Avro Shackleton T4

[mike ingham]

I've recently ordered the Alley Cat conversion set for use with the Airfix kit. Two questions:

   1. any pitfalls/hints/tips?

   2. I intend to model the MOTU example VP259/Q with black/white stripes. The Richard Franks publication only shows a side view.

      The only information I have on the mainplane stripe position is Xtradecal 72237, but that is for an MR2. Is there a website I can visit

      showing said stripe position?  

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Hi Mike

I'm doing WB846, a MOTU MR1A using this conversion and the Airfix kit.

Very straightforward and the only suggestion I would make is that you mark the cutting point on the kit with tape and cut forward of the line.This allows you to fikle and fit.

I cut exactly to the measurement and ended up having to use a fair amount of filler on the conversion part as my cut was a smidgen too far back!

The clear resin nose is quite thick so very little detail can be seen but there is enough there to give the impression of the interior

 

Can't help with VP259 info but as an aside,as a boy I used to visit a farm at Mosstowie with my dad.. The farmer had various bits from VP259's crash site including a leather flying helmet.

WB846 ended up on the Kinloss fire heap and many times we would sneak in and be pretend bomber pilots,hence my choice.

 

Richard.

[71chally]

Depends on how far you want to go with this, but a T.4 conversion also involves deleting a number of cabin windows and relocating the remaining ones.

 

I started my own conversion before the Alley cat was available, but the build does show other the areas of the kit that can be corrected for the MR.1, T.4

 

[mike ingham]

Thanks Scimitar and 71Chally for your input ref. my request. Just need to sort out the wingstripes location now.  

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

I forgot to say that I took it as read that you had seen 71chally's excellent tutorial which I unashamedly utilised to sort the window positions and other wee bits and pieces.

Isn't it great when somebody has already done the hard work 

 

[mike ingham]

Thanks again Scimitar - even with my luddite computer knowledge I viewed 71Challey's build - a font of information!

[71chally]

Thanks for that, just need to finish the ruddy thing!

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

7 hours ago, 71chally said:

 

Thanks for that, just need to finish the ruddy thing!

 

That's two of us then!

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

I wasn't sure whether to start a new topic or just hijack your thread Mike,so guess what!

 

Regarding Dark Sea Grey on the Shackelton.

Whilst considering that colour photos are not the best guide, all of the photographs of WB846 and others of that era appear to show the grey being lighter than that on ,for example, an AEW2 or MR3

I have made samples of Lifecolour,Humbrol and Xtracolour and they all have slightly different tones and look too dark.

Any suggestions on how to lighten them without losing the blueness?

[stever219]

I think you're going to have problems matching colours to colour photographs for the usual reasons, exposure, lighting, processing, printing, fading, staining, scanning, monitor colour balance and God-alone-knows-what-else.  Having spoken to a man in the automotive paint trade a year or so ago, courtesy of the former day job, I was told that there is a 10% tolerance in BS381C so, unless you can obtain a can of paint from the same batch as that used on your subject the likelihood of an exact match is slight.  If it says "Dark Sea Grey" on the tin it should be close enough I hope.

[71chally]

It was Dark Sea Grey. 

That is the only dark grey ever specified for Shackletons, initially in the all over grey scheme in the mid 1950s, then with the white top (to aid interior cabin cooling) from the late '50s, to the return of all over grey on the AEWs.

 

Having said that I entirely get your point that the AEWs somehow looked darker and bluer (to my eyes not far off EDSG), whether this was down to the high gloss that they were maintained in, or a colour shading issue, I know not.

The MRs faded and went matt quite quickly, due to the regular low-level ops in salt laden air.

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

I have been pottering about with different mixes to try and get that faded look and am failing miserably.

MOTU aircraft rarely looked new and shiny and even with all the exhaust stains (my subject had the original style exhausts) and a matt finish in places, straight from the tin still looks too dark to my eyes.

Adding to the 'make life difficult for yourself'part of the project is that I don't have an airbrush (wonder if Halfords do something like DSG?)

 

My CMR Scimitar wing fold set arrived today and I am determined that I will not be touching them until the Shackelton is finished.

Don't all rush off to places bets now!

 

Richard

[spaddad]

7 hours ago, Scimitar said:

 

Don't all rush off to places bets now!

 

Richard

 

Too late, bet placed!