Resistance is futile - 1:48 Airfix Blenheim

[SimonL]

I’ve been kept away from the modelling bench for one reason or another for the last two months. With my mid-winter leave I thought I would be able to get some progress on some stalled builds, but I just couldn’t resist starting this one.

 

 

I’ve been working on it this last week, and here is where I am at so far.

 

First the cockpit - which was a delight.

 

 

Just added some tape seat belts and a dirty wash of black acrylic with a 50:50 mixture of floor polish and water. First time I have tried this (saw it suggested on another build of a Blenheim, from http://barracudacals.blogspot.com/?m=1),I like it - very forgiving. It worked well on the engines as well.

 

 

And on the wings (I’m going with flaps down)

 

 

Work in progress. After some dry fitting I found it best to glue the mid section with the wing spars to the port fuselage half.

 

 

Here is the cockpit in place, pretty tight fit. Rather glossy from the dirty wash, so I will need to apply a matt coat later.

 

 

A test of the canopy. Looks like it should be ok, if I am careful.

 

 

Finally for this first post, the completed engines.

 

 

A couple of queries for the Blenheim experts here.

 

I am building the box top aircraft.

 

(1) the clear panel on the underside for the camera, I assume I should paint over this as this is not a recce aircraft?

 

(2) Wing walkways. All other images I have seen of wartime Blenheims show a single walkway, in a grey (not) black colour - would that be correct for a wartime aircraft?

 

thanks!

[Greg Law]

The walkway started off black I believe, but faded very quickly to a dirty grey. 

[SimonL]

Been gradually working at this over the last couple of weekends.

 

Fuselage all fixed up.

 

 

 

 

Then the undercarriage. These looked complex in the instructions,  but I took it nice and slow and they went together really well. Just a little touching up of the paint needed. They were a really nice tight fit into the nacelles in the lower wing half.

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to get the wings together, plenty of pegs needed to keep everything in place. And that’s it until next weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[clive_t]

Nice work Simon

[Thom216]

Real nice work on that Blenny! Kind of like that snub-nosed look.