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Airfix Dambuster - 1/72 Avro Lancaster B.III


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Blimey you lot, you get left alone for five minutes....erm (eight months) and utter mayhem breaks loose. Had a nice chips and chicken and mushroom pie from my local chippy the other day and the nearby off license does reasonably cheap booze, a selection for all tastes; but as I'm doing the building, someone's gonna have to volunteer for the chippy run.

 

Interesting Benedikt, I confess I am much a fan of "proper" cider. That's the stuff made from real apples, not the weak imitation over-fizzy stuff loaded with synthesised ethanol and apple extract. Anyroad I offer the English custom of harvesting cider, known as Wassail or Wassailing. An old English custom of blessing apple trees to ensure a good harvest. Of course lots of drinking went on, and urm due to its probable pagan origins and relationship with fertility and harvesting, other more fruitful activities...urm I think you know what I mean. Here is a modern take on a traditional Wassailing song:

 

 

Oh erm yeh where wuz I? I'm a bit like an old Ford Cortina with a dodgy choke that's a right pain to start in the winter. So it's a very brief update for to ease me back into the swing. Oh I remember now, orrid seams and sanding. Well I’ve made a start on the sanding, but first up I need to fix this orrible gappy ridge:

 

IMG_3539.jpg

 

I could leave it but it was bugging me so I decided to fix it by making a little shim of from plastic to build up the ridge. I’ve finally got round to using the profile gauge.

 

IMG_3542.jpg

 

This has been glued in place. I should then be able to sand it back to look much better than had I left it.

 

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I’ll be back much much sooner this time. Now off to cook myself a goose egg omelette.

 

In the meantime as Spring looks to be finally here and you all will be thinking of holidays and Easter breaks, so be careful! Here's a public information film for you to watch during the interval.

 

 

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Roight up then. I finally got all the seams filled, sanded and re-scribed. It took a little more effort than I anticipated. First was to finish off that nasty front end. The plasticard shim was sanded back, given a thin smear of Me Surfacer, sanded smooth and re-scribed:

 

IMG_3588.jpg

 

The step along the underside of the rear spine was a pain to be honest. But there are no delicate details or awkward shapes to negotiate, so it was pretty straightforward to be honest. The formation lights sit below the surface so I could just sand over them without worrying about damaging them. The panel lines were obliterated, but are straight cuts so they could be re-established without too much difficulty.

 

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The rear sanded smooth and cleaned up.

 

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As I said the rear spine had a nasty step, but as I had plastered on plenty of gloop I had a fair amount of plastic to work with. As per the underside it was reasonably straightforward with only the odd straight panel line to re-scribe.

 

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Finally the front which was okay to begin with.

 

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That’s a fair amount of the boring arduous work out the way, so I can now actually crack on with the wings and actually gluing things together again. In the meantime happy Easter all.

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Right then, hope you all had a happy holiday, and a happy show for those who attended Cosford on Sunday. A special thanks and well done to the organisers.

 

Anyroad, I have slowly been picking up momentum and started to paint and glue. After I finished sanding the seams, I gave em a squirt of Alclad primer to see how they looked. Pleased to report they are fine with no ghostly reappearances. Not yet anyway…

 

I stuck on the escape hatches which I like, then it was on with the undercarriage housing framework. I must say it is nicely detailed, a far cry from the old Airfix Lancs I built as a youth. A very good fit as well – definitely not like the Lancs I built as a youth!

 

IMG_3625.jpg

 

I resisted the urge to add any extra details, just a Paynes wash on the green and a dry brush on the black.

 

IMG_3653.jpg

 

Ditto the wing internals. I masked the location points because the fit tolerances are quite fine and I wanted a good bond with the glue.

 

IMG_3634.jpg

 

The seams received a light sanding. Pleased that they have come out well.

 

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IMG_3654.jpg

 

Then at last I got the wings on and this is the current state of play. A very nice fit it is too.

 

IMG_3655.jpg

 

My it is quite big, especially after the Fury. I don’t know how you larger scale guys manage, especially with 1/32 bombers.

 

Oh and finally, Bill made me buy this at Cosford. It hasn’t been promoted to the top of the stash, but it’s well up there vying for a Champion’s League spot.

 

IMG_3657.jpg

 

Until the next time :thumbsup2:

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10 minutes ago, Tomoshenko said:

Bill made me buy this at Cosford.

 

I always thought Bill was a nice guy....making you buy that is a cruel & unusual punishment...!! 

 

Nice progress on the Lanc. Tomo!

 

Keith

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15 minutes ago, Tomoshenko said:

Oh and finally, Bill made me buy this at Cosford. It hasn’t been promoted to the top of the stash, but it’s well up there vying for a Champion’s League spot.

Ah, very nice. I have one in the stash somewhere I recall. I'm wondering whether the Special Hobby one will be a good'en?

 

Yes, very nice progress on the lancaster.

 

Terry

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hmm that's funny

 

I always thought that about Bill too, we must all be mistooken huh?

 

 

No, on thinking about it Bill denied anything to do with it except its obvious that Tomo has needs too

 

This year and last year are, after all, Years of Navyation

 

He needs to follow up a magnificent Lancaster, live bullets an' all with a homage to the naval heroes who were apt to fly away from a moving airfield, hoping to be able to find it again hours later  :hmmm:

 

Or minutes given the endurance of some Naval types...

 

Lanc looks lovely Tom, we're on a winner here

Edited by perdu
spollint
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2 hours ago, Tomoshenko said:

The seams received a light sanding. Pleased that they have come out well.

 

I like this colour difference. Maybe sometimes more and sometimes less on my old diecasts. Good job Tom! Cheers

Edited by bbudde
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2 hours ago, perdu said:

He needs to follow up a magnificent Lancaster, live bullets an' all with a homage to the naval heroes who were apt to fly away from a moving airfield, hoping to be able to find it again hours later 

 

Yes Bill, but you could have made him buy a decent kit! That thing, whilst it can be made to look Sea Vixenish, was a real disappointment. Still, having seen what you can do with an ancient Matchbox biplane Tomo, I look forward to seeing what sort of a silk purse you turn it into!

 

Keith

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No longer

 

I can stand it no longer

 

I was sat innocently on a chair (probably one of those I induced the stewards ti find for us, I might add)

 

If I recall Dave was sat behind me when an excited little kid/General Tomochenko dumped his bum on the one next to me

 

"Look what I got!"  came the cry, (not all such cries came from Tomo, by the way, kids in a playground some of you model makers. tssk)

 

I was interested (it IS Navyation time after all) but having been away from this august hobby for many  a year only vague disquiet had reached my ears regarding this model

 

Thus I did NOT attack his wild eyed approach but willingly encouraged the lad in his endeavours

 

If anyone can prepare silk purses in a pork meat abattoir, it's got to be the General  ;)

 

go for it Tomo mate

 

 

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23 minutes ago, perdu said:

No longer

 

I can stand it no longer

 

I was sat innocently on a chair (probably one of those I induced the stewards ti find for us, I might add)

 

If I recall Dave was sat behind me when an excited little kid/General Tomochenko dumped his bum on the one next to me

 

"Look what I got!"  came the cry, (not all such cries came from Tomo, by the way, kids in a playground some of you model makers. tssk)

 

I was interested (it IS Navyation time after all) but having been away from this august hobby for many  a year only vague disquiet had reached my ears regarding this model

 

Thus I did NOT attack his wild eyed approach but willingly encouraged the lad in his endeavours

 

If anyone can prepare silk purses in a pork meat abattoir, it's got to be the General  ;)

 

go for it Tomo mate

 

 

Hello Bill,  I don't know, what you talk about now exactly,  but I hope it hasn't something to do with me here. Seems to be somewhat serious, if you can't stand something anymore here. Cheers

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:(

 

Benedikt I usually wait until Giorgio tells me I am talking drivel but for you I make an exception

 

I was not talking (writing) about you, I hope you didnt think I was

 

The chairs discussion was because when eight or nine club members came to the show there were only four seats to use, we had not ordered enough for a large club  :(

 

The marvellous stewards from Shropshire Modellers went out of their way to find us some more so that we all had a seat each

 

That is all

 

The show was great and the people we met were all very nice and enjoyed the display  we put out for them

 

There is no problem at all, I hope this explanation works for you

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7 minutes ago, perdu said:

There is no problem at all, I hope this explanation works for you

Thanks Bill, this is enough for me of course and didn't really think you talked about me! ( Ich glaube auch nicht wirklich, dass Du hier über mich geredest hast!)  But I always feel slightly like a foreigner then again . But who isn't anyhow by now. So everythings fine Bill. Cheers

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5 hours ago, Tomoshenko said:

Oh and finally, Bill made me buy this at Cosford. It hasn’t been promoted to the top of the stash, but it’s well up there vying for a Champion’s League spot.

 

<snip>

 

Until the next time :thumbsup2:

 

I had fun building it. I think it holds the record for the most number of corrections made of any kit I've built. If you'd like a kit that has the same number of errors, but actually fits well, get the Cyber Hobby kit.

 

4 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

Ah, very nice. I have one in the stash somewhere I recall. I'm wondering whether the Special Hobby one will be a good'en?

 

Has anyone heard whether the "new" Special Hobby kit is a new tool, or a re-box of the MPM/Xtrakit kit? Since MPM=Special Hobby, I figured it would be a re-box. But, I've not heard anything either way. It sure would be nice to have an accurate, new tool Vixen.

 

Cheers,

Bill

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On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 8:02 PM, keefr22 said:

 

I always thought Bill was a nice guy....making you buy that is a cruel & unusual punishment...!! 

 

Nice progress on the Lanc. Tomo!

 

Keith

 

On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 8:07 PM, Terry1954 said:

Ah, very nice. I have one in the stash somewhere I recall. I'm wondering whether the Special Hobby one will be a good'en?

 

Yes, very nice progress on the lancaster.

 

Terry

 

On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 8:15 PM, perdu said:

hmm that's funny

 

I always thought that about Bill too, we must all be mistooken huh?

 

 

No, on thinking about it Bill denied anything to do with it except its obvious that Tomo has needs too

 

This year and last year are, after all, Years of Navyation

 

He needs to follow up a magnificent Lancaster, live bullets an' all with a homage to the naval heroes who were apt to fly away from a moving airfield, hoping to be able to find it again hours later  :hmmm:

 

Or minutes given the endurance of some Naval types...

 

Lanc looks lovely Tom, we're on a winner here

 

To be honest I’m just glad to get my mits on a half decent Sea Vixenish looking kit given what’s on offer, hint hint Airfix! The kit does have some resin bits no bobs, not to say that should be the judge of things, but I reckon it’s the basis to knock out something respectable…to be continued...

 

20 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 

I had fun building it. I think it holds the record for the most number of corrections made of any kit I've built. If you'd like a kit that has the same number of errors, but actually fits well, get the Cyber Hobby kit.

 

 

Has anyone heard whether the "new" Special Hobby kit is a new tool, or a re-box of the MPM/Xtrakit kit? Since MPM=Special Hobby, I figured it would be a re-box. But, I've not heard anything either way. It sure would be nice to have an accurate, new tool Vixen.

 

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for the link Bill....gulp wot have I let myself in for....

 

22 hours ago, perdu said:

No longer

 

I can stand it no longer

 

I was sat innocently on a chair (probably one of those I induced the stewards ti find for us, I might add)

 

If I recall Dave was sat behind me when an excited little kid/General Tomochenko dumped his bum on the one next to me

 

"Look what I got!"  came the cry, (not all such cries came from Tomo, by the way, kids in a playground some of you model makers. tssk)

 

I was interested (it IS Navyation time after all) but having been away from this august hobby for many  a year only vague disquiet had reached my ears regarding this model

 

Thus I did NOT attack his wild eyed approach but willingly encouraged the lad in his endeavours

 

If anyone can prepare silk purses in a pork meat abattoir, it's got to be the General  ;)

 

go for it Tomo mate

 

 

 

Okay okay I confess Bill didn’t make me buy it, but but I’m still blaming Bill cos all his Navyation builds lead me on see officer, so it is kind of in a way sort of Bill’s fault officer cos if he hadn't built all the wonderful Naval stuff I wouldn't have bought it....:whistle:

 

 

Anyroad on the subject of dodgy kits, or more to the point mouldings, there are quite a few flaws on this kit which I haven’t really talked about until now. There are a few imperfections on the fuselage, one or two I can live with, but on assembling the tail section last night I came across these:

 

IMG_3659.jpg

 

I jest not they look a lot worse in real life.

 

IMG_3676.jpg

 

Now I can handle seam and gap filling, joining persuasion, dodgy fits, kit bashing and the other stuff which is afterall modelling. But this I feel is poor form on a new tool. There's quite a few of them on various parts of the kit. Clearly issues with the moulding. It can be put right quite easily, but not the point I feel.

 

Anyroad enough of my whinging. A little update. I embellished the wing lights by drilling out the bulbs and gluing foil to the back. Really easy peasy 5 minute job, but gives a nice little impression of proper lights.

 

IMG_3664.jpg

 

And here is the flipside. Yes it is beginning to look like a Lanc afterall.

 

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Note pre-chopped bits of sprue bits in the plastic lid on the right in readiness for liquid cement for the manufacture of some fresh gloop.

 

It makes a change to be actually gluing plastic together. You know I think I could quite get into this…

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Looking very much like a Lanc Tomo, & a rather nice one too!

 

Not wishing to dwell too much on the Sea Vixen, the two things that I really dislike about it are the radome shape which is woeful (& of the available replacements, to my eyes the Pavla one is no better, the Quickboost is a fair effort) and the 'pregnant guppy' look of the lower fuselage under the cockpit. I modified the radome on mine but did nothing about the belly. I have another kit to do & have been holding off starting it untilI can think of a way of slimming it down. I'll wait a while longer & see if you come up with a plan I can steal....!! :winkgrin:

 

Keith

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6 minutes ago, keefr22 said:

Not wishing to dwell too much on the Sea Vixen, the two things that I really dislike about it are the radome shape which is woeful (& of the available replacements, to my eyes the Pavla one is no better, the Quickboost is a fair effort) and the 'pregnant guppy' look of the lower fuselage under the cockpit. I modified the radome on mine but did nothing about the belly. I have another kit to do & have been holding off starting it untilI can think of a way of slimming it down. I'll wait a while longer & see if you come up with a plan I can steal....!! :winkgrin:

 

Pretty much the same plan I have for my Cyber Hobby kit. You're right about the Pavla nose, it's almost identical to the MPM plastic. But I used one anyway because it's resin. And resin makes everything more accurate, right? Right? Don't tell me the salesman lied to me...    :doh:

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

PS. I think the way to slim it down is to put it on the High Planes diet.

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I have just caught up with this thread sir, and damn fine work there sir.

The detailing inner and outer has given the kit an uplift.

 

Having this kit in the stash to build at a later date, I will refer to it for reference if I may.

 

Keep up the fine work.

 

Simon.

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1 hour ago, Navy Bird said:

PS. I think the way to slim it down is to put it on the High Planes diet.

Or maybe the recommended @perdu SIHRSC treatment?

 

Loving the Lancaster progress.

 

Terry

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