Next meeting: Wednesday 25th May 2016

ScaleModelsWellington.org.nz

In this issue:Club News • April Show & TellScale models Expo & IPMS NZ NAtionalsSpecial hobby 1/48 Seafire Mk.xv • Build the Same Kit

ConnectionsMay 2016

Best in show

http://scalemodelswellington.org.nz

Club committeeRichard AlexanderSean MarshGrant Matchett Bruce Patchett (treasurer@scalemodelswellington.org.nz)Kevin TrewWill Vale (editor@scalemodelswellington.org.nz)Peter White (president@scalemodelswellington.org.nz)

You can reach the committee easily via email - the executive email addresses are listed above, and you can contact the whole committee using:• contact@scalemodelswellington.org.nz

How to find usScale Models Wellington meets on the last Wednesday of every month execpt December, at the Petone Working Men’s Club, Udy Street, Petone. Meetings start at 7.30pm and finish around 9.30pm.

Find us online• scalemodelswellington.org.nz

• facebook.com/groups/scalemodelswellington

• flickr.com/groups/scalemodelswellington

• groups.yahoo.com/scalemodelswellingtonipms

ContributionsWe welcome article submissions, tips, and small ads - please email your text and accompanying images to the editor at:

• editor@scalemodelswellington.org.nz

The submission deadline for each month’s issue is the second Tuesday of the same month.

Images should be high quality, high resolution JPEGs. You don’t need to spend time formatting your text, but you must credit your sources for text, data and images.

Please make sure you have permission to use any images which you do not own.

Disclaimer Connections is published monthly for members of Scale Models Wellington IPMS Incorporated, and associated organisations.

Opinions expressed in a newsletter article are solely those of the article’s author and do not necessarily reflect the policy and the rules of Scale Models Wellington IPMS Incorporated.

The editor reserves the right not to publish material which may bring Scale Models Wellington IPMS Incorporated into disrepute, and may edit copy to fit the newsletter. Anonymous, abusive or offensive material will not be published.

Articles published in this newsletter may be republished if the source and author are acknowledged.

Contents3 Club News4 April Show & Tell - Finished Models 6 April Show & Tell - work in progress 7 Scale Models Expo & IPMS Nationals19 Special Hobby 1/48 Seafire Mk.XV21 Build the Same Kit

SCALE MODELS WELLINGTON IPMS

Front cover: 1/32 DH-88 - Eric Galliers (IPMS NZ Nationals best in show)

1/8 Alfa Romeo Monza 2300 - Jo Martin (Scale Models Expo best in show)

Back cover: 1/12 Mike’s Motors - Marij Parris (Peoples’ Choice winner)

All photos: Will Vale2

mailto:treasurer@scalemodelswellington.org.nzmailto:editor@scalemodelswellington.org.nzmailto:president@scalemodelswellington.org.nzmailto:contact@scalemodelswellington.org.nzhttp://scalemodelswellington.org.nzhttps://facebook.com/groups/scalemodelswellingtonhttp://flickr.com/groups/scalemodelswellington/http://groups.yahoo.com/scalemodelswellingtonipmsmailto:editor%40scalemodelswellington.org.nz?subject=Article%20for%20Connections

Club NewsEvents calendar• May 25 BSK voting• June 29 Club meeting• July 27 Club meeting• August 31 BSK judging

JuniorsYou have some great BSK options this year - the 1/700 Fujimi Lexington, 1/72 Hasegawa F-15 Eagle, and 1/48 Airfix Warrior.

You have plenty of upcoming sessions to work on your BSK projects too, so we hope to see lots of entries at the end of August.

• June 4 BSK building and priming • July 2 BSK priming and painting• Aug 6 BSK painting and finishing.• Aug 31 BSK judging and prize giving.If you can’t make it to a meeting, please let Ray know as soon as possible. You can reach him on:

Email: thorpe.wellington@gmail.com

Phone: 04 461 7261

AGMThe delayed AGM was held at the May club meeting, many thanks for turning up and supporting the club. Rachel and Grant Porter have stepped down and we have a new committee for 2016:

Richard Alexander

Sean Marsh

Grant Matchett

Bruce Patchett Treasurer

Kevin Trew

Will Vale Editor

Peter White President

Special thanks are due to Rachel and Grant for their efforts over the past few years, the new committee for stepping up, and Grant Matchett for covering secretarial duties in the interim.

We are still looking for someone to take over the role of Secretary on a permanent basis - please get in touch if you think you might be up for this.

Build the same kit (BSK)We’ll be voting on BSK subjects at the May meeting and you can start building straight after that. See the list of nominations elsewhere in this issue for details.

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April Show & Tell - Finished Models 1/51 AMT TIE Fighters - Sam Hall

1/48 Hasegawa Voyager - Sam Hall

PhotoS: Peter White

1/350 Aoshima Thunderbird 1 - Malcolm Thomas

Non-scale Hasegawa Macross YF-19 - Malcolm Thomas

4

1/48 Hasegawa Seafire Mk 1B - Mike Regan

1/600 Airfix Ark Royal - Chris Velvin

1/48 Airfix Seafire Mk XVII - Mike Regan

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April Show & Tell - work in progress PhotoS: Peter White

1/8 Pocher Alfa Romeo - Jo Martin

6

Scale models Expo & IPMS NZ NAtionalsWe held our Scale Models Expo and the IPMS Nationals over ANZAC weekend at the end of April, and it felt like a big hit with the public judging by the enthusiastic feedback we received on both days. We had at least 1400 members of the public visit the show, and 99 modellers from Scale Models Wellington and further afield entered models in the two competitions. Thanks to all of you for helping make it a success! Now we can start planning for 2018...

ThanksExtra-special thanks are due to our sponsors: Holdson and Airfix donated kits and catalogues for the “kids build a kit” activity, and Trevor Bringans Ltd. provided gift card spot prizes for both juniors and adults. In addition Acorn Models and Wingnut Wings sponsored several competition categories and helped us provide trophies and certificates to the winners.

We would also very much like to thank the following organisations and individuals:

• Traders from the Wellington area, around the country, and even overseas! Thanks to Acorn Models, Belmont Models, Modelcrafts and Hobbies, OldModels Decals, Tinkering Tools and of course Wingnut Wings for your support.

• Mike Butler for giving up his weekend to demonstrate his amazing figure-painting skills.• Mike Regan and his team of judges, who had an even harder task than usual with two competitions to handle.• Rex Barker for donating some interesting kits for kids to take away on the Sunday.• Ray Thorpe and the A-team for organising and running the wildly popular “kids build a kit” activities.• Out-of-towners, some of whom travelled a long way to enter their models, and also all the club members who entered models.• Club members who gave up their time on the Friday and over the weekend to help set up, run and break down the show.• Parents and guardians of our Junior members, and the Juniors themselves for demonstrating the hobby to the public.• Excel Digital and the Expressions Centre for their services.• And finally the club committee and Expo sub-committee for their organisational efforts in advance of the show and on the

day.

Thankyou all!

NumbersWe had 198 entries from 53 entrants in the Scale Models Expo public competition, and 214 entries from 46 entrants in the IPMS NZ Nationals. Kevin Trew was the most prolific modeller by quite a margin, with 33 entries in total, followed by Will Vale with 27 and Michael Rohde with 19.

Scale Models Expo 2016 public competition results

Class A - Aircraft

Category Placing Modeller EntryA1 1 Grant Porter Kaman SH-2F Seasprite ‘RNZAF’

A1 2 Ray Thorpe RNZAF Catalina

A1 3 Bruce Patchett F-4U Corsair

A2 1 Brent Cooper Curtiss F8C-4 Helldiver

A2 2 Craig Sargent Spitfire IIb, 65 Squadron, RAF, 1941

A2 3 Kevin Trew Hawker Typhoon 1B

A2 HC Grant Porter BAE Jetstream 31 ‘Air Ambulance’

A2 HC Andrew Connor Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2

A2 HC Andrew Connor BF110 C-4

A3 1 Alan Sannazzaro F/A-18F Super Hornet

A3 2 Craig Sargent F-16A Netz, Operation Opera, IDF/AF, 1981

Will Vale

77

Class A - Aircraft (continued)

Category Placing Modeller EntryA3 3 Aran Ludlow F/A-18D

A3 HC Kevin Trew English Electric Lightning F6

A3 HC Kevin Trew F-35A

A4 1 Chris Shannon Vought F4U-1A

A4 2 Craig Sargent Hurricane IIC, Kings Cup Air Race, 1950

A4 3 Gary Fowkes Luftwaffe FW190A4

A4 HC Kevin Trew P-39Q Airacobra

A5 1 Brett Sharman HS129

A5 2 Kevin Trew P-38J Lightning

A5 3 Gary Fowkes Bristol Beaufighter Mk VI

A6 1 (best in class) Craig Sargent AV-8B Harrier II+, VMA-231, USMC, Iraq 2011

A6 2 Craig Sargent OA-4M Skyhawk, H&MS-12, USMC, 1990

A6 3 Gary Fowkes RAF Phantom FGR Mk2

A7 1 Bruce Adam Roland CIIa Late

A7 2 Graham Bird Bristol

A7 3 Ernie Thompson BF109 Trop

A7 HC Hasitha Mananwatte Hawker Typhoon - MR-U

A7 HC Ernie Thompson FW190A

A8 1 Ernie Thompson RF4C Phantom

A9 1 Craig Sargent AH-1F Tzefa, Northern Cobra Squadron, IDF/AF

A9 2 Grant Porter United States Coastguard HH-60J Jayhawk

A10 1 Kevin Trew B2

A10 2 Kevin Trew Mig-15

A10 3 Kevin Trew Tornado “Tiger meet”

A10 HC Kevin Trew A90 Orlyonok

A10 HC Kevin Trew MV22B Osprey

Class B - Military Vehicles

Category Placing Modeller EntryB1 1 (best NZ) Kevin Trew Staghound Mk 1

B2 1 Ewan Forbes M10 Achilles

B2 2 Leighton Littlewood Challenger MkII

B2 3 Lance Whitford Panzerjager Fedinand

B2 HC Ray Thorpe Sturmtiger

B3 1 (best in class) Bruce Adam Sherman M4A3E8

B3 2 Bruce Adam PzkwII Ausft VK1601

B3 3 Lance Whitford M-10 Gun Motor Carriage

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Class B - Military Vehicles (continued)

Category Placing Modeller EntryB3 HC Ray Thorpe Churchill AFV Petard

B3 HC Leighton Littlewood M-26

B4 1 Leighton Littlewood IDF M577

B4 2 Ray Thorpe M1A1 Abrahams

B4 3 Leighton Littlewood M981 FISTV

B5 1 Leighton Littlewood SAS Landrover Pink Panther

B5 2 Andrew Connor SAS Recon Pink Panther

B5 3 Selwyn Jaquiery German Horch Kfz.15 ‘North African Campaign’

B6 1 Bruce Adam 21cm Morser 18

B6 2 Leighton Littlewood 88mm AA Gun

B6 3 Bruce Adam Pak 44 Krupp

B7 1 David Andrew sd.kfz 234/2 Puma

B7 2 Kevin Trew Bradley M3

B7 3 Ewan Forbes Saladin

Class C - Civilian Vehicles

Category Placing Modeller EntryC1 1 Grant Matchett Morgan 4/4

C1 2 Paul Scadden 1998 Mazda MX5

C2 1 (best in class Jo Martin Alfa Romeo Monza 2300 1932

& best in show)

C2 2 Paul Scadden 1923 Fuel Altered - Wild Willie Borsch

C2 3 Paul Scadden 1989 Top Fuel Dragster - Gary Ormsby

C3 1 Paul Edwards Ferrari Testarossa

C3 2 Kevin Trew Bedford OLBD

C3 3 Grant Matchett Mini Cooper

C4 1 Paul Scadden 1932 Ford 3 Window Coupe

C4 2 Paul Scadden 1932 Ford B400

C4 3 Paul Scadden 1957 Chevrolet Street Machine

C5 1 Paul Scadden 2013 McLaren MP4 - 12C GT3

C5 2 Paul Scadden 1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda’ - Billy the Kid

C5 3 Nic Zwart Jaguar XJR-9LM

C5 HC Chris Shannon BMW 320i

C6 1 Kevin Trew Honda NSR250 2001

C6 2 Reon Webster Aces Wild Chopper

C7 1 David Andrew Ford Fiesta RS WRC 2012

C7 2 Tony Wood Dodge Charger

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Class C - Civilian Vehicles (continued)

Category Placing Modeller EntryC8 1 Glen Burrell Mack Superliner

C8 2 Glen Burrell Westernstar

C8 3 Glen Burrell Inter Lonestar

Class D - Dioramas

Category Placing Modeller EntryD1 1 (best in class) Leighton Littlewood SdKfz 234 Puma

D1 2 Lance Whitford France 1944

D1 3 David Coulthard Roland CII - Engine Change

Class E - Ships and submarines

Category Placing Modeller EntryE1 1 (best in class) Graham Bird HMS Monmouth

E1 2 Chris Velvin HMS Ark Royal

E1 3 Ray Thorpe HMS Iron Duke

E3 1 Kevin Trew Trafalgar class

Class F - Figures

Category Placing Modeller EntryF1 1 Richard Conway NZ Infantry man, Italy 1944

F2 1 (best in class) Darren Lyttle Legionary 3rd Century AD

F2 2 Will Vale Stormcast Eternal Liberator

F2 3 Reon Webster Treeman

F4 1 Leighton Littlewood SS Officer

Class G - Sci-Fi, collections and miscellaneous

Category Placing Modeller EntryG1 1 Craig Sargent Darth Vader’s TIE Advanced X1

G1 2 Will Vale Martian Fighting Machine

G1 3 Dave Johnson X-Wing

G1 HC Will Vale Space Cruiser Murasame Type

G1 HC Will Vale Space Assualt Destroyer Isokaze Type

G1 HC Dave Johnson TIE Fighters

G1 HC Will Vale Baldwin Steam Tanks

G1 HC Stacy Hay MSZ-006C1 Zeta plus C1

G2 1 (best in class) Kevin Trew R2-D2

G2 2 Kevin Trew R5-D4

G2 3 Kevin Trew Big Boy Locomotive

G3 1 Sam Hall RNZAF P-51 Mustangs

G3 2 Stacy Hay Black Sun Dragon Space Marines10

Class G - Sci-Fi, collections and miscellaneous (continued)

Category Placing Modeller EntryG3 3 Paul Scadden 1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt

Class J - Juniors

Category Placing Modeller EntryJ1 1 Shaquile McCool Supermarine Spitfire Mk22

J1 2 Madeleine Mills P-40

J1 3 Eric Vaclavek F4F-4 Wildcat

J1 HC Shaquile McCool J2M3 Raiden

J1 HC Madeleine Mills Stuka

J2 1 (best junior) Shaquile McCool Pzkwfg III Ausf J (late model)

J2 2 Madeleine Mills Tiger

J2 3 Monty Davidson M47 Paton

J2 HC Shaquile McCool GMC 2 1/2 ton truck

J2 HC Samuel Van Der Zwaag M3A1 Halftrack

J2 HC Eric Vaclavek Supacat Jackal

J3 1 Shaquile McCool Red Baron

J4 1 Emily Rose Hay TIE Interceptor

J4 2 Laura Vale Yokai Watch Cat collection

J4 3 Shaquile McCool F4U-1 Corsair

J5 1 Samuel Van Der Zwaag “Life on a farm”

J5 2 Samuel Van Der Zwaag “Taking off from Lakenheath”

J7 1 Shaquile McCool SS Soldier

J8 1 Eric Vaclavek Escort Carrier Bogue

J8 2 Shaquile McCool Shimakazi

J8 3 Harrison Taylor Vosper MTB

IPMS (NZ) Nationals 2016 results

Class A - Aircraft

Category Placing Modeller EntryA2 1 Will Vale Tiger Moth G-ACDC

A2 2 Brent Cooper Gloster Galdiator J-8 - Swedish Volunteers

A2 3 Michael Rohde Heinkel He 70 G 1

A2 HC Michael Rohde Dornier Do 17 Z

A2 HC Michael Rohde Heinkel He 51 A

A2 HC Michael Rohde Aichi E 13 A1 with Type 2-5 Catapult

A2 HC Michael Rohde Hawker Hurricane MK 1 (early)

A2 HC Michael Rohde Junkers Ju 5211

Class A - Aircraft (continued)

Category Placing Modeller EntryA2 HC Sam Hall Hawker Hurricane 1

A3 1 Craig Sargent Tornado IDS, 6o Storma 154o Gruppo, Italy, 2007

A3 2 Mark Robson Gloster Meteor

A3 3 Aaron Ludlow F/A-18C Hornet

A3 HC Will Vale MiG-15SB

A3 HC Aaron Ludlow F/A-18E Super Hornet

A4 1 Brett Sharman F-4F Wildcat

A4 2 Brett Sharman P-40

A4 3 Brett Sharman Hawker Typhoon

A4 HC Michael Rohde Fiat CR 42 ‘Falco’

A5 1 Gary Fowkes Luftwaffe Donier DO-217

A5 2 Michael Rohde Mitsubishi KI 46-III ‘Dinah’

A5 3 Michael Rohde North American B25 PBY Mitchell

A6 1 Brett Sharman F-84G

A6 2 Brett Sharman F-5F

A6 3 Mark Robson SAAB Viggen

A7 1 (best in class Eric Galliers De Havilland DH-88 Comet

& best in show)

A7 2 Brett Sharman Ki-84

A7 3 Peter White Roland CII

A7 HC Peter White North American P-51D

A7 HC Michael Rohde Seversky P 35

A7 HC Michael Rohde Nakajima KI 27 ‘Nate’ (with Pilot)

A7 HC Peter White Roland VIB

A8 1 Peter White F/A-18B Hornet RAAF 1989

A8 2 Eric Galliers Douglas A-4G Skyhawk

A8 3 Peter White MDD F-4J (UK) 74Sqn RAF

A9 1 Will Vale Westland Wessex HU.5

A9 2 Kevin Trew MH7 Chinook

A10 1 Peter White Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero

A10 2 Hasitha Mananwatte De Havilland Mosquito

Class B - Military vehicles

Category Placing Modeller EntryB1 1 Kevin Trew M113 Fitter

B1 2 Collin Heffer Sherman Dozer

B1 3 Ewan Forbes M10

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Class B - Military vehicles (continued)Category Placing Modeller Entry

B2 1 Ray Thorpe Tiger 1 Early

B2 2 Lance Whitford KV-1e

B2 3 Gary Fowkes British WW1 Male Tank

B2 HC Gary Fowkes Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf.E Sd.Kfz. 181 (Tiger 1)

B3 1 (best in class) Collin Heffer Panther

B3 2 Ray Thorpe M4A3 Sherman Pacific Theatre

B3 3 Will Vale Mark IV Male Tank

B4 1 Ray Thorpe Iraqi T-55 Enigma

B4 2 Will Vale CV9040B

B6 1 Sean Marsh Quad Tractor & 25pr x Lumber

B7 1 Kevin Trew Challenger

Class C - Civilian vehicles

Category Placing Modeller EntryC1 1 Nic Zwart Scania R730 Cabover

C1 2 Nic Zwart Volvo Rigid Truck

C1 3 Nic Zwart Scania R620 B-Train Radio Control

C2 1 Paul Edwards Lotus 49

C2 2 Kevin Trew McLaren MP4-25

C2 3 Kevin Trew McLaren M23

C3 1 Mark Stockdale Mercedes-McLaren SLR

C3 2 Mark Stockdale Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider

C3 3 Mark Stockdale Porsche 911 Turbo

C3 HC Mark Stockdale Ferrari 575M Maranello

C5 1 Grant Matchett Lancia Delta Rally Car

C5 2 Grant Matchett Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6T

C5 3 Grant Matchett Subaru Impreza WRC

C6 1 (best in class) Paul Edwards Honda NSR250

C6 2 Kevin Trew Kawasaki ZX14

C7 1 Kevin Trew Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa

C7 2 Kevin Trew Ford Woody

C7 3 Kevin Trew VW Beetle

C8 1 Nic Zwart Bedford Tipper

C8 2 Jamie Larn Scania 142 w/Canvas Trailer

C8 3 Jamie Larn Volvo Cabover

C8 HC Tony Wood 1914 Dennis Fire Truck

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Class D - Dioramas

Category Placing Modeller EntryD1 1 (best in class) David Andrew The SpyMasters Tryst - Cyrenaica, March 1942

D1 2 Will Vale Tanis 1937

D1 3 (public choice) Marij Parris Mikes Motors

Class E - Ships and submarines

Category Placing Modeller EntryE1 1 Peter Randall HMS Queen Mary

E1 2 Peter Randall HMS Milne

E1 3 Peter Randall USS Cushing DO797

E2 1 (best in class) Will Vale Schnellboot S-204 ‘Lang’

E2 2 Peter Randall LCT MK4

E2 3 John Darlington HMNZS Southland

E2 HC Gary Fowkes Protected Cruiser - YSS Olympia

E3 1 Will Vale Shinkai 6500 DSV

E3 2 Hasitha Mananwatte Type VIIc U-Boat

E3 3 Will Vale U-boat type VIIB

Class F - Figures

Category Placing Modeller EntryF1 1 (best in class Andy Cairns ANZAC Charge, 1915

& best NZ)

F1 2 Richard Conway NZ Infantry man with Tommy Gun - 2NZEF, Italy 1942

F1 3 Richard Conway NZ Bren Gunner Waiouru

F2 1 Will Vale Khorgos Khul

F2 2 Will Vale Spirit Host

F2 3 Darren Lyttle Signifer

F2 HC Will Vale Dark Angels Terminator Squad

F2 HC Will Vale Stormcast Eternal Prosecutor

F2 HC Will Vale Tyranid Haruspex

F3 1 Will Vale Old Father Elm

F3 2 Will Vale Drone Sniper

F3 3 Richard Conway German Elite Infantry man

Class G - Sci-Fi, Collections and miscellaneous

Category Placing Modeller EntryG1 1 Will Vale Colonial Viper Mark One

G1 2 Gary Fowkes Maschinen Krieger - Ma.K Lum-168 Camel

G1 3 Will Vale Gunship from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

G2 1 Peter White RAAF Mirage IIIO Control Column Grip14

Class G - Sci-Fi, Collections and miscellaneous

Category Placing Modeller EntryG2 2 Peter White BR52 Steam Locomotive

G2 3 Rachel Porter R5-D4 Droid ‘Star Wars’

G3 1 (best in class) Grant Matchett Ford GT40s

G3 2 Grant Porter F-16 Parking only

Class J - Juniors

Category Placing Modeller EntryJ1 1 Shaquile McCool Supermarine Spitfire Mk 1A

J1 2 Eric Vaclavek BAE Hawk T MK1

J1 3 Eric Vaclavek Hawker Typhoon MK.1B

J1 HC Charlotte Hall P-40B

J1 HC Samuel van der Zwaag Hawker Typhoon 1B

J2 1 (best junior) Shaquile McCool T-34-85 ‘Rudy’

J2 2 Fergal O’Connell KV2

J2 3 Fergal O’Connell Supacat Jackal

J2 HC Shaquile McCool M1A1 Abrams ‘Iraq 2003’

J2 HC Shaquile McCool Pzkfwg II Ausf E

J2 HC Fergal O’Connell M48 Patton

J2 HC Fergal O’Connell Mk1 Male Tank

J4 1 Charlotte Hall R5-D4

J4 2 Charlotte Hall R2-D2

J6 1 Fergal O’Connell Space Marine Captain

J6 2 Nevan O’Connell Custom Stormcast Eternal

J6 3 Nevan O’Connell Necron Warrior

J6 HC Nevan O’Connell Chaos Chosen

J8 1 Harrison Taylor Admiral Graf Spee

J8 2 Samuel van der Zwaag Bismark

J8 3 Eric Vaclavek Italian Heavy Cruiser Pola (1941)

J8 HC Samuel van der Zwaag Vosper Motor Torpedo Boat

In conclusionCongratulations to the winners, particularly Jo Martin who won Best in Show in the Expo Public Competition with his super-detailed large scale Alfa Romeo, and Eric Galliers who achieved the same feat in the IPMS (NZ) Nationals with his superb DH-88.And we shouldn’t forget Marij Parris whose Mike’s Motors diorama won the Peoples’ Choice award by a country mile!

Images of almost every winning model can be found in our Flickr group - feel free to add your own pictures from the Expo too:

• flickr.com/groups/scalemodelswellington

If you entered a model but didn’t win, don’t be disheartened. For one thing there’s always next time, and for another you can be sure that the public visiting the show will have loved seeing it on display.

Please keep on building and painting and we’ll see you again in 2018!15

http://flickr.com/groups/scalemodelswellington/

Expo best in class A - AV-8B Harrier II+ - Craig Sargent Expo best in class B - Sherman M4A3E8 - Bruce Adam

Expo best in class B - Alfa Romeo Monza 2300 - Jo Martin Expo best in class D - SdKfz 234 Puma- Leighton Littlewood

Expo best in class E - HMS Monmouth - Graham Bird Expo best in class F - Legionary 3rd century AD - Darren Lyttle

Expo best in class G - R2-D2 - Kevin Trew Expo best Junior - PzKpfw III Ausf J - Shaquile McCool

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Nationals best in class A - DH-88 - Eric Galliers Nationals best in class B - Panther - Collin Heffer

Nationals best in class C - Honda NSR250 - Paul Edwards Nationals best in class D - Spymasters Tryst - David Andrew

Nationals best in class E - Schnellboot S-204 - Will Vale Nationals best in class F & best NZ - ANZAC Charge - Andy Cairns

Nationals best in class G - GT40 Collection - Grant Matchett Nationals best Junior - T34-85 “Rudy” - Shaquile McCool

17

Some more Expo and Nationals winners...

18

Special hobby 1/48 Seafire Mk.xvBackground

“Seafire”: An elegant contraction of the official name “Sea Spitfire”.

The Seafire Mk.XV was the first Seafire with a Griffon engine to enter Fleet service. The type is often regarded as the “worst” of the wartime Seafires, because the poor deck handling of the Merlin Seafires was exacerbated by the big Griffon engine which turned in the opposite direction to the Merlin - the basic airframe was rigged to counteract the torque of the Merlin and this remained unchanged with the Seafire XV – and the much enlarged nose also made the poor visibility of the earlier Seafires even more of a problem. That said, performance where it counted, in the air, was vastly improved over the already excellent performance of the Seafire Mk.III and the perennial problem of the chronic short range of the Seafire was at last addressed with the introduction of a proper centreline drop tank.

Despite its handicaps and the type being grounded fleet-wide not long after its introduction into service because of a fault with the clutch of the supercharger impeller (this was rapidly fixed) the type would have fully replaced the Seafire III in the squadrons of the British Pacific Fleet if the war with Japan had gone on into 1946 and eventually the Seafire XV would see service with no less than twelve front-line and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve units and twenty-eight second-line units as well as the Royal Canadian Navy, French Aeronavale and (in hybrid form) the Union of Burma.

Often referred to as a naval version of the Spitfire Mk.XII, the Seafire XV was in fact a highly modified Seafire III, with the big Griffon VI under bonnet turning a four-blade prop, the wing overflow tanks from a Spitfire Mk.IX and the tail unit with retracting tail wheel from a Spitfire Mk.VIII – a real mix-and-match job!

The first fifty or so were built by Cunliffe-Owen and featured the A-frame arrester hook as found on earlier Seafires along with with the standard Spitfire Mk.VIII style rudder, albeit with an extended chord trim tab to try to alleviate a directional stability issue. Subsequent production Seafire XV’s built by Cunliffe-Owen and Westlands discarded the A-frame arrestor hook in favour of a “stinger” hook at the base of a much enlarged rudder. Some 380 Seafire XV’s were built in total.

The first unit to take on the Seafire XV was 802 Naval Air Squadron which had re-formed in May 1945 with a mix of Seafire Mk. LIIIs and the new Seafire XV. The squadron was fully equipped with the Seafire XV by August and preparing to embark on H.M.S. Queen for service with the British Pacific Fleet when the war ended. The second unit to form on the Seafire XV was 805 NAS aboard H.M.S. Ocean; she was in the Mediterranean when all Seafire XV’s were grounded with the aforementioned fault with the Griffon VI supercharger. This was swiftly put right and the engine went on to give years of reliable service and also power the Seafire F.17.

Mike Regan

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The KitThere have been two injection-moulded kits released of the Seafire Mk.XV in 1/48th scale; Hobbycraft was the first back in the early 1990s and this has been released in a number of boxings. The kit itself is not wonderful, being based on the old Otaki/Arii Spitfire Mk.VIII with all that kit’s faults plus some new and exciting faults added in by Hobbycraft!

The Special Hobby kit first appeared around three years ago and has been released in two boxings; one with markings for the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) and one with markings for the French Aeronavale. The kit has also been reboxed by Revell Germany, albeit without the photo-etch fret of the Special Hobby originals. This kit also has markings for the BPF.

Typical of Special Hobby kits, it is a short-run injection moulded kit with the above-mentioned photo-etch parts which provide for the instrument panel, seat harness, canopy latch and rudder pedal straps. Unlike the earlier Special Hobby kits of the Seafire II and Seafire III, the fuselage reinforcing plates are moulded into the new fuselage and not provided as self-adhesive strips. One can build either an early Seafire XV with the A-frame hook and orginal rudder or the main production aircraft with the big rudder and stinger tail-hook. If building the early aircraft, surgery is required to fit the insert for the A-frame hook into the lower rear fuselage.

Construction is pretty straightforward, allowing for the usual fit and fiddle issues of a limited run kit and no major difficulties were encountered with my first Seafire, which was built with the stinger tail hook. The second was a bit more involved as this was built in the early configuration with the A-frame hook and surprise, surprise... the fit of the insert into the cavity under the rear fuselage was not good – cue lashings of thick superglue and “technical modelling terms”. Once this was dealt with and all joints cleaned up, things moved quickly to the painting stage. One thing I did find with the second Seafire was that the canopy really only fits well when opened and slid back with the port fuselage cockpit access panel also open. I had decided to close up this model to show off the lines of the model and the colour scheme. The result was a poorly fitting canopy and access panel which still don’t look entirely “right”.

My first Seafire XV is finished in the wartime Temperate Sea Scheme of Extra Dark Sea Grey, Dark Slate Grey and Sky. The big propellor spinner is Roundel Blue with a thin White band. The markings are for Seafire XV SW768 “114/Y” embarked on H.M.S. Glory in August 1946 on her Australian tour. The wartime colours lingered for a number of years after WW2 and even postwar types such as the Blackburn Firebrand TF.5 can be seen finished in this scheme. A new scheme with the catchy name of “Pattern No.1” was introduced in September 1945 and consisted of Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky with the demarcation between the colours low on the fuselage. The more attractive “Pattern No.2” was introduced in August 1946 with the same colours, but with the demarcation much higher up on the fuselage; at least one Seafire XV has been photographed in this scheme but still wearing the wartime British Pacific Fleet markings!

Seafire XV no.2 is finished in the postwar Pattern No.2 scheme , this time though with French Aeronavale markings; the unit being Escadrille de Servitude 54.S at Hyères, near Toulon. The Seafire XV was assigned to frontline units in the Aeronavale, but with the arrival of ex-U.S. Navy Hellcats and Bearcats it quickly ended up in training units. The aircraft still carried it’s British serial SR520 under the wings and on the rear fuselage in the standard style along with full French markings, add in that big yellow spinner and all this makes for quite a colourful model. This is in the “early” configuration with that A-frame hook and original rudder with extended trim tab.

I’ve quite enjoyed building these two little beasties and they look nice alongside my other Seafires; there is one more Seafire XV in the stash and I must say that I’m warming to the idea of a Canadian one – watch this space!

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Build the Same Kit

1/32 Aircraft• Wingnut Wings Hansa Brandenberg W.12 (Early)

1/48 Aircraft• Airfix Boulton Paul Defiant

(new tool kit only)• Airfix Folland Gnat/Red Arrows Gnat

(new tool kits only)• Accurate Miniatures SBD Dauntless

(or reboxes from Academy, Eduard, Italeri)

1/72 Aircraft• Airfix Fokker Eindecker E.II (late)• Airfix Sea King HC.4

(new tool kits only)

1/35 Military Vehicles• Takom Chieftain tank

(any version)

• Meng Whippet tank

1/48 Military Vehicles• Airfix Albion refueller

Civilian Vehicles• 1/24 Aoshima McLaren F1 GTR Longtail

Ships• 1/72 Airfix RAF Rescue Launch

Sci-Fi• 1/144 Bandai Millenium Falcon• 1/12 Bandai Star Wars figure

(any)

Miscellaneous• Egg planes/Cute planes

(any)

BSK is coming!Here’s the list of BSK nominations, mostly using your suggestions. We’ve added a couple of things and removed others that were unavailable or a bit complicated for the three months of building time.

We’ll hold a vote at the May meeting - any kit from this list that at least four people want to build will be eligible for the BSK. If you can’t make it to the meeting you can vote by proxy - just ask a member of the committee beforehand.

This year there are some additional incentives to get you building - all will be revealed on the night!

The nominations

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Now go and build something!

People’s Choice

Club NewsApril Show & Tell - Finished Models Scale models Expo & IPMS NZ NAtionalsSpecial hobby 1/48 Seafire Mk.xvBuild the Same KitClub NewsApril Show & Tell - Finished Models April Show & Tell - work in progress Scale models Expo & IPMS NZ NAtionalsSpecial hobby 1/48 Seafire Mk.xvBuild the Same Kit