Drew will post his build here.

What have you decided to build, Drew?

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If you forget the past, you may lose the future.

Decisions, decisions!!

I'll have to root through my stash and see what Airfix stuff I have for this. I may end up purchasing an Airfix Control Tower and maybe a few other little bits and do an abandoned airfield with a scrap, rusting plane left behind etc.

Just one of a few things that have crossed my mind!

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

Right! I'm almost ready to start this as I am just waiting on a few bits and pieces to arrive in the post but I have the basics already to get me going. So here's the deal:

I'm doing an abandoned Vietnam outpost diorama. There is likely to be a few historical accuracy issues with this diorama but nothing that I will loose sleep over just so long as it looks vaguely plausible. More of a "what if" I suppose.

I have got an Airfix Jungle Outpost for the main base of the diorama although since they don't come with an actual base board, I will build my own and make it a bit bigger. The idea of this diorama is that it is an old outpost left over from the Vietnam war which is now in the hands of "rebel" types or unoffical soldiers. Maybe even just gun runners or drug smugglers. It will be very run down and will have an old non-airowrthy Airfix Sea Knight Chinook (or perhaps a plane instead) rusting away which the men are using as a makeshift building or sleeping area in addition to the liitle building on the outpost. There will also be an old (but driveable) GMC Truck there too.

I am just trying to portray that these guys live in their own world with their own laws and have just aquired this vehicle from "somewhere" and that's whay they use to get around. Probably modified a bit by themselves too. They live in this little abandoned outpost and this is their territory.

Researching on Google I believe the Sea Knight and GMC were used in or around the Vietnam era. If not it doesn't matter as the main part of the diorama is the outpost which is the abandoned part. The GMC they could have just aquired elsewhere, not nessacarily left over from the war. As for the Chinook, it will have just been left sitting where is was as it didn't fly anymore and wasn't worth rescuing.

So I have the outpost and the chinook now. Just waiting for some scenery bits and pieces and also the truck. Will have to source a few appropriate figures for this.

As I say, it's a bit of a "what if" and I'm not worried too much about 100% historical accuracy or feasiblity BUT if anyone can seen any really GLARING errors in my idea then please let me know

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Drew

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"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

Check out
Caesar Set H031  Modern Urban Resisters
Orion Set  72002 Chechen Rebels
BUM Set 5000 La Legion (Spanish Civil War & others in this list)
on plasticsoldierrevue

Sorry I couldn't resist a little schoolboy giggle there!

Cheers for the info Fred... am off now for a looksie!

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

This vietnam aftermath dio sounds great-watching with interest.
It rreminds me of the Aeroplane Monthly articles of WW2 wrecks in the Pacific- Zeroes and Heins-Bostons and Beauforts sitting on the ground where they were left after the war, left to rot but then still perfectly restorable and largely complete.

David.

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If you forget the past, you may lose the future.

I echoooooo that, I'll be watching too.
I couldnt help a giggle at that makers name too,  :lol:
If you need any odd bits D, you know if I have them, they're yours to use.

I had a look at my options Fred, on the Plastic Soldier Review website and I think I like the Chechen rebels the best for their poses and so on. The others had too many fighting poses and I want more of them to be just standing around as it won't be a fighting scene. Found the rebels on eBay international for £7 inc postage so thats not too bad

Thanks too for the offer on bits and pieces... as per usual you are very generous! The lovely little cow from last night now resides in my Beaufighter field until such times as I paint him. He's currently making a break for the open gate to the field!

Thanks Lancfan... I'm quite excited about this little dio! Can't wait to get cracking on it!

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

[quote="Drew:343867"]
The lovely little cow from last night now resides in my Beaufighter field until such times as I paint him. He's currently making a break for the open gate to the field!
quote]

Ummm, its a HER!!,  :lol:  :joker:
Shall I ask Gareth to have a 'special' talk to you?  :joker:

I'm in the bad habit of referring to all animals as male for some reason

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

Here we go... some box and sprue shots for the Airfix 1/76 Jungle Outpost (03382) which will form the basis for my diorama

<a href="http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/?action=view¤t=IMG_0155.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/IMG_0155.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/?action=view¤t=IMG_0154.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/IMG_0154.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/?action=view¤t=IMG_0153.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/IMG_0153.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/?action=view¤t=IMG_0152.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/IMG_0152.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I think it's a shame they don't provide an actual base board but considering the increasing rarity of this kit I am just happy to have one at all!

A nice little kit though all the same. No flash to speak of and very nice detaling epecially on the walls of the hut and the men included. No detailing at all on the inside of the walls but that hopefully won't be seen when complete.

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

It may be the 'ole grey cells not too good, but I seem to remember that this, and the others like it, did originally come with bases. They may have been vac formed in thick plastic.

The "ole grey cells" are working perfectly! I seen an older example of the Command Post version on eBay that was already started and it had a "preformed" base according to the box lid. Indeed in the photo you could see the base and it was quite warped leading me to believe it is indeed vacform. I think perhaps they maybe stopped doing these as maybe they weren't very good?

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

Got the first step of the main structure completed tonight Looking fairly authenticly "rickety" so far! Looking forward to getting this hut together, getting some paint on and then doing my favourite part... the weathering! Will add some little bits of grass to it on the roof, walls and struts etc and also weather the paint work.

This is definitely NOT going to be an OOTB build as I have many plans for extra detail on the whole diorama which will include extra details on the chinook and GMC truck that are going into this as well.

<a href="http://s379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/?action=view¤t=IMG_0002-2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo233/ApertureStudio/IMG_0002-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

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Drew

My Portfolio

"No aerodrome there now!" Flg Officer Vatne's official report after the bombing raid on Lohausen airfield in Germany during WW2.

Um, BGI* therapy is not part of my training. Being a townie who moved to the country I've only recently myself stopped calling bullocks "cows".

*Bovine Gender Identification

Great looking build Drew.

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Airfix Club member

If you need straw coloured um, straw, get an emulsion paint brush out of a 'poundland' shop. The bristles are just right.

There's a 'Carry On' joke in there, but I'll rise above the kerb and not do it!  :lol:

Blimey, Drew!  How have I missed this for so long?

I would have suggested just putting your 'Beaufighter Down' diorama as abandoned!  Job done! ... You KNOW I'm only joking!  :D

Yes a crashed Sea Knight would make a good home or storage space and was used in Vietnam.  The GMC wasn't used in Vietnam.  It was replaced by the 2.5 Ton Truck. ... Pretty similar though!  But as you say, they could have got the GMC from not too much sooner which they drive around in when they come across the abandoned outpost with a crashed Sea Knight!  That is plausible, Drew, and not too much of a whatif! ... Now a crashed Starship Enterprise beside an abandoned Vietnamese outpost would be a different matter!  :lol:

Looking forward to following this one!

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Cheers! Alan
*****
'If you aren't living on the edge, you're taking up too much room'.

http://tangfastico.blogspot.com

Didn't the Chinese make a copy of the Deuce and a half that looked like the early version?

I'm thinking that perhaps the vac formed bases were made for Airfix by a firm called Bellona, who were very active in making such. But they went off the market, perhaps about 20 years ago.

The French used Jeeps in Indo-China and probably had GMC trucks too - no doubt some ended up in Northern hands and were probably abandoned as they wore out beyond repair. Soviet Russia supplied lots of trucks to the NVA which were most likely ZILs (spare SA-2 Guideline kit anyone? )