Model aircraft.

Tragedy

Only had one model since the transition to long trousers.

A lovely F15, just like the ones that scrape over the roof of Moggy’s Mansion on a daily basis.

Designed as it was to counter the threat of advanced Migs and SUs, it finally succumbed to a dreadful attack by a previously secret weapon -it looked like a giant yellow duster, but was 72 times bigger than it should have been.

In one of Mrs Moggy’s rare essays into the noble art of housekeeping (She has many other better qualities, so I’ll hang on to her until I bump into Kylie at Tesco in Bury St Edmunds) it sustained CAT 2 battle damage and was s.o.c in late 1997.

I’m starting a collection for a granite memorial outside the mansion.

Moggy

RE: Model aircraft.

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 30-08-02 AT 09:08 AM (GMT)]
Just a few pictures – taken a mile from the Wainfleet bombing range. Only adjustment is blurring the props.

Attachments:

RE: Model aircraft.

Have you guys seen the latest Abbey National advert?

http://www.visit4info.com/details.cfm?adid=5181

I suspect many of us could relate to this 🙂

RE: Model aircraft.

I found my interest in building model kits faded as i progressed into long trousers (is 35 a normal age for this transition?).
Not knowing this ,my wife brought me two Airfix models to build a couple of years back as she thought it might occupy my simple mind and keep me at home. I think she realisd that this was a bad move when i asked if she had also bought the cotton to suspend them from our bedroom ceiling.
The models are still in their boxes unopened, a B2 lanc and a Spit Vb.
Maybe one day when i get old(er) and more decrepit…….ummm no ! i might not be too safe with sharp implements and glue.
Only joking boys, only joking………now where did i put my Beano ??.

RE: Model aircraft.

I used to go to a model club years ago, anyway i was told that to get rid of the shiney surface on decals just go over them gently with a pencil eraser and it would remove the shine. It took abit of practice but it worked.

RE: Model aircraft.

During the 1960’s, I collected every Airfix, Revell and Frog model of WW 2 aircraft I could get my hands on. By the time I finished, around 1970, I had over 200 of them and, when I started work and lost the interest in models, about half a dozen were never even started and sat in their boxes for years, until (sob!), we moved and the whole lot was chucked out.

I used to try to weather the models so that they looked “used”. I would paint them in every detail, then make the paint look chipped and worn, put washed out matt black into the panel lines around the cowlings to look like oil and dirt, heat a knife blade and press it lightly against one side of the tyres to give them the impression of flattening out under the weight of the aircraft, heat scrap pieces of plastic to stretch out into aerial wires, drill out exhaust stubs and mark the wings back from the exhausts, gun ports and shell ejector chutes to imitate smoke.

The only thing that really spoiled the effect was the glossy finish on the decals which came with the kits, which started to be remedied by the late 60’s, and the fact that Luftwaffe aircraft did not include swastikas with the decal kits, because the swastika was still forbidden to be displayed in some countries, 20 plus years after the war ended.

Recently I asked for advice on this forum about the availability of larger scale models of specific aircraft, because I have thought of having another go, but on a much smaller scale than my first effort. Some day…

Regards

Wombat

RE: Model aircraft.

Yep Alexis, I am fradu on avi8.com,

A friend of mine had offered to paint me up a FRADU Hunter (he is a quality modeller) a few years ago, so I may take him up on it.

Onto future Corgi models – no whispers of a Gnat but Buccaneers are in the pipeline. Let’s hope they do a RN one 🙂

Mark

RE: Model aircraft.

If you go to the Hannants web site, they do loads of conversion kits for models(as well as being the largest model shop in England, I think).

Neilly

RE: Model aircraft.

Stringbag,
Are you also known as FRADU?
You can get conversion kits for various marks of Hunter. They are usually in resin, i haven’t bothered going that far yet, i just take the nearest standard Corgi to what i require. If you search around they now average £10. If you are lucky as i was once then you can get them for £5.
The one i’m currently working on myself is the Swiss J-4013. Camo with dayglo orange edges to the wings and fuselage.
I wish Corgi did a T-7.
I don’t know how true it is but a Gnat is apparently on the cards for next year.

RE: Model aircraft.

Alexis

I will probably go down the same route as yourself by painting up Corgi models into other Hunters. Trouble is if I want a FRADU GA.11 then I will have to use the RN example produced by Corgi, as it is the only one fitted with an arrestor hook.

M

RE: Model aircraft.

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 28-08-02 AT 07:41 PM (GMT)]My father and i collect diecast aeroplanes, we have almost every Dinky aircraft produced, 95% of them in mint and boxed condition. We also have Aeromini’s which were a series of airliners originaly produced in the 1970’s, but there are some re-releases in new colours always coming out.
My main collection is Hawker Hunters, i currently have 15 corgi Hunters of which seven are professionaly repainted into various colour schemes, mainly from the Swiss Air Force, but Miss Demeanour is not far behind. I also have various 1/200 scale aeroplanes, Hunters included.
We used to collect every kind of model aircraft plastics kits included, but our house is not big enough so the plastic ones had to go.

RE: Model aircraft.

That’s exactly the way I think! I’ve made minor blunders while producing models… It all adds a personal touch to them! Well… that’s my excuse anyway! 🙂

RE: Model aircraft.

I wont touch the metal ones. My painting might not be perfect but I like to be able to think I did it!

Got 200 models – view some here – http://www.Geocities.com/nickhalifax/

Favourite kits are Hellers Curtiss Cleveland, my Matchbox Norseman, having just built Eastern Expreses MIG21

RE: Model aircraft.

Got all the Corgi die-cast Hunters as well as the two Sea Harriers and Falklands Vulcan. Also have a couple of their airliners – a Connie and a Sunderland.

M

RE: Model aircraft.

You have some good models there yu two, as you can see from my list I don’t really have many Old military a/c, as I have only just started collecting. I used to collect modern military a/c and commercial a/c but I have now taken a shine to the Old military/prop models.

RE: Model aircraft.

I have a few Corgi models: a Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito, EE Lightning, P-51 (Old Crow), Harrier and Hunter all in 1:72 scale…

Corgi recently introduced a range of “baby” models (the same quality as the 1:144 and 1:72 ranges but usually sell for a fiver) Of these I have the Spitfire, Corsair, P-51 and P-38…

I said for years that I was not going to buy any aircraft models, then Corgi released that BBMF set last year and that was that…of course a staff discount in the Musuem shop helps 🙂

RE: Model aircraft.

I have some of the Corgi die-cast ones. A Spit, Hurricane, ME109, Mustang and Hunter, and my partner has a Lightning.

Got a couple of plastic ones in boxes but not enough time to make them right now… still, winter’s coming…