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Ah, time finally permits :) Since ARC is currently full of stuff about how props aren't popular, I have dug out an ancient Matchbox Emil to taunt Fate and irritate naysayers with:

109E_1.jpg

The last time I built one of these beasts was thirty-odd years ago. Blink, and it goes! The kit is dated 1976, which for me was mostly spent as a child on a very hot and rather beautiful beach. That Summer, you know? Mobile phones, synthesisers, pound coins, fast motorbikes, Bombay Sapphire, skin cancer, Thandie Newton* - none of these things had been invented then. A different time, all things considered. And the late lamented Lesney were at their zenith in Great Britain...

This particular example of their fine art has managed 34 years before getting here, and despite evidently being crushed in more than one stash, nothing has actually fallen off the sprues:

109E_8.jpg

Minor miracle, huh? I also have a sack of aftermarket goodies of varying provenance:

109E_7.jpg

Some of this will get used, and some won't - not sure which at the moment. I intend to wallow shamelessly in nostalgia, probably take far too many pictures and no doubt slowly lose my love for it after fully realising a Starfix 48th has better wheel bays (and it has. No surprise the 24th Airfix got away with absolutely no bays at all, then.) It may be a battle, it WILL be a long build. But no doubt much will be learnt :)

(3:1 on my not finishing in time...)

Patrick

* Well OK, not quite. But she was 4. She does commercials for old chicks' makeup, now. What is the world coming to?

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Looking forward to this one Patrick. I'll be doing one for LSP's BoB GB coming up soon, and I also have the same Verlinden update set for it. Blaze the trail, buddy. I'll be following behind!

Kev

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Looking forward to this one Patrick. I'll be doing one for LSP's BoB GB coming up soon, and I also have the same Verlinden update set for it. Blaze the trail, buddy. I'll be following behind!

Cool, sir - though I should warn you I have very mixed feelings about the Verlinden set at first look and it might end up on an actual Hasegawa instead...

First look - a few bits stuck together:

RIAT_20102010-07-29_3.jpg

The fetchingly bi-coloured propeller centre went whee! out of the clothes peg clamp I was using straight into one of the least charted areas of the Cave. Oh, words (bad) were used, followed by words (good) when it showed up a mere ten minutes later. Phew...

Kev, I'll be intrigued to know how you get the engine together. It's a bit of a confidence trick. I used Blu-tack (see pic) as a support and I'm doing it gradually to try and keep it square.

This bit

RIAT_20102010-07-29_6.jpg

and this bit

RIAT_20102010-07-29_5.jpg

Suffer from a great big spike of plastic that isn't there on the real Emil so it is coming off and getting filled respectively.

The front:

RIAT_20102010-07-29_1.jpg

Is going to meet the drill and abrasive paper soon.

And this bit:

RIAT_20102010-07-29.jpg

Is ribbed all right, but not for anyone's pleasure (Garth.) Thankfully the plastic looks thick enough to support a bit of sanding...

I'm not hugely impressed by the fuselage guns (though they seem better than the Hasegawa.) They seem weedy. Hence I have now ordered Karaya ones to see what they are like. After completely forgetting the type of guns on an aircraft I've been interested in for forty years (sorry, kind Hannants people :salute:) D'oh...

Patrick

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  • 3 weeks later...
Sheez, it's about time. :P Glad you finally made it!

I try. Man-flu is wiping me out at present, but here's some willing:

1508102010-08-15_1.jpg

So far the Matchbox DB is winning over the Verlinden one, despite it's cheerful (or nauseating) colour scheme. It looks meaner. I've cut off the ignition leads to allow replacement from wire and no doubt extra bits will be required. I see the header tank (not shown) will need more than a few things added, not least :banana:

1508102010-08-15_2.jpg

The Aires radio set is quite wonderful OOB and is slowly getting there:

1508102010-08-15_3.jpg

Quickboost 'zorsts are a lot nicer than stock but need to go a sight more flush. This is causing me much grief due to the very little metal present surrounding the real thing. At this rate I will lose the plastic top & bottom, and make the shields from scrap etch. And go for more prayer work with the power tool on the front fairings!

1508102010-08-15_4.jpg

The wings are getting plastic guards against whatever I put in for liners. They also have got a little bit of plastic in to take the MG-FF barrels I'll use (trying to scrounge some Master ones.) The Matchbox FF's aren't at all bad, but they don't need to be seen (from my perspective) and it makes the leading edge seam easier to clean. Airfix did the LE front cover separate, clever men.

The little bits that form the radiator ducts have had the huge gouge filled in them, and cemented in what I hope to be the right place.

1508102010-08-15_5.jpg

To add to things learnt on this build it turns out MG17's were used in the Great War as well as #2, and the Karaya barrels are for the older version machine gun. This is no problem though, since by chance I have a set of Master MG17's in the etch drawer. This is why focussing on one model is not a good idea, as I must have just had them on general principle. Wondering about either using the Verlinden flash guards or making them from scrap etch or even drinking straws...

Kick butt, Big Kev.

Patrick

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