uss frolick

Bravo! I Excellent! I built a Buffalo when a was but a mere polliwog back in the 1960s. 
 
I'm pretty sure the Finns used theirs against the Russians, not against their allies, the Germans.

Bravo! I Excellent! I built a Buffalo when a was but a mere polliwog back in the 1960s. 
 
I'm pretty sure the Finns used theirs against the Russians, not against their allies, the Germans.

Bravo! I Excellent! I built a Buffalo when a was but a mere polliwog back in the 1960s. 
 
I'm pretty sure the Finns used theirs against the Russians, not against their allies, the Germans.

With all the aftermarket, this has been a little bit of a Frankenstein's monster.  Five CMK sets (engine, cockpit, control surfaces, undercarriage, wing gun bays), along with the Brengun controls and flaps sets (which is a little better than the CMK set), means a lot of cutting away of the original model.  Not for the faint of heart for sure!  I didn't take many pictures along the way as I wasn't sure if I was going to be even partially successful, but things seemed to have worked out.  The instructions for the kit as well as the CMK and Brengun aftermarket can be less than helpful at times unfortunately, leading to a lot of head scratching.  
 
Here is one picture which shows how much was cut away.  It was very tricky with the wings because you had to thin down the plastic to almost hair width.  I used knives, my micromotor and sandpaper to thin things down, but in some cases I had to fix things with really thin plastic card.  

The CMK engine builds up really nicely - here it is pre-weathering:

This version of the Buffalo had an interesting large window right under the pilot.  Thankfully Montex makes a mask for all the little window parts:

Here is where I am at the moment.  Looks like a Buffalo I think.  I just need to fill and sand a bit more, add the pilot seat and lower window, and then re-scribe the panel lines and add rivets.  Then off to prime and hope that Mr. Surfacer makes things nice and smooth.
 


Thanks for looking in!
 

For those outside the United States, Harriet Lane was also the slang name for tinned preserved meat; named after an unfortunate young woman who was murdered by her lover in London in 1874 and whose body was later dismembered in attempt to dispose of it! 
 
John

Since my shoulder is still under strict doctor's orders to not do any lifting, I will happily keep myself busy with another small kit from Airfix, and maybe another later on.
 
The Boulton-Paul Defiant would definitely be categorized as one of the more bizarre concepts offered to the RAF in the late interwar period. The basic premise was that a fast interceptor could infiltrate itself into a stream of enemy bombers, and with little maneuvering required, decimate the enemy craft with it's "heavily" armed turret. Due to it's slower top speed, and inability to dog-fight effectively, it has become a somewhat maligned aircraft (unfairly if you ask me). When deployed with well trained crew (especially well trained in tactics), in the role for which it was intended, with Spitfires or Hurricanes providing adequate cover, the Defiant was a somewhat effective fighter, and it proved to be an even more effective night fighter until the introduction of faster and better armed Beaufighters and Mosquitoes into the role. 
 
For a better basic history of the airplane, check out here.
 

 
The Airfix kit comes in its usual red box with some nice cover art. The contents consist of three grey sprues of parts, along with one clear sprue for the canopy and turret.
 


 
All in all the parts are cleanly moulded, but there is a bit more flash in the sprue with the lower wing section. It doesn't look too bad, and should pose too much of a problem getting the parts cleaned up prior to painting/assembly.
 

 
There are multiple options for the cockpit canopy to choose from. An interesting feature, the Defiant had two fairings, one forward and one aft of the turret that could extend or retract pneumatically as the turret rotated. Airfix allows you to choose how these fairings are displayed. The decals are once again from Cartograf and two options are available, either a day fighter from 264 squadron (the first Defiant equipped squadron) or a night fighter from 151 squadron.
 

 

 
The instruction booklet is printed in full colour and features full painting guides as well as a separate sheet showing the locations of the stencils (of which there are a lot), common to each paint scheme.
 
I'm planning to paint this one as the night fighter version, a bit of a break from the "sand and spinach" of my previous builds. I will take some liberties from the specified paint scheme, to highlight some of the details, such as the turret interior and the landing gear bays, if only to avoid them getting lost in an otherwise sea of black. Plus, the airplane features a pretty nifty shark mouth (and eyes), which should make it stand out nicely.
 
Hopefully this kit will be as fun to build as my recently completed Hawker Hurricane.
 
Andy
 
 
 
 

Every time I see a new comment on this post, my pulse races thinking that it is an announcement for the release of the third volume of the Rogers Collection by Grant Walker.

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

None. But I'm about to order VM's HMS Indefatigable. Sir Edward Pellew lives again ...

Hi Treebeard!
I like this schooner, Musquidobit is a good choice.
 
I don't want to cause any confusion but this link shows the HMS Orestes ex dutch
By the way, in the plan collection from Admiral Paris (online) you can also find a plan of the Musquidobit including a sail plan.
Unfortunately I don't have a direct link anymore, but I have the plan if necessary.
 

None. But I'm about to order VM's HMS Indefatigable. Sir Edward Pellew lives again ...

None. But I'm about to order VM's HMS Indefatigable. Sir Edward Pellew lives again ...

Spar deck guns in War of 1812:
 
Under Hull: 24 32-pounder carronades, plus one shifting chase gun, either an 18-pounder thought to have been bored out to a 24-pounder (Contemporary theory by British Historian William James), or possibly a captured British Congreve gun (modern theory by Tyrone Martin). 55 guns total.
 
Under Bainbridge: 22 32-pounder carronades plus two 24-pounders of unknown origin on the forecastle. 54 guns total.
 
Under Stewart: 20 32-pounder carronades, plus two 24-pounder chasers, one each on the quarterdeck and forecastle. 52 guns total.

The experimental French 24-pounder frigates La Resistance and La Vengeance had huge jackscrews on either side of their fore and main mast steps, (but not the mizen), so that the rake could be altered while at sea. The experiment does not seem to have been successful, as it was not repeated.

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Thought you all would enjoy the behind the scenes . 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"
 
 

Ha ha ha ... well, this is actual Naval History ... and nicely done too.
 
"Alarm!"