Planes, Trains & Automobiles - Part 1

On Sunday 26th October I drove down to Point Cook to checkout Australia's newest Warbird, the F4U-5N Corsair VH-NII, which was scheduled to put on a handling display in the afternoon as part of the RAAF Museum's weekend interactive program. The Corsair, owned by Graham Hosking's, was piloted by Peter Clements who flew it down from Darwin over two days prior to the weekend, transiting via Alice Springs and Cowra before arriving at Point Cook.

Peter Clements put the aircraft through its paces demonstrating its amazing speed and handling and displayed it to great affect. It was a sight and sound that had to be witnessed to be fully appreciated. The Corsair is now based at Tyabb and should become a regular sight on the Australian Warbird display circuit.

Following on from the weekend at Point Cook my wife and I then traveled up to Maldon mid-week to experience the delights of the Victorian Goldfields Railway. The steam train ride takes 45 minutes from Maldon to Castlemaine - one way - and travels through some beautiful countryside. Upon return to Maldon we then took the short drive to Porcupine Flat, which is located on the Bendigo-Maldon Road, to checkout the old gold mining dredge and drag-line crane, which are located both in and alongside the old dam and date from the early 1950's. Despite there being warning signs advising people not to climb on the crane, these did not deter me in the least from exploring this amazing behemoth.

 

 

  

At the wife's insistence a return journey to Castlemaine was then required the following weekend, as she needed to visit the local patchwork store in order to purchase yet more fabric for some of her many ongoing projects. Whilst she was happy doing this I went off exploring and came across a yard at the rear of a garage, which seemed to contain a lot of old construction and transport machinery, hidden amongst a large number of trees.

Little did I realise what I'd actually stumbled across at the time and it was like entering an Aladin's Cave, with every step revealing yet another old vehicle in a state of decay but not beyond the realms of recovery. Most of the commercial vehicles carried the name of 'S.Caddy of Castlemaine' on their sides and this was obviously their previous owner. This was an amazing find and just goes to show what is still out there when you're prepared to look just that little bit further.

But wait, there's more......

My wife and I recently spent a weekend in Echuca, which is known as the river boat capital of Australia and is located on the banks of the mighty Murray River, which also acts as the border between New South Wales and Victoria. Once we were settled into our accommodation we then visited the local tourism centre and discovered that the Chanter Estate winery, located across the river in Moama, also housed a historic commercial and military vehicle collection, which we thought might be worth a visit. 

Unfortunately as interesting the collection turned out to be - containing some 40 vehicles and artifacts dating from the early 1900's through to the present day - the manner in which the vehicles were displayed inside the large hangar, coupled with the poor lighting, made photography almost impossible. However, despite this the number and variety of vehicles on display, both civil and military, was amazing and even more so when you consider that they are they fully restored and all in running condition.

Although I was disappointed at not being able to take any photos of the vehicles inside the hangar, those located outside (near the entrance) and in the adjoining yard more than made up for this, making the visit still worthwhile.

Ex-Australian Army LARC & Series 2A Land Rover Ambulance

M3 Stuart

M3 General Lee

Dodge Army Truck

GMC CCKW 353 Open Cab

GMC CCKW 352 Closed Cab

After leaving the winery and driving through the town of Moama we then stumbled across the local Returned & Services League (RSL) club, which had on external display a Centurion MKV and a recently installed Leopard AS1. Although the former is starting to show it's age somewhat the latter is still in near pristine condition, having only been installed there within the last 12 months.

Centurion MKV & Leopard AS1

Centurion MKV

Leopard AS1

On our final day we then decided to return home via the Northern Highway and just outside of Heathcote came across a Chevrolet Blitz Crane located in the front paddock of a farm. A short stop ensued, followed by the obligatory photographs and we were soon on our way once again. Aside from enjoying a weekend away with my wife, I always get a great kick out of discovering things like this especially when I was never aware of their existence.

Chevrolet CMP Blitz Crane

Chevrolet CMP Blitz Crane

The Australian Model Expo 2014

Mark Carlisle won the 'Best of Show' award with his 'The Khastripede'.

The Australian Model Expo was held over the weekend of 7-9 June 2014, with this years show being nothing short of extraordinary, setting new records for the number of competition entries (718), entrants (244) and first time entrants (61). 

The number of club and individual displays (31) was also at an all time high, providing the public with a large number (approx 2000 in total) of interesting and varied models to view and admire. 

A large number of traders (25) were also in attendance, offering significant discounts and deals over the entire 3 days of the event, making it a great opportunity to pickup up a bargain or 2....3... or 4. But who needs an excuse for that??

Once again modellers and clubs came from across the country (WA, SA, ACT, VIC) and it was great to see so many socialising and catching up with old friends and fellow modellers. For full details and a photo gallery of the award winners go to http://modelexpo.com.au/gallery.html

Tamiya 1/48 M26 'Pershing'

I started this model back in July 2011 at the annual IPMS Modellers Retreat, which at the time was held at the Heathcote Lodge in Heathcote. Although assembly of the model was largely completed at this time the model was shelved due to the need to finish off a number of commission builds, which I had in the works.

However, over the next few years I did manage to prime and paint the model and at the beginning of 2014 decided it was time to make a concerted effort to finish it off once and for all. 

I had intended to have it finished in time for the annual IPMS Wings & Tracks competition, held in April, but unfortunately missed this deadline. So with a renewed determination I decided to have it finished in time for the annual Australian Model Expo, which was held over the long-weekend in June (7-9 June). Fortunately for me I succeeded in making the deadline and the Pershing placed 2nd in the Military Vehicles & Equipment - Medium category.

The inspiration for my model was the image taken at left, which was at the Pusan Docks in Korea in 1950 and was the reason I chose to finish my Pershing as a 73rd Tank Battalion, Korean War example.

The model was enhanced with the addition of two Hauler etch sets (for the engine grills and exterior details), a Blackdog stowage set, JS Works ration boxes, Albion Alloys spring steel wire (for the aerials), adhesive aluminum tape (for the gun muzzle cover) and a pair of Squad 48 US tank crew figures. 

The model was painted with Gunze acrylics, weathered - using the Pat Johnston method - with a selection of AK Interactive oils, washes and pigments with the figures being painted entirely in Vallejo acrylics.

The model should never have taken this long to finish - I know- but I am more than happy with the outcome. So what's next then?? Maybe a Staghound or a GMC 6x6 truck......