Hawker Demon

Sorry it's been a while since my last post - busy with work and other stuff, meaning lots of screen time and a resulting disinclination to write blog posts!

Anyway, let's have some pics of toys, 'cos that's why you're here, right?  Readers of a nervous disposition look away now.

This battered specimen was part of the loot from COW last year.   I've always liked the Demon/Hart/Fury family of pointy biplanes.  While planning a Spanish Civil War game a few months ago I felt a need for a republican light bomber/recce biplane.  The 'correct' thing would have been a Breguet XIX.  There were also a few (three?) Hawker Fury fighters in Spain so it didn't take my fevered mind long to join the dots.  So Demon = wrong.  But then Demon = free.  Still with me?

Repair work commenced to my usual high* standards - liberal doses of blutac and glue being employed in the process.

Elegant eh?

Soon everything was perfectly* aligned.  

I managed to preserve the previous owner's impressing rigging thread.

Paint was added and markings were also painted on.  The result is clearly Republican and has the correct quantity of wings, and for a walk on part in a daft game that's good enough for me!

Bassett's broken biplanes*

 * also featuring Tim's terrible triplanes and mangled Morane monoplanes.

John B very kindly passed me this box of veterans at COW a few weeks ago.  The Demon I came up with an immediate plan for and the Albatross looked useful too.  I was delighted to see the Morane as I didn't have one!  The others have been passed to PHW who has also borrowed the Morane for some photos.

The Morane - an old Revell kit I believe - was in pretty good shape.  I have previously bodged one from a Fokker E1 but it's nice to have a 'real' one. I firmed up the attachment of some extremities.  The decals were flaky but looked largely salvageable and several coats of varnish gave a respectable finish.

COW acquisitions

 

Behold: most of the goodies from last month's COW!  I was pleased to score a trio of Andrew Rolph's scenario books along with a new book from Jim Roche.

Serial offender Mr Bassett kindly donated this box of mostly WW1 aircraft.  Half have been re-homed, one has been repaired and two er, re-purposed.

A bargain bag of 1/300ish Cold War aircraft for a £5!

And more 1/1200 WW2 ships.

A Grubby Gannet

 

The latest ex-Bassett rescue is this Fairey Gannet. John tells me it’s the Revell kit - which helps explain the West German Navy markings. As it was pretty much complete I preserved the original paintwork. My efforts were limited to sourcing and painting a replacement prop spinner, painting over the not entirely transparent transparencies and slapping on a coat of varnish. 

Writing it into a game may prove a challenge but rule nothing out!

Crumbling Corsair

 A welcome find in JB's box of treats was this old Airfix Corsair.  It was actually pretty solid and needed only paintwork and decals.

I went for an overall mid-blue finish.  Basic but effective.

An awful Avenger? Or just a grim Grumman?

 

I was particularly pleased to find in JB's box this Avenger.  It was a relatively quick fix.  I opted for an overall mid-blue with the earlier-pattern markings.  I like it.

The Avenger as it arrived - several wobbly bits and the fuselage halves were parting company.

Flaky Fagot fettling - MiG-15 recovery part 3

 

Here is the finished MiG. In the end I opted for Chinese markings. I’d hoped to find North Korean decals but I have none in stock, and a set of North Vietnamese markings is earmarked for a newer model (in every sense) of MiG. A useful addition to my accumulation of aircraft. 

Flaky Fagot fettling - MiG-15 recovery part 2

Having slapped on an undercoat of matt black, I followed up with (fairly roughly applied) Revell silver.  Some red highlights were added and the canopy painted over.  Now I’m off to the decal box in search of something suitable.  

Flaky Fagot fettling - MiG-15 recovery part 1

This 50+ year veteran was passed to me in July by it’s original careful(?) owner. Still astonishingly solid after all this time, it was an obvious candidate for a quick recovery. I began by scraping off the remains of the decals and making sure there were no loose bits. 

Vindicator vindicated?

Here’s another recovery from July’s box of tricks. The Vindicator served from 1937 and was entertainingly referred to by crews as ‘vibrator’. I’m not sure what make the kit is - I don’t think Airfix made one. 

It’s had a full repaint and new decals and now looks - from several feet away - OK. 

How it was on arrival!

 

An even limper Lysander - part 2

 

Here then is the completed Lysander. For something rescued from near-scrap it’s come together quite well I think. The Finnish decals were kindly provided by Pete and prompted me to move the Lysander further up my schedule. 

Newer readers may think that I must therefore have a plan for an imminent Winter War game.  Veterans will not expect to see this again for some years!

If it looks a bit rough that’s probably due to having had a hard life in the Arctic. At least that’s my story. 

Grubby grey Grumman (Wildcat)

Here is the Wildcat after being dusted - transforming in the process from dusty brown to grey!  It was in basically good shape and some casual violence reduced the undercarriage from 50% complete to 0%. More robust that way!  After further cleaning I attacked it with paint.

I opted for the early war markings, using decals I had in stock. I rather like it. 

An even limper Lysander - part 1

Veteran readers will perhaps recall this earlier foray into broken Airfix Lysander repair.  This ‘new’ one was plucked to safety(?) from this box of quality items. 

As it emerged. It’s not really this good - I propped the various bits together to make the photo less harrowing. 

A surprisingly large quantity of glue later the thing was in one piece. Paint time. 

By this stage, Pete had kindly offered a set of surplus decals - can you guess who the Lysander’s new employer is?

Bassett’s Broken Bits Bonus Box

You’ll no doubt recall this post from last year.  Subsequently I was contacted by a Mr Bassett who asked me not to publish his name again. So I won’t. Anyway, and changing the subject entirely, a few weeks ago I was contacted by ‘John B’ who mentioned that he had located another box of pre-loved plastic. Would I like it?  Well yes, obviously!

On arrival at COW last weekend he duly presented me with the box in the photo.  If anything this is an even more exciting collection than last year’s.  And yes, that is an Fw200 Condor on top  well, most of it.  

Once I’ve had a chance to sort through the contents I’ll post more photos. Some will be beyond rescue but the potential survivors will each be rated for completeness, desirability and work required. 

For the moment please entertain yourself and us all by naming as many models as you can identify. 

Thanks again John! If that’s even your real name. 

Dreadful Dinah?

Bringing to an end - at least for now - the epic tale of plastic, dust, glue and heroism that is Bassett’s  Broken Bits Box is this Airfix Mitsubishi Ki-46.  I’ve not yet built one and as this was in good shape I’ve not even had to rebuild one.  It’s a lovely ‘clean’ design so,I opted for a fairly plain finish and added decals from stock.  I like it.  

Contemporary Airfix box art. 

YAK-9D - part 2

Here is the completed Yak in ‘flight’, resplendent in new paint, decals and a coat of varnish.  Not a bad recovery and a useful model.