2024 Mass Build

[RICHARD WILLS]

Five Alan . The concept is D Day Duel . 

[RICHARD WILLS]

[martin collins 1]

2 hours ago, RICHARD WILLS said:

There a few bullet points worth considering with these models . 

1) They are cheap but designed to last and made from high quality balsa and ply . £139 for a proper wooden kit is cheap . (Compare it to say a plan pack . That is almost half price ) 

2) The fact that there are many different electric motor/ battery combinations, make them accessible to most . Even a worn out ARTF would provide the radio and power train.

     3S or 4S doesnt really matter . 

3) Since we have shown you on the "Big Question " thread how to paint the Fw190 for £8 worth of B&Q paint , a paint brush and a sponge, there are no barriers in terms of "can I finish it ? "  Anyone that can hold a brush can do it . 

We want more people to "have a go " at scale modelling , but we want them to get there simply , quickly and on a budget that will make them realise that proper building can challenge foam ARTFs on every level . 

4) I will typically fly a model like this for 300 plus flights , that is 46 pence per flight 😁 plus I can proudly say to anyone that approaches me , that I made which is far more rewarding than saying " I got it from a man in China who made it for me , but I got it in a sale so it only cost me £250 !

 

Dont get me wrong , Ive bought ARTFs and had fun with them , but their price is undeniably increasing way out of proportion with inflation so lets at least consider other options .

Plus (and this is the most important bullet point ) . These kits are designed by a well established and respected , British based design team . 

You can't ask for more really . 

 

At least one of them looks like he knows what he is doing 😅

Edited October 31, 2023 by martin collins 1

[Alan Hilton]

Hi Richard 

put me down for a tempest please 

[martin collins 1]

For anyone that suffers with orientation problems with their models, this would be the Tempest colour scheme to choose, post war target tug, no trouble seeing that in the air! 

[RICHARD WILLS]

For how to weather the model in detail , go to the Big Question thread , 

[Futura57]

I decided to back out of ordering a FW109 because I recently acquired a nearly finished Brian Taylor BF110. Plus I have various 'Quark' projects on the go. Nevertheless, I shall be adopting Richard's painting technique for the 110 sometime during the darker months of 2024 I hope 👍

[Piers Bowlan]

‘FW109’. We know what you mean! 🤣

[Futura57]

1 hour ago, Piers Bowlan said:

‘FW109’. We know what you mean! 🤣

Indeed, a typo with my fat thumb 😂

[David Holland 2]

Having seen the picture at the top of this page, put me down for a Tempest, please. It'll look good with my Spit and Mustang. For anyone who hasn't built one, Richard's kits are fabulous.

 

David

[RICHARD WILLS]

The Tempest is an interesting subject . I did my first kit way back in 1998 and turned up at the big Sandown show with a lot of Spitfires (based on the previous year ) and some Tempests . Of course , everyone wanted a Tempest . That demand went of for a few years . Strange really because you dont hear people talk about them much . 

To be fair , it would be different if there was a Tempest V actually flying . 

[leccyflyer]

Would a Tempest Mk II do, at a pinch - just maidened a few weeks ago.

 

 

[RICHARD WILLS]

Nice Video Leccy .  It really is a racy beast isnt it ? I had a good look at the one at Hendon and you really get the impression that it was designed like a racer . Everything is very sleek with razor sharp wing sections . 

When you read about Sea Furies entering the world of Reno racing , they always tell you how many mods they have to make to a P51 to be even half competitive , where as the Sea Furies run straight out of the box . 

I guess that its easy to forget that the Tempest only really played a big part from D Day on. But you can see how those last designs like the Sea Fury , Bear Cat , Tiger Cat and DH Hornet , were in another league and designed with the benefit of all those that had gone before . 

The Germans hated the Typhoon and Tempest as we all know . I think the fact that it had tremendous acceleration combined with high cruising speed and a big punch made it a top predator at low to medium altitudes . When you consider that most Luftwaffe missions started and ended in scurrying around their secret hiding places , then the Tempest was the ultimate "Rat Catcher " . 

 

[Cuban8]

They do make a very nice subject for a model - wide and well positioned undercarriage - plenty of wing area and a large round cowl to make engine/motor installation much more starightforward.

Honestly, I've got enough to be getting on with at the moment after being unwell for a couple of years, and along comes the carrot of one of Richard's warbirds being dangled in my face.........

 

The FW190 looks good as well, but I don't build Axis WW2 military aircraft - maybe an example of one of those captured and flown in allied colours I could live with.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Cuban8

[RICHARD WILLS]

1 hour ago, Cuban8 said:

They do make a very nice subject for a model - wide and well positioned undercarriage - plenty of wing area and a large round cowl to make engine/motor installation much more starightforward.

Honestly, I've got enough to be getting on with at the moment after being unwell for a couple of years, and along comes the carrot of one of Richard's warbirds being dangled in my face.........

 

The FW190 looks good as well, but I don't build Axis WW2 military aircraft - maybe an example of one of those captured and flown in allied colours I could live with.

On that basis , the Tempest is not going to diffuse the situation .

Best thing to do is turn off your computer and go and sit in the cupboard under the stairs . 

Should be safe to come out late 2024 , well after the 80th D Day commemorations . 

We will probably have moved on to model boats by then 

😉

Ps If you take the prescribed advice , can we call you Mr Mushroom Head ?

[Cuban8]

3 minutes ago, RICHARD WILLS said:

On that basis , the Tempest is not going to diffuse the situation .

Best thing to do is turn off your computer and go and sit in the cupboard under the stairs . 

Should be safe to come out late 2024 , well after the 80th D Day commemorations . 

We will probably have moved on to model boats by then 

😉

Ps If you take the prescribed advice , can we call you Mr Mushroom Head ?

Eh?

Sorry I don't follow............

If it's my comment on Axis aircraft - that merely refers to my preference for allied types and not any deep seated objection to seeing models of enemy aircraft. my clubs have some wonderful examples of German aircraft that I enjoy seeing them greatly - including when they are correctly marked with a Swastika. I simply don't have the enthusiasm to build those types myself.

I like the look of your kits Richard and look forward to building one - something smaller, faster to build, less expensive and electric powered is becoming more and more attractive as the years go by.

[RICHARD WILLS]

20 minutes ago, Cuban8 said:

Eh?

Sorry I don't follow............

If it's my comment on Axis aircraft - that merely refers to my preference for allied types and not any deep seated objection to seeing models of enemy aircraft. my clubs have some wonderful examples of German aircraft that I enjoy seeing them greatly - including when they are correctly marked with a Swastika. I simply don't have the enthusiasm to build those types myself.

I like the look of your kits Richard and look forward to building one - something smaller, faster to build, less expensive and electric powered is becoming more and more attractive as the years go by.

Cuban , I got your point about avoiding things with Swastika's on , and everyone will have a different view on that subject due to personnel experiences or connections .

I completely respect that .

We dont aim to offend on any of my threads , and I will step in quickly to diffuse things if I can .

However , none of that applies in this case . As the point being made referred to your buckling to temptation . A few pages back , Don Fry had said pretty much the same thing with his "get thee behind me Satan " quote . I consequently referred to you locking yourself away in the dark (in the way people use to grow mushrooms ) until that temptation has passed . 

Joking aside though , no harm done on either side I'm sure . 

Plus also , at all of our collective ages and diminishing abilities , why shouldnt we treat ourselves to things we fancy ?

We havent been buying hand bags and shoes for the last sixty years , so we must be able to buy something we fancy with the balance 😁

(Ps Cuban , I know whats coming next , brace yourself ) 

[Graham Bowers]

This is the scheme I'm favouring. 

Nothing to do with enimity of the markings of a foe of the past, because I have no such feelings.

Primarily for keeping sight of it in the air. And I think it'd be a fun thing to do.

 

[GrumpyGnome]

Your plane, you choice  🙂

[RICHARD WILLS]

Definitely more colourful than the British Camo versions . Ive seen the black and white pictures of that plane , but didnt realise it was actually red and yellow . 

It would make sense though . A lot of aggressive US pilots in them there parts ! 

There is an amusing story of Major Kits Carson being shot down in his P51 over Germany and then stealing a 190 to return in . I'm not sure I believe it , but there are some convincing pictures of a fully intact 190 parked , wheels up on a US base surrounded by our colonial cousins . 

Would have made a great Hanks/ Spielberg film !

 

 

[Graham R]

Got to see and hold Richards fw190 yesterday. I have to say that it looks very good in the flesh, light  and strong.

Certainly looking forward to getting hold of one of these beauties. 

Also thanks Richard for showing us how to add simple weather effects, they bring the model alive.

[David Davis]

Oh well, put me down for a Tempest. I have several kits still in their boxes Richard including one of your Hawker Hurricanes, not to mention two models to complete, three to repair and one to restore!

 

I understand that model FW 190s fly like pattern ships but my political views won't allow me to build a German aircraft of the Nazi period and yes I know that the Nazis did not conquer Europe with an airforce made up of aircraft with five foot wingspans! I suppose I could finish one to represent a captured one but Mr Wheeler who lived in the last house in our street flew both the Typhoon and the Tempest in WW2. He was a train driver both before and after the war. He never really talked about his experiences but one day he showed me some photos of his training days in Florida flying PT9s, Stearmans and AT6s. He also said that his squadron lost more men after the war had finished than they did in operational flying. Bored young pilots showing off their aerobatic skills at low altitude mostly. 

 

After I've built the Tempest I will have the courage to tackle the Hurricane with its retractable undercarriage.

[RICHARD WILLS]

1 hour ago, David Davis said:

Oh well, put me down for a Tempest. I have several kits still in their boxes Richard including one of your Hawker Hurricanes, not to mention two models to complete, three to repair and one to restore!

 

I understand that model FW 190s fly like pattern ships but my political views won't allow me to build a German aircraft of the Nazi period and yes I know that the Nazis did not conquer Europe with an airforce made up of aircraft with five foot wingspans! I suppose I could finish one to represent a captured one but Mr Wheeler who lived in the last house in our street flew both the Typhoon and the Tempest in WW2. He was a train driver both before and after the war. He never really talked about his experiences but one day he showed me some photos of his training days in Florida flying PT9s, Stearmans and AT6s. He also said that his squadron lost more men after the war had finished than they did in operational flying. Bored young pilots showing off their aerobatic skills at low altitude mostly. 

 

After I've built the Tempest I will have the courage to tackle the Hurricane with its retractable undercarriage.

I'll add you to the list David . Its a shame that more of those old stories are not on tape . I remember an old customer who was a milkman in Brighton . He was bimbling along on his milk float, down the sea front one morning . He heard a racket coming from out to sea and took the precaution of hopping into a ditch as two Fw190s shot over his head . They nipped round the back of the town and dropped a bomb each on the station . Jim remained firmly rooted . As they passed over him the second time , he heard a different sound , much more high pitched . Turned out to be two Typhoons on standing patrol . He said they both converged on the second 190 just a few hundred yards from the beach , going flat out for home . Unfortunately for the pilot , the combination of eight 20mm cannons hitting him , turned his aircraft into confetti . 

Jim joined bomber command soon after and ended up as a rear gunner in "round motor" Lancasters . Weird for a bloke that was 6ft 1" !

He had a few stories about that too . 😉

[David Davis]

I know exactly what you mean Richard. My father was a commando who was wounded and captured at Dieppe. He used to tell me such jolly tales of amusing incidents as a POW and we both said that he should write them down and send them off for publishing. He never did of course.

[Gordon McConnell]

Hi Richard,

 

Just catching up on this tread. I am interested in the FW190 kit. I see that a retractable undercarriage may be available. Any thought on when that might be? Still got my Hurricane in the queue to build but will have more time soon when I finally retire.