1/72 Halifax B.Mk.III from Revell in 2015

[Arniec]

I usually use an apppropriate length of drinking straw to replace the Tail drum!

Selwyn

That is a great idea. Will posibly use that when I am going to build it.

Cheers,

[Kiwikitbasher]

The Matchbox nacelles are a little thin, not enough to be a problem in itself, but the work needed to sharpen and rework the blunt inlets and propellers is considerable. The Matchbox undercarriage legs are anorexic but the wheels are better than Revell. I don't think cross-kitting undercarriage legs would be easy. Neither Matchbox nor Revell have good overwing fairings.

The best route out of the nacelle/engine/propeller problem is the Aeroclub replacements. If you think that's too much effort then the aftermarket parts that simply replace the Revell front bits (senior moment forgetting the name, sorry) will make it look a lot better.

EDIT: One point not often mentioned is that there are no available nacelle that is correct for the Mk.I, which had deeper inlets. The earlier Matchbox options have the shape of the Mk.II ser 1/ser 1(Spec) but without the central bulge for flow into the oil cooler. Aeroclub did do suitable replacements of this type but not the Mk.I type. This is still true for the full Aeroclub replacement nacelle parts.

Hi Graham, I have a couple of questions regarding Aeroclub's fix - How do you order from Aeroclub these days? and if I understand you correctly, they do a complete prop and full nacelle replacement? This may be old new s to most but its new to me. Do have a link or any images please? Thanks in advance.

[Graham Boak]

Yes, John does full replacement sets for the Series 1 (Spec) and the Series 1a. Send him a pm: he posts here as John Aero.

[Kiwikitbasher]

Yes, John does full replacement sets for the Series 1 (Spec) and the Series 1a. Send him a pm: he posts here as John Aero.

Thanks - Done!

[alpine_modeller]

Ooooh. I feel unwell...

I read this thread yesterday and after work I went to my local toy shop (5mins from my work site). Its a really good shop, they get new Revell releases immediately (ignoring the Victor so far, failed to avoid the 1/32 Hunter, going to avoid 2nd half of Dec when the Shackleton comes out..)

There, lo and behold, were 2 brand spanking new Halifaxes glaring up from the shelf at me. Its a meaty box...

I held off last night, but I can hear it yelling at me from my office.

She'll kill me...really she will.........

Edited October 2, 2015 by alpine_modeller

[Rafwaffe]

I feel your pain... Just bought 2 off evil bay... Besides the other one I ordered from hannants and the other 300 or more kits in the stash I'm hopeful they'll go um unnoticed...

Though I am positively salivating at getting my hands on a new tool Halifax III FINALLY!!! I may not survive but it'll be worth it!!!😉

[wamwig]

I also have a pair ordered from my LMS, the stash never goes unnoticed but as long as it stays in the one room I'm ok but lots of big boxes (Halifax/Shackleton/DC-4) are beginning to eat up the space, luckily I have a new display cabinet as well so that should take care of a few boxes, once I have built them!!

[bombernut]

The more I look at the instructions for this kit, the more I scratch my head. I really wonder what Revell is thinking at times, but I must admit this is less of a curate's egg than the B.II. Still, the instructions themselves look slap-dash in places and seem to have been cobbled together in places by a 10 year old. Look at steps 28 and 29 where the rounded wingtips are attached - what happened to the spot for the outer ends of the ailerons when you attach the nav lights?

I also wonder why you'd include the Tollerton nose in a B.III? Is this by way of an apology for not including it in the B.II, because you can't make a B.V out of this new kit????

And what on earth are those bombs with two fin substitutes to hold the concrete pipe? One of the worst attempts at a bomb that I've ever seen. I suppose it looks a little like an early 250 or 500 pounder, but I would be going to the Airfix re-supply set to bomb this Halifax up I think.

And finally, what is a Norden bombsight (see step 4) doing in a British bomber? That's just lazy.

All that being said, I'll not pass any judgement on the kit overall until I have one in my hands. I'll still be getting one and will be happy about it as well. When you get past these little nit picking things, it seems to me to be a very good kit and a 200% improvement on the B.II. That's enough of my ranting - I'm in a ranting ( ) mood this evening. . I look forward to seeing many wonderful renditions of this fine aircraft over the next few months.

Cheers,

Matt

[Procopius]

Revell has long (IMO, of course) had the worst instructions of any of the major manufacturers. I really appreciate their willingness to break stereotypes of efficient, methodical Teutons with these slapdash efforts.

[woody37]

Tollerton comes in the mk iii kit?

Sums up Revells knowledge of the Halifax!

[brewerjerry]

Hi

Well actually i think the nose lets you make the prototype Mk III, which also later had the square fins

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234908063-halifax-mkiii-prototype-camouflage-query/

Nice that revell gave the option me thinks

cheers

jerry

Edited October 2, 2015 by brewerjerry

[Graham Boak]

The instructions have several references to the Mk.V - clearly it was thought to be an alternative. Equally clearly they realised it wasn't but failed to tidy up all details. It does seem that the toolmaker was allowed too much independence with an over-optimistic understanding of what was expected - or possible.

For some reason I've started this kit with the tailplanes (after sorting out just what was what, and what wasn't needed, trimming it down to a smaller box) and discovered that the elevators won't fit onto the tailplane without shortening the extensions that cover the hinges. Ah well, four more bits that are wrong in design. It's only a niggle, but I'm surprised that this hasn't been commented on before.

Given that this kit is a Mk.III, then yes use the Airfix bombs as they belong to the right period. You won't find the Support Set contains many, however, and I don't think there's a cheap-ish source of others. The Hali would normally be loaded with a mix of 500lb and incendiaries - it could carry 2x4000lb (or 1x8000lb?) but the bombbay doors were held open against the sides of the bombs and a tarpaulin used as a fairing. This seems to have been more common on the Merlin variants. The Air Ministry refused permission to introduce a deeper bombbay, but the shape reappeared later as the pannier.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Graham Boak

[Graham Boak]

Further fiddling with mine. Two conclusions so far: the "panel lines" for the trim tabs and the engine gills are too fine (makes a change to be arguing that way) and the cowlings do seem a little too "open" at the front. It would be good to know just what this opening really measured, but the Revell one doesn't look right. It has a better overall appearance than the old Airfix Halifax, unsurprisingly given the greater breakdown, and a better representation of the exhaust collector ring pipes, but no cowling stays. Given that the ones on the Airfix Lancaster Mk.II are too prominent and aren't right for the Halifax anyway, this is probably a good thing.

I'm doubtful about Revell's painting advice for the engines: Aluminum cylinders, black exhaust pipes (no advice for collector ring), and dark grey nose. The exhaust pipes shouldn't be black, for sure, but the cylinders might be. The interior of the engine cowling has a mix recommended, apparently producing Interior Green. I suspect this would darken with oil and heat fairly rapidly. Any comments?

PS I should add that the forward fuselage interiors are really cleverly tooled.

PPS The instructions, and the front of the nacelles, show a socket for positive location of the engines. The male part of this is shown in the instructions on the rear of the engines, but is lacking on the kit parts. It's on the back of the exhaust cluster.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Graham Boak

[brewerjerry]

Hi

Still, waiting for postie, for mine.

seriously thinking of doing the Mk III prototype.

does this new issue have both types of tail fins

cheers

Jerry

[Seahawk]

Further fiddling with mine. Two conclusions so far: the "panel lines" for the trim tabs and the engine gills are too fine (makes a change to be arguing that way) and the cowlings do seem a little too "open" at the front. It would be good to know just what this opening really measured, but the Revell one doesn't look right. It has a better overall appearance than the old Airfix Halifax, unsurprisingly given the greater breakdown, and a better representation of the exhaust collector ring pipes, but no cowling stays. Given that the ones on the Airfix Lancaster Mk.II are too prominent and aren't right for the Halifax anyway, this is probably a good thing.

Given the brutal hatchet job you (quite justifiably) did on the Mk I/II, may we conclude that, apart from the too open engine cowlings, too light engraving in places and some dodgy painting instructions, you don't think think the Mk.III s too bad? Might pick one up then.

[Graham Boak]

It's certainly "not too bad". You will want to find larger wheels (available) and replacement props (available or at least coming soon, but you could reshape what's in the kit if you fancy that), so it's difficult to get wildly enthusiastic, given the other niggles. The ailerons are still wrong and the nose glazing isn't brilliant, there are little tweaks to do as on the first one e.g. remove the flight engineer's seat and round off the shape in front of the cockpit. There are still grooves to help you open outer bombbay doors and the underwing bays - but no hint of these in the instructions! (I'm still a little unsure about those cowlings - I will have a go at altering one and see if it looks better.)

It has kept the good bits of the original release and generally done a reasonable (or better) job of the new bits, but it could have been almost perfect with just a little more attention. As it stands, it's the Halifax kit of choice, yes.

[Graham Boak]

Warning. Don't follow the Revell sequence when it comes to making the engines fit the cowlings. The suggestion is that the engine assembly is attached to the nacelle, then the cowling slipped over with the gill ring already in place. However, the gill ring has a ramp inside and the engines will not fit through the resulting space. Whether it is better to fit the whole unit together first, then attach it to the nacelle, or simply cut away the ramp, I shall leave to you, but my money's on the latter.

Comparing the Airfix (Lancaster B Mk.II) and Revell cowlings - the Airfix cowling has an opening 1mm narrower than the Revell, and looks a better shape. It does however have odd raised lines, and open gills. It also lacks the long dorsal intake. The Airfix engine has no exhausts inside the cowling, which are represented on the Revell kit, however included is a piece with four cowling stays. The Halifax appears to only have three and not at the same angle, but these are not visible in all views, for some reason. The tip of the reduction gear is better represented on the Revell kit, because the Airfix one is distorted to fit the ring for these stays. This may be right for the Lancaster.

I'm tempted to simply use the Airfix cowling and the Revell engine assembly, cutting the top intake from the Revell. However, the Revell collector ring does not fit inside the Airfix cowling. Hi de hi.

Another point for those considering cross-kitting. The Airfix exhausts fit onto troughs on the side of the cowling, two on the starboard side and two on the port. This is fine for a Halifax Mk.VI - which I want to do - or later variant, but a Mk.III would need one of these exhausts moving, and this is more difficult on the Airfix parts. (Fair enough, they aren't intended for a Halifax anyway.) Maybe it's just better just to use my old trick of wrapping a piece of microstrip around the inside of the opening to reduce its diameter.

[alpine_modeller]

I gave in and bought it yesterday... .

Having a goosie through the instructions, this is a big job for a 72nd kit. Also somewhat confused by the instructions, decal options for a Mk. III and a Mk. VII, but the options in the windows refer to a Mk. V. I thought a Mk. V had Merlins..

[Graham Boak]

The Mk.V does have Merlins - ignore the references. The Mk.VII should have one of the exhausts moved to the other side of the cowling - the starboard outer. There are part-drilled positions for this one each cowling set, so there's no difficulty.

[alpine_modeller]

Warning. Don't follow the Revell sequence when it comes to making the engines fit the cowlings. The suggestion is that the engine assembly is attached to the nacelle, then the cowling slipped over with the gill ring already in place. However, the gill ring has a ramp inside and the engines will not fit through the resulting space. Whether it is better to fit the whole unit together first, then attach it to the nacelle, or simply cut away the ramp, I shall leave to you, but my money's on the latter.

Comparing the Airfix (Lancaster B Mk.II) and Revell cowlings - the Airfix cowling has an opening 1mm narrower than the Revell, and looks a better shape. It does however have odd raised lines, and open gills. It also lacks the long dorsal intake. The Airfix engine has no exhausts inside the cowling, which are represented on the Revell kit, however included is a piece with four cowling stays. The Halifax appears to only have three and not at the same angle, but these are not visible in all views, for some reason. The tip of the reduction gear is better represented on the Revell kit, because the Airfix one is distorted to fit the ring for these stays. This may be right for the Lancaster.

I'm tempted to simply use the Airfix cowling and the Revell engine assembly, cutting the top intake from the Revell. However, the Revell collector ring does not fit inside the Airfix cowling. Hi de hi.

Another point for those considering cross-kitting. The Airfix exhausts fit onto troughs on the side of the cowling, two on the starboard side and two on the port. This is fine for a Halifax Mk.VI - which I want to do - or later variant, but a Mk.III would need one of these exhausts moving, and this is more difficult on the Airfix parts. (Fair enough, they aren't intended for a Halifax anyway.) Maybe it's just better just to use my old trick of wrapping a piece of microstrip around the inside of the opening to reduce its diameter.

Anything to avoid the nightmare I suffered with their Lancaster........

[Graham Boak]

Would you care to enlarge? Or is it not relevant to nicking odd bits for a Halifax? I can see that I may be heading for a possible problem with aligning the cowling and the nacelle.

[alpine_modeller]

I am doing 04300 (not sure if this is the most up-to-date Revell Lanc or not; my son got it in a gift box with a Spit and Hurricane about 7 years ago).

On step 28, you need to fit the pre-assembled engine and cowling over the back of the undercarriage bay and the undercarriage support, whilst ensuring it fits round the wing struts. The problem I had (I think) is that the cowling is too narrow to fit over the wing struts if they protrude out of the wing at all. I ended up snapping the back half of the cowlings off, and re-assembling the front and back of the cowling around the wing struts (which I also loosened so they could be bent inwards on the bottom wing surface in the direction of the open bay).

If I had to do this again, I would hold off attaching the struts until ready to attach the engine-cowling pre-assembly, then do both while the cement is soft. Alternatively, I would par down the wing struts so they do not protrude above the lower wing surface.

I cannot see that I did anything wrong, to be honest; the struts fitted fine. They just look a little deep.

Looking at the Halifax, I am wondering is a similar issue might occur if one doesnt pay attention.

Edited October 12, 2015 by alpine_modeller

[brewerjerry]

hi,

Well got mine today from postie, suprisingly a little 'flash' on one of the feeder sprues, but none on the parts.

And very nice it is looking to me

Nice one RoG

Cheers

Jerry

[tonyot]

If anybody is interested I`m building one over on WIP and have had a go at improving the nacelles and cowlings;

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234990192-new-172nd-revell-halifax-mkiii/

I suggest that you research the subject that you want to replicate and use your notes rather than follow the instructions for window locations etc as they can be confusing if you don`t know what you are looking for. Once you`ve cut the sprues down by removing the bits that you don`t need the entire build is less confusing or imposing and your spares box will gain some items which may come in useful,

Cheers

Tony

Edited October 16, 2015 by tonyot

[DaveCS]

Once you`ve cut the sprues down by removing the bits that you don`t need the entire build is less confusing or imposing and your spares box will gain some items which may come in useful,

Great idea Tony!! Will definitely make this (and other big heavies) less daunting!

Cheers,

Dave