ross blackford

Yes Stefan, and sometimes parts of a damaged aircraft were mated with parts of another or several damaged aircraft to put one aircraft back in the air. There are a number of examples of RAAF aircraft that this happened with including "top end" Spitfires. This didn't just happen in the RAAF but in every other air arm around the world :cheers:/>, Ross.

:D, Hi falcon. I've mentioned before about an experience I had years ago at a modelling competition in Sydney's western suburbs so I won't go into detail here but basically in time of war what's available gets used and even sometimes in peacetime what's available gets used. For a few short weeks in 1979 Mirage A3-34 flew painted only in grey-green primer as the 481 SQN paintshop had run out of the top coat colours and for those few weeks couldn't get them. I was deployed with a 12 aircraft deployment to Townsville which included A3-34 for 2 of those 3 weeks. There are those who will vow and de

:D, When the aztec first came out numerous people told me how fantastic they were. I don't think any of them have Aztecs now. My main concern was the plastic parts in them. I stuck to my double action steel airbrushes and haven't had much trouble with them over the years. I have a Paasche VL, a couple of Chinese ones from Supercheap Auto and the recent Aldi offer. So far the Chinese ones have given me no trouble and were cheap and are easy to clean. I also have a cheap external mix single action brush I use for easy work. , Ross.

:D/>, I have an Eduard 1/72 scale L39 Albatros that I've painted in the Slovakian Air Force's aero team colours and because of a mistake in mounting the cockpit floor the seats are much too high so the canopies can't be set in the closed position. I've tried Zap-A-Gap super glue to mount the canopies in the open position but this hasn't worked either. Would Go2 work in this situation? Another question I have is that I've managed to lose the tiny wingtip tank landing lights into the carpet monster. Can it be used to build up layers and then sand those layers back to shape after the glue has

:D, Hi Otto. Way back in the day Airfix and Frog both did the S6B in 1/72 scale. There have been other models also in either resin or vacform that I can remember and not just of the S6B. There is a site called Focus on Vacforms where you might find some of what you're looking for. , Ross.

:D, Hello Kevan. I had a look at the Sword site last night. If you look under Catalogue/Eshop it's the fourth listing down from the top on the first page under Coming Soon. , Ross.

:D, G'day Kevan. Thank you for the info. Do you know if it will be available again soon? I'd like to get a couple of these as there's an L-5 and an OY-1, the US Navy version in the local area near here. , Ross.

:D, Looks like it's coming back into production soon. It's a Sword kit so I wasn't too far off. I've been told that Sword and AZModel are owned by the same person and in the past Sword kits have also been marketed under the AZModel label. I have an example of the Sword Beech D17 Staggerwing which also was sold under the AZ label. Have a look at the Sword model's site. It's in there under the Coming Soon category so they're going to put it back into production again. , Ross.

:D, There is a kit of this aeroplane; in 1/72 scale from one of the eastern european short run manufacturers. Off the top of my head I can't think which one at the moment. I'll have a look for you. I think it's either AZ Model or RS Models , Ross.

:D, G'day Aaron. That looks like a Stinson L-5 Sentinel to me. Like this one. , Ross.

:D, Despite the plundering, something I noticed (mainly because I'm an ex aircraft eleco) is the incredible condition of the electrical junction and contactor box on the right hand wall of the radio compartment. After 70 odd years subject to the elements and vandalism that box is in excellent condition. The wiring and contactors are in fantastic condition given the time and conditions they've endured. , Ross.

:D, Hello Erik. I like your J 21. You've done a great job of building and detailing it. I haven't heard of this company before but it appears they make wonderful models. What scale is it? , Ross.

:D, Absolutely, Snap Captain. My pic isn't in the same league as this one but here is a pic of 3 Hawks that I took one day at Williamtown. Does anyone else have any similar photos to share with us? , Ross.

:D, Nah Thommo. Spend the kids' inheritance. Let 'em find their own Matchbox kits if they want 'em so much. Build those suckers. Your Gladiatior is coming along nicely there mate. Keep going with it and show us the final result when she's finished. , Ross.

:D/>, This post may not mean very much to our members outside Australia. I'm looking for an Australian cast resin 1/24 scale 1939 Chevrolet Sloper (All Enclosed Coupe) body kit. I want to use this Aussie kit with the American 1939 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery kit to convert into a 1/24 scale model of my 1/1 1939 Pontiac Sloper. The Sloper bodies were all the same from the firewall back regardless of the badge engineering. If anyone can help me out here I'd be eternally greatful. The gentleman who cast these bodies is no longer doing them apparently so I know this may be a very long shot. Thanks

:D/>/>, Yes busker, the Reds did take their part of the show with those loops and rolls while hooked up to each other. The Kiwis also had a private team of Harvards that did aeros in such close formation I couldn't believe what I was seeing. One comment from a mate of mine during their formation loop was "If No. 1's engine so much as coughs on one cylinder in the upward vertical No. 4 will chew his rudder off." They were literally that close and I'm not kidding anyone. I think those days may be gone even here in Oz but we can always live in hope I guess. Another thing I miss is the ann

:D, At the Bicentennial Airshow at Richmond in 1988 2 Chinooks did a close quarters (read intimate) mating dance which produced a baby Chinook from the rear end of the "female" Chinook. Or the Squirrel doing its thing at the show, or the Caribou doing the wheelbarrow or the QANTAS 747 doing the low fast run along the runway on its way to Europe via Singapore. That bird was so low its inner engines were no more than a metre of the ground or the An-124 doing its show stopping display. After his first display on the Monday afternoon the captain was called into the airshow director's office and to

:D, Box cutters or Stanley knives as we call them here can be just as dangerous as exacto knives and with a bit of secrecy a student can remove the blade from a box cutter easily enough. It is indeed a sad new world we live in today. Wasn't it supposed to be a brave new world after WW2? Somehow we've lost the bravery of those who fought for us during that conflict and forgotten what it was they were fighting for, but I digress. When our cadets are working on models I always have my first aid kits in the room. I've had to use them a couple of times in 3 years and then of course there's the mand

:D, They had hazard perception training seesions in teachers colleges back then Thommo? I think all my teachers also missed that session if they had such a thing. On topic, I'm the Education Officer with the Maitland Squadron of the Australian Air League and as such it's my job to run the aeromodelling program. We start the kids off with a kite, then a balsa chuck glider then a 1/72 scale plastic kit. I've done as you say with one variation. I don't use pictures, I use actual models at different stages of construction to demonstrate the various stages and how to achieve each stage and then pro

:D, "I got you now Bu'ler. Her, her, her, her." My father and I used to split our sides laughing at this show. The episode where Butler and the conductor are wearing their new uniforms and meet two Swedish girls who mistake them for "airline peelots" who fly a "yoombo yet". Of course they play along with the gag until the next day when the girls come to the depot to get on the bus and find that these two aren't "airline peelots" at all and they don't fly a "yoombo yet", but a bus driver and conductor. Blakey, "Wot you gonna do wiv vis bus Bu'ler, taxi it down ve 'igh street. Her, her, her, her

Umm, Otis; there are right leaning comments here too if you read the whole thread. We have similar issues here in Australia too. Perhaps not to quite the extent as in the US but definitely they are here as well. There seems to be more wealth going to the already extremely wealthy and less to the middle and lower income groups, even though we are working harder and more productively than ever. Is the US economy the best performing in the world as a couple of posters have stated? Let's have a look at that. What is America's population? Something well over 300 million is it not? And the total e

:D, Nice shots there Aaron. At long last we here in Oz are hiring some tankers from o/s for our bushfire seasons. I still don't know why we didn't do it years ago. Back in the 80s early I opined that we needed some CL-415s or at least CL-215s for the RAAF and I was pillaried for the suggestion. The question asked was what other air force has fire fighting amphibians? My answer? "Oh, how about Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Yugoslavia, USSR just for a few." Thank goodness we've come to our senses. Back then we didn't even hire Elvis and his mates for our fire seasons. Although the land

Yep. I have to admit I goofed up here. I didn't read the comments below the piece so my fault. It doesn't change the fact however that he was a quiet hero and they're the best kind IMHO. Ross.

He's my kind of hero. A true hero in my eyes, one who doesn't need to blow his own trumpet but prefers to let others do that. And yes, shame on the media for not even mentioning or for that matter even knowing or caring about his passing. But then again that seems to be typical of the media these days. Not enough glamour in the passing of a quiet hero who just went in there even though it wasn't his job and choppers had been ordered not to go there, he went in and saved 29 young soldiers and copped a beating himself doing it. RIP Captain Freeman. Blue skies and tail winds Sir. Ross.

:D/>, Lookin' good Thommo. Watching this one as well. I also have this kit partly built in the stash somewhere with some extra cockpit detail scratchbuilt in it. The bit that caught my attention was the engine detail in this kit. The only 1/72 Gladiator kit with such a good engine until the later Heller kit and now of course the new Airfix one. Are you going to put your Boeing F4 into the Display or Critique sections now that it's finished? :cheers:/>, Ross.