Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: Brian da Basher on April 30, 2013, 04:18:59 AM
-
While the Finns could take comfort in maintaining their independence after the Winter War of 1939-1940, they were smart to keep a wary eye on the Soviet Union. They knew Joseph Stalin was not to be trusted.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Stalin_Marx_Portrait.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Stalin_Marx_Portrait.jpg.html)
History records that the cause of the Winter War was Stalin's desire for Finnish territory as a buffer against Nazi Germany. This was only partly true. It was only after Soviet archives were opened in the 1990s that his true motives became known.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/AitoKarjalanpiirakkairtoPIENI1.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/AitoKarjalanpiirakkairtoPIENI1.jpg.html)
The Finns were safe, but only as long as Stalin's supply of delicious Karajalanpiirakka pastries held out.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/stalinattable.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/stalinattable.jpg.html)
Immediately, Stalin sought to rectify the dire situation.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Stalin_and_Voroshilov.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Stalin_and_Voroshilov.jpg.html)
On the morning of January 31st, 1941, the Soviet Union once again attacked Finland.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/finnishbistro.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/finnishbistro.jpg.html)
The attack was on a massive scale. Soviet forces crossed the Finnish frontier at numerous points.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Karjalanpiirakka_War.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Karjalanpiirakka_War.jpg.html)
Initally, the Finnish Air Force, or Suomen Ilmavoimat, was able to hang on and defend the skies, but attrition wore down the force. A plea for help was sent and both Britain and Germany responded. The British sent Hawker Hurricane fighters and the Germans sent Me-109Es. Unfortunately, due to clerical errors, the Hurricanes were delivered without engines and only the Daimler-Benz engines of the 109s showed up. Fortunately, the Finns are an incredibly innovative people. By bolting the DB-601 engines onto the Hurricane airframes, the Messercane was born.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_001.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_001.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_004.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_004.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_003.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_003.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_002.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_002.jpg.html)
Oddly enough, this unholy marriage created a fast, new fighter that would be feared by all Soviet pilots that met it. In the Hurricane, the Finns had an airframe that could be easily repaired. When lubricated with cod liver oil which the Finns had in abundance, the DB-601 became an ideal cold-weather engine.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_005.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_005.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_0_lower.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_0_lower.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_0_upper.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_0_upper.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_006.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_006.jpg.html)
Before too long, the Suomen Ilmavoimat's fighter squadrons were completely re-equipped with the new composite aircraft which would put the Reds on the run.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_007.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_007.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_008.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_008.jpg.html)
An army can be rightfully said to march on its stomach, and the same is true for an air force as well. The preferred dish of the Suomen Ilmavoimat was reindeer stew.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/reindeerstew.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/reindeerstew.jpg.html)
This might cause concern when a Finnish pilot pushed his Messercane too hard and had to have it towed back to base afterwards.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_pulled_by_reindeer.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_pulled_by_reindeer.jpg.html)
Still, the new hybrid fighter was a godsend and the plucky Suomen Ilmavoimat pilots and their Messercanes were given international press.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_009.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_009.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_010.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_010.jpg.html)
By March, 1941, the Soviets had been stopped and were being pushed back across the border. In hungry frustration, Stalin sent out peace feelers which were rebuffed in Helsinki. The Finns refused to negotiate directly with the Soviets. An honest, third-party broker had to be found.
Fortunately, the famous international diplomat, the Blue Duck, was currently in Stockholm and available. He quickly arranged meetings with the Finnish and Soviet foreign ministers.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Negotiations.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Negotiations.jpg.html)
A truce was called and a peace treaty successfully negotiated. The Red Army would pull back and guarantee Finnish independence. A secret protocol would guarantee Stalin a steady supply of delicious Karajalanpiirakka pastries. For you see, not only was the Blue Duck a famously skilled diplomat, but he also owned a bakery.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/BlueDuckbakery_window.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/BlueDuckbakery_window.jpg.html)
Brian da Basher
-
A while back I said something about grafting an Airfix Me-109 engine on to an Airfix Hurricane and finishing it up in Finnish colors. Like many of my projects, it all began with a little surgery.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane0prog002.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane0prog002.jpg.html)
If the cuts are close enough, it all fits together rather well considering this is both a German fascist terror of the skies and a British defender of democracy. As you can see, after some sanding, only a little putty was needed.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane0prog001.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane0prog001.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane0prog004.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane0prog004.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane0prog008.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane0prog008.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane0prog007.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane0prog007.jpg.html)
I actually got some references for the color scheme and then totally ignored them. The entire model is brush-painted by hand in acrylics and the decals are a mix from spares.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_013.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_013.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_014.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_014.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_011.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_011.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_012.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_012.jpg.html)
I hope you enjoyed the model and the story of how Finland was saved from Stalin's hunger by a hybrid fighter plane and a blue duck.
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_016.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_016.jpg.html)
(http://i1099.photobucket.com/albums/g392/Bri2k/Messercane/Messercane_015.jpg) (http://s1099.photobucket.com/user/Bri2k/media/Messercane/Messercane_015.jpg.html)
Brian da Basher
-
WHAT!!! :o Your backstory has fraggled me!
But what a great model - I really must do something with with a Hurricane one of these days!!
-
Did you have relatives living in Yugoslavia in 1941? If you'd painted this differently, you would have ended up with a non-whif aircraft!
(http://www.scalemates.com/products/img/9/2/5/138925-11104.jpg?nr=72163&company=omega%20models&name=zmaj-hawker%20hurricane%20mk.i%20with%20db-601%20engine)
Cheers,
Logan
-
Did you have relatives living in Yugoslavia in 1941? If you'd painted this differently, you would have ended up with a non-whif aircraft!
([url]http://www.scalemates.com/products/img/9/2/5/138925-11104.jpg?nr=72163&company=omega%20models&name=zmaj-hawker%20hurricane%20mk.i%20with%20db-601%20engine[/url])
Cheers,
Logan
Nope, no Yugoslavian relatives, but as you can see, I like to live close to the edge.
Brian da Basher
-
Great back story! The end result with the modifications to your Hurricane are also very well done. All that is missing is the skis and reindeer :)
-
ROTFLMAO! Great kitbash.
Ed
-
Nice one Brian, and as Logan has pointed out, perfectly credible (well apart from the blue duck....) ;D
Great back story! The end result with the modifications to your Hurricane are also very well done. All that is missing is the skis and reindeer :)
If only he'd made it in 1/35th scale, that could have been arranged:
(http://www.modelsforsale.com/listphotos/PU4041.jpg)
http://www.plusmodel.cz/karta_en.php?id=357 (http://www.plusmodel.cz/karta_en.php?id=357)
-
Awesome build, fantastic backstory!
Alvis 3.1
-
Awesome build, fantastic backstory!
I'll second that!! Given what Yugoslavia did manage, this is definitely not implausible.
-
And I'll 'third' it! :) The name is great too (Messer is knife in German ... if cutting 'em doesn't work, wollop 'em with the cane) ;)
-
;D :) ;D
-
That is soooooo WRONG ;D
:) ;) :D ;D
Obviously, you must have used a Russian spelling for "karjalanpiirakka" in a few places. A Finn would not make the mistake of calling it "Karajalanpiirakka". (Notice the capitalization and the extra "a" in the wrong version of the word.)
The Soviet offensives in the North are a little baffling. Perhaps they were equally hungry for reindeer stew? You can normally find reindeer in the northern part of the country while karjalanpiirakka is more like south-eastern. Conditions in the southern part of the country are not favorable for reindeer, so horses were used for plane retrieval, instead.
(http://www.kolumbus.fi/annsan/eeva/eeva21.jpg)
-
If the nefarious Soviet invasion plan had succeeded, Finns would be calling the pastries whatever Uncle Joe demanded they be called ;)
Such threats to correct spelling and other national treasures may explain the urgency behind post-Winter War experiments in breeding heat-tolerant super reindeer as aircraft tugs!
-
Mmmmmm...reindeer....(http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk56/jonathanvoth/homer-drool.gif)
-
Well that whole thread is a hoot.
the Hurrischmidt came our really nice as well
:))
-
Well that whole thread is a hoot.
the Hurrischmidt came our really nice as well
:))
Goes for me too. :)
Like buzzbomb and others have said and I'm fraggled same as deathjester. ;D
Love how your back stories add context behind each build while filling all us in on nitches of history. :-*
-
As always Brian, a great and funny story to go with a classic whif build. :)
-
Belated congratulations!
-
mmmmm, karelian pastries with egg butter, mmm, drool, im heading over to Finland end of next week for a while (airshow, museums, lake swimming, sauna, etc), il be bringing back a big box of them frozen to ration through the rest of the summer til my next trip (as well as cinnamon rolls and shredded reindeer) :D
really nice model too, looks good and plausible, the best kindv what if 8)
-
Care packages for the poor in the U.S. ??????? :icon_sueno: