Vauxhall D-type - Roden 1/72nd civil conversion

 

(Photo from the Net)

 (The completed model can be seen here:

https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/06/vauxhaul-d-type-conversion-of-roden.html

 

As I mentioned before I like to photograph vehicles with the airplane models, to make the representation more alive and for scale effect, to give a better idea of the size of the plane. There are a number of these on the market, but they are not abundant.

The inexplicable and seemingly inexhaustible fascination of most scale model manufacturers with war subjects* forces the civil modeler to be creative and jump at the opportunity (when it seldom presents) to snatch a war kit that can be converted to civil use. Such is the case for Roden’s Vauxwall Type D. Why Roden didn’t bother to provide the civil option already in the box (which would have only involved a very few alternate parts and decals), is yet another of modeling mysteries.

The kit is typical of Roden, well detailed, with parts of credible small size and thinness for most part, well molded, with a bit of flash here and there, and a good price-quality ratio. The kit also provides options for the posing of the rooftop. The wheels, solid I am afraid as per their military use, need to be replaced for civil use by spoke ones, which is not difficult thanks to the various aftermarket P.E. sets available. The spoke count may not be exactly to scale, but will provide the necessary impression. I could find only one civil conversion -apparently in Australia- that doesn't need modifications from the kit, just different colors:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPX4x9E2pkw

There is an aftermarket photo-etched set (NH Detail 72-042) which provides some extra parts for those interested, but very small regarding parts count. I did not acquire it as the improvement would have been pretty marginal.

The building:

I bought the kit from one of those vendors that squash the kit’s box with the contents inside. It’s meant to save space and cut on shipping and packaging, but is not necessarily a beneficial practice. Some of the parts in the sprues were subject to excessive pressure and flattening and ended up deformed (mudguards and body sides) and they were not easy to fix, some careful bending back was necessary to restore their proper shape to some extent. So, think twice before buying kits from vendors that flatten your kits, as some may be damaged.

Removing the parts from the sprues is a delicate task, especially for the smaller parts. The gates are reasonable placed, but the cleaning is hindered by the very flimsy nature of the plastic. Jordan Highway Miniatures, a comparable outfit, used a much better plastic with enough mechanical strength to allow manipulation without deformation or breakages at the weakest points.

For the thousandth time: what looks good in the designer’s computer screen is not necessarily good for the modeler at the end of the line, dealing with really minute parts.

The kit has, as mentioned, lots of very good detail, and depicts mechanical elements that will make the delights of small vehicle modelers. But that also implied some complex engineering, which in small models is challenging. The kit really looks as if the design of a larger kit was down-scaled. Tolerances with these minute parts are finicky, and a couple parts do not fit well and need trimming (1A, for example, will force the rest of the assembly apart). The instructions are in general good, but they contain the seemingly unavoidable obscure points, where the exact positioning of some parts is vague.

You may alter the assembly sequence to facilitate the painting of certain elements.

*As if we didn’t have enough of them already.

Contents of the box minus instructions:

Nice detail and plenty of parts:

The transparencies were not particularly clear, and the windshield came with some excrescences that needed sanding and polishing:

The solid wheels won’t do for a civil car, so O-rings with P.E. spokes will be used (the plastic wheels can of course be carefully drilled to eliminate the caps):

Besides the flash, a couple of sinkholes:

After much fiddling the first sub-assembly is ready. Quite the tricky build:

The support for windshield has not-matching halves. This is the only relevant defect of the kit:

They are removed and a new part is made of styrene. As in this car this was a piece of wood, the correction even facilitates panting:

Some of the surfaces to be glued are really thin and lack locating devices, but are manageable with some care.

Some painting is done:

The trumpet of the klaxon is drilled to improve appearance and painted brass and black. Other parts are treated as wood with oils or as canvas. Home-made lenses with better reflectivity will replace the kit's clear parts:

The windshield is masked to paint the frame:

The smaller lights also get their home-made lenses. Tiny!:

Aftermarket instrument decals are added to the panel:

General assembly. The chassis-body fit wasn't really good, but I will blame the deformation caused by the vendor as he squashed the contents flat to be able to send an envelope instead of a box. The body parts I don't think recover their proper shape even after I tried:

Paraphrasing Gollum: -"We call it tricksy my preciousss."

The O-rings where slightly oversized compared to the wheels, so I reamed the centers off, and set the tires over a stick for painting. As the diameter wasn't the right one, I rolled paper on it until a tight fit was obtained: 

Little bits on:

The aftermarket P.E. spokes are added and the wheels are on:

And now is ready to be used as a prop to photograph planes:

(The completed model can be seen here:https://wingsofintent.blogspot.com/2024/06/vauxhaul-d-type-conversion-of-roden.html

Consider the Passenger - A chronicle of aviation sins

Having flown back from our vacation, and having again experienced the less-than-optimal facilities in the overcrowded, utterly uncomfortable, we-give-a-dam airlines, I judged necessary to post this old article from Flight Magazine, published at the golden time when airlines cared equally about passengers and revenue. Nothing like today, when airlines are a shit-show absolutely driven by profits. Arbitrary changes of time and even date of your flight, overbooked flights, discombobulated boarding practices, unintelligible PSA messages at airports and planes, restrooms where either your ass or the rest of you can fit -but not both at the same time, and seats designed by the SPANISH INQUISITION.

We have gone a long way...FROM COMFORT TO TORTURE. And please don't give me the PR moronic explanations that we should be grateful. 

Complain, when just and fair, to Customer Service (they are making that less and less possible and more complicated, though). Let your voice be heard when you are mistreated, mishandled, or deceived. DO NOT complain to the people that are just working, and also suffering from the same policies: flight attendants, pilots, desk staff. They are employees.
 

Most Airlines today are frigging basterds going only after your money, and not there to help you or provide a good service, if they can avoid it. That is directed by Boards, Execs, and shareholders, not by the employees, as tired as you of bad conditions and poor salaries.