Back in the Saddle

I tried a dry-fit of the wings today and noticed a gap between the wing root and the fuselage: Not quite sure how that occurred but it is the same on both sides... I fitted a plastic shim to the fuselage to cover this area: It looks rough but when sanded flush I'm sure it will do the job!

I think I’m at the same stage as you, but I started the day the kit was released! This one zapped my mojo quite a bit (especially those intakes!) but hopefully I’ll get it back on the bench soon…

Progress slowed for a while on this one, due to a family holiday! However the initial priming is now done, revealing a few blemishes to fix: These areas will be filled, sanded and re-scribed, before a final coat of primer. I have also readied the exhausts and tailplane for priming: Two sets of exhausts were in the box, to cater for other versions of the aircraft. I will prime these and the wing when I spray the fuselage.👍

Stunning! 👍

Funnily enough, that was my original plan A when I realised my mistake! I suspect that from my standard viewing distance that will look perfectly acceptable!😁

It is a good solution and I might just do that.👍 When I was checking references it looked as if that area was not glazed, hence slapping the glue on without a care in the world…😬

The fin tip was added (note the damaged probe, which was almost inevitable!): And the canopy masked ready for primer: I realised after gluing the canopy onto the fuselage that the section between the pilot/navigator should have clear windows too. Unfortunately the plastic is fogged, due to over zealous gluing, so I will try to come up with a solution for this later…

I had a bit of a strange experience painting this one with High Speed Silver… I used a bottle from Alclad and despite very thorough mixing beforehand it came out looking mottled, almost a mixture of shiny nmf with patches of dull white: I tried again after mixing the paint even more but with the same result. At this point I changed tactics (and paint!), deciding to spray the model with aluminium instead, which worked far better: Im not sure if it was an issue with the paint or my technique, but I’m happy with the aluminium paint finish, even if it’s not quite authentic. 👍 A few minor blemishes were sanded back and I also attached the inner intake sleeves: These make great handles for subsequent spraying! The outer intakes will be added at the end. The tail was sprayed with gloss red: I need to mask this off, then I can touch up the blemishes on the aluminium. I also need to design some stripy decals…!

Your doing a great job with this old beast!

Quick question (or hopefully confirmation of my research!) - should the intakes on this aircraft be the narrow bore version…? It will be depicted as WH364, which looks like a narrow bore version to me. TIA!

Thanks James. Progress has been sadly lacking for a couple of years (!) but work has resumed again! 😁 Good to be working on it again! 👍 This model has been sat in a cupboard for two years whilst other projects were on the bench. It's essentially built and just requires painting, so I'm taking advantage of the good weather and giving this some attention. Here's the current condition: The airframe was masked and sprayed with primer: Then a base coat of Alclad: High speed silver is next!

Slow steady progress on this one, but not enough to justify regular updates! There are recesses on the side which can be built with the access panels open: However, I choose to build the model with these closed: Similarly, there are panels below the wing (flaps or speed brakes?) which will be built in the closed position. One side is done, the other is being fettled to fit: There is a small hook in the nose gear bay, which needs to align with the doors. The door was taped in place to ensure the hook placement was correct (between the red dots): Not tricky, but not a beginner’s kit either! There are certainly a few challenges along the way… Thanks Jabba. A great example of why this kit is not suitable for a novice! 😁 Thank you! It should all add to the finished model.👍

Very nice! Off to read the build thread now…👍

Great looking model!👍

Excellent model of an unusual aircraft 👍