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US Airfix Lancaster by CraftMaster 1958: Finished


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Here are the basics

Box art and the simple instructions which include the IP and the engineers panel that you can cut out !!

 

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I should make a start at the weekend, wish me luck . . . . .

Ian

Edited by Mancunian airman
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Just got home and thought I should post the parts as I already started to take them off the sprue . . . . .

 

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Looks to be quite straight forward actually and I think I have made the decision to use the Stand that comes with it so it can be posed as a table-top display . . . 

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13 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Compared to some of the Craftmaster box tops, that one is a bit boring.

It's interesting to see it though.

Probably fifty years since I built this kit!

 

50 years???

...but on your profile picture you look so young... :wicked:

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I have made a start and the first thing i have discovered is that the plastic is so SOFT.

 

There is very little flash on the parts and at most there is just a small seam on the edges of the ridders and front of the main wings.

There are a number of injection pin marks but thankfully these are on the inside of parts.

I'm afraid there were very few parts that were numbered but I think that no a bog issue if you look at the diagram and know the basic parts of the aeroplane.

 

I have always built sub-assemblies and I now find that I am wanting to preserve as many of the rivets on all surfaces to keep it 'original' . . . ha ha 

for example, the rudder tops had the sprue tab on so they were filed off very gingerly

Small error with the Dinghy stowage in the wing being shown on the left wing root, one of the bottom wings was 'short' but that can be filled with a small amount of filler. Fuselage cleaned a little to remove flash seams across the spine and some beneath the rear turret.

Lets move onto some photos . . . .

 

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More to come . . . .

Ian

 

 

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You can tell a man that knows his way around a Lanc - inspiring in a way and please save as many rivets as possible - it is already looking great.

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This is a real classic kit Ian and seeing this brings back memories of reading all those old Allan W Hall articles where he converted it into everything from a Manchester to a Lincoln?  I have to say, those decals look quite good and being a bit of a 460 (RAAF) Squadron fan, would honestly say that the codes and serial fonts all look pretty spot on to me. I'm watching from afar. 

 

Cheers... Dave 

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Dave

 

I too remember the articles and I had great satisfaction of converting this kit into a Dambuster !!!

 

Always been partial to G-George as he was stationed about 8 miles from me. I know/knew where the dispersal was and it was great to stand there and look back across to the hangar seen in one of the many photos of his time at Binbrook.

 

Big X,  I look forward to getting some paint on my sub-assemblies and bringing it together . .. . rivets and all

Edited by Mancunian airman
Clarification
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I not long read a book about 460 Sqd called “Crew”. It’s quite a well written novel about a typical bomber crew stationed at Binbrook and subsequently shot down over France in early 1944. Whilst reading the book, I quite liked the line where they renamed the local “Seven Sisters” pub the ‘“Forteen Titties”!!  Now I wonder if it’s still there? 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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Dave

Sadly no such pub with either name.

The main pub frequented by the Aussies in Binbrook village was the 'Marquis of Granby, a lovely period pub with a thatched roof which sadly caught fire but was restored and is now a house. Happy days.

 

Like to get a copy of the book you mentioned though . . . .

 

https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/books/general-books/military/Crew-Mike-Colman-9781742379111

Ian

Edited by Mancunian airman
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That’s the book Ian. I normally don’t buy these sorts of novels, however having always bought my own gifts of late I told my wife to just “surprise me” on my last birthday. To her credit, she wrapped a copy of this book and I loved it. Just need to pick up the latest Airfix Lanc one of these days and model her in 460 markings. 

 

Cheers.. Dave 

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19 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Compared to some of the Craftmaster box tops, that one is a bit boring.

It's interesting to see it though.

Probably fifty years since I built this kit!

 

 

About the same time frame as me.

 

 

Chris

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14 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

There must be a small group of us that are still survivors from those days . . .ha ha  ha

 

And year after year after their numbers get fewer, soon no one will march there at all.

 

 

Chris

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Managed to get some paint on.

As with most of these older Airfix kits when you assemble the fuselage halves you HAVE TO trap the turrets in between so this is why I have applied paint around those positions . . . .

 

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You may not be able to see in the photo but with the rear elevators on the tailplane I have added 3 tabs on each. The reason being is that I like to dismantle some models for storage but the inner most location is direct into the fuselage and when I take the tail-plane out the elevator is not secure. Adding the 3 tabs glues the elevator to the tailplane.

Sub assembly of the engine nacelles.

There are very few 'rivets' as seen on the fuselage and main wings which I think makes these really neat. Their shape is not bad either.

The closed undercarriage door will be added sooon.

 

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Next stage will be the assembly and painting of the turrets and canopy. I will not be adding anything to the turrets as this is. after all 'Airfix Classics'

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Looking good, you know the limitations for this kit.

Best of luck for the result.

 

I found a very badly finished build of this model amongst donations at Jet Age.  Broken undercarriage, lost nose and astro domes, silver interior, overall gloss brown, no decals, and no props or spinners.

And restored it to this.

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It's a delight to see this one in the GB

. Airfix haver had a Lancaster in every catalogue right up to date. A Classic Group Build would be incomplete without an early example.

 

The stand supplied in the kit will have it's work cut out holding the finished model up. The locating tag at the top of the stand is the weak link, along with the rather wobbly balance of the whole shebang.

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6 hours ago, TonyW said:

It's a delight to see this one in the GB

. Airfix haver had a Lancaster in every catalogue right up to date. A Classic Group Build would be incomplete without an early example.

 

The stand supplied in the kit will have it's work cut out holding the finished model up. The locating tag at the top of the stand is the weak link, along with the rather wobbly balance of the whole shebang.

 

My late 60's build sat on it's stand, on the kit box, on a table in my bedroom, from it's completion to when I left home in 1980. Sometime between then and 1983, my mother and sister, as carefully as possible, packed all my models into boxes and returned to room to a spare bedroom. Not once in that time did the stand ever fail.

 

 

Chris

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