It is Saturday evening as I write this, just after 7 pm. It is a very pleasant 27C, allowing me to write this while sitting on the deck. The sky is starting to turn orange, an unhappy reminder that the days are getting shorter and fall is near.
The weather the past week has been really nice, with sunny skies and highs in the upper 20's. Perfect weather to bike, and I got in three rides of 20km - 35km this week. I replaced the brake pads on my rear brakes at the start of the week, and it has made a tremendous improvement. The first picture below was taken from the south side of the Parson Creek lake. This was about 15km from home, in an area I hadn't really explored before, and is really quite nice. The second picture was taken from a lookout I discovered by accident, down a little gravel path. It is looking south, over the Birchwood, with Conn Creek visible in the valley. Another very pretty area.
All three kids are returning to in person classes this fall. With pandemic shut downs previously affecting in person classes, it will be the first time in 2 years they have all been gone.
Nicholas and I spent last weekend moving Daniel from his co-op condo in Calgary to his new apartment in Edmonton. It got off to a bumpy start, after a moment of panic Wednesday night, at 11 pm, when we became aware that Daniel expected us in Calgary Friday morning at 9 am. Nicholas and I ended up leaving Thursday morning, a little later than we would have liked, but it all worked out. Daniel had the loading bay and elevator booked, and his stuff all boxed. so we were done loading up in a couple hours. He is now renting a shared basement suite in Bonnydoon, from his old Jr High principal no less!. The bedroom is small, but he has access to a full shared kitchen and living area. The Edmonton part of the move was freaking hot - showing 34C on the Suburban dash as we pulled into the driveway. I was drenched in sweat after moving the first box, so was glad we were down in the basement were it was a little cooler. I didn't think Daniel would get all his stuff into the apartment, but it all went, including his desk. We had to remove the door from its hinges and take the handles off the desk drawers, but the desk went thru the very narrow bedroom door with 2 mm to spare - see the 6th picture below for proof. The pictures below show the progression on move in day. Daniel sent the video a couple days later to show the finished product- a truly remarkable contrast.
We went out for dinner Friday night, and then I headed home to Fort McMurray on Saturday. Nicholas stayed behind to spend a few days with Daniel before catching his flight to Ottawa on Monday.
Continuing with Daniel. He has joined another club, this time the F1 racing team. You can see him in the background of this Edmonton Journal article.
Nicholas headed back to school in Ottawa last Monday. He is also in a new apartment. It is also a basement suite in a house basement. His move in was mostly smooth, but he had a few frustrations. The apartment was partly furnished, and needed a bed. Nicholas bought a used bed online from another student, and arranged for a friend to help him move it. The friend forgot and didn't show, leaving Nicholas to sort it out himself. The bed itself was okay, but the bed frame was trash and couldn't be used. Nicholas searched all over town to find a replacement but they were either too expensive or didn't fit the bed. He ended up getting one online from Wayfair for a decent price.
Both boys are heavily involved in first week activities, helping out the new students. Daniel is an orientation leader while Nicholas is helping with res move ins and a first year orienteering treasure hunt, so their first week back is very busy.
Christine doesn't leave until Sept 10th. Her first week is online and so she is going to stay longer so she can keep working at the golf course. She also has a new place to stay, renting a basement suite from a classmate out in Altemonte. It's a 45 minute drive to classes, so the two of them will share gas and parking expenses. She really doesn't want to go back to in-class learning, but her classmate has a new puppy that will help reduce her frustration.
Enterprise refit
All the painting and decals were complete, so the sub assemblies needed a clear coat to protect the decals. The sub assemblies were all snap together, and it worked surprisingly well. The blue painted clear pieces were the most difficult to install, requiring some trimming of the mounting lugs. Quick enough, everything was together and the model was done.
This was a pleasant learning experience. It was the first time I used pearlescent paint, and the first time using translucent decals. It was also the first time I had built a model that was completely covered by the decals. I am pleased with the result.
F-35
I strongly suggest you avoid dropping your almost completed model on the floor.
I use my little Black & Decker workmate as a second bench, placed behind my chair when facing the main work desk. I was transferring the model and various pieces from the main desk to the workmate, when the foam i had been using as a mat bent, dumping everything on the floor. Fortunately, the various dangly bits hadn't been installed, so the fuselage survived relatively unscathed. The canopy popped off and went flying, taking some time to find. It isn't a pleasant feeling, down on hands and knees, to hear a crack when you are looking for a wayward canopy. Fortunately it was a bit of junk plastic, and the canopy was found safe and sound. The only loss proved to be one of the fins from one of the bombs, which should be hidden once installed.
The decals have been completed and a protective sealing coat has been sprayed. I used a semi-gloss clear coat, with 10% silver added, to try and replicate the distinct metallic sheen of the real plane.
A few minutes Sunday progressed things a couple more steps forward. The landing gear has been installed, and the weapons added to the weapons bay. The bay is very tight, and it was a challenge to install the weapons. It must be a really tight fit on the prototype.
Photo 1 - top decals complete
Photo 2 - bottom decals complete
Photo 3 - canopy popped off after hitting the floor
Photo 4 - metallic protective coat applied, and gear and weapons has been installed.
Halifax
The Halifax often plays second fiddle to the more famous Lancaster. This seems due partly to initial teething problems, particularly the engines and flight stability, that made Bomber Command question continued Halifax use. With time, introduction of the Bristol Hercules engines, and changes to the rear stabilizers, solved the issues and resulted in a stable, tough aircraft that brought its crews home.
Researching the Halifax has found some interesting information.
At one point, all the RCAF heavy bomber squadrons were equipped with Halifaxes.
Halifax casualties were the highest of all the heavy RAF bombers with 3965 killed.
RCAF Halifax JD114, assigned to 419 Moose Squadron, was a Halifax Mk.II, Series 1 build, indicating the aircraft was powered by Merlin engines, and the nose, ventral and dorsal gun turrets were removed to increase payload and speed. The aircraft's nose art, located on the port side, depicted Goofy pulling bombs out of a hat and thowing them over his shoulder. The aircraft was named "Medicine Hat" in honour of the pilot's home town. Official records show the aircraft, carrying squadron code VR-V, was lost on its 51st mission, on the night of February 19/29, 1944, on a mission to Leipzig, with the loss of all aboard.
The Kitworld aftermarket decals depict Medicine Hat with squadron codes VR-D and VR-O. That doesn't align with the official records, which indicate the aircraft was coded VR-V when it was lost. A 419 Squadron history, entitled "Mouse before Moose" provided some answers and additional insight.
Halifax serial JD114 was constructed by the English Electric Company in April 1943, as part of an order of 223 Mk.II Series 1 "Special" aircraft. JD114 was one of the first 24 bombers constructed, and as a Series 1 special, did not have upper, lower or nose gun turrets. The aircraft was one of two assigned to 419 Squadron in May 1943. The aircraft was assigned to Sgt Jack McIntosh and his crew, who had been assigned to 419 Squadron 5 days earlier. First training flight was May 6 1943, and the aircraft was assigned code letters VR-O "O for Orange". The nose art and name were chosen after the 4th mission, with Sgt McIntosh selecting the name "Medicine Hat" to honour his home town. The nose art was painted by squadron artist P/O Ley Kenyon, and was completed in time for the bomer's 7th mission. That mission, and the next 3 missions, were especially difficult, and the crew were reported to have experienced a significant increase in tension and stress. Surviving these missions lead the crew to believe that the name and nose art made it "their" aircraft and that it would always bring them home. Five months later, in September 1943, the aircraft had completed 32 missions, and was sent for a complete overhaul, including replacement of all four engines. During repainting, the aircraft was assigned the code letter "V".
On its return to 419 Squadron, JD114 was assigned to Sgt Douglas MacLead and his crew. After familiarization and training flights, it returned to active service on the night of November 22/23, 1943 on a flight to Berlin. It eventually reached 50 successful missions, the highest number for any 419 Squadron Halifax.
On the night of February 19/20, 1944, P/O MacLeod and crew boarded JD114 for a mission to Leipzeg. 823 bombers in total were dispatched, with 78 planes lost. JD114 did not return to base. No reason was found and the bomber's final resting place is not known.
The Revell kit is marked as a Halifax Mk.I/II/V. Initial examination of the sprues suggested the kit contained all the necessary parts to build JD114. Further study found that the kit only contained the bottom half of the Tolerrton nose. A paniced internet search found that the Revell Mk.III kit contained the correct nose. As noted last week, I had originally searched for that kit without success. Now, with greater incentive to find it, I returned under the stairs. An hour later, I had found the Mk.III and the nose. Strangely, neither of the Mk.III paint schemes used that nose piece, and the kit instructions show it as not required. Strange.
A couple of build challenges appeared very early. The first was that the kit's internal floor, comprising the cockpit floor and the bomb bay roof, was badly warped. A little targeted application of force during build up of the internal components seems to have managed the problem. It appears that the wing braces may also be warped , so further bending may be required. The bigger challenge is the Kitsworld 3D cockpit decals. Beautifully printed, they lack a placement guide. The package contains the small decal sheet and nothing else. A search of their website found no further help. The instrument panel and radios are obvious, but the smaller panels are less so. An Eduard instruction sheet was found online that helped sort out about 75% of the decals, but I have no idea where the rest go. An email to Kitsworld got a response within a day, with an installation schematic attached. There is no way I would have figured all those little decals out without it. No idea why it isn't included, or at least available on their website.
I have found a build on the internet that includes sprue shows and some useful build information. You can connect on the link below if you are interested and have a half hour to read it all.
Here is picture of current status. The majority of the cockpit parts are installed, and the main colours have been applied.
1966 Ford GT-40
"Ford vs Ferrari" was one of the first movies we saw after movie theaters reopened. It tells the story of Ford's failed attempt to buy Ferrari. In short, Ferrari refused the Ford offer, hinting that Ford built slow cars no one would want. In anger, Ford decided to build a race car that would beat Ferrari at LeMans. Carroll Shelby was brought on board to design and build the car that would become the GT40. The car would go on to win the 1966, 67 and 68 races.
Nicholas fell in love with the GT40, and asked for a model of it for Christmas 2021. As luck would have it, Meng announced a 1/12 scale kit shortly after the movie was released. However, at $400, it was a little too expensive. Shortly after, Meng and Revell Germany announced kits in 1/24 scale. Prices were more reasonable but neither were available yet. After much detective work, a Revell kit was found in Germany at the start of December. Fearful of the global shipping mess, an order was placed with hopes it would arrive in time for Christmas. The fates were watching over us and the kit arrived in time.
Fast forward to August this year. Nicholas asks if I would build the kit as a Christmas present so that it "was built properly". I was pleased that he asked and was happy to oblige. The Revell kit was done up in Gulf Oil's blue and orange colours, and I didn't have anything close to the correct paints. On our way to Calgary to move Daniel, we stopped at Hobby Wholesale to get the correct paint. Unfortunately, I was not able to find the exact match, but bought enough paint that I hoped to be able to mix the needed colours. Getting ready to head to the cash register, I found Nicholas looking at the car kits. He had found the 1/24 Meng 1966 GT40, in the colours of the movie, and was debating on purchasing it. Ten minutes later, he was the proud owner of a 1/24 Meng 1966 GT40 kit. He very quickly put the Meng kit at the top of the build list, asking if I could build it this year as a Christmas present.
Once home, I opened the kit to have a look. The parts are beautifully moulded - crisp and with sharp details. Unfortunately, the needed blue and orange paints for the body didn't match anything I had. Some internet research determined that the 1966 cars used blue and red colours unique to Ford. Unlike the 1967/68 cars, which were in the Gulf Oil racing colours, the 1966 GT40 was painted in Ford Hawaiian Blue, a stock Ford paint colour. The kit includes mixing info for the blue paint, but I couldn't find paint chips for the kit's recommended colours. I also couldn't find a reference paint chip for Hawaiian Blue that I could try and mix against. Failing to find a way to unreliably mix the colour, I tried to find a pre mixed colour but one seems to make that colour. I finally found an in-progress build on Britmodeller that included some useful tips on building the kit.
Most importantly, in referenced using Gravity paints, which included the needed colours. A half hour later, an order for Ford Hawaiian Blue, Ford Poppy Red, Gulf racing blue, and Gulf racing orange was placed, scheduled to arrive in 10-14 days. Fingers crossed!
While waiting for the clear coat to dry on the F-35, I though I would get some paint onto the GT-40. The instructions are layed out differently than I have seen before, and it took a few minutes to sort things out. A few minutes more and I had colour conversions for most of the colours other than the Hawaiian blue. With all the necessary info, the underbody and the internal cockpit tub was sprayed cobalt blue. I was surprised by the instruction's colour recommendation, so went searching for pictures. I came across a set of really good pictures, including the engines and the interior, at the link below. Mid way down the page is the Hawaiian blue car of Nicholas' dreams. One of the pictures clearly shows the cobalt blue along the bottom of the door frame. So cobalt blue it was. The first application was a little too thin, and didn't apply as evenly as wanted. A little sanding was tried smooth it out before a second coat was sprayed. It seems that a little sanding more will be necessary to even the paint out.
There is something like 12 sprues in the box, so I took some representative sprue pictures are shown below. The 7th picture shows an example of the instruction sheet, including how colours are shown and called out. The last two pictures shows the first application of blu after sanding, and the second coat of blue applied. The clock is ticking and work has started!
And that's it for this week. Supposed to be another nice week coming up so I am looking forward to some more exploring by bike. I think I will try and get over to Waterways and Draper. Stay safe everyone.
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