Airfix 1/72 Blenheim IV - a second time around

[Simon]

13 hours ago, dogsbody said:

Why don't you show us how you made yours?

No problem, they're just plastic rod and plastic strip, plus a lot of patience, a steady hand and some trial and error. The 1/72 ones are fiddly as heck, but 1/48 a bit easier on the failing eyesight!

 

 

I tend to make one, then another straight away - the second one is usually better, which means I've got a small stash of the Mk.IX and Mk.XIV versions now:

 

 

 

It's a bit better than the lumpy one Airfix have in the Blenheim kit:

 

 

Cheers

 

Simon

 

 

[BikingLampy]

Its not desperately relevant, given how nice your scratch built ones are, but there is one on the Eduard PE fret that (I think) you've used for the seatbelts and instrument panels. More than fiddly enough for me!

[Simon]

3 hours ago, BikingLampy said:

Its not desperately relevant, given how nice your scratch built ones are, but there is one on the Eduard PE fret that (I think) you've used for the seatbelts and instrument panels. More than fiddly enough for me!

You are of course right, there are some bits to add to the kit's part in the Eduard interior set. An improvement, but still not great, IMHO. I already had mine made, so thought I may as well use that.

 

Simon

Edited May 4, 2020 by Simon
typo

[Simon]

Another quick update for today...

 

It's all a bit scattergun at the moment, while I wait for some bits to be delivered and prepare myself for completing the nose section.

 

With regards to the ill-fitting flaps, I've decided to try and make my own. Seeing as they'll be closed, It reckon some 15 thou plastic card will give a nice tight appearance, and help keep the trailing edges thinner. So, a test fitting:

 

 

Not too bad, and they'll need trimming to size and some packing fitting at the leading edges to match the lower surface of the wings.

 

Before it went back in the box last year I'd also decided to fit proper glazing for the wingtip lights, instead of painting them on:

 

 

So out they came:

 

 

Oddly, Airfix's 1/72 Beaufighter has 'clear' lights on the transparency sprue, unlike the Blenheim and it includes some spare ones for the trailing edges. They're a slightly different size, but should trim to size okay. I have some smaller ones left over from my Italeri Stirling IV which should fit for the front ones on the Blenheim.

 

Meanwhile, I had also started on detailing the turret last year, so I've been finishing that off:

 

 

Primed and ready to paint:

 

 

 

Obviously this can't be completed properly until I get my replacement glazing, so I'll just use what I have for the time being. I did toy with having the Blenheim displayed propped up on trestles and the turret being hoisted in/out, and that may be the plan, we'll see...depends if I can find a suitable crane.

 

I'm not keen on the Airfix Amazon crane from the Recovery Set too much - it seems a bit overkill for lifting a turret! I need something smaller...

 

More soon

Simon

 

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Simon
typos galore!

[Riksbar]

Fascinated to follow this as Jack Onions was my next door neighbour growing up!  There weren’t many DFM and bars, especially with the first DFM being won before the war.

[Wince]

Just got the vintage frog mk 1 and airfix mk4 so watching this with relish! 

[Simon]

10 hours ago, Riksbar said:

Fascinated to follow this as Jack Onions was my next door neighbour growing up!  There weren’t many DFM and bars, especially with the first DFM being won before the war.

Interesting, thanks for posting. Was that in Middlesbrough? He worked at Teesside Airport from 1965 until his retirement as Chief Administration Officer.

 

I found a copy of Teesside Aviation News from November 1984, which has a short obituary:

 

Tees-side Airport's chief administration officer from 1965 until his retirement, Mr. Jack Onions has died. A former Squadron Leader, he joined the RAF in 1929 as an apprentice, parachuted at the 1934 Hendon display, and qualified as a pilot in Egypt. He won the DFM and was thrice mentioned in despatches, in Palestine. During the war he a  bar to his DFM in a Blenheim.

 

Simon

[Ruskin Air Services]

On 4/28/2020 at 1:45 PM, lasermonkey said:

Oh, I totally get the frustration with Airfix! Although I seem to be luckier than most, my F4F-4 fought me all the way. For some reason the fuselage didn't want to close together around the cockpit assembly. When dry fitting, one attempt in ten would result in it going together ok. The rest of the time it wouldn't and I'd be damned if I could find out why this was happening! In the end I just had to fill the gap. The undercarriage parts were poorly defined and ill-fitting and in the end, I don't think I enjoyed that kit at all.

 

My made in the UK Blenhiem has a different, harder plastic than the made in India kits. The Indian stuff somehow manage to be soft and brittle at the same time, which is a bit of an achievement in itself! I wish they'd change it. The UK plastic was nicer to work with, though still different from anything else I've come across.

Probably using recycled plastic. When working as a mould setter for Games Workshop we ground up the waste plastic and production rejects and reused it never like using it always a 60/40 mix with virgin plastic. The durability of styrene only has a limited re use life. Also too much colour pigment can affect moulded plastic 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Ruskin Air Services

[Riksbar]

Quote

Interesting, thanks for posting. Was that in Middlesbrough? He worked at Teesside Airport from 1965 until his retirement as Chief Administration Officer.

It was, we lived on Acklam Rd, and my mother was an air trafficker at Tees-side so I spent a LOT of time there ( I spent time in the tower during holidays).  He was a keen gardener and I used to help out, I also remember he had a canopy section from I think a Skua that he had repurposed as a cloche.
 

What decided you to do his aircraft? 

[Simon]

I try to make models with a local connection. I've been researching aircrew from the North East for a few years now, and have a list of local men who received gallantry awards, and Jack Onions is one of them. It's nice to have a back-story to accompany the build, and the local newspapers were more than happy to report deeds of bravery by local men (and women) during the war.

 

His second D.F.M. was reported in the Newcastle Journal of August 15th 1941:

 

N.E. PILOT EARNS BAR TO HIS D.F.M.

Completed 186 Sorties

A Middlesbrough pilot, Sergt. John Onions, No. 226 Squadron, who has been awarded a bar to his D.F.M., has completed 186 sorties.

Instruments wrecked; crew injured

Sergt. John Onions in July was the pilot of one of a formation of aircraft which carried out a low level attack in daylight off the coast of Norderney on a convoy of seven ships escorted by “flak” ships. The formation broke up.

In face of intense anti-aircraft fire Sergt. Onions secured at least one direct hit from low level on a ship of about 3,000 tons. His aircraft was twice hit, two of his crew received injuries, the navigation instruments and maps were wrecked, and the hydraulic system was put out of action.

Landed Aircraft

Despite all this, Sergeant Onions successfully led the formation back to base and landed his damaged aircraft, with its undercarriage retracted, without further injury to his crew.

He won the D.F.M. in Dec., 1938, for distinguished service in Palestine. His wife lives in Middlesbrough.

 

As it mentions, his first D.F.M. was awarded for his actions in Palestine. On one occasion he and his gunner baled out of Hawker Hardy K4064 of 6 Squadron, which had been hit by ground fire on October 1st 1938 near Al Bira. When they landed, they took cover and were surrounded by armed Arab rebels, but were eventually rescued by an armoured car escort.

 

Simon

[Riksbar]

I presume you’ve seen the account of the Rotterdam raid of 16 July 1941 with a good biography of the crews involved, including Jack’s crew on watton.info 

[Simon]

6 minutes ago, Riksbar said:

I presume you’ve seen the account of the Rotterdam raid of 16 July 1941 with a good biography of the crews involved, including Jack’s crew on watton.info 

Yes, I've seen that, thanks.

 

Simon

[Riksbar]

Well, I don’t normally do WWII stuff, but I ordered an MPM Blenheim IV last night.  I will be attempting to poorly replicate your bomb sights and turret.  Excellent work and nice to see sprue and card details rather than reliance on etch and resin.

[Simon]

On 5/11/2020 at 11:17 AM, Riksbar said:

Well, I don’t normally do WWII stuff, but I ordered an MPM Blenheim IV last night.  I will be attempting to poorly replicate your bomb sights and turret.  Excellent work and nice to see sprue and card details rather than reliance on etch and resin.

I hope it's easier to build than this one!

 

Here's another quick update. Again a bit scattergun as I try to get various bits and bobs ready. It's a bit like herding cats at the moment...

 

Anyway, in no particualr order:

 

I've got the flaps done. They needed a shim under the leading edge to make the levels match:

 

 

and trimmed to size and test-fitted again:

 

 

Once they were the right size, I gave the flaps and rear fuselage/wings section a coat of primer. They look fine in position, so I'm happy with them:

 

 

 

The upper fuselage/wing joints look pretty good under the coat of primer too:

 

 

 

One thing I did notice is that the inner ribs on the wings seem to show through the upper surface ever so slightly. I've highlighted them here:

 

 

 

Most odd...

 

Meanwhile, the replacment props arrived, and I've got them together:

 

 

Compared to the kit's props:

 

 

I need the replacment turret glazing, and I realised that the cockpit side windows should be the bulged version, and so I've ordered a set from AlleyCat, but they may be a while in arriving. I can crack on with the engines and wings, plus the tail, and hopefully get everything ready for the new/replacement bits.

 

I'll keep updating the Blenheim build as and when I get back to it, but in the meantime I've started on an Airfix Beaufighter, which should be an interesting comparison between the two kits and their design and production:

 

 

W.i.P. here: 

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by Simon
typos galore!

[Shark444]

Regarding your post highlighting the "hump" where the wing rib lies beneath the upper wing piece: I'm actually working on rebuilding the starboard wing on a real Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVw (Canadian version of the Blenheim built in Longueil, Quebec under license by Fairchild Aircraft).  

 

On many aircraft of that vintage, ribs and stringers were stamped or cut by hand and not as precise as today's aircraft.  Often the manufacturer would need to insert filler strips between the internal structural piece and the outer wing skin so that there was a smooth surface.  Since the aluminum skin is only 0.25" thick, any imperfection on the surface underneath will be amplified and slightly deform the outer skin once the surfaces are riveted together.  So, for a sense of plausible realism, you could leave the hump and tell anyone who disparages the result what I just told you!  😉  That said, you'd only want that on one wing because there's no way you'd have matching flaws!

 

The kit looks great - I'm working on completing my own build, but using the much older Airfix 1:72 Blenheim Mk. IV kit with raised panel lines and rudimentary interior - maybe I should post in WIP(?).  I'm glad to see all of the inaccuracies have been corrected in the new tooling!  I would also agree that this looks to be a scaled-down version of the 1:48 kit - if that's the case, hopefully we could look forward to a Mk.IV version.  I have the Classic Airframes kit of that, but the details in the Airfix kit seem much nicer.  Fingers crossed...

[Simon]

25 minutes ago, Shark444 said:

Regarding your post highlighting the "hump" where the wing rib lies beneath the upper wing piece: I'm actually working on rebuilding the starboard wing on a real Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVw (Canadian version of the Blenheim built in Longueil, Quebec under license by Fairchild Aircraft).  

 

On many aircraft of that vintage, ribs and stringers were stamped or cut by hand and not as precise as today's aircraft.  Often the manufacturer would need to insert filler strips between the internal structural piece and the outer wing skin so that there was a smooth surface.  Since the aluminum skin is only 0.25" thick, any imperfection on the surface underneath will be amplified and slightly deform the outer skin once the surfaces are riveted together.  So, for a sense of plausible realism, you could leave the hump and tell anyone who disparages the result what I just told you!  😉  That said, you'd only want that on one wing because there's no way you'd have matching flaws!

 

The kit looks great - I'm working on completing my own build, but using the much older Airfix 1:72 Blenheim Mk. IV kit with raised panel lines and rudimentary interior - maybe I should post in WIP(?).  I'm glad to see all of the inaccuracies have been corrected in the new tooling!  I would also agree that this looks to be a scaled-down version of the 1:48 kit - if that's the case, hopefully we could look forward to a Mk.IV version.  I have the Classic Airframes kit of that, but the details in the Airfix kit seem much nicer.  Fingers crossed...

Interesting stuff, thanks for posting. If it's got two, it therefore must be twice as realistic...

 

I think I'd give their 1/48 Blenheim IV a go when it appears - the tolerances should hopefully be less tight at a larger scale, and it'll be bit easier on my eyesight.

 

Oddly, having started the Airfix 1/72 Beaufighter, it seems to be a much better prospect. It also has 'Made in India' on the box but the plastic is different (slightly harder, and less 'waxy') and more like I'm used to. Everything seems a bit crisper, fit is easier (so far...) and it seems a bit more 'shake and bake' than their Blenheim. We shall see...

 

Simon

 

 

[dogsbody]

2 hours ago, Shark444 said:

Regarding your post highlighting the "hump" where the wing rib lies beneath the upper wing piece: I'm actually working on rebuilding the starboard wing on a real Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVw (Canadian version of the Blenheim built in Longueil, Quebec under license by Fairchild Aircraft).  

 

Is this for a full aircraft restoration, or just the wing? Inquiring Canadians need to know!

 

 

 

Chris

[Shark444]

3 hours ago, dogsbody said:

 

Is this for a full aircraft restoration, or just the wing? Inquiring Canadians need to know!

 

 

 

Chris

Full restoration at Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario.   Fuselage and centre section of the wing is complete and aircraft is on it's main gear.  The starboard wing was re-skinned completely over the last year to non-airworthy condition - it was about 2 weekends away from coming out of the jig before the COVID-19 shut down 😞.  The aircraft will be painted in the colours of 119 (BR) Squadron, RCAF based out of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia which flew maritime patrol.  It should be noted that the aircraft was painted in the standard RAF Dark Green/Dark Earth upper surfaces scheme with black "night bomber" undersides rather than a Coastal Command-type scheme.  Targeting 2022 for restoration completion, but that likely could be pushed back due to COVID-19 restrictions on museum access.

[AdrianMF]

Nice progress and well spotted about the rib! I'm now squinting at my finished one trying to work out if I had the same issue. The extra detailing that you are adding is really making it stand out. I kept double checking it was 1/72 when I was looking at the cockpit pictures.

 

For my money, I think the Beaufighter kit is a much nicer build experience than the Blenheim. FWIW I rubbed a bit of PPP into all the panel lines to tone them down a lot before painting.

 

On 11/05/2020 at 11:17, Riksbar said:

I ordered an MPM Blenheim IV last night

I built one a while ago here and the top tip I can pass on is to check the width of the assembled nose and fuselage. I added a wedge around 1mm wide to get the fuselage to make a smooth transition. ISTR that all the cockpit glazing was a bit "interesting". Builds into a nice model though.

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

[Michael51]

On 4/28/2020 at 4:10 AM, BikingLampy said:

I'm a fraction further ahead on the same kit (and a lot of the same AM!), and all your issues sound familiar.

 

The turret transparency is similarly trashed. I'm just going to use the retracted version.

 

Fettling the wings to fuselage took a while, but has come out reasonably well for me. Make sure you can get a decent match to the cockpit side sections too, before committing to glue! I have a feeling Airfix's tolerancing has been a bit too precise and the cumulative errors created by paint, mould lines and the odd bit of warpage conspire to leave stuff not fitting. I had to clamp quite heavily to get the 2 wing spars to sit nicely against the central wing sections, and if they're out, it pushes everything else out.

 

Ailerons do fit, but its bloody tight - check for mould lines on the centre hinge bit on the wing, and on the ends of the aileron itself.

 

Bomb bay door fitment is mince. I've fettled mine to flush with the rest of the fuselage now, but there's some chunky gaps like you have.

 

I'm going with flaps down, so no problem for me, there 🙂

 

Horizontal stabilizers? Yup. Like chucking sausages down Oxford Street. Sorting them is the next job.

 

 

 

 

 

And all this time I thought it was me who was going mad.

 

Your observations - if I read you correctly - over what I see as an Airfix conflict between precision and accuracy has confounded me with this kit, the Mk 1 version and their new Lancaster.

 

Of course, it could be me but somehow I doubt it.

 

Michael

[Simon]

On 5/14/2020 at 10:10 PM, Michael51 said:

And all this time I thought it was me who was going mad.

 

Your observations - if I read you correctly - over what I see as an Airfix conflict between precision and accuracy has confounded me with this kit, the Mk 1 version and their new Lancaster.

 

Of course, it could be me but somehow I doubt it.

 

Michael

I've done two of their Lancasters, Mk.III and Mk.II, and was a little underwhelmed by both. Some soft detail (and plastic...), a few minor issues, but they ended up pretty well.

 

Anyway, a quick update on the Blenheim.

 

I've done a little work on the bomb bay, which looks a bit tidier:

 

 

 

I'm happy with that - once the bomb bay doors are on and the bombs added you won't see that much of it.

 

Also, the replacement side windows arrived this morning from Alley Cat, and they look great.

 

I'd been having real trouble getting the kit glazing to fit properly. I could get a combination of three out of the four parts to fit, but not all four. I'd previously added the kit's side windows as a complete unit, which made fit very fiddly.

 

 

Then I had a brainwave. I thought I'd try chopping the rear sections of the side windows off, and add them separately, which I thought could make things easier. Here are the Alley Cat side windows (minus rear sections):

 

 

And deep breath see if they and the Airfix glazing sections (now stripped of paint - they're not new ones) are going to get on with each other:

 

 

 

Fit is pretty good, with a bit of adjustment needed. I did have to add a plastic strip shim the starboard edge of the cockpit section - for some reason the main glazing part just didn't want to fit:

 

 

I think once it's all fettled and glued up, it should work out fine (famous last words... ).

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

[Riksbar]

Looks like it’s battling you but you're getting the better of it.  Are you planning to include Jack’s packet of sandwiches which ended up getting impaled by the round which hit the aircraft?😁

[Simon]

13 hours ago, Riksbar said:

Looks like it’s battling you but you're getting the better of it.  Are you planning to include Jack’s packet of sandwiches which ended up getting impaled by the round which hit the aircraft?😁

"Ugh! Fatty meat again!" Sounds like he wasn't too sorry that they took one for the team...!

[Simon]

Hello again

 

Back with another quick update, and some progress to report...

 

Fuselage all buttoned up, so on with some paint at last (still doing the nose separately - I'm still not 100% sure it'll still fit with another coat of paint on it!).

 

The whole thing was primed and pre-shaded, the on with the Sky undersides first:

 

 

 

 

and then dark green:

 

 

and masks off:

 

 

Not too bad. Needs a little tidy up, and some light weathering, plus the walkway and red doped gun surround doing.

 

Meanwhile the nose has also been painted and the masks off:

 

 

 

Fit of the glazing is still not 100% right, but for me it's a good result, all things considered.

 

And the engines are painted and ready to go. Construction was a bit of a fiddy process, to say the least, but they've come out okay. Intakes and exhausts are from Barracuda, which are a bit of an improvement over the kit parts:

 

 

 

That's all the major construction done (apart from the turret...), now I've got to make sure the big bits all fit together.

 

More soon

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

[Simon]

Back again with another quick update.

 

I've done the wing walkway and red wing gun patch, and started the decalling and some weathering on the main airframe, plus fitted the engines and horizontal tails:

 

 

 

 

I found a couple of colour photos which showed the walkway to be a sort of beige colour, so I've gone for that rather than the more usual pale/medium grey. Looks okay weathered back a bit too.

Decals so far are from the kit, bedded down with Daco's 'Strong Version' of their decal setting solutions - works great with the kit decals. Just the codes and serials to do now, plus a few odd stencils. Weathering is done with Aquarelle pencils - they're easy to use, water soluble, and if you make a mistake just wash it off. I got a set of these grey pencils on Amazon, and they also do a set of browns, which I may also invest in. As always, I'm never sure how far to go with weathering, but it's nice to try something new.

 

Meanwhile, while I wait for a replacement turret glazing, I thought I'd have a go at trying to polish out some of the moulding imperfections. They all seem to be on the outside, and a mix of scratches and raised bits. Anyway, a bit of buffing with some very fine grade sanding pads, and a dip in Humbrol Gloss Varnish (tip - do not drop the item you're dipping into the jar of varnish - it's a right clart on getting the blasted thing out again...) and it looks a bit better.

 

Before:

 

 

and after:

 

 

 

Still not perfect, but hopefully much better once the varnish has fully set. I think it'll do for the time being.

 

More soon...

 

Simon