RNZAF Supermarine Walrus Mk 1 - Smer 1/48

[nuuumannn]

Hi Wally, now I've really put my foot in it, haven't I? Here are a couple of images of the RAF Museum's Seagull V; note the absense of panel lines and the Mark IX Course Correcting Bomb sight mounted on the outside of the left hand extreme bow below the machine gun, also note the temerature fairing on the right hand side of the nose.





The pictures are a little grainy because the lighting at Hendon is terrible; this has since been changed owing to the placing of a glass wall behind the Sunderland, letting wonderful light into this building, but casting everything on this side of it into shadow in pictures!

The offset engine nacelle was a feature of the Seagull V/Walrus to correct swing on take-off and from what I can remember I think it was a feature of the Matchbox kit, also the old Airfix one as well. It's hard to discern in photos, but can be made out in some if you look hard. You certainly can't see it in my pictures above. The only way you can see by how much is by trusting illustrations. Here is one from a kit review website:



Sorry Wally, I do think you have done a terrific job on your Walrus.

[raymond]

And a few pix from Pt Cook

[nuuumannn]

Nice, much clearer than my Hendon ones. You can see the offset engine nacelle in the top picture. I haven't been to Point Cook for a very long time; the hall looks very different to when I was last there.

[dewobz]

I reckon both lots of photos are awesome guys, thanks heaps. When you said "offset" Nuuumann I thought you meant offset in a 'rotational' sense, not forward-aft. That I had totally no idea about and I suspect nor did Smer. I'm glad I didn't encounter it in building as I'd have probably tried to correct it.
The photos give me some heart too about my rigging not being entirely the wrong colour or chronically over-scale.
Hey, I didn't take any of your comments as criticism and I am quite open to 'critique' or constructive feedback. This information leaves me better armed for my next Walrus build, likely to be using the Smer kitset again and most probably depicting HMNZS Archilles' or Leander's Walrus with its wings folded, hopefully on the catapult.
Duck had one heck-of-a-complicated canopy arrangement huh?
Cheers
Wally.

[Dave Homewood]

Achilles - not Archilles.

You might find this page on my website of interest, the story of my late friend Eric Ford of Cambridge who was onboard Achilles servicing the Walrus:
www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Eric%20Ford.htm

[nuuumannn]

Good luck with the next project; do post photos, Wally.

Yep, the Walrus/Seagull V canopy does look like the bridge of a small ship! I noticed a few differences between the RAF Museum's Seagull V and the Point Cook Walrus, particularly in the nacelle struts. It has an interesting history as it was wrecked on Heard Island in use by the Antarctic flight and the wreckage was recovered in 1980 and eventually restored. They've done a grand job, particularly considering how little there was of it.