Les B.

I am researching the viability to building/converting the 1/400th Heller kit of the Colossus class aircraft carrier Arromanches into the Majestic class carrier HMCS Magnificent. I think I am able to purchase the etched brass detailing set from WEM but I am having problems sourcing the appropriate aircraft for this ship, i.e. Hawker Sea Furies, Fairy Fireflies and Siskorski H.55's and Grumman Avengers. in this scale Can anyone help me out here please. Thanks in antication. Les.B

In '61 I was serving with 16 Squadron and for all the time I was with them there were only bombs fitted to the pylons. Mostly with the double ejectors fitted with two 28 lb. bombs. I cannot speak for 88 but whenever I saw those they were the same. HTH. Les.B.

The flaps can be either up or down and all positions in between and not all the flaps in the same positions. The flaps bled down when a/c parked. There are no locks at all for the flaps. HTH. Les.B.

Canberra elevators are non powered and operated via control rods direct from the control column. The elevators are heavily mass balanced and on the ground will adopt an elevator up at the trailing edge position. With elevator ground locks fitted and these are quite large alloy affairs painted red and flagged, fitted mid way along the elevators just outboard of the trim tabs. The T4 had a lock that held the instructors seat in the rear stowed position and this lock I seem to remember was attached to the lower area of the control column. This seems to place the elevators in a different position from neutral with the elevator trailing edge downwards. Rule of thumb then: all marks except T4 without elevator locks fitted then elevators in the up position. HTH. Les.B.

Hi Phreak, If you have the Airfix B2 1/48th kit which also makes into a B6 the just add the 14" extention to the forward fuselage aft of the transport joint and and modify the bomb bay for the lower fuel tank and the flare bay. Make the rest of the aircraft as per box that is a B2 for a PR3 and a B6 for a PR7. The wing integral tanks are already marked on the Airfix wing and do not need any rescribing just the yellow or black markings on completion of your aint job Les.B.

am in the act of producing a PR3 from the Airfix B2 in 1/48th scale. I have manufactured and fitted the 14inch plug and cut out the four camera ports in the forward fuselage. Also have the ports cut out in the rear fuselage. I intend to use the Aeroclub transparencies for the canopy and the nose glazing. I am at present figuring out how to sort the bomb bay out into the lower fuel tank and the photo-flash bay. I can use the existing bomb bay bulkheads but will have think about the rest. The Airfix B2 kit also supplies enough bits for a B6 so therefore a PR7 can be produced in the same way as the PR3. Les.B.

Thanks for that xlpainter. I was at Scampton from 1964 to 1966 with the Vulcan wing. Before that from 1958 worked mostly Canberras and after Scampton it was Chipmunks for a while so the brain is a little slow remembering detail these days. Les.B.

As stated, there is no difference in the Vulcan/Victor main wheels. When both a/c were in service the wheel hubs were silver and I am sure had "creep" marks painted on as I think tubes were still the fashion of the day. Les.B.

The area behind the pilot's seat contained the emergency canopy realease mechanism This contained an actuator connected to linkages to the rear of the canopy. On the ground this actuator was fitted with a ground safety pin with flag. The pilot would remove this pin just prior to getting seated and then show the removed pin to the ground crew. LesB.

Count me in for a Canberra SIG. please. I spent four years with 231 OCU at RAF Bassingbourne on B2's, T4's and PR3's. A further three years with BI.8's and PR7's at RAF Laarbruch. Later a further three years at RAF Akrotiri on TASF servicing all marks of visiting Canberras such as PR.9's through to whatever landed there LesB.

Yes a very good picture above. Please note that as stated under standard conditions normal bomb doors were fitted. In the three years I served with 16 Squadron at Laarbruch (undersides were black in those days), the gun packs were fitted for about three or four weeks in a year. LesB.

I have mounted a Aeroclub seat in the rear position ie. pulled back. A ground lock was fitted sometimes to the seat in this position . The lock attaching to the forward end of the seat pan to the base of the starboard control coloumn. This would give the elevators a downward stance different from the rest of the marks that had the elevators in the full up position without visible locks fitted. I filled and sanded the original glazed nose and the profile seems OK. I drilled out the DV panels in the Airfix canopy as they are elongated and when ready I shall fill with Kristal Klear. I am painting mine in aircraft high speed silver with yellow trainer bands as I was serving on 231 OCU in the late fifties. HTH. LesB.

I got around most of the problems with the kit around the empenage area . I filed and sanded the lower forward fin area to achieve the correct profile there. There is enough plastic here to get away with this. The rudder I filled with filler and sanded back smooth. This works a treat. I added the small "T" piece at the top trailing edge of the rudder with plasticard strip. Somebody mentioned that the rudder looked too wide for the fin in the neutral position so I placed mine in an offset pose. This sorted that problem. As with the rudder I placed a small strip of plasticard to the trailing edge of the port elevator just outboard of the trim tab to replicate the manual lateral trim device. I rescribed the tailplane roots and blended in the tailplanes to remove the stub effect. I drilled and replaced the tail nav light. Probably not perfect but sure looks passable to me. HTH. LesB.

As far as I can remember Dean the end rib of the tailplane was painted black or grey and on some I have seen them a mixer as the painter worked with the elevators insitu. LesB.

Sorry Rick I was in the wrong Mark mode. Yes I agree with you and Andy. I think one can get away with the nav's window but the bomb aimer's side windows are certainly at the wrong angle. When I get around to mine I will reshape and try Krystal Klear. With the new angle it hopefully will make the nav's window more acceptable. The bomb aimer's flat is too small . It is at the correct position but needs to be filed flat back to the rear of the glazing. The whole glazing looks a little on the bulbous side as you point out but I am hoping that once I have flattened the flat it will look better. If not then out with the wet and dry. LesB.

The correct position of the Canberra flying controls whilst the aircraft is parked and with no visible flying control locks fitted is: Elevators are in the fully up position, that is trailing edge up. This includes the PR9. The exception here is that when the seat lock is fitted in the T4 the elevators assume a slightly down attitude. The ailerons in the neutral position both droop two and a half degrees. This is with all marks except the PR9 which has power operated ailerons. The rudder will assume any position and will move with wind direction and strength. HTH LesB.

Seems OK to me Rick. I stuck the glazing on the nose of my B2 then primed over the lot after having used filler on the bomb aimers flat and the pitot tube hole as I am making a T4. With the primer on the nose seems to be of the correct profile. I have also started to cut plastic on my next B2 which I am converting into a PR3. LesB.

Great additions Mike. I managed to hack my forward fin to the correct profile without running out of plastic. Talking of Canberra tailplane flying surfaces, I have been to three shows this year and admired the work achieved by guys with the Airfix Canberras with much work put into them and superb and accurate paint jobs but not one model displayed the correct pose for the elevators and ailerons. Without the gound locks fitted the elevator trailing edges should be fully up and the ailerons should both be drooped two and a half degrees down. HTH LesB.

A point to note on the airbrakes Will is that they were operated by a hydraulic jack rotating a tube to which were attached several bell cranks to the ends of which the airbrake fingers were attached. This means that the upper fingers are further to the rear than the lowers. Also whilst on the ground the ailerons in the neutral position without ground locks fitted both drooped down by two and a half degrees. The elevators without ground locks fitted assumed fully up position. There are three downward ident lights of approx. 5 inch diameter each aft of the nose wheel bay and forward of the bomb bay. (sorry, see you have got those mentioned). There are small manual trim trim tabs fitted to the trailing edge of the ailerons. There is a "T" strip added to the trailing edge of the port elevator outboard of the movable trim tab. Also the "T" piece added to the top of the trailing edge of the rudder. HTH. LesB.

There are two exhaust outlets per engine on the B.2. Will, at around 2'o'clock and 8' o'clock as viewed from the front. The engines are not handed. The B.I.8 has different engines and have triple cartridge starters and have three exhaust outlets per engine. HTH LesB.

I used decal sheet sprayed a creamy white. LesB.

Are these the small panels just aft and upwards of the nose wheel bay Bex? Is not the P.R.9 got the lengthened fuselage of the P.R3/P.R7 therefore the forward camera bay will be in the extra lengthened area. For the P.R.9 Airfix should be producing the lengthened fuselage? Is that right Bex? Les.B.

Great job with those builds Darius. Just one whisper of constructive thoughts. There is no window on the starboard Nav's bay. LesB.

Whilst on the subject of tailplanes Derek, Don't forget that if you are going to model the elevators in the neutral position then you must model the rather prominent elevator locks. If the locks are not fitted then the elevators will assume a full UP position. HTH. LesB.

As they say in the car world jmc, it depends on make, model and year. The first B2's I worked were black in the U/C bays so too were 16 Squadron's B.I.8's when their undersides were black. The T4's I worked were silver as were the PR Blue painted aircraft. The PR 7's of 31 Squadron with silver undersides were also silver. I beleive that later in their lives the bays were painted semi-gloss white as stated in the Aeroguide 7 on the Canberra Mk. 2 and 4. HTH LesB Thanks Bex. LesB.