Kit builders, what would you like???

[RICHARD WILLS]

You've got to be careful with candlesticks .

You could have someone's eye out .

I guess that's what Tom meant .

Im still not going to Wales . The weather will ruin my slippers.

On a more positive note , there is quite a decent gang looking to build a Bf110 . (about 20 )

The Zerstorer squadrons attracted the very best of the Luftwaffe's flying school . ( probably not the case on this forum) It was a greater honour than being a 109 pilot ......for a while . Unfortunately our boys in blue didnt see them in the same exalted light .

Maybe it was more of a tactical problem than an aeroplane problem . They were pretty quick in a straight line and with a big punch, so maybe hit and run at full tilt would have given them a different place in the history books .

Where's Colin L when we need him for a bit of historical back ground?

[Colin Leighfield]

Well Richard, if it's any help, as a kid in the early fifties the Daily Mirror was the paper in the house and I remember Cassandra very well! Is that what you meant? I also remember Garth, brilliant science-fiction that made a huge impression on me, alongside Jane and Just Jake. (Stap me!)

I think the problem for the 110 in the BoB was that in bomber escort duty it couldn't avoid getting caught up in dog-fights. Therefore it couldn't use its superior speed and fire-power to advantage over the slower Hurricane and instead was vulnerable in turning combat. It wasn't as fast as the Spitfire either so was on a loser there in any situation.

Goering's instruction to the fighter geschwader to stay close to the bombers crippled them, whether 109 or 110. if they had been able to hold off at altitude and hit the RAF at speed in the dive as it moved in to engage the bombers they would have been far more effective, particularly the 110s. That was a tactical error that cost them dear.

I suppose that the 110's greatest success was as a night fighter, in which role it was effective up to the end of the war. With "Schrage Musik" it was an invisible nightmare for Bomber Command. If I ever get around to doing a 110 it will be one of those, with the 30mm cannon pointing skywards from the rear of the canopy. That was the version of the 110 that really made a difference and finally earned its corn. I hope one of our mates at least that is buying this from you now will finish it as one of those,

[McG 6969]

Hi Richard,

I'm afraid Colin is scratching his head and sweating in Spain concerning his forthcoming indoor challenge...

Cheers

Chris

[McG 6969]

... oops, too late then...

[Colin Leighfield]

Hi Chris!

[McG 6969]

Mostly welcome, Colin...

[RICHARD WILLS]

There you go ...

I knew I could rely on him .

Thanks Colin , very informative . Couldnt agree more . Does make you think what a pack of them could do in terms of damage , diving through a bomber group . I suppose by the time they tried that method in 1944 the American P51 and P47s could catch them up very quickly . Nasty business all round . Night fighter with upward firing cannon was probably a lot safer for the crew.

[Colin Leighfield]

I had a good look at the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe night-fighters late in the war and there's no doubt that the Schrage Musik was devastating. Because our guys didn't see it coming, it was not until after the end of hostilities that the RAF even found out what it was. Hard to think of a more effective weapon system than that. Because we had abandoned the idea of ventral gun positions in our heavies and the fitting of H2S left nowhere to put it, we were sitting ducks. The night fighters crept in from low and below, so the rear gunner didn't see them either. I believe that the Hercules engined Lancaster Mk 2s flown by the Canadians didn't have H2S for some reason and did fit a 0.5"Browning to give some underside cover, but there were only about 100 of those built, so they wouldn't have figured significantly.

Although later planes such as the He219 were introduced and of course Ju88s served as night-fighters as well, the 110 remained effective in this role until the very end and on that basis, its overall kill ratio against the RAF was very significant. A very effective plane if used for the right purposes.

[Jon H]

If i remember rightly colin didnt the Germans find the H2S beam and follow it up to the formations?

[Daithi O Buitigh]

Posted by Jon Harper - Laser Engines on 26/01/2017 08:33:44:

If i remember rightly colin didnt the Germans find the H2S beam and follow it up to the formations?

I believe that was the short-lived 'Monica' tail warning radar (which was discontinued very fast when a captured Ju88 was found with a 'Flensburg' passive radar receiver).

H2S (officially 'Home Sweet Home' but unofficially it was claimed that it stank) was tracked by the 'Naxos' receiver but that only really directed the fighter to the stream and not individual targets. In practice, H2S was only used for target identification and wasn't on all the time (unlike Monica)

On a totally unrelated note, H2S was used last in the Vulcan on the bombing raid on the Falklands

Edited By Daithi O Buitigh on 26/01/2017 09:05:23

[Colin Leighfield]

I believe so Jon. Also we fitted a tail warning radar called Monica and the Germans found out how to lock onto that. That enabled the fighters to track our planes individually from below, slide directly underneath them and fire directly up through the fuel tanks in the wings. Left wing first first, slide across, second wing next. It was over in seconds, our plane blew up before the crew knew what had hit them and very few survived. It also meant that the loss rates between the bomber types suddenly evened out. At that stage of the war the bomber force was mostly Lancasters and Hailfaxes, with the Lancaster having a significantly lower proportional loss rate than the Halifax all the way through. Suddenly it evened out and Schrage Musik was the reason. The better capabilities of the Lancaster compared to the Halifax suddenly became meaningless.

[Jon H]

A sitting duck is a sitting duck no matter what it is. The whole ordeal must have been horrifying for those involved.

[Ady Hayward]

I think David has summed up the main issue at the end of his post.

It does seem from what I've experienced (Via my connections with kit manufacturers both balsa and foam types) that the big rise in balsa prices and the sudden hike in kit prices many, many moons ago put the brakes on a great number of model builders hobby and a good number took to their computers for fun as did the kids of the time. Those that enjoyed "Balsa bashing" seemed to suddenly be threatened with the endangered list especially as the search for materials to build cheaper models gave rise to the foamies and models made with a variety of card, foam, XPS etc. It became significantly cheaper to produce a non traditional build model culminating in the rise of the far eastern ARF market where cheap materials, manufacturing and labour made them with few competitors and able to flood the market with (In many cases excellent performing) models that require a minimum of effort to get flying.

Those diehards who have lived through this are still producing traditional builds because so much more can be done with the balsa, ply builds with durability and strength being attributes that foam does not always satisfy especially where competition might be involved. Until the production of composite foam models take a significant hike in costs there will not be cause to change from where we are now, and with so few youngsters taking up this hobby/ sport the future is bleak indeed with the traditional build banner being carried by fewer and fewer.

Maybe what is needed is for the education authorities to put practical craft activities back on to the national curriculum to give the youngsters something to create for themselves so practical skills can be learned and appreciated. Maybe that would plant seeds such that some may grow into modellers.

I may be wide of the mark but this is the way I see things at the moment

Adrian

[Graham R]

Any news on the BF110 yet.

[Jon H]

Posted by Graham Russell on 03/02/2017 12:44:41:

Any news on the BF110 yet.

They are in progress

[RICHARD WILLS]

The 110 kits are being cut right now . New cowls had to be made to offer both 110 C/D versions plus the larger spinner G version .

I have stocked up on Spinners and props plus our new metal framed heavy duty electric retracts , Decal sets are also being made for the three most popular versions.

All of the items will appear on our website in a week or so . When I get the kits I will have to put one together very quickly and produce a photo manual . That should only take a week . We are nearly there and I have all of your details so only a little more patience is required.

Not everyone will be keen to post the build but hopefully at least two of you can lead the charge ?

Richard

[Paul Johnson 4]

I don't know about lead the charge but I'll sure follow up the rear...

No rude comments either..!

[Colin Webb 2]

mmmm getting excited now !!!

[Bucksboy]

Alas, mine will languish in the box for a fair while. I'm working abroad where there's no chance of building and getting the model home. I've already got a an La 7 sitting in a box at too. Still, I'm hoping to bring the plans back here and watch the other build threads from afar.

I'm working in Eastern Ukraine at the moment so I'm limited to a suitcase in the best case scenario. If it gets worse and I have to leave I'll be down to what I can carry in a rucksack. Should it get even worse I'll be leaving with whats in my pockets and nothing else. Still, at least I get the chance to leave...

[Colin Leighfield]

Best of luck Bucksboy, things don't sound too clever out there at the moment.

[Bucksboy]

It's getting a lot worse, I feel that we're at the top of a slippery slope over here, one way leads down a terrible path. I'm work for one of the Non Government Organisations over here trying to stop it. Luckily for me I work somewhere nowhere as violent as Donetsk. I can still hear artillery at night though, the fighting has been ever present for the last two years. It's just been at a lower level that doesn't attract the worlds media.

[Colin Leighfield]

It looks as if it suits the Russians to start winding things back up again. Watch your back mate.

[David Davis]

You can hear the artillery at night? Best of British luck to you Bucksboy!

[Paul Johnson 4]

Hi Guys,

This is something new to me but I wanted to share it with all the people who have been following this thread but not committing to comment or feel that building a kit is for the magicians who hide in the garden shed... ( P.S. I'd Love a shed but I'm in a flat)

I have opted in on the 110 build. This will be my second, yes second balsa build.

I have just completed Richards Spitfire and with some head scratching and how the *&%% am I gonna do that have now a model which every time I walk past the 'hangar' stop to look and think... I built that.

I still am in awe that I actually did!

So I wanted to share my last finishing pictures to show that a Novice can build and can have a great looking model that isn't "plastic", suffers from touching any surface other than air,.... even that bends it .

With using a simple white gel pen and black permanent marker along with some masking tape and black paint thinned to a create a 'wash' what can be achieved by the beginner.

If I can do it I hope some who are reading but not 'had a go' yet will try.

The "oil" streaks is humbrol's oil stain and is a gloss so dry's shinny making it look wet.

the underside took me 1 week a couple of hrs an evening.

Be brave and have a go...!

Did I really just make that model????

 

 

 

Edited By Paul Johnson 4 on 10/02/2017 11:06:59

[Paul Johnson 4]

Please and no purists telling me the underside camo paint doesn't match the environment...