Jump to content

1:72 Special Hobby Avro Anson Mk.I


Recommended Posts

Brilliant! Another Bill build to bookmark. Cracking subject too. I'll be up the bar with Bill.

 

Such a wonderful shot it deserves to be posted again.

8 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Avro_652A Anson Mk I_17

This too, but permit me for being cheeky I prefer it in grey.

8 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

100_3050

PS how is the Special Hobby Vixen as a kit?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is one of the many I've started and have put back in it's box to be completed when work/weather/life becomes less demanding, I had lot of flash, warps and short shots in the mouldings, which slowed progress to a stand-still.

I found that the upper wing joint was acceptable if the upper wing halves are attached to the fuse before fixing the one piece lower part. Also I bought the falcon canopy and there seems to be a discrepancy in the width of the fuselage, but that could be me, and the fact that the falcon item was designed for a different model. 

This kit is like a coracle, it's a challenge.

The man scribbling notes frowning and muttering with a flat half of shandy by the fire exit will be me, therefore, watching with envy and interest.

Box On

Strickers

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking at the photo of the Anson, is it just me or does the port wing look about half the length and half the chord of the starboard one? Clearly that can't be the case, or it wouldn't be flying, but the "foreshortening" (or whatever the technical term is) of the nearer wing seems strangely pronounced, to my eyes at least... Even more strange to me is that the tailplanes look absolutely "right".

Also, the fabric effect on the rear fuselage is very pronounced - the sort of thing that a kit manufacturer would be criticised for overdoing?

I'm in no doubt, however, that you will do a beautiful job on your 1:72 version, Bill - choosing a scheme could be tricky as there are so many tasty ones out there, as per Tony's post.

I shall follow along with interest, if I may?

Nick.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is there still room? I promise to sit at the back quietly and not make too much noise with crisp packets etc. I keep getting my Anson out and looking at it and putting it away again (said in a Kenneth Williams or Kenneth Horne voice sounds not fit for this site), those resin bits for the cabin framing look a bit daunting and so I will watch with interest I have an extensive PE sheet bought from Flightpath many years ago for the Airfix kit, that might produce donor parts. I have quite a few SH/MPM kits in stock and built, not always straightforward, but interesting subjects. Now I must kit back to my own WIP on the Fairey Ultralight helicopter.

Martin

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to share this with you because you're one of the causes of the phenomenon. 

Once every few months, I really beef something up on a 1/72 kit, and then I tell myself that that is it. That my eyes and manual dexterity are just insufficient for the scale (this is BS, because i have fine dexterity, and an optivisor), and then I go dig into my stash of larger scale kits, and end up buying a few additions to it, since that's the thing now, "no more 1/72 for me!" 
This goes on for a few weeks, until I start to miss the relative speed with which 1/72 kits build up, and so i begin looking at 1/72 WIP threads. Its at that point that guys like you, Mike Grant, Alex Clark (and a number of other masters) end up pulling me back in. The big kits go back in the stash (which is now bigger) and I come back "home".  Until I screw something up again. :)

Anyway, thanks for being an inspiration. 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

White styrene time so soon! I'm in!

 

There won't be a LOT of white styrene, most likely just the tubular framework. But we'll see...it is a Special Hobby kit after all.

 

14 hours ago, Gazontipede said:

Heres a little (10min) video of the old girl to get the modelling mojo boiling. :wink:

 

Nice video! Thanks for posting it. I wonder if the push-button starter and iPad were original equipment back in the mid-30s.    :)

 

12 hours ago, perdu said:

I'm over there near the doors to the convenience, getting old y'see

 

Well, if you think about it, that's a lot better than not being able to use the convenience.

 

11 hours ago, tonyot said:

I think I know which one you mean,...... think it is a RCAF aircraft,...  it is brown and green but the colours look darker somehow? Is this it;

<snip>

Whatever the case mate,.... I know that you will do a superb job and I`m looking forward to your Anson,

 

Wow, thanks for all those photos Tony. Lots of great schemes - now you've really got me thinking. And, yes, you're right that was the decal sheet I was referring to. I'm not sure the colours are any darker on that one, it could just be the photos.

 

Something about Dark Earth, Dark Green, and Yellow that's intriguing. The overall Yellow birds are nice too.

 

11 hours ago, Terry1954 said:

I posted this one  last week.

 

Ah, the Vindicator. Whenever I see one, I think I'm Errol Flynn. I have the Chesapeake boxing sitting around here someplace.

 

10 hours ago, Tomoshenko said:

This too, but permit me for being cheeky I prefer it in grey.

PS how is the Special Hobby Vixen as a kit?

 

I like unusual schemes, but I also have a fondness for Extra Dark Sea Grey too. Don't tell anyone, but I have the Cyberhobby kit (I've given up waiting for Airfix to scale down their 1:48 scale kit) and it will be in standard FAA trim.

 

As far as the MPM Sea Vixen kit, I did a few things to try and make it better. Here is what I highlighted in the RFI post:

 

Improvements/Corrections

  1. Replaced nose cone to improve shape
  2. Replaced tail cone and jet exhaust to provide correct depth and proper shape for arresting hook bay
  3. Replaced engine face plate to provide correct appearance of vanes, engine cone, and tube
  4. Added boundary layer inlets and intake vanes
  5. Shortened booms by 4mm to match drawings
  6. Reshaped front of pinion tanks to remove “blunt” look and added fairings to blend pinion tanks into wing
  7. Reshaped top front of tail fins to better match drawings
  8. Added bulges to main gear doors
  9. Added photoetch scissor links to main gear struts
  10. Added hydraulic lines in gear bays with 0.3mm solder
  11. Replaced fuel dump pipe to correct size, and relocated to starboard wing
  12. Added de-misting duct to front windscreen
  13. Reworked rain removal/air conditioning ducting
  14. Added target tug brackets on lower front fuselage
  15. Moved observer’s window up by 1mm (should have been 2mm)
  16. Replaced Hobbit-sized ejection seats
  17. Re-positioned observer’s instrument panel to correct position
  18. Reworked observer’s radar hood to correct length
  19. Detailed the cockpit and ejection seats with color photoetch
  20. Added hinge and handle to observer’s hatch
  21. Added photoetch attachment points to pylons
  22. Scratch built rear pressure bulkhead and canopy jettison release strut
  23. Added gunsight using photoetch and items from the Magic Box of Fiddly Bits
  24. Replaced front fuselage red pinstripe to get correct width
  25. Correct black stripe pattern on undersides (Model Alliance have you do six stripes at a 20 degree angle from aircraft centerline instead of the correct five stripes at a 30 degree angle)
  26. Used proper size roundels on forward fuselage sides
  27. Added various blade antennae and whip aerials; wing pitot tubes made from two different size of hypodermic needles

On top of that, the fit wasn't the best. But I had a lot of fun building it.   :)

 

10 hours ago, HAMP man said:

This is one of the many I've started and have put back in it's box to be completed when work/weather/life becomes less demanding, I had lot of flash, warps and short shots in the mouldings, which slowed progress to a stand-still.

I found that the upper wing joint was acceptable if the upper wing halves are attached to the fuse before fixing the one piece lower part. Also I bought the falcon canopy and there seems to be a discrepancy in the width of the fuselage, but that could be me, and the fact that the falcon item was designed for a different model. 

This kit is like a coracle, it's a challenge.

 

I wonder if mine was an early pressing? I'm lucky to have no flash, warp, or short shots in the plastic. Some warping of the resin framework, but that's about it. I suppose that is one of the disadvantages to these short run kits - the tools don't last forever. I'm not surprised that the Falcon canopy doesn't fit well as it's designed for the Airfix kit. Sometimes you can make that work, but other times maybe not. Thanks for using the word coracle to describe a model kit.   :)

 

4 hours ago, SoftScience said:

Anyway, thanks for being an inspiration.

 

Thanks! I've been called a lot of things, but never an inspiration. Wait until I tell my wife!    :)

 

 

So, a short update. First, I removed the rather nasty looking framework from the resin sidewalls, and then attached the walls to the fuselage halves. I added the prominent wing spars to the cockpit floor.

 

IMG_2047

 

The openings for the rear windows have to be enlarged just a wee bit so that the window glass sits flush with the outside of the fuselage. The way it is now, they're recessed a bit. You can also see that the bulkheads and floor for the turret compartment have been glued to the starboard fuselage. I'm going to use a little filler and smooth off the top of the sidewalls with the fuselage openings.

 

At this stage, I always like to test fit the canopy. This is for one simple reason: It is easier to make the fuselage wider than it is to make the canopy narrower. Or vice versa. So I taped the fuselage together and did some light sanding on the canopy pieces to see where we were. It looks like things will be fine, and no shims or sanding will be required on the fuselage halves.

 

IMG_2046

 

Now I'm off to see what's available in a 1:72 Vickers gun. The resin gun supplied with the kit is uninspiring. Ta for now.

 

Cheers,

Bill

  • Like 22
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been thinking about buying one of these for a while. Bill's builds are always great as I'll be able to see what challenges lay ahead and how to tackle them (though not with the same level of finesse!)

 

With all the Anson experts in one thread, what's the difference between the early and late boxings of the Special Hobby kit? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

31 minutes ago, Navy Bird said:

Now I'm off to see what's available in a 1:72 Vickers gun. The resin gun supplied with the kit is uninspiring.

There are spares in the recent Airfix Blenheim but I'm not sure how inspiring they are.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Magua87 said:

With all the Anson experts in one thread, what's the difference between the early and late boxings of the Special Hobby kit? 

 

You can see the sprues at these reviews:

 

http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/FirstLook/Special_Hobby/SH_Avro_Anson_Mk1_early/SH_Avro_Anson_Mk1.html

http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/FirstLook/Special_Hobby/SH_Avro_Anson_Mk1/SH_Avro_Anson_Mk1.html

 

Cheers,

Bill

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Beard said:

There are spares in the recent Airfix Blenheim but I'm not sure how inspiring they are.

 

Well, I already borrowed two of those for my Beaufort build, so there's just one left for the Blenheim. Wait! I have another Blenheim kit (the Mk.IV) - let's have a look there. Ah ha! It needs two, and Airfix give you three. OK, snip, snip. To be honest, it's not much different than the resin part. I'll paint them both up and see how they look. Thanks for the reminder.

 

Cheers,

Bill

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sneaking quietly in at the back... looking forward to this one Bill, great start.

And Steve has a real one for detailed photos? Perfect!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good tip about checking the fit of the canopy first, it is what I always do. best to now what you are up against from the start.

 

Martian

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like fun! I bought the RAF early version at SMW last November so I will be taking notes. Every MPM kit I have built so far has needed a wedge in the fuselage to get the canopy to fit so it's nice to see a good fit on this one.

 

Regards,

Adrian

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Bill 

I have not been on for a while whilst I have been doing building work on the house. I hope you are okay.  I have missed looking in on your builds.  I am looking forward to this one. I have the Special Hobby 1/48 Anson to build in the stash one day.  

All the best 

Chris 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Good tip about checking the fit of the canopy first, it is what I always do. best to now what you are up against from the start.

 

Martian

 

 

Yep, same here. Yours really looks to be fitting very well, Bill (and it's also very clear) :thumbsup:

 

Ciao

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If the 1/72 kit is like the 1/48, and I'm assuming it is, you'll need to take care with the undercart. It's location is rather vague, I added a shim for the oleo legs to slot into.

Max 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, i wouldn't exactly call the Anson an aesthetic "Tour De Force", but it does look better than the Bristol Beaufort.

 

And lets face it- a 72nd scale Avro Anson is like a Dog that speaks.....very rare.

 

Looking  forward to it. I got one look at those resin sidewalls with the tubular structure and i thought to myself, "Oh God, i sure hope Bill doesn't flog himself, trying to use those...."

 

-d-

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi mates,

 

It seems that Special Hobby have forgotten about the bomb aimer's day/night indicators on the fuselage, which is odd since they include the windows themselves on the clear sprue. I went ahead and drilled out the portholes to accept the clear parts. There's one on each side.

 

IMG_2048

 

I attached the small windows using Elmer's white glue, which dries nice and clear. Hopefully the bond is strong enough so that I won't accidentally push it through. I may put a couple of small "Pop Out Preventers" on the inside.

 

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?

 

Special Hobby has thoughtfully made the nose cone out of clear styrene. Much easier to mask off the small windows that way. Plus, the landing/search light is a very prominent feature of the nose, and Special Hobby give you a resin piece for the reflector, and that will look nice painted up with some Alclad Chrome and placed behind the lens.

 

The cowlings are nicely cast in resin, but you have to be careful when cutting them free from the pour block, and also when sanding the final shape.

 

IMG_2049

 

If you just use a sanding stick, you'll get a flat edge on the front of the cowling. I had to use some small sandpaper and blend that in with the curvature of the cowling front. Not difficult, and preferable to having the cowls made from two pieces if they were injection moulded.

 

I finished the framework for the starboard side, shown here with the top pieces and the original resin. I took the resin piece and placed it on the platen of my printer/scanner/copier. I put a piece of black paper over the top and made a copy - an instant flat template that I used to make the framework.

 

IMG_2050

 

Although it was a little fiddly to make these pieces, it's going to look so much nicer than the resin. After cleaning up the resin, the frames are just not consistently round - plus they're a bit warped.

 

The plan at this point is to paint the details on the sidewalls, add the rear windows, attach the floor, and get the fuselage halves together. Then I can add the seats and the port side of the framework (which I haven't made yet). This needs to be in place so that the instrument panels, navigator's desk (do I see another 1:72 scale map and goose neck lamp in my future?) and bomb aimer's seat and cushions can be added. There are also some instruments and a fire extinguisher up in the nose, and Special Hobby were so kind as to mould the relief tube at the back. At least it looks just like the relief tube that I put in my PB4Y - perhaps it's an intercom. I don't know -do you guys?

 

There is a gun barrel which protrudes out of the port nose, so I'm wondering how much of this might be visible on the inside. Probably not worth worrying about, as it would be hidden behind the main instrument panel, and the glass up front in the nose is not large.

 

Cheers,

Bill

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Navy Bird said:

Special Hobby were so kind as to mould the relief tube at the back. At least it looks just like the relief tube that I put in my PB4Y - perhaps it's an intercom. I don't know -do you guys?

Frankly, I wouldn't want to think it was an intercom only to find out it was a relief tube and can't imagine how unpopular you'd be if you had it the other way round.

  • Like 3
  • Haha 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great! I'll settle in at the back. Actually I have this kit and made a tentative start at it several years ago, but stalled.  In fact I started another Anson at the same time, an Aeroclub multimedia post-WWII Mk.19 (vacformed fuselage, injection moulded flying surfaces, plus white metal details). Unfortunately that one stalled too. Will be following this with great interest since I know you'll provide many useful tips.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/03/2018 at 6:49 PM, Navy Bird said:

Special Hobby were so kind as to mould the relief tube at the back. At least it looks just like the relief tube that I put in my PB4Y - perhaps it's an intercom. I don't know -do you guys?

 

Bill, there is a relief tube, towards the back starboard side.

On 12/03/2018 at 6:49 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

Are these the apertures you mean?

2018-03-13_07-46-07

I don't think they are bombsight related that far back from the internal location of the sight - had a quick scour of the AP but nothing sprang forth identifying them. They do look like window openings of some kind, but would be under the floor of the nose position.

 

I'll have another dig...

Tony

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, TheBaron said:

Are these the apertures you mean?

2018-03-13_07-46-07

I don't think they are bombsight related that far back from the internal location of the sight - had a quick scour of the AP but nothing sprang forth identifying them. They do look like window openings of some kind, but would be under the floor of the nose position.

 

Those, and the one right in front of them. Things poke out of that one occasionally.

 

d5c899535383b2e03e4643f098704c20

 

They all seem to be under the floorboards.

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

PS. Question - I'd like to replace the kit tyres with some resin. Five slot wheels in the kit - anyone know what size the tyres were?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...