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Airfix 1/72 Blenheim IV - a second time around


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Just re-read the entry on the 226 Sqn ORB as noted in post #1, and I'd forgotten Z7271 was carrying four 250lb bombs, not two 500lb-ers. Note to self - read and take in, don't just read. :doh:

 

So the two bomb racks will have to come out, and I need to get some 250lb-ers...

 

Simon

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, back for another quick update, and some more finishing off of odds and ends, plus another problem to solve...

 

I thought I'd get a fiddly job out of the way, so fitted the wingtip glazing. The tiny front lights are from the Italeri Stirling, adjusted to size, and rear ones cut down from the spare set in the Airfix Beaufighter:

 

airfix-blenheim-90

 

The front ones are very small indeed, and it's a minor miracle that they didn't get eaten by the carpet monster...hopefully the glue will hold them.

 

Landing lights also fitted:

 

airfix-blenheim-91

 

And the turret has been painted, and the glazing, which has actually come up pretty well, was painted and fitted.

 

airfix-blenheim-94

 

airfix-blenheim-92

 

airfix-blenheim-93

 

So, all good so far. I ordered some CMK 250lb bombs, which came pretty quickly. Howver, when I tried to fit them in the bomb bay they're too wide.

 

airfix-blenheim-98

 

They'll need to sit on a double cradle bomb rack (there are some excellent diagrams in AP 1530B - see this post). I also found some good photos of a preserved example of the twin rack from a Bolingbroke on Flickr:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39568612@N08/3841094739/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39568612@N08/3841886210/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/39568612@N08/3841884960/

 

and a couple more here, next to the Lysander down the page:

 

http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian-warplanes-1-british-columbia-langley-canadian-museum-of-flight_887.html

 

So some adjustment will be needed to the bomb bay (note to self - do this before everything is painted...in fact MUCH earlier in the build would have been helpful :doh:), and the double bomb mountings need to be made. I've made a start by replacing the central spine from the kit (fortunately not glued in place) with a much thinner version:

 

airfix-blenheim-100

 

airfix-blenheim-101

 

Every millimetre counts! The sides of the bomb bay should have been thinner too, with a 'chamfered' edge, but again that should have been done at a much earlier stage. :swear:

 

Back soon with hopefully some more progress...

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

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What, another update already? Well, yes, and some real actual progress...:coolio:

 

My Blenheim now has a nose (insert 'My Blenheim's got no nose. How does it smell?' joke)

 

airfix-blenheim-107

 

airfix-blenheim-108

 

And it fits. Phew...

 

So, now that's on, I could crack on with finishing the bomb bay. I made some twin bomb racks, which looked okay:

 

airfix-blenheim-102

 

but then found they were far too deep, and the bombs hung below the lower edge of the bomb bay (about halfway out, oops). So twin bomb racks V.2, which fitted a lot better:

 

airfix-blenheim-104

 

airfix-blenheim-103

 

The racks are Evergreen strip, and the shackles are scavenged from the ones in the Italeri Stirling kits. Note the 'bomb screen' between the two racks.

 

Here are my four 250lb-ers from CMK, painted up and dirtied a bit:

 

airfix-blenheim-105

 

I managed to break one of the fins when I was removing it from the casting block, so decided to make replacement ones which were a little narrower, which was just as well - here they are squeezed into position:

 

airfix-blenheim-106

 

Tight doesn't even begin to describe it! For comparison, here's one of the Airfix bombs from the kit, which I'm guessing is a 500lb-er?

 

airfix-blenheim-109

 

Not that much smaller...or that much bigger, as the case may be  :shrug:

 

The bomb bay doors from Pavla have also now been fitted, and I've also added the undercarriage and the underwing fuel vents from the Quickboost intakes set:

 

airfix-blenheim-111

 

airfix-blenheim-112

 

airfix-blenheim-113

 

airfix-blenheim-114

 

Starting to look like a Blenheim at last, and hopefully into the home stretch...

 

More soon

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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14 hours ago, Michael51 said:

Admirable perserverence with those bombs and doors.

 

Michael

Thanks, but once again the curse of the Blenheim strikes. I was a little worried the CMK bombs were so close in length to the bombs included in the kit by Airfix, and seems they may indeed be too big.

 

 

Seems the CMK 250lb bombs are about 4mm too long. Happy days...:doh:

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Oh, and the turret should be a twin 303 Browning version. All I need now is to find it really should be in the TSS scheme of Extar Dark Sea Gray/Dark Slate Grey and I'll have a full house...:crying:

 

Might have to think of another serial to pick...or get another Blenheim kit and start over again :doh:

 

Simon

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Thanks Erwijn - it does seem to be a 'how not to do it' build at times...

 

Anyway, an update! As always, it's been a bit 'one step forward, two steps back...'

 

After the CMK bombs debacle, I've managed to make something hopefully a bit more to size from the 500lb bombs from the Italeri Stirling, with the middle part cut out. Here are my 'new' 250lb bombs in the bay:

 

airfix-blenheim-124

 

airfix-blenheim-125

 

And I've made the changes to the turret, converting it to a twin .303 Browning version. Ammo boxes added:

 

airfix-blenheim-117

 

and a couple of Brownings scratch-built (armour plate is the wrong way round, now fixed):

 

airfix-blenheim-115

 

and the turret done (again...)

 

airfix-blenheim-120

 

It now seems that at least some 226 Sqn Blenheims had the perspex 'chin' turret in July 1941 - there's a photo of one of them returning from an Op on July 16th, showing the perspex fairing. It also has the two wedges welded on the wing root. Airframe Album No.5 says they're to deflect balloon cables onto the cable-cutters (need to add them too), while Profile No. 118 says that they are 'anti-root stall' devices. Anyway, it's got 'em, so two more things to add to the 'to-do' list...

 

Obviously the chin turret poses a problem, as it should really have an aperture in the escape hatch, and an ammo box in the nose. I'm not going to take a saw to the nose now, so I thought I'd try a bit of optical illusion.

 

First up, the base supplied in the kit needs some work, so out comes the middle section. It also needs a bracket for the gun mount, plus a new gun - the kit one isn't great. So here's the base with added mount, fairing and gun:

 

airfix-blenheim-126

 

So, rather than try to hack a hole in the hatch, I thought I'd see if I could create an illusion that there was hole. So I had a little experiment with a strip of masking tape and a black pen:

 

airfix-blenheim-128

 

And the base tried in place:

 

airfix-blenheim-129

 

Might get away with that...:whistle: Maybe dark grey instead.

 

Obviously from the inside it won't work at all, but I'm not doing any de-constructing now.

 

I must say I'm actually looking forward to building another Airfix Blenheim, but it'll have to be the 1/48 Mk.IV, if and when that sees the light of day. It'll be an absolute doddle after this...:hmmm:

 

More soon.

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looks very nice with the bombs in. I suspect they are all 250 lb bombs rather than 500 lb. If the weight doubles, the size would go up by the cube root of two, which is around 1.26. The size variation looks less than that so I guess it's variation between plastic kit toolmakers.

 

I did an old Airfix Blenheim in flight a while ago, and I was going to do it with bomb doors open, dropping bombs. However, it turns out that the bomb doors were held closed by elastic, and opened by the weight of the bombs themselves when they were released. I've read this elsewhere, but it's in the Wikipedia "Bristol  Blenheim" article (in the "Design" section) . So with an open bomb bay you would expect to see something holding it open, or maybe they disconnected the elastic for bombing up? Just for info, maybe if you have a 1/72 scale broom :)

 

Regards,

Adrian

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24 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

I did an old Airfix Blenheim in flight a while ago, and I was going to do it with bomb doors open, dropping bombs. However, it turns out that the bomb doors were held closed by elastic, and opened by the weight of the bombs themselves when they were released. I've read this elsewhere, but it's in the Wikipedia "Bristol  Blenheim" article (in the "Design" section) . So with an open bomb bay you would expect to see something holding it open, or maybe they disconnected the elastic for bombing up? Just for info, maybe if you have a 1/72 scale broom :)

 

Regards,

Adrian

They do have* bomb door stays - rods that hold the doors open while being loaded. They're normally stored inside the bomb bay, according to AP 1530B. See this post:

 

 

*(or are supposed to, thanks for reminding me) :whistle:

 

There's a video on this post from the same thread showing the bombs dropping out of the bomb bay doors, at about 2 minutes and 9 seconds in: 

They don't stay open long!

 

Simon

 

 

 

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With bombloads on models you sometimes have to compromise to some extent, the  limitations of plastic moulding mean that the bomb bay bulkheads and doors are  much thicker scale wise than in real life making a correctly scaled bomb appear too big  in the bay. 

As for the Beaufort under nose "bubble" mounting  I don't believe it was mounted in a hole in the escape hatch  it actually replaced the hatch and if the crew had to abandon the gun mount was jettisoned  in the same way as the escape hatch.

 

Selwyn

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14 hours ago, Selwyn said:

As for the Beaufort under nose "bubble" mounting  I don't believe it was mounted in a hole in the escape hatch  it actually replaced the hatch and if the crew had to abandon the gun mount was jettisoned  in the same way as the escape hatch.

 

Selwyn

 

A couple of observations/comments about the Blenheim/Beaufort blister gun.

 

AP 1659B records that the metal panel on the front of the blister, recorded in Airframe Album No.5 as being a reinforcement patch is actually a removeable panel to enable gun cleaning rods to be used without removing the gun from the mounting.

 

This image shows the complete unit, which, as Selwyn says, is "designed to replace the emergency escape hatch below the bomb aimer's station. Quick release catches eneable the turret to be jettisoned for the crew's exit by parachute."

 

AP1659B-01

 

And from above:

 

AP1659B-05

 

Here's the ammunition box stowage position:

 

AP1659B-04

 

AP1959B also states that it's fitted with "a removeable wooden cover, hinged in the centre, serves as a floor when the turret is not in use." Here's the cover, looking aft, starboard edge on the left:

 

AP1659B-03

 

So I'll be doing mine with the wooden cover in lowered postion...

 

Hope these are useful.

 

Simon

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back with another quick update.

 

Just finishing off odds and ends, with the finishing line hopefully in sight. Fuselage codes and serials are now on, and the upper turret added:

 

airfix-blenheim-135

 

airfix-blenheim-136

 

airfix-blenheim-137

 

airfix-blenheim-138

 

I've also made the little wedge shaped things on the wing roots - either deflectors for balloon cables or aerodynamic wing root anti-stall devices, depending on where you read:

 

airfix-blenheim-133

 

airfix-blenheim-134

 

And the under-nose turret is now finished:

 

airfix-blenheim-132

 

airfix-blenheim-130

 

The fit of it under the nose is compromised a bit by the fact that the escape hatch is depicted slightly indented on the kit, so I thought I'd make a flush-fitting panel for it to sit on:

 

airfix-blenheim-140

 

and painted:

 

airfix-blenheim-141

 

and finally with the turret installed:

 

airfix-blenheim-144

 

airfix-blenheim-143

 

Just a few small bits to add, plus the props, and she'll be ready to go...

 

More soon

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Looking good, and I’ll be modding my Classic Airfames kit with the deflector/anti-stall devices, as well as looking at fitting the cable cutters.   I’d be intrigued as to the effectiveness of the under nose turret, but I guess what it lacked in accuracy, it also lacked in firepower!

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I've been looking at Blenheim photos, looking for those little wing root wedges. They are not easy to find.

 

So for, I've only found this Mk.V.

 

large_000000.jpg?_ga=2.158553210.1555839

 

 

Chris

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So, last update...

 

I've added the cable cutters to the wing leading edges - two inboard of the engines, and three outbaord. Extremely fiddly as they're about 0.5 mm wide...

 

airfix-blenheim-145

 

airfix-blenheim-146

 

And finally the replacment props were added:

 

airfix-blenheim-147

 

airfix-blenheim-148

 

Pretty much all done and dusted. I've also done a specially-made base for it to sit on:

 

airfix-blenheim-158

 

And here it is in all its glory:

 

airfix-blenheim-149

 

More pics in the RFI section here:

 

 

Cheers


Simon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Riksbar said:

Looks really good, where did you get the reference for the position of the cable cutters?

 

Yes, I'd like to see that too. I have never see nor heard of balloon cable cutters fitted to a Blenheim's wings.

 

 

 

Chris

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The cable cutters were a small bolt-driven blade in a recess in the wing, usually outboard of the outer engine.  Seem to me that any cable that came in between the fuselage and the engines would hit a propeller blade first.  That looks more like an aero fix, for some reason, but if so I'd have expected to have encountered text on the subject.  Could it be an anti-glare shield?

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Inspirational work there Simon. 

 

I think I see the three outer wing cable cutters in  a photograph of an 18 squadron Blenheim IV at p.74 of Aeroplane's British Bombers of World War 2.

 

Michael

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I just went back through my references, looking more closely at Blenheim wings, looking for cable cutters and wing root wedges.

 

About all I found is 3 pictures in Profile Publication No. 218 Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV.

 

50059387478_6526a8c8b2_o.jpg

 

50059953596_f7bcb56ca8_o.jpg

 

50059387528_c5e85d54ac_o.jpg

 

 

I know the images are small, but it was the only way i could get any clarity. I scanned them large in PNG. I then resized then down to 20% and conferted them to jpeg, for posting here.

 

The cutters are easier to see on paper, but that old early 70's printing doesn't scan very well.

 

 

Chris

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