discussion Back to the future…or is it the past?

[Alb123]

Hi, I’m Alan. I’m 86 years old and my wife passed away 2 years ago. Since then I have, in a way, returned to my teenage years when I set out to make every aircraft operated at that time by the US Navy (I liked the gull grey and white colours). There were no plastic kits then, and my models were all carved in balsa wood from plans out of Aeromodeller magazine. I did digress from naval aircraft occasionally and my last two were a B-47E and a B-52B. The latter was mainly made in pine as I found balsa in large enough pieces hard to get, or was it too expensive? I can’t remember. All were at 1/72 scale. I still have all the plans, but not the aircraft. I’ve made a lot of plastic kits over the years and all were passed on to nephews or more recently, grandsons, where they didn’t survive for very long. I’m now into 1/48th scale and over the last two years have completed 13 models at 1/48 and 1 that I inherited at 1/72. I recently solved the problem of where to put them, as I no longer give them away. My wife had a long L shaped desk, which I had no use for, so I have turned it into a Naval Air Station running an air display. It takes all my models, except the latest. Fortunately a few of them have folded wings which has allowed closer siting. The diorama is very much an ongoing project. It includes crowd barriers: PA system: control tower: grandstands: assorted trade, first aid and information stands: and so far nearly 400 people including about 50 ground crew and pilots.

 

[PaulTRose]

Welcome

Thats an impressive project

Hope you like your time here, we are a friendly bunch

 

[Geoffers]

Welcome to the forum Alb

I love your air show, it’s fantastic

Geoff.

 

[pjgtech]

Hi and welcome, enjoy the forum, nice diorama there buddy....

 

[Steven000]

Welcome, great idea about the air display, some nice models you got there, cheers

 

[Gern]

Beautiful

 

[HAWKERHUNTER]

Welcome to the forum Alan.

 

[Andy T]

Hi Alan, welcome.

 

[Alb123]

Thank you guys. I didn’t expect such an immediate response. It’s very encouraging. Attached is a more recent photo, including the Top Gun F/A-18E that I finished, more or less, yesterday. It has replaced the SU-35 Flanker in the diorama for the time being. A political move? Possibly, although the two Chinese visitors are still present. I did intend to post a short fly over video but the system doesn’t seem to find it.

 

[Andy T]

I did intend to post a short fly over video but the system doesn’t seem to find it.

The only way I've been able to post a video is by uploading it to YouTube then inserting a media link here.

 

[langy71]

Excellent dio Alb,
It reminds me of the air displays I went to as a child with my late father.

Welcome to the madhouse buddy..

 

[yak face]

Great display Alb , fantastic models and setting . Excellent range of aircraft too , loving the 1/48 Vigilante and Skywarrior , and thats only the second J10 ive seen built ( the other one was mine !) cheers tony

 

[Jim R]

Welcome to the forum Alan. I'm sure you will enjoy your time here. That's a very impressive display you have created.

 

[Alb123]

Great display Alb , fantastic models and setting . Excellent range of aircraft too , loving the 1/48 Vigilante and Skywarrior , and thats only the second J10 ive seen built ( the other one was mine !) cheers to

Great display Alb , fantastic models and setting . Excellent range of aircraft too , loving the 1/48 Vigilante and Skywarrior , and thats only the second J10 ive seen built ( the other one was mine !) cheers tony

Both the J-10B and the J-8F are Trumpeter kits. Both were a delight to build. The J-8F was the best fitting kit I have ever built requiring no filler or sanding. My only grouse with it was with the pylons and missiles. You were supplied with a generous range of missiles and lots of pylons but hole centres on missiles, for most of them didn’t match the pin centres on the missiles. I managed a full set up but not as per the rather inadequate instructions.

 

[flyjoe180]

Very impressive Alan, and welcome to the forum. You reminded me of a happy memory with my Dad when we carved a B52 from balsa wood and splashed Humbrol enamel on it. I must have been all of 10.

 

[Airborne01]

Welcome aboard mate!
Steve

 

[Alb123]

Very impressive Alan, and welcome to the forum. You reminded me of a happy memory with my Dad when we carved a B52 from balsa wood and splashed Humbrol enamel on it. I must have been all of 10.

I was around 20 when I made mine. I wasn’t able to buy a plan for it so I scaled my own from a sillouette in some book that I had. Then filled in the details from photographs. The wheels were all Dinky Toy lorry wheels and tyres which were the right size but treaded. The two Hound Dog missiles it carried under the wings were as big as the average fighter of the day. It was an impressive model. So much so that it was stolen from me. Oddly I didn’t set eyes on a real B-52 until sometime in the 1980’s. B-47’s and B-66’s had been based closed to home in the mid 1950’s and were at every air show I went to, but never a B-52.