As you will have seen elsewhere, we took the opportunity to paint TA122 this weekend just gone, and the fuselage is now back in its warpaint for the first time in many years. TA122 has two wartime sorties to its credit, and it was therefore an easy decision to return it to a wartime scheme, as opposed to the postwar 4 squadron scheme it was finished in for so many years.
Early on Friday morning, myself, Bob Glasby and Ian Thirsk got together to start work. The photos below cover what was done, but I will just fill you in!
First job was to mask out the roundel; after much consultation with period photos and drawings, Bob and Ian marked the centre point. I quickly marked out the various circles, and prepared to paint the first colour – red.
This done, we masked out the roundel position, and took the aircraft outside for an overall coat of Medium Sea Grey. By the time we had finished, it was 4 o’clock, and I needed to dash back to Norfolk before getting stuck in traffic.
The following morning, after another 2 hour drive, Ian and Bob marked out the position of the demarcation lines, and sketched on the demarcation between green and grey on the upper fuselage. I marked out these lines with a small gun, and then filled them in with the bigger gun. Bob applied the second coat.
Back in the hangar, and suitably refreshed, we removed all the masking, and set about masking the blue for the roundel, and I masked out the serial number on the rear fuselage. Only one side has been done, as the other side was green, and needed a further 24 hours to dry!
So, thats where we are now – this weekend will see the roundels complete, and we will then finish the codes and serials in coming weeks. I will update this thread from time to time with more pictures!
By: STORMBIRD262 - 23rd August 2006 at 04:26
Nice Mozzy
Got in before me Stu mate! 😉
Just one for Spike(RIP. mate), The more people I meet in life, the more I like dog’s :p .
What wrong with dog’s Bruce mate 😉 :confused: ., some place’s in the world, they are a damn good meal :dev2: .
She’s looking REAL nice that Mozz 😎 , pitty not a flyer, would the place it will be kept, have a controlled atmosphere, to make it last a bit longer.
Or do the static job’s just get more coat’s of paint, maybe some kind of sealer over the top to protect it in some case’s :confused: .
Ciao
By: Bruce - 22nd August 2006 at 20:26
Hi Bruce,
The paint job got me thinking about how long this restoration is expected to ‘last’ as it were. Particularly with regard to the materials used in the Mosquito’s construction.
Cheers,
SFF
No reason for it not to last for a good few hundred years, so long as the airframe is kept in a suitable hangar. Think of antique furniture, which has a pretty good survival rate!
Bruce
By: Bruce - 22nd August 2006 at 20:23
Looking good there Bruce (the aircraft, that is, not the pic of you on your back – dear me! 😮 ). How is the wing getting on these days? Any forecast as to when the whole lot is likely to form one complete Mossie?
Any further plans for an extended (or additional) hangar?
Lee,
Yes, lets leave that picture for now – and thats after a diet! Back to the lettuce leaves for me… Ho hum!
Wing is making slow progress. They are building the upper fairings that fair the wing into the cowlings and radiators, and are overhauling the rad fairings. Most of the landing gear is done, and the leading edge ribs are made. It needs a new hangar before we can assemble it.
So, yes, there has been progress towards new buildings, but it is slow – necessarily so, so we get it right. The plans are pretty good, and will involve the removal of all the old farm buildings, and the clubroom. It will get everything under cover, except the Heron and one of the Doves. I will share the plans when they are finalised.
Bruce
By: Seafuryfan - 22nd August 2006 at 20:15
Hi Bruce,
The paint job got me thinking about how long this restoration is expected to ‘last’ as it were. Particularly with regard to the materials used in the Mosquito’s construction.
Cheers,
SFF
By: HP57 - 22nd August 2006 at 19:07
Point taken and understood chaps, I hope that the bloke who originally gave me the Hali gunsight won’t come knocking on the door, if he does, I’ll direct him to Shelford tip, mind you, he was a good sort and I know he would appreciate the gesture, but who knows.
Bruce, how could you not love that dog…….. just imagine it’s really called Nigger, get it dyed black, it will love you forever, or does the political correctness issue loom too large, imagine, Mossies, Gibson, black dog, what a combination.
Peter,
I think the late Mr Gibson would think totally different about Mosquitoes after his last flight in one. 😮
Cees
By: Pete Truman - 22nd August 2006 at 14:45
Point taken and understood chaps, I hope that the bloke who originally gave me the Hali gunsight won’t come knocking on the door, if he does, I’ll direct him to Shelford tip, mind you, he was a good sort and I know he would appreciate the gesture, but who knows.
Bruce, how could you not love that dog…….. just imagine it’s really called Nigger, get it dyed black, it will love you forever, or does the political correctness issue loom too large, imagine, Mossies, Gibson, black dog, what a combination.
By: TEXANTOMCAT - 22nd August 2006 at 13:58
Sorry chaps – Hali bits long gone!
Now running a Museum I see the logic – from day one we had a receipts system clearly marking the difference between a loan and a donation – no receipt, no item back – after all how can one be certain the person who is ‘claiming’ the item is genuine?
TT
By: Lee Howard - 22nd August 2006 at 13:48
Looking good there Bruce (the aircraft, that is, not the pic of you on your back – dear me! 😮 ). How is the wing getting on these days? Any forecast as to when the whole lot is likely to form one complete Mossie?
Any further plans for an extended (or additional) hangar?
By: stuart gowans - 22nd August 2006 at 12:44
Pete,
Its Bob’s dog – I dont do dogs; we never really got on!
Bruce
I’m really pleased to hear that you “don’t do dogs”, as I seem to remember I shook your hand the day in question!! (sorry, somebody was going to do that one ,it might as well be me.) Good job on the Mossie btw.
By: Bruce - 22nd August 2006 at 12:22
Yes, Rob is entirely right; it happens to us a lot. We had an individual who took items in and then spirited them away, and then had the original owner turning up and asking for their return. We are very careful now about what we will and will not accept.
Bruce
By: Bruce - 22nd August 2006 at 11:41
Pete,
Its Bob’s dog – I dont do dogs; we never really got on!
Bruce
By: Pete Truman - 22nd August 2006 at 11:30
Do remember offering YAM some Hali bits I had on loan but after a meeting with someone was told ‘we are not a warehouse either they are donated or we’re not interested’ kinda put me off after that!
TT[/QUOTE]
Which ‘bits’ were they, I offered them a turret gunsight, whether it was used or not, I don’t know, but I had to fill in a form refuting any future claim to it, which surprised me, hopefully it proved usefull.
Love the dog Bruce, hope it’s not as mental as mine, they look very similar, could be from the same batch, my God, she heard me write this and came in to see whats going on, dog psychology, I suspect.
Sorry, love the Mossie as well.
By: Mark V - 22nd August 2006 at 10:27
Looking very nice Bruce – spotted the copy of ‘British Aviation Colours of WWII’ on the bench in the first shot :p
By: Bruce - 22nd August 2006 at 09:39
Moving swiftly on from my last post, as I nibble my carrots, and swig on my plain water, Bob has updated me with some more pictures taken over the weekend, to conclude progress for a while. The rest of the codes are now on, and we will be moving on to the fin next, which needs to be covered, and needs an access panel adding, so it will be a few weeks before it is fitted and painted!
By: HP57 - 18th August 2006 at 07:12
Do remember offering YAM some Hali bits I had on loan but after a meeting with someone was told ‘we are not a warehouse either they are donated or we’re not interested’ kinda put me off after that!
TT
I know a location where you could “lose” those Halibits, but it’s
abroad. I can give you a hint.
:diablo:
Cees
By: Bruce - 17th August 2006 at 21:26
I really must lose some weight….
By: Rusty - 17th August 2006 at 21:10
Link to Russ’ 100’s of Mossie TA122 & other DHAM Photos
Thought it easier to upload all my photos. If anyone wants to see just go here.
By: TEXANTOMCAT - 17th August 2006 at 13:36
Great pics of HJ711 Andy – I last saw her just before Christmas and have followed her progress for at least ten years –
As for ownership of items at YAM I think thats been banded about for ages – for a long time the Museum seemed to be a disparate collection of ‘group’s doing their own thing but over the past few years the whole site has been seriously spruced up and has ‘gelled’ thats just my opinion as a visitor – when I was uni and law school in York used to go there very regularly and still make it back there at least once a year.
I do think that the T2 is a bit shoe-horned in though and perhaps some of the FSM could be ‘hung’ the 504 and BE springing to mind – its a shame as the Halifax is their star exhibit and is always difficult to see, but of course I appreciate the desire to get as many airframes under cover as possible. IIRC two Tornados were inside when I was last there which seemed perhaps a bit OTT – unless it was a condition of the gift/loan.
The former AA Dak really looks the business now though.
Do remember offering YAM some Hali bits I had on loan but after a meeting with someone was told ‘we are not a warehouse either they are donated or we’re not interested’ kinda put me off after that!
TT
By: Rusty - 17th August 2006 at 13:11
oops!
I know – Mum posted it then I saw my name – sorry 🙁
By: Stieglitz - 17th August 2006 at 13:11
Very nice picture report of the repaint Bruce. I’m happy to notict that this mossie is in good hands and is making progress.
Well done!
Stieglitz
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August 7, 2006 at 10:16 am