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  1. Hi, I've been a long-time lurker and liker on here, occasional commenter and epically rare poster. However, I thought it was time to put something back in to the forum and I'm just embarking on the build of a project that I hope you lot find interesting, so I thought I'd start my very first build thread. 😬 I have a long history of making models (50+ years) and have done my stint on the usual polystyrene affairs. I think I must've made 95% of the Airfix range during my youth. However, in the last few years I've found myself drifting toward larger scale multimedia kits and scratch building. Building Hasegawa's Museum Series 1:8 Camel and Fokker DR.I got me into 1:8 scale, and engines in particular. Having scratch-built a couple of Hispano-Suizas (specifically the ones fitted to the SE5a) and a Le Rhone 9C (which I really must finish) I felt it was time to build a 1:8 Merlin. I originally wanted build a Merlin III as I consider this to be the first 'true' Merlin. However, quite a few hours of web research culminated in discovering that those lovely people at the Air Corps Library ( https://app.aircorpslibrary.com/ ) have put almost the complete Packard Merlin drawing set online which you can access for a few pounds each month. There are also quite a few North American P-51C/D drawings there too. I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to scratch build a model using the original manufacturer's drawings and the Merlin III idea was upgraded to a Packard Merlin V1650-7 from the P-51C/D. This engine is very similar to the Rolls-Royce Merlin 68 and 69, and those are regularly referenced on the Packard's General Assembly drawings and Illustrated Parts Manual. In addition to the Packard drawing set, The Smithsonian Museum's website has some excellent pictures of the Packard engine which really clinched the deal as I'm housebound and not able to get out and photograph the things myself. https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/packard-rolls-royce-merlin-v-1650-7-v-12-engine/nasm_A19520106000 As a result of my deficiencies in fashioning plasticard and putty to a level I'm satisfied with I use CAD and 3D printing for a lot of my modelling work, either to produce the parts directly, or to produce mould masters for resin casting activities. Therefore the first thing required to produce the Merlin will be a detailed CAD model. This an activity likely to take quite a few months and I have doubts about the level of interest such a thread would attract, though I've been enjoying the Westland Scout thread on here quite a lot, so maybe I'm wrong. Whatever, in true Blue Peter fashion, here's one I prepared earlier. The model has been drawn as the engine might look if it'd not long been removed from an aircraft. It's not strictly how Packard would've delivered it. The original engines came without exhausts fitted, no generator and the coolant inlet pipe missing for a start. These were all furnished by North American when building the aircraft and I wanted them on for the full Merlin look. I can go into the process of how the CAD files are converted into bits of hard plastic if people are interested. Explaining how I produced the CAD model isn't going to happen. I don't know how to explain it succinctly. The short form is that the CAD program (AutoCAD and Fusion 360) throws out an STL 3D file which then goes into a 'slicer' program. That converts the STL file into a form acceptable to your particular 3D printer and adds the various supports required to hold the model while it prints. I use the freebie version of Chitubox for this because: a) I'm a tightwad. b) It does everything I want, and the whizzy features of the paid-up version aren't enough to prise the hard earned pennies from my grasping fingers. This is what the preview of the print looks like on the Chitubox screen. I shall be running this print over night tonight as it'll take about 14 hours to complete*. There will be 8 more print runs required to finish all the parts required for the model. I hate to think how many hours that will take, I'll let you know how it goes... * For those interested in 3D printing, I'm printing it on a Phrozen Sonic Mighty 12k with 20um layer height and using Phrozen's Aqua Grey 8k resin. The lateral resolution of the 12k is 19um x 24um IIRC.
  2. Ok, as I mentioned in the intro to my FB.5 build in this GB, I bought and built just about all the Airfix and Revell WWI kits when they came out, but nearly all were single seat fighters. There were large gaps, particularly in terms of German aircraft such as the B and C types of two seaters. Airfix did include a Roland and Hannover but they were the exception, so in the late 1980's through to the early 1990's I decided to try and fill the gap. I bought a batch, mostly vac form from Joystick and Classic Plane, but with the odd Rareplane thrown in such as Albatos, AEG, DFW, and LVG C types and a Halberstadt CL. Unfortunately the idea of fabricating and rigging them put me off and I ended up giving them away, but I did also buy 3 Merlin injection moulded kits - a bit crude but in theory easier to build than the vac forms. However as you can see from the pic of my Merlin FB.5 I did not get very far! When I was digging that kit out I stumbled across the remains of another - I had glued together most of the plastic plus a few of the white metal bits. I have Aeroclub guns, wheels, prop and a few other bits so all it needs is the struts between the wings, an undercarriage and rigging, and Adrian has kindly said I can include it in the GB. I am going to have to face up to the problems if I have any chance of building the FB.5 so I thought I would have a test run on this to find out what techniques (if any) work!😄 It may even get finished. The kit came with some of the required white metal pieces and I stocked up with a load of Aeroclub stuff for this and the vacforms, so that will simplify matters. I also have both Contrail and Aeroclub strutting which is a bit better than the thin and bent stuff that came with the kit. It also has a couple of optional parts - the small "comma" type tail and rudder and the rounded nose are supposed to be for the C.III version, but I am doing a C.IV with a bigger tail. According to my sources the early production C.IV had a flatter nose and a prop with a spinner, but late production reverted back to the rounder nose and no spinner - apparently it made it very slightly faster and the spinner had been a source of problems as it was prone to disintegrate and wreck the prop! I am going with the flat nose and spinner anyway. The Rumplers were considered to be amongst the best of the German 2 seaters I have read - pretty fast and capable of a high enough altitude to make interception difficult. It seems that this was at least in part due to their light construction - in fact it may have been a little too light initially as it had to be reinforced after complaints. In their Putnam book on German Aircraft of WWI, Gray and Thetford say that the 260 hp Mercedes 6 cylinder inline engine gave it a maximum speed of 106.9moh at 1640ft and 100mph at 16400ft, with a ceiling of 21000ft and that above 15000ft few Allied planes could catch it. According to the Windsock book Rumpler built at least 500 C.IV, probably more as the records are a bit vague as to which type was being built, and both Bayru and Pfalz built another 650 between them though many of those built by Pfalz were trainers. First entering service in 1917, peak front line strength was 257 in August of that year and it continued in service until the end of the war. Pete
  3. As per my Apache, I am probably over reaching, particularly with this build as it looks fairly complex - with the BoB GB nearly apon us and lots planned for that, I thought about putting this back into the cupboard....but then I thought, when would it ever be built! So I will try to get this done, along with the Apache. I have not built a Helo since I was a kid, but did spend a lot of time in them in the time since! My unit was part of the trooping trials and training when they first came into service, the Crab Loadies were flapping that the keen but stupid Paratroopers would pile off the ramp, turn right and splat ourselves into the tail rota!!😂 Picture more recent but you get the idea.... ZJ138 came to a sad end, had a problem and landed heavily at Camp Bastion, only to be dragged off by our American cousins....who damaged it beyond repair... http://www.ukserials.com/losses-2010.htm The Merlins were transferred to the RN after the SDR decided it was the best option to replace the Sea King Junglies....RAF bought some more Chinook. Have to say I really liked the Merlin, was the Rolls Royce of the SH fleet at the time.... Now the Royal Navy Guardforce (aka Royal Marine Commandos) will have them to play with along with their new sexy uniforms in their latest re branding exercise!
  4. This is one I built earlier this year, but it became somewhat side-lined whilst I built my Ukrainian MiG-29 and Mi-17. Having converted my previous Italeri Merlin HAS.1 into an HM.2 with Crowsnest ASACS/AEW fit, it seemed a good idea to build a replacement. This is the Revell issue, with all of the crucial parts that were missing from the initial Italeri kit (weapons, mirrors, and various lumps and bumps). As the other kit has the port crew door open, I wanted this one to have the main starboard door open, which required some scratch building of the rather bare rear cockpit. I added a lot inside, and although not entirely right, you have to peer in the door to see it, and IMHO its a good effort. Cabin interior (not quite finished when I took this): Cabin side lining/insulation from embossed silver foil: The kit comes with the grey tiger stripe decals for 814 Sqn's display aircraft, but disappointingly the stripes are not dark enough. Photos show them in various states of low or high contrast over the life of the aircraft, but I may yet decide to overpaint them in a darker grey. I took a slightly different timescale too, adding the 814 Tiger motif to the nose (from a Model Art sheet) for approximately the period when the aircraft deployed ashore from HMS ILLUSTRIOUS to Yeovilton to provide security for the 2012 Olympics. I now have 2 blade sets, one folded, one spread: Obviously, the training variant torpedoes were not relevant for this task, but I was determined to add weapons. Although you can't see it in the pictures, the Sting Rays have had their under fuselage cables attached. This is the 4th one of these Italeri/Revell kits I have built and I think I now understand its many idiosyncracies enough to try a fully up to date HM.2 in due course, preferably with HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH on its nose ! With the Crowsnest HM.2: And with the rest of the gang: FredT
  5. Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIA LR ‘Long Range’ (KPM0305) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov The Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain alongside the Hurricane and a few other less well-known players, and it’s an aircraft with an amazing reputation that started as a bit of a damp squib in the shape of the Supermarine Type 224. This gull-winged oddity was the grandfather of the Spitfire, and despite losing out to the biplane Gloster Gladiator, designer R J Mitchell was spurred on to go back to the drawing board and create a more modern, technologically advanced and therefore risky design. This was the Type 300, and it was an all-metal construction with an incredibly thin elliptical wing that became legendary, although it didn’t leave much space for fuel, a situation that was further worsened by the Air Ministry’s insistence that four .303 machine guns were to be installed in each wing, rather than the three originally envisaged. It was a very well-sorted aircraft from the outset, so quickly entered service with the RAF in 1938 in small numbers. With the clouds of war building, the Ministry issued more orders and it became a battle to manufacture enough to fulfil demand in time for the outbreak and early days of war from September 1939 onwards. By then, the restrictive straight sided canopy had been replaced by a “blown” hood to give the pilot more visibility, although a few with the old canopy lingered on for a while. The title Mk.Ia was given retrospectively to differentiate between the cannon-winged Mk.Ib that was instigated after the .303s were found somewhat lacking compared to the 20mm cannon armament of their main opposition at the time, the Bf.109. As is usual in wartime, the designers could never rest on their laurels with an airframe like the Spitfire, as it had significant potential for development, a process that lasted throughout the whole of WWII, and included many changes to the Merlin engine, then the installation of the more powerful Griffon engine, as well as the removal of the spine of the fuselage and creation of a bubble canopy to improve the pilot’s situational awareness. Its immediate successor was the Mk.II that had a better Merlin engine and higher octane fuel to give it a healthy boost in performance. The IIa was armed identically to the Mk.Ia with four .303s in each wing, while the IIb carried the two 20mm cannons of the Ib and two .303s in each of the wings. A small number of Mk.IIBs were fitted with a fixed 40 gal fuel tank which was fitted under the port wing, slowing its maximum speed by around 26mph when full, but allowing them to accompany bombers all the way to Berlin. The Mk.II was followed by the Mk.V that had yet another more powerful Merlin fitted, which returned the fright of the earlier marks’ first encounters with Fw.190s by a similar increase in performance from an outwardly almost identical Spitfire. The Kit This variant of the beloved Spitfire is a reboxing with additional parts of the 2016 tooling, and arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of the subject on the front and the decal options on the rear. Inside are three sprues in grey styrene, a tiny clear sprue, two decal sheets and the instruction booklet, which is also suitable for the Mk.Va. Looking inside, the sprues are very nicely detailed with two sets of wings that have different gun port layouts and fairings on the topsides, so care will need to be taken when snipping them from the sprues. The interior is similarly well detailed, with raised and engraved detail on the sidewalls and instrument panel, plus the typical ladder of strengthening ribbing on the roof of the gear bays, which is moulded into the underside of the upper wings. Construction begins with the cockpit, with a decal provided to apply over the black panel to enhance the details, the control column, red-brown Bakelite seat, the seat frame with an armoured panel between the seat and its frame. This is attached to the floor section and the stick and seat join them along with the instrument panel where the rudder pedals pass through the footwell cut-out. The completed cockpit is glued into the starboard fuselage half, and the two exhaust slots are backed by some styrene sheet from your own stock, with a drawing of a template given to assist you with this. If you have some 3.5mm wide strip to hand already, you’re half way there already. The fuselage is then closed up and the clear gunsight is fitted to the top of the panel, preferably after you’ve finished with the fuselage seams. The lower wing is full-width as you’d imagine, and is detailed with the oil cooler and radiator fairing that has textured front and rear radiator surfaces, plus a pair of teardrop shaped blisters outboard of the gear bays, which also has the narrow tunnel that accommodates the gear strut when retracted. The upper wing halves are glued over the lower, and once dry it is joined to the fuselage, the elevators and rudder are fixed to the tail, and the chin insert is added to the front, followed by the two-part chin intake, exhausts, and tail-wheel with moulded-in strut. The landing gear is simple and made from a single strut, captive bay door and single part wheel on each side. The prop is moulded as a single three-blade part that is trapped between the front and rear spinner, the latter having a rod moulded into the rear to insert into the front of the fuselage. The canopy is a single-part, and has a rear-view mirror fitted to the top of the windscreen, and an antenna just behind the cockpit. The back page of the instructions shows the location of the aerials and all the stencils, including the flare-port on the side of the canopy. The long-range fuel tank is covered on a separate slip of paper, as it is simply a case of gluing the two halves together and once you’ve dealt with the seams, fixing it to the wing in the indicated position, which is bright red, so hard to miss. You’ll notice from the box painting that the forward section that projects forward of the wing’s leading-edge is camouflaged, but notice that the third decal option is at a different angle to the others. Markings There are three options on the main decal sheet, while the separate sheet contains all the stencils, which is good to see at this scale. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are decal seatbelts on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion A well-detailed replica of Britain’s favourite fighter from WWII with an unusual twist that is the long-range tank. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  6. Hello! This is my final build until August 10 because I'm going on holiday! Despite the nastiness of this kit I managed to finish it in twelve days and I'm quite happy with it. Without further delay here she is. And here she is next to my 1:72 Junglie ZA314, they look very good next to each other even if one is RAF and the other RN. I hope you enjoyed looking at these photos! WIP thread:
  7. Spitfire Mk.Vb Late ProfiPACK (82156) 1:48 Eduard The Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain along with the Hurricane and a few other less well-known players, and it’s an aircraft with an amazing reputation that started as a bit of a damp squib in the shape of the Supermarine Type 224. This gull-winged oddity was the grandfather of the Spitfire, and despite losing out to the biplane Gloster Gladiator, designer R J Mitchell was spurred on to go back to the drawing board and create a more modern, technologically advanced and therefore risky design. This was the Type 300, and it was an all-metal construction with an incredibly thin elliptical wing that became legendary, although it didn’t leave much space for fuel, a situation that was further worsened by the Air Ministry’s insistence that four .303 machine guns were to be installed in each wing, rather than the three originally envisaged. It was a very well-sorted aircraft from the outset, so quickly entered service with the RAF in 1938 in small numbers. With the clouds of war building, the Ministry issued more orders and it became a battle to manufacture enough to fulfil demand in time for the outbreak and early days of war from September 1939 onwards. By then, the restrictive straight sided canopy had been replaced by a “blown” hood to give the pilot more visibility, although a few with the old canopy still lingered for a while. The title Mk.Ia was given retrospectively to differentiate between the cannon-winged Mk.Ib that was instigated after the .303s were found somewhat lacking compared to the 20mm cannon armament of their main opposition at the time, the Bf.109. As is usual in wartime, the designers could never rest on their laurels with an airframe like the Spitfire, as it had significant potential for development, a process that lasted throughout the whole of WWII, and included many changes to the Merlin engine, then the installation of the more powerful Griffon engine, as well as the removal of the spine of the fuselage and creation of a bubble canopy to improve the pilot’s situational awareness. Its immediate successor was the Mk.II that had a better Merlin engine and higher octane fuel to give it a healthy boost in performance. The IIa was armed identically to the Mk.Ia with four .303s in each wing, while the IIb carried the two 20mm cannons of the Ib and two .303s in each of the wings. It was followed by the Mk.V that had yet another more powerful Merlin fitted, which returned the fright of the earlier marks’ first encounters with Fw.190s by a similar increase in performance from an outwardly almost identical Spitfire. The Kit This is a reboxing with additional parts of a recent tool from Eduard that has been released earlier, following on from their other later marks of the Spit in their usual manner, providing us modellers with a wide selection of types and sub-variants as they proceed through their launch schedule. This ProfiPACK depicts the late Mk.Vb, the letter B referring to the type of wing fitted to the airframe that was engineered to accommodate a pair of 20mm cannons within the area previously occupied by four .303 machine guns in earlier versions. This is a thoroughly modern tooling with immense detail squeezed into every part, and for the inveterate upgraders, the kits are moulded with that in mind, to be augmented by a raft of super-detailed resin and brass sets from Eduard themselves, which benefit from concurrent launch and excellent fit. The outer skin has been fully riveted with fine lines of rivets everywhere, plus different widths of engraved panel lines, fasteners on cowling panels, and even some lapped panels such as the fuel tank in front of the canopy. It arrives in Eduard’s ProfiPACK box featuring a gold banner, with five sprues in their grey/blue styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) that is nickel-plated and pre-painted, a sheet of pre-cut kabuki masking material (not pictured – they’re impossible to photograph well), a large decal sheet with separate stencil sheet, and the glossy instruction booklet with painting guide at the rear in full colour. It is nearly identical in terms of sprues to the earlier boxing that we reviewed, and the differences between the versions are fairly small, but you use alternative parts on the sprues for the cannons and for some decal options, plus the decals themselves. Construction begins with the cockpit, which will probably be familiar to most, although there is a huge amount of detail when it’s done the Eduard way. It is built up on the starboard sidewall insert, with equipment, controls and a choice of seat-carrying fuselage frames depending on which decal option you have chosen. The seat is next, having the flare rack at the front added from PE, as well as some nice painted PE seatbelts and rear armour. The control column is also made up, and has a PE trigger added before it and the flight control box (more of a tangle, really) are joined to the seat and inserted in the next two fuselage frames forward. The next frame forward holds the instrument panel, which can be made from plastic with decals, or the more realistic and detailed lamination of PE parts with those lovely glossy dial faces on a separate backing plate, either of which then glue to the frame, with the gunsight at the top of the panel, and the compass just below, then the rudder pedals are outfitted with PE straps, before being put just inside the footwell below the panel. Forward of that frame is a blanking plate that is glued in place along with the spinner back during the fuselage closure procedure. The socket for the tail wheel and the leading edge of the wing fairing are also glued in, with a 1mm hole drilled in the port side. The canopy will require small parts of the sidewalls removing to accommodate the appropriate glazing, so make sure you cut those parts off too. They slip in a mention of a panel line on the very front of the nose that you need to fill in, so don’t forget that one, as it’s called out with a line and the word “fill” during the attachment to the wings later on that is easy to miss, but you might want to deal with that while sorting the fuselage seams. The lower wing is a single part that stretches as far as the clipped wingtip would be, and there are two pairs of small holes that need drilling out on both undersides before you go any further. A long wing spar bridges the gap between the wheel bay cut-outs, then the rest of the bay walls are made out of short sections and just the two outer wing-gun barrels per side are dropped into their slots ready for closing up, then placing the fuselage into the gap and gluing it home. The empennage is next, with separate elevator fins and flying surfaces, plus the rudder and its control link. Back to the wings, and the elliptical tips or clipped alternatives (depending on your decal choice) are slid into place along with the ailerons, the latter you can pose deflected if you wish. Staying with the wing, the model is flipped over, and the radiator, oil cooler and chin intake with fairing are all added in, the radiator and oil cooler both having PE mesh inserts, L-shaped feeder pipes at the rear, and a flap with two actuators for open and closed positions. The narrow track landing gear has replacement PE details fixed to the leg after removing the plastic representation, and these then have the captive doors attached to the rear, and wheels made up from a tyre and two hub parts, with a split yoke and wheel for the tail, which slots into the socket buried in the fuselage earlier. The 20mm cannon parts simply slide into their sockets in the leading edge of the wings, with nice muzzle detail moulded-in. The canopy has a choice of PE or styrene rear-view mirror on the windscreen, and a choice of open or closed canopies with a PE pull-handle in the top. The fixed rear glazing is fitted first for the open option, but is moulded into the closed canopy for better fit on a closed up cockpit. The locations for the masks are shown in a diagram at the end of the instructions, using liquid mask for highly curved areas of the blown canopy, and it’s worth noting here that the masks cover BOTH sides of the glazing, usually called Tface when sold separately. The cockpit door can be mounted open or closed, then the aerial is glued to the rear of the canopy on a base, two small holes are opened up on the upper wing for the PE landing gear markers, with a fuel filler cap on the cowling in front of the windscreen. The exhaust stacks have been moulded carefully to give hollow tips with a choice of two styles, and the prop is a single part, covered front and back by the two-part stubby or pointed spinner, with the peg on the rear sliding into the front of the fuselage. The final steps show two aerial wires from the fuselage sides to the elevators, which you will need to provide from your own toolbox. Markings There are a generous six marking options from the box, including Ocean Grey and Dark Green camo with various personalisations, plus one in dark blue and grey/green mixture that you must mix yourself from two Gunze shades, the numbers for which are provided. From the box you can build one of the following: EP120 S/Ldr Geoffrey W Northcott, Co of 402 Sqn. RCAF, RAF Merston, Jun-Nov 1943 AB276 F/Lt Václav Hájek, 313 (Czechoslovak) Sqn., RAF Hornchurch, Jan-Jun 1942 AB184 Sgt. Olav Dionne, 332 (Norwegian) Sqn., RAF North Weald, Aug 1942 EN794, S/Ldr Yvan du Monceau de Bergendal, 350 (Belgian) Sqn., RAF Redhill, Jul-Dec 1942 AA853 W/Cdr Stefan Witorzenc, 1 Polish Fighter Wing, RAF Heston, early Jul 1942 EP829 S/Ldr John J Lynch, 249 Sqn., RAF Krendi, Malta, Apr-May 1943 The decals are printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencils are on a separate sheet, and are marked on a page of the booklet, separate from the rest of the markings to avoid confusion from trying to read overly busy diagrams. Don’t forget that as of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view. Conclusion There are always some moans about "yet another" Spitfire model, but other people’s kits don’t make money for Eduard, and they do it their own unique (and impressive) way. They’ve done a great job of these earlier Merlin-powered marks, and the detail is excellent from the box, with nothing else needed to create a great replica other than paint and glue, a little bit of fine wire or line for the aerials, and some of your own hard work. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  8. Not sure if this has been done before? A group build of anything that is powered by the Legendary Rolls Royce Merlin, (or license-built Merlin by Packard, or the land based Meteor variant). so production-wise wikipedia tells me that’s… Packard: Avro Lancaster B.III/B.X Bell XP-63 Kingcobra Curtiss P-40F/L/Kittyhawk Mk.II Curtiss P-60 de Havilland Mosquito B.VII/B.25 Hawker Hurricane Mk.X, XI, XII North American P-51 Mustang North American F-82 Twin Mustang Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVI Rolls Royce: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Avro Athena Avro Lancaster Avro Lancastrian Avro Lincoln Avro Manchester III Avro Tudor Avro York Boulton Paul Balliol and Sea Balliol Boulton Paul Defiant Bristol Beaufighter II CAC CA-18 Mark 23 Mustang Canadair North Star CASA 2.111B and D Cierva Air Horse de Havilland Mosquito de Havilland Hornet Fairey Barracuda Fairey Battle Fairey Fulmar Fairey P.4/34 Fiat G.59 Handley Page Halifax Handley Page Halton Hawker Hart (Test bed) Hawker Henley Hawker Horsley (Test bed) Hawker Hotspur Hawker Hurricane and Sea Hurricane Hispano Aviación HA-1112 I.Ae. 30 Ñancú Miles M.20 North American Mustang Mk X Renard R.38 Short Sturgeon Supermarine Type 322 Supermarine Seafire Supermarine Spitfire Tsunami Racer Vickers F.7/41 Vickers Wellington Mk II and Mk VI Vickers Windsor Westland Welkin and the meteor: Cromwell Challenger Avenger, Comet Centurion Charioteer Tortoise experimental assault tank. Caernarvon, Conqueror tank (and of course any real life application not listed above - if someone has a merlin shoehorned into a car chassis sure, if it exists) (but no whatifs) you can also choose to build a model of just the powerplant itself. What’s not to love about that lot?! 😎 any takers for this one? 1 @Dansk 2 @Colin W 3 @PhantomBigStu 4 @Bonhoff 5 @Black Knight 6 @TEMPESTMK5 7 @vppelt68 8 @zebra 9 @2996 Victor 10 @franky boy 11 @Andwil 12 @theplasticsurgeon 13 @Marklo 14 @TonyOD 15 @Corsairfoxfouruncle 16 @stevehnz 17 @Jabba
  9. I thought I had finished with this GB but as part of a kit swop with Pat @JOCKNEY this arrived today! I had assumed it would be one of their usual somewhat basic short run injection moulded kits but as you can see it is white metal so perfect for this GB. It is intended to be one of the ones used by the RAF in the Middle East in the inter war period, but they were still in use during the early stages of the war and some even were painted in the Caunter scheme - I will decide how to finish it later as I need to crack on with it. The instructions suggest using 5 minute epoxy glue but go on to say "if you have lightning reactions you might be able to use superglue"! The figures are two aircrew and three mechanics, two of which are meant to be "swinging" a prop whilst the other is meant to carry a can of petrol/oil. This will be interesting as the mouldings are not brilliant, particularly the wheels so there will no doubt be quite a bit of bad language involved and copious amounts of filler! Cheers Pete
  10. Greetings one and all, its time to kick off the next project and this one will be a big un, ooh errr misses. With the Seahawk Smoker in the final throws of completion it was time to dig out the next project. Here I present the great Airfix 1:48 EH101 Merlin Mk3! Only its not going to be a Merlin Mk3, not even a Merlin, infact technically not even a EH101 or AW101 which ever they call it nowadays. I’m going to try and emulate Canadas very own modern Yellow Peril, the CH149 Cormorant! So a bit of back story, I moved to Nova Scotia in 2012 with a Merlin Mk1 background and started work on the CH149 depth maintenance line here in Halifax Airport. This was the first run through for third line Cormorant work and it was thoroughly enjoyable starting on this project. During the last 9 years Ive spent about half my time on CH149 the rest on CP140, now I find myself in Asset Management for the CH149 controlling all the whirly, noisy stuff that make her fly from the comfort (!?!) of my office. So seeing the aircraft nearly every day, I always look at minute details thinking how to replicate them in a kit. I unfortunately missed the initial release of the Merlin however I did have a go at an Italeri 1:72 version which involved a lot of work and turned out not too bad in the end, you can see that build from a few years ago here Linky But it has burned me that I don’t have the 1:48 version so before Christmas I started a big search for a reasonably priced kit and found one on HLJ.com. I didn’t even think they would have it in stock! So I ordered it and waited to see what the postage costs would be. The shipping costs worked out just 5 bucks cheaper than the actual kit!!!! But I though screw it and indulged myself, whats a 95% rise in costs? Just don’t let SWMBO know! The kit only took 3 days to arrive in Halifax from Japan ….. then another 3 days to travel the 20 Kms to my house! but still pretty pronto! I also managed to get a conversion set from Belcher Bits, he had just received a second run so timing was perfect. That was it everything I need to convert this helo. Oh and a shed ton of plastic card, rod, tube and various other bits and bobs to do it. Luckily I do have a great reference material as the real aircraft is only a short walk away and I have access to all the tech info I need (although the latter is surprising inaccurate for model making!). Unfortunately it isn’t something I can share with every one! This will be a long term build as every part of the kit I look at needs some work, that’s the peril of knowing the subject well, sometimes you just get dragged down an endless warren. Another kicker to get this going was only just the other night, 4 Cormorants were scrambled to assist a Trawler in the Atlantic. The weather was atrocious and the aircraft were operating at the edge of their limits. When I returned to work next morning, the 4 aircraft were red (unserviceable), one had to cut both rescue hoist wires and another was stuck in Yarmouth after a hydraulic failure. But with the aid of the US Coastguard all 31 souls onboard were saved, the fishing boat sank several hours later. Theres a link to the story here: Rescue link The video shows the conditions and just how tricky the rescue was. So in honour of the Cormorant SAR crews here is my interpretation of Canadas finest. First up the boxtop And the sprues And finally the clear and detached parts, clear parts are nice and clear ..... which is why they are hard to see in this picture 😁 And also the Belcher Bits conversion The resin parts are really well done and have some lovely detail on them. Theres going to be alot of cutting, bodging together and scratch building on this so please dont expect an update every 10 minutes 😄. More to follow so stay tuned! Stay safe and have a great weekend! Bob
  11. In early 2013 Airfix released a 1/48th Augusta Westland Merlin HC.3 kit - ref. A14101 Source: https://www.airfix.com/uk-en/agustawestland-merlin-hc3-1-48.html Mike's review is here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234933319-augustawestland-merlin-hc3-148-airfix/ And there's another thread here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234927625-merlin-boxart-on-airfixcom/ V.P.
  12. Rightio, I have started a new project, which i have called (on other platforms) ASW Then vs now. i started this project about a week and a half ago, but i have had a little break As a fan of prototype/pre-production helis, i have decided to go with the pre-production Wessex and Merlin, the Wessex being the first Westland Helicopter to be solely designed to be an Anti-Submarine Helicopter, and the Merlin being the latest These are the kits i am using: As far as i can see, the Wessex is practically is the same as the production variant, and so i won't bother doing any scratch building for it. Doing PP5, well that a different story, it would have needed a slight conversion if i was gonna do the earlier or later look, the latter looking more like a production Merlin HMA.1..... so i decided to be mean to my self and take the harder one, and well, the Whirlwind conversion was hard, this will be pushing my limits. This is how i will be depicting ZF649 (PP5) This is a production HMA.1(what the kit is) I do need to do quite a big conversion; i need to do a fair bit of a redesign to the tail aft the fold, make a symmetrical tail plane, sand down the side of the sponsons and cut away at the sides to make it seem like the float bags aren't in place, remove the front float bags, remove the lower rear cockpit window... and possibly more. I have started most of the main bits of conversion before even considering 'starting' the kit if you will. I have sorted out the tail, started the tail plane and sponsons and removed the window As for the interior for both, The Wessex doesn't have one, and the cockpit is just seats. None of the instruments are there, but I'm really not sure if i can be bothered to do any work to the cockpit. The Merlin i am just keeping the same, I'm not sure what the interior of PP5 looked like, so i would rather it look full than empty
  13. As someone who made many models as a teenager and then gave up the hobby due to life getting in the way, I have recently started to make a few kits. The quality has moved on significantly from the 70’s and 80’s which is great. Having made a couple of kits that I thought were ok, I decided to go public with this build. I know it will be a long way from some fantastic examples that I see on Britmodeller but I’m genuinely hoping for some constructive criticism, help and advice to improve. Having a few issues with the first photos... URL=http://imgbox.com/cho90qzv
  14. Hi everyone This is my Revell 1/72 EH-101 Merlin HM.1 representing the aircraft ZH860. The Kit had incredibly good detail, it had raised rivets along the sides of the aircraft but not the top or bottom. The fit was very good and required minimal filling and sanding. I drilled small holes into the stairs (if that is what they are called) at the side to try copy how it looked in pictures. The decals where good and conformed well to the surface detail. For weathering, I used panel liner to make the rivets more visible and oil paint to add small oil leaks and exhaust stains. I also used it look like it had been at sea for a while. Thanks for looking
  15. This is my entry, tried to contact the Mods about eligibility and so far had no responce so I will post away and if it isn't a goer one of them can delete the thread. I had started this after the GB started but realised I could have entered it. As it is basically a Merlin I figured it would fit the bill of being constructed in Britain. So the build has progressed from my first request but I will start from the beginning. The build will be basically OOB with a few minor alterations (if I can be bothered). The CH-129 kit does not truly reflect the real thing. first thing was to add an extra axle to the main gear, I will use some wheel from the spares box for the new axles. I got some paint on some seats and rotor blades I started the fuselage assembly as well, Italeri missed the forward observation windows and I will not bother to add them since I don't have anything similar to plonk in the holes. Seats installed in the cockpit and fuselage half. again the interior is not per the real thing, there are stretcher mounting points and some sort of control station down back that I will not worry about. That's all for now.
  16. Hello Chaps, This is my attempt at converting the Revell 1/72 Merlin Mk.1 kit into a Merlin Mk.2. If you've got this far, thanks for looking - I know helicopters aren't as popular as Spitfires and the like, but I'm not very experienced at this and it took me ages, so thank you for having a gander! The main little tweaks to convert include positioning a third pitot tube on the LHS of the nose, another circular aerial on the top of the tail rotor drive shaft, the two homing aerials on each side of the nose wheel bay, the little black protrusion just behind the RHS of the cockpit and a couple of other things on the aircraft's underside. Some of the original instructions were incorrect for a Mk.1 or Mk.2 (such as the window for the cargo door) and some of the decals. The main rotor head folding mechanism was truly, truly awful and resulted in me having to drizzle superglue carefully into the rotor head. The folding tail boom is very loose, so needed magnets fitting to secure it. If anybody has any queries, please do shout out. If you've ever been subjected to a kit which requires over 200 decals within millimetres of each other, please give me a sympathy thumbs up vote! Thanks again for browsing! Here's the build thread:
  17. Hello Guys, I've just started with a Revell Merlin HMA1 kit which I intend to convert to a Merlin Mk2 - externally, anyway, at least. I've added a couple of pilots from an old Puma kit and made a very simple pistol and cartridge stowage, first aid kit and fire extinguisher for the cockpit. Very early days but here it is so far:
  18. Chaps, Would anyone happen to know what grey the current Merlin HMA.2s are painted in FAA service? I am after a good acrylic spray-able paint in perhaps the Gunze/Mr Color or Tamiya ranges but want to make sure it's the right one. Cheers for any help. Andy
  19. Having been lucky enough to see the Norwegian AW101s training in Cornwall during the last 3 weeks I was delighted to see the contents of the impending Xtradecal set https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/X72279 Here are a few of the Helicopters featured in the sheet that I've been able to catch in Cornwall in recent years: ZZ102 ZZ101 ZR342 Xtradecal have ZR337 as the UK serial for the Nigerian, but only ZR344 and ZR345 wore these colours. ZR344 (NAF280) ZR345 (NAF281) ZR343 ZR331 ZJ125
  20. Hello, I have a simple question regarding exhaust pipes (both fish-tail and round), on long-nose Merlin spits (VII/VIII/IX/XVI). Were exhaust pipes from these "Long-nose Merlins" identical to Mk.XII, Mk.XIV, or maybe even both of these Griffon variants? Aleksandar
  21. Inside the front cover of May 17 Flypast there's an ad from BAIV (of Holland) selling Meteors (RR tank engines, not the plane). Apparently refurbished for MOD for the Gulf War but over all too quick to be used. The ad suggests these could be used for Merlins. I know that the Meteor was derived from the Merlin by RR, and at one time there was a ground running one in a Spitfire (replica?), but surely not much could be used on a flying aircraft? I can't imagine there's much actual commonality in parts, as I assume a tank engine can be made from any old steel or whatever, rather than certified materials for each and every component, nor would a tank engine run the same compression ratios and so forth, leaving aside the supercharging , dual ignition systems that I can't imagine were necessary to slug through the North German plains in the Cold War! In their blog it says "Note: this Engine can also be an ideal and relatively cheap basis for rebuilding your Rolls Royce Merlin aero engine!" http://www.baiv.nl/blog/2017/02/09/limited-quantity-meteor-mk-ivb-engines-available-factory-overhauled-power-pack-with-accessories/ Yours Doubtfully Cheers Will
  22. Mosquito FB.VI Engines (632090 for Tamiya) 1:32 Eduard Big Sin Tamiya's big Mossie is an awesome kit, and these new resin engines should take that awesomeness up a notch, as Eduard's use of 3D printing technology is by now legendary, as is their casting skill which IMHO is second to none. This set arrives in a large flat box due to scale and contents, and has a weighty feel that gives a clue to what's inside. Underneath the large instruction booklet and a layer of bubble wrap are nine bags of resin parts, and one containing two frets of Photo-Etch (PE), with a grand total of 180 resin parts!!!! Some of them are tiny, but there are a substantial number of large parts, and the work that has gone into the design and casting must have been phenomenal. Before you start you will need some lengths of wire of 0.3mm, 0.4mm, 0.5mm, 0.8mm and 1mm diameters to be able to do this set justice, so pick up either some lead fly-tying wire from an angling shop, or florist's wire and follow the instructions carefully. There are 21 steps in all, beginning with the cylinder heads and blocks with their electrical connections to the spark plugs, followed by the supercharger and ancillary equipment that sits on one end of the engines. The engine's crankcase is then built up with its own ancillary equipment, and the piston banks are added into keyed recesses, as are the supercharger to the rear and the reduction gear housing at the front. Between the two banks of 6 pistons form a V-shape at the top of the engine, and the supercharger feed-tubes run along the space between them feeding the engine with lots of compressed air, along with another bank of spark-plugs (2 per cylinder in total), which are fed by PE wires. With main engine construction completed, attention turns toward mountings and connections to the rest of the airframe. This begins with the engine bearings being constructed along with some additional equipment that is attached now for ease. The cowlings need a little preparation to remove the casting flash across the exhaust ports on the engine sides, which are simple to cut free and are marked in red on the instructions. These are added to the sides of the engine, a bulkhead is built up from a number of parts, additional wiring, hoses and equipment are added all around, including a curved reservoir around the reduction housing, and the propeller shaft is installed at the business end of the engine with a couple of PE parts and another resin part finishing off that area. The lower cowling is then constructed with the chin intake and a PE mesh preventing FOD ingress. The corresponding intake is attached to the underside of the engine, and various additional coolant hoses, actuator rods, wires and the automatic fire extinguisher are glued in place while the engine is inverted. The exhausts are supplied as two types, with the two rear stubs conjoined on the inboard bank of pistons, and an optional surround that slips over the stubs before they are attached to the block. More wire is added, as is the disc in front of the reduction gear, additional struts forming part of the engine bearers, more hoses etc. Then you get to do it all again with the other engine, with some of the parts mirrored, but many identical to the opposite side, as the basic engines were the same. Conclusion Wow! It's not often that I'm blown away by an aftermarket set, but the attention to detail, the sheer clarity and amount of said detail as well as the quantity of parts is breathtaking. Sure it's an expensive set, and it will keep you busy with the glue and paint for a LOOONG time, but the results have the potential for perfection, if only there was a perfect modeller! Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  23. Is this too many blades?
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