Visiting Arrow 203 @ CASM, Toronto

[Upkeep]

Yesterday, my wife and her sister ventured off for a day of shopping which left yours truly wondering what he was going to do with his day 'off'.:D I suppose I could have spent it doing a number of things, but I thought a trip to the Canadian Air and Space Museum (CASM) (http://casmuseum.org/avro_cf105_arrow.shtml) here in town would make good use of at least the morning. Of course, their premiere display is their 1:1 replica of the Avro Arrow 203 -- the one Canadian Heritage Series (CHS) had modelled. Time to look at some details to see who got what right by comparisson. What follows is a small selection of shots I took in the 2 1/2 hours I spent there:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_01_550.jpg

(ABOVE): When you walk into Hall 2, this is pretty much what you are greeted with. Very dramatic if I do say so.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_02_550.jpg

(ABOVE): Because the museum space is so small and the aircraft is so large, it is really hard to get a nice shot of all of it at once, so regrettably, all my shots have to be 'sections'. Here you can see that A.) They haven't got the typography quite right on the numbers and B.) the 'day-glo' isn't quite as day-glo as the originals. The CHS Arrow model followed the slightly wrong typography, yet got the day-glo right.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_03_550.jpg

(ABOVE): Moving down the side we can see the graceful lines of this leviathan. Funny, though -- where are the panel lines that we see in the model? :D;) Frankly, this thing needs some room to display at its best and the tiny quarters at this museum are verging on embarrassing.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_04_550.jpg

(ABOVE): One section of the weapons bay was open to display a mock-up of the controversial Sparrow 2 missile.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_05_550.jpg

(ABOVE): Here we are looking INTO that section of the weapons bay to get a good look at all the bits'n'bobs.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_06_550.jpg

(ABOVE): If you display your CHS Arrow model on its u/c (as I do) you may note that without some filing to the upper portion of the nose strut, the assembly sits angled too far back. Here, the replica (made by the original manufacturer Messier & Dowty in Montreal) displays the correct angle -- and details.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_07_550.jpg

(ABOVE): Its nice to see all the little details we often overlook. These bulges are for the control mechanism for the flaps. Our CWH model has these details yet I believe it was one of the plastic kit model makers that had them ON THE TOP of the wing!! Ooops! :eek:

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_08_550.jpg

(ABOVE): Main gear well detail. Nice and clean, pretty much like the original!

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_09_550.jpg

(ABOVE): The outer/inner wing join looks as menacing and 'sharp' in real-life as the model.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_10_550.jpg

(ABOVE): One of the resin models that were considered for the design of the CF-105. Most 'futuristic', yes? Pity there aren't more of these preserved.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow203_11_550.jpg

(ABOVE): Yours truly. I thought I'd get a shot of myself here, since I've taken shots of all my mates over the years at this point. Yup -- it feels very solid while providing a tactile connection to what could have given Canada a higher status in the upper end of the aviation world.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/AFDTD_350.jpg

(ABOVE): I couldn't leave without buying something, so I elected to pick up this superb DVD that the museum plays on a loop within the display area. The commentary is written by James Lloyd and the original footage (all in colour) is absolutely fantastic. Lots of flight, plus take-off and landing footage as well as through the assembly plant. Included is the Roll Out Ceremony as filmed by Avro Canada. If you were looking for JUST ONE DVD on the Arrow, I would recommend this one FIRST.

There you have it. My day out. When I got home, the wife and sister-in-law were STILL not here, so I watched my DVD and took a nap.

Perfect Saturday, IMPO!! :LOL:

/U

[highnoon1966]

Cracking pics Upkeep :cool

[Martin Bull]

Yes, many thanks for posting the pics Upkeep - the Arrow is certainly something 'different' for those of us in the UK.....

[Upkeep]

Thanx for the kind words, all.

I did enjoy myself futzing about taking all those photos. Pity the halls in this museum are so small compared to the size of some of the items in them. That Arrow replica is H-U-G-E! And Lancaster FM104 is being restored in the same hall!! This place REALLY could use an expansion.

Regardless, these photo trips always reveal such wonderful 'obscure' detailing opportunities. For instance, in this case, I had not noted before, the engine cooling intakes on the lower rear portion of the fuselage.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/DAF/casmarrow_intks_550.jpg

Further examination of my CWH model reveals that they actually included this very minor and obscure detail as shown above -- albeit the diagonals are going the opposite way. All I had to do was pick them out with some black paint.

Anyhow, it was a wonderful morning out in one of my favourite aviation sanctuaries!

/U :D

[dilligafocau]

Enjoyed the pics Upkeep http://forums.diecast-aviation.eu/images/icons/icon14.gif that 1:1 replica is mighty impressive, makes one wonder what might have been :unsure:

[Upkeep]

Enjoyed the pics Upkeep http://forums.diecast-aviation.eu/images/icons/icon14.gif that 1:1 replica is mighty impressive, makes one wonder what might have been :unsure:

Thanx, Mr. Dill.

Yes -- the aircraft is rather large alright, and looks even more so jammed into the small spaces that make up this museum. The low ceiling also plays a part. Aside from the head-on shot, it is impossible to get a complete shot of the whole aircraft. Perhaps one day this summer they'll open the hangar doors and roll this outside again (like their roll-out image posted earlier).

A little known fact: The room where they are housing the Arrow, and the restoration of Lancaster FM104, is where they built the engines for Mosquitos during the last war. The rest of the museum is where the Mossies were assembled. Even more interesting is, Guy Gibson's Mk XX Mossie was built in this building, so the whole place is rather hallowed ground for me.:cool

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/upkeep/add-ons/mossprodline_550.jpg

Regardless of my 'focus of the day' (today it is the Arrow), there always something there to keep me coming back. Even more so when they start the Mossie reconstruction. :D

/U

[kevjb64]

Great pics Upkeep . :cool :)

[Dutchie]

Very nice Upkeep!!! thanks:cool: :)

[DCRanger]

Very nice indeed Upkeep.:)

[no4mkit]

Great stuff Upkeep. I WILL get there one day! :)

[Upkeep]

Thanx again, lads! Much appreciated.

Hopefully by the time you make it here Mr. No4, they will have enlarged the place and given the exhibits the much needed space they truly deserve.

/U :)

[Wolster]

Great pictures U/K!

:cool:

[Phantomf4collector]

Awesome pics and write up !

Thank you
Paul