The
De Havilland DH 88 Comet is, for many modelers, a celebration of beauty. Its
racy but elegant lines boast refinement and charm.
The story of the type is well known or can be easily accessed so I
won’t be repeating it here, but perhaps a few modelers will not know that the
red machine popularized by Airfix decades ago was not at any rate the only one
produced.
The model (G-ADEF) presented here represents “Boomerang”, a
machine (The fifth and last built) that didn’t participate in the MacRobertson
Air Race of 1934 but later on was engaged in record attempts.
The DH 88 design (machine G-ACSS) not only won the above-mentioned
race but also achieved fame for its records and feats.
I built this model when I was a child, and then again more than a
decade ago
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal6/5001-5100/gal5064_DH-88_Stern/00.shtm
so this is the third time. The Airfix model didn’t change much and some (but
not unreasonable) work must be done in order to squeeze a decent replica from
it.
Click on
images below to see larger images
The kit I got was
a generous gift from fellow modeler and friend Jim of Pugetopia. He has a
farm where he raises Midget Furry Black Seals that are trained to cook,
mow the lawn and sand the decks. So thanks to Jim.
Work on the model started by separating all control surfaces,
deleting the parody of cockpit (a flat slab and two humanoid heads) and
creating a recess to later install the flaps.
An interior was created as per images, mostly scratchbuilt but
also using a couple of photoetched parts. The canopy was used to create a
vac copy together with a clear nose tip as per images. Decals were
produced for the two instrument panels and compasses.
The general fit of the Airfix kit, as countless generations
of modelers know by now, is not superb. The main problems are the wings
and the engine gondolas. The latter are just empty shells that have a
sore-looking front. I removed their locating pins as they are there to
misalign the assembly. The left horizontal stabilizer has its slot on the
fuselage misaligned; you have to file the slot down to make the stab half
seat correctly. A basic resemblance of the engines was built and glued
inside of the nacelles as per images to provide something to look at
through the front opening. An exhaust that can also be seen in photos was
also added using simple soldering wire. The landing gear is kind of
simplistic. Now, for some reason, I didn’t notice all of the above when
I was a kid. I was happy then making engine noises around the living room
table and I am happy now working on the model exercising skills and
learning new solutions.
I added
styrene discs to the wheels to compensate for some molding flaws. The props
followed suit, as the blades are of dubious shape, flat, and the spinner has
little to do with the real thing. Blades were removed, the spinner smoothed out
and the division seen in photographs engraved. There is a minute disc at the
very tip of the spinner which depicts the automatic mechanism to change pitch in
the original, and a tiny bit in the middle of the disc.
Nav lights and a tail skid were made too, together with the counterweights for
the tail control surfaces.
Floquil silver and Model Master blue were used on the model, which
was previously primed and given a gloss black enamel undercoat to provide a
background for the silver.
Props and spinners were painted Alclad II polished aluminum.
Decals were home-made, even for the tiny Ratier logos for the prop
blades. A model rail-road MV lens was glued at the tip of the nose behind the
vac bit. A combination of photoetched circles and punched-out metal foil discs
were used to depict inspection lids and fuel tank caps. The canopy framing was
done with decal strips and positioned open, not that I think the interior is
dashing at any rate, but to add some “let’s go” flavor to it.
And as we all well know, now after spending all that time and
effort on the venerable Airfix Comet a new 1/72 DH 88 kit will be released. Or
will it?
Gabriel Stern
Click on
images below to see larger images
|
|