Popular Post Vulcanicity Posted June 18, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted June 18, 2019 (edited) After two years of hard slog during which I have also completed a Heyford, a Chipmunk (as a sanity break!) and a PhD, here is my take on the Matchbox Stranraer, finished as K7292 of 228 Squadron RAF at Pembroke Dock, autumn 1938. The WIP is here. At some point I'm going to do a Stranraer reference thread for the Interwar section to share all my refs and discoveries, I'll update this with the link when I've got round to it. Don't hold your breath! Having decided to start on adding some detailing to this and the concurrent Heyford, I went fairly mad. The following is a reasonably complete list of my alterations: Scribed hull (including some corrections to MB’s panel lines on rear fuselage and nose), plus lower wing stubs, floats, cowlings, nacelles, and upper centre section. Removed large raised cargo door on starboard side of hull, (a postwar civilian modification, copied from the Hendon machine by MB) and cut a new window in its place as per pre-war aircraft. Detailed the kit door part. Reinstated recess for sliding side portion of canopy above the entry door. Cut out the sliding canopy section and replaced with an acetate panel mounted in the partly slid-back position. Scratchbuilt most of interior including pilot’s position, navigation compartment, rest bunks, mid-upper and tail gun positions. Retained kit floor and bulkheads (with modifications) but everything else is built from plasticard or wire. Thinned down gunner’s wind shield. Scratchbuilt Scarff mountings based on kit rings. Replaced kit Lewis guns with cast brass examples from Miniworld (well worth the ridiculous price). Replaced small ventilation scoops abreast wireless operator’s compartment. Various extra hull details added, including rectangular ventilation scoops on port nose and between port windows, bollards and mooring/sun canopy cleats on nose and rear fuselage, hinges for bomb aimer’s door, towing/lashing eyes and strengthening plates along keel, navigation light at extreme tail of fuselage, and porthole with bars on cabin roof. Detailed main beaching gear with longitudinal struts, winding handles, stowed tools, bolts etc. Added fairing strips over joints between lower wings and stub wings, and at tailplane-fuselage joint. Cut out bomb recesses in lower outer wings, adding Marabu PE Light Series Bomb Carrier in each of the large recesses. Added APU exhaust and drainage pipes in lower centre section stub wings. Added navigation lights and aileron actuators to lower wing tips, cut out port side landing light and added heat-moulded light cover from acetate. Added inspection covers on floats. Reshaped cowlings to show a more curved profile and thinner trailing edges. Opened out cowling apertures by about 1mm extra diameter (not quite enough, I suspect, but oh well!) Drilled out exhaust pipes and lowered the profile at forward end to better blend them into the collector rings. Replaced Pegasus engines with resin examples from CMK, including replacing the too-short resin pushrods with plasticard and adding cowling braces. Thinned down and reshaped kit propellers. Added the prominent if mysterious bulges at the leading edge of the forward cabane struts where they meet the nacelles (not fitted on the Hendon machine). Added cores with mesh faces to the oil coolers. Full rigging applied using EZ-Line and homemade turnbuckles. Decals from the Revell reboxing. Things I chickened out of but which you could also do if you're feeling like treading this path to insanity: Crash mould more accurate canopy (windscreen is slightly too vertical I think) Detail front compartment and pose open (references for equipment fitted here are almost non-existent) Detail wireless operator’s compartment (completely invisible) Replace kit beaching gear wheels (poorly detailed but I couldn’t think of what to use) Despite all I've just said above, it's a pretty darned good kit, especially considering it celebrates its 40th birthday this year and we're unlikely to see another one, unless the likes of Valom oblige. If only MB hadn't quite so slavishly copied the Hendon machine with its non-standard mod state, it would have been near-unbeatable. Oh, I suppose you've come here for photos! Here we are. Edited June 18, 2019 by Vulcanicity 105 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Superb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire man Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 From another Yorkshire man ' nowt wrong wi that, grand!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 I'm from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Merseyside and I think it's bl**dy superb too !! Ian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 You shoyld be very pleased with that :). Very nice! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invidia Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Fantastic looking model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristol boy Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Looks like a superbly modelled and very lovely silver flying boat to me. Well done 10/10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Another seriously impressive piece of work ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Wow, what an outcome in silver. As for the Heyford. Great, just geat. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Obviously the work of a complete nutter! Congratulations - it was worth the effort. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprue Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 cracking Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Another superb model Phil - both prize winners IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Very nice build, one of our club members did the camouflage version last year, the old kit scrubs up really well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Superb job on such an attractive subject, I do like the way you've caught its look. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Brantley Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Amazing work! It looks fantastic all the way from Texas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenoz Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 It's a kit you don't encounter a lot, and now a few times in a few weeks... But you for sure did a splendid job on this one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Another cracker, Top marks! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 You`ve done a wonderful job on this beauty,....... well done indeed, Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew.S Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Beautiful job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ c Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Fantastic job on that old kit ! looks superb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Gordon Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Equally as good as your Hendon, a brilliant result. Love the finish too, very effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatFlyHalf Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Just what the doctor ordered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chaotic Mike Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Superlative Supermarine Stranraer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldy Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Another stunning model Phil - I followed some of this on your WIP and was hugely impressed. Cheers Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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