Exploring Aviation History through Scale Models |
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| Newsletter 16 - February 2023 |
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The curator muses on looking at the Bovington Tank Museum website and videos
Workbench Note - Lockheed Hudson in 1/72 by Italeri
Sixty-two models have been added to the various galleries
Three new Curator’s Choices have been added
Images from one show have been added
Notice of a combined meeting of the FAFHH and AHSA |
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For extra points name the kit maker and scale. It's somewhere in the Galleries. |
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We here at The Little Aviation Museum are not really tank enthusiasts, but that has not stopped us from recently looking at a lot of You Tube videos put out by the Tank Museum at Bovington. In most of them the presenters talk about one of the tanks in the museum, but often not just the tank itself.
For example, in explaining a Russian tank such at the T54 we also learn about the philosophy behind it’s design and the circumstances of those times that resulted in that tank. Those presentations do more than recite the well known facts about a particular vehicle, they immerse you in the circumstances surrounding it that made it the way it appears in the museum.
I’ve never been to Bovington and probably never will be. This means that I’m never likely to walk among the great array of tanks there to experience them fully. However, I can visit the museum in the same way that you can visit this museum, through its website. It’s not the same as being there but it is even better in some ways because the website offers more information about each vehicle than visitors can absorb while looking at them. Added to that are all the special articles on the website about many aspects of tank history, activities at the museum and much more. It is a website that you can happily get lost in.
The tank Museum reminds us that a good museum is more than a collection of things with some relationship to each other. They are places where visitors can be entertained, informed and become absorbed in the artefacts the museum displays. Perhaps more important to us at The Little Aviation Museum, is the way in which we hope to do what the Tank Museum does for tank enthusiasts and the general visitor, to give our visitors a sense of the wonder of the world of aviation and to bring it to live in our own little way.
And making models of aircraft too! |
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| Lockheed Hudson in 1/72 by Italeri |
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If you are interested in early World War II aviation you will have come across the Lockheed Hudson. It is a strange looking aircraft, clearly an airliner that has been hacked about to turn it into something a bit more military. Those Hudsons with the huge turret on the back look particularly ungainly, but I guess they look like that for a reason.
Some Hudsons came into the possession of the RAAF before the Pacific War broke out and so they fought the Japanese all the way down the Malayan peninsula and into Papua New Guinea. With a lot of Oscars and Zekes about it was not a good time to be crew on Hudsons, but they were the best the Air Force had, so they had to make do.
Since I have an interest in this era it was inevitable that I’d buy the new Italeri kit of the Hudson when it appeared, almost a decade and a half ago. I was in no rush to make it and the thought of having to mask all those airliner style windows was enough to delay a start for many years. Then Chris Wallace announced the ‘Let’s Get Pacific! Group Build’ and I thought it might be time to get out and dust off the Hudson kit. A ‘now or never’ sort of thing.
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If you are interested in early World War II aviation you will have come across the Lockheed Hudson. It is a strange looking aircraft, clearly an airliner that has been hacked about to turn it into something a bit more military. Those Hudsons with the huge turret on the back look particularly ungainly, but I guess they look like that for a reason.
Some Hudsons came into the possession of the RAAF before the Pacific War broke out and so they fought the Japanese all the way down the Malayan peninsula and into Papua New Guinea. With a lot of Oscars and Zekes about it was not a good time to be crew on Hudsons, but they were the best the Air Force had, so they had to make do.
Since I have an interest in this era it was inevitable that I’d buy the new Italeri kit of the Hudson when it appeared, almost a decade and a half ago. I was in no rush to make it and the thought of having to mask all those airliner style windows was enough to delay a start for many years. Then Chris Wallace announced the ‘Let’s Get Pacific! Group Build’ and I thought it might be time to get out and dust off the Hudson kit. A ‘now or never’ sort of thing. |
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Guess what? Apart from the pilot’s cockpit you can see virtually nothing through the side windows so all that time and effort was wasted. Take my advice and throw out everything after the radio operator’s little cabin and paint the interior black. This will also help with the problem of the side windows.
Working under the misapprehension that I’d be able to see the cabin interior through the windows I debated what to do about them. The simple solution would have been to say ‘who cares’, leave them open and fill them in at the end of the work with some fluid that dries transparent. However, I thought I had to put something in the windows to preserve the carefully prepared interior so the only apparent option was to put the windows in. And since they would come in for a lot of aggressive handling with sanding, polishing and masking, the bond had to be strong. The only workable option I could see was superglue, which is always a gamble when it comes to transparent parts. I was successful with most windows, but not all. |
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The nose of the Hudson would have been even more difficult had it not been moulded in three transparent parts which, fortunately, the super glue did not damage too much. I’d bought a set of paint masks for this kit which promised to make getting all the transparent panels in the nose right but achieving that outcome was not easy because of the confusing instruction sheet and almost complete lack of indication on the glass parts about where the masks should go. Research, which meant looking at lots of photos of Hudson noses, and good fortune, finally got all the masking parts in the right places, more or less.
The turret was also a problem, mainly because all the kit provides is a couple of machine guns. I thought they would look rather odd sitting in that big open turret all by themselves so I spent a lot more time trying to find out what else was in those turrets and scratch building some supporting equipment. However, you can barely see any of it through the completed turret glass.
Having got through all that building work with only a few mental scars it was time for painting. SMS offer a range of RAAF wartime paints which I bought and applied. As usual they went on beautifully. Nothing more needs be said, except, get yourself some. |
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The kit offers a good range of decals but I had also bought the DK Decals set which offers a lot of RAAF Hudson options from the beginning to the end of the Pacific War. I was after something that was as early in the war as possible but with the unique Australian blue and white rondels so the choice came down to FX-F flying with 6 Squadron from Milne Bay in 1943. Both the DK and kit decals offer FX-F, probably because a restored Hudson flew with those markings for a while so it is well known. However, the decals offer the registration A16-123 and the aftermarket decals suggests A16-129, so some research was needed. The simple answer to this conundrum is that the registration offered on the kit decals is for the restored aircraft whereas the DK decals are for the aircraft that flew in the Islands. That made the choice of which decals to use simple. |
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Finally, a couple of coats of SMS Flat Clear and it was time to remove the masking. I had hoped that the superglue crazing on some of the windows was not as ghastly as it turned out to be on the completed model. But it is. Apart from that, it’s not a bad looking little model but it sure took a lot more effort than you’d expect for a model of this size and complexity. Not recommended for any but the most hardened and fearless of modellers.
(After looking at this model for the past week or two, and discussing the problem with a friend who is also making this kit, I’ve decided to leave the model as it is, despite its flaws. Partly it’s because I’ve already spent more than enough time on this model and partly because of the fear of making the problem even worse. Mainly, however, I think of it as a form of punishment for thinking that I could defy the modelling gods and get away with using superglue where it should never be used, and for my hubris in thinking I was better than I actually am. Maybe it will be a lesson for me to be more cautious in the future. Though perhaps not.) |
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| Additions to the Museum Collection |
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| Museum Additions 23 February 2023 |
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Addition to the Gallery of Models
German Agricultural Tractor in 1/35 by Steve Pulbrook
Additions to the Public Galleries
Aero L-39 Albatros in 1/72 by KP
Aeromot AMT200 Super Ximango in 1/72 by Dujin
Aichi E16A in 1/144 by Anigrand
Alenia-Aermacchi-Embraer AMX in 1/72 by Aeroclub
ANF Les Mureaux 190 in 1/72 by Dujin
Armstrong Whitworth AW.52G in 1/144 by Anigrand
Auster III in 1/72 by Azmodel
Avro 707 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Bachem Ba349 Natter in 1/72 by Heller
Convair YF2Y-1 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Douglas F3D-2 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Douglas X-3 in 1/72 by Planet
Douglas XA2D-1 in 1/144 by Anigrand
GippsAero GA8 Airvan in 1/144 by bds-online
Lippisch DM-1 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Northrop Grumman RQ-4B in 1/144 by Miniwings
SAAB 90 (SAS) in 1/144 by F-Rsin
Saunders Roe SR.A/1 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Sikorsky UH-34D in 1/72 by Italeri
Waco CG-4A in 1/144 by Anigrand
Yakovlev Yak-3 in 1/72 by Red Star
Yakovlev Yak-15 in 1/172 by Pioneer 2
Yakovlev Yak-15 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Yakovlev Yak-23 (Flora) in 1/72 by KP
Addition to Aircraft of the US Navy and Marine Corps Special Display
Sikorsky CH-34D
Addition to French Fighters 1935-1945 Special Display
ANF Les Mureaux 190 |
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| Museum Additions 6 February 2024 |
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Additions to the Public Galleries
Caproni Vizzola F.4 in 1/72 by Dujin
Caudron 362 in 1/72 by Dujin
Caudron 366 in 1/72 by Dujin
Caudron 430 in 1/72 by Dujin
Caudron 450 in 1/72 by Dujin
Caudron 460 in 1/72 by Dujin
Caudron 714 in 1/72 by Heller
EMW C2 ‘Wasserfall’ in 1/72 by Brengun
F+W N-20/1 in 1/72 by Dujin
Farman 370 in 1/72 by Adrien Roy
Fiesler Fi103/Re4 in 1/72 by Heller
Fiesler Fi103A-1 in 1/72 by Frog
Fokker E.V (D.VIII) in 1/72 by Roden
Hiller VZ-1 in 1/72 Anigrand
Kawasaki Ki-78 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Nakajima Ki-84 in 1/32 by Hasegawa
Addition to the Tank Annex
Berliet VUDB in 1/72 by Wespe/Retrokit
Additions to the RAAF Aircraft Special Display
Dassault Mirage IIIO (A3-3, 76 Squadron, 1968) in 1/72 by Frog
Dassault Mirage IIIO (A3-42, 2OCU, 1984) in 1/72 by Novo
Dassault Mirage IIIO (A3-81, 79 Squadron, 1988) in 1/72 by Eastern Express
Dassualt Mirage IIIO (Pakistan Air Force) in 1/72 by Eastern Express |
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| Museum Additions 12 February 2023 |
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Additions to the Public Galleries
Curtiss Hawk 75A in 1/72 by Azmodel
DeHavilland Riley Heron (Connair) in 1/144 by Welsh Models
Gloster Meteor F.4 in 1/72 by Frog
Goodyear F2G-1 in 1/72 by Special Hobby
Grumman F4F-4 in 1/72 by Airfix
Grumman F6F-5 in 1/72 by Eduard
Grumman F9F-4 in 1/72 by Matchbox
Handley Page Halifax B.I Srs 1 in 1/144 by Anigrand
Leduc 0.21 in 1/72 by Mach 2
Liore et Olivier LeO 213 (Air Union) in 1/144 by VLE Models
Lockheed Hudson IV in 1/72 Italeri
Lockheed U-2R in 1/144 by Dragon
Lockheed X-7 in 1/72 by Anigrand
Lockheed X-17 1/72 by Anigrand
Martin Marietta X-24A in 1/72 by Mach 2
Martin Marietta X-24B in 1/72 by Mach 2
Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm MBB-105M in 1/72 Airfix
Republic RF-84F in 1/72 by Italeri
Royal Aircraft Factory RE8 in 1/72 by Airfix
SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 in 1/72 by Airfix
SNCAC NC.900 in 1/72 by MGD Models
Additions to the French Fighters 1935-1945 Special Display
Curtiss Hawk 75A
Dewoitine 520 (Bulgaria) in 1/72 by RS Models
Dewoitine 520 (Free French) in 1/72 by RS Models
Dewoitine 520 (Luftwaffe, 1943) in 1/72 RS Models
Dewoitine 520 (1AC, 1941) in 1/72 by Heller
Additions to the US Navy and Marine Corps Special Display
Goodyear F2G-1
Grumman F4F-1
Grumman F6F-5
Grumman F9F-4
Addition to the Workbench Notes
Lockheed Hudson IV in 1/72 by Italerixix
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Observation Aircraft
Auster III - Stinson OY-1 - Cessna O-1
From the beginning of military aviation observation has been a key role, allowing commanders to assess the situation on the battlefield more realistically, spot for artillery and direct strikes on ground targets by more heavily armed aircraft. Aircraft with wings above their cabins gave observers excellent views of activity on the ground below Being light they can also operate from simple and small airstrips to carry small loads or passengers to important positions. |
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Turboprop cargo aircraft
Transall 160 - Armstrong Whitworth Argosy - Lockheed L-100
The turboprop engine is a variation on the jet engine in which the thrust generated by the gas turbine is converted into power that drives a propeller. It is an efficient power plant at speeds below about 725km hour and has several advantages over turbojet and piston engines. It has a good power to weight ratio, uses readily available jet fuel and the thrust of the propellers can be used for short take off and landing in reverse pitch. These features make turboprop engines very attractive for use in military cargo aircraft and the three we are looking at today are all civil versions of military cargo aircraft. |
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Dark Earth and Dark Green
Westland Lysander - Armstrong Whitworth Whitley - Hawker Hurricane
This time I thought we’d look at the colours of some aircraft and what caught my eye was the camouflage colours flown by Royal Air Force aircraft at the beginning of World War II. At that time those aircraft were camouflaged in dark green and a dark brown colour called ‘dark earth’. This camouflage was used more to conceal the aircraft parked on the ground than in the air but, as British fighters began flying over Europe again, the RAF found a dark grey and dark green colour scheme was better and began painting them in those colours from 1941. The RAF’s bombers, however, retained their earlier dark green and earth schemes. |
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It's always enjoyable to go to model shows and displays to take pleasure in seeing what modellers are making and displaying. Unfortunately we can't go to all of them so we miss out on seeing a lot of excellent model making.
Photos of a lot of those models turn up on the interweb and our intention in this section is provide links to social media we've come across that displays some of that work. |
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11 September 2022
Northern Area Modellers Annual Modelling Competition and Swap & Sell
link to images
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11 & 12 September 2022
Townsville & District Scale Modellers Inaugural Model Exhibition
link to images
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22-23 October
Wagga Wagga and District Scale Model Club
36th Annual Scale Model Show & Expo
link to images |
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26 November 2022
IPMS of New South Wales
End of Year Scale Model Competition
link to images |
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4 February 2023
Rockhampton Scale Modellers Association
Model Comp 2023 and 18th Qld NNL Titles
link to images |
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| This is not a competition but a display of models, most made by club members. The Day also features a Swap and Sell and the club is looking for interested vendors to notify of their interest in attending. |
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16-18 June 2023
Model Expo 2023
Sandown Entertainment Centre, Sandown Racecourse, Princes Highway, Springvale, Vic |
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8-9 July 2023
Western Australian Scale Model Expo (WASMEx)
Carrington Agricultural Hall |
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21-33 July 2023
Aviation Cultures Mk.VII
(Flying High: Aviation in Popular Culture |
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If you would like your event to be mentioned here get in touch through our guest book or our email address; [email protected] |
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Wednesday 22 February 2023
The first combined Friends of Air Force History and Heritage (FAFHH) and Aviation Historical Society of Australia Vic (AHSA) meeting for 2023 will be held Wednesday 22 February at 7.30pm AEDT.
The guest speaker, Jeff Maynard, will give a talk entitled “The Lost Records of Sir Hubert Wilkins”.
The venue is the RAAFA auditorium, Air Force Association, Victorian Division, 24 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria.
The meeting will be availabe on Zoom for those unable to attend. Contact the AHSA for details. |
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The Modellers of Ballarat meet on first Saturday of every month except for January. Doors open at 7:30pm and meeting starts at 8:00 sharp. The location is the canteen of the Eastwood Leisure Complex, 20 Eastwood Street, Ballarat, Victoria. Find them here on Facebook
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The ACT Scale Modellers Society in Canberra typically meets on the second Wednesday of the month at the Hellenic Club in Woden (but check the calendar on their website as meetings can vary a bit). Meetings start at 7.30pm but many members choose to arrive earlier to have dinner and socialize beforehand. The society has a website and a facebook page. |
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Australian Plastic Modellers Association |
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The Eastern Suburbs Scale Modelling Club meets on the first Tuesday of every month (except January) between 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The location is the Box Hill Community Arts Centre, 470 Station St, Box Hill, Victoria. Find them on their website or here on Facebook. |
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The Illawarra Plastic Modellers Association is an active club based in Wollongong, NSW. It meets on the first Saturday of every month between 12.30 and 3.30pm at the Dapto Ribbonwood Centre (Kurrajong 2 room), 93/109 Princes Highway, Dapto, NSW. It has a website and a facebook page. |
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IPMS Australia is a Melbourney of each month at theAshburton Public
Library, 152 High Street, Ashburton, Melbourne, from 7.45. The group has a
web page and a facebook page. |
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IPMS Queensland meets on the third Wednesday night of each month at 7.00pm at the library building at the Albany Creek State School, 696 Albany Creek Road, Albany Creek, Queensland. They have a website and facebook page. |
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The Northern Area Modellers in Melbourne meet on the third Saturday of the month between 7pm and 9.30pm. The location is the Gembrook Community House, 40 MacFarlane Crescent, Epping, Victoria. Find them here on Facebook
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The North Queensland Scale Modellers Inc is a casual
group which shares a facebook page and meets informally on Saturday
mornings between 10am and noon and holds a Zoom session once a month, on
a Saturday afternoon. Details of their activities are posted on their facebook page |
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Pakenham Modellers Group
Meets every second Saturday evening from 7.30pm at the Outlook Centre, 24 Toomuc Valley Road Packenham. They have a website and Facebook page. |
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The Perth and Districts Model Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the clubrooms at Robert Thompson Reserve, corner of Benara Road and McGilvray Avenue, Noranda. The doors open from 6.30pm. They have a facebook page and a website. |
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The Rockhampton Scale Modellers Association has a facebook page |
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The South Australian Plastic Modellers Association meets on the first Wednesday of every month at the Glenelg Lacrosse Club, West Beach Road, West Beach from 7.30 to 9.30. They have a web site and a facebook page. |
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If you would like your club to be mentioned here get in touch through our guest book or our email address; [email protected] |
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My heartfelt and sincere thanks go to our first three Friends of The Little Aviation Museum. They are Greg Murray, Stuart Brown and Nigel Brand. Their donations through Patreon are helpful but even better at this point is the moral support shown through their donations. Thanks very much Friends. |
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OUR GUEST BOOK
We welcome you to record an entry in our Guest Book and comment about your experience visiting our The Little Aviation Museum |
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SUPPORT THE MUSEUM
Please consider contributing to help keep our Little Aviation Museum running.
Your $2 per month will be a great help to us.
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