At the age of 21 (just 5 ft. 2 inches tall), Joan Hughes joined & served with the ATA throughout the war. She was a capable instructor and flew just about everything including the massive Short Stirling. Respect! #ata #shortstirling #raf #ww2

Airfix Short Stirling 1/72, undercoated black. Still some work to be done but fuselage mostly complete.

Every time I look at this bad boy in a different light/angle, I spot another dimple/flaw that needs fixed... #ShortStirling #HeaviesGB #HistScaleModels

Image of port wing of 1/72 Airfix Short Stirling showing notches cut for navigation lights and recesses drilled for wing lights

Progress on the #ShortStirling build for #HeaviesGB is 'glacial'. Lots of other stuff going on, not least prepping a #SotWW campaign on Roll20 (first time), oh, and work.

But continuing on the wings. Cut outs for lights. #HistScaleModels

Main assemblies glued for the vintage 1/72 Airfix Short Stirling.

Starting to look like a #ShortStirling happy with the dihedral for #HeaviesGB & reshaped control surfaces on. I do need to cut the wings for the nav lights. The turrets will be the biggest challenge. #HistScaleModels

Wing flaps extended using plastic rod and layers of plasticard.

Analogue baby! When you need to extend... drill for plastic rod and layers of plasticard. Once it sets, the Dremel will get a work out. #HeaviesGB #HistScaleModels #ShortStirling

partially built 1/72 Short Stirling next to the taped together 1/48 B17F Flying Fortress

Compare the pair... #HeaviesGB the #ShortStirling has been slow progress with a lot of little things. Here it is next to the #HonkingMoFoBeast that is the Revell 1/48 B-17F.

In the box, the 1970s tooling of the B17F by Revell. In top left is an incomplete set of Metallic Details engines that came with the kit.

Size comparison of 1/48 B17F and 1/73 Short Stirling

Just for fun #HistScaleModels I pulled out the old Revell 1/48 B17F just in case I needed another build for #HeaviesGB. It's a big old beast with sparse detail... here with my #ShortStirling for a size comparison. I do love checking fit for warping etc.

Scabby looking 1/72 vintage Airfix Short Stirling fuselage in a patchwork of filler, undercoat and original black plastic.

And here we are with the #HeaviesGB build. The vintage #ShortStirling has been glazed and closed up. Now working on the seams. I managed to not get the joint straight. Working on a ghost seam forward of the turret. #HistScaleModels

1/72 Airfix Short Stirling cockpit. Embellished with some etch and scratchbuild.

Well, the #ShortStirling cockpit doesn't actually look much like a Short Stirling cockpit, but I am not going further down that rabbit hole on the #HeaviesGB #HistScaleModels just glazing to do before closing up the fuselage.

Sample 3d printed seats, will thin these down and make another version.

Tailplanes, hinges filled, rescribed and sanded.

The kit control columns, original on left, trimmed and shaved version on right.

More #HeaviesGB nonsense. First attempt at 3d print seats, rescribing tailplanes, and control column kit part thinned on right, think it might be usable. #HistScaleModels #ShortStirling

F/O John Hulme, 24, from Gillingham, KIA 9 Sep 1944 when his Short Stirling (designed and built in nearby Rochester) crashed on Texel, Netherlands, returning from an SOE mission. 3 crew died, 4 survived. Another young life lost in war, not in direct combat 🌹
#WW2 #RAF #ShortBrothers #ShortStirling

The kit cowling thinned and scribed and flaps separated.

The cowlings and hinges on ailerons etc filled before filing back.

Underside of wings, just spotted another flaw.

Day2 of #HeaviesGB and loads of silly little things. Wings rescribed, the horrible hinges filled, and I've thinned the engine cowl, separated the flaps and its all steady progress with the #ShortStirling #HistScaleModels

View of the underside of port wing of Airfix 1/72 Short Stirling. The wheel well is 'primitive'.

Don't know if I can live with these wheel bays... 4 sockets. I know very little will be visible.. dunno... I need to decide before closing up the wing. ##HistScaleModels #HeaviesGB #ShortStirling

Shows bay held in place against fuselage, its a perfect fit.

Port upper wing showing filling, sanding, scribing and reshaping.

Much scribing, patching, filing, sanding, reshaping ailerons, removing hinges etc... etc. Only another three wing sections to do. #ShortStirling #HeaviesGB #HistScaleModels kudos to Airfix, the bay fits perfectly.

1/72 Airfix Short Stirling fuselage after scribing and sanding. Left hand side.

1/72 Airfix Short Stirling fuselage after scribing and sanding. Right hand side.

More Day 1. The fuselage has had a decent lot of scribing and de-riveting. #HistScaleModels #HeaviesGB #ShortStirling

There must have been some poor bloke at the Airfix factory whose job it was to give rivet-counters something to get cross about.

Dodgy undercarriage

Scribing begins before getting rid of the rivets...

Ooh Airfix, you are spoiling us... look at these quality moulds for the undercarriage... on the bright side, undercoat then scribing on black plastic works.. wonky in places, but a start. #HeaviesGB #HistScaleModels #ShortStirling

Major components of the Vintage Airfix 1/72 Short Stirling, laid out on a tray and primed with light grey car automotive primer. Will try and curb my impatience and let it cure properly before tackling the next steps.

Day 1 of the #HeaviesGB my #ShortStirling i have a plan to scribe main panel lines, then sand back all the massively overscale rivets. The flaps need filling etc, but the grey primer should let me see what I'm doing.