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Minerva's Wimpy (1/72 100 Group Wellington)


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As my little De Havilland project draws to an end, I'm starting a new project. This is one that's been percolating through my brain for a while: a set of 100 Group aircraft. The release of the DK decals set last year helped, and about this time last year I also picked up a Trumpeter Wellington X, but until the other day I hadn't realised that the two could go together. I have two other projects in mind, both based on the bases local to my house in WW2: Bassingbourn for the USAAF and Gransden Lodge for the RAF. As it happens, this Wellington has a nod towards Gransden Lodge as well, as although the decal sheet depicts a 1944 aircraft from 192 Squadron, the squadron was formed (and operated Wimpeys) at Gransden Lodge in early 1943.

 

Now, I don't know much about the Wellington, and I'm not sure what modifications were made to the 100 Group aircraft; my references for 100 Group ops are rather silent on the matter, at least with respect to visible external alterations. Therefore, the intent right now is to build straight OOB. The Trumpeter kit has good detail, I understand, so I see no real need to get any etch or resin parts.

 

The de rigueur sprue shots (many are duplicated, so I've only shown one where that's the case).

 

IMG_20161122_221748_zpsn5scpvgv.jpg

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7 hours ago, amblypygid said:

The de rigueur sprue shots (many are duplicated, so I've only shown one where that's the case).

 

Did all 100 Group Wellingtons carry a Vampire, or just the Mark Xs?

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I'm in too :popcorn: 

This was one of my pre-BM builds and my first attempt at PE for the bomb bay. Therapy has allowed me to talk about it now. I had hoped to model the complex bomb racks and doors (all those doors!) but ended up screwing the second set and fitting the closed door kit part. Other than that I don't remember any big problems, but then it was pre-BM so I probably wasn't looking for them... 

Looking forward to this Chris.

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The kit reviews I read were all positive, excepting the decals (not a problem for me here, hopefully) and the overdone fabric effects (probably less of a problem for me as a brush painter that habitually clawps it on in its unthinned state). Internal detail apparently excellent (certainly looks the part on the sprues) but wasted as most can't be seen once the fuselage is closed up. So, I hope I can do the kit justice in my own way. I have fond memories of building a Matchbox Wimpey when I was a kid, and it was possible to build a kit of that size within a couple of hours in my cousin's kitchen. However, I struggled to get through the last multi-engine bomber I built (Halibag) and never finished it, so please keep encouraging me along, and thanks for being here.   :pray:

 

9 minutes ago, Procopius said:

 

Did all 100 Group Wellingtons carry a Vampire, or just the Mark Xs?

 

Ooooh! Shiny new project, RAF '46! That would be cool...

 

7 minutes ago, CedB said:

I'm in too :popcorn: 

This was one of my pre-BM builds and my first attempt at PE for the bomb bay. Therapy has allowed me to talk about it now. I had hoped to model the complex bomb racks and doors (all those doors!) but ended up screwing the second set and fitting the closed door kit part. Other than that I don't remember any big problems, but then it was pre-BM so I probably wasn't looking for them... 

Looking forward to this Chris.

 

Doors closed on this one. One of the benefits of 100 Group :)

But that's ambitious, Ced - first attempt at PE and you go for a bomb bay? I think the first time I ever encountered PE was in an Eduard Lavochkin, the first kit I bought online after coming back to the hobby. Opened box, found some funny metal parts for the flaps, looked at the instructions and put it all away again. Took me a while to figure out that they were optional, but I still don't think I'd fancy drilling a hole through them and fitting metal rod.

 

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1 minute ago, amblypygid said:

Ooooh! Shiny new project, RAF '46! That would be cool...

 

DH.108s as Mach 1 parasite fighters beneath Vulcans. We must confound Jerry at every turn.

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Hmm between Bassingbourn (which the Army are apparently going to re-occupy - good because we have an ATC Sqn there and if the Training Area and Range re-open then that's good for my Wing) and Gransden Lodge (now the home of Cambridge University Gliding Club that many moons ago operated from both Duxford and Teversham).... I guess you live somewhere like Arrington then.

 

I built the Trumpeter Wellington 1c for a friend (the RFI is here ). Apparently their Mk X (not surprisingly) has a fair degree of commonality.

 

The kits have been slated for overdone surface detail of the geodesics but in fairness after a little light sanding I think it looks OK. The only other niggle is the rather anorexic state of the mainwheels although this would be very difficult to cure and would entail scratching up new legs as well as some (serious) modification to the nacelles and wheelbays. In the end I concluded that the gains weren't worth the effort.

 

You're lucky you can go for the closed bomb door option - there are 30(!) of the damned things which I had to make from 15 thou plastikard. I also scratch built the turret interiors and replaced the guns with some resin ones from Quickboost.

 

The only problem I encountered is that Trumpeter would have you fit the turrets before closing up the fuselage. I didn't want to do this for the obvious reasons of:

a. The (extremely high) probability of damaging the guns.

b. The difficulty in masking.

 

Accordingly I left the turrets off until after the painting stage was complete. Fitting the rear turret wasn't too much of a problem (after the turret base was sanded down somewhat), but fitting the front turret necessitated the removal, and replacement, of the teardrop fairing.

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I'm in here. The kit is well detailed. Saw the CMK undercarriage set. It's a bit better, but with some rods here and there the kit parts are as good. If you close the main things or you don't want to make a cut off model, there is no need for the eduard sets. Maybe some seatbelts. I just would put thick coat of primer on the wings or sand it a bit with micromesh as the fabric texture is far too prominent. The Matchbox has the best one after all these years, but needs all these aftermarket stuff.

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Very helpful tips, thanks (I may ask questions later, if that's OK?) My skills aren't up to reconstructing the undercarriage, so I'll be building the kit. Maybe some extra rods, as Benedikt suggests, but nothing more than cosmetic adjustments. Timing of attaching the turrets does sound like a problem, but sounds like the solution is not too tricky to implement.

 

Debs: yes, in the vicinity of Arrington, it's a good spot for seeing aerial activity with Classic Wings (and occasional other) flights out of Duxford, gliders from Gransden Lodge, and the aerobatic practice and GA activity at Little Gransden.

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  • 8 months later...

Warning: thread resurrection...

 

Nearly nine months gone, stone the crows. Not that it's their fault. That was a combo of Christmas (the tree occupies the space on the living room floor where I normally work on my models), followed by a general lack of modelling for several months, by which time something else shiny had attracted my attention.

 

A few parts have gone walkabout in those nine months, but as they're internal and there's naff-all chance of seeing very much inside, I'm not losing any sleep over them. After some work in the last week, what do I have?

 

A flight-deck. Those scratches are silver, but my dodgy tablet camera makes them look gray.

eb00427b-2e7b-4d9a-b462-3ab25f5dfb46.jpg

 

There should be another bulkhead immediately behind the pilot's seat; that's one of the missing pieces.

 

And we have two fuselage halves:

7dc87d9e-30a9-4bde-867f-2d2004959b98.jpg

 

Plenty of internal detail that will be invisible once closed up, so I'm not going to bother. Judging by some tests, and even before the bomb bay and other apertures are closed up, the interior is pitch-black. I've painted the flight-deck area in Vallejo grey-black; dark enough once closed up but not quite a coal-hole!

 

The fit appears to be excellent thus far, really close and should require minimal filling and seam cleaning. The major construction problem at the moment is how to handle the beam MGs, but I think I'll glue them in just before closing up and then hope I can handle them carefully... Trumpeter also kindly designed a flimsy aerial that you can see on the port fuselage above that is pretty much guaranteed to break off, or in two, at some point during the build.

As for the turrets, I'm going to build and test-fit them but I plan to follow Debs' advice and pop them in after painting. But for now, I'm moving on to tackle the engines.

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8 hours ago, Beard said:

When you write that there's a missing bulkhead behind the pilot, do you mean that Trumpeter have left it out or that the part was moulded but is missing from the sprue?

 

Entirely my doing, Beard.

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But of course! And the harder you've looked, the greater the probability that it'll show up. It's too big to have been consumed by the carpet monster :)

 

 

Some progress last night; engines painted and given a first wash with Mig Brown Panel Line Wash:

eaef6213-d579-474b-9074-65135924f763.jpg

 

For a four-part plastic assembly, I think Trumpeter have done a really good job and I'm not planning on adding tiny wires.

 

The rest of the evening was spent putting together one of the wheel wells. This is one of the fiddly assemblies that I hate: four easily broken parts that have to be encased in two halves. I rarely seem able to get each part just right to slot into both halves, but this time it seems to have worked, at least for the first one I built (I can't get the camera to focus on this properly, sorry).

 

90b302d9-18c6-41b1-97f7-d6e13aa2cc0c.jpg

 

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It's good to see this Wimpy back Chris :thumbsup2: 

 

The engines look nicely detailed  OOB. Nice work on the undercarriage. I'm hoping the wheel doesn't push those legs too far apart, before the lugs drop into the hub :unsure:.

 

Guess who's had them snap in the past :confused: 

 

Looking forward to the next instalment,

Best regards

TonyT

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That's a great start. Trumpeter's painting instructions are a bit off. On the engines, the central gear casings should be black and please, please do not paint the exhaust collector ring copper. Some form of heat-stained steel would be much better.

 

 

Chris

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Ah, thank you. I assume the central gear casing is the domed bit between the sticky-out cylinders? I was wondering; on US radials it often appears to be a pale matt grey. Most photos I've seen of even heavily weathered Wimpeys have the collector rings either steel or a light brown, no fake tan bronze.

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13 hours ago, amblypygid said:

Ah, thank you. I assume the central gear casing is the domed bit between the sticky-out cylinders? I was wondering; on US radials it often appears to be a pale matt grey. Most photos I've seen of even heavily weathered Wimpeys have the collector rings either steel or a light brown, no fake tan bronze.

Hi Chris,

 

Are you referring to the reduction gear as the domed bit?  Takes the drive from the crankcase and reduces the propeller speed to prevent overspeeding.  If you want to see how a radial engine works there is a guy called Ian Jimmerson on YouTube who has made a wooden radial engine to show the basic principles, 'tis a thing of beauty!

 

Cheers, 

 

Ian

Edited by HomerJ_757
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