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Post by jp on Aug 21, 2018 22:13:02 GMT 12
Quality takes time too... NASM's B-29 took in the vicinity of 200,000 man hours to turn into a presentable exhibit - and I believe that was reasonably complete to start with.
Hampden isn't far from being a start from scratch project...
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Post by baz62 on Aug 22, 2018 6:00:17 GMT 12
The other issue was it was incomplete and repairs and manufacture add to the time factor. Some restorations are much quicker because they throw money,manhours and get outside companies to do some specialist work. The photos I've seen compared with what they started with is that the completed article will be a credit to them.
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Post by nuuumannn on Aug 23, 2018 14:38:34 GMT 12
The Hampden is gonna be fantastic when its finished. The standard of restoration is superb. We got a bit of a look inside it. The tail boom is going to be left half unrestored to show off the remnants of the Soviet star markings from its sojourn in the USSR. The guys at Michael Beetham are busy at the moment with four (five if you count the Dornier) major conservation/restorations projects; the Hampden, Wellington, Lysander and the LVG C VI. the Museum also contracts its stuff out to the guys at Medway at Rochester airport, but there's been some dissatisfaction with the quality of their work.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 25, 2018 10:30:39 GMT 12
The tail boom is going to be left half unrestored to show off the remnants of the Soviet star markings from its sojourn in the USSR. Ergh, I hate it when museums do that sort of nonsense. Either restore the aircraft or don't restore it, but leaving part of it unrestored on an otherwise fully restored aircraft is so damn half-arsed. Photos of the markings on a board beside it would suffice. It's like that Brooklands Wellington, just cover it for &#$@% sake! |
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Post by jp on Aug 25, 2018 16:48:27 GMT 12
Personally, I prefer the conserve approach to an aircraft's history, providing its still essentially complete - prevent it deteriorating, but retaining its original paint/markings/history is sometimes more interesting than a whole row of aircraft in pristine paint jobs. MoTaT is a case in point - P-40 and Hudson in nice SHINY paint - as inaccurate as all &#$@!
Perhaps a nice colour photo of a pristine Hampden, alongside the unrestored tail boom would work?
PS - I doubt Brooklands Museum would be overly impressed at the idea their preservation efforts for R-Robert are half-arsed....
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Post by nuuumannn on Aug 25, 2018 19:50:44 GMT 12
Yep, I agree. There is definitely call for conservation as opposed to restoration in museum airframe work. There is an unrestored P-38 at the Udvar Hazy Center and it looks fantastic among the aircraft there that look like full scale models, all pristine and freshly painted. The Brooklands Wellington looks great as it is. You get to see the intricate and unique nature of its construction method, plus, you get to see inside it. The new exhibition hall at Brooklands is fantastic and examines aircraft construction. With the Wellington as its centrepiece, it really highlights its unique composition.  3006 Brooklands Display Hall |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 25, 2018 22:15:32 GMT 12
You've missed my point. Either full conservation in original condition (like the FAA Museum's Corsair) or full restoration. But a half and half job smacks of indecision and poor leadership. Like that Halifax at Hendon that they partially restored and then decided to leave the rest looking like junk.
From what I understand is that Brookland's Wellington has another fuselage beside it that can demonstrate what the geodetics look like, so why not finish the actual bomber as it would have looked? It just looks like a project that ran out of money and direction in my opinion.
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Post by jp on Aug 26, 2018 8:35:36 GMT 12
I haven't missed your point - you're just wrong - why does it have to be either/or? Its not "indecision and poor leadership" - its a decision to partially restore something, or to work to a certain look/state. The Halifax at Hendon is conserved pretty much in a "as found" condition with a few minor assembles rebuilt. If you think the Hampden is taking a long time, you could multiply that by a factor of about 10 to see the Halifax restored....
Something is only original once - replacing the wear and tear with bright shiny stuff is to a certain extent obliterating its individual history - and nothing "factory fresh" has a history - the history starts once it starts being used....
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Post by nuuumannn on Aug 26, 2018 17:40:57 GMT 12
Oh no, not another one grumbling about the Halifax at Hendon. A few facts; the Halifax was found and recovered by RAF divers, not museum staff; the decision not to restore it was made after it was recovered because of the sheer magnitude of the task, by the Ministry of Defence, not by the museum. It was discovered on raising it that its back was broken. There just wasn't the money available to restore it in the MoD budget, this is despite a team of RAF volunteers who gathered to work on it at RAF Wyton. The restored front turret was used to raise money for the RAF Museum Bomber Command Hall, by placing it on display at airshows and events.
The decision not to restore it caused a lot of controversy as a number of groups and individuals contributed money toward its restoration, but the scale of the restoration was massive for the guys who were going to do the job. This was the mid 70s; neither the RAF nor the museum had sufficient resources to be able to undertake such a project. Bear in mind the museum did not have a restoration facility back then, relying on RAF volunteers to do any cosmetic work on the aircraft in the museum. There were no specialisty research teams to examine colour schemes and that sort of thing, other than the Air Historic Branch, of course, but its job is record keeping for the RAF. The museum had only been open five years when the decision not to restore it was made, in 1977. It was made specifically once work was begun on the cockpit section, the floor of which collapsed, which would have required considerable reconstruction.
And that's all that is, your opinion, which is wrong. Brooklands has just opened a big new exhibition and an entirely new building for restoration downstairs and display upstairs. A great deal of funding was acquired to do this. There is a recreated section of Wellington, yes, but it's been built to recreate the interior of a Wellington for the public. It's in another building, not next to R - Robert. It was closed the day I went. The decision was made to display R - Robert like it is specifically to illustrate its unique construction, not owing to indecision and poor leadership.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 26, 2018 23:34:40 GMT 12
You're entitled you your opinions. I am entitled to mine. I am not going to be as rude as to say you're both wrong because we have differing viewpoints, however.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2018 10:55:33 GMT 12
At the risk of taking the conversation further off-topic, and not wanting to ruin any treasured friendships, I'd like to point out nuuumannn's opinion includes operational and historical fact rather than his own viewpoint.
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Post by nuuumannn on Sept 4, 2018 18:35:24 GMT 12
Thanks Zac and yes, David, I too don't wish to drag this down.
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Post by Calum on Sept 13, 2018 8:36:12 GMT 12
Stumbled across this today. Interesting little video showing bhehind the scenes at Cosford.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 13, 2018 13:31:19 GMT 12
Great clip!
What's the deal with that highly shiny Spitfire? Is it GRP?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2018 17:09:46 GMT 12
What's the deal with that highly shiny Spitfire? Is it GRP? I'd say so as the spar/wing attachment seems too far aft for a real one, plus I'm struggling to find a genuine IX or XVI that it could be. Happy to be proven wrong! |
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Post by jp on Sept 24, 2018 18:19:55 GMT 12
Possibly the replica off its pole at Hendon for a refurb, prior to returning, as part of the revamp...
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Post by joey05 on Sept 24, 2018 18:30:41 GMT 12
TB288 HT-H MK-XVI replica. Was gate guardian now in central London with the grp hurricane
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Post by nuuumannn on Sept 26, 2018 15:00:36 GMT 12
The Spitfire is in the markings of a 601 (County of London) Sqn, AuxAF example based at Hendon.  RAFM 240 |
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Post by planecrazy on Jul 9, 2021 22:43:39 GMT 12
Finally edited some footage I took when I visited, added
a bit of music to this one, bit more dramatic!
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Post by nuuumannn on Jul 29, 2021 17:35:56 GMT 12
The two-seater Fw 190 at Hendon is currently on a disposal list and might not remain there for long.  RAFM 232 |
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