Pandora's Box of Canberras

[mikestow]

Courtesy of the "Canberra Kid",I have managed to amass more and more then even more of JS 's Suggestions,which have now taken over much of my empty model space.The dearth of a good accurate 72nd scale kit,means the Airfix B(I)6 is optimum for converting.The nose is all wrong and is the easiest bit to change.The John Adams injection nose is the easiest,but now very difficult to find.Meantime Heritage do a very nice larger moulded nose section ,mainly for a T4 but easily makes a B2 or PR3/7 if moved slightly to give a longer fuselage.The High Planes kits are apparently accurate,but to quote"like the curate's egg only good in parts".I made the mistake of paying a large sum on Ebay to achieve an awful fuselage with unlevel recesses for the wings,and hopeless fuselage sides that did not even meet.I then used the good bits to improve various different vaersions,but the initial cost caused a gripe!!Then there are the early Frog Kits,that only seem to end up unmade in hands of magpie collectors,so high prices!!!!However at most Boot Fairs or Swap Meets,you might find someone who has some,maybe partly built or fully(?Badly) or hopefully pristine unmade.Just so I found 2 at the large Fair near Southampton,plus a good FD2 and others at very good cheap prices.I digress,but the Great Expert in the North,had informed me that the Old Frog was in fact a very accurate PR3/7 fuselage,but had too wide engines.Also I found the wing roots much thicker than the later kits so incompatible.I had bought one built and one unmade old Frog Kits,so what to do??The awful engine fronts can be removed and filed,and a B57,or other,domed compressor front can be easily fitted,but you have to live with the slighly too fat inner nacelles.It is perfect for modifying into the Olympus Canberra that achieved various World Altitude Records in 1953.The very last one achieving 65890Ft in Aug 1953 with the larger Olympus engines is right for the job.The Built one would not come apart as the original Polystyrene Cement that we all knew as SchoolKids!!,welds the parts together and is impossible to disassemble.I managed to break off the tailplanes in trying,but then removed the rudder and fitted B57 to both areas,producing a moveabe rudder and elevators,and that has become the first PR3 WE135 as used by 541 Sqn at Benson in 1953.The Website of the Expert in the North gives a plethora of different end products that go on and on,and that is what has happened to me!!!!I attach below some of my amateur offerings by John's standards but show what can be achieved really very easily,if you can get hold of the donor kits??The last in Raspberry Ripple is to be John's favourite WT333,but is nearly finished and shown as another easy conversion!!Just some thoughts for the Cranberry Enthusiasts out there??This is just some of them,as photobucket is not up to anymore yet??

Edited August 23, 2016 by mikestow

[canberra kid]

OK, cards on the table, I'm biased, but that's a fine collection you're building up there Mike, you've done some Canberra's there that are still very much on my to do list. The fine examples of kit bashing only goes to underline just how much we all need a GOOD 1/72 Canberra kit! Mike if I'm culpable for you dipping your toe in the lovely waters Ribble Estuary then so be it, you got be banged to right's Guv but I suspect given your deep interest in the "Halcyon Days" of the British aircraft industry I was pushing against an open door! All credit to you and I look forward to seeing more.

John

[Hook]

Oooooh, lovely.

Cheers,

Andre

[mcdonnell]

Hello,Mike - I'll leave to John to discuss all Canberra Technicalities with you.I'll just say you have built and finished a fine collection of the type.My full compliments to you on some excellent modelling indeed. All the very best,Paul.

[mcdonnell]

Hello again,Mike - I wonder if your splendid topic here would be better served on the Forum's Ready For Inspection section? All the very best,Paul.

[DennisTheBear]

Sorry, but couldn't wade through the initial writing, like trying to read an IKEA instruction translated through 4 languages. I'll put it down to relief at finishing the build. (Big smile!)

But really nicely done Canberras in the pictures!!

DennisTheBear

Edited August 24, 2016 by DennisTheBear

[mikestow]

Thank you for the kind comments.Firstly I dont think this is for the "Ready for Inspection"threads,as it is meant to show What can be done with the Old Frog Canberra kits,as around my area there are many old codgers like myself who have or have had these kits rotting in the loft unloved,yet can be still built and included in collections.Secondly there is a definite gap in the 72nd market of a good Bubble Cockpit Canberra,as most of the variations evolve around the basc B2,but how many know the old Frog Kit actually has the most accurate fuselage for a PR3/7,so I have highlighted this,and Thirdly the High Planes Kits are as bad or worse than Mach2,in my experience.You CAN actually produce a good representation of particular Aircraft from a Mach 2,but the High Planes I have tried out at over £30 a pop,have had to be used to improve others,notably the Airfix B(I)6 with all its inaccuracies;with fuselages that dont meet and wings that have no hope of alignment,I give up with the HP Kits!.Around me there are many modellers who have no idea how to modify the Airfix kit into a long nose,or T17 etc, just using Matchbox Meteor nose extensions,cut to the right length or use the intake lips from the Big Breather Meteor F8,that few would have used,and can then produce a different variation,or use a Buccaneer nose from Freightdog and produce a Ferranti Blue Parrot B(I)8.so I just thought it was worth seeing what a plain amateur can achieve for the enthusiast who might not have the confidence to start chopping up things.

Sorry you could not wade through the Ikea instructions,but maybe some might have a sudden burst of enthusiasm to build Canberra variations!!!!????I had only built one of each B2 PR7 B(I)8 PR9 until I saw what the expert in the north had achieved,and all of a sudden I was trying to build different noses ,incorporating the spares box.

I hope I have been instrumental in drumming up interest in the Black Bomber and also the British Prototypes that are very difficult and expensive to find,so maybe a reputable manufacturer might see what sales they might achieve and risk a nice injection moulded plastic run??Just a thought, but if I have put some to sleep,then I will retreatback into the shadows??Thank you all??

Edited August 25, 2016 by mikestow

[chris57]

Interesting thread Mike,it had me checking my parts draw where I have the DB B2 & T17 conversions and the Aeroclub B2. The one that drew my attention the most however is the Ripple bird. I have a T11 nose conversion from Reyhex which looks identical to this. Is this what you used?. cheers Chris

[mikestow]

Hello there,

Thank you for that!!Your response was exactly the affect I wanted to spread amonsgt the modellng fraternity.You are very lucky to have the DB conversions as they are like hen's teeth hese days,and the more recent John Adams in injection mouldings are superb;the earlier vacform need a lot of card inserts for extra strength,but what you have can produce very nice creations.The long nose RAe is in fact my own creation,using the matchbox mk14 long nose trimmed and reshaped with a new front from an astradome,then filled and thats it!There is a more difficult version which can use the mk11 Meteor nose with the small radar bump underneath,but these are the right diameter for all sorts of conversions,either by lengthening or shortening.For the more erudite Ferranti noses,On Ebay,under Resin Noses you will find various Sukhoi ones that can be cut and reshaped for the MetFlight Canberra and RAe Raspberry ripple Meteor Mk12.Your T11 nose will be fine for the Airfix B(I)6 and 85Sqn decals then WH904 can be built(See Google) with dayglo from the Hannants Target Tug Meteor decals.It goes on and on if you are interested.Here is WT333 finished plus a T4 using Heritage nose on an Airfix B57.

[canberra kid]

Mike you are so right, there is so much scope for Canberra conversions, ether via commercial sets or your own skills, what ever you choice there is so much to go at if only we had a good B.2 to work from life would be so much easier! But then again what would I do with all the old kits in the stash?

John