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Colin Leighfield

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  1. Colin Leighfield
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    From the album: Colin Leighfield

  2. Colin Leighfield

    Colin Leighfield

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    Spanish Hawker Fury
  3. Colin Leighfield
    Thanks Danny. I’m looking forward to air-brushing this. As I’m doing a camouflage paint finish I’ve got no complicated aluminium or litho-plate work to do, also I’m using Solartex. Not too far away now. Having some decent work-space makes life so much easier as well.
  4. Colin Leighfield
    I’ve been able to do some work on this every day and it’s coming along nicely now. Cockpit is cut out. I’m leaving all final sanding until it’s ready for covering. I have to do some alterations on the fibre-glass cowling to reflect the differences with the Hispano engine in the Spanish planes, but first I wanted to sort out the mounting clips and ensure that it lined up with the propeller shaft. Despite trying to be careful with this during the build, it doesn’t! Next step will be to raise the motor slightly to do this, without changing the thrust-line. Not too difficult. Then I will alter the cowling with the longer cam-box bulges etc, quite easy. Following that will be the radiator, which is quite different to the Kestrel engined planes, then the undercarriage fairings. Getting excited about this now.
  5. Colin Leighfield
    I loved Andy’s reference to my comment about Ranald Porteous and landing the Auster! He was probably tongue in cheek when he said it and after I ground-looped the AOP6 on the Tatenhill concrete runway it gave me a face-saving excuse!
  6. Colin Leighfield
    The fuselage top decking is complete now, awaiting sanding and the cutting out of the cockpit aperture.
  7. Colin Leighfield
    I had a 1/5 share for a while in a 1946 Auster AOP6, kept in its original squadron markings, silver with yellow bands. I managed to ground-loop it at Tatenhill once, no damage fortunately! Very smooth and stable plane to fly. Always fancied making a model of it. I was told once that the famous Auster test-pilot, Ranald Porteous, said that nobody ever managed to do three consecutive good landings in an Auster. I tended to agree.
  8. Colin Leighfield
    I’d thought about making the front decking with the gun troughs from a piece of blue foam, but decided instead to work to the plan and make it from balsa, with 3mm planking. However I did insert two pieces of blue foam into the gun trough positions and shaped the troughs with a Permagrit tool and sandpaper. A little filler was needed afterwards but it will be ok when I’ve finished. Moving back, it’s a good job I’d saved Danny’s corrected F6 drawing, because I’d broken my first 3mm Liteply version. I made a new one, using the surplus ply left over from the wood pack. That’s in place now. I will plank that area tomorrow and cut the cockpit hole out using the template that was also created by Danny, which I have also saved.
  9. Colin Leighfield
    After the usual “two weeks” of fitting in a “filler” project turning into nearly three months, I got the Fury out of the loft and into my new workshop for the first time today. At last I’ve got room to swing the cat and everything is where I want to be. Back in business as from now.
  10. Colin Leighfield
    Thanks Adrian. Time moves on, things change, not always for the better. The last time I was in Woodbridge was with my son in May 2019 for my mother-in-law’s funeral and we had a quiet day looking around old haunts, including Framlingham and the old wartime USAAF airfield where there is an excellent museum in the old control-tower. Must go back some-time.
  11. Colin Leighfield
    Adrian’s post brought back warm memories. My late wife’s family lived in Woodbridge and we spent many happy hours in the back garden, watching F16s and A10s on their way in and out of Bentwaters. Also I well remember fields of Bloodhound missiles pointing to the sky at Bawdsey. We were very sad when we heard that after so many years the USAF was moving out of Bentwaters and closing the base in 1993. They held an annual airshow and the final one was in October 1992, we were there with son James who was just four months old! The American aircrew were always standing by their planes in the public area and were happy to talk to you. I remember a conversation with an F111 pilot, I think that wasn’t long before they were withdrawn from service. Wonderful days, sadly missed.
  12. Colin Leighfield
    Simon, that’s brilliant. I confess I am at the stage where I consider being senile to be a valuable qualification!
  13. Colin Leighfield
    Doing the other thing that I enjoy, on Monday 21 December. I’ve owned the 1961 Norton since 1967.
  14. Colin Leighfield

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  15. Colin Leighfield

    Colin Leighfield posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  16. Colin Leighfield
    Thanks Danny! Graham, thanks to you as well. Great to hear you’re working on the BT Hurricane, Danny has built that to the very highest of scale standards. The poor condition and limited space in the previous shed didn’t help with the building of larger models, so my progress is sporadic and I’ve been distracted by other smaller projects, which can be sneaked into the house and frequently worked on surreptitiously in the kitchen! It’s going to take a few days to get the new one organised and electrified but as soon as it’s fit I’ll be back onto the Fury. In the meantime I confess to having been working on a 27 1/2” span Magister made out of Depron and Vector Board, which is taking shape between the study, kitchen and bedroom.
  17. Colin Leighfield
    At last! I’ve got somewhere fit to build a Fury. Electrics and fitting out to do, but we’re on our way.
  18. Colin Leighfield

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  19. Colin Leighfield

    Colin Leighfield posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  20. Colin Leighfield

    Colin Leighfield posted a gallery image in Member Albums

  21. Colin Leighfield
    Thanks David, I'd been thinking about using turnbuckles and this is very helpful. Cheers, Colin.
  22. Colin Leighfield
    David, did you use the 10mm or 14mm turnbuckles?
  23. Colin Leighfield
    I like the look of that, think I’ll be copying you!
  24. Colin Leighfield
    How can it be cheating if it does the job and looks right?
  25. Colin Leighfield
    Hi John. No problem, in fact Paul and the owner of the NIB Cranfield A1 kit have exchanged emails today. I’ll observe with interest.
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