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Dambuster 'T Tommy' Airfix 1/72


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Thanks Sean, glad I'm not the only one! :)

Thanks Julian - I'll try the CA / accelerator method and post my efforts :)

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I bought one of those fancy PE cutting/bending gizmos a couple of years ago. I used it once and now I'm back to the metal rule and clear Perspex method.

You were up late last night Ced, I had been abed an hour by then and was about to be woken by the local 14 July firework display!

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Me again, slightly off topic. You mentioned somewhere a documentary by the BBC about the Battle of Britain. Would that have been a repeat of the one by the brothers McGregor? I am hoping that the Beeb will repeat "First Light" sometime this year as we no longer have the Sky box I recorded it on the first time around.

Cheers

John

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Morning John (and all!)
I think any investment I'd made in PE tools, as a 1/72 modeller, would have been wasted... especially as I've vowed to have bent my last part!!
10pm's not late for me John - unlike your good self I'm a night owl and I'm quite happily up past midnight... but then I'm not up at the crack of dawn like you! :)
The documentary was a repeat of the brothers McGregor - great show.

Remember I'd sliced off the detail on the kit parts to get the PE on so my options are now limited. Future builders note - I would suggest you try assembling the PE before removing the kit detail, that way, when the PE has driven you mad, you can just throw it away.

​This morning I woke with clear eyes and steady hands and thought "OK, one more try". I managed one pair of levers before my blood oxygen level went critical - you can't breathe when assembling this stuff as it blows the bits about. Later I managed the other side. Here are some pics (PhotoBucket's not saving my usual 400x400 edits on the image apparently, sorry for the size):

BDE44227-04FF-41A1-8CE1-3FF96A9AABC8_zps

The rule doesn't really show the problem - the size of my fingers - index finger here:

99A10495-D4C2-4B84-BCE9-90FDDB5A1E44_zps

and just in case those pics go to their edited size, one shot with the macro lens:

5A39E546-16AD-485F-A969-462BE4FEEEDC_zps

Those eight slots are for the throttle levers (top) and props (bottom). I have a piece of plastic stock in the clamp at the moment with a bit of glue on the end. Given that I have eight of these to do I can't see how I can cut, blob, cut and stick eight of them so, after a bit of analysis paralysis, I may stick the stock in the slots and then form the knob afterwards (score lots, fnaar fnaar).

I'm ​very aware I'm on page 8 and still on the internals. Time to get some perspective and up the pace a bit!! :)

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very brave taking on 1/72 PE in the first place Ced. 1/48th for wingy things and 1/350th for floaties is a small as I go, due to glasses, optivisor and viemaster, can't do midget PE in a touchy feely fashion, (1 point fnaar, fnaar?)

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very brave taking on 1/72 PE in the first place Ced. 1/48th for wingy things and 1/350th for floaties is a small as I go, due to glasses, optivisor and viemaster, can't do midget PE in a touchy feely fashion, (1 point fnaar, fnaar?)

Thanks Julian :) Brave = stupid IMHO. You are a wise man and I shall adopt this 'rule' in the future. Score 1, although 'midget' and 'touchy feely' in the same sentence is perhaps going a bit too far!? :D

Have you got the decals for the knobs on the end of the levers Ced?

Only joking mate, , you are doing well. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Simon.

Score for knobs?

Score 1 for knobs Simon and LoL for the decals! :D

OK I'm a bit grumpy, sorry. Just spent the best part of the afternoon trying to stick tiny bits of plastic rod into tiny slots with tiny tweezers and my eyes are definitely telling me ENOUGH! So here's the last shot of the PE levers:

865F13E8-7B49-47DB-8F99-5D6579D80BEA_zps

There - look - you can see it just to the right of the i/p. Little U-shaped ba**ard. You won't see it again because I've thrown it in the bin - ha ha ha!

I've now painted the pedals, levers and support matt black. Guess what? You can't see the other levers now either. :banghead:

Hopefully now that I'm back in 'sensible sized land' we'll make faster progress...

I shall shudder every time I see someone mention zoom PE at 1/72. But it's been educational - certainly taught me a lesson!

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Hi Ced,

I think this has put an end to my attempts with fiddly PE parts (panels don't count) as my old faculties, especially patience, aren't up to it. I don't want to put others off, especially not Jaime who I know has just tooled up - it's just that 1/72 is, really, too small for this sort of thing and, as Nigel H says, flat bits representing round bits at this scale don't really work, even if you can keep them on the bench. IMHO of course! :)

I'm not easily deterred, Ced :) I'll do my best to tackle the 1/72 PE frets. I have the tools and a lot of PE for many kits in my stash, so I have no alternative... :banghead:

865F13E8-7B49-47DB-8F99-5D6579D80BEA_zps

You're progressing, even if the smaller PE bits have been a challenge. Anyway, you found an alternative and the results are really awesome. The IP is great! :goodjob:

Cheers

Jaime

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Good man C, sense prevails. From now on it's just panels and boxes here too :thumbsup:

Sean

By the way, it's a bit like the Blue Oyster around here this past couple of days :coolio:

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Hi Ced,

I'm not easily deterred, Ced :) I'll do my best to tackle the 1/72 PE frets. I have the tools and a lot of PE for many kits in my stash, so I have no alternative... :banghead:

You're progressing, even if the smaller PE bits have been a challenge. Anyway, you found an alternative and the results are really awesome. The IP is great! :goodjob:

Cheers

Jaime

Thanks Jaime - I wouldn't like to put you off after all that 'tooling up' - let us see how you get on :)

I realised that PE in 1/72 wasn't for me after spending 15 minutes trying to thread a seatbelt through a slot in the back armour of a Sword Spitfire.

I know the feeling! :)

Great detail and perseverance! Well done ced

Rob

Thanks Rob :)

Good man C, sense prevails. From now on it's just panels and boxes here too :thumbsup:

Sean

By the way, it's a bit like the Blue Oyster around here this past couple of days :coolio:

Thanks Sean. What, the Blue Oyster? Watch out for the bikers!! Have they made you dance?? :)

(For those non Police Academy / Squad fans just ignore us)

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Couldn't resist doing a little bit of 'proper' modelling before bed tonight - it's great to be able to spend some time and see the results without a macro lens!

I've painted the matt black in the internals and the other internals:

27DDBE20-ED29-485E-882C-E20921F95B4B_zps

Ready for test fit to make sure the scraping of the joins has resulted in a tight close up, then windows, then ready for the beauty parade on the boys prior to installation at their posts.

So, we all know that the Mohne crews had their hand-made bombsights, but what about Tommy? Johnny told us the Sorpe was a 'traditional' bomb run parallel to the dam. Did he use a traditional sight? If not, was it removed from Tommy? If so would the bracket be left in place? So many questions, any help appreciated!

Edit: Just searched Johnny's book and he does say, as they flew over the Mohne on their return: "I was very glad that we hadn't been diverted ... because, in the rush to change aircraft at Scampton, I had forgotten to bring my special handmade bombsight with me". :hmmm:

He also says that Joe would line up an engine with the dam and that they dropped at 30 feet when he thought they were lined up. I don't think a traditional bombsight would help, would it?

Still doesn't tell us whether the (expensive) bombsight was carried. Or the bracket.

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Thanks Jaime, won't be long...

Thanks bbudde - I know, I know. It's Vallejo Model Air 71.010 'Interior Green', better than the one that comes in their WWII RAF colours set which is 71.095 'Pale Green'. It's just that it sprays so well I can't resist; I like the 'patchy' effect too so I don't go for better cover. Honest. I also have H78 and XA117 and they're all different.

Mind you, it looks as though the BBMF may be having similar problems refurbishing their Lanc:

11709740_855907231130958_427323948779062

Pick a green, any green... :D

All rights acknowledged, BBMF site doesn't tell me, sorry.

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Quick test fit this morning as I know some have had fit problems with the new tool Airfix kits, mentioned in many places before and recently here by PhantomBigStu.

From the front, top:

2A58E6A6-6AD6-4296-A1C6-A99F006CFDBB_zps833F7871-26D1-4F6C-A5F7-47C2D0E81171_zps

7C51C573-FBAC-4469-BD30-9D7A9114B3EA_zpsFA961E49-6AC7-44A8-837E-90B9C5EB90BE_zps

So the gap will close up with clamps. I don't think there's anything in there that's causing the gap so may be a bit of warping? The back opens up when the middle is squeezed:

654D8728-CBE5-4882-8226-22E6194477E5_zps

Hmmm. Now the bottom (fnaar fnaar):

027167D3-61AA-47B2-9788-B033AC7BA6FB_zps7BB9081E-B725-44E3-8931-E4D0D6D707ED_zps

Small gaps around the bomb bay. Remember I stuck the ends on with latex glue so they've been wobbled, but they, and the fuselage where they join, have been sprayed. I think I'll clean some of the paint off. I may also have the usual problem of the floor not resting in the right place on the second half of the fuselage - the one being positioned, if you see what I mean.

The back though is more worrying:

41AD33E7-FDD7-4749-878A-7D366E9C3077_zps565C2167-E10D-47BB-9B99-F30539779D94_zps

With the three holes lined up the join goes off-track towards the back and leaves a step at the rear. I think that probably confirms a bit of warping so I'll have to be careful and close up a bit at a time. Otherwise not too bad? I certainly want to avoid lots of sanding as that's not my favourite thing!

Good enough to fit the other internals, methinks.

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Ced, I would recommend a step by step approach to glueing the fuselage halves. Just do it in small stretches, making sure everything keeps aligned. I always do it, even when there's no warping, as it allows better control and less sanding and filling later. I've done it recently with one of my British Phantoms that had a serious fuselage warp and it resulted very well (you can take a look here)

Cheers

Jaime

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The return of the son of the " unbuildable Bucc"..........Use Tamiya liquid cement or the Gunze liquid cement making use of the capillary action.Should work out all right if you go section by section, (capillary isn't as vulgar as it sounds so no score and no fnaar fnaar).

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I like the bit by bit fuselage close too. With airliners, I start with the pointy bit, and work back, the tail area affording more surface for vicious clamps and aggressive sanding as the need arises.

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I was going to say something about the way you were clenching your bottom(fnaar fnnaar), but after my previous post i don't think I'll

bother

027167D3-61AA-47B2-9788-B033AC7BA6FB_zps

Needless to say.. I was never confused...

Sean

Oh aye, things should move on at pace now, once the the interior is coming together. :thumbsup:

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