VBCW Air Wars

[FramFramson]

Never dare a fool :-)

He who dares, wins! 

[Moriarty]

“Never whistle while you’re pissing”.

[leadboy]

"I have a serious and vital technical question. What did you use for cockpit canopies in your characterful conversions?"

Hi Doug, I didn't convert the existing cockpit canopies at all - just painted them. But it would be easy enough to remove the existing cockpit canopies, the fuselage is only held together with a couple of unglued pegs and divides lengthwise. Removing the existing cockpit canopies would simply leave a WW1 style pilot space into which you could pop a suitable figure. If you want to do a different type of cockpit canopy, however, I think you're probably looking at carving from balsa. 

[Doug ex-em4]

"I have a serious and vital technical question. What did you use for cockpit canopies in your characterful conversions?"

Hi Doug, I didn't convert the existing cockpit canopies at all - just painted them. But it would be easy enough to remove the existing cockpit canopies, the fuselage is only held together with a couple of unglued pegs and divides lengthwise. Removing the existing cockpit canopies would simply leave a WW1 style pilot space into which you could pop a suitable figure. If you want to do a different type of cockpit canopy, however, I think you're probably looking at carving from balsa.

Clive - Ahhh…I haven’t got my planes yet but I’d assumed from the photos that they didn’t have canopies. If they have - problem solved… I await with scarcely concealed excited anticipation…

Thanks

[Bearwoodman]

Incidentally, those toy colourful planes, combined with all the hue and cry for aircraft by so many factions, look like another market opportunity for S.H.O.D.D.Y. 

The various SHODDY design teams must be sorely tempted. My first thought is to leverage SHODDY's existing expertise - surely the obvious thing to do is to attach a tank turret to the fuselage behind the pilot to create something with the agility of a Gloster Gladiator with the firepower of a Blackburn Perth in the revolutionary (and futuristic for 1938!) configuration of the Boulton Paul Defiant! Instant air-superiority, or your money back (T&Cs apply).

[FramFramson]

Dual use as an air superiority plane or a ground based AA system!

[AdmiralAndy]

There is a rumour that the Japanese carrier 'Hosho' will be making a (little known) world tour during 1938 . . .

Where did you buy these from, or can you advise of the name of the range?

Thanks in Advance

[Moriarty]

EBay special. Search for ‘mini vintage plastic plane’ :-)

[Doug ex-em4]

Where did you buy these from, or can you advise of the name of the range?

Thanks in Advance

I ordered some from eBay last week. £4.85 including postage. Only one downside - they haven’t arrived yet

Meng Model of the Lancaster is next planned buy and it’s from Amazon so shouldn’t be any delivery issues.



Doug

[leadboy]

All - I've put up a blogpost on the Airfix/Warlord games Blood Red Skies 1/72 crossover "Battle of Britain". Essentially an illustrated "what you get in the box" for anyone that's interested. Unfortunately, when I try to attach a photograph to this post, the machine tells me that the "files are too large", so they must be detailed!

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2022/04/vbcw-air-war-airfix-blood-red-skies.html

Doug - the vital question is clearly the choice of a Borsetshire camouflage scheme and markings! Moriarty is presumably going for the classic "Zero white/grey" look for his "Honsho" world tour air wing (??), but there are so many interwar choices:

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2020/04/aircraft-2-colourful-interwar-types.html

[Moriarty]

Yup. White/grey colour. May have experimental identification markings (for ease of identification on the table). I’m mulling over a set of rules for including them in VBCW games - nothing excessive. Basing them on the fact that an aircraft at 150mph can travel round an 8’ diameter circle at table scale speeds. So, each turn an aircraft can make one ‘pass’ over the table before joining the circle again. Add in a 60 degree ‘turn’ to alter the starting point of the ‘pass’ and you’ve got the makings.

Strangely, the records for the Hosho are reticent on its location for the whole of ‘38. S’almost prophetic .. .

[leadboy]

Yup, can't beat the classic Japanese paint scheme. Mind you, that possibly comes from watching Tora!Tora!Tora! too often. You could vary the classic red markings/stripes and black engine cowlings just a little to give you unobtrusive individual identification while keeping a "squadron look". With a bit of a squint (in the usual way), the "cheep Chinese" models should make pretty good Zeroes. I've got some early US "yellow wings" on the go to give them a battle in due course - if you squint in a different direction (and possibly put on some sunglasses), they make pretty good F4F-3 Wildcats? Looking forward to seeing your carrier, Moriarty!

[Moriarty]

A lot of squinting required for that :-) The thing would be about 8’ long in 1/72!

I’ve looked at the pictures online, and there seem to be enough variations in the markings to distinguish between the three fighters , though no doubt I’m playing ‘fast & loose’ with history. Again. Still. Some more.(

[leadboy]

Talking of markings, I've discovered some very useful roundels on Ebay, ideal for the "Cheep Chinese Planes":

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2022/04/vbcw-aircraft-stickers.html

Unfortunately no Japanese roundels, Moriarty, but a visit to WH Smith should yield sufficient "circular red stickers"!

[Doug ex-em4]

Talking of markings, I've discovered some very useful roundels on Ebay, ideal for the "Cheep Chinese Planes":

https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/2022/04/vbcw-aircraft-stickers.html

Unfortunately no Japanese roundels, Moriarty, but a visit to WH Smith should yield sufficient "circular red stickers"!

They look very useful - good spot, Sir….!

A bit of a delay in the developing Hill/Borsetshire Air Wing. I ordered a pack of "Cheep" planes, only to make the schoolboy error of actually ordering just one model (despite warnings from yourself). I did complain and got a refund - no request to return the one model I got either. Nevertheless, I can’t keep ordering singles and then demanding my money back so I’m looking for a supplier of the complete pack. In the meantime, the airforce consists of one ‘plane

Doug