Sunderbus

Information from the Aviation Modeller International magazine build article: "John McStea's 28in span model for four Campbell CMS-1 motors with an AUW of 100 grams. Eric Marsden reports:Those of use who served or worked on aircraft during the unpleasantness of 1945 have particular kits of which we have fond memories - as well as ones we disliked. John McStea has a special regard for the Short Sunderland four-engined flying boat, since he's one of we happy few who have been out on the wing in flight and is still here! (He also likes Consolidated Liberators and Handley Page Halifaxes, though he hasn't been for a walk outside on them.) The advent of blue foam construction technique, combined with Glen Campbell's tiny electric motors led him to create this 'Sunderbus' in his own inimitable fashion. Having spent many years us a Cheropodist, John is a craftsman who can create desired shapes with little need for drawings - see his Petrel which was created from the most unlikely scrawls on bits of paper and which he probably built quicker than I was able to make a working drawing which we lesser mortals could use easily. This Sunderland, John cheerfully explains, is a sort of caricature, a cartoon, and one has to imagine that he spent some time with that little book of Wren cartoons, Oddentifications, published by 'The Aeroplane', price 2/-, rather a long time ago. Hull. Since the model merely resembles the photocopies of enlargd portions of a black recognition silhouette, none of which agree in size, the finished drawings have been taken from the one piece model with John's verbals as an extra source of confusion! Since the Brits are a nation of sculptors, as well as of poets - we once carved up half the globe, didn't we - carving a block of blue foam to Make the fuselage is noproblem. Tack glue two slabs of blue foam together for the fuselage..."