Bluebird Models

[Richie]

Woops, i apologise unreservedly.
Sorry Mike.

Corr i would feel daft if i had said that hahahahahahaha hang thou head grass hopper

[Terminator]

Hi Mike those 1/24th speedline Vac models although quite expensive for whats in the box do actually work and plane really well. I found this amazing when one guy who is a regular at records week Bob McCarthy showed up with his son i think it is? He sent this speedline vac pack model zooming all around the jetty's down at the Bluebird cafe, much to the dislike of a small dog who kept snapping at it when it came zooming by. Really fast and agile it was to and when I asked how much it had cost him to put a small electric motor in it to get it up and running etc he calmly told me forty quid tops!

However I realise they are not the best kit to put together in the world but business is business as they say. I'd sooner go for the muts nuts of Bluebird models for me is the 1/12 or was it 1/6th? Touchwood from Stuart Delph it really is more refined in detail. A lot more expensive to purchase as the kit approaches £200 now i believe. However from past experience I was informed the building instructions could be made easier and a slightly different method of constructing things together could be adopted in the build process.

Novie
I've Gone

[ace_chris]

The Touchwood K7 model is a nice Model. I think the tail fin has been remodelled too so that it closer resembles the Gnat. Makes an excellent static display and is certainly well constructed. Makes a good RC model too!

The Speedline kit whilst can be converted for RC I feel is of very flimsy construction and whilst appears easy to construct actually requires a significant amount of skill to do so. It was initially sold on the premis that a donation was made to The Bluebird Project for every kit sold.

Chris

[Mike Bull]

The Speedline 1/24th kit is very poor for the money, but it would make an awful lot of difference if it wasn't sold as being an 'easy build kit'. I wonder how many of these things have been bought and abandoned? Really it should be marketed as a 'mixed media kit recommended for experienced modellers'.

[Mike Bull]

There's some good in-build pics of Damien's 1/72 Record Models K7 here-

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/ftopic24103-0-0-asc-.php

[Dominic Owen]

What a stunning little kit!

I want one!!

[Renegadenemo]

I have two little Bluebird models on my desk. I have no idea where they came from but they've been here forever. They're about four inches long and look like they're made of Milkybar but they're very detailed for their size. The nose is wrong, of course. It always is.

[Antoine]

I saw nice models in this thread and I am glad Ernie got his model back. I guess I am not the only one here to have dreamt watching his video.

As I wrote it in my little introduction, my project is to build a RC model of the K7, jet powered but not in 1/6th scale. It will be in 12th scale ! Hold your horses, gents, I already found the tiny turbine that should fit in the model hull .
I used to own a 1/6 Bluebird and I found her size quite unconvenient to handle.
As I couldn't get used to the idea of a prop Bluebird, I had to find the smallest jet engine to power the beauty.

The base of my project is a Touchwood model that will be highly modified and I am currently gathering all the infos I need for this project. Among them, I am still looking for two things :

- a good view (or better, a drawing) of the sponsons.
- the exact ref of the Bluebird blue color (I can always build a nice model, if I screwed up the painting, I would only deserve the full penalty of law ).

Thanks in advance for your help and advices.

Antoine

[Mike Bull]

We don't do paint codes but it's safe to say that if you think a particular blue looks right, then it probably is- K7 had at least half a dozen very different shades of blue showing on her, proving that a single 'Bluebird Blue' is a total myth- Donald presumably either chose whatever blue he fancied each time, or just got what he was given! (And then there's the intakes which came back from repair in '66 a darker shade of blue again, further showing that a 'Bluebird Blue' is just a nonsense.)

I'm sure someone here will help you with some drawings, too. Fred maybe?

[Antoine]

Thanks, Mike. It is a good news indeed as it means that I should not have to respect a particular RAL to paint my BB. Let's fully express our artistry !