Simon Cornes Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Okay, I know that this kit is reputed to be a real pig but I've been after one for awhile so its bound to happen eventually, although, sadly, not in the Kit Swap at Telford as I had hoped!! The thing is, I can get hold of the Halton version quite easily locally. I presume that kit doesn't include turrets? I presume the kit is identical apart from the pannier and lack of the mid upper and tail turrets so I wonder how easy it would be to get hold of those? Probably easier to wait until a Halifax III comes up - I'm bidding for one on E-Bay now but I will no doubt be outbid but you have to draw a line! I've had one on my BM 'Wants' list for 12 months or so but no offers to date so I assume all those who had them have got rid and all those who haven't are clinging on because they're the only game in town? Pity Fonderie are no more. Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Speak to Collectakit. He had one at Telford that didn't sell as far as I know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 What about the Sanger vac-form? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 The Halton kit has an all new fuselage which is split into (poorly fitting) forward and rear sections incorporating the panner, solid nose and faired in tail section. I think that the mid upper turret glazing is still included along with the clear nose but I don`t think that the tail turret glazing is included, nor the guns and other turret internals. I was hoping to do an Airborne Forces Mk.VII or IX from mine but it will take some work including scratch building the rear turret and mounting fairing. Hope that helps and good luck with your `quest'! Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Haltons also had square windows, perhaps most useful as a way of telling them from civil Halifaxes. Also treaded tyres, I don't know if the kit comes with them nor how relevant they would be for postwar Halis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Hi Simon using the Halton has been discussed before, the kit does come with vac turrets and most of the bits, but the big difference is the fuselage. also discussion on the Sanger vac, and comparisons, though the fuselages are different, from top Sanger vac FM Halifax FM Halton OK http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234979223-fonderie-haltonhalifax/ http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234956305-suggestion-fm-halton-into-a-halifax-148/ http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234908469-fonderies-other-148-halifax/ ebay. Use an auction sniper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I didn`t mention the windows on the Halton Graham as these need to be cut out,...as you can see above thanks to Troy! So far I`ve cut the solid nose off mine in order to fit the glazed nose and filled in the window and panel lines then put it all back into the box! Mind you,......I do have a civvie Halifax planned in 1/72nd scale using the new Revell kit,......I`d love an all red one from Eagle Aviation Ltd but I`m pretty sure that the serials and trim were cream coloured,...or was that just after they transferred to Vingtor Airways? If anybody knows for sure I`d love to know! Until I find out for sure I might just do an all blue one from LAMS instead; Cheers, Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 15, 2015 Author Share Posted November 15, 2015 Well, blow me, I won the Ebay auction so I'd better pretend I didn't see Bentwaters reply as I was only e-mailing Pat about something else yesterday! I am taking the view that I only want one of these things, I've probably paid £20 more than the Halton would have cost me but converting that fuselage back to a bomber looks a real pig - I though it would be a bomber kit with nose and tail fairings and a panier, not the more expensive option of new fuselage! I am very lucky to possess an Airfix Halifax III beautifully converted by John Sheehan into a LAMS Halifax VIII so I know it looks rather nice like that! Thanks for the links Troy, I wil have a read!! Simon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnT Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Well done Simon Of course you will wake up tomorrow and find the big new Airfix announcement is a 1/48 Halifax now Been there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpie22 Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Simon, The kit is not as bad as has often been written. I have built one and, as long as you are patient and treat it as though it is a vacform, adding plenty of internal stiffening, it is quite buildable. I replaced some of the transparencies and threw away the kit engines and replaced them with modified items from Tamiya Beaufighters. I was lucky there as I had converted one Beau to Merlins and another to Cyclones. Good luck, Magpie 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave T Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Well, blow me, I won the Ebay auction...... Nice one. Do keep us updated on kit's contents, progress, thoughts.... etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Well done Simon Of course you will wake up tomorrow and find the big new Airfix announcement is a 1/48 Halifax now Been there Thankfully thats not happened John!! I have to admit that this is a 'started' kit - not that I mind that much and from what I can see the work seems to be fine so no big deal although I know that such things can influence a kit collector, but not a builder. All I have to do now is to find out where the glaring errors are. The images that Troy posted make me wonder where the navigators windows should really be! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Smith Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Simon, The kit is not as bad as has often been written. I have built one and, as long as you are patient and treat it as though it is a vacform, adding plenty of internal stiffening, it is quite buildable. I replaced some of the transparencies and threw away the kit engines and replaced them with modified items from Tamiya Beaufighters. I was lucky there as I had converted one Beau to Merlins and another to Cyclones. Good luck, Magpie 22 Hi Simon take note of the above sage advice. Having read a few builds, which I can search up later if you wish, twisting of the rear fuselage seems to be a problem, probably from the bomb bay cut out, some bulkheads and possibly some lengthwise internal stiffeners would help. Building with a closed bomb bay would also help, and that is supposed to be a sod open with the double doors... I'd also suggest that life will be easier if you spend more time at the start dry fitting/trimming/scraping and adjusting the main parts before you even think about glue, and given the famed nature of the clear parts, doing them at the same time, rather than finding out later they don't fit. The worry about the detail parts. then worry about internal detail. I have found recently that gaffa tape in thin strips and bits works very well for dry fitting, it's strong and can be peeled back and reused, handy when dry fitting. I'll have a search for the build threads I'm thinking of.... EDIT Chris Jephcott build http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/79172-148-fonderie-miniatures-halifax-b-mkiii/ lots of links in this as well. Useful build here http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/handley-page-halifax-mkiii-1-48.15687/ note the addition of stiffners etc PS - note how much filler this build used on the centreline, if the internal parts had been trimmed, and some plastic card tabs added inside the fuselage that would have helped this alignment I think. A friend built the Halton, and had a step at the nose cone, caused by the internal 'detail' panels..too late by then. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 Very many thanks Troy. I have just spent the last 90 minutes or so reading Chris's tale and very useful it was to. The problem with the engines castings surprises me. I read a review yesterday which suggested that the engines were lovely!! I think it will be a case, as you advise, of first looking to see what the bits look like and then how well they fit. The idea of using internal bulkheads is interesting and, along with card joiners, I can imagine the fuselage joint requiring less filler but I will have to see! I ony have experience of one FM kit - the 1/48th Mirage IIIE. I have to say that I thought that with that kit the resin was excellent and the same with the white metal but that was a conversion of the Heller plastic so 'own' styrene may well be different but I would expect the resin and metal to be potentially very good anyway. But thats all speculation so we will see what it looks like in the plastic in the next few days!! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Well it arrived today and it looks fine - but I'm sure thats what everyone says! I can see exactly what Troy means about building it like its a vac-form but that should make life much easier, especially when joing the fuselage. Can't see any warps and the white metal, including gun barrels, looks very good. I can see the detail on the polystyrene bits is a bit soft but not a big deal. I think there have probably been far worse kits but time will tell!! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FZ6 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I started my FM Halifax and have ended up completely junking most of the interior and have made a start on making my own. I've also ditched the wing spars from the kit and am making my own using brass box section and balsa wood. I'll try and share some pics of the work so far. I also have a copy of Air modeller where the author backdated the kit to a mk.I it has some useful info on building this kit. I can also scan you a copy of you PM me. Regards, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 I started my FM Halifax and have ended up completely junking most of the interior and have made a start on making my own. I've also ditched the wing spars from the kit and am making my own using brass box section and balsa wood. I'll try and share some pics of the work so far. I also have a copy of Air modeller where the author backdated the kit to a mk.I it has some useful info on building this kit. I can also scan you a copy of you PM me. Regards, Mark PM sent - many thanks! Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FZ6 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Here's a pic of the work I've done so far at scratch building a new interior and wing spars for my FM Halifax kit. I hope you find it of interest. Regards, Mark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Thanks for posting that Mark, that is serious engineering!! The more I think about this kit, the more vac-form like it is. As Troy has stressed, it needs bulkheads, in fact most panels need internal support. I reckon it would make sense to pack out the upper and lower wing surfaces around the inboard nacelle so that the weight of the model is transmitted to the top surface and probably anywhere else you can get to within the wing to make the panels more rigid. If you do that then it makes it much more structuraly rigid and therefore much easier to rub down where the parts don't fit! When you think about it, if FM had designed it that way it wouldn't have cost much more in the mould making but what a difference it would have made to people's opinions of the kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Lol! - I nearly got that Halton Halifax from Collectakit, but picked up the 1/48 Wellington from them instead. Definitely on the lookout for a B.III at some point - I just hope I don't find one just yet as I need to save up some more pennies after Telford. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 Something else occurred to me about the kit - the lack of a back to the tail turret. The glazing appears to go back (forward?) beyond the 3-9 oclock positions and it must have a solid back with doors. Is there any recommended fix, apart from a bit of plastic card? It also occurred to me that it might be useful to acquire a Revel Halifax III as a guide? Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave the plane Posted November 19, 2015 Share Posted November 19, 2015 Hi Simon, not sure if I am allowed to post this as I only registered today. Have been looking at this site for a few years now. I do have an FM Halifax BIII complete an not started if you are interested. As I said I have only registered today so I will probably put it on eBay but can give you a heads up when I do. With all the kits I have I do not think I would attempt this kit and I just got the Revell 1/72 Halifax BIII. David 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 19, 2015 Author Share Posted November 19, 2015 PM sent to Dave the Plane Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongMan2 Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Hi all fellow Halifax WingNuts, Yeah I've started the FM Halifax, in 1/48 scale, and its a project to say the least. I have MAP scale plans which I used to measure the major parts against and I've found the FM people made major screw ups. I have photos some where if any one is interested. It seems the whole fuselage is 1/4inch too short and they have sadly tried fix it by moving parts of the plane around to cover it. The top turrent is in the correct location but that is about all. The wings were cut/molded based on a scrap line on the drawing; rather than the correct joint line! I used 2x 80thou laminations on each wing to fix it. Thankfully the "T" tail and elevators are ok...but we are talking about a FM kit here. All the surface detail is very poor...and needs replacing. Like I said its a project... Sure the whole interior will need to be scratched built ...as most of the parts are quite simply trash. But I do have very high standards...That being said some modellers have managed to put it together... On one web build, the modeller said the engines were ok...but I think not. I intend to install the nice resin ones from Vector....I have 4x Tamiya Beaufighter engines to replace the sad ones from FM. The major stumble for me is one of the exhausts is on the opposite side of the Tamiya cowl...so I will have to figure out how to fix that issue. The oil coolers need replacing as they are just approx of the originals. The clear vac parts are non-usable...I will have to make my own...I've tried to contact FM for replacements but they didn't respond. This is a pick-up-model for me and this in not going to be built in a couple of months. I imagine it will take several years to complete... PHIL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Cornes Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 Hi Phil, Well your finished build is going to be something to behold I can tell! I am aiming somewhat lower this time and working on the principle that ,if it looks like a Halifax then it probably is! I'm hoping a bath in Klear may improve the glazing and the builds I've seen so far seem pretty reasonable in that department. As for engines, well there's not an awful lot to see between the cowl opening and the prop hub so I'm hoping that black paint and highlighting will give the right impression! Well at least its better than an empty modelling bench and a pile of plastic card anyway!! Simon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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