Hi Ray,
The majority of the work on the exterior of the Ambassador has been done,save for the final tarting up and the adding of the outer wings.The interior is recieving alot of attention at the moment,which perhaps explains why there hasn’t been much obvious progress in the last year or so.The aircraft is being restored by a small but dedicated team to a very fine standard indeed,we should give them the credit they deserve and also be more patient.As for whether the aircraft will fly again,that’s a definate no.DAS and the IWM don’t fly their aircraft,they’re purely exhibits.Couple this with the shortage of Ambassador spares and you’ve got yourself one truly ground-bound machine.
To be honest,I’m just glad the machine is being restored at all,if it were anywhere else but Duxford it almost certainly wouldn’t be getting the treatment she’s getting now.The long term plan as I understand it,is to incorperate her into the AirSpace building/Superhangar once its renovation and extension is complete.You could argue that it’s a good thing restoration is taking so long-if it were complete already IWM might’ve been tempted to push it outside for the next few months!

Oh christ,not this one!I’m afraid to say this is one of those kits I prefer to forget,it’s not the easiest to build or best fitting of kits.As I remember it,the interior details such as the engine,canon bays etc were a very poor fit,and the wing to fuselage join was over-complicated and very weak.
That said,from what I remember it’s basically accurate in shape,and looks decent when it’s complete.Use plenty of re-enforcement on the wing/fuselage joint,and also be prepared to modify the undercarriage as the model doesn’t sit properly-it ends up looking like the gear is about to collapse.I’d also advise that you have plenty of filler to hand,as there are plenty of gaps.
As for colour scheme,I’d say go for the 80Sqn one,IMHO it’s the best scheme the latter mark Spits ever wore.
As for the example I built,it ended up in the bin after I botched up the paintjob,so I’m afraid I can’t post any photo’s of the finished model.What are the decals like with yours Daz?I remember the ones with mine were awful,they were the wrong colour and about a half an inch thick!

I’m pleased to say that my interests seem to be quite broad.If it flies,it holds some level of interest for me,everything from wood and wire to fly-by-wire. Whilst it’s probably true that the modern stuff doesn’t have the same ‘character’,it’s still mighty impressive to watch an F16 being put through its paces.Whilst a classic jet might not have the same widespread appeal as a Warbird,they come a very close second for me. I went to the Military Pageant show at OW last summer,and the Gnat display that opened the show was an equal hilight alongside the Spit,Hurri,Gladiator etc.
I think there’s also a blurred line between what’s modern and what’s classic,machines like the Canberra and T33 being still in service (albeit in ever-decreasing numbers),and even some of the more modern stuff like the Jaguar and Viggen are getting on a bit.I’ve never seen a Viggen fly,and I very much hope to see one before they are retired from service.

Whilst it’s true the Sabre had problems with the valves,I don’t think it was the valve seats as the Sabre had sleeve-valves like a Bristol radial engine.It was apparently Bristol who used thier sleeve-valve expertise to cure the Sabre’s valve problems.As I said earlier,I don’t have the issue to hand,so can’t give any specific detail.Humbug! 🙁

The Database article in last month’s Aeroplane seems to suggest that the true cause was never found,despite various mods over the years.There was a time when they thought they’d cured it,but the accidents started happenning again after a time. Unfortunately,I don’t have the magazine to hand at the moment,so can’t quote from it directly.

Great news,thanks Stringbag.Do you have any idea who’ll be performing the test flights? There can’t be that many current SeaFury drivers here in the UK,and IIRC,the only RNHF pilot to fly the aircraft when she was last active (Phil Shaw) has since retired.Is there a current RNHF pilot with SeaFury experience?

“Arm Waver,

You are correct, minimum essential crew only in a display, so the Catalina pilot is certainly breaking the rules!!”

What if the passenger is part of the aircraft’s support crew?I was under the impression that ground crew could be carried in the aircraft if it’s operating away from base.
Excellent pics folks. 🙂