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Nick's Ready for Battle set - Bedford finished! Albion starting...


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Decided it's time i took part in my first ever group build, this one is just too good to miss!

I went to my local supplier of kits today with the intention of picking up a Boulton Paul Defiant, but after seeing the new Airfix Ready for Battle kit i couldn't resist, so it look's like i've got some work to do!

a50172-_ready-for-battle_-gift-set_1.jpg

This will be a tribute not only to the brave souls that took to the air but also to the hard working ground crew that helped make it all possible.

My knowledge of the ground equipment and vehicles is a bit sparse, so i'll be asking for advice as i go regarding colours etc etc.

Hopefully by the end i'll have a nice little diorama!

Anyway, i'm looking forward to building this, and watching everyone work their magic on their chosen kits.

Thanks,

Nick

Edited by nick32
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Nick my first GB too, will be watching with interest, especially the hurricane.

Ozzy

Edited by Ozzy
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Hi Nick. Good to see you here. You've picked an excellent GB for your first one. Good choice of project too. It should build into an impressive diorama. :popcorn:

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Thanks chaps, my spare time has been a bit lacking lately but i hope to make a start on this tomorrow. I have no idea what i will start first, i might just empty the box out and choose one (of the many!) sprues at random!

I suppose i should be figuring out if i have all the paints in stock, i'm not keen on the little pots Airfix give you although i will give them a go.

Nick

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Hi Nick

some cut n paste info on the set

Just checking to see if this set was still due in June.
I did mention before about the box art, having a post Battle of Britain propeller, with prop blade markings more usually seen on warbirds, and what looks like 20 mm ammunition being fed into a machine gun wing....Minor points I know.
But, the starboard side of 32 sq Hurricane the codes read GZ-V, not V-GZ as shown on the test build and box art.
This not shown in most of the famous 32 Sq photos, but is visible here
p1881trjj6dlh1k1sbr51e9t1u711.jpg
I appreciate this may well not be the final artwork,or it's too late, but hope of use if not.

Unfortunately too late, I'm not fussed about the box art, but the decals show codes reading V-GZ on starboard side, and as the codes are printed over the roundels, not just a case of swapping round the letters.

Small point, and Hasegawa made the same mistake!

vehicle colours

Posted 10 June 2015 - 03:49 AM

Mike Starmer, on 08 May 2015 - 8:55 PM, said:snapback.png

Humbrol 112 Tarmac is fine but for the kit scheme the basic colour should be Khaki Green 3 NOT H86. For Khaki Green 3: mix 5 x H155 + 1 x H10. this will need matt varnish over it when dry. Humbrol 30 is nothing like Dark Green No.4, use H75 if pushed but this is a bit too grey, OK as faded though.

Just looked up the Tamiya mixes I have for these colours, which are more of Mike Starmer's mixes

Tamiya mix Nobels Khaki Green No.3/ G3 & Dark Green

Just what the new Bronco kit owners need. Khaki Green 3 was the new basic colour from mid-1939 till phased out in 1941. But also may be used as an alternative colour in lieu of Slate 34 in the Caunter scheme.

Mix: - 3 pts XF62 olive drab + 2 pts XF59 desert yellow.
The resulting colour is slightly less rich than a sample matched to an original motorcycle part and slightly less brown than on a steel helmet in original colour, so a good average.

Dark Green G4: - mix 3 x XF61 + 2 pts XF58. No original colour found; yet.
This was the colour specified in MTP 20 for use in scheme 1 for 'average European conditions'. This colour is matched to the colour that I use over Khaki Green 3 and which is based on the use of complimenary hues and low contrast values seen on numerous contemporary photographs and what few colour photographs exist for 1940 period vehicles.

Posted this in the WWII aircraft, but though might be appropriate here as well....

well know shot, but some points, and is that an Albion refueller?

Photo is 85 Squadron, Peter Townsend in P3166 VY-Q, Castle Camps, July 1940, due to be featured on a new Xtradecal sheet.

More on 85 Sq here http://www.britmodel...round-apr-1940/

Funny, now I look at the above pic again, I actually pay attention to the refueller... to my untrained eye this looks like an Albion refueller?

Graham Boak confirms it is.

http://www.britmodel...ook-in-the-box/

also just kitted by Airfix, note correct paint colours in link, and here note how easy it would be to do this

New numbeplate, and the '100' I presume for 100 octane fuel?

large.jpg

Note first aid kit strapped on back of panel, the mixed exhaust stain, lighter round edges, from running a lean mixture, and the distinctive oil stains on the UC doors.

EDIT

while searching away....I start paying more attention!

RAF_Fighter_Command_1940_HU104489.jpg

Not paid attention to this one before, but the the neatly painted fabric over gun ports, plus some neat refueller details

RAF_Fighter_Command_1940_HU104490.jpg

Graham Boak points out the unusual fitting on the rear hub.

Quote

The fitting on the rear axle looks odd - it appears like the later standardised parts for lifting onto ships but they'd be required on the front axle too.

HTH

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Good luck Nick. This is my first group build too. Yours is a bit involved than mine, I'm going with the Defiant that you intended to build but changed your mind when you saw the Ready for Battle Set. Is that a dog I can see on the box? Joe

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Thanks Joe, and yes, there is a dog included in the box - Seem's Airfix have thought of everything with this one!

And i have some progress. Not much but the wife and kids disappeared for an hour so i put my unexpectedly free time to good use...

Starting the cockpit -

20150711_144618_zps9whho8mx.jpg

And not quite and hour later and we have this -

20150711_153512_zps1igsxzn5.jpg

Its not glued on to the wing yet, i was just using it as a handy jig to make sure everything is square.

So far so good, it seems to be a very well designed kit!

Thanks for looking,

Nick

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Its not glued on to the wing yet, i was just using it as a handy jig to make sure everything is square.

So far so good, it seems to be a very well designed kit!

Thanks for looking,

Nick

Very good idea Nick, looking at the instructions, and comments from a chap on here who binned one, getting the initial alignment of these bits is crucial to successful build.

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Nick,I,m doing an off camera build of this kit and beware I,ve had to do an awful lot of trimming and scraping of the wing spars and u/c side walls

to get the top wing,s to fit correctly and on the port wing for some reason I had to cut off the locating pins to get a good fit on the inner leading edge,

and reference Troy,s information regarding the decals I,ve a set from the solo boxing spare if you want them.

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Thank you both Troy and Steve - I wasn't aware of any fit issues with this one, so i appreciate the heads up. When i built the new tool 1/48 Spitfire mk1 i had quite a few problems, i was hoping this one would be better. But forewarned is forearmed as they say so hopefully i can catch any problems early on.

Thank you Steve for your kind offer, i'll take you up on that if you don't mind?

I'm hoping to make some progress with it tonight, i'm on daddy duty today and i'm being kept busy by a 4yr old with chickenpox...

Thanks,

Nick

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the 'problem' with the new Airfix kits is that the tolerances are so fine that a missed sprue nib or mould line, or even a coat of paint on a bulkhead can throw off the fit such is precision of the parts.

This is why i mentioned that using the lower wing as jig was a good idea, as getting the spars and cockpit sides square is important to everything fitting later.

I have not even test fitted the Hurricane, but the new Spitfire is like this. Forewarned is forearmed, test fit, if it's not perfect, look for the cause.

T

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Ahhhh the pox.... That's four year olds for you! Wasn't that long ago my boy had his bout of the stuff.

If the new 1/48 kits are like the new 1/72 then the tolerance is so tight that one little bit out at the start can cause problems... My typhoon is a good example of that! And the hurricane I'm on will no doubt end up going that way.

Rob

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I agree Troy, the problems i had were because i painted the cockpit parts before assembling them, thus nothing really fitted properly after that resulting in a wonky cockpit...

I'll know for next time though and with this Hurricane i'm taking extra care. I'll be sure to document any problems i have with the kit, whether my own silly fault or the kit's (but more than likely my own fault..)

Nick

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Thanks Rob, yes the dreaded pox.... We knew it was coming, it ripped through his class, and it's better he gets it now than when he's grown up. Think he's on the mend now though. Calamine wasn't working for him so i got him some super duper foam gel from Boots that did the trick beautifully. But at £11 a bottle i would have been gutted if it didn't..

Nick

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I wish I had seen said gel when our two had it! Dam... It's best to get it out the way your right, the wife had mild chicken pox when little and then got shingles a year ago, knocked her for 6!

I hope they are on the mend and brighten up soon, then you can get back to the important stuff... Like hurricanes

Rob

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the 'problem' with the new Airfix kits is that the tolerances are so fine that a missed sprue nib or mould line, or even a coat of paint on a bulkhead can throw off the fit such is precision of the parts.

This is why i mentioned that using the lower wing as jig was a good idea, as getting the spars and cockpit sides square is important to everything fitting later.

I have not even test fitted the Hurricane, but the new Spitfire is like this. Forewarned is forearmed, test fit, if it's not perfect, look for the cause.

T

Compared with their other new stuff, this one is significantly poorly moulded, lots of seam lines to clean up and no little flash on some parts. Also one of my kits has some pretty badly warped and short shot parts, but the other is fine. Quality control issues again I suppose.

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I'm hoping i'm lucky and mine is more or less ok, but i have noticed a few seam lines. I do like how the cockpit framing looks when built up though, very convincing (to my eye).

And thanks Rob, the gel stuff worked a treat. He's had a proper dose of it so doubt he'll be getting it again. I just wish my 9yr old lad would catch it, he's invincible but i would hate for him to catch it when he's older.

And yes, hopefully i can start thinking about Hurricanes again soon! By the way, i think the BoB memorial Spit and Hurricane are flying over Defford today, might be worth keeping an eye out on the skys over our little town in case we get lucky..

Nick

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Made some more progress tonight.

Cockpit all together and glued on to the bottom wing. Everything seemed to fit well, so i breathed a sigh of relief.

20150712_205751_zpsidsl80qo.jpg

Gave it a blow over in black ready for the silver -

20150712_211713_zpshjwkfvsm.jpg

And then silver. At this point i hit a slight snag, i was having problems with the paint (Citadel silver) and it came out a bit strong. It's noticable on the seat, hopefully when it's dry i can sort it...

20150712_221601_zpsuhfrboss.jpg

Then i decided to tackle a job i wasn't looking forward to, cutting out the gun access hatches. In the end it turned out ok, with very little damage to the wing, namely a small scratch which i can get rid of easily.

20150712_221435_zpsoutl89wd.jpg

Just the other wing to do now... :hmmm:

And finally, whilst perusing the instructions i happened across this fine looking chap -

20150712_205825_zpsj4ealwor.jpg

I'm guessing that its probably no coincidence that there is more than likely a geezer working at Airfix that looks remarkably similar? :whistle:

That's all for now, thanks for looking,

Nick

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Cheers Rob, it won't take long to sort out. I should have called it quits last night when the cockpit was built up but i pushed on and i always cock something up when i'm tired.

Nick

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