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Yes, all of the Dereham Bowman engines are Meccano compatible.

Cool.

Richard, I've not removed any comments.

I don't know if you've seen this ... 1945 Night Bombers - a great film. th-cam.com/video/xAztJVoBTKE/w-d-xo.html Recently I saw a better version on Amazon Prime Video but I don't think it is there. If I could buy the DVD I would. This film brings tears to my eyes. You can see the amount of teamwork that went into this operation. It is a good place to understand the war in the Ukraine. The repair, the armaments, the logistics, and of course, to understand the roll of the front line air crews and dying. Because they did. The roll of women in the military and to understand what total war is. VE Day, May 8th, 1945. It must have been ... what can you add?

@@PierceStudent Hello Steve I think I have seen this but I will check, thanks take care.

I believe it was Neil Williams.

@@Aeroplanepix ;- I thought so. I was with Neil's brother Lynn yesterday and he thought that, at the time, Neil was one of the very few pilots current as he'd got relatively recent time on Lincolns & Shackletons. He was saying that they had three emergencies on those last flights - including a runaway airscrew.

Yes .John Roast told me it was Neil Williams. A very versatile pilot indeed I had thought he had sadly lost his life flying one of the ex Spanish AF Merlin engined Heinkels used in the BOB film over the Pyrenees ? Again I could be very wrong on this so apologies if that is the case. Mr Roast was a technician on the Film and instrumental in making the fibreglass replicas Replacing the cannibalised gate guardians at RAF bases all over the country.

@@johncrispin2118 ;- Yes Neil bought the farm in a Spanish He111 - but some time after the making of the 1969 BoB film. I think it was the second or third He111 he'd ferried back to the UK. I think they were being dismantled to send to the USA. Sadly, Neils wife as well as an engineer also lost their lives in the crash.

Thankyou, I hope those who read this now can appreciate the work and risks that pilots of vintage aircraft take. Now you have described this. I am sure that it how it was told to me many years ago. @@HeavensGremlin

You are wrong, yellow nose cowlings on Bf 109s are historically accurate for 1940.

In the film they're called 'yellow nosed bastards' which I believe they refered to as during the battle.

@@MakotoAtava Indeed, as are Red and White. I've even seen reference to blue, but that's very rare and might be inaccurate. yellow was the most common it seems, when colored cowlings were used.

I have to agree the famous Ace Helmut Wick who was active during the BOB had a yellow nose on his BF 109!!

Dave, they're Hispano Buchons that were built with Merlins. Several now have DB engines but they're latterday conversions rather than a restoration of original powerplant.

Base aircraft of Hispano Buchon was Messerschmitt Bf 109G - 2. That's why you can't see Erla - cockpit hoods in these planes, or high wooden rudders too (except Buchon two-seater version). Buchon's RR Merlin 500-45 was originally meant for multi-engine passenger aircrafts. Very interesting aircraft, whose character was considered sufficient in 1950's Spain.

Yes, that is Richard Todd he signs an autograph

I was taken on board as a baby up to the nose section by my mother & I was born 10 August 1970. My dad was driving through Alpheton and spotted it with my mother. I've seen other articles saying when it flew out of Lavenham but Mum keeps telling me I was two years old.

My Dad flew in that final flight 🙂

@@annabelb1301 So did I, and Annabel, we had some correspondence many years ago when I was trying to trace the log books etc. for NX611 on behalf of the Pantons. Just at the end of the video, you can see a pair of legs leaping out of the wheel bay and hot-footing it to the rear doorway. That's me as my job was to prime the engines pre-start. Still interested, still following, and still visiting regularly. Hopefully she'll fly again before I pass on.

@@martincollins5309 Yes, I remember as it wasn't long after John, my step father passed away. Me and my Dad, Colin, are also still interested and following. We last visited a couple of years ago

@@annabelb1301 If you haven't seen it already, get hold of a copy of the DVD "NX611 The Flying Years". We've tried to give some insight into what went on between 1965 and 1970, but can't "tell all". It wouldn't be right, and anyway, I don't know everything, and my memory's not as good as it was. It's all so long ago now.

1984, I think. It when the aircraft was flown one way to the Panton brothers' farm at East Kirkby. We didn't have HD digital video cameras in those days...!

Got to be early seventies by judging of the white rover we had one of those mid seventies and by basically what people are wearing.

@@ScienceChap I have a feeling that it was transported in sections from RAF Scampton after standing guard duty.

@@ScienceChap It didn't fly from Scampton to East Kirkby. Its last flight was to Blackpool, Squires Gate where it was effectively abandoned and came close to being scrapped. The RAF took pity and dismantled it and it went to be the Gate Guardian at Scampton and was displayed alongside an Upkeep bouncing bomb, a Tallboy and a Grand Slam bomb. They did no significant work on her...apart from clearing out the birds nests and making it as weather tight as possible, but they did save her. She was of course transported by road from Scampton to East Kirkby where she is being restored to flight.

It was bought by Lord Longford(?) from Blackpool. It was auctioned off. He was responsible for getting it as a gate guard at Scampton

Must be butt-hurt Nazis still trying to get their socks dry. LOL.

The usual Brit haters we find on every post of this nature.

Obviously I cannot be sure , but this footage was passed to the Panton bros in 1997 by myself and Mrs Roast along with a form700 for the aircraft as a VHS tape.It had been transferred from cine film (8mm probably) hence the poor quality, but I thought it was flown from Hullavington ? I think one of the sheepskin coated persons was the actor Richard Todd. I recall there were a few shots of him in the co pilots seat in flight. One of the short slightly balding persons was my friend John Roast who had much to do with the HAP organisation which brought the kite back from Oz. Note the different reg letter port from starboard In successive shots. I am so glad this has been put up , I feared it had been binned due to the poor quality. Thankyou so much, it would be lovely to see her fly again.

@@johncrispin2118 I got a VHS from Peter Arnold together with some Battle of Britain filming footage that Ray Wood had shot. I transferred it to DVD. I think the 8mm footage still survived at that point.

Rob, Thanks, I just wish I had been more capable with the transfer of the footage on the tape once in my possession to organise it into a coherent account. I fear it may be lost; now.

John, Mrs Roast is my Mum. I thought I recognised your name

Looks like a F86 Sabre

Just a small matter of £3,000,000 holding them back from returning to airworthiness. Oh, and the operating and maintenance expenses.

The restoration time schedule revision notes they are in year 3 of a 10 year restoration

That post hasn't aged well...! 6-7 years from now, depending on funding...!