dadgaddad

I've finally manged to get a bit more done. The exhausts are in and the upper cowl fitted. To be honest, I'm not 100% happy with the exhausts, one side sits a little too far in but it's not that noticeable and I'm not going to get it any better so I'm moving on and leaving it behind. I've also managed to get a bit of filling done with Milliput, mainly along the wing root and around the lower cowl. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish the filling and get a bit of primer on her.

The Stirling was always one of my favourites when I was a boy. I spent ages looking at them in the Airfix catalogue although I can't remember if I actually built one in the end. The display at Telford was very impressive.

You think that's bad? The wings on the Martlet don't even point in the right direction!

Yes, there's still some filling and filing to go before she's done. Originally the fit on the leading edge was fine but not so good elsewhere. This time it's the other way around. I've already sorted the port wing but the starboard needs some work yet.

There, I said it would show up. The other side is done and fitted but I still can't see why there needs to be eight parts here. It's fiddly and hard to work out how it goes together. Not only that but the exhausts have to be fitted before the upper cowl meaning they can't be painted separately and put in afterwards. Seems a bit strange when the rest of the kit is so good. Never mind.

Back from my little trip and back to work. The wings have gone together surprisingly well despite a few little gaps which a bit of filler will cure but once again I think it is better than the first attempt. The wing root still has a bit of a bump but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it and the ailerons which fought me and refused to stay put went on without a hint of their previous bolshie behaviour. Just to make sure I wasn't getting too pleased with myself though, I managed to break off the other cannon but my prior experience had the thing put on again in a jiffy. Surprisingly, the lower cowl is looking a bit rough around the joins so a bit of TLC will be necessary. I have decided to stay with the scheme I was working on at the time of the disaster so I have refitted the slipper tank and replaced the hooks with the PE parts from the kit and it all looks good. I had a bit of a root around and found the missing parts of the exhausts just before I gave in and bought a Brassin set. Now I find the broken stub is missing but apart from that it's all back together and ready to be fitted. It will show up in its own time. No pictures at present but I'll post some later. Cheers all.

Sorry to hear about your paint woes. Whatever you do, don't use white spirit to wash it off. I did and this is what happened. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234990153-a-sad-and-sorry-tale-or-a-comedy-of-errors/ Hope you get it sorted, I'm a big fan of the Gannet.

Have to admit the idea of building a vac form is niggling away in the back of my mind and this looks like a good one. You've done a great job with it.

Can we stop getting distracted with all this talk of modelling and get back on topic?

I've started on the wings and this is going to be the part that makes or breaks this (re) build. The edges have cleaned up nicely so there shouldn't be a problem getting them back together but the paint hasn't come off too well and I'm reluctant to sand down any further and lose more detail. There are some gaps in the wheel wells which a bit of filler should easily sort and I fixed the broken cannon in place and put some more filler around the pin to support it. I'm going away for a few days so I'll crack on with this on my return.

My heavily modified Aria FA 71 that I like to call Big Blondie.

Here's mine. She's a late 80s MIJ Fender which I bought in Sound Control in Edinburgh right at the end of 1989.

Like this perhaps? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7MiEZI9lM

I'm getting the excitement.

Stop it. Stop it now, thank you.

I was thinking more like this, even easier...https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/ED648099

Having a quick look at the exhausts and it's not a pretty sight. Although this is a great kit some of it is a little over engineered and this is probably the worst bit. Each exhaust comes in four parts per side and it takes a fair bit of working out how it goes together as the instructions aren't particularly clear. Then the whole assembly has to be fitted before the upper cowling is put on. So putting it together in the first place was bad enough. Now I am faced with this. Two pieces missing and one broken. I will have to take a good look around and see if the parts can be found. Otherwise it will be out with the Milliput for a skilled and cunning solution (read bodge). There's always the Brassin route of course.

I may have stumbled across a new technique for making better models. Half build it, take it all apart, build it better second time around!

The pit is now installed although I've left the gunsight off for now. Next job is either wings or cowling and exhausts. The cowling and exhausts will be a bit tricky to put back together but the wings, especially the undersides will make or break the rebuild.

I wasn't going to do a WIP for this build but it looks like I've accidently started one so I may as well carry on now. The cockpit is back together and it was a much easier job than I expected. Pretty much anything green, black or silver got another coat. The harness went on without any bother and the wire for the cables which fought me like crazy last time almost fell into place. I'm beginning to think this kit has lost its fight. Anyway, I'm happier with this Mk 2 version than I was with the original. I ended up having to replace two parts in the end, one broken, one lost and the seat has lost a couple of bits but they wouldn't be visible once it's all been zipped up so I'm not going to worry about it. I also gave it a coat of Humbrol Mattcote this time. So this is what she looks like now.

The cockpit has gone back together pretty well, I've repainted some of it but not much, the sidewalls mostly. One part has had to be replaced with new. As usual, it looks much better in real life than in the photos. I can also see the bits I have missed.

Been a big fan of the Stirling ever since I was a boy although I can't remember if I ever built one or not. Will be watching. One bit of advice. Make sure you give it a really good wash down with plenty of white spirit just before you start painting!

Cheers Rob. Glad you could find some amusement in my pain.