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1/48 Lancaster B.III (Special)


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So, I know I said I wouldn't do a WIP on this but I've got some time:

 

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As I'm (almost) incapable of building kits OOB, I bought the Big Ed set, gun barrels and decals, too. I'll probably add the SAM undercarriage set and soon-to-be-released Kitsworld Lancaster Generic Markings decals to it, too. I've bought the correct wheels and props from Tamiya via Southern Model Sales (around $45 for two sprues but that still makes the complete kit a bargain at $90!)


 

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Doesn't look like much but there's a fair bit of work here! Before anyone comments, I've gone for the RAF Interior Green throughout most of the cockpit area (as well as the usual rear fuselage), as I'm modelling a 617SQN aircraft from Operation CHASTISE, which took place on the night of 16/17 May 43. Although later in the war Bomber Command aircraft were being built with black interiors, my research suggests that Lancasters were still being built in early 1943 with green cockpits and black bomb-aimer's station. Prove me wrong!

 

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Nasty join lines that will need sanding. I'm going to rescribe some of the raised panel lines and probably remove a lot of the others completely.

I'm pretty happy with the cockpit (apart from the twisted and very troublesome to install) Flight Engineer's seat. I've not weathered it too much as these aircraft were delivered new from the factory especially for the dams raid. Added some boot scuffing along the floor where there's a fair bit of traffic, though.

 
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Annoyingly, I discovered the (apparently) well-known issue with this kits radio operator windows being incorrectly placed after I'd joined the fuselage. Couldn't live with it after knowing the issue, so...
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Used the paint mask outlines to mark the new windows.
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Drilled and cut new openings.
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Made a new window from acetate and coated it in Future before fitting. Still needs cleaning up but I'm happy for now. You can also see in this shot the crash pads I made from toilet paper and PVA glue have been painted. Also started rescribing the panel lines and restoring rivets removed in sanding.

The last two weeks or so have been intermittently filled by bending lots of Eduard bits to make the flap set. Quite tricky to assemble and I had to get some 1 mm dia sprue and 0.3 mm wire for it, too.
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Don't look too bad at this stage. Hopefully they'll look even better trimmed, painted and fitted.
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I'm in for that of course. Always good to see a Lanc and I have  special relationship to this area. There are two other great wip here at the moment of this big beast. Maybe you can look there too, if you feel the need of help. For interieur paint I have said this before: I don't know in what colour there were delivered, but it would make no sense to darken it down, when they  fly at 18m height with full spotlights on towards the dam and their flak batteries. So I wouldn't bother too much, if green or black. Both are very good light absorbing colours and for the low level inflight (must be 20m or so , when you can hit an electricity pylon)  from the Netherlands  it wouldn't matter too. You would see and hear them for miles anyway. Cheers

Edited by bbudde
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I am pleased you are building it your way and in the colour scheme you deem appropriate.

Sadly, right or wrong, some modellers think they should be adding all the PE available to enhance the model . .  . I personally try and add what I can.

I very much admire those with the eyesight and skill with the PE fitting that does fill out the cockpit area but its not for me.

 

You don't see many Dambuster versions these days being built so yours will be a nice change. I look forward to your positioning of the spotlights as I believe the rear one was never positively identified as to its true location under the belly of the aircraft ???

Also you may already know, the front section of the fairing for the bomb was hinged similar to the original bomb doors so It would be nice to see some hinges on the front  section !

 

Good luck with build

Ian

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Usually for me as I love boxart wallpapers this one:

wallpaper-2937570.jpg

 

 

This nice art shows them heading straight towards the dam with all lights on under a full moon:

alex-kim-dambuster-wide.jpg?1432555189

 

And a few others:

Lastmomentsmohne.jpg

Dambusters.jpg

 

The%20Dambusters%201980.JPG

 

Hope you like them and don't mind putting them here. Cheers

Edited by bbudde
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22 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

You don't see many Dambuster versions these days being built so yours will be a nice change. I look forward to your positioning of the spotlights as I believe the rear one was never positively identified as to its true location under the belly of the aircraft ??

I think I've worked it out from my references. Looks like it should be central on the face of the rear fairing (pretty much where Tamiya have located it). That's where it's going, anyway!

 

22 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

Also you may already know, the front section of the fairing for the bomb was hinged similar to the original bomb doors so It would be nice to see some hinges on the front  section !

I didn't; but after your note I checked the photos I have and added the panel (which seems to be fitted with three large, quick release pins on each side, rather than hinges about half the distance up from the top of the bomb bay) and added three 0.3 mm dowels to represent the pins/hinges. Thanks for the tip!

2 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

I’ll tag along if I may, seems like you will rocket ahead of me.

 

all the best.

Unlikely - I'm renown for my slow builds and these photos actually span about three months!

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Here I'm too !!

3 Lancasters ! A good year for sure !

and a dambuster one ! Good, pretty good !

You did great on your, once again, I'll be the last to finish :P

Whatever, if there's a slow build contest, I'll be a contender !!

Nice interior too, unless you make a ton's up, weathering should be kept light IMHO.

I'll follow too !

Sincerely.

CC

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2 hours ago, corsaircorp said:

and a dambuster one ! Good, pretty good !

Hello CC.  I was at my former hometown on easter and last Friday was a quite nice day here so we went to the lake Möhne, which lays about 20 km away. The biker season has obviosly started now. Always nice to walk on the dam  looking left and right (what a difference there is from 1m to the water  lakeside to roundabout 50 m to the other one) Sadly I forgot my camera to take some photos, but maybe then in may. Cheers Benedikt

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My wife and I visited there around this time last year. It's impossible now to see where the wall was breached but it was worth the detour from Berlin to Amsterdam to see what a challenge the attack route would have been, particularly at night. An awesome feat by some very brave men - heroes all.

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3 hours ago, Bell209 said:

My wife and I visited there around this time last year. It's impossible now to see where the wall was breached but it was worth the detour from Berlin to Amsterdam

Hello, did you go there by car along the meandering Möhnestraße or by train to Soest and bus to Günne where the dam is?  It's nice to drive along the lake although you have to be careful and concentrated there with all that nasty curves or you might get unwillingly in touch with the water very fast. Did you also drive to Amsterdam the route they flew in from Holland or did you take the motorway?

And yes you can't see where the dam was breached today. Some people say so, but I couldn't see it last Friday and the times before that. It is said that the stones there are a bit darker than the others. Maybe on a very hot summer day, when they are really dry but I doubt that. Too much moss grown.

I found a nice site with two videos of the " Staumauer/Talsperre", but again  I haven't found the hole there:

http://www.owlbilder.de/ausflugsziele/moehnesee

Cheers Benedikt

Edited by bbudde
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Drove there via some of the Möhnestraße - the motorway was a car park! We drove from Berlin to Amsterdam and driving the same route they flew never occurred to me!

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Disaster today. Knocked my wireless speaker off the shelf above the Lancaster and this happened:
 

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Many pieces went out in sympathy, the nav's desk came loose and I couldn't refit it, so I had to split the fuselage again. The radios fell off the desk, too but I've refitted them here.

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I did manage to find almost all of the bits. Took the opportunity to snap a picture of the repair so far:

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I found the last missing window piece while I was regluing the desk into place, so that's a bonus! Had to drive across Adelaide to the LHS to find a better glue than the one I've been using, too. The old Tamiya plastic just doesn't respond well to the Humbrol needle-point glue. The two Tamiya adhesives seem to be doing the job on the repairs so far - they actually melt the plastic prior to joining.

 

Feeling pretty depressed about it but once the glue's dried, I'll rejoin the fuselage halves and press on. The worst part is all the filling and sanding I'm up for - it's my least favourite part of our hobby.

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Ouch!!! Confirms my opinion: Never put anything above your model. But it seems to be fixable, when you found all the broken parts. Blessing in disguise it hit an area which is closed without windows or a turret when finished. Good luck with that. Cheers

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1 hour ago, Bell209 said:

Feeling pretty depressed about it but once the glue's dried, I'll rejoin the fuselage halves and press on. The worst part is all the filling and sanding I'm up for - it's my least favourite part of our hobby.

If it would help I could send you a spare fuselage from an unstarted kit I have wasting away in my garage.:bear:

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16 hours ago, Nachtwulf said:

If it would help I could send you a spare fuselage from an unstarted kit I have wasting away in my garage.:bear:

Very generous of you but I think copious amounts of filler and sanding will see it right. I'm determined to get it back to where it was by next weekend. The only obstacle is drying times (and work)!

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After much filling, sanding, gluing, sanding, cutting, gluing, filling, sanding, etc, etc, etc...
 

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Decided to fit the flap wells while waiting for the fuselage to dry. 
 
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More work on wings and engines this week alongside the tidying up and rescribing of the fuselage.
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Nice repair work on the fuselage- these disasters are sent to improve our build skills- woke up one night to the sound of crashing glass- shelf in display cabinet has given way onto the shelf below with 7 lightnings In various states of carnage.  Visited  the dam back in early 1970s some wag had carved Guy Gibson woz here in the stonework.

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Thanks for scaring me, Johnny! I rechecked and it does fit (the instructions call out the gear after the wings are joined). I'm not fitting the inboard nacelles until after the gear is in, though. There will be a bit of trimming of the holes required as the Eduard etch makes the legs a bit wider. I'm also not keen on the Eduard representation of the fuel cells as they look unlike anything I've seen on any Lancaster wells still existing. Anyone care to give advice on that?

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More progress. 
 

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Still have to tidy up the landing gear with some aluminium areas and resolve what I'm going to do with the representation of the fuel tanks yet. I'm not sure of colour or texture at this stage but I need to make a decision soon!

These are the much-maligned engines required for the B.III (Special):

 

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I reckon I can use these new ones...
 

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...if I put these covers I made from 4 mm aluminium tube over the exhausts:
 

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I also made the spotlights and placed them where my reference photos (just) show them:
 

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Thanks for looking!
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