Wonwings Diary-a blog with a difference. - Page 5

**John** · 07-01-2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seaspray

Hi Barry
Silly question.
There is a "Go Advanced" click on at the message box what does that do and I see some of us use Smilyes .How can I get them on this site as there on the message box onther sites.
Have you all recovered from the holidays ???

It's like using the post reply button or quote it brings up another box for you to type your message in

If you use post reply

You will have loads more formating options as well as some quick pick smillies, if there isn't enough there then click on the [more] link

Hope that answers your question

Seaspray · 07-01-2006

cheers for now

**wonwinglo** · 07-01-2006

Someone asked me what my largest model was,well it certainly was not the Avro Lancaster but this little low wing monoplane seen here with my son sitting in the cockpit ! sorry it is not a better picture but this was before the days of digital photography and taken with a primitive camera,anyway let me tell you how this project started,around 1970 I was approached by the Midland Air Museum to build a small aeroplane that could demonstrate an aeroplanes controls,I built this 25 foot span single seater and decided to go one step further,having collected a load of 49 cc moped engines I decided to power her with one so that she would taxy along,I carved the biggest prop that I had ever made and made up an adaptor to bolt it onto the moped engine,a blacksmith friend fabricated a really nice undercarriage for me,she was built entirely outside as I did not even have a shed big enough to keep her in but thankfully we had a good summer that year,months of sawing and shaping saw this little aeroplane called the 'Clay Cherub' she was even officially recognised by the British aircraft preservation council and given the marks 'BAPC 125' she also wore the un-official marks G-BDGP standing for 'Dammed good pilot' to make people think that she really would taxy at least !!
The first public appearance of the Cherub was at a school garden fete,we wheeled her up through the back gardens,up and over a main road stopping the traffic,and pushed her into the playground and eventually assembling her in the main hall,needless to say we dare not run the engine through fear of slicing off someones arm,so settled for a static display that day,she served well to advertise the museums work.
As the aircraft was not big enough for myself to even sit in ( very upset over this ) my son had to be the pilot and set the throttle after a lengthy briefing and I swung the prop,she burst into life with the usual po-popping made by a moped,but alas there was just not enough power to move her along the ground,what she needed was a Scooter engine,but she did look good.
Anyway eventually she was positioned within the aforementioned museum as an exhibit,she was painted in U.S.Army drab fuselage with yellow wings and really looked quite cute.
What happened to her ? well quite sad really,one night vandals jumped the fence into the museum and decided to go on a rampage,she was torn to pieces and looked a very sorry state the next day with the wings torn off and everything trampled,she was beyond repair,I salvaged the undercarriage for building another Cherub some time,but we moved shortly afterwards to set up a model shop and with pressure of work the Cherub Mk.2 never got built.
But at least I have some record of her.

**wonwinglo** · 08-01-2006

My good wife always says that I should have been a detective ? well perhaps that is not such a bad idea after all and lots of money to be made from it too,the fact is that if I need to find an old friend or deeply research something then I am in my element,only this week we made contact with an old friend from yesteryear who vanished without leaving their address,the number was ex-directory and everything led to zilch,then I thought why not try these on-line search thingies to see if they work ? they cost money but we decided to give it a try,sure enough within 48 hours the address was in my mail box.
But searching for people is boring compared with research into aircraft histories,looking for drawings or whatever,the information is all out there it just needs finding.
Researching local aviation history led me to the local archives,I spent six months of every Friday on that research and it was really fascinating stuff,these days you can get the research done for you if you do not have the time,most of the larger museums have archivists who will do the job on your behalf for a respective fee,but the real fun lies in doing it yourself,I cannot express the joy of finding something out yourself that you wanted to know from the past.
So if you need to know something whether it is simple family history or a colourscheme for your latest model,go for it,you will be pleasently surprised at what you can achieve.

**wonwinglo** · 09-01-2006

There have been further ideas put forward by Sheila Dibnah,Freds widow to place some sort of permanent memorial to this erstwhile true English character.
Freds exploits with his beloved steam engines has prompted Sheila to suggest perhaps a large stationery steam engine 'The Fred Dibnah Memorial Engine' what a fabulous idea as opposed to a statue figure,after all he was a totally practical hands on man,and a suitable steam engine run forever in his name would be just ideal.
Not that there is anything finalised but take a look at his brand new web site dedicated in his name www.dibnahs.com here there is a full explanation of the project,lots of pictures of him and some great write-ups.
We wish the project well,to remember forever one of Britains greatest characters.

**wonwinglo** · 10-01-2006

Look at any group of modellers and what strikes you ? well I bet that the average age group is more than 30,probably higher,the reasons behind this are twofold,namely the hands on experience of working with wood and metal were initially instilled into us at school whether we liked it or not ! some years ago I did a series of talks aimed at school children,I took models to the schools,explained about our hobby,gave them each a small balsa chuck glider and showed them how to trim it out,the look on their faces as the little models whizzed across the classroom was a delight,then I went outside with them and gave a demonstration of a model helicopter flying,or if there was enough room a fixed wing design,they cheered and jeered ! I am not a teacher but just wanted to show them the fundamentals of our hobby,and at the same time learn a little about how schools teach craft subjects,usually I would involve the craft teachers themselves to see their reaction,everyone seemed to enjoy themselves but I am not sure if we made any new modellers ?
The problems today are that we have far too many self made distractions to compete with,it seems that the desire to build objects using your very own hands and skills are not as popular as they used to be,this accounts for the big age gap in groups of modellers,and it shows.
There are many other factors involved here,schools operate tight schedules with set subjects,although they may have a woodwork room it is always in use for general woodwork to allow perhaps a model club to meet and make practical objects,a lot depends on the teachers,if they are interested then fine,but many just do not have the time to fulfill their own jobs let alone run a model club in the evening ? this really is an area for specialist model builders to offer their services and at least try and get the youngsters involved.
The same goes for junior model clubs,once I got the use of a delightful school field,I offered my services to teach some of the interested ones to fly,even visiting local model shops to get prices etc of models and equipment should they wish to have their own models,sadly once again the response was very lukewarm ? there just does not seem the same interest these days in modelling as perhaps 30 years ago,when I was at school I made sure we had a model club ! details were published in the school magazine,we had a small store room to put our models in and had full use of some wonderful flying fields,at that time control line models were all the rage,it was a great set up and so successful that we had a model show indoors with hundreds of models,this raised a considerable sum towards the school swimming pool as well.
So my attempts to interest the youngsters have been numerous over the years,but sadly they have not been too successful,well at least I gave it a go and if what I did managed to get one youngster interested then I will be more than happy.

**wonwinglo** · 11-01-2006

Today I am going to talk about an ambitious project that happened way back in 1947,imagine the situation the war was over and people could get back into doing the things they did beforehand,everyone was excited at the challenges ahead and the model magazines were booming and had circulations that have never reached such numbers since,once more the many petrol engines with spark ignition that could not be used on flying models during war conditions, and had to be kept running on tethered model race cars,could now be actually bolted into large model aircraft.
But even more than this,other even more ambitious plans were afoot to create a miniature model flying field,somewhere that modellers could meet up,stay overnight and camp out,repair their models in custom built buildings and fly them from grassy areas that were mown like a golf course ! if this sounds like a dream then it was even then back in 1947 but the Aeromodeller magazine set forth and purchased the land at Eaton Bray,the then director was C.S.Rushbrooke,called 'Rushy' to his friends,a larger than life character who got things done,buildings were put up,accomodation arranged and everything put into place for the potential modellers paradise,some pretty important events took place there,for example Howard Boys flew his early Jetex powered flying wings,De Havilland Vampire etc,the early patented jet power unit was gaining momentum,it had to be legalised as a 'firework' and kits and planes were produced by the Astral model company,apart from this many early model rallies were held at Eaton Bray and the place became a mecca for modellers,in fact it was proudly advertised as 'Eaton Bray Modeldrome' in the pages of the Aeromodeller,this continued until 1950 three years of operation until disaster struck,in their haste to get things done the Aeromodeller offices,had forgotton all about the necessary planning permission,the local council demanded that the land be returned back to agricultural status and the project closed.
The Aeromodeller had no option but to shut down the whole operation,and after a period of great joy for aeromodellers throughout the country it closed its doors,never to appear again.
The only thing that has been created since in the UK was the model airfield at Goosedale,near Nottingham,but sadly even this was closely watched by the planning authorities and eventually closed by its owners who sold off the land,so history repeated itself and another really good idea failed.
( The picture shows a band of aeromodellers at the old Eaton Bray Modeldrome )

**wonwinglo** · 12-01-2006

The one great joy with scale models is that of incorporating lots of detail into our models,depending on the scale then he sky is the limit,but firstly we need to get hold of that detail from the real thing and that is where the fun lies,if you are fortunate enough to have a subject that is still around whether in a museum,or even still flying then you are in,vintage car enthusiasts are also well catered for with numerous museums with row upon row of beautifully restored vehicles.
Whatever your interests then you can be sure that a visit to see the real thing will not come amiss,most museums and organisations are quite receptive to modellers, and will even allow you on occasions to go over the rope barrier to get your pictures,but do not abuse these obvious privaleges and always ask someone first.
If you have to travel some way to see your subject then arrange a visit in advance,sometimes items will have to be brought out of storage,or you could be lucky and invited behind the scenes to see your particular subject,there is just nothing better than being able to see a particular machine close up and in the raw,speaking of which when items are under overhaul or rebuild,then this is a golden opportunity to see the bare bones.
Such places are a treasure for model builders and historians alike,and you will be surprised at the knowledge of the various people in the museums,many will no doubt be perhaps modellers themselves ? they are certainly sympathetic to our cause.
Now for a little bit about how to record your research,with the advent of the wonderful high resolution digital camera we are well catered for,get nice and close with as much light as possible onto your subject,at least you can check your results instantly and if necessary do a re-take,if you find that the environment is just too dark,and believe me this can often happen in storage areas,then resort to your notebook,if you are handy with pencil and paper then do some sketches,a small rule will assist and do not worry if you are not too good at drawing,just enter the details and any necessary dimensions while you have the opportunity to do so,really go to town and make the most of your visit,cover as many different angles as possible.
Dont forget to record colours as well,try and get hold of a suitable colour swatch from a paint supplier etc,study the Meuthan colour charts and note any non standard or faded finishes,whilst your camera will record the colour it will not always be accurate enough to use on your model,sometimes you may be even lucky enough to obtain examples of old fabric or dope finishes on aircraft subjects,or even a tiny 35 mm film container of the actual paint ! especially if your subject is under rebuild or repaint.
This initial research will give you an in-depth knowledge of your subject,and certainly make the build more accurate.
For those that are unable to find their favourite subject still extant or unable to visit these treasure troves,then build up your own fact files from cuttings,photographs,drawings etc,over the years I have built up such a mine of information and placed this into suitable folders for future use.
So go for that detail and get stuck in.

**Bunkerbarge** · 13-01-2006

Barry,

I think the idea of a live steam engine to honour Fred is a perfect idea and would be exactly what he would wish for. This would demonstrate for generations to come just what our industrial heritage was all about and how it remains relevent to us now.

The number of people who think that electricity comes out of the hole in the wall and where it comes from in the first place doesn't occur to them is frightening.

**wonwinglo** · 13-01-2006

Well it is damp and cold outside,so that time of the year when we need to do a few maintenance jobs both on our models,and in the workshop itself.
Why not cut the clutter and sort out a few shelves and boxes ? space is always at a premium and I bet that everyone has things they have been hanging onto just in case it may be needed ? thats fine but when the item in quetion has been kicking around for close on several years it is time to have a rethink,interests change,and are you really ever going to get that chainsaw petrol engine ever converted to an aero engine ? will thousands odd small pieces of balsa wood ever be useful in a model ? and will that seized fuel pump ever get overhauled ? you see what I mean,time and the desire to get that job done all come into this,so why not try and cut the clutter and make a fresh start for 2006 by getting rid of useless objects that ruthfully will never get used again ?
Next we have our fleet of models,time to check them over ready for the season ahead,when was the last time that you oiled that engine,set the tapperts on those four strokes and checked the fuel proofing around the nose and hot areas of those older models,next we need to check over the radio side,nicads do not like being stored and can get beyond recovery if left unchecked,check for the dreaded black wire corrosion mentioned recently here,if it needs fixing then get the job done properly,keep a record of your equipment and batteries numbering them if necessary so you know their history,do not leave anything to chance and compromise on reliability and above all safety.
So you can see the list is endless,and there will be plenty to do in the coming months in between checking in here at Scale-models,above all be ready for the new season of activities ahead.