FROG NOVO 1/96 Lancaster B1

[robvulcan]

Hi all I have picked up some strange type I modellers disease were I have more projects on the go than ever and keep switching between the lot of them as at the moment I have some time on my hands and need to keep doing other things.

Inspiration has been messing with me seeing lots of nice WW2 bombers of late.

So..

I had to have a crack at this I picked it up at Huddersfield show for the bargain price of £5 !!
How can you go wrong for that.

She's been part started but mostly untouched

I am making this for the Bomber Command table. Not made a Lanc for years well over 20 years ashamedly as I do love these.

So lets have a look at what we have.



I made a start spraying the insides with a primer there is no internal detail.




For those interested the nice instructions






For their time the decals are good but these are sadly our of register and I will be replacing them.
I do like correct deep colours a lot of modern kits seem to do wrong.




Don't tell me old kits are bad though they got the wing kink right which which I hear Revell cocked up on.

The panel lines are a little heavy but not bad and rare for the time of production to be recessed and not raised.






I made a start gluing the wings together and taping her up for a look at her potential and it looks great to my eye.
The plastic is excellent and the fit fantastic.
Not sure about the internals I think I will be blacking it out for the most part. In not sure how a Lanc pit should look. But I could be tempted to add something. If I can get my head around it.





Right then so lets see if I can see this one through. I have not posted here much recently and most my threads have stalled but that's due to my working on something off site for the last few months.

This looks like a nice simple build which I need and want. Also got yet another Vulcan on the go too for hell of it.

Cheers Rob

Edited August 9, 2014 by robvulcan

[robvulcan]

Its far away into the future yet but can anyone tell me about the paint applications to the window frames.

The instructions specify they are all brown despite the Green running through them on its path over the cockpit area ?

[heloman1]

Rob, I think you are very brave or foolhardy, I wish you luck only becuase I like Frog kits. I'll follow your build thread with interest.

Colin

[robvulcan]

Rob, I think you are very brave or foolhardy, I wish you luck only becuase I like Frog kits. I'll follow your build thread with interest.

Colin

Adj. 1.

foolhardy - marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences; "foolhardy enough to try to seize the gun from the hijacker"; "became the fiercest and most reckless of partisans"-Macaulay; "a reckless driver"; "a rash attempt to climb Mount Everest"

Hahahaha. Well only after about 3 cups of Coffee a squint at the outside world then a return to the modelling cave yes lol.

I love FROG kits too just something about them a charm and essence of some wonderful imagination and fun keeps bringing me back to them and other old kits but FROG have something I love, Along with Matchbox probably due to the number of interesting types offered sometimes brave and unlikely subjects.

I could do with some advise on markings. I am looking for a plain workhorse. Not a famed bomber I would rather do one that was lost just an ordinary Lanc, camo roundels and letters after only a few missions perhaps.

Possible subject suggestions welcome.

Cheers Rob

[John.R]

Looking good so far Rob!

[robvulcan]

Looking good so far Rob!

Well its not like you can go wrong at this stage mostly bits still lol.

I applied some Mr Surfacer 500 to the recessed roundel lines which after a few hours has shrunk back nicely, I shall put another coat on then get it flatted back with the mylar stick.

I intend to the join the scribed lines to the same depth as given, Then go over all the panel lines with a coat of MrS500 to reduce the depth of the lines, Bit of an experiment but good practice for when I tackle some future builds with deep lines.

Cheers Rob

[AdrianMF]

...For their time the decals are good but these are sadly our of register and I will be replacing them...

Truly, if your Novo decals are out of register enough to make you replace them, then there is no "sadly" about it. I've never seen a Novo decal work...

The old Frog box-scale bombers were basic but fun. Black inside and no internal detail makes sense to me. Look forward to your progress on this one.

Regards,

Adrian

... and if you use Mr Surfacer to cover up the roundel engraving ...

... how will you know where to put the stickers?

[robvulcan]

Truly, if your Novo decals are out of register enough to make you replace them, then there is no "sadly" about it. I've never seen a Novo decal work...

The old Frog box-scale bombers were basic but fun. Black inside and no internal detail makes sense to me. Look forward to your progress on this one.

Regards,

Adrian

... and if you use Mr Surfacer to cover up the roundel engraving ...

... how will you know where to put the stickers?

Cheers Adrian. Yes your right every novo decal I have encountered has shattered to millions of pieces..

I just hope I can find the right size decals but I am tempted to paint the codes and roundels. Possibly.

As for the interior I have since decided to try and scratch a loose representation of the interior..just the pit.

Just studying now.

Cheers Rob

[AdrianMF]

Looking forward to the interior scratching! I imagine that the roundels at least might be do-able with smaller 1/72 sizes? My Extradecals sheet shows the B overwing at 100" (so a 50" in 1/72 would do) and the C1 Fuselage at 36" (so a 1/72 18" would do). And V-N-N has lots of straight lines so you could possibly do it out of strips of red decal?

Regards,

Adrian

[robvulcan]

Looking forward to the interior scratching! I imagine that the roundels at least might be do-able with smaller 1/72 sizes? My Extradecals sheet shows the B overwing at 100" (so a 50" in 1/72 would do) and the C1 Fuselage at 36" (so a 1/72 18" would do). And V-N-N has lots of straight lines so you could possibly do it out of strips of red decal?

Regards,

Adrian

Good info there much appreciated. I was gonna have a rummage through as I think I might have some in the stash of a 1/72 Spit which I guessed might be right but have not checked and I am not well up on sizes other than sight. However if you can recommend certain sets cool. Do you know what size registry codes and larger letters I need or if they are available in the correct or near too size.

Cheers Rob

[Viking]

Love to see these 'oldies' being built, all power to you Rob, I'll watch with intereset!

Cheers

John

[Tiger331]

Rob,

Your 'strange habit' is not strange at all !…….I'm pleased to see that someone else is afflicted with my habit…..I must have at least 10-15 kits 'on the go' right now and flit between them on regular intervals……the ones coming in for most attention right now are a GWH MiG 29 (which I know you are following on another thread), an AFV Club F-5E, Hasegawa A-4K and CF-104G and a brace of Airfix 1:72 scale kits (Gnat and Vampire T.11) so you are not alone. I did actually manage to get one model finished this year…a Hasegawa AH-64D Apache for my boss who is retiring but used to fly these with the US Army. My 'project management' drives one of our local model club members mad….he NEVER starts a model until he has finished the last and his completion rate is, I have to say, very impressive so I'm not sure who has it right ?.

Anyway, like my co-respondent 'Viking' above, I like the fact that you have taken a golden oldie and started tackling it….I had no idea this kit had engraved panel lines…must have been one of the first, I reckon.

Cheers

Mark

[robvulcan]

Well I know there are a few of us who get like this while other seem to hammer through them, I usually see stuff through to the end but I have about 10 to 15 things on the go at the mo.

They old Frog kits particularly the 1/96 Scale ones are very good kits, Simple but look right and yes engraved panel lines on most, The also fit very well too.

Sounds like you have your work cut out !

Cheers Rob

[robvulcan]

So back to the Lanc this morning.

In the early hours of this morning before I went to bed I could not resist putting her on her legs and having a look at the stance.

Much As I love building Vulcans its refreshing to see something not Triangular on my table for a change.

I started flatting back the Mr Surfacer 500 and after 2 coats It pretty well got rid of them,. I am not fussed if there is a very faint hint at were they were as this will help aligning the decals later or masks if I decide to paint them.

I also had to put the outer engines in a cup of water and bung them in the freezer. This is were the previous owner had started the kit and I am not happy with how the fit is so I need to get them apart ideally.

Cheers Rob now for the pit

[robvulcan]

To help me on the journey of the pit, I got some photo of others builds of the 1/72 Revel and Airfix lancs and I am just going to guess and replicate the rough look of it. I also got some spares from past vulcan builds and with a little trimming and shaping they will help create some areas along with plasticard etc.

Looks better already,, Ahh coffee time

Rob

[Winenut]

This build is great Rob.

what sort of crazy scale is 1:96!!!

Looking forward to seeing more of this for sure.

Chocks away!

[robvulcan]

This build is great Rob.

what sort of crazy scale is 1:96!!!

Looking forward to seeing more of this for sure.

Chocks away!

Cheer's the answer is its a great scale that should be done more often, Its the 144th of 1/48th scale

Rob

Edited August 10, 2014 by robvulcan

[JOCKNEY]

So back to the Lanc this morning.

In the early hours of this morning before I went to bed I could not resist putting her on her legs and having a look at the stance.

Cheers Rob now for the pit

Nice one Rob

I got a bit of a fright when I saw the picture above as I thought you had got bored and decided to build a Manchester out of it instead !

I think Adrian is right, I'm sure some of your existing 1/72 decals will give you the roundals you are after, a note on the wanted bit of BM for the lettering and numbers will sort the rest.

Cheers Pat

[Winenut]

2 times 2 is four.....2 x 48 is 96!

I think I'm getting it now

Not so weird after all ...

[robvulcan]

Jockney I thought I bet someone says that and for about 30 seconds I did wonder about the Manchester. I guess it must be possible.

From a squint view it also reminds me of the Fairey Hendon,

Winenut Yep not such an off scale. I think its a great size more manageable than 1/144th, and offering more shelf space than 1/72.

It would be an ideal size for dios etc with multiple planes.

Shame no one has bothered to return to 1/96

Cheers Rob

[Sean1968]

Christ I had this kit about 35 years ago! Even at 10-11 years old I couldn't understand the engraved roundels on the wing. Good look, you'll need it.

[robvulcan]

Thanks Sean yes its very old I think the kit was first issued in 1959 !. So its very good for then as its still very acceptable today.

I done some more in the pit, Very rough I have never scratched anything for an interior before.

Rob

[robvulcan]

Well it looks as rough as the dog nuts at the moment but it is just scraps of plastic after all.

I have glued it all in place and when its stiffened I will get in there with little files and Mr surfacer.

Cheers Rob

[robvulcan]

Looks more like Stone Henge gone wrong.. LOL

[general melchett]

Great to see you have at it Rob !....nice little kit, as you know it was part of the FROG 1/96th bomber set that included the V-Bombers. Basic it may be but that just makes it all the more fun .....Nice work on the 'pit.

I always thought 1/96th a great scale for all these 'heavies', FROG in particular thought that the scale would be the future of large aircraft modelling, (mainly due to the limitations of styrene moulding at the time) and it's near enough to 1/100th to be part of a huge possible collection of aircraft types what with all the old Tamiya stuff......including the B-52 ! Lindberg and Glencoe were amongst a few other companies that released 1/96th's too......keep going that man...