Not that sorta model with the pants off it neither 🙄

To any of the old fella's on this forum I've no doubt you've 'not' made an Airfix kit 😅

Completed this today, originally released in 1974, long time ago now...Airfix 1/24th Harrier GR1, this thing isn't small 🤭

A very nice Harrier, with some lovely detail; good work 😎

Nice Harrier. Where will you put it though?
Nice to see someone else interested in the fantastic plastic model kit hobby. 

On and off had a bash at plastic and balsa models never with any great degree of sucess, usually rafts of glue runs, crappy paintwork. I applaud anyone that can acheive that kind of standard.

You and me both @Jimpster 

35 minutes ago, Nick Y said:

Where will you put it though?

Thanks. I've a small room upstairs which used to be my Sons bedroom, now he's flown the nest that's 'my room' for my models, sadly that room is becoming cluttered not, I'd like to donate some of my models to an aircraft museum.

13 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

Thanks. I've a small room upstairs which used to be my Sons bedroom, now he's flown the nest that's 'my room' for my models, sadly that room is becoming cluttered not, I'd like to donate some of my models to an aircraft museum.

Just wow!!! I doff my cap to you 👍 

35 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

I've a small room upstairs which used to be my Sons bedroom...

What caught my eye, is what looks to be a Radio Set, on the back wall. Is it Avro Lancaster related?

39 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

Thanks. I've a small room upstairs which used to be my Sons bedroom, now he's flown the nest that's 'my room' for my models, sadly that room is becoming cluttered not, I'd like to donate some of my models to an aircraft museum.

wow, and I thought I had too many models (110) in my little 1 bed apartment. 

56 minutes ago, Rob101 said:

What caught my eye, is what looks to be a Radio Set, on the back wall. Is it Avro Lancaster related?

Caught my eye too, Rob.

Ian, I don't know how long you have been making Airfix models, my elder brother and I made a lot in the days of Series 1:  2/- and up to 17/6 for I think the Royal Sovereign.  Alan W Hall was a regular contributor to Airfix Magazine, with his aircraft models.

11 hours ago, Paulkp said:

Ian, I don't know how long you have been making Airfix models

Well it all started with my elder brother, he was making models from about 1975, I used to watch him in fascination as he made a box of bits into a flying plane which then got hung up on the ceiling, so he got me kits to put together, some years on my brother was suffering with severe headaches and feeling sick all the time, after several visits to the doctors they still couldn't diagnose what was giving him the health problems, then one day my mam mentioned he makes models in his bedroom, so uses a lot of glue & paints, the doctor said to stop using all those hazards, within a week his headaches was gone, it was indeed the glues & paints causing him headaches.....My mam put a total ban on making model kits from then, no more models was made from about 1981, even I was banned too.....It wasn't until 1991 and living on my own that I went into our corner paper shop and noticed rows of little Airfix kits on a top shelf with an old Humbrol paint rack, the memories flooded back so got a kit & paints/brush/glue, little helicopter built & painted finished in an hour flat, had to go back and buy another and build another and buy another and buy another and build another...... It's not stopped ever since 🤭 and I don't think it will ever.

I'm the one on the right holding a real firing Lee Enfield Rifle! The model Lancaster was built by me, the other two was my friends from down the street, unsure on the date but the cars gives a slight idea.

12 hours ago, Rob101 said:

What caught my eye, is what looks to be a Radio Set, on the back wall. Is it Avro Lancaster related?

Yes it's an early R1155 alloy encased radio set most likely from a Lancaster but was fitted in other aircraft as well, that radio still works, if you are keen eyed in my pics is also the three ID Lights which was fitted on the underside of the Lancaster, there's also RAF related items from bomb release buttons/Astro Compass, had a general interest in wartime RAF Bomber Command since about 1985, love the Lancaster the most though.

12 hours ago, Nick Y said:

wow, and I thought I had too many models (110) in my little 1 bed apartment. 

What you see there is my third run of built models, built that many over the years I literally run out of room, so to make room for fresh models I sell them on ebay or donate them to worthy people, many of my models have gone into museums, even gone as far as Canada/Mexico/Germany/France/Netherlands....Even a lovely Lancaster went to a millionaire in Dubai.

I also love making ships in all forms too, made a large 1/350th Battleship Tirpitz, this went into a Yorkshire museum dedicated to Barnes Wallis, the Lanc' behind the ship is a Corgi Dambuster.

 
My missus reckons I've problems 🤣😂😂🤣 

27 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

Yes it's an early R1155 alloy encased radio set most likely from a Lancaster but was fitted in other aircraft as well, that radio still works, if you are keen eyed in my pics is also the three ID Lights which was fitted on the underside of the Lancaster, there's also RAF related items from bomb release buttons/Astro Compass, had a general interest in wartime RAF Bomber Command since about 1985, love the Lancaster the most though.

You have a very nice collection.

My farther was a huge aviation fan, and, back in the day, we would attend a lot of Airshows. Back then, one could still witnesses the likes of the English Electric Lightning going from just getting airborne, to standing up on it's tail, then, it was gone, with full re-heat and a thunderas sound, hitting Mach 0.99 in no time flat!

I also remember there being, like, market stands, selling all kinds of kit. I don't know what happened to all the stuff I bought, but I do have one thing that has survived.

I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone here, what it is, but I don't remember from what engine it came. I think it's either from the Merlin or the Griffon, as I don't think I would have bought it, if it was from any other engine.

19 minutes ago, Rob101 said:

Back then, one could still witnesses the likes of the English Electric Lightning going from just getting airborne, to standing up on it's tail, then, it was gone, with full re-heat and a thunderas sound, hitting Mach 0.99 in no time flat!

I'm sure I don't have to tell anyone here, what it is, but I don't remember from what engine it came. I think it's either from the Merlin or the Griffon

You sound like your from my era, we also loved the airshows, still have a few Super 8 Silent Cine Films of days out to RAF Finningly, Watching Hercules & Victors in formation going by, even sat in a Spitfire which had just landed, you wouldn't see that nowadays, I nolonger go to such shows because of my back and the costs have gone crazy, we used to watch Lightning from RAF Binbrook do free air displays over the Mablethorpe Beach line, epic memories, I did a small scene which it titled ''Going Vertical'' this is a memory from the beach, both going straight up and out of sight, unreal it was.

Always wanted to get a Merlin valve or piston and mount a Lancaster on it, sadly that has never happened such engine parts are too expensive, also did a 49sqd Lancaster model mounted on a wine bottle, this Lanc' crashed into a local winery, on show in their main office in Germany.

5 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

Always wanted to get a Merlin valve or piston and mount a Lancaster on it, sadly that has never happened such engine parts are too expensive...

Tbh, I'd never considered if, the one that I have, is worth any money. I did consider putting it up on eBay, but then again, I'd be far happier if I knew it had gone to a real enthusiast and became a part of a larger collection. I'd hate that, when I do depart from this world, someone, who has no idea what it is, simply discards it.

Maybe, if you're interested, you'd like to PM me, and we'll see what we can work out.

I remember as a pre teen i was out on my bike [push] and went to a local ish park 5-10 miles to find there was a radio controlled display on, sat and watched spell bound for a while then rode all the way home and back to rob my dads binoculars, was a fantastic afternoon. Sadly they seem to have been discontinued round my way for one reason or another, i did find out the local council fell out with the organisers. I did manage to make to a reasonable standard the Leander class frigate from balsa in the Blizzards magazine, i even bought the book for the wooden models especially the hand built Rolls Royce. And Robert Symes wittering on about model railways. And kids today say their bored and nothing to do.

2 hours ago, Rob101 said:

 when I do depart from this world, someone, who has no idea what it is, simply discards it.

Maybe, if you're interested, you'd like to PM me, and we'll see what we can work out.

There's 'collectors' of RAF stuff who just hoard the stuff in drawers never to see daylight again, I've a school headmaster who is such a collector and his house is full of everything RAF, none of it is proudly on display, just boxed away with some even being forgotten about.

Some ten years ago I was walking by some bungalows and there was a skip outside one house, looking in the skip there was smashed up models of allsorts and kits thrown in for good measure, there was building bricks & other heavy furniture lobbed over them, asked if I could have a look but everything was wrecked, so sad to see this and asked why this is happening, a bloke said an old bloke had died and we've got to clear out the house and modernise it, family members did not care about anything, just wanted the house on the market and get it sold, this old fella who had passed was actually a RAF Bomber Command Veteran and loved making models since he retired and his family just didn't care but I managed to save his BC medals which was awarded to him, they was in the skip too. 

If I did use that valve I wouldn't be altering it, it would be sat tightly in a round oak wood display plinth, with a 1/72nd Lancaster in flying mode, hole drilled through the bomb bay, simply push fit mounted on top of the valve.

5 minutes ago, Ian Lanc said:

... this old fella who had passed was actually a RAF Bomber Command Veteran and loved making models since he retired and his family just didn't care...

That is SO sad, but good that you managed to salvage something.

The other though that I had, was to donate my Valve to a museum. From what I've seen of other examples, the one I have is in very good condition, with very little machining having been done to the valve seat.

2 hours ago, Jimpster said:

I remember as a pre teen i was out on my bike [push] and went to a local ish park 5-10 miles to find there was a radio controlled display on,

And kids today say their bored and nothing to do.

As a kid I loved going on my pushbike and visited many places that used RC stuff from cars to Ships to aircraft, over the years I've also dabbled in many RC types... {Tanks/Rally Cars/Trainer aircraft/Boats}.....Spent a small fortune on them, this is my last RC build, made for my Son, proper old  school from the early 90's 🤪 It's defo' not a kids toy.

Today's kids have no interest in making models, I've tried and failed with my grandkids, they say it's boring and pointless, instead they'd rather use tech gadgets and watch youtube.....makes me angry.

1 minute ago, Rob101 said:

The other though that I had, was to donate my Valve to a museum. 

Even donating to museums isn't a safe bet for example I know of a small RAF museum in Lincolnshire, been going to it for years, one day whilst visiting there was an old fella in a big old landy and he introduced himself and he was an RAF Veteran, asked the museum if they'd like his hand made wood crafted models, i was blown away as to what he'd made and they wasn't small either, maybe three feet models and all the clear parts was recycled plexiglass from a crashed BC kite, every model was done in his own squadron & own kite, the museum accepted them and was put on display, a decade had passed and the museum upgraded how things looked, made it more modern with large stand alone reading plinths & pictures, looking about those old models was gone, so got digging as to where they might be, after searching I found them and they'd discarded them behind a building, thrown into brambles 🤨 How could they have done such a thing, the Lincolnshire weather had destroyed the models.

This was another one of my ''Oh my god how could a museum do such a thing moments'', this was Solway Museum, they was binning very old wartime models, my friend managed to salvage one model, the rest was beyond saving, this Wellington was made out of wood/lead/tin/plexiglass and had been repaired in the past and poorly too....I stripped it back and replaced all the missing parts, then reassembled it with care, I gave the model back to my friend and he gave it back to the museum, they was shocked to see it had been saved & restored, then they admitted it was a big mistake in binning most of the genuine wartime models.

What a lovely restoration.

Well, like I said, I'd be happy if my little part goes to a good home; someone who'll appreciate it, so that it'll be preserved and passed down to those who understand what they've inherited.

On 7/18/2024 at 6:54 PM, Ian Lanc said:

Not that sorta model with the pants off it neither 🙄

To any of the old fella's on this forum I've no doubt you've 'not' made an Airfix kit 😅

Completed this today, originally released in 1974, long time ago now...Airfix 1/24th Harrier GR1, this thing isn't small 🤭

Beautiful work. Was in a model club years ago. The guy who ran it made diaramas for which got onto the covers of Airfix magazine. One of his best ones was a group of German infantry soldiers in a bombed out house around a lit stove. He used a modelling saw and milliput to reshape arms and legs. A guy lighting a cigarette doesn't sound like much, but when your 12 it was genius. He also got commissioned to make replicas of peoples motorbikes, like to the nearest carbon scoring and dent. One thing he did do was put small bolts through the tyres. This way he could give the model the appearance of weight. No such thing as a perfectly round tyre. He passed a few years ago, but I went on to do nothing more than paint D and D figures. But keep the faith, all power to your capillary action glue.

14 hours ago, Mr E said:

 One thing he did do was put small bolts through the tyres. This way he could give the model the appearance of weight. No such thing as a perfectly round tyre. 

Sounds a very nice memory for you, wonder if his models still exist somewhere ?

I made a small 1/72nd Lancaster Dambuster for someone a while back, for the bomb aimer I used an Airfix army figure who was stood up, looking up with binoculars in his hands, carefully removing the binoculars without damaging his hands, then making the most tiniest Y shaped bomb sight i'd ever made

For squashed tyres I've done different things in the past, for small plastic tyres I skim off a wedge of plastic causing a flat spot, for real rubber tyres I'll get suitable sized steel washers, bend them slightly, then glue onto the inside of the tyre, pressing it hard whilst the super glue cures, this leaves a slight flat spot & bulges to the edge.

With solid rubber 1/24th Airfix aircraft tyres it's best to not mess with those types of tyres, they'll soon fail and split.