1:72 Special Hobby Avro Anson Mk.I

[Navy Bird]

Things are starting to come together. I did a light wash around the framework on the side walls, added the floor and buttoned up the fuselage. In the process, you can see that I broke off a section of the rear roof on the port side. If you look back at the sprue pictures, you'll see that there was not much plastic at this spot to begin with. It's a wonder I didn't break it off sooner! But, when you get lemons, put the lemonade away and get out the Scotch. It turns out that this made it much easier for me to get a nice fit and alignment of the roof section, the rear port window, and the canopy. Here is the starboard side of the interior:

 

 

And the port side. I believe the cylinder up front is a fire extinguisher. You can't see it in these pictures, but the "have a lay down" cushion for the bomb aimer is up front. Probably won't be able to see it when the model is finished either!  

 

 

Now for the fun part - we start building the rest of the framework, what I call the roll cage (I've been to too many sprint car races over here in the States). I added the framework on the port side first since you have to build the desks and their associated tubes and supports on that side. Once I'm finished with that, then the framework on the starboard side, and finally add the cross members on top. All the while, remember to check the fit of the canopy to make sure that the roll cage is not interfering. Looks like there won't be any problems.

 

 

 

You'll also notice that I added a thin slice of styrene in-between the sides of the rear roof. When I re-attached the piece I broke off, I carefully aligned it with both the rear window and the canopy. As it turned out, that left a tiny gap on top that I filled with styrene rather than putty.

 

The rear desk will go in next. I think this was the radio operator, and as it turns out a small piece of the radio gear is broken off. I was thinking of hiding that behind some paperwork on the desk. What would the radio operator be looking at? (No more Zoo covers, please.) A map? Mission papers? The quick-start guide for the radio?

 

I'd also like to spruce up the middle workstation. Is this the navigator's position? Some photos from the war show a lamp here, and I can probably do something similar to what I did with my Beaufort:

 

 

Somewhere among the resin pieces is a additional jump seat, and I'm guessing this is for the bomb aimer when he's not laying down on the job. If anyone can point me to some wartime photos of the cockpit and crew, I'd be much obliged. Most of what I've been able to find are modern photos of restored aircraft. I think it was the iPad on the instrument panel that gave it away.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[bbudde]

Nice!!!

[giemme]

Agreed, very nice interiors. Sorry I have no clue about your questions, but I'm sure you'll turn out something spectacular to give life to those crew workstations

 

Ciao

[TheBaron]

1 hour ago, Navy Bird said:

. If anyone can point me to some wartime photos of the cockpit and crew,

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205391473

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205218910

You can just make out a jump seat folded up against the port side of the fuselage in the following shot Bill, which is the second pilot's seat - I don't know is that the additional seat you mentioned:

https://bcatp.wordpress.com/2017/01/23/from-art-oneils-collection-wartime-pictures/avro-anson-cockpit/

There are some nice interior shots after the 8 minute mark here also that give a good sense of the interior spatially as the camera pans around:

The two halves of an annotated internal diagram published in the original 'Flight' magazine profile of the Anson in January 1936 are here:

https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936 - 0269.html

And here:

https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936 - 0268.html

 

Hth, Tony

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

On 3/12/2018 at 1:49 PM, Navy Bird said:

 

 

There are two small holes on the lower starboard side of the nose that Special Hobby have represented as panel lines. They recommend to drill these out and use something like Clear Fix for window panes. However, photos seem to show these are not windows, but doors of some kind. On some pictures I can see a probe sticking out of one of these holes - something to do with the bomb sighting?

 

This might help ... I just spotted this in the Spitfire V walkaround section. The Anson behind the Spitfire has those windows. Theres one up top and one down. The lower one is visible. Just forward of that it looks like a 3rd window that was faired over, or is possibly a door. 

a close up

For what its worth I hope this helps. 

 

Dennis

[CedB]

Great stuff Bill - the new roll cage looks much better than the inconsistent resin framing.

11 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

What would the radio operator be looking at? ... The quick-start guide for the radio?

I'd go with that Bill, especially if you're adding figures... you could pose him scratching his head

[galgos]

Might be worth a little look here?

Max 

[NAVY870]

 

 

[Martian]

15 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

 But, when you get lemons, put the lemonade away and get out the Scotch. 

Sensible policies for better models!

 

Lovely neat work as we have come to expect from you Bill.

 

Martian

[Navy Bird]

7 hours ago, galgos said:

Might be worth a little look here?

Max 

 

Thanks, I'll have a look.  

 

4 hours ago, NAVY870 said:

 

 

 

Thanks, Steve. I have a question on the bottom window. Does it slide back on tracks to open it? On the Special Hobby kit, the nose is moulded in clear, and it joins with the fuselage right behind the side windows. This means that a portion of the bottom window (aft of the fuselage-nose join) is grey plastic, whilst the portion forward is clear. Should I be cutting out the section that's grey plastic?

 

4 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Lovely neat work as we have come to expect from you Bill.

 

You know, my mother never said that to me after I finished cleaning my room when I was a lad. I think that is what's ruined me. I should go see that Fred Freud guy.  

 

*****

 

OK, so I went and added some very important mission documents.

 

 

 

In case you can't read them, the radio operator is perusing the instructions on transferring music to a FiiO X5 Third Generation high-res media player (I figured he would want to keep the Winston Churchill podcasts with him at all times), and the navigator has two maps - one shows the locations of all pubs within walking distance of the barracks that serve single malt whiskeys, and the other shows the shortest and fastest route to the relief tube in the rear of the aircraft. It also has a chart that correlates the total time spent in "relief" to an increase in range (assuming you can delay setting her down in an emergency).

 

Cheers,

Bill

[giemme]

Interesting reading - err, I mean, great detailing

 

Ciao

[Navy Bird]

All right then, let's finish the interior. Special Hobby would have you attach the instrument panel to the underside of the windscreen, but I preferred to glue it into the fuselage. As it turns out, I had to modify the throttle console as it was a little too tall. When I dry fit the windscreen, the top of the instrument panel is ever so close to touching it, so I think we're OK. I also had to make a compass as Special Hobby seemed to have forgotten that one.

 

I found an old photoetch sheet for a Beaufighter and I borrowed the control yoke, and the small submarine door handle that's on the side of the throttle console. The pilot's seat and the front jump seat were added, and then it was time to finish off the framework. The piece I made for the top braces was too wide (even though it's exactly the same width as the resin), so I had to make another. The resin framework included with the kit would have needed to be modified in order to be assembled.

 

So here she is at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

It ain't perfect, but it will suffice. Virtually none of this will be seen once the canopy and windscreen go on.   

 

Now for another question. Special Hobby provide both a resin insert and a clear lens for a wing leading edge landing light, but make no mention of it in the instructions (even though it's in the cover artwork). There are no panel lines on the wing that might outline the position for such a light. Now, I have the Warpaint book on the Anson, and the cover photograph shows the light clearly. However, and there is always an however, virtually none of the other photos inside the book show this light! The only time you see it in the photos inside the book is on civil versions of the aircraft, and even then it's not always there. Since the Mk.I Annie has that nice big light right up front in the nose, maybe the wing light was deemed unnecessary? Anyone know?

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Martian]

Very effective interior and I love the back story that is developing here!

 

Martin

[giemme]

Wow, outstanding job in the interiors Bill    

I know the canopy will hide a lot, but in the end you should have that see-through / busy area look which is very convincing and realistic ... and it's in 1/72!!

 

Ciao

[Beard]

Lovely work on the interior Bill.

[Terry1954]

This is looking really good Bill, love it............!

 

Terry

[galgos]

If you look on p2 of the link I posted above you'll find some info on the leading light position.

Max 

[Hamden]

 

Fantastic interior really bringing this to life!

 

  Roger

[Prenton]

Just found this thread.  Did this kit a while back.  You may need to putty in all of the "panel lines" on the wings, as there are no panels on the wings....

 

Philip

[AdrianMF]

On 17/03/2018 at 19:14, Navy Bird said:

As it turned out, that left a tiny gap on top that I filled with styrene rather than putty

Lovely work Bill! I'm glad to see that this kit too needs a styrene wedge (and that you found out about it in time) - I'd be lost without one in an MPM/Special Hobby kit!

 

Refards,

Adrian

[Admiral Puff]

Just stumbled across this. I'll tag along for the ride - I'm doing the 1:48 equivalent as VH-ASM, East-West Airlines' first aircraft. I've had access to the restored aircraft up at Tamworth, about 300 kms to the north of me, and that was a big help. Back in the day, when it was still unrestored and in Marshall's hangar at Bankstown, I could have had as much access as I wanted, but that's water under the bridge now.

 

Haven't got far with my model yet - still working out how to do the cabin windows, which are in a very different configuration from the kit ones. This thread will be useful indeed. I had thought about your solution for the cabin framing - looks like it isn't all that hard a job, and certainly makes a more convincing frame than the kit parts.

[Brandy]

I do like that interior and framework, it'll all make such a difference. Well worth the effort.

I have an old "Wonder book of the RAF" at home which has some interior shots, but unfortunately I'm not at home, and won't be until the end of April. I think what you've done will more than pass muster though.

 

Ian

[Navy Bird]

21 hours ago, galgos said:

If you look on p2 of the link I posted above you'll find some info on the leading light position.

 

Oh, I know where the light should be. I have a very nice set of drawings that covers every mark. As I mentioned above, the question is whether I should put the light there at all, as the overwhelming majority of photos in the Warpaint volume do not show a light in the wing leading edge (the cover photo notwithstanding). My guess is that they were painted over for some reason. So I suppose this will depend on what markings I choose, and then trying to find photos of the actual aircraft to see whether it had a light or not.

 

20 hours ago, Hamden said:

Fantastic interior really bringing this to life!

 

I thought about adding some figures to give it some more life, but I've got two problems. First, I don't have any. Second, I'm a lousy figure painter. 

 

16 hours ago, Prenton said:

Just found this thread.  Did this kit a while back.  You may need to putty in all of the "panel lines" on the wings, as there are no panels on the wings....

 

Yup, I know that the wings are canvas, and what Special Hobby have shown as panel lines should be taped. But when I look at pictures like this:

 

 

I think the panel lines will be OK, kind of the same as a recessed rivet. Especially in 1:72 scale. Having the wings nice and smooth wouldn't be quite right either, so I guess you picks your poison!   

 

15 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Lovely work Bill! I'm glad to see that this kit too needs a styrene wedge (and that you found out about it in time) - I'd be lost without one in an MPM/Special Hobby kit!

 

Remember my Buffalo? TMOAG.   

 

10 hours ago, Admiral Puff said:

Just stumbled across this. I'll tag along for the ride - I'm doing the 1:48 equivalent as VH-ASM, East-West Airlines' first aircraft. I've had access to the restored aircraft up at Tamworth, about 300 kms to the north of me, and that was a big help. Back in the day, when it was still unrestored and in Marshall's hangar at Bankstown, I could have had as much access as I wanted, but that's water under the bridge now.

 

Haven't got far with my model yet - still working out how to do the cabin windows, which are in a very different configuration from the kit ones. This thread will be useful indeed. I had thought about your solution for the cabin framing - looks like it isn't all that hard a job, and certainly makes a more convincing frame than the kit parts.

 

The civil versions are quite nice as well. The framework is pretty easy to do, so go for it. There are a couple places where I need to go back and fix some things, but then I think why bother? Once the canopy goes on, the mistakes will be well hidden! One of the unexpected side benefits of modelling. 

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Terry1954]

53 minutes ago, Navy Bird said:

 

Yup, I know that the wings are canvas, and what Special Hobby have shown as panel lines should be taped. But when I look at pictures like this:

 

 

I think the panel lines will be OK, kind of the same as a recessed rivet. Especially in 1:72 scale. Having the wings nice and smooth wouldn't be quite right either, so I guess you picks your poison!   

 

I tend to go with your view on the panel lines Bill. Looking at the moulds at the start of the thread and then this picture, I think they work very well. 

 

I had an old Airfix Anson years back (I guess most of us did?) and I enjoyed making it. This thread has reminded me what a wonderful looking aircraft she really is. Yours is coming along superbly.

 

Cheers

 

Terry

 

 

[Aeronut]

As previously mentioned that Anson in the photo has the later metal wing. The Mk 1 had a wooden wing with a plywood skin covered in fabric. A Mosquito probably had more panel lines than an Anson on the wings.