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Hobbycraft 1/72 DHC-8 / Dash-8


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First off a confession - I shouldn't have started this build, my previous B-57 is still at the painting stage and I've kind of promised The Canberra Kid that another B-57 will be next. However this was meant to be a quick from the box build but the crude nature of the kit means I'm at risk of early onset AMS so I've made some coffee and started this post to help me stay on the straight and narrow.

What do I mean by crude?

Panel lines - doors and control surfaces only.

Undercarriage bays - no.

Interior - basic cockpit which may resemble the real thing, but then again......

Engine exhausts - a strange looking cavity.

Aerials - no.

Navigation and anti-collision lights - no.

I think the AMS can live with the first three but the last three will have to be fixed, I don't have a reference for the exhausts but memory (which may be of a Q400) says tubing trimmed to shape will do the job.

And the shape of the nose is reported as being completely wrong on various forums (forae ?) but life's too short to worry about that!

So far I've just joined the cockpit floor and bulkhead and rested them in place to set.

27644815903_28292e4d52_b.jpg

Scheme is planned to be the BA Landor scheme as seen here http://www.aviationphotocompany.com/img/s1/v48/p707749461-3.jpg and featured in S&M Decals sheet 72-436. I've also bought Xtradecal X044-001 as there are some bits I thought could cannibalise.

27644816023_e06f77a875_b.jpg

Problem is G-BRYG was named Lothian, not Lanarkshire as on the decals (that was G-BRYH) and the name was in Gaelic (?) on the port side. I'm also not a fan of white lettering done as a dark surround on white decal paper but you've got to go with what you can get so I'll be searching the spare decals to see if I can change the reg. to BRYH. The minor stecilling is also missing. The kit decals give you the proverbial 'two tenths of nowt' in the way of stencilling, not even the door surrounds so they're no help.

Must go, coffee is finished and I should be gardening!

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Looks good, an interesting build, I haven't seen this kit before. I've actually flown on the real aircraft out of the Harbour airport, interesting approach for landing over the city!

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:popcorn:

I have started one and am converting it (a little).

The nose shape is not the real issue, it is the positioning/shape of the windscreen, not enough height of the windscreen panels comparing my kit to your picture. But as you say life is too short to worry about too many issues with the kit.

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I didn't realise that BA operated Dash-8s. Looking forward to following this build.

The first step in the demise of Plymouth airport was when BA bought out Brymon Airways who operated Dash-8s amongst other types. BA continued the Plymouth to Heathrow service for a while (long enough to repaint the aircraft in BA colours) but it was obvious that they really wanted the Heathrow landing slots for their big jets and the Plymouth-London service was rerouted to Gatwick. This was a killer for business flyers as there were few useful connections from Gatwick and everyone in the office I worked in had to use the train to get to Heathrow for our regular trips to headquarters in Austria.

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Nice one Obsessed Member, and could I ask where the hell do you guys source these kits from these days?

I found one here a few years ago now, to celebrate a fabulous flight I had on US Air Express into NY over the city and central park before the turn.

I was very silly and over enthusiastic indeed when I came across a chap on the ARC forum who agreed to do the custom decal sheet for me, so to sum up. half a fuselage was posted over to the US, 5 years or so ago and now heard nothing since way before what I know now of course . He,he Silly old Picard.

Loved the Dash 8 flying on it in Canada and the US internally a few times. Looking forward to this one, as well as any help and advice which will be gratefully received. Cheers

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I keep toying with the idea of getting one of these to do the Australian Navy LADS machine so I ajm interested in how you get on with this.

Martin

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Rain stopped gardening so have moved on a bit. Cockpit together apart from instrument panel and coaming and all interior bits painted, not that you can tell 'cos I used Tamiya XF-20 Medium Grey as roughly what I thought the colour should be and it turned out almost the same as the plastic! Didn't paint the main cabin interior - just a waste of paint.

Wondering how much to do to the panel as I doubt it will show, also wondering how to fit the coaming as there are no alignment guides on any of the parts it might touch.

Fettling the wing meant chamfering inner edges of mating surfaces as well as removing the occasional unevenness. Also reduced the height of the outboard alignment pin. Not sure there are enough clothes pegs in the world to build both wings at once and you have to be careful not to over squish the wings as the rear edge isn't supported.

27651005924_a44c97a613_b.jpg

Spinners were a pain being in front and rear halves to allow for individual blades - they are not concentric so drilling out the centre of the rear half was required before they would align. Note the drilled out clothes pegs to hold them together. At least I will be able to put the blades in the standard (fully feathered) ground position.

Mild AMS is kicking in as I would like to scribe some sort of panel detail into the engine nacelles - having spent plenty of time looking at them, or trying to look past them at the scenery below, I know there should be some. Just need to find a reference pic. I'd also like a pic for the exhausts if anyone can point me at one please? I'm kicking myself for the number of times I've flown in them and not taken photos. Now I'm retired I can't get a trip at someone else's expense!

Next is to finish the interior paint - blue-grey seat cushions and blue lap belts as a guess at something likely plus whatever I decide on for the instrument panel and then put in the glazing before closing up. I don't like the idea but I think the two-part windscreen will have to go in before joining the fuselage halves as the angles of the mating surfaces look likely to prevent it being done later. I'll try to comment on this again after I've seen how it goes.

Note for Picard - the kit was bought secondhand at a show a few years ago, cheap because the instructions were missing.

Edited by rossm
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The nose shape is not the real issue, it is the positioning/shape of the windscreen, not enough height of the windscreen panels comparing my kit to your picture. But as you say life is too short to worry about too many issues with the kit.

Exactly ! I think the acronym for this build will be LTS - life's too short.

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I keep toying with the idea of getting one of these to do the Australian Navy LADS machine so I ajm interested in how you get on with this.

Martin

I think Hobbycraft did do that version but it's not easy to find.

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The two front windscreen panels are completely flat on the real machine. Replacing those will go a long way to improving the nose. Having said that, I did not replace mine, and it still looks like a Dash8. A brass rod to reinforce the wing to fuselage joints is highly recommended.

Edited by Robin-42
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I think Hobbycraft did do that version but it's not easy to find.

I know Southern Sky Decals did the markings but alas the sheet seems to be oop. A shame really as I am sure the decals would be way better than Hobbycraft's.

Martin

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I was put off of getting one of these kits due to their bad reviews. I'll be watching this to see what you can do with it. Good luck!

All the best,

Drew

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I think Hobbycraft did do that version but it's not easy to find.

Decals in the Hobbycraft kits included a Canadian Air Force machine (CC/CT-142). No kit has had the LADs decals included.

I have a couple of these and I will be doing mine as the LADs aircraft and an Australian Customs/Border security bird.

Cool, I always wanted to get one of these. I'll enjoy watching you building this though I much prefer it's bigger Q400 brethren. That would be a nice 1/72 model.

I know a guy who converted the Hobbycraft kit to a 400Q. there was a lot of work including new wings as a start.

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Great to see someone do this

I have a lot of photos of the Dash 8 let me know if you would like any, strange I didn't give them to Julien to put up on the Walkarounds



I think Hobbycraft did do that version but it's not easy to find.

The LADS schene was never done by Hobbycraft, there was a limited run decal for that schem, no longer available



The two front windscreen panels are completely flat on the real machine. Replacing those will go a long way to improving the nose. Having said that, I did not replace mine, and it still looks like a Dash8. A brass rod to reinforce the wing to fuselage joints is highly recommended.

Yep that is correct, here is a photo of a -100 that might help

FuselagePortCockpit.jpg

For the exhaust I don't have a photo from above, but here is a shot showing it flares out on the bottom side a little

EngineNacelleStbdRear.jpg

Also note the Ice protection panel level with the props, and how pronounced it is.

Hope these help a little

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Thanks for the photos Graeme H. I think LTS will prevent me doing the flat windscreen panels but I'll fnd out soon as they need to go in before the cockpit assembly.

I haven't seen the ice protection before - I'm not sure it's standard????

A bit more progress - cockpit together with as much fictitious detail as I want to have given that it will be almost invisible. Thought I'd try a wash to pick out the instruments and it worked fairly well due to the good indentations. At least it looks a bit like the real thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4xep9fNgMs

Spinners are going to be a pain, the front halves are slightly undersize for the rears and the curve is not exactly the same. Some Mr.Surfacer applied and smoothing to be done.

28244189926_6de8588472_b.jpg

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:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn: watching this with interest.

Having one in stash as well,I am highly interested in this WIP.

Is this kit worth the $25-odd it goes for on eBay? I've read many negative reviews, but the outcome of most of these built looks rather nice. I'm not a big stickler on accuracy. Would it be worth getting one? Thanks.

Drew

Correction: $50+ I don't think many kits are worth $50

Edited by DrewP
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Is this kit worth the $25-odd it goes for on eBay? I've read many negative reviews, but the outcome of most of these built looks rather nice. I'm not a big stickler on accuracy. Would it be worth getting one? Thanks.

Drew

Correction: $50+ I don't think many kits are worth $50

I'm also not too worried about accuracy in terms of shape unless it's very obvious. This looks like it will turn out OK for me in that respect. My main concern is to add enough detail that it doesn't look like a travel agent's desk model which is a danger with the minimal panel detail and lack of aerials, stencilling and the like which I noted in my first post. I don't think it needs a lot of work but what you do put in will reward you considerably for the effort.

So I'll be using aftermarket decals, adding the aerials and some of the lights and trying to detail the nacelles a bit by scribing some panel lines on them and putting something in the hole that Hobbycraft have deemed sufficient for the exhaust.

For me it's certainly a £15-18 kit, which used to be close to $25. I'd really have to want one to go more than that but if I did I think it's buildable, just watch this space!

Edit - thinking about some of my stash I'm sure I'd go £25 for this if I had to. My High Planes Canberra cost that and, while it has a lot more detail in the box, it looks like it will be a more challenging build. My ideal is something between the two.

Edited by rossm
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Is this kit worth the $25-odd it goes for on eBay? I've read many negative reviews, but the outcome of most of these built looks rather nice. I'm not a big stickler on accuracy. Would it be worth getting one? Thanks.

Drew

Correction: $50+ I don't think many kits are worth $50

Well,as it has already been stated,the detail and and accuracy issues are there on this kit but with some effort it can build up to a very nice model.

If such a kit is worth the price lies in the eyes of each modeller.

As I was looking for a Dash-8,that comes as a regular plastic moulded one and not a vac-form or resin kit,I was happy to get one of those Hobbycraft Dash-8.

There are some nice decals available for it,so why not give it a try ?

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I'm also not too worried about accuracy in terms of shape unless it's very obvious. This looks like it will turn out OK for me in that respect. My main concern is to add enough detail that it doesn't look like a travel agent's desk model which is a danger with the minimal panel detail and lack of aerials, stencilling and the like which I noted in my first post. I don't think it needs a lot of work but what you do put in will reward you considerably for the effort.

So I'll be using aftermarket decals, adding the aerials and some of the lights and trying to detail the nacelles a bit by scribing some panel lines on them and putting something in the hole that Hobbycraft have deemed sufficient for the exhaust.

For me it's certainly a £15-18 kit, which used to be close to $25. I'd really have to want one to go more than that but if I did I think it's buildable, just watch this space!

Edit - thinking about some of my stash I'm sure I'd go £25 for this if I had to. My High Planes Canberra cost that and, while it has a lot more detail in the box, it looks like it will be a more challenging build. My ideal is something between the two.

`You are right in that matter.

I recently found a nice detail decal set for the Dash-8 from NAZCA,so with this it should be possible to get a nice model out of it.

Here; http://www.nazca-decals.com/html/dash-8-1_300.htm

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