AVRO 504K WWI BIPLANE in 1:48 scale

[Guest]

Howdy Guys,

Well, I finally got a day or two off. Although I am now scheduled to work 12 hrs a day 3 or 4 days a week (depending on the week).

Anyway, I decided that I needed to get started on some of the models I purchased at the international scale modelers convention (regional) a few months back in Little Rock, Arkansas.

So, Having already built the PT 17 stearman from that convention, I decided on another biplane, the AVRO 504k wwI British trainer/recon aircraft.

Now I havent as of yet done the rigging but I did want to get a few pictures in the yard of the plane before the sun went down. So......here they are:







Anyway, I just thought I would share the photos with ya'll.

Oh, by the way, I had always wondered where the name "AVRO" came from, well now I know, the Chief designer for AVRO aircraft was Alliot Verdon Roe......AVRO. Just a tidbit of useless info for those of you who like tidbits of useless info lol.

Have a good day,

Greg

[wonwinglo]

Now that is one very neat model there Greg,just a little bit of history on this kit,the moulds started life as 'Merit' way back in the late fifties ( yes it has been around that long !) Merit was a company owned by J & L.Randle and Co who had a factory in the London area,they had a useful range of types which included Fairey Swordfish,Vickers Supermarine Walrus,Albatross D.V,Nieuport 11,Tiger Moth,S.E.5A,Hawker Hunter and a few others which my memory escapes me, after a while they dropped the kit side of their basically toy orientated business selling some of the moulds to Aurora,who bagged them up as per the old Airfix header cards etc and produced them in a softish plastic,the models soldiered on for years and the moulds were split up all over the place some vanishing,however SMER produced some of those types in their budget range and that is what you have here,just thought that the history lines would prove of interest,old kits never die,they either vanish into thin air or get revamped.

[Guest]

Howdy Barry,

Thanks for the history of this model, I looked for a copyright date or any other date on the box, knowing it was old, but never found one.

Its funny you should mention the Supermarine Walrus because after posting this thread, it was the next kit I opened up.

The particular version of the walrus which I have is the "Classic Airframes" supermarine walrus in 1:48th scale (See box art below):



You can find a review of the walrus kit I have here: http://www.kitreview.com/reviews/walruslr_1.htm and the kit review mainpage here: http://www.kitreview.com/reviews.htm

Anyway, I only hope that The Walrus turns out like I imagine it turning out.

Again, thanks for the history of the 504, have a good evening,

Greg

[wonwinglo]

Greg,this certainly looks like the old Merit mouldings right down to the way that the sprue is laid out,I doubt whether anyone would bother to re-tool a new Walrus.

I remember a weekly television series that featured the following Avro 504,Tiger Moth,Walrus,it showed some old boy smoking a pipe in a shed painting each of these models with a gallon tin of paint in front of him ! whilst he appeared to apply layer after layer of paint he related a true story about each aircraft,each kit was a Merit one,they were practically the only 1=48th scale kits around back then,real masterpieces for their time,you have a piece of modelling history before you there.

Vickers Supermarine Walrus.



VH-ALB Vickers Supermarine Walrus.

The Supermarine Walrus started life as the Seagull,a folding wing biplane with retractable landing gear and powered with a Napier Lion engine.The experimental installation of a Bristol Jupiter IX radial engine led to the Seagull V powered with a Bristol Pegausus IIM2 radial engine,of which 24 were ordered by the Australian government,through this the aircraft was adopted by the Fleet Air Arm under the name Walrus Mk.1 and these were built by Supermarine with metal hulls of which production totalled 746,of which 461 were built by Saunders-Roe,this number including 191 Walrus II aircraft with Saro wooden hulls and the Bristol Pegasus VI engine,entering service with the FAA in 1936 the Walrus was stressed for catapult launching and as such equipped battleships of the Australian,British & New Zealand navies,the aircraft operated in almost every theatre of WW2 playing a significent role in air/sea rescue with the R.A.F.

Finally post war the aircraft was used by the Argentine air force of which eight aircraft were supplied.

Max speed: 135 mph.

Service ceiling 17,100 feet.

Range 600 miles.

Weight empty:4,900 lbs.

Max take off weight: 7,200 lbs.

Wingspan: 45 feet 10 inches.

Length: 37 feet 10 inches.

Wing area: 610.0 square feet.

[Guest]

Howdy Again Barry,

Well, I have only recently discovered the "Classic airframes" line of models. They are usually limited run models with lots of add ons like photo etched parts, resin and other details like multiple decals for several different versions.

I recognize some as being older moldings with updated parts.

Of the products they offer I have a Dehavilland Vampire, an avro anson, a Hawker Sea hawk MK 101, an F5B freedom fighter and a Boulton Paul Defiant Day fighter and the supermarine walrus. (all of which can be seen at the company's website: http://www.classicairframes.com/ ).

In addition to those models, I also have an FJ 4B Fury by Grand Phoenix models: http://www.eaglestrikeproductions.com/grandphoenix/gmindex.html

I have always liked "oddball" aircraft and oddball model companies so when I see them, I almost always pick them up. This is not to say that these two companies are "oddball"....on the contrary, they have reproduced some beautiful aircraft that cant be found elsewhere.

The one drawback to these "modified kits" is the price. If you look at the classic airframes site, you'll get some Idea of what I have invested in the models I have from them ($300+ from that company alone).

However, if you are looking for challenging kits of aircraft that are not readily found elsewhere, the two sites mentioned above are a great place to start looking, and once you buy one of their kits, I believe you will end up like me and buy more.

So, please look over the above links, I think that you will find models of aircraft that you might remember from the past, but with a new twist to them ...ie..... photo etched parts, new decals, and resin parts.

The hobby shop I buy from has tons of models that I "intend" to purchase, but I have to buy them when I can...and in the meantime, I buy other "cheaper" models. Lets just say that since I drive almost 80 miles to get to this hobby store, I always come back with atleast 2 models (I go once every week). And thats how I have ended up with some fifty to sixty models that are still in the boxes.

What blows my mind is that I didnt start back "heavy" into building models until last june when I was out with my neck troubles.....Now I am addicted again lol.

When me and my ex wife divorced, I had a total of 127 model planes, tanks and rockets built and sitting on shelves and hanging from the ceiling............I am slowly building up another collection to rival that old collection.

OK, I have rambled long enough, again, please be sure to check out the above links.

Have a good day,

Greg