Mike McEvoy Tribute Build

NARSES2 · December 13, 2021, 06:38:21 AM

Right I shall be opening up a Mike McEvoy Tribute build thread in the Theme Build Repository section of the site on, or near, 1st January 2022. We've had some previous Tribute Builds there so it's the best place IMHO.

I'll keep it open for 6 months, no rules as such, any subject, any scale, real world or Wif. Just a place where you may wish to show something that you've built as a tribute to, or simply to remember Mike by.

I'll post a reminder nearer the date, but this time of year can get hectic which is why I've posted first warnings now.

Chris

kitbasher · December 13, 2021, 06:43:00 AM

Thank you Chris, what an excellent idea - I have a cunning plan!

PR19_Kit · December 13, 2021, 07:10:12 AM

A few years after I first met Mike, maybe around 1978-80, I showed up with a whiff that he LOVED. Sadly it was destroyed when I was moving from Derby down to Gloucestershire in 1983, thanks to some gawp in a white van deciding to turn right in front of me while I was taking all my models south in a box trailer. This particular model was just one of the 10-15 casualties.

Ever since then I'd been telling Mike that I'd build another one, and I actually started it, and it's had its first colour coat for over 20 yrs now, but that's as far as it got.

It's only right and proper that I finish it off now in his honour.

No, I'm not going to say what it is, you'll just have to wait a while, and not too long I hope.

The Wooksta! · December 13, 2021, 07:55:34 AM

I've got at least one Hunter based project going, with several more Hawker ones to come.

Nick · December 13, 2021, 08:08:16 AM

I'm aware that Mike flew Hunters (one of them XF317) in the RAF and then went on to Air Traffic Control. He was also part of the IPMS Committee and wrote magazine articles.

Could somebody expand on this and give us a better idea of his life, where he worked and what else he flew?

Freightdog862 · December 13, 2021, 08:24:12 AM

I hadn't realized quite how many of my sets Mike had built until I looked at the archive section of GOM, it includes a LOT of Hunters! It only seems proper that I join this tribute build, not sure yet what yet though I have plenty of choices.

Colin

Martin H · December 13, 2021, 11:21:19 AM

Quote from: Nick on December 13, 2021, 08:08:16 AM
I'm aware that Mike flew Hunters (one of them XF317) in the RAF and then went on to Air Traffic Control. He was also part of the IPMS Committee and wrote magazine articles.

Could somebody expand on this and give us a better idea of his life, where he worked and what else he flew?

Well he trained on Harvards and T-33's in Canada before joining the Hunter drivers club.
When his squadron was axed by Ducan Sandy he became the admin officer on a Valiant squadron (cant recall what one thou). I think that was the end of his flying days. Then moved in ATC once out of the airforce.
Model wise, he was probaly building em long before he got his hands on any 1:1 scale aircraft................

JayBee · December 13, 2021, 11:21:56 AM

Quote from: Nick on December 13, 2021, 08:08:16 AM
I'm aware that Mike flew Hunters (one of them XF317) in the RAF and then went on to Air Traffic Control. He was also part of the IPMS Committee and wrote magazine articles.

Could somebody expand on this and give us a better idea of his life, where he worked and what else he flew?

Mike did indead fly Huntersin the RAF, then went on to Meteor night fighters, but he was unable to convert to multi engined flight in instrument conditions. So the two parties agreed that it would be best if they went their separate ways.
Mike joined Civil ATC, and it was in that period of his life that I met him.
I do know from one of his pages in SAM, or SAMI, I can not remember which, that he did meet up again with "his" Hunter, now sitting in the grass on a South American airtield as a decoy targe, but still with his name on her.
Reading that story did bring a huge emotional burst to me.

In his memory, someday I will build the MD Twin Ouragan that we talked abouy one time.

Jim

AeroplaneDriver · December 13, 2021, 12:34:04 PM

Sounds like a lot of Hunters in this one. I may be +1 as this seems the perfect opportunity to build the other one of Colin's supersonics in my stash.

Freightdog862 · December 13, 2021, 02:10:34 PM

He was a stickler for squadron accuracy even on a whif (don't put a fighter in a bomber sqn scheme etc), and a big fan of Modeldecals, I can remember he searching for old sheets from Paul Davies stand at the last Hornchurch show.

Colin

Nick · December 13, 2021, 04:03:04 PM

I was just bewailing to myself that it was hard to find markings for 67 Squadron RAF Hunters and certainly not in a sensible size. Then it occurred to me that before they flew Hunters, they had Sabres.
And they looked like this.

https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/subscribers-gallery-aircraft1a/5-sg-ac-canadair-sabre-in-raf-service-with-no-67-sqn-ian-crawford

It just so happens that Modeldecal (who Mike liked) did a very good set of RAF Canadair Sabres including those for 67Sqdn. And I have that set

https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MD097

I also have a modern fighter jet or two that could look good in those colours.

Weaver · December 13, 2021, 04:27:10 PM

This might be just the thing to get me modelling again, since I feel pretty motivated to do something to commemorate Mike, and I have possible Hunter projects aplenty, not least the FR.5 I slightly started for the recce GB just before life bowled me yet another googly. Speaking of which, there are a couple more of those on the horizon, but then 6 months is a long time.

Dizzyfugu · December 14, 2021, 05:35:26 AM

No personal concern here, but a Hunter GB is never a bad idea!

The Wooksta! · December 14, 2021, 08:02:42 AM

Quote from: Nick on December 13, 2021, 04:03:04 PM
I was just bewailing to myself that it was hard to find markings for 67 Squadron RAF Hunters and certainly not in a sensible size. Then it occurred to me that before they flew Hunters, they had Sabres.
And they looked like this.
https://www.scalemodellingnow.com/subscribers-gallery-aircraft1a/5-sg-ac-canadair-sabre-in-raf-service-with-no-67-sqn-ian-crawford

It just so happens that Modeldecal (who Mike liked) did a very good set of RAF Canadair Sabres including those for 67Sqdn. And I have that set
https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/MD097

I also have a modern fighter jet or two that could look good in those colours.

I've spent a small fortune recently buying up a number of OOP Modeldecal sheets for unit markings for current and future builds. Including several Sabre and Vampire sheets.

I'd advise buying a few books instead, although I suspect many will already have them. Alan Lake's Flying Units of the RAF is one, there's an Air Britain one, Squadrons of the Royal Air Force by James Halley, same theme but it's better, having more detail although at a greatly reduced point size that it is hard to read. Lots of nice photos too.

Martin H · December 14, 2021, 10:57:42 AM

I have something real world in mind.
The link to mike is that he sold me the damn thing 6-7 years ago. Its a very, very large lump of Anigrand resin.

A C-124 Globemaster.............. I started it not long after buying it. But its been the shelf of doom ever since.