Whirlwind!
I built this kit in 1996 and discovered photos I took in 2019. The kit in 1/48 scale was a combination of a resin aftermarket fuselage and wings combined with the detail parts of the Cooper kit. The plane represents an aircraft that operated in "Operation Starkey" which was a feint raid that took place from August 16th to September 9th 1943. These markings have been misidentified as Dieppe raid markings in publications for many years. From the research I've done I can not find any evidence Whirlwinds operated in the Dieppe raid. Also new information seems to show the upper wing roundels were also overpainted by the wing stripes.
My understanding is that the Whirlwind kits released in the 90s weren't the easiest builds so you must be proud how this one turned out.
I'm tempted to start the 1/32 Special Hobby kit.
Very nice Dale. Love the "Starkey" markings. I'd like to do all the aircraft that participated.
This is a wonderful result out of a very difficult "combined" kit, Dale! Kudos to your skills!
Nice work - like @dbdlee says, those kits back then weren't that easy. I did a Cooper Details vacuform, which was (and is) still a nice model.
It's really interesting how Operation Starkey was so misidentified - also the ID stripes they were the first to put on airplanes for an "invasion."
Wow, that’s a stunning model Dale. Always found the Westland Whirlwind a fascinating aircraft, even more in such markings!
That's so nice Dale! @dtravis I really like your paintwork on this very cool airplane. Makes me want to get my CA version off the shelf...and then become disappointed that it'll never look this good! 😉
Don't see many Whirlwinds, so that's a great start. The markings are really cool as well. Great looking model all the way around.
Great job Dale. Is this the CA kit? I found this kit to be a horrendous build when I built mine in the mid 90's. Looks like you survived this build intact. I came close to throwing mine against the wall in frustration several times.
@ eb801 Not CA. It is a resin copy of the Cooper kits fuselage and wings.
Well done, Dale. That took real dedication and skill.
Thanks everyone for the nice comments!
You definitely showed your modelling skills, Dale @dtravis.
Awesome results, both build and painting.
This is a really nice looking Whirlwind! The cockpit/canopy area came out great. And the rest is eye candy, great job on this build.