A Chipmunk Rides A Mustang To Harvard

Hey Ho Hyperscalers! After a prolonged absence due to bloody persistent computer problems, Teddy Boy is back with another multiple build! First up is an Airfix DH Chipmunk, donated to me in an act of incredible generosity by the USA's Mr. John McConville, for whom this build is dedicated!

The Chippie will feature RCAF trainer yellow colours and I thought, well heck, why not also flesh out the post-WW2 RCAF collection with another classic trainer, the ubiquitous Harvard/Texan, courtesy of our friends at Heller:

I've rounded up some Harvard decals from CanMilAir Decals of Canada to represent an aircraft from the "Goldilocks" aerobatic team, circa 1964:

And while I'm at it, why not add another classic - the Mustang!

The old Hasegawa kit, which has been in the stash FOREVER, will feature marking from an early 1950's RCAF reserve squadron:

Construction on the Chipmunk begins with some cockpit rib detail of stretched-sprue bits, and some plastic card shaped to cover the gaping holes where the wing slots are:

After adding a floor section, some rudder pedals and control sticks, a pair of resin bucket seats were slipped into place:

Turning to the Heller Harvard, the admittedly well done cockpit nevertheless lacks the characteristic tubing structure that lines the inside. This was cobbled together with bits of plastic rod, using the tried and true pin-and-glue technique most often seen with balsa-wood airplane kits:

Apologies for having to twist your heads - why these photos lined up this way is a mystery to me!

Anyhoo, with some paint and other details added, the Harvard cockpit looks a lot more realistic to my eyes:


On to our postwar RCAF Mustang 4. I added some foot rails into the cockpit, and hacked off the molded-in radio set behind the head rest, simply to make masking and painting the radio easier later on:

After some simple detail painting inside the cockpit, along with the addition of some paper seatbelts, the 'Stang was looking right ticket-boo:


Whoa! Before closing up the fuselage, I noticed just in time that the ventral air intake under the fuselage is missing the oil radiator screen! I scored a criss-cross pattern onto a piece of sheet plastic and kept sanding it to shape until I got a good fit:


So there you have it, folks! The Preston Aircraft Works Co. Ltd. Inc. factory floor is busy again - hooray!

'Till next time, dudes - and keep up the incredibly awesome work!
Best...Ted...

Current Build:
Mad About Migs Pt. 1; Mad About Migs Pt. 2; Mad About Migs Pt. 3; Mad About Migs Pt. 4; Mad About Migs Pt. 5; Mad About Migs Pt. 6; Mad About Migs Pt. 7; Mad About Migs Pt. 8; Mad About Migs Finish

Tall Tales:
Kanal Kampf: A Spitfire Story
Cold War Incident
The Lucky Mig

Previous WIP Builds:
Matilda Makeover Pt.1; Matilda Makeover Pt.2; Matilda Makeover Pt.3; Matilda Makeover Finish;

The Big Spit Pt.1; The Big Spit Pt.2; The Big Spit Pt.3; The Big Spit Pt.4; The Big Spit Pt.5; The Big Spit Pt.6;
The Big Spit Pt.7; The Big Spit Pt.8; The Big Spit Pt.9; The Big Spit Pt.10; The Big Spit Pt.11; The Big Spit Finish;

Me109 Pt.1; Me109 Pt.2; Me109 Pt.3; Me109 Finish;

Vickers Tank Pt.1; Vickers Tank Pt.2; Vickers Tank Pt.3; Vickers Tank Pt.4; Vickers Tank Pt.5; Vickers Tank Pt.6; Vickers Tank Finish;

Connies Pt.1; Connies Pt.2; Connies Pt.3; Connies Pt.4; Connies Pt.5; Connies Pt.6; Connies Pt.7; Connies Finish