Three scratch conversions of French WW2 machines based on Heller kits

[JWM]

Hi,

Since I have to slow down a bit with finishing my Short Empire (WIP exists) waiting for Red-Roo conversion set with decal which goes to me (I belive) from Australia, and likely due to pandemia it goes by ship, it will take some time to go right to the other side of globe... - so I started another conversion project which I was thinking about from years. It consist of at least three builds: 

1. Heller bomber MB 210 scratch conversion to passenger MB 220 (so called "French DC2") 

2. Heller bomber Potez 540 scratch conversion to Romanian Potez 65

3. Heller recce Mureaux 117 into Mureaux 115

 

I know that there are resin kits ora at least conversion sets availabe for all those three machines but I was planning to do this for some long time and now it is perhaps time to do it

First I will work on MB 220. Here are available kits

https://www.scalemates.com/topics/topic.php?id=53494

 

But in my stash there is Bloch 210 waiting to serve as base. The conversion will use wings and tailplanes (findifferent) of Heller kit. I think that I can use also u/c, but I have to check it more. Unfortunately I cannot use props (they are very bad in kit) , nor nacelles (they are different) nor cowlings. I will use some resin copies nacelles from Mach 2 Bloch 131. 

Anyway - the main difference is in fuselage.

Bloch 220:

 

 

 

 

 

Bloch 210:

 

 

 

 

As a base for fuselage I will use..., hm, what to say? - just have a look:

 

This fuselage stays  in my drawer some teen years, since my construction of York with CMR fuselage....

 

From Bloch fuselages I cut out the the wing-fuselage fairings

 

With some piece of styren plate they made the staring point

 

I combine it with fragments  of Lancaster fuselage, with glued in clear plastic sheets (from a box of Austrian "Mozart kugel" chocoltes) 

 

The Lanc fuselage is more narrow then passenger machine of course, so a gap arises

Moreover, the Lanc fuselage is  a keystone like in section (wider on bottom), and MB 220 is has parallel walls,, but it is no problem at all

 The rear part has to be done separately, since Lanc not flat top profile of fuselage, going a bit down toward the end. MB 220 has straight profile.

 

 

The nose has to be done completely out of scratch. I glued the kind of box (as for cockpit) with  a rounded nose taken from MPM DC-2 spare one (But cut vertically to do it more narrow). I put o this epoxy putty (not a special for modelers but such as used for car body repairs, It is far more cheep  and of good quality)

 

After firs sanding

 

Some more putty added and second wet sanding the shape is better...

 

 

 

First trial of whole fuselage  shapes:

 

 

Not very bad, I think...

 

I have the problem as always with passenger machine in war time livery. What is inside of passenger cabin?  

In this scheme:

The ambulance role suggest that inside is stripped off. But in this picture

The curtains stays in windows, so likely all furniture left original

Here are photos of inside and of cockpit

https://www.passionair1940.fr/Armee de l'Air/Appareils/Transport/Bloch-MB220/EN-Bloch-MB220.htm

 

 

Meanwhile I started some work also on Mureaux 115. The new engine will do, but I use some part  from MS 406,left after conversion to Morko  Morane.

In paralel I will do Mureaux 117. I did some framing of walls inside as well for both fuselages

 

 

To be continued

Regards

J-W

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by JWM

[VG 33]

Hi Jerzy

 

What an interesting but huge conversions you have started here !

For sure I am following them.

 

Cheers.

Patrick

[Brandy]

That is a monster conversion, in more ways than one. A real Frankenstein!

I will definitely follow this one!

 

Ian

[TheBaron]

Ditto!

Looking forward to this unfolding Jerzy.

[SafetyDad]

Wow! 

Just wow!

 

 

SD

[Vesa Jussila]

Nice subjects again. Definitely something that you don't see normally.

[Troy Smith]

Always a pleasure to old school cut n shut model hacking. 

The Bloch 220 is really quite elegant in the fuselage lines.

 

cheers

T

[AdrianMF]

Some ambitious conversions! Glad to see you are diving straight in. Good luck!

 

The Bloch 220 fuselage looks very graceful. The wings look very much like they are from a previous generation.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[JWM]

Gents, thanks for support!

I did some work on Mureauxes

The engine of Mureaux 115. The grill for radiator - I made the plastic frame and then the grill

To do grill I wrapped alu foil around the screw of the bottle of Microsol solution, then I pressed it carefully to reproduce the structure, cut a belt of alu with reproduced courraged surface, on the back I spread thin layer of epoxy resin and then (next day) I cut the grill elements . The engine main part is done using Hobby Boss Morane 406 engine. In faxt only part with exhaust pipes remains untouched of  it.

The grill look then like that

 

I put some details on walls of fuselages

 

Please not modification of angles in cooler of Mureaux 117 (on top)

 

For Mb 220 I am casting arm chairs for interior ...

Regards

J-W

 

 

 

[JWM]

BTW - if anybody suffer lack of documentation for his ANF Les Mureaux machines build have a look at this web page

https://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php?topic=61658.12

Really very helpful!

Regards

J-W

[JWM]

Some work on MB 220 fuselage

The arm chairs are resin copies (some not very good, but perhaps good enough) of Airfix Ford Trimotor ones.

I sanded a bit fuselage and replaced masking tape to individual windows/

To insode I gave curtains. It should improve then look of model (I hope)

 

It would be more easy If I will think on this earlier. But I did not. So I constructed a kind of delicate frame attached to luggage shelf, spread on that the plumber PTFE tape glued with clearfix. 

 

Then I cut them to make breaks in curtains.

 

Finally I filled in the upper fuselage gap and assembled all that

 

I did some progress with Mureaux, but I will post about it tomorrow. It is too late now.

Regards

J-W

 

[JWM]

Hi Some progress on MB 220. Despite the whole wings taken from the bomber, MB 210 Verdun, the engine nacelles in MB 220 are certainly different then those from MB 210. However, as I mentioned in a previous post the MB 131 has very similar to ones from MB 220. I did fast silicone  forms copied from nacelles of the MB 131 kit by Mach 2 kit . 

 

They cannot be used 1:1 since the wings construction os different - the MB 131 has a wings with sloped leading  edge and constant dihedral whereas MB 210 and MB 220 has flat rectangular (looking from top)central part and outside parts of wings with slope and dihedral. Moreover, the height of profie is much different. All this reguires a massive correction of MB 131 nacelles resin copies.

 

The resin casts were not perfect but since they are just a base for further work I used them (below one from top is already cut)

 

 

In wings I made a cut to host wheels (a wheel bay). I do not have drawings nor photo for insides of nacelles, so I am just guessing that there must be a place for wheel since the u/c was all hided behind the u/c doors.

 

 

 

Nacelles glued and shaped

 

They are not glued yet to wing, this is jus a trial:

 

 

I glued the nose to passenger cabin after adding a wall closing cabin.

 

That is about MB 220 for today.

The Mureauxes 115 & 117 (I am constructing also not convered 117, but it is not OOB - I am trying to correct some flaws of model)

I 've got second set of drawing, those from Avins magazine (below the fuselage is match agains them) . Both  shows a bit smaller chord of fin in model and confirms that I did OK with changing the angle and lenght of main cooler.

 

However they have different kenght of cooler. I will follow the Avions drawing

 

I did floor and opening for camera in floor

 

Some more details in insde

 

And more details I will done after already glued fuselages:

 

That is all so far!

Regards

J-W

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by JWM

[JWM]

Hi,

As I mentioned already the Mureaux 117, which is a bit a bonus model here, needed correction of cooler shape.

I put some immitation of cooler (micero steel net) and air duct

 

I realized that for better illustration what is the difference I can show the original cooler (cut out from model which went to be Mureaux 115) against the modified and drawings:

 

Please note also increase of fin.

 

With MB220 I shped a bit in desired direction the nacelles. It is not finished yet

 

I started to work on fin plus ruder

 

 

I sanded fuselage and unfortunately the idea of curtains added when fuselage was almost closed was not that good as I would like...

 

the right side a a bit better

 

Anyway, I will have to work about it...

Still I have not started the Potez yet.

I am thinking now on doing the Romanian one

or Romanian ambulance

 

Inside is a bit Spartan style, no curtains

 

 

More one cam read here

http://aviadejavu.ru/Site/Crafts/Craft26376.htm

Regards

J-W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JWM]

Time to start Potez 65. 

The fuselage has basicly the same shapes as Potez 540 bomber (indeed! - I mean mostly it concern to layout of rear part, when you look from side). 

The fuselage is wider by 35 cm , with the dame exactly wings Potez 540 has wingspan  22.10 m whereas Potez 62/65 has 22.45 m. The difference is only in fuselage width and it is 5 mm in 1/72 .

So here we go:

 

To be continued

Regards

J-W

 

[JWM]

Nice set of photos of French Potez 650 is here

http://www.pangea-systems.com/wwiiws/aircraft/potez650/

I am going to build Romanian one, with radial G-R engines, which is named in some materials Potez 651

A bit off topic - on the same web domain there is interesting info on French WW2 bombs

http://www.pangea-systems.com/wwiiws/aircraft/bombs/

Regards

J-W

 

 

[JWM]

Hi,

Nice drawings to Potez 62/65 inetrior

http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/cw1/potez62/potez62-2.gif

 

I was working on fuselage of Potez 651 (this is proper name for Romanian version, which I am doing)

I have made a frame for nose. It is drilled to allow then resin go through holes, what will reinforced the nose.

 

And I made the tail support of Potez 540  wider

 

 

Nose with sanded resing putty

Please note on above the large clar plastic plates in place of windows. They came from Gillette shaving set box - "saving the planet by recycling plastic" 

 

After masking windows I covered all sides with putty, just to get rid of any details on surface coming from Potez 540...

 

 

 

The MB 220 

 

 

Not importat progress with Mureauxes...

That all for today

Regards

J-W

 

 

 

[woody37]

This is proper modelling, so refreshing to see these unusual subjects coming together

 

[JWM]

Hi,

Woody, thanks for comments. Appreciated

Fuselage of Potez 651

next cycle of sanding/filling is needed before the surface details will be done.

 

 

Mb220

Nose attached to the fuselage

 after next sanding wings are attached

 

Still some cycles of filler/sanding have to be done. But first I have to do cockpit and canopy of cabine.

 

Two Mureaux machines:

 

I admire the Heller engineers: the struts can be properly positioned prior to glueing of uppe wing!

Mureaux 117 

Mureaux 115

 

On both you can see enlearged fin. Please note the fuselege between gunner and fin. In both cases three reinforcements were then added

In M. 115 propeller taken from Morane 406 by Hobby Boss was applied.

 

The bottom side was reconstructed, the camera hatch below cockpit was added

 

 

The deteiling of struts will be next task. Please note wrong position of tailplane struts: in model they are planned to be attached in the midde of tailplane, whereras photos shows them shifted much more aft. Please note added belly gunner hatch and oil cooler in "115"

 

Cheers

J-W

 

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by JWM

[JWM]

Today I started to think on engines and nacelles for Potez 651

The cowling are barrel -like shape, I have found in spare box a pair of such in proper size. They are from LS-G3M2 Nell, so they were waiting some 44 years there...

The drawing (confirmed by photos) shows that nacelles are wider, taller and shorter than those of Potez 540. I started to work on them:

 

The main  problem is that nacelles (or should I call them gondolas perhaps?) had points where struts are suppose to fit. I will try keep it accessible. Otherwise, the installation of engines will be very difficult.

 

After further  sanding I glued tailplane i MB 220 model

The distortion on photo is only due to wide angle and short distance...

The cowlings and props are in Heller MB 201 are too long, thay comes from a certain machine. So I will copy from Nach 2 Bloch 131 kit. 

 

The main part was about two Mureaux.

The wheels looks not realistic so I decided to do extra covers, which I cut from 0.20 mm plate

 

 

 

I driilled hole through main struts  and put there additional tiny struts.

 

Those small struts are omitted in Heller kit

Another flaw appeared. The u/c struts are completly wrong

 You may see in above figure, that they ends at the top of oleo and they shoud go down to the axis of wheel!

 

So I made now ones:

 

 

But I was not satisfied. The machine looked a bit like low-rider:

I have measure and it was that u/c legs are about 1.5 mm  too short 

 

So I had to cut all wheels

I extended u/s leg by a bit more than 1 mm

 

Now they looks a bit better

 

That is all for today

Regards

J-W

 

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by JWM

[JWM]

I have question regarding Potez 651. 

In this photo

a round opening is on top of fuselage. which looks like a in-filed modification for gunner position. Of course, while machine served as ambulance it should be unarmed. But maybe not always she served as ambulance? On the other hand the machine in background, which is not an ambulance, does not have such opening (or it is just more left thatwhat is visible). French Potezes 65 do not have it,, therefore I think it could be in-field modification. Any expert on Potez or Romanian air  forces can help. Maybe @Fin knows it?

Regards

J-W

 

[JWM]

Today further detailing of ANF Mureauxes

A pitot tube

Some three steps on side of fuselage and Venturi tube, all on left side

 

Two below cockpit, the third one is between strut and fuselage (if you cannot find it).

 

I had to change a bit angle of wheels, they should have some angle(positive) since the suspension arm can move upward. I did not noticed it on drawings, and the model is aligning them even in a small negative angle.

Here is it the most emphasized

But on majority of photos it is smaller, but still  visible

I used Tamiya low-viscosity cement to make the plastic a bit softer and after while I was able to change this angle

 

I added also a balances of ailerons and bomb racks

 

One can notice yellow (first layer) at nose and tail in Mureaux 115, I decided to do Vichy machine...

Regards

J-W

 

 

[Brandy]

I like the way those Mureaux are coming on, very impressive. The Potez is not bad either! Lovely work on relatively unknown subjects.

 

ian

[JWM]

Meanwhile I did most of painting work with both Mureaux. The green is different, I assumed that since "117" was originally in "Tableau" green and applied came is not typical, moreover the belt across rear fuselage retained from original green overall/silver engine scheme , so the green is the Tableau vert. 

 

So this is machine variant R2B2, No 59, X-049. It was  left on airfield and nazi captured during May 1940

I instaled two MGs following the drawings. They were stolen from MB 210 kit. 

 

In "115" I assumed all typical colours - gris bleu fonce, vert, chocolat. This is Vichy machine, so MG removed

 

No code added yet.

In both  navigation lamps as a droplet of resin were added on leading edges. Canopies are not installed yet...

 

Bloch and Potez are waiting...

Regards

J-W

 

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by JWM

[JWM]

The Mureaux 117 went to RFI

follwed by Mureaux 115

Now I can focus on bimotores...Potez and Bloch

Regards

J-W

 

[JWM]

Hi,

Some progress with Mb 220 Resin. Fuselage with final masked windows. Cast resin copies of MB 131 Mach 2 cowlings. Props from Potez 540,

 

And with Potez 651. I used Miliput to reshape engine gondolas. In fuselage also the final windows masks applied.  

 

cowlings from G3M Nell (LS) - should be just shortered by 1 mm

 

Regards

J-W