Short Singapore

hi guys,

looking for some information, here is my profile of the singapore done in temperate sea scheme,
this was done from the only image i could find of a camouflaged RAF plane

i also intend to do a RNZAF from this image,

as far as i understand there is no verified proof of colours used, but they look like they could be the same as the RAF one,
any info or comments welcome.

now the fantasy part, i have a profile off the net of a brown and green one, also a article with hand written colour note saying the same,

is there any proof that this scheme existed outside the profilers mind.

thank you in advance for any help recieved.

I am the S&STech (aircraft painter) at the RNZAF Museum, as far as we know the paint/camouflage on the RNZAF Singapores was the standard RAF scheme for the time (ie: the Temperate Sea scheme).
Thanks for the stunning profiles.
Nathan (Barf) Bosher
RNZAF Museum
Restoration section

Hi Hope these help
the tips are red the span of the prop is 12ft 6″ the two round grey bits in the data plate are the lead balancing weights.

hi dave,

thanks for that, it looks like a prop from a singapore 1 but i would not swear to it:)

Here’s my propeller again, I have posted a photo of it in the past. It has suffered over the years as it was hung on a wall out side before i bought it.
The plywood boss has gone. It is fabric covered panted black with brass leading edge. sorry about the lawn mower handle getting in the way of the shot. Its the only photo i could find of it.

Dave

well done a batch,

these are all the different coloured one i have images for, we have silver, grey, black with metal edge and without:D

any chance of a photo,

pppllleeeaaaasssseeee:D

The prop I have is linen covered brass leading edge and all painted brown

hi DB,

beautifull image, far better than the one i have, thats another one to the list, at this rate i will profile all of them:D

Hi Dave,

yup props to be done along with loads more fine detail, props are black or wood or grey, spinners are black or red white and blue.

Looks very good. If you do the propeller, they are black. Or at lest the one i have is.

Dave

hi,

Thats looking really fine… EXCELLANT!!!

I will keep my eyesd open for any helpful images.

Until i viewed your thread and a link attached i believed i had a bought a unique image of Singapore on EBAY.

Oh well.

Herer it is… its quite a good scan from the photo which looks and feels old and is about 4″ x 6″.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4193729656_c799162453_b.jpg

Merry Christmas

DesertBlooms

Looking good so far.

That’s me!

I’m not an expert, but I’ve researched more than anyone should have to on the Stranraer and the Walrus. We considered including the Southampton in the book, but there simply wasn’t enough data to make it possible. I’ve found a bit more sence, but when I say that I had several chats with John Chapman and he said the RAFM had found it v.v. hard to find info, I reckoned it was a big ask. The Singapore was less used than the Southampton, so that’s even worse.

I will also confess to occasionally muddling up many of the other ‘tween the wars British ‘boats, but they are lovely beasts.

did you write the book JDK? James Kightly…..

ahem…erm, off to hide in a wood where i will hit meself repeatedly with a stick chanting ‘stick to T-6s stick to T-6s stick to T-6s…..’ 🙁 😉

TT – see MMP Walrus & Stranraer

THe Stranraer was used by the British & Canadians, and never ventured this far south AFAIK. CF-BXO the Hendon machine is the sole survivor, though there is a few large chunks that Mk.12 posted some pics of here at the Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley, BC.

There was a Matchbox kit mainly because they could measure ‘BXO. The kit has BXO’s postwar freight door, something only a few postwar civil Stranny’s had.

I did hear that for every sucessful (boring) type Matchbox kitted, the patternmaker was allowed to do an interesting one – hence the Siskin, Walrus, Fury, Heyford, Wellesley, and Stranraer in the Matchbox series.

Southampton I was wooden, the II was metal, the Singapore a different shaped hull to the Southampton and Stranraer and was metal. See here, on Futurshox’s excellent website. The RAAF operated Southamptons, and a lovely machine I agree they are. Hendon’s is the largest surviving chunk, and bigger than it might be as John Chapman OBE built the tailfeathers from scratch from very minimal data. There’s no surviving bits in Aus or anywhere except Hendon, AFAIK.

Dave’s original question “…compared to the others…” is the interesting point.

Tsk!

Thought the Southampton and Singapore might be a bit similar, ‘preciate the Stranraer isnt – is the RAFM Museum one the only survivor of have you Aussies got one too …

The Southampton is still my absolute Hendon favourite, closely followed by the Tiffie….ahhhhhhhh…which i may add my Italian Harvard friend viewed as a rubbish ground attack aircraft, i put him next door to the static JP fuselage’s rudder and got small children to stamp on the rudder pedals till his head hurt (that should provoke him out of hiding…) for that one

TT

RAF Museum’s Southampton cockpits.

Look quite spartan and salty to me!

And I’d say the similarity between the Southampton, Stranraer and Singapore is about as much as between the PT-23, T-6 and T-28., TT 😉

But you are right in there will be some comon ground – operational equipment etc.

Shouldnt be too difficult- RAF Museum have a WONDERFUL Southampton fuselage, interior shots are quite easy to take as there is a raised platform by the side and the scaarf apertures are quite large – the Singapore must be broadly similar….they also have a Stranraer….was always impressed that Matchbox made a kit of that!

May have some photies will have a look

TT

Ah, a sun awning.

And that’s not all. The Supermarine Stranraer had a ‘curtain’ to hang inside the aircraft when away from base between the Officer’s and the men’s quarters. Not that the British had a class ridden society or anything… I wonder how the passed the cups of tea back and forth?

I’m reminded of this whenever they rig the ‘these people have paid more than you’ curtain between the classes on an airliner flight.

Ah, a sun awning. Of course. makes sense now. I was aware of the Catalina’s broadness and a few others. It can be deceptively odd looking from above on some ‘boats’.

Has anyone got good three-view drawings of the Singapore?

I have only ever seen photos of them from the side-on view on the ground/water, or front-three-quarter in flight, and neither view indicated the width that is seen from that top view, nor the triangular shape of the hull in plan view.

Um.

The pic of the two aircraft on the water shows them with the sun awning rigged… That’s not part of the aircraft as such.

Most flying boats are a LOT broader in the fuselage beam than people realise from the habit of side on photos and profile drawings.

The Dornier Do24, Catalina, Stranraer, etc, etc… as well as the Southampton looked ‘squashed’ if you see a plan view.

Most of them had a ‘flare’ or widening of the forepart of the fuselage to direct spray away from the hull and engines.

There were exceptions, the Do.X and Supermarine Walrus were both as narrow as an equivalent landplane (though there was no equivelent landplane to the Dornier at the time).

Cheers