617 Sqn Lancaster, Operation Catechism, 1944. Finished 06/05.

[DaveJL]

Hello all,

 

Haven't started my first entry yet, so here's a second

 

Hasegawa's 1/72 Lancaster B.MK.1 - will be marked as either ED763 or DV385, both of 617 Squadron during Operation Catechism on 12th November 1944- the attack to sink the Tirpitz. Loaded with Tallboy bombs, the mighty ship eventually capsized after a number of direct hits and near misses.

 

Kit:

 

 

Extras:

 

 

Not much here, just an Eduard mask and etch set. Instead of a camouflage mask, I'm going to try clever putty for demarcation.

 

Decals and paint scheme:

 

 

Hadn't planned on a second build, but got this for a good price on you know where so will do my best to get both entries completed.

 

Dave

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice to see another Hasegawa Lanc being built. I really do like that box and something tells me that if mine ends up looking half decent, I wouldn’t mind trying to pick up another Hasegawa kit, most probably that same box (subject to price of course!). 
 

Cheers and all the best.. Dave 

[woody37]

The Hasegawa kit is lovely, I like the very refined panel lines. Can’t wait to see your progress

[DaveJL]

Thanks chaps. Made a brief start on this as I've decided to build it in tandem with the Airfix kit. So without further ado, interior parts built up and prepped, ready for painting and Eduard etch:

 

 

Tallboy:

 

 

With Upkeep:

 

 

Not much but hoping to get the interiors painted and detailed on both kits tomorrow.

 

Dave

[JOCKNEY]

Great stuff Dave, looks a really nicely moulded kit 

 

cheers Pat 

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice to see the size comparison between the Upkeep and Tallboy.... can someone toss Dave a Grand Slam for the next photo shoot! The Hasegawa kit is nice although has a few silly errors which can / should be easily corrected. Those huge holes on the cockpit floor decking are one of them, I covered mine with a piece of plastic card just on the front visible areas. I left the areas underneath the cockpit seat and navigations table, thus leaving the locating holes for these pieces intact. 

Cheers. Dave

[DaveJL]

Thanks chaps.

19 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Nice to see the size comparison between the Upkeep and Tallboy.... can someone toss Dave a Grand Slam for the next photo shoot! The Hasegawa kit is nice although has a few silly errors which can / should be easily corrected. Those huge holes on the cockpit floor decking are one of them, I covered mine with a piece of plastic card just on the front visible areas. I left the areas underneath the cockpit seat and navigations table, thus leaving the locating holes for these pieces intact. 

Cheers. Dave

I only noticed this after I'd done some work today  I am on the lookout for a Hasegawa Grand Slam boxing!

 

Progress on this one alongside the Airfix kit in my other thread. Interior painted with Eduard etch added:

 

 

Everything went together very nicely. I added some scrap etch straps to the pilots seat (forgot to take a picture) before closing everything up:

 

 

No issues with the fit. Here it is beside the Airfix kit:

 

 

Could anyone advise if these later Lancs still had the fuselage windows? I think I read somewhere that later models did not have them?

 

More soon.

 

Dave

[PLC1966]

Maybe worth checking, but I am sure I saw a documentary the other night saying on the raids that 617Sqn and 9 Sqn flew from the UK that actually sunk the beastie only the tail guns were fitted.

 

 

Oh yeah, good work by the way.

[DaveJL]

Wasn't aware of that, I had thought the front turret was removed for carrying the Grand Slam only.

[PLC1966]

Dave, that was my understanding until I saw that the other night.  But it was specifically mentioned it was to save every ounce of weight.  But they only mentioned guns, did not say turrets.  The point was emphasised that had the local Luftwaffe caught them the Lancs would have been truly stuffed with no defensive arnament.  Although daytime Lancs against FW-190 would not be pretty with all guns and turrets or not.

 

Documentary was called: The Dambusters Great Escape.  Basically the day they hit the Tirpitz there was a 20 minute delay in getting the Luftwaffe up (from Andoya I think it was).  Without the delay the Lancs would have got a real hammering, that was the great escape.

[DaveJL]

I've read a few books on the operation but was never something I'd noted!

 

I'll probably just keep the guns in the turret as the glazing would be rather bland without any sort of detail.

[PeterB]

As I recall, previously they had been shuttling through Russia, but when the Tirpitz moved to Tromso she was just in range from the UK - perhaps the nose guns were removed to reduce weight and give just a little more range? For what it is worth Wiki says "To extend their range, the Lancasters were fitted with extra fuel tanks and more powerful engines, and their forward and mid-upper gun turrets and pilot's armour plate were removed."

 

Pete

Edited April 6, 2020 by PeterB

[woody37]

Later Lancs didn't have the windows fitted Dave, I think it was some time in late 43 when they stopped adding them but can't remember off hand. To add to confusion, any aircraft that survived 500 flying hours went for refurb where it got split up into sections so the nose could come out with a different back end. R5868 in Hendon doesn't have windows but did when it started its service so suspect it happened to that one. 

 

Nice progress

[DaveJL]

18 hours ago, PeterB said:

As I recall, previously they had been shuttling through Russia, but when the Tirpitz moved to Tromso she was just in range from the UK - perhaps the nose guns were removed to reduce weight and give just a little more range? For what it is worth Wiki says "To extend their range, the Lancasters were fitted with extra fuel tanks and more powerful engines, and their forward and mid-upper gun turrets and pilot's armour plate were removed."

 

Pete

Thanks Pete. I don't have the parts to 'blank off' the forward turret so will just add it as per the box art.

10 minutes ago, woody37 said:

Later Lancs didn't have the windows fitted Dave, I think it was some time in late 43 when they stopped adding them but can't remember off hand. To add to confusion, any aircraft that survived 500 flying hours went for refurb where it got split up into sections so the nose could come out with a different back end. R5868 in Hendon doesn't have windows but did when it started its service so suspect it happened to that one. 

 

Nice progress

Thanks mate. So would ED763 be missing the windows? Just so in know wether to mask them up further down the line!

 

Managed a few hours at the bench today. Fuselage seams cleaned up, the stabilisers and a few other bits added:

 

 

Once dry, I added the wings:

 

 

A few more areas on the fuselage to clean up but generally speaking it has gone together very well. I've had more difficulty with the Airfix kit. Speaking of which, here's a picture of the pair:

 

 

Next up will be the engine cowlings.

 

More soon.

 

Dave

[dogsbody]

I took a flick through the IWM site and all I could find on Operation Catechism aircraft is this:

 

 

Wing Commander J B Tait, Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron RAF (fifth from left), standing with his crew by the tail of their Avro Lancaster B Mark I (Special), EE146 'KC-D', at Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, on returning from Lossiemouth, the day after the successful raid on the German battleship TIRPITZ in Tromso Fjord, Norway, (Operation CATECHISM).

 

 

 

 

Chris

[DaveJL]

Thanks Chris!  Looks like the 'windows'  are covered over. That's one query answered

[dogsbody]

Also note the guns in the turret. 

 

 

Chris

[mick b]

1 hour ago, dogsbody said:

I took a flick through the IWM site and all I could find on Operation Catechism aircraft is this:

 

 

Wing Commander J B Tait, Commanding Officer of No. 617 Squadron RAF (fifth from left), standing with his crew by the tail of their Avro Lancaster B Mark I (Special), EE146 'KC-D', at Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, on returning from Lossiemouth, the day after the successful raid on the German battleship TIRPITZ in Tromso Fjord, Norway, (Operation CATECHISM).

 

 

 

 

Chris

According to ‘Dambusters in Focus’ this photo shows ‘Tirpitz Tait’, his crew and two passengers. Also states this aircraft was used by Tait for his first and third raids on Tirpitz. Interesting how the light seems to pick up the window in the roundel? 

 

Mike

[DaveJL]

7 minutes ago, mick b said:

According to ‘Dambusters in Focus’ this photo shows ‘Tirpitz Tait’, his crew and two passengers. Also states this aircraft was used by Tait for his first and third raids on Tirpitz. Interesting how the light seems to pick up the window in the roundel? 

 

Mike

Was thinking that about the window at the roundel myself Mike, the rest definitely look absent/painted over.

[mick b]

12 minutes ago, DaveJL said:

Was thinking that about the window at the roundel myself Mike, the rest definitely look absent/painted over.

Agreed, perhaps the ‘erks’ painting out the windows didn’t have roundel blue so left it unpainted?

 

Mike

[Ol' Scrapiron]

4 hours ago, mick b said:

perhaps the ‘erks’ painting out the windows didn’t have roundel blue so left it unpainted?

That was my first thought exactly. Maybe they should have hit it with black and then shot some blue on when they had the chance.

 

More likely, they first masked of the entire roundel, shot all the colors (you can see the higher line of windows painted over in camo) then pulled off the masking and smacked their heads in embarrassment. Good thing that never happens to model builders LOL.

[CliffB]

That's coming together nicely Dave 

 

Cheers

[Mancunian airman]

I too have a photo of the fuselage but nearer to your girl, ED750. She has windows.

One diary entry from a New Zealander I have stated that some aircraft had their windows painted over, (this was early March/April 1943)

 

Chris's photo captures it all . . .

[PLC1966]

Almost looks a hump on the back of the Lancaster in the absence of a turret.

[DaveJL]

4 hours ago, CliffB said:

That's coming together nicely Dave 

 

Cheers

Thanks mate. I’m enjoying much more than the Airfix kit!

2 hours ago, Mancunian airman said:

I too have a photo of the fuselage but nearer to your girl, ED750. She has windows.

One diary entry from a New Zealander I have stated that some aircraft had their windows painted over, (this was early March/April 1943)

 

Chris's photo captures it all . . .

This throws a spanner in the works! At least I know (I hope!) that my Chastise kit has windows!!