessary equipment and the training of officers to use it. It was then that one of the members chimed in with what at first seemed a madcap suggestion, but which as they talked about it over lunch gradually grew on the committee. The member in question owned extensive arable farmlands in the flat lands of East Anglia and had recently taken delivery of a Z-37 Bumblebee agricultural aircraft for the purposes of pest control and the distribution of fertilisers. He suggested that maybe a similar aircraft could be used to deliver tear gas, CS gas or pepper spray. It was decided to explore the possibilities and thus the Metropolitan Police obtained its one and only fixed wing aircraft, a Z-37A from Czechoslovakia under the guise of a tug aircraft for the Met's glider club. It seemed to escape the committee's attention that the Met had no such club.

The conversion of the aircraft to deliver crowd control agents rather than fertiliser was relatively simple and within a week or so of delivery the newly decorated aircraft had been converted to deliver both gas and solid chemical agents. However, it was soon realised that whilst the Bumblebee could carry and deliver such agents it would only be viable if the protestors would cooperate and hold their riots on large areas of open ground. The thought of having to fly at 50 feet, down city thoroughfares with buildings on either side was a somewhat disconcerting matter and the proposal was soon dropped as being thoroughly impractical. Very soon after this the PM, John Major, being an accountant at heart soon realised via a cursory examination of the accounts that various emergency committees were still meeting and they were disbanded, although they still hold an annual reunion dinner at the Civil Service Club.


As for the aircraft ? Very soon after the disbandment of the committee it was sold into private hands and was very soon flying over the flat fields of East Anglia providing a crop spraying service. Whilst rumours persist to this day it cannot be proved beyond doubt that the purchaser had served on the "Tea or Coffee Committee" and indeed was the very member who had made the suggestion in the first place. However as said this cannot be proved and any enquiries are still met with a firm response from some awfully expensive lawyers.

The model is the Eduard kit which goes together stunningly. The only slight fit problem I had was totally down to my not reading the instructions properly and is mentioned earlier in this post. The only addition I made was to fit three small aerials to its upper fuselage as I figured it would have needed an effective air-ground communication system. I really haven't done this kit justice if I'm honest and have deliberately chosen not to use some of the smaller etch and some of it is minute, but a better modeller than me could make a superb model from simply what's in the box, it is that good.

Finally, I have to say that without Kit Spackman (PR19 Kit) this project wouldn't have even got started. Kit designed and printed the transfers for me and I really can't thank him enough.

Finished