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Italeri Stirling Mk.I N6086 MacRoberts Reply


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So what if anything was actually there then John ?....I haven't glued the bulkhead into place yet, though have stuck the 'two ring burner' and cupboard to it. Easily removed,

Was there ever a water tank fitted as this cutaway suggests,

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/A1kIit5JFyL.jpg

Cheers...

Hi General

IIRC, the water tank is role fit and was there for use in tropical climes and/or if the ac was used in its secondary role as a troop transport. I haven't got access to our photos at present but I seem to remember that at least on the Mk I the bulkhead was stencilled "stowage for course setting bombsight"

Woody, if the holes are there for the oil coolers and there's no blanks then that is indeed an oversight.....

regards

John

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Thanks John, good to know, though are you able to clarify one thing,

I seem to remember that at least on the Mk I the bulkhead was stencilled "stowage for course setting bombsight"

As you mention stowage was there anything fitted to it at all, cupboard, box, shelf or just a plain bulkhead ? I know it won't be seen but I like to get it as right as possible.....

Also while Italeri have had a fair stab at the rear interior it does need a bit of work to get it to look more like the real thing...the wooden walkway should be offset and seems to extend forward a lot more and the portapotty curtain was certainly in front of the dunny rather than behind as they have it, also interesting to see the rear structural parts.

mds00176.jpg?w=1176

Melchie..

Edited by general melchett
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Evening all,

Re the slots under the nacelles for the oil coolers - perfectly alright for the B.III on, here is a photo of a B.I that shows pretty well the lack of an oil cooler and any sort of gap. So I concur with John above, Italeri have made an omission.

Cheers,

Matt

Stirling%20MG-S%20Sugar_zpsyrd3quuv.jpg

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The following link although not very good shows an oblique view looking forward. You can't see the outboard end of the bulkhead but the floor is taken up with the Beam Approach Equipment crate which doesn't leave any room for the floor mounted cupboard.

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/album/black26-white-photos/p7205-short-stirling-2c-wireless-op-27s-position.html

John

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Another thing I've come across is the fairing for the mid upper turret. The part included in the kit looks more like the one used around the Fn.50 turrets on the Mk.III than that fitted to the Mk.I...

29_zpstxubgdjx.jpg

The Mk.III...

stirling%20iii_zps7qsehi6e.jpg

The Mk.I

turrets_zpslptlafor.jpg

stirling1_zpsjy9znhlb.jpg

stirling1a_zps22isgcol.jpg

So I'm planning to butcher the kit part to make a more accurate one, we'll see how this goes. With these issues, I'm at a loss as to why Italeri have gone for a Mk.I when they could of much more easily adapted the Mk.IV into a Mk.III.

Here's the fuselage now closed up...

30_zpsswdqhkef.jpg

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To put it mildly !...I think you're right Neil, best chop it up and rebuild. It is indeed odd that they didn't go for the MkIII with this error, cockpit details, the nacelle oil cooler slots and the spurious forward window though I suspect that they'll go for that version a bit later. Think I'll carry on with the Airfix for now, just in case........(cross kit ?)..

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If they'd of included the turret and separate front ends, they could of interchanged the III and IV with minimal impact. Also as there windows don't need cutting out, it would of made the kit much more user friendly for beginner builders too. Bizarre!

Anyway, I chopped the fairing in to 4 parts to remodel it around the turret. It's now drying ready for some sanding to final shape once dried. Not terribly difficult, just another thing that shouldn't really need to be done. The slots for the oil coolers have had a dollop of miliput each too.

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Looks like a very sloppy fit for the turret surrond Neil. However I'm sure you'll conjour up in your usual indomitable way, something the betters the part supplied. If you'd like to look at an Itelari Wessex kit you'll see all sorts of anomolies, too many to mention here... i've got a thread running elsewhere on BM pointing the modeller (hopefully) in the right direction.

Otherwise another very interesting build thread. Thanks.

Colin

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I'm watiching it Colin as fancy doing one at some point. I got to go up in one as an Air Cadet so always had a fondness, probably my favourite helicopter...well, apart from airwolf!!

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Got the fairing modified this afternoon and given the seams a coat of primer to check for imperfections. A few touch ups required, but it's looking more like a Mk.I now. Each quarter of the fairing was sanded to fit better around the turret base and fitted one at a time to line everything up.

31_zpsuf2tjc9r.jpg

32_zpsgcil5p8n.jpg

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It might be worth noting (and this is something that we've only just found out), is that at least on Mk Is there is an oval 'skylight' installed in the roof between the front and rear spars. The thread on the following goes into it a bit further

http://sas.raf38group.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2412&sid=19a4db6384d6bee90334312debb36256

John

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It`s coming along really well Neil, you are doing your usual fantastic job!

I quite fancy doing mine as a Mk.III so if anybody out there who has a Mk.IV kit and can copy parts in resin then I`ll gladly be your first customer for a set of oil coolers and upper air intakes! The mid upper turret from an Airfix Lanc should hopefully finish the job off,........but if anybody knows of anything else,...please shout?

Keep up the great work Neil,

Tony

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Having purchased two of these beasts (The second one was a whim based on a knockdown price) I am watching your progress with great interest. I may still build the two Airfix in my stash as well if I ever move to a bigger house!

Great work so far and I've learnt a lot already!

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Neil, have to be a bit careful with reshaping the mid upper taboo fairing as it looks like there was a fair bit of space around the turret,

Slide1-196_zpsezh69onr.jpg

John, interesting info on the 'skylight'...this photo seems to show that there may have been one further back on some aircraft too,

Slide6-61_zpscuonhljc.jpg

These photos are from the excellent Short Stirling and Bomber Command site,

http://sas.raf38group.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=44&hilit=photo+collection&start=140

Edited by general melchett
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Hmmm, got me thinking there Melchie

The photo of the Mk III prototype on the same link shows a single window in the stated location. The one you posted is of a Mk I Srs 2 aircraft so a very early one, it is possible that very early aircraft had a second skylight.....

John

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Tony,

I'll have a look through the spares box as I should have some from either an old Stirling or Halifax. Same goes for the mid upper too.

Andy, I may open the fairing up more to create the gap, great photo :)

Cheers

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John, it's pretty difficult to find many photos of the topside but one or two definitely show something there, just wish my uncle was still with us, he was a flight engineer on them and would have definitely have shed some light on the matter, (excuse the pun)...

Slide11_zps7r378wms.jpg

This well known shot shows it quite well too....

http://s1115.photobucket.com/user/k4kittycrew/media/K4KITTY3/stirlingHCU1652_zpsff536a3f.jpg.html

Neil, sorry to cause more work, you're the guinea pig on this one.. :winkgrin:

Just to deviate a tad ....... I wonder if this shot was the inspiration for Roy Cross's excellent Airfix box top artwork ! scanned from an old Aeroplane magazine article.

Slide1-198_zpsnnydouov.jpg

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When I started work, one of my colleagues was an ex Stirling flight engineer who had some wonderfull and frightening stories to tell including one of a raid to Turin when at least one Stirling in the group didn't have enough power to get over the Alps and flew along the passes to get through. I alway think of this when sitting in a nice warm pressurised airliner at 35,000 ft en route to Italy.

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Think I'll carry on with the Airfix for now, ..

Precisely what I am doing on and off, plus I get a nostalgia kick from the build. IMHO the Italeri kit is way too much money for a pretty flawed product.

Martin

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Hi Melchie

Both those photos seem to confirm that the window is there between the front and main spar. Tbh I'm not surprised as there's some electrical junction boxes and other 'gubbins' mounted in that general area which would need to be visited by the Flight Engineer.

john

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Thanks John, agree, the area looks to be pretty busy and as it's fairly deep into the fuselage it would make some sense.... it seems to be sighted right above the oxy bottle area and the large circular access cutout.

With all your wonderful work on the project, could you tell me what colours the main throttle, (and overhead),pitch, mixture and brake lever knobs would have been, People traditionally seem to paint them a high viz red but I suspect they were more likely off white or natural metal.

One of your own John, wonderful stuff, that glider release lever is quite something..but I guess it needed to be...

A%20012_zpso3nj5kim.jpg

IMHO the Italeri kit is way too much money for a pretty flawed product.

Martin..you're not wrong, it's not what I'd call a bargain really, the old Airfix jobbie is still well worth the effort and like Neil I'm spending more time correcting the Italeri than building the thing !.

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