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Post by sirfrancis on Sept 22, 2022 15:47:16 GMT -6
You are a very lucky man Francis to have such beautiful birds around your house. You are on the ball with you data mate with your KStN, I was going to look for it on line but you have saved me the job Ian Hey Ian, Unfortunately my little friends still haven't come back. I had a cockatoo come back that I used to feed. I had to shoo him away some time ago as cockatoos are quite destructive and he started to chew holes in my BBQ cover, mosquito zapper and table cover. I thought you might be interested in this one. Just before I did the Hurricane I finished a Boulton Paul Defiant in 1/72. Also in night fighter guise. (151Sqn Feb 1941) Anyway, out of the blue my mate just came across this new book by Robert Verkaik about the Defiant in the Battle of Britain. I've only read about 60 pages but it is interesting so far considering 99% of literature about the BOB is on Spitfires and Hurricanes.
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Post by Yan Taylor on Sept 22, 2022 16:17:27 GMT -6
Hi Francis, I am a fan of the Defiant, it was one of the first airfix RAF kits I ever built back in the 1970s. I liked the early war stuff, early bombers like the Handley Page Hampden and the Lockheed Hudson. That cockatoo looks like he bloody ownes the place Ian
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Post by sirfrancis on Sept 23, 2022 2:01:54 GMT -6
Hi Francis, I am a fan of the Defiant, it was one of the first airfix RAF kits I ever built back in the 1970s. I liked the early war stuff, early bombers like the Handley Page Hampden and the Lockheed Hudson. That cockatoo looks like he bloody ownes the place Ian Hey Ian, Yes this Defiant kit is Airfix. I think it's a newer tooling. I also recall doing a Defiant as one of my first kits as a 12-13 year old. Neat looking machine - a bit different to the rest. I also have a soft spot for the early war stuff. One of my favourites is the Westland Whirlwind. I also made one of those as a kid, and recently made another bringing back those great memories. The Hampden.... the tadpole bomber.... yeah I like it and the Battle, Blenheim etc. I must admit I think I only built one bomber as a kid - a Heinkel He111. I've got in the stash another He111 and an Italian SM79. But who knows when they'll get built, mainly into the fighters. I also have a liking for the early jet age too. Just finished a Yak23 yesterday. Bastard of a kit by Mister Craft - heaps of filling, reshaping and cursing to get it actually looking like a Yak23. The cheap kits are tempting but I'm only going to go that way if there is no alternative from now on...lol. Francis
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Post by Yan Taylor on Sept 23, 2022 14:08:57 GMT -6
Hi Francis, it is nice to have a few unmade kits on stock, I still have a few plus loads of figures.
I am going to take a photo tomorrow, out side if the weather is dry. I have been spending the last few years fully completing my 1944 German armoured company. Its a full company down to the last soldier and vehicle, all in 1/72 scale. I have to take the shot outside because of the size of it.
Ian
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Post by Yan Taylor on Sept 24, 2022 9:44:17 GMT -6
Okay then Francis, here are the photos; The first shows the Pz Gren company as it is now. I have yet to paint the camo scheme of the vehicle plus they need ecals, but as yet I don't know which division they are going to be from. The second shows what the company should have originaly had, as they had two extra 251/17s which carried the four panzerschreck teams on the front right. I painted the teams and later found out that these extra 251/17s were deleted from the company. Each 251 should have a panzershreck as standard so they probaly didn't think the extra two 251s were needed as these vehicles where at a shortage. I still have to add a few figures to the Platoon HQ 251/10 in the heavy platoon. So we have the company HQ, 1st, 2nd, 3rd platoos and the heavy platoon. Ian
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Post by Yan Taylor on Sept 24, 2022 13:39:45 GMT -6
I have been trying to get a couple of these figure kits for years, no one stocks them over here. There are some on ebay from places in Europe, but they are asking daft money for them plus over priced postage. I have been looking at hobby shops on Cyprus, but they only have them in the major cities, but the island dose not have a rail service and buses take four hous to reach them from our location, If anyone ever comes across one of these kits, I would send them the money and postage. Some town or city must have some in stock. Ian
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Post by sirfrancis on Sept 25, 2022 3:03:12 GMT -6
Okay then Francis, here are the photos; The first shows the Pz Gren company as it is now. I have yet to paint the camo scheme of the vehicle plus they need ecals, but as yet I don't know which division they are going to be from. The second shows what the company should have originaly had, as they had two extra 251/17s which carried the four panzerschreck teams on the front right. I painted the teams and later found out that these extra 251/17s were deleted from the company. Each 251 should have a panzershreck as standard so they probaly didn't think the extra two 251s were needed as these vehicles where at a shortage. I still have to add a few figures to the Platoon HQ 251/10 in the heavy platoon. So we have the company HQ, 1st, 2nd, 3rd platoos and the heavy platoon. Ian View AttachmentView AttachmentHey Ian, Well now you certainly have built yourself a pocket size army! Looks like some 251 /9s at the back (7.5) and Kettenkrads & kubelwagons. You've got some painting ahead of you then boyo! Do you war game with these? They look like wargame 20mm. Closest I've got is a 1/72 Nth Africa diorama we built at school with my students. It's not accurate we just threw in whatever was at hand and built up the base, sand, trees, buildings, jetty, water, sunken patrol boat, barb wire, AT guns in netted revetments (Can't quite see them.) oh and of course the obligatory blown up bodies.... But I have something that will trump it all.... a 1/35 MAUS !! which will roll over and squash everything muhahaha. Have a 1/72 figure at base for scale lol.
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Post by sirfrancis on Sept 25, 2022 3:18:07 GMT -6
I have been trying to get a couple of these figure kits for years, no one stocks them over here. There are some on ebay from places in Europe, but they are asking daft money for them plus over priced postage. I have been looking at hobby shops on Cyprus, but they only have them in the major cities, but the island dose not have a rail service and buses take four hous to reach them from our location, If anyone ever comes across one of these kits, I would send them the money and postage. Some town or city must have some in stock. View AttachmentIan Hey mate., found 2 on ebay. One is in Arbroath UK for $39 Pound plus postage. Item number 125508221305 Another is in Sth Korea for US$30.80 (postage free to Australia not sure about UK. Item number 125509964448)
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Post by Yan Taylor on Sept 25, 2022 12:42:27 GMT -6
Thats what I mean Francis, the ones on line are asking daft money for what was a cheap kit, those Italeri kits retail at around £9, ten tops! Italeri have halted production on that item, which is something that a lot of kit manufacturers do from time to time, so if a few years it may come back. I am after a couple because it has a couple of British Paratroops firng a 2in mortar and a couple of US airborne soldiers firing 60mm mortars. I have a complete 1/72 British Paratrooper company and a US Airborne company both with no mortar figures Yeah, I have quite a force there with the Panzer Grenadier Company, I have four StuG IIIs to add to that, one with a 105mm How. I have not wargamed for 40 years, but the yearning is still there, I use to fight WW2 and Napolionic, but all the clubs are gone now except for the big cities. I like that Tunisian scene, Tiger 1 and StuG III and a Panzer II. those figures look like airfix. That Maus is a beast Going back to that kit, I bet there will be a hobby shop in a small town somewhere with that kit gathering dust on a shelf. We were due to go to Llandudno in July and I found that have two model shops there, but there was a rail strike or something and our trip got cancelled. Last September we went the Isle of Man for four days, one day we got the steam train from Douglas to Ramsey in the north of the island, found a model and it was closed for the day Ian
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Post by sirfrancis on Oct 5, 2022 0:27:44 GMT -6
You are a very lucky man Francis to have such beautiful birds around your house. You are on the ball with you data mate with your KStN, I was going to look for it on line but you have saved me the job Ian Hey Ian A couple of the Rainbow Lorikeets have come back which is nice. But I have a new friend lately you might be interested in. It's a Kookaburra, world's biggest kingfisher. You often hear them on soundtracks for 1960-70s jungle expedition movies set in Africa etc due to their unique cackle laugh call, total bs since they are Australian native. But I always have a chuckle when I hear them in a movie.
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Post by Yan Taylor on Oct 5, 2022 5:47:48 GMT -6
Hi Francis, are those cuckaburroughs the Loud ones with the distinctive sound, which reminds you of an episode of "spyforce"
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Post by sirfrancis on Oct 5, 2022 6:56:25 GMT -6
Hi Francis, are those cuckaburroughs the Loud ones with the distinctive sound, which reminds you of an episode of "spyforce" Believe it or not I don't remember seeing the show. I don't recall repeats like most other shows. But I'm sure they would be kookaburras, yes very distinct loud cackling blighters especially when a few decide to chime in. They range as far as New Guinea and Eastern Indonesia. I'm assuming Spy force actions were set in those areas. They are meat eaters, it's fun watching them belt a piece of meat to death on a branch before downing it.
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Post by Yan Taylor on Oct 5, 2022 8:57:00 GMT -6
We have loads of magpies around our area, they will eat anything, all the other birds go ape crap when they are on the hunt as they eat the young and eggs too.
Spyforce was okay, not as good as bluey hills though.
Ian
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Post by sirfrancis on Nov 11, 2022 16:39:56 GMT -6
We have loads of magpies around our area, they will eat anything, all the other birds go ape crap when they are on the hunt as they eat the young and eggs too. Spyforce was okay, not as good as bluey hills though. Ian Hey Ian, This Bearcat is the latest off the production line. French job in Indochina. Also completely repainted & weathered this Kawanishi George. I'm actually going to the 'Wings over Illawarra' airshow today, probably biggest in Australia. It's just down the road a bit so pretty lucky. They have on the program, P51 Mustang, Spitfire VIII, P40 Kittyhawk, Boomerang, Wirraway, Grumman Avenger, F4U Corsair, Focke Wulf 190A, Hudson bomber, Cold War era Canberra bomber, and a new RAAF F35. Heaps of other aircraft, aerobatics, transport etc. Should be good. My partner works at a nursing home and she just met a 100 year old former WW2 Halifax bomber radio operator. I'm going in to meet him and have a chat. Apparently he's still switched on at 100!
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Post by Yan Taylor on Nov 12, 2022 8:29:06 GMT -6
Hi Francis.
Great to speak to those old vets, they have all gone from around here.
I like those aircraft, as I have a soft spot for Jap aircraft and their code names. When you said repainted, did you just do a repaint or did you strip it back first. I use oven cleaner to strip off old paint, the spray can stuff, I have stripped back quite a few vehicles and figures with that stuff, its magic!
Just started buying a few armourefast kits, they are pretty cheap and you get two in a box, not the most detailed but you can add stuff from the spares box to make them look real good.
Did you watch that game last night, wow, still realling, we play Samoa today with the winners meeting the Ausses in the final next week.
Ian
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