Avro Lancaster (Matchbox 1/72)

[Ol' Scrapiron]

Naturally, the second wing went together nicely as I had already done the other side and knew what shortcuts would work and what was not worth pursuing.

I trust this look at the inner wing won't be as scary.

 

-

 

 

...and with a little paint

 

I'll confess I don't worry about the painting quality because it will actually be hard to see when the wing is closed up (like the previous wing for comparison)

 

again, the fuel tanks do not need any depth since only the end will be visible, even partially obscured by the inner wing framing

(wing is not aligned properly in this shot -- the strips actuall will meet the edge of the hole when permanently closed correctly)

 

 

 

I also know I can leave some imperfection to the inital paint (left flap) because I'll be splotching on the greasy brown

 

 

 

 

I really love seeing other projects that have a perfectly smooth airbrushed color and am completely awed by the skill and patience it takes to do such a meticulous job -- I just understand mine get a fully weathered, battered action-weary look automatically LOL

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2020 by Ol' Scrapiron

[Ol' Scrapiron]

As Chris (Dogsbody) pointed out, the mystery wedges that Matchbox put on the rudders were actually balance weights ... so with a few slices from the XActo knife I was back to plain tails.

 

I drilled a small hole in each rudder and fed some 24-gauge wire through, which were bent forward like minature bicycle handlebars.

Each of the ends got a droplet of Elmers glue

 

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When the glue was dry, a liitle black touch-up paint and they really look the part

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I am still fine-tuning the paint job before sealing it prior to applying the decals.

Interesting note, the "brown" color has undergone three changes: Sandy tan, rusty brown, straight brown

 

All three looked good to my eye, but the "brown" brown looks correct. At least it will when I get a crisp line between the colors.

 

 

 

[TonyW]

Just caught up with this build and, as usual, it's a corker. I love the way you detail for pennies. Proper Old School Modelling.

 

By the way, nice tip for the tail balance weights, I'll be stealing that idea!

[Rabbit Leader]

Catching up as well. There’s a lot of excellent home made guff going on here, it really is top rate modelling. 
Cheers.. Dave 

[Ol' Scrapiron]

Prepping for the Props

 

I like propellers on models, and I like the to spin (the propellers, not the models) so my go-to supplies are the 1/8-inch brass rod and the accompanying brass tube. Usually I have to drill out the front of an engine to insert the tube, but the Matchbox kit has very large holes up front assuming the builder will follow the directions and use the old "multi-piece, don't glue the peg except to the ring" process. I never trust that system to provide a smooth effortless spin. Added benefit to the brass rod method is you can remove the props for transporting the finished build.

 

This might be one of the times I should have followed the instructions (did I really just say that out loud???)

 

First off, I needed to create some sort of washer to hold the brass tube and extend out to the face of the nacelle. Maybe a washer would have worked better, but trips to the stores are definitely only for emergencies at this point. [An aside: We live just a few miles south of the greater Seattle area, where the first covid-19 cases/deaths happened and our region seems to be leading the charge into each new layer of lockdown]

 

 

I drilled and filed holes into some sheet styrene and glued in short lengths of brass tube as flush as I could. I then trimmed away as much plastic as I could to make a crude circle around the tube. 

 

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This now held the tubes in place while only adding a bit of thickness to the front of the nacelle.

Unfortunately when the glue had dried and the props were tested I found serious alignment problems, and with the tubes not square to the face I can't get the props to spin freely at the moment. More work yet to be done.

 

If I were to do them over (which may still happen) I think I would leave more plastic sheet and actually trim it to match the face after it was glued in place. Of course all this SHOULD have been done as I was assembling the nacelles and could have built a couple  bulkheads inside to hold the brass rods without needing to attach to the face at all.

 

 

 

[Ol' Scrapiron]

Racking up some progress...

 

I understand why matchbox would leave the bottom open so the builder could choose options for which doors, and it would not surprise me at all if they planned for additional kits that included different door types for the various bulges.

What DID surprise me is that there is a nice flat surface at the bottom of the fuselage. This area will be covered by the doors and I would guess most kits in this "easy to build" range would have just molded the fuselage with the doors built as closed, or would have has a simple spacer bar (less plastic) to hold the two halves the correct distance apart.

 

The way Matchbox designed their kit was like a Christmas gift to me!

Hopefully when I get done it will looks something like the photos I took while visiting England in 2008.

 

Lancaster B Mk.10 KB889 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford

 

or 

 

Lancaster B Mk.1 R5868 at the RAF Museum London

 

 

 

I started out running some dimples in some can metal cut to fit between the doors. It's actually cut long so that it tucks into the fuselage at the front and back of the bomb bay area. I made a box of Evergreen square strip.

 

There is a plate in the center of the bay, which was nice because attaching the extra piece of soda can helped keep the frame square and sturdy.

 

Next I took long sections of very thin wire and folded in half, then half again to have batches of four wires. I glued three sets of wires that ran from end to end and behind the middle plate

 

I slipped small lengths if plastic strip across the span between the wire and the frame

 

When I flipped that over it looked much nicer

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The larger frame represents the sidewalls of the bomb bay. There would be lots of lines and tubing that run along those walls, but I decided that if I tried to duplicate that it would reduce the impact of the wiring running under the lattice works.

 

I decided to depict the multiple mounts as seen on the Duxford plane, rather than the large single mounts on the plane in the RAF Museum (you can see the difference in the two pics above)

 

I started with six short lengths of strip for the mount bodies. Some wire was wound tightly around a 1/8-inch drill bit to make a nice consistent spring using more than the six winds I would need.

 

I was able to snip the spring at just over half a coil and then glue them to the strip (and my fingers, and the tweezers, and the desk, etc.)

The finished mounts are very small

 

When I eventually wrassled them in place it looks pretty good -- not exact, but pretty good.

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-

 

I haven't decided to just leave those bits unpainted -- the mounts are white, and the brackets are metal. I'll be adding an oily wash over that area so it might not be so bad.

One thing's for sure -- I'd better get the doors and landing gear on this thing before I break those off.

[dogsbody]

Another Lancaster bomb bay ( CWH ) just in case you need another one.

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Ol' Scrapiron]

18 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

Another Lancaster bomb bay ( CWH )

What is CWH ?

 

That does show some of the details int the mid-section  that need to be added. Thank you.

 

[stever219]

1 hour ago, Ol' Scrapiron said:

What is CWH ?

 

 

Canadian Warplane Heritage.

[Rabbit Leader]

I’ve got this Matchbox kit, however mine looks nothing like that! This is looking so good and just goes to show what can be done with a lot of imagination and buckets of modelling skill. 
Cheers.. Dave 

[Ol' Scrapiron]

This project seems to be approaching the finish line, while also grinding to a snail's pace.

I am really perplexed that there were no instructions for the placement of decals to be found (I even checked in the second kit -- which was missing the instructions altogether! ???)

I put on the basic ones, choosing the "Jane" option because it was without the dorsal turret.

 

I was really concerned about the vintage decals (30+ years old?) because they really looked like they would disintegrate once they hit the water bowl. It turns out there was some sort of onion-skin-like protective film that had grafted onto them, and that separated from them just fine when they were wetted. Whew!

 

As for the quality of the decals, being older they had a very flat finish to them but seems to go down fine. I covered that with a coat of Future to even out the sheen from the wing to the decals.

In my normal impatient pace, I experimented with a clear "creme wax" that goes on like hand lotion and then you can rub it in and buff to a sheen. It feels very smooth to the touch, but it is so shiny that every little brush stroke catches the light and shows up in the photos much more than when seen with the naked eye.

 

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In this closer shot the multiple coats on the wing are revealed by the gloss finish... As well as a slip of the brush along the black demarcation line. I don't know if trying to patch that blemish would improve it or not.

 

 

A look underneath. Props are just gunmetal from now until I can get some metallic black from the store. Then I'll give them yellow tips using my jig from the Ol' Scrapiron project. I still plan to put some sort of screen in the radiator holes. The props spin nicely when the shaft is not all the way in. Once the back of the spinner touches the face of the nacelle ti locks up. Bummer. Not sure if that can be fixed.

 

I see others in this STGB doing an awesome job reworking the exhaust stacks and I confess I'm disappointed by the covered versions on the Matchbox kit. A week ago I would have hacked those plain shrouds off with a dremel tool and fabricated a series of exhaust pipes... but at this point I think my creative mojo has decided to "social distance" itself from this project. Sigh.

 

 

In my haste to move this along, I may have created a serious problem. There are several other decals (red warning lines and walkway indicator stripes) that still need to go on, but I'm not sure how well they'll adhere to the plane now -- the wax has left a, well, waxy surface.

 

A question for those of you more familiar with the RAF markings for Lancasters: The decal sheets include two smaller versions of the WSJ codes (no roundel, just the letters) and judging by the box art it looks like one "WS" might go on the left stabilizer (so I would assume there might be a "J" on the far stab.) My hesitation on this is that I don't see this ID method being used in photos of Lancasters... and there were two sets. If there are not roundels under the wings for visibility considerations, I doubt there would be bright red and yellow code letters under the stabs. I am open to any advice on where (of IF) they should be used.

 

There also is one single small "J" that is roughly the size of the serial numbers on the fuselage. This must be for the nose, but I'm finding photos with this on the left side and others on the right (and other no code up front) -- I'm guessing the right side of the nose (opposite the Jane nose art). 

 

 

Anyway, this build is moving along but there's still plenty to do between now and the finish line. Panel line accents (black on top, gray on the black parts), decals, the wire antenna under the fuselage near the tail, lights, and possibly brake lines.

 

And of course one great big canopy yet to go.

At the moment I'm planning to do the cut decal strips for the framing. I tried that with a single seat fighter build (pictured in progress), but the Lanc has waaaaaaaaay more framing

 

 

 

I'll try to to remember to post pics as it moves along... I just wanted to get these shared before I do something that ruins it.

That's it for tonight.

 

 

 

[vppelt68]

@Ol' Scrapiron you seldom need to look further than the Scalemates to solve your missing instructions- problem. Neither in this case! V-P

https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/4/8/4/178484-82-instructions.pdf

EDIT: Very impressive model building too, I must say!

[Ol' Scrapiron]

Perfect. All those pages with the profile were not in either kit. That will help IMMENSELY!!!

[dogsbody]

Why would paint the props metallic black? They should be flat black.

 

 

Chris

[Ol' Scrapiron]

5 hours ago, dogsbody said:

They should be flat black

Maybe "metallic black" doesn't explain what I am looking for. I'm not talking "glittery" metallic, just something like a super dark steel... like an "off-black" black.  I just know the color the props are painted at the moment is not final. 

Props always look closer to being glossy than flat to me in person, and I wanted something different than the gloss black of the plane. Maybe just a satin coat over black would make  a difference in sheen. 

 

 

This morning I finished applying the decals ad then gave the plane another coat of wax to see if it would start evening out the blemishes. It did completely make the decals become part of the finish.

 

I shot another round of pics just to see if the changes show.

 

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You can see how glossy the black under the wings is.

The bright light is making the tires look lighter than they are in reality... being against the rich black in the photo probably isn't helping either.

 

I am planning to get some clear satin finish to apply to the fabric control surface so they take on a slightly lighter appearance (due to change in sheen vs. change in color)

 

 

After I applied the last of the decals this morning my daughter walked in and sat next to me for a minute, then asked: "So do you just stare at it for hours?"

I think she's cracked the code 😀

 

Edited March 31, 2020 by Ol' Scrapiron

[dogsbody]

The propellers, when new, were actually quite flat. With use, they did become less matte.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

[CliffB]

I've just read this thread from start to present and am now exhausted.  What a ride!  Great stuff .

 

Cheers

[Rabbit Leader]

This is coming along nicely and glad to hear your onion skinned Matchbox decals were still usable, haven’t we all got a few sets of those? Now you did mention that black demarcation paint slip up.. please try to correct it, it’s a little too obvious and this build deserves the viewers eye to focus on your great additional work rather than that imperfection. 
 

Cheers.. Dave 

[TonyW]

Getting closer and closer to the finish line here, I've been following along from the grandstand.

 

I really felt your concerns regarding the decals, the old Revell ones I'm fighting with at the moment show how old decals can be a bit of a fright sometimes. I'm glad yours worked.

 

Tony.

 

[dogsbody]

Also the bomb bay and the inside of the bomb doors should be black, like the undersides.

 

 

 

Chris

[Ol' Scrapiron]

10 hours ago, dogsbody said:

bomb bay and the inside of the bomb doors should be black, like the undersides.

The gray I painted them looks darker in person (closer to black) 

 

I was shooting for something like this (R5868; RAF Museum) where the base appears different than the black on the grid. I think all of the scratchbuilding would be completely lost of everything was the same all-over black as the body. Of course, that is probably precisely what the RAF wanted when those doors opened over the target -- everything equally invisible in the night sky.

 

------

 

Not a whole lot done today, but I did straighten out that line on the camo and black for the fuselage sides.

 

16 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

Now you did mention that black demarcation paint slip up.. please try to correct it, it’s a little too obvious

 

Not perfect, but considerably improved. The new paint over the previously waxed areas looked pretty stark, but when it got the same finish it blended in pretty well.

 

 

The lights on my photo area really change the look of the colors (above) so I took one with the main light off (below) which makes the colors look more true to what I see, but having the space well lit makes it easier to quickly snap sharp photos without needing to break out the tripod. Compare the brown color and the tires between the two pics.

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Seeing this low-angle photo, I obviously do need to get some dk gray/black paint on the inner bomb bay doors... and sand that seam off the wheel. Dang, those lights really make the flaws jump out!

 

 

Oh, I did add some plates for radiators under the nacelles. I used a knife to etch in some crosshatch lines on soda can sheet. When everything is dry enough to handle, these will get some gunmetal paint, which will probably make the texture imperceptible.

 

 

That is all for tonight.

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Ol' Scrapiron

[Ol' Scrapiron]

No real progress yesterday, as the postman delivered a brand new book put together by Chris Henry at the EEA

 

 

Chris saw some pics I had taken aboard Aluminum Overcast and inquired into my interest and some history of my grandfather Loran Heeb. He included a short write-up in the book

 

 

I spent more time sharing this with family members than I did at the model bench, but I did get some darker paint on the bomb bay doors and trivial touch up. Nothing worth snapping a pic of at the moment.

 

Also been perusing the other builds ... great stuff!

[Ol' Scrapiron]

I have been busy admiring everyone else's work, and kind of dragging my feet while I attempted to get some new paint. Alas, Hobby Lobby finally shut their doors so it's time to get more creative with what I have on hand.

 

I saw a facebook post asking how folks get evenly sized yellow tips on their props... which prompted me to finish painting the ones for my Lanc. It's also an opportune chance to share a simple jig I came up with.

 

Disclaimers:

1) I may have stumbled on it myself, but I'd be absolutely stunned if this wasn't some high-priced product out there that was developed a hundred years ago... 

2) I am NOT advising any one do ANY of what I do... Hell, I wouldn't take my own advice 90 percent of the time

 

 

That said, I started out as I did with my Ol' Scrapiron build in the B-17 STGB here a year ago.

First step was to drill a hole in the center of a peanut butter lid I have saved -- though I think this was from a pickle jar.

I mark out the three blades even though one would be enough, and then mark both sides of the blade where I want to paint the yellow. 

 

 

I just paint from one line to the other and then spin the prop so the next blade rotates in to place. With smooth fresh paint (unlike the pasty crappy goo I am stuck with) it is easy to hold your eye steady and get a consistent draw across the blade in a straight motion. 

 

 

The jig I did for B-17 props also got marks for the info stenciling and Hamilton Standard logos.

 

 

I wish I'd done a better job so that the props would spin freely... that's when the even tips really show off well.

 

 

 

 

I am stalling on the main canopy because I want to use cut decal strips as I had done on an earlier project. Problem is that I can't find my previous sheet of clear decal sheet and, of course, the local store is closed. If needed I will maks and paint, but I'm hoping the sheet will somehow unearth itself in the chaos I call a workspace.

 

 

 

 

 

[Rabbit Leader]

Nice prop tip(s)! 
Looking good. 
Cheers.. Dave 

[dogsbody]

Ooh! Good idea with the jar lids. I may have to use this. Dang! Last night was trash night. I'll have to wait.

 

 

 

 

Chris