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The first HK Lancaster WIP?


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7 minutes ago, 224 Peter said:

I've settled on making KB837, a Canadian built machine. Why? The Squadron codes are SE for 431 Squadron and the indvidual aircraft is X. The nose art is "appropriate"!

 

The A/C survived the war and returned to Canada in 1947 and was struck off charge in 1950. 

 

Two questions: 

1. Fine props or paddle blades?

2. The A/C had an H2S dome, there is one in the kit, but no obvious position under the fuselage.  Does anyone know the distance between the tail wheel and rear end of the scanner cover?

 

Whilst on the subject, the rear of the H2S cover is clear. What, if anything, was visible? Anyone know?

 

Probably early, needle-blade props but KB837 could have been fitted with paddle-bladed props later in her life.

The H2S installation took advantage of the location for the ventral turret that was installed on very few early Lancasters.  The transparent section at the rear of the radome covered at least one, if not two, of the ventral identification lights.  I can’t get at my Lancaster references just now but there are plenty of images showing the location of the radome: I’m surprised that the kit doesn’t provide some clue as to where exactly the radome fits.

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Looking at the late range of KB aircraft they appear to have paddle props.

Dont forget alot if not most Canadian Lancaster had a Gloss nose section ?? strange but true.

In fact in some photos I have even seen that the W/op window was taken out and sheeted over !

 

If you google KB837 and look for the heading 'F/O Jack Carter' there are lots of Canadian Lancaster images when their Lancasters arrived back from England during June 1945.

https://clarencesimonsen.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/flying-officer-jack-carter-and-his-lancaster-kb760-na-p-for-panic/

 

A proud record for Canada

Ian

 

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1 hour ago, stever219 said:

Probably early, needle-blade props but KB837 could have been fitted with paddle-bladed props later in her life.

The H2S installation took advantage of the location for the ventral turret that was installed on very few early Lancasters.  The transparent section at the rear of the radome covered at least one, if not two, of the ventral identification lights.  I can’t get at my Lancaster references just now but there are plenty of images showing the location of the radome: I’m surprised that the kit doesn’t provide some clue as to where exactly the radome fits.

It sort of does... There's a couple of pin-holes that appear to match up perfectly with the transparent blister.

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The markings provided in the kit are all for early Lancasters which wouldn’t have been fitted with the blister. The conundrum there of course is why parts for the later radio fit are included 😲.

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14 hours ago, Chaotic Mike said:

It sort of does... There's a couple of pin-holes that appear to match up perfectly with the transparent blister.

Looking carefully, I can see the small locating holes. 

I've also found some good references to the scanner inside the cover. This is one of the best...

H2S-Scanner.jpg

 

 

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13 minutes ago, avro683 said:

The markings provided in the kit are all for early Lancasters which wouldn’t have been fitted with the blister. The conundrum there of course is why parts for the later radio fit are included 😲.

They also include paddle propellor blades, which don't apply to any of the transfer options!

I will use them, along with the radar scanner - which I'll have to scratch build. 

 

Peter

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7 minutes ago, 224 Peter said:

They also include paddle propellor blades, which don't apply to any of the transfer options!

I will use them, along with the radar scanner - which I'll have to scratch build. 

 

Peter

They do indeed, it’s something that I wish Tamiya had done from the start. The implication is that there will be a later mark issued in the future if this one sells well.

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A small request: if you're posting pictures of a sub-assembly like a gun turret or even an engine, can you include a coin to give those of us who don't have acres of display space some idea of just how big this thing is?

 

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There seems to be some debate about the colour of the surrounds for some of the instrument and switches. 

I've just got a copy of Lancaster, by Dan Patterson, it features photos of the BBMF Lancaster in 1996. 

 

According to many on the Engineers Panel the top row of vertical gauges are black, the next row, oil temperature are yellow edged, the next row the water temperature are blue. 

The BBMF A/C has dark brown to row, then yellow, then black, not blue. 

On the Main panel the engine panel has red edges to the boost gauges, lower to the right the feathering controls are red edges, black buttons. Below them ate 4 engine cut off buttons under red lift up flaps. 

 

Of course, there is no real evidence that the BBMF panels in 1996, when the photos were taken are as a newish 1944 Lancaster. 

 

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13 minutes ago, GordonD said:

A small request: if you're posting pictures of a sub-assembly like a gun turret or even an engine, can you include a coin to give those of us who don't have acres of display space some idea of just how big this thing is?

 

I endorse the idea of including an object to give scale. 

 

However, this forum has a world-wide readership and most countries mint their own coins (and we rarely see foreign ones) it would be a lot better to use an object everyone knows.  Perhaps a bit of ruler?  My shop tape line has both imperial and metric scales., black on a nice bright yellow tape.

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I thought I could show a little progress.  First, the first 4 bombs ringed using the old 'trap the detonator in the Dremel' trick, as discussed above:

 

y4mDYFEONuo7EE5JqH2PCNddTHWI2_JBqY6PLlKE

 

Seems to work well, even if the Dremel's slowest speed seems to be about 2000rpm!

 

Next, some views of the mid-upper (unglazed) and tail (nearly finished) turrets:

 

y4mnjUqFhgKKw0cBd60Yv6F1GgvMfSop7I2bVkT7

 

y4m3IKnuIOl50yWdnXuDG6AL-JVIFn067ymZJgrO

 

y4mbHbn_MlrPeJI3fqnscE4zB44xclFK7u-mLVxM

 

Scale freaks take note ( 🙂 ) - the grid things are sitting on is 1cm.

 

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

There has been comment on a number of reviews, to the effect that the Merlins seem a bit undersized. 

At the Aircraft Collection where I help out there is a Packard built merlin 44, Nr.15168, from a P51D

 

I took a few key measurements that should be easy to measure on a kit.

 

    Block Length inches     Block Length cm    Rocker Box length inches    Rocker Box length cm    V Width inches    V Width.  cm
                        
Merlin 44            38                        96.5                          42                             107                                   24                              61
                        
1/24th Scale                                     4                                                                 4.5                                                                      2.5
1/32nd Scale                                    3                                                                 3.4                                                                      2.5
                        
Airfix 1/24 Mosquito                       3.8                                                              4.2                                                                       2.0         
HK 1/32 Lancaster                         2.8                                                              3.5                                                                       1.4

 

Conclusion: both the engines are acceptable for length but are narrow, this is, I'm sure, to allow the plastic engine to fit into the confined space caused by the thickness of the moulded plastic cowlings. 

I wasn't able to measure the overall height, by my feeling is that the kit engines are lower than they should be. Again, fitting is everything. 

It will be VERY interesting to see how close the Wingnut Wings Merlin is to scale.  

 

My view, for what it is worth, is that it is OK to show these engines with the upper cowling removed, but the lowers are better in place. I'll be building the HK Lancaster with all but the upper cowlings in place, bomb doors open but no load. 

I'll also not use the transparent fuselage. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I used 3/4 of a pot of Tamiya XF-1 as an undercoat for half the fuselage (i.e. not the clear side...), the bomb bay and the inner sides of the doors, and part of the fins and stabilisers. Do Tamiya do 1/4 gallon cans...? 

 

It's big, it's black, it's nowhere near completion... 

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  • 1 month later...

A few months later, and what do we have? Four rather anaemic looking Merlins, with what look to be overlong exhaust pipes. These are all pre weathering, oily gubbins and pipes feature in the futures of some of them. 

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The exhausts are over long because the Merlin is narrow, so it can fit in the nacelle: the plastic cowling, if scaled up the cowl sides would 3" thick!! ... or to put another way, the 1/8"/2.5mm aluminium sheet if, true scale thickness in the kit, would be about 0.6mm thick.  So almost all kit engines are undersize in some way, usually width and height, in order to fit. 

 

When built up the distance between the ends of the exhausts will be spot on. 😁

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  • 4 weeks later...

It's a long drawn out process.  I should really check the instructions before spending a couple of hours building and painting an internal framework that will not actually ever be seen...

 

y4m9Vg_dYbJI9I94f_Iwiis2xKBygm3CkyLg7O1Y

 

Actually, you can almost see the top of the tank and the frame through the nacelle, if you choose to leave the cowlings off.  And speaking of nacelles...

 

y4mAGsV5JCKoCICNpVfmy4DGaORNTQBr5PzfgZn_

 

How many of those rectangles (if any) represent holes?  I've had a trawl around the internet but not found any good pictures of what goes on here.  I was thinking it likely that there would be a void on the forward facing face of the indent, representing the through path for radiator air but I have no evidence for that other than supposition!  Anyone know, or have any good source pictures?

 

Mike (who refuses to be ground down by what is a LONG process...)

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3 minutes ago, Chaotic Mike said:

It's a long drawn out process.  I should really check the instructions before spending a couple of hours building and painting an internal framework that will not actually ever be seen...

 

y4m9Vg_dYbJI9I94f_Iwiis2xKBygm3CkyLg7O1Y

 

Actually, you can almost see the top of the tank and the frame through the nacelle, if you choose to leave the cowlings off.  And speaking of nacelles...

 

y4mAGsV5JCKoCICNpVfmy4DGaORNTQBr5PzfgZn_

 

How many of those rectangles (if any) represent holes?  I've had a trawl around the internet but not found any good pictures of what goes on here.  I was thinking it likely that there would be a void on the forward facing face of the indent, representing the through path for radiator air but I have no evidence for that other than supposition!  Anyone know, or have any good source pictures?

 

Mike (who refuses to be ground down by what is a LONG process...)

Both of them. On the real aircraft you can see the rear face of the radiator through the nacelle. The solid wall requires removing too.

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Yes, as I posted last night it occurred to me that many things need doing 4 times. I considered drilling out the exhausts, but concluded 96 non-circular holes in out of scale things that will be hidden by shrouds anyway would be a lunacy too far. 

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On 9/10/2019 at 8:53 PM, Chaotic Mike said:

Thanks. So that's three holes in total? To the razor-saw! 

Sort of. For accuracy, the solid triangles on the inner surface of each nacelle need removing as does the plastic at the rear of and parallel to the in line edges of the forward recess. The radiator flaps can then be fitted in either a closed or open position.I hope that it’s easier than I have made it sound.

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