Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR1 - 1/72 Airfix

[CedB]

Thanks Tomo, Nikolay, Simon, Bill, Benedikt, Giorgio, Phil and Cookie - I got there in the end!

 

10 hours ago, hendie said:

you could do an aircraft builders version of them floaty boaty builders waterline builds. 

All you'd need is the bottom half of the wings, the tailplane - stick the bomb bay directly on the ceiling, add the sticky outy bits either side of it and you're done.

A "skyline" version of a Nimrod right there in your  ceiling

Thanks Hendie - too late now  

 

Thanks Gary and PC for the nominations - I'll try not to cry at the award ceremony  

 

 

I'm getting close to 'proper painting' so I want to make sure there are no more rough jobs to do before I fit the sticky out bits.

Lord Riot had re-shaped his tailplanes but I dithered as I know the MR2's had mods when the probes were fitted for Operation Corporate:

"The decision by the Argentinean junta to invade the Falkland Islands in April 1982 gave rise to an Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR) to equip the Nimrod MR2 with an Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) capability as part of Operation Corporate. In just 18 days, eight Nimrod MR2s were fitted with in-flight refuelling probes, taken from Vulcans, and stabilising winglets on the tailplane." 

That comes from this site that gives the history of the Comet/Nimrod - useful. It implies that the Nimrod was a new build (rather than a mod of the 4) but it makes sense to assume that they had common parts, doesn't it? And that Airfix did the same with the kit?

There's a nice drawing here and it looks like the tailplanes are very close to the Comet 4, but still squarer than the kit? I'll print out a scaled image and see where we are.

[perdu]

Don't you just love a plan huh?

 

I intend getting that in my never-to-be-used Nimrod file

 

I love a handsome plan

 

To be honest I'd never heard of Nimmie being a conversion with a possible exception of a prototype proof of concept back at the dawn of time, I must read that link to learn summat new

Always thought they were new-builds, just built to old style standards rather than CNC computer driven machinery like Airbus stuff, which allowed the build state variation that bedevilled the MR4 programme

 

Right thanks for the read Ced, I'm off

I may be some time...

[Hamden]

 

Certainly showed that canopy who's boss!

Fantastic workmanship as always

 

  Roger

[The Spadgent]

 

Ced Said....

“What's that? Put some gloss down first? I'd heard that somewhere…”

 

yes always ! 

 

Sorry that post seems ages ago now. 

Just had a lovely Sunday morning catch up. That canopy is giving you some real stick kid but in typical fashion you’re sticking to the man. “The canopy man” whoever that might be. 😂

The new sanded clear bit looks good, fingers crossed that prime coat doesn’t reveal any problems. Oh and yessss ALWAYS gloss first. 🤣

 

Johnny.

 

 

[CedB]

1 hour ago, perdu said:

Always thought they were new-builds, just built to old style standards rather than CNC computer driven machinery like Airbus stuff, which allowed the build state variation that bedevilled the MR4 programme

Thanks Bill  I'm sure you're right that they were new builds, but I guess they used some trusted design parts. That's my story etc…

 

28 minutes ago, Hamden said:

Certainly showed that canopy who's boss!

Fantastic workmanship as always

 

  Roger

Thanks Roger - very kind  

 

Thanks Johnny - gloss first, got it!  

 

 

'Cut out' the tailplane from the diagram to a new file and printed it at 190%:

 

on Flickr

 

… and then cut out the tailplane, comparing it above and below the kit:

 

 

 

After checking some reference shots of the MR1 I'm calling that good. Not so for an MR2 perhaps?

 

Ready now to stick some more bits on, including the wingtip, er, thingies that I need to scratch.

[CedB]

I also need to re-design the window masks.

 

For other Silhouette users, I finally found out how to print the designs on paper. With the objects selected, in the line style panel (circled in red on the right hand side) set the thickness to, say, 1pt and tick 'Print Lines of Selected Shapes':

 

 

I'll let you know how it goes  

[perdu]

6 hours ago, CedB said:

 

 

After checking some reference shots of the MR1 I'm calling that good. Not so for an MR2 perhaps?

 

Nice stencil patterns, they look right so I bet they are

Must get some stencil film in small sheets to try out my DSPIAE with

 

now the picture above 

 

you know the picture on the left is assoverapex don't you

 

I wonder if it would be an even better fit if you flew with the tailplane first, elevator behind?

 

 

[CedB]

15 hours ago, perdu said:

you know the picture on the left is assoverapex don't you

 

I wonder if it would be an even better fit if you flew with the tailplane first, elevator behind?

Oops, well spotted Sir!

 

Reverse it:

 

 

on Flickr

 

More masks cut, just to be sure:

 

 

I'll use the 'best ones' later.

[CedB]

While I had the cutter out I tried out the Graphtec CB09 blade that I'd bought back in November but haven't looked at since.

I'm posting this here as I know (hope) most interested BMers will see it.

 

The one I bought comes with three blade angles and I've labelled the boxes to aid my failing memory:

 

 

Fitting the tiny blades and springs needs care as the springs tangle together. I also put the shield in the spring bag for safe keeping. The holder fits easily into the Portrait 2:

 

 

The videos I've seen suggest you set the blade by comparing the bit poking out to your material. Didn't work for me - I just kept screwing down the blade in the machine until it cut through. It ended up here for 0.3mm Plasticard:

 

 

 

Did it work?

 

 

 

 

I reckon so. Nice sharp edges. Note the pencil - speed 1, force 33, passes 3. I used the standard (red) blade.

I'll try it on 0.5 at some point but I'm happy  

[CedB]

Designing masks eh? Tricky.

The perspective is important, especially on these weird windows:

 

 

I'm getting there but not happy, yet.

 

I'm also VERY clumsy at the moment; didn't get enough sleep last night.

Remember the photo of the blade above? I dropped my 'phone taking that shot and it landed on the model. Phew I thought, no damage then.

Not so, the top seam cracked, again!

 

 

And if that's not enough, while taking some shots of the re-designed masks I dropped the whole kit and the bomb bay resin dropped out:

 

 

Now you'll remember there's a tab in the front - can I get that back in? No. 

And how come the CA Gel I used to fill the gaps didn't fix the resin in?

Eh?

EH?

 

 

I shall step away from the bench before I do any more damage and wait until I can handle things without dropping them.

Idiot  

[bbudde]

Sorry to see that Ced. Can you put some bulkheads or spacers (plastic or wood) under the bomb bay where it can sit on?  So you can concentrate more to bring them back in position again. Strangely enough as they had widen the kits part with a little gap on the doors. But now you can sand them on the outside again. Cheers

[06/24]

Courage mon ami. A restorative beverage and doing something else entirely will see you right, and then you can storm back in and show your mighty hunter who's boss!

[AdrianMF]

Sorry to hear of your woes! But I'm am getting strangely attracted to your Silhouette (ooh-er missus!)... must... resist.

 

Actually the speeding ticket I received this morning from Holland has hypothecated that budget. (About time too, haven't had a ticket of any kind for almost 30 years)

 

I think I would be staring at head-on photos of Nimrods for a while before making any masking decisions. Those windows are quite subtle shapes!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[71chally]

On 2/3/2019 at 10:43 AM, CedB said:

After checking some reference shots of the MR1 I'm calling that good. Not so for an MR2 perhaps?

 

Ready now to stick some more bits on, including the wingtip, er, thingies that I need to scratch.

I've somehow missed this thread Ced, superb work here on the Mighty Hunter.

 

Great to see that you have gone to the effort of correcting the tailplane shape (which is the same on all Nimrods) which to my eye is the most obvious flaw of the kit, along with the windscreen shapes.

Edited February 4, 2019 by 71chally

[CedB]

Thanks Jon, Adrian and James (nice to have you along)  

Thanks Ben; the resin comes with bulkheads (you can just see them in the photo above). I wonder if that's what's splitting the seam?

 

It's back in!

 

on Flickr

 

Back to the mask design…

[giemme]

24 minutes ago, CedB said:

It's back in!

 Great recovery, Ced!  

 

Ciao

[hendie]

47 minutes ago, CedB said:

It's back in!

 

good recovery Ced.  I could be wrong but I think in practice, it's only the bombs that are supposed to fall out when the bomb bay doors are opened.

 

 

3 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

I think I would be staring at head-on photos of Nimrods for a while before making any masking decisions. Those windows are quite subtle shapes!

 

sage advice

 

 

 

[bbudde]

2 hours ago, CedB said:

I wonder if that's what's splitting the seam?

I don't know, but I wish, that's the bad part that had driven you crazy has gone now..

Edited February 4, 2019 by bbudde

[Cookenbacher]

Nice save Ced!

The mask making is fascinating.

[CedB]

On 04/02/2019 at 16:43, giemme said:

 Great recovery, Ced!  

 

Ciao

Thanks Giorgio  

23 hours ago, hendie said:

 

good recovery Ced.  I could be wrong but I think in practice, it's only the bombs that are supposed to fall out when the bomb bay doors are opened.

 

 

 

sage advice

Thanks hendie  You're only supposed to blow the doors off! Speaking of doors, any pictures of that insulation you wanted? 

I have been staring at front on and side on pictures and I think the masking's as good as I'm going to get it (see below)

22 hours ago, bbudde said:

I don't know, but I wish, that's the bad part that had driven you crazy has gone now..

Thanks Ben, hopefully so  

16 hours ago, Cookenbacher said:

Nice save Ced!

The mask making is fascinating.

Thanks Cookie  

 

 

Masking as good as I can:

 

 

I'm not perfectly happy with it but I need to work around the resin frames - I'm not about to sand those out!

 

Aerials on (using reference shots) and unused holes filled:

 

 

Ready for white primer!

[hendie]

6 minutes ago, CedB said:

the resin frames - I'm not about to sand those out!

 

why not?   If needs must then...

 

 

7 minutes ago, CedB said:

Speaking of doors, any pictures of that insulation you wanted? 

 

Ced, in all the photo references of Nimrod bomb bays I can find there is no insulation shown.  I did find a statement on another forum that stated that the insulation was removed around 1995 so anything before that should really have the insulation.

I'm almost certain it was called plastazote and it came in flat sheets about 15 - 20 mm thick and was a light blue/green in color

Here's a quote on another forum from back in 2008 where someone is describing the insulation - which matches nicely with my recollection

 

The insides of the bomb doors and clamshell doors are lined with a high density foam material, which is coloured in a shade of green similar to a slightly washed out au de nil (sp), though it becomes heavily discolured by spillage from the keel drain system. This spillage is a mixture of hydraulic fluid and water, from internal condesation. Note that the hydraulic fluid used in Nimrods is straw coloured.

 

in this photo you can see bot the upper and lower "Z" flanges that the plastazote fitted under, the lower one being just above the black rubber seal.  A single sheet fitted from top to bottom, and was about 24" wide or thereabouts.  The sheets were stuck in with evostick and were sealed all round with PRC something or other - I can't remember the exact flavor of PRC.   It was a real gucky sticky brown 2 part mix that we used to lick and spit on all the time.  I seem to remember it had a really heavy lead content which was why it probably tasted like it did - or maybe that was just a rumour. Normally applied with a cheapo small brush and liberal application of spit on finger

So essentially, most of the inner surface of the bomb bay doors was covered in plastazote and there would be vertical brown lines every two feet or so and a full length brown line top and bottom... but probably invisible in 1/72

I have a feeling that we also cut the plastazote to fit around those recesses you see in the bomb doors here so there would be big dollops of PRC sealing around those edges as well

 

 

I'm glad you remembered !

 

 

 

[The Spadgent]

Excellent save Ced dear boy. It proper fell apart there for a moment, I knew you would get her all back together again.

wonderful stuff.

 

Jont.

[AdrianMF]

Immaculate canopy masking. Looking forward to primer!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[bzn20]

1 hour ago, hendie said:

hydraulic fluid used in Nimrods is straw coloured

The Nimrod used the Comet's OF4 (the Straw colour , Vegetable base fluid) OM15 (Red, mineral base fluid) and OX87 ( Synthetic) which I think replaced OF4 (the worse thing you could come in to contact with !) OF 4 went out with the Ark

OM15 is Red but after time with deterioration/drying out any drips , runs and pooling go to Orange and then to Yellow . Some Nimrod systems are isolated from others so a different fluid can be used with out contaminating the others . EG VC10 is all Skydrol but the later added Main cabin freight door is OM15 .

 

The PRC was either "PR1422 A" runny ish medium Brown or "PR1422 B" thick Dk Brown and doesn't play with a brush ! They come in 1422 A and 1422 B in 1/2 hour and 2 hour . The times are a  bit of a joke as it all depends on Temp and Humidity .

 

Depending when you were using it apart from Lead there was an Asbestos warning too (the activator) Run away !  It all got superceded in line with H&S !

 

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by bzn20

[bbudde]

deleted

 

Edited February 5, 2019 by bbudde