[Aussie Dave]

Okay fellas, I know a lot have you have seen it before but I will post it again for the benefit of those who haven't seen it yet.

This is my 1/72 scale WWII RAF Hangar & Airfield diorama.
(Part 1.)




















Cheers,
Dave

[McCoy]

Nice lookin' indeed! One wonders how you can manage to have room for it at home! By the way, that has to be the cleanest supportlathe I've seen in my entire life n' I've seen a fair share of 'em.

[Aussie Dave]

Part 2.





















NB: Since these photos were taken I have added another 2 Spitfires, with even more aircraft just waiting to be built and added.


Cheers,
Dave

This post has been edited by Aussie Dave: March 16, 2008 - 06:13 AM

[Aussie Dave]

McCoy said:

Nice lookin' indeed! One wonders how you can manage to have room for it at home! By the way, that has to be the cleanest supportlathe I've seen in my entire life n' I've seen a fair share of 'em.

;( They are the RAF mate and keep everything spotless.
I also had a shed built as my hobby room for all my R/C Cars, models and modelling equipment, so having room for it isn't a problem.

BTW the Hangar, all the machines, benches etc. I scratch-built from bits and pieces I had in my bits box.

Cheers,
Dave

This post has been edited by Aussie Dave: March 16, 2008 - 06:06 AM

[McCoy]

Ahh, so you mean that it would have been a more normal lookin' lathe if it was the RAAF then?

Good work with the machines n' benches, it do look like a workshop in the hangar even if it's a extremely clean one.

[MAGNA]

That brings back a lot of Airfix memories. Especially the trucks. I still have some. I've always liked the Scammel transporter too. My aim is to make something similar with a glass top in a table. The whole thing is one of the best 1/72nd dioramas I have seen yet.

[Geek44]

Thinking along similar lines MAGNA. Dave, you must have kept Airfix in business through the 'dark years' before Hornby. I see new stuff in it every time I look. McCoy, that lathe is the new one they brought in this morning after Jenkins busted the old, dirty one. He's on latrines for it.

[Aussie Dave]

Geek44 said:

Thinking along similar lines MAGNA. Dave, you must have kept Airfix in business through the 'dark years' before Hornby. I see new stuff in it every time I look. McCoy, that lathe is the new one they brought in this morning after Jenkins busted the old, dirty one. He's on latrines for it.

One would think I helped keep Airfix afloat for a while, yes there are a lot of Airfix kits on it for sure.

But there are even more untouched Airfix kits that I already have in the cupboard just waiting to join their finished mates on the diorama.

These are the ones I have sitting in the cupboard:

.........

But not all of the kits on there are Airfix ones.
Two Spitfires and one Hurricane are Heller.
The other Hurricane and the Mosquito are Matchbox models.
The Valentine Tank is Italeri.
I can't remember the brands but the RAF P-51B isn't Airfix, neither is the P-40
And I have a feeling the Wellington isn't Airfix as well.


Cheers,
Dave

This post has been edited by Aussie Dave: March 16, 2008 - 09:19 AM

[McCoy]

Can the Wellington be a Matchbox? I remember that they had one in their line back in the days.

[gi-rene]

Beauty Mate!

[lufttiger]

I just noticed a few things that i didn't catch before, like that recovery
truck with the nose of a damaged plane in its hoist. COOL!

about R/C cars, are these the ones like Tamiya puts out?
The reason i ask, i've never owned one, and would like to give it a shot
just for fun.

[Jim O]

From one who had not seen it before, I am in awe. That is simply great!

Thank you for sharing it here.

[MAGNA]

Aussie Dave said:

One would think I helped keep Airfix afloat for a while, yes there are a lot of Airfix kits on it for sure.

But there are even more untouched Airfix kits that I already have in the cupboard just waiting to join their finished mates on the diorama.

These are the ones I have sitting in the cupboard:

.........

But not all of the kits on there are Airfix ones.
Two Spitfires and one Hurricane are Heller.
The other Hurricane and the Mosquito are Matchbox models.
The Valentine Tank is Italeri.
I can't remember the brands but the RAF P-51B isn't Airfix, neither is the P-40
And I have a feeling the Wellington isn't Airfix as well.


Cheers,
Dave

I've had all those over the years except the Anson. Just finished a new kit of the refuelling set. I only bought it because it was on special but it is good. I bought some Heller stuff and found it was renamed Airfix gear anyway. The Valentine is the same kit we are using in the interactive game.

[Aussie Dave]

lufttiger said:

I just noticed a few things that i didn't catch before, like that recovery
truck with the nose of a damaged plane in its hoist. COOL!

about R/C cars, are these the ones like Tamiya puts out?
The reason i ask, i've never owned one, and would like to give it a shot
just for fun.

Nah, none of the R/C cars I have are Tamiya ones.
(Tamiya ones have very limited upgrades available, can only be fitted with Tamiya parts and the parts are expensive.)

I have 2 electric off-road R/C cars with "Hot" motor upgrades, and an upgraded Nitro powered on-road R/C car.

The Electric Powered ones are cleaner to run but with the engine upgrades the 7.2V batteries get so hot you can't handle them for a while after running them and you have to wait for 30mins -1 hour while you recharge them.
(NB: Engine upgrades make your car go a lot faster, but cut the running time down from 10-15 mins to 6 mins or less depending on the winds and turns on the Hot Racing Engine you fit.)
Another thing to consider when you upgrade an electric car's engine, is the wiring and speed controller will also need to be upgraded and replaced to handle the extra power drain of the new motor, as the original wiring and speed controller will get so hot, they will actually melt. - No joke.

Nitro ones are messy because the fuel is like 2-stroke petrol with oil in it and the excess lubricant seeps out of the exhaust pipe, but you can keep running them as long as you have fuel for them.
Also Nitro ones like mine have a 2-speed gearbox fitted and can travel at well over 90 K.P.H.
(But at that speed, pray you don't hit a wall or something like it, or you won't have much of a car afterwards as my brother found out with his Nitro R/C car.)

If you do buy one LT, I recommend you get a Nitro Off-Road one, you can race them just about anywhere without the need for a charger and when they do run out of fuel, you just fill it back up and away you go again.
(And the have a cool sounding engine and audible gear changes unlike the 'quiet' single speed electric ones.)

Be warned though, with any after-market upgrades, (Electric & Nitro.) it can turn out to be quite an expensive outlay of cash to turn your 'Stock' R/C Car/Buggie into a performance racer.
But then again, nothing beats having one that really 'kicks butt'.


Cheers,
Dave

[Aussie Dave]

MAGNA said:

I've had all those over the years except the Anson. Just finished a new kit of the refuelling set. I only bought it because it was on special but it is good. I bought some Heller stuff and found it was renamed Airfix gear anyway. The Valentine is the same kit we are using in the interactive game.

I have to ask, what did you think of the figure you get with the Valentine Tank?

I found his head was HUGE compared with his body and way out of proportion.
(YUKK!!!)


Cheers,
Dave

[Aussie Dave]

McCoy said:

Can the Wellington be a Matchbox? I remember that they had one in their line back in the days.

That is what I thought too, but to be honest I don't recall exactly if it was Matchbox or not.

Cheers,
Dave

[MAGNA]

Aussie Dave said:

I have to ask, what did you think of the figure you get with the Valentine Tank?

I found his head was HUGE compared with his body and way out of proportion.
(YUKK!!!)


Cheers,
Dave

I must admit, although the turret hatches are open, there is no figure in there. I can't remember whether this was because there was a bad figure with it or if I just didn't bother painting it. I must have a look. I like the Matador in RAF colours too. Another favourite truck.

[Wolster]

Brilliant stuff Dave, a real labour of love. As for the Lathe, any workshop I have worked in, if it didn't look like that when you walked away from it, you didn't walk away from it!!

I grew up on Matchbox, they were the only kits available in the little shop in the village I lived in. I have a real nostalga for them. Revell picked up a lot of their moulds and the Halifax I picked up yesterday is descriped as 'An historical kit (MatchboX)', makes me feel bloody old!!

[Wolster]

Aussie Dave said:

That is what I thought too, but to be honest I don't recall exactly if it was Matchbox or not.

Cheers,
Dave

I think it was the Wellington kit that had a painting of Sgt 'Jimmy' Ward winning his VC by climbing out onto the wing of the burning aircraft. I think the grest box artwork was what really got me into modelling in the first place. They certainly knew how to capture young imaginations!!!

[dgfred]

That's ridiculous good Dave .