Author Topic: THE LUCIFER DEVICE  (Read 13097 times)

Offline apophenia

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #25 on: March 16, 2021, 03:21:36 AM »
Oh the suspense...

Indeed  ;D

I presume that  the Device would only be dropped in 'Safe' mode when well away from enemy territory?

A minor point but, AFAIK, seconded civilian technicians would never be expected to salute a commissioned officer under 'King's Regulations and Orders'.
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline robunos

  • Can't afford the top wing of his biplanes...
Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #26 on: March 16, 2021, 06:12:53 AM »
Oh the suspense...

Indeed  ;D

I presume that  the Device would only be dropped in 'Safe' mode when well away from enemy territory?


The main reason for being able to drop the Device 'safe', is in the event of a crash forced landing, the Device case is strong, but not indestructible, and it only takes a whiff of oxygen in contact with the inducive coated Carolinum to initiate it's reaction . . .
Obviously, if it can be dropped in the sea, or another body of water, so much the better. If over enemy territory, drop it live, that way the Boche aren't going to be able to salvage it . . .

Quote

A minor point but, AFAIK, seconded civilian technicians would never be expected to salute a commissioned officer under 'King's Regulations and Orders'.

Thanks, that was something that I was unaware of. But remember, Redgrave is a proud Officer, from a proud military family, who have served their Country loyally for four generations, and across all three Services. Notwithstanding
'King's Regulations and Orders', Redgrave has his own ideas about how these things should be done . . .
I will edit my text accordingly.

cheers,
Robin.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2021, 06:27:44 AM by robunos »
By the pricking of my thumbs, Something Whiff-y this way comes . . .

Offline apophenia

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #27 on: March 16, 2021, 08:25:11 AM »
... If over enemy territory, drop it live, that way the Boche aren't going to be able to salvage it . . .


Go ahead Hermann, try to recover this;D :smiley:


...Redgrave has his own ideas about how these things should be done . . .


Only thing worse than 'Damned Civilians' would be 'Shabby Damned Civilians'!  ;)
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline robunos

  • Can't afford the top wing of his biplanes...
Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #28 on: March 16, 2021, 06:39:48 PM »
... If over enemy territory, drop it live, that way the Boche aren't going to be able to salvage it . . .


Go ahead Hermann, try to recover this;D :smiley:


...Redgrave has his own ideas about how these things should be done . . .


Only thing worse than 'Damned Civilians' would be 'Shabby Damned Civilians'!  ;)


  ;)   ;D


cheers,
Robin.
By the pricking of my thumbs, Something Whiff-y this way comes . . .

Offline robunos

  • Can't afford the top wing of his biplanes...
Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #29 on: June 12, 2021, 05:03:17 AM »

ELEVEN:   . . . AND LOAD.


The crane began to move again, hoisting the Device almost up to level of the crane, then began to travel towards the rear of the hangar, away from the doors. Following it with his eyes, Lloyd George saw that the far corner of the hangar was partioned off with canvas screens, aout ten feet in height, and enclosing an area of roughly twenty feet by twenty. As the crane and the Device reached a position above the screened off area, the Device was lowered until it disappeared from view behind the screens. Lloyd George was just about to enquire as to the purpose of the manouvre, when Wells anticipated him.
'Once again, security. The hangar doors are about to be opened, and as the very appearance of the Device is Top Secret, no-one who is not authorised to know about it is permitted to even  look at it. So, to prevent 'accidents', the Device is hidden from view when the hangar is open.'
And now, the hangar was indeed to be opened. Another crew of 'erks', younger, more boys than men, were doubling across the hangar floor towards the doors, each one smartly saluting the Officers, in stark contrast to the previous Technicians. As they arrived, the Senior Aircraftsman in charge went up to the near door, and grasped a large metal lever attached to it. Pushing it downwards about it's pivot, a series of metallic 'clunks' issued forth, as the doors were unlocked from each other. At this, the young 'erks' divided into two groups, and with much pushing and heaving, and cries of 'Two-Six!', began to push the doors apart. Even before they were fully open, Lloyd George was taken aback by what he saw. Outside the hangar was the biggest aeroplane he had ever seen. Coloured a rich, deep brown, and spanning almost as wide as the hangar doors, sat a 'Handley-Page' bomber.
From tip to tip, the wing stretched, as Lloyd George later learned, one hundred feet, and the length of the fuselage wasn't far short of that. The tip of the tail fin reached fifteen feet into the air, and the tailplane spanned double that. At it's tallest and widest, the vast fuselage was deep enough to allow a man to stand upright, and wide enough to allow two men to do so, side by side. On either side of the fuselage, a short pylon sprouting from the wing carried an engine nacelle, bluff fronted, with just the hint of a polished brass radiator, glinting in the strong light, and with a tapering tail, housing a Rolls-Royce Eagle engine. He could see the tips of the huge four-bladed propellers, dark against the bright sky. Half way along it's back, the Prime Minister saw the pair of Lewis guns, on their ring mount, and he knew that there was another gun, on a similar mount, on the aeroplane's nose.
The aircraft sat with it's tail end pointing into the hangar, it's tail skid supported on a two -wheeled dolly. The dolly's towbar was in turn connected another armoured tractor, similar to, but smaller than the one he'd seen earlier at Orfordness. A uniformed man stood a little way in front of the tractor. In each hand he held what looked like a tennis racquet, or rather a giant table tennis bat, painted bright red. Two other men, each with a similar apparatus, were perched one on each wingtip of the giant aeroplane. With a cough, and a cloud of dirty grey smoke, the engine of the tractor started up. The 'Batsman', raised both his hands above his head, and crossed his arms. The tractor began to move slowly forward, towing the aircraft, at no more than walking pace, towards the hangar.
 After what seemed like an age, but was in actuality only around ten minutes, and with much waving of bats, and stopping, reversing, and starting again, which the Prime Minister couldn't quite fathom out, and didn't like to ask either  Wells or Redgrave to explain, the giant Handley-Page bomber was safely ensconced in the hangar. With a repeat of their earlier performance, the young 'erks' closed the hangar doors, the Senior again locking them shut.
With door crew and aircraft handling party having made themselves scarce, four of the technicians who had previously worked on the Device reappeared. Two men climbed onto each wing root, the pair on the Port wing reached up, unfastened some clips, pushed, and as the other two caught and steadied it, the top of the fuselage above the wing opened up like the lid of a grand piano. Jumping down, and with a wave to the crane operator, the Technicians disappeared under the belly of the aeroplane. Once again, the crane came to life. The Device reappeared from behind the screens, and the crane traversed until the Device was suspended over the open top of the bomber. One of the Technicians appeared in the bomber's cockpit, and signalled to the crane operator. The signal received, the Device was slowly lowered inside the bomber's fuselage.
After a minute or two, the Technician signalled again, the hook, complete with chains, rose from inside the bomber, and the crane once again withdrew to the back of the hangar. The Technicians then re-appeared, and closed the top of the aircraft's fuselage.
'That's it,' said Wells, 'all ready to go.'


TO BE CONTINUED


cheers,
Robin.
By the pricking of my thumbs, Something Whiff-y this way comes . . .

Offline apophenia

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #30 on: June 12, 2021, 07:52:33 AM »
Very cool! Love the fuselage-lid loading method  :smiley:

The 'Bloody Paralyser' seems ready to live up to its nickname  ;D
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #31 on: June 13, 2021, 02:50:59 AM »

a 'Handley-Page' bomber

As in a Handley Page V/1500?

All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.

Offline apophenia

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #32 on: June 13, 2021, 03:15:37 AM »
Froglord: "... amphibious doom descends ... approach the alter and swear your allegiance to the swamp."

Offline robunos

  • Can't afford the top wing of his biplanes...
Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #33 on: June 13, 2021, 05:17:59 AM »
Or a one-winged O/400?

-- http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=9060.msg170435#msg170435



That's the one !!    :D
This whole story began just as the back story for this Build, but then the juices started to flow . . .   ;D









cheers,
Robin.

By the pricking of my thumbs, Something Whiff-y this way comes . . .

Offline finsrin

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #34 on: June 13, 2021, 01:12:40 PM »
Nice monoplane.  Surprised how well it works.  Looking great  :smiley:

Offline robunos

  • Can't afford the top wing of his biplanes...
Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #35 on: April 14, 2022, 02:59:59 AM »

To my shame, I realise that it's been nearly a year since I posted the previous chapter, not only that, but I've had the next one ready to post nearly all that time . . .   :o    :-[    :icon_crap:
So here is the next chapter, but before you read on, for various reasons, I've decided to change the outside appearance of the Device. Please refer back to Chapters Five and Ten, for the updated Device . . .

TWELVE:  TESTING . . .


The Prime Minister  was thirsty, and he needed the toilet. 'I could do with a cup of tea,' he suddenly said, almost without thinking. 'Certainly, Sir', replied Goss. 'We'll go across to the Officer's Mess, get a  Cup'o'Char, and by the time we're done, the aircraft will be ready for takeoff.
The hangar now empty of personnel, the handling party having disappeared through the same door as the Device Technicians, Goss led the Prime Minister, Wells, and Redgrave back into the ante-room. As they sat down on the hard chairs again, Goss locked the inner door behind them. After what seemed like an age, but in reality was only a couple of minutes, the outer door was unlocked and opened, and the stone-faced soldier re-appeared. Without a word, he saluted the Officers, turned on his heel, and marched back outside. The party followed, and found him sat in the driving seat of the decrepit car.
They trundled off through the maze of sheds, huts, and hangars that made up the Martlesham Station, finally arriving at a somewhat smarter building, that Lloyd George correctly devined was the Officer's Mess. Although it couldn't compare with the opulence of the Hotel back at Orfordness, it was decent enough. Everyone in the party took the opportunity to empty their bladder, before being served with a good cup of RAF tea. To be honest, Lloyd George found it a bit too weak for his liking, but decided against commenting, or complaining about it. in any case, he only had time to take a couple of sips, before the Mess telephone rang, was answered by an orderly, and Goss summoned to it.
After a few, brief words, Goss returned to the table. 'The aeroplane's ready for take-off', he said, 'so we'll go out onto the airfield and watch it depart. Drink up!' Lloyd George decided against drinking up, and waited whilst the others did so, then followed them outside. Private 'stone-face' was waiting with the 'car', and, after climbing aboard, drove out on to the edge of the aerodrome proper.
There, sitting in the afternoon sun was the Handley-Page. The engines were started, puffs of smoke emerging from the exhaust pipes while the propeller blades blurred into spinning discs, the sun glinting off their polished brass leading-edge sheathes. The chocks pulled, the giant aeroplane taxied across the aerodrome, rocking and waddling in response to the uneven surface. Eventually, it reached the far, downwind edge of the airfield, and turned clumsily into the wind. A figure emerged from the hut that served as the flying control office, raised a Very Pistol into the air, and discharged it. As the green flare arced through the  air, the bomber's engines rose to full revolutions, and the aircraft lurched forward. Gaining speed, the tail rose to the horizontal, and daylight appeared under the mainwheels. Now gaining height, the aeroplane flew straight ahead for a minute or so, before turning South, and disappearing behind a stand of trees, not far outside the aerodrome boundary.
'Right', said Goss, primarily to the Prime Minister, but also addressing Wells and Redgrave, 'Let's get you back to the tender care of your man Doolittle, then you can go and watch the drop . . .'
Having been dropped off at the inner gate, Lloyd George, Wells, and Redgrave said goodbye to Goss, re-entered the Guardroom, where their wallets and other possessions were returned to them, albeit with another multitude of forms to sign, exited the Guardroom once again, and finally passed through the outer gate, where Doolittle and the Vauxhall was waiting to collect them.


TO BE CONTINUED.


cheers,
Robin.
By the pricking of my thumbs, Something Whiff-y this way comes . . .

Offline GTX_Admin

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Re: THE LUCIFER DEVICE
« Reply #36 on: April 14, 2022, 03:13:32 AM »
 :smiley:
All hail the God of Frustration!!!

You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it.