WW2 Aircraft Recognition model – help, tips on restoration (or not)

[billy_anorak59]

I’m plonking this here, as I can’t find a natural home for it. It’s ‘non-railway modelling’, but it’s general modelling help of a sort that I’m after, so this is the best place; ...maybe.

I’ve acquired an ‘ARISTO-CRAFT’ 1/72 Short Sunderland that could do with a little help. This little-known range of aircraft dates to WW2 and were intended as recognition models for pilots, ground staff and anti-aircraft gunners. Generally black, they best replicated how the aircraft would appear in the sky. The pictures below show the aircraft I have on a chart of the range available, along with some bumf on the same chart.

 

 

And this is the model as found;

 

The Sunderland is dated ‘9-42’ under the port wing.

I would like to canvass opinion if possible, on what restoration (if any, bar a clean, and reconnecting the starboard tailplane) should be done to it? Its problems are:

1.       Starboard tailplane detatched (but present)

2.       Top of tail broken (and missing)

 

 

3.       Both floats (and struts) broken off (and missing). Inexplicably, I have got one Airfix Sunderland float from around 1964 as the only remaining bit of that kit, and could possibly use it as a mould… Providence?

4.       Hole in hull

5.       Hull joint split to rear of hole (will squeeze together, but springs apart again when pressure is released)

 

 

So what to do?

I’ve thought of leaving as is, or repair the defects using black milliput in some way – the material of the aircraft is some sort of early plastic, possibly a type of Bakelite or celluloid?

And BTW: I’ve cleaned up one side and managed to retain a nice patina commensurate to its age and without going over the top (not the best of pictures this one, sorry):

 

 

Any ideas folks? I know it’s up to me, but I want to do what’s right for it, as there can’t be too many knocking around.

Thanks in advance!

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by billy_anorak59

[doilum]

Not sure what happened to it but, as a small child I remember my grandfather having an all black wooden model of a DC3 Dakota. When I made some comparative comment about it not being as good as the tinplate Comet he explained that it had come from the Home Guard and was for recognition purposes. I think it had a wingspan of around 15".

[The Johnster]

The split in the fuselage (hull?) bottom can probably be repaired with superglue and gentle clamping or elastic band strapping while it goes off, but check the effect of glue on the plastic first; this is an object of some historical significance that you don’t want to inadvertantly damage further!  For reattaching the starboard tailplane, I would drill small holes in the inboard end ‘face’ of the tailplane and glue brass rods into them with about .5mm of the rod standing proud, to locate into holes drilled in alignment on the root stub at the fuselage end. 
 

I’d leave the hole underneath and use Airfix parts to replace the floats, but leave them in the original white colour to show that they are not part of the original kit, and possibly form the missing fin piece out of Milliput, but again not try to match it to the rest of the model, showing that, again, this is restoration work and not part of the original. 
 

A remarkable survival and fascinating piece of history; what a lovely thing to own!

Edited February 17, 2021 by The Johnster

[Fat Controller]

Interesting that they chose 1/72 scale, which later became the mainstream scale for plastic aircraft modelling. .

[billy_anorak59]

Many thanks for that Johnster - some aspects that I hadn't thought of there - Re: showing restoration in different colours, and leaving the hole.

I thought of a bent wire 'hoop' armature for the tail fin, covered in milliput for strength, but hadn't made the leap to wire for the tailplane. Makes sense for strength purposes - just the sort of idea that I'm after!

 

I'm not sure just how many survive out of possibly tens of thousands, but I've never seen another. Yes, I'm quite honoured to own it!

 

Thanks again - I'll mull things over, and see if any more ideas come in.

 

 

[Johann Marsbar]

Am I the only person who has looked at the chart showing the various models and wondered why "Netherlands Plane" is shown next to a Wiemar Republic/German flag........

[billy_anorak59]

40 minutes ago, Johann Marsbar said:

Am I the only person who has looked at the chart showing the various models and wondered why "Netherlands Plane" is shown next to a Wiemar Republic/German flag........

 

Possibly!

 

My guess is that it's a Fokker T.V111 (a Dutch aircraft) taken over by the Germans at the time of the chart's publication?

One of these: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Fokker_T.VIII

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by billy_anorak59
Oops - Wrong link!

[The Johnster]

Maybe because Fokker, a Dutch firm, made aircraft for the Germans?  The chart is American and one cannot expect colonials to be fully cogniscant of the nicieties...

 

I also noticed the scale and wondered if this range or something similar was influential in later commercial construction kit aircraft models for hobbyists.  It is well suited to the purpose of recognition training; the models can be used to be viewed from the sort of scale distances and against the backgrounds pilots, gunners, spotters, spies, and anti-aircraft gunners would need to be practiced in in reality, and easily 'posed' by the instructors at different angles and attitudes. 

 

The kits seem to be easy to build, fuselage halves, a top wing piece for the Sunderland, no doubt a bottom piece for the likes of Dakotas, Spits and Me 109s, with that part of fuselage tooled in, bottom or top wing pieces, tailplanes, floats for flying boats, and that's about it; you could stick 'em together in minutes and mass produce them to an acceptable standard easily, and cheap enough to hand out to the entire class to put together later on after the induction session if you needed to.  Accurate enough for the purpose as well; size and shape need to be right but fine detail is less important!

Edited February 17, 2021 by The Johnster

[The Johnster]

15 minutes ago, billy_anorak59 said:

 

Possibly!

 

My guess is that it's a Fokker T.V111 (a Dutch aircraft) taken over by the Germans at the time of the chart's publication?

One of these: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Fokker_T.VIII

 

Beat me to it, Billy!

[doilum]

2 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

Interesting that they chose 1/72 scale, which later became the mainstream scale for plastic aircraft modelling. .

Old school. One inch =6 feet. The little guy in the cockpit is one inch tall. In a truly imperial world this would be the scale below S gauge.

Running on 19.6mm track!

[Johann Marsbar]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

Maybe because Fokker, a Dutch firm, made aircraft for the Germans?  The chart is American and one cannot expect colonials to be fully cogniscant of the nicieties...

 

 

 

 

I'm guessing that, as you say, "someone" has picked the wrong flag (well, same pattern, wrong colours) for the Netherlands. That German variant wasn't used between 1933 and 1945.

There would have been some Dutch East Indies aircraft still being used at that time, but I would have thought using the orange triangle (?)  that they used would have been more apt than a (wrong) flag.

 

EDIT: Wonder if the Aristo-Craft concerned is the firm of the same name that produced G-scale models until fairly recently?

Edited February 17, 2021 by Johann Marsbar
added text

[Londontram]

Get in touch with the BBC this could be a good one for the Repair Shop!

[Kris]

Other than reattaching the tail fin and cleaning I would not try further restoration. 

[pH]

Growing up, we had a couple of models like this in the house - a Sunderland and a Liberator. Since one of my uncles had been a Coastal Command flight engineer (on Liberators) in WW2, I always assumed that’s where they had come from. They were painted overall white. They were quite fragile and, as my brother and I played with them, they gradually disintegrated.

[Nearholmer]

If it is Bakelite, brass dowels and epoxy will work, but it might be worth consulting somewhere like the RAF museum first, in case it’s unusual enough to be treated as a museum piece.

 

Bakelite usually breaks with a clean, sharp edge, and your break looks a bit ‘furry’; maybe it’s Bakelite with a very high amount of filler.

[Adrian Stevenson]

I have collected WW2 Militaria for 45 years and work in the auction trade as a specialist militaria and firearms valuer. 

 

I would agree with Kris and would recommend cleaning and repair the fin only. Other than that you would devalue it.

 

Cheers, Ade.

[tomparryharry]

There used to be  an Araldite-type  type of 2-part of resin & hardener, which was specifically used for fixing  small holes in  (mostly ) aluminium. 

 

For a split such as that, I suggest some thin material, such as a fizzy pop tin.  Fold up a 'tee section, and glue in the one side first.  Allow that to dry, and then glue in the second half.  The glued fuselage will have a joint protruding through the hull, which you can very carefully file off. 

 

For carving/forming a shape, try using  a  mixture of your adhesive of choice, in with some metal of choice. Mix that with some metal filings, and poster paint  (black? ) .  A bit of trial & error will hopefully get you there. 

[billy_anorak59]

Thanks everyone that has responded – it’s all very much appreciated.

 

After taking a day or so to mull things over, I think I’ve decided on the approach I’m going to take, which is the less invasive route as promoted by Ade and Kris. I hadn’t thought of any historical ‘worth’ of this model, and I don’t want to ruin it for its future custodians; So no restoration as such, more a renovation of what is there.

 

First thing will be to close the split in the hull (I will leave the hole), followed by the re-attachment of the fin, and using the  Johnster/Nearholmer method of brass pins for strength and location.

 

Regarding the break being clean or not as Nearholmer questioned, it is quite sharp – it reminds me of the surface you get if you snap a piece of hard tar – it’s got a slightly ‘glassy’ surface. Here’s a not-very-good photo (my camera doesn’t ‘do’ macro very well):

 

 

I'm hoping that epoxy will be the right choice of glue.

 

Finally, a clean.

The ‘dirt’ on some parts of the aircraft is a bit odd. It’s almost as if the plane has had a surface coat of something in the past (camouflage or varnish?), and whatever the environment that the model was left in, has, in places, removed it. It sort of flakes off using a fingernail, but requires a bit of effort. The underlying surface is not affected.

Here’s another photo – this is the underside of the starboard wing:

 

 

Incidentally, I stumbled across this site:  Uncle-Sams-Plastic-Air-Force

Fascinating stuff, and relates a lot of the history of these models if anyone is interested.

 

I’ll try and let you see the ‘finished’ result as and when.

Thanks again folks - cheers.

Edited June 17, 2022 by billy_anorak59
missed a bit