Monday, February 28, 2011

2011 NorthWest Scale Modelers Show Part 2

A really nicely done Royal Canadian Navy HO4S.


Hammy Grey's FAA Corsair.


Much red on the Canadian table...this being a 421 Squadron CF-104.


A 1/48 scale Avenger Firebomber.


A Heller CL-215 in Newfoundland provincial markings.


Another red bird, this time a Skystreak.


Quite a bit of work must have gone into updating the Matchbox Stranraer into a Queen Charlotte Airlines bird.


Another neat float plane What if...this time based upon a Vampire.


A Macchi captured by 417 Squadron RCAF.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

2011 NorthWest Scale Modelers Show Part 1

Last Saturday, as part of a trip to Seattle, I attended a model show at the Museum of Flight put on by the Northwest Scale Modelers who are based out of the Museum. The show is held in the Museum's Great Gallery and it is hard to imagine a better place for a model display, right under the real things.

Notice I used the word show and not contest? Yes that is correct, it was a display only show; a refreshing change from the contests I usually attend. There were many models on the tables, I didn't try to count them all, and the show theme of arranging the models by nationality made for an exciting display. As expected the U.S. tables were packed, with the U.K and German tables not far behind. I was happy to see the Canadian table was well populated and many most smaller countries were represented. Not being a contest and freed from the pressures of judging, there was both a larger number and variety of models, and some subjects you just don't see much very often.

One of the themes was the T-6/Harvard/SNJ with about a dozen of the North American products on display. While a miniature of Bud Granley's Golden Hawks SNJ was on the table, I was a little disappointed not to see a yellow RCAF Harvard represented. Guess I should have packed one in my luggage.

I had a great time at the event and hope to be able to attend again in future, and maybe even bring some models to display.

Sorry for the lesser then great picture quality, I used my phone camera as an experiment. Not a terrible failure, but next time I'll use the real camera.

Does it get much better then this?


You don't see the Hasegawa T-34 Mentor built very often. It sure looks great in RCAF markings.


Must have taken a lot of work to get something this nice out of the A-Model kit.


Just for Smith...some pink.


A very literal take on the Sea Hornet?


I though Jon would enjoy the Slovakia corner.


A nice slip wing Hurricane in 1/48


A Heller F-94 just for Rick.


Black and White A-26 in French markings.


A nice yellow T-28.


An eye catching MiG-31.


Bud Granley's SNJ in Golden Hawks markings.


An neat model of a Caribou paper project surrounded by U.S. subjects.



To be continued.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

One Man's War


Title: One Man's War
Author: Stuart E. Soward
Publisher: Neptune

I picked up this short book after hearing that the author died in January and that the subject of the book, Richard Bartlett, passed away in December. Dick Bartlett was a farm boy from Saskatchewan who joined the Fleet Air Arm and flew Skuas off the HMS Ark Royal. The book focuses mostly on the ill-conceived attack by the Skuas on the German battleship Scharnhorst in a Norway fjord, and Mr. Bartlett's time as a Prisoner of War after being shot down in that attack. Both sections are eye opening. It is hard to believe a human could survive some of the treatment he received at the hands of the Germans, and that the FAA leadership could have held out any belief that the Scharnhosrt attack was anything but a suicide mission. Mr. Bartlett's will and tenacity to survive both the raid, and his time as a POW, are impressive. The book is a quick, breezy, and interesting read and well worth the time for the Canadian aviation fan and/or students of the Fleet Air Arm.