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Contrail Blackburn Botha


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New project- Contrail Blackburn Botha 1/72. Guaranteed to be long winded and difficult. Not sure why but I have developed a liking for unusual ugly aircraft and keep acquiring vacforms, this is actually my third following a Bombay and sparrow.

I've been tinkering with this for a while so most of the bits are cut out and sanded, the first issue is the nacelles supplied are far too big so I am using a couple of old Airfix Halifax ones with new gills and added detail to the engines. The down side is that my Hali now has two nacelles missing, so if anyone has any spare I would gladly purchase them!

Does anyone have definitive proof of the number and distribution of porthole windows along the fuselage? Despite looking at numerous photos and drawings I am still not certain, my current thoughts are 5 on the port side and 4 on the door side?

The Aeroplane magazine article is an invaluable source of photos and details, it cost a few quid on ebay.

Some pics..

IMG_2879_zps15omivuz.jpg

IMG_2883_zps7nklmnf3.jpg

IMG_2884_zpsm67jkuhd.jpg

IMG_2886_zpsbirzjbak.jpg

IMG_2885_zpsyjeorgjf.jpg

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BB,

 

Looks good, so far! A rare but handsome multi! Awaiting further progress- thanks for posting the drawings and cockpit diagram, BTW. What kit did you rob the cowlings from?

Mike

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I'm looking forward to this. 

I'm fond of vacforms, plus I'm fond of Blackburns.

 

I'm still trying to trace the factual  origin of a story I once heard, about one of these crashing with a Polish crew on board at a coastal town in the North-West of England.

 

I believe there may have been some kind of memorial plaque put there. I just don't know where it is!

 

If you or anyone knows, I would be grateful.

 

Good luck with the build, a nice unusual bird :).

 

Best regards

TonyT

 

 

Edited by TonyTiger66
Correct aircraft name
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Now this is an interesting build and as I have one in the stash I will be following with interest. You are correct in that there are few references around but you have found the good one. I will be interested in what you do with the interior - I suspect that I will just put in a floor and some bulkheads as there is not much visibility there. Thanks for the clue about the cowling size - I do have a stash of Halifax cowlings to use  but suspect I am too far away to send you a couple, hope someone local can help you.

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I'm on board for the ride.

During WW2, Bothas were flown RAF Morpeth, which is just about 7 miles from where I live.

I'll be watching this with great interest.

Good luck.

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13 hours ago, 72modeler said:

BB,

 

Looks good, so far! A rare but handsome multi! Awaiting further progress- thanks for posting the drawings and cockpit diagram, BTW. What kit did you rob the cowlings from?

Mike

From an Airfix Halifax, will need a bit of work.

 

9 hours ago, TonyTiger66 said:

I'm looking forward to this. 

I'm fond of vacforms, plus I'm fond of Blackburns.

 

I'm still trying to trace the factual  origin of a story I once heard, about one of these crashing with a Polish crew on board at a coastal town in the North-West of England.

 

I believe there may have been some kind of memorial plaque put there. I just don't know where it is!

 

If you or anyone knows, I would be grateful.

 

Good luck with the build, a nice unusual bird :).

 

Best regards

TonyT

 

 

Sorry Tony never heard about this before, someone on the Aviation Forum-Historic would know.

 

8 hours ago, Horatio Gruntfuttock said:

Now this is an interesting build and as I have one in the stash I will be following with interest. You are correct in that there are few references around but you have found the good one. I will be interested in what you do with the interior - I suspect that I will just put in a floor and some bulkheads as there is not much visibility there. Thanks for the clue about the cowling size - I do have a stash of Halifax cowlings to use  but suspect I am too far away to send you a couple, hope someone local can help you.

thanks for the offer of some Halifax nacelles, I have been offered some thanks.

I will be interested in what I do with the interior too! Just trying to sort out the bizarre arrangement of glazing at the moment.

9 hours ago, Patrick Martin said:

Not to steal direction, but the collision of a Botha and Defiant occurred over Blackpool.

 http://laituk.org/Botha-Defiant 10.htm

 

Will be nice to see a finished Botha

 

PM

Thanks Patrick, will look at the link.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Rats. 

I use Flickr, especially as I take most of my photos with an iPhone and the app makes it really easy to upload the pictures (turn off the auto upload!). It also has a 'BBCode' sharing option that lets you set the photo size when linking.

Nervous about recommending any free server at the moment but it's working for me...

You can download your photos from PB to your computer but, although this rescues the image, it doesn't help re-create your threads. Pain.

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Please, reconstruct this thread ...

Recently I reconstructed my only 4 threads, including two the most recent. It is pain indeed. it takes some time but it works. It took me more than  2 hours - so not very fast indeed. I had all photos (2850) of my posted on BM models on my HD - it will be very labour, I think some 100 hours... So roughly  a time devoted to one model. I am not sure when I will do this.... It would be nice if everybody do this work on his at least current threads.

Cheers

J-W  

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On ‎08‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 10:22 AM, CedB said:

Rats. 

I use Flickr, especially as I take most of my photos with an iPhone and the app makes it really easy to upload the pictures (turn off the auto upload!). It also has a 'BBCode' sharing option that lets you set the photo size when linking.

Nervous about recommending any free server at the moment but it's working for me...

You can download your photos from PB to your computer but, although this rescues the image, it doesn't help re-create your threads. Pain.

 Hi Ced,

Humour me as a complete computer numpty!

I have opened a Flickr account, but how do I get the photo from Flickr to BM? I've tried all the sharing codes in the usual insert Other media box as a URL but it doesn't work. Trouble is using these things is supposed to be intuitive but I prefer some instructions!

Hope you can help,

Neil

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35803813266_53b76abb98_z.jpg

 

Eureka! I seemed to have cracked the Flickr problem!

So I have been cutting out windows and starting an interior...and trying to get my head around what happens at the nose. Anyway now I've sorted the image issue here's a few more!

35456382950_c228a7d636_z.jpg

 

35712483341_a3c1effa7b_z.jpg

 

35456352280_b86d26a5bd_z.jpg

Looks suitably lopsided and gormless, just like the real Botha!

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  • 2 weeks later...

A little update.

I've been struggling with how the front glazing and bomb aimers window works and decided that there is some internal framing that needs to be modelled before fitting the nose glazing, see what I mean......

35653442280_ef4dd3b320_z.jpg

35653436110_98628175e6_z.jpg

Note the diagonal brace holding the bomb aimers window.

35203248734_e2083929be_z.jpg

 

The bomb aimers window is the only lower framed element in the glazed nose, so I thought the next logical step was to sort out the internal frame and glazing..

35653338390_0670b49e04_z.jpg

 

A quick trim, no problem... oh bugger I've cracked it..

35203216644_ff47b8f3a4_z.jpg

 

Milliput to the rescue to crash mould a replacement..

35908861401_fae40e43bb_z.jpg

 

One step forward...?

Edited by bristol boy
more haste less speed
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Test pilots comments on landing: 'Access to the cockpit is difficult. Recommend it be made impossible.' I knew a chap who flew one once. He didn't want to fly it again.

Deadly if you lost an engine.

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  • 2 weeks later...

New front end plunge moulded from some plastic wrapping and all other see through bits cut out to size, generally they seem to fit quite well. Personally I always find cutting the transparent bits from the sheet nerve racking, you only get one!

35438943234_4f3b9d5192.jpg

 

36271304845_715bc192ee.jpg

 

One thing this does show is that I need to do more on the interior, some framing and bits and pieces... oh and also that I can't drill 4 portholes and get them in line!

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