1/48 EE Canberra T17 - Airfix with Alleycat conversion

[Peter W]

Looking good Jamie, Pleased to see that you managed to get the tanks sorted out, they look a whole lot better.

 

Pete

[Bell209]

On 7/17/2020 at 8:48 PM, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

It says these are licensed from Belcher bits and from what I can see they certainly look better than the kit items

Given what I've seen about the Canberra tip tanks, I think I'll fit out my B.20 with AM bomb racks instead - far less trouble!

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

9 hours ago, Bell209 said:

Given what I've seen about the Canberra tip tanks, I think I'll fit out my B.20 with AM bomb racks instead - far less trouble!

 

Hi Rob,

 

I'm certain these were just unlucky castings I had and it wouldn't put me off getting more in the future. The other Alleycat castings were absolutely fine and I've got numerous castings from Belcher Bits which are also very good indeed. It was just a blip, and it won't cause me any hessitation from buying from either company in future

 

I just got the silver and white bits done.

 

Everyone has their own ways of doing things, but I'm lazy and find painting some undercarriage bays quicker and easier in the long run masking round them and airbrushing after the external colours. It doesn't work for all, and some kits have unique circumstances that still make it easier to do it the traditional way.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

It's got wheels

 

 

 

 

 

The Canberra looks like a huge bodybuilder that's nicked a toddler's tricycle

[71chally]

Superb work and paint work Jamie, and good to see you overcame the tank issues.

 

I'm not sure if you want me to point this out or wish I wasn't here (!), but it looks like you've fitted the B.6 style starter bullets, which are considerably longer and pointier than the B.2/T.17 type.

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/100_0055.jpg

[Bell209]

16 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said:

I'm certain these were just unlucky castings I had and it wouldn't put me off getting more in the future. The other Alleycat castings were absolutely fine and I've got numerous castings from Belcher Bits which are also very good indeed. It was just a blip, and it won't cause me any hessitation from buying from either company in future

I've had kits from both suppliers before, too and also had no issues. The tanks get very expensive by the time they get to Aus, though. I've got the Pete's Hangar racks and 750 lb bombs to go on mine.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

9 hours ago, 71chally said:

Superb work and paint work Jamie, and good to see you overcame the tank issues.

 

I'm not sure if you want me to point this out or wish I wasn't here (!), but it looks like you've fitted the B.6 style starter bullets, which are considerably longer and pointier than the B.2/T.17 type.

http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/100_0055.jpg

 

The set could probably use some instructions to describe exactly what engines these are and which starter bullets are which.

 

It came with these also, which when I looked at the following photo on John's page clearly aren't the ones I need either

 

https://ipmscanberrasig.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=186268724

 

Maybe I'll just remove the ones fitted, cut them shorter and refit. Maybe that's what those moulded rings are for. Having to scrutinise every little kit part against photos from various angles before use could contribute to why modelling stops sometimes! Thankfully, I never use epoxy so resin bits can usually be broken apart again relatively easily.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

In fact I just went ahead and cut them shorter, and it will have to do I think or else I'll be in to trying to create two identical replacements which, realistically, will be complete no sooner than the 32nd of Marchuary 4172!

 

 

 

 

With hindsight, I think the engines are probably better suited to the B6/8 moreso than the 2.

[71chally]

Weird the engine nacelles do look B.2, but the compressor faces with the three discharge spokes and bullet fairings are B.6.

That photo I linked to in my last post is handy as it's an exact side on to the nacelle, the bullet fairing hardly protrudes past the inlet ring.

You're definitely on the right track by shortening them.

 

Does the Airfix kit have both styles of bullets?

 

This is the issue of when a kit tries to be too many things.

Edited August 7, 2020 by 71chally

[Alpha Juliet]

Good luck with the build (great so far!) and good luck with the shenanigins at work.  Been there, done that :(

[canberra kid]

What you have there are two types of Avon 109 fairing, the blunt one is the early pre mod type. The kit part is the right size and shape for the Avon 1. Take a look at the engin albums on my site.

 

John

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Hmm. Looks like these Alleycat engines just aren't suitable for the B2 afterall, but I admit I didn't understand the differences prior to buying and the B2/6/8 description probably would have rang alarm bells for someone more familiar with the type. I think this one may have to be chalked up as "too hard" to fix at this stage, since I'd have to cut the engines back off the wing and revert to the Airfix ones which is a quite a big slide down the snakes & ladders board.

 

I think I'll Shelf of Doom this one and decide at a later date whether to correct this mistake I've made.

[71chally]

No, no Jamie, you're nearly there!

My understanding, Like John's, is that you should have the correct B.2/T.17 bullet fairings in the Airfix box.

I wouldn't worry about the engine fronts, personally.

 

It's the first time I've seen this product, but I can see that Alleycat have listed the kit as 'Canberra B.2/B.6/B.8 Intakes', that is bad as the B.2 (which the T.17 is based on) has different engine fronts, nacelles & bullets than the B.6 & 8. 

In fact it's downright strange, one of the reasons you would want to use such an add on kit is to correctly model B.2 type fronts from B.6 type fronts, something you've tried to do, the worst thing is that you've done this work and the original kit bits were probably ok.

The add on kit looks like it has the B.6 bullets and engine fronts, with the three thick spokes, but the nacelles look like an odd cross between B.2 and 6 from what I can see in the pictures.

 

 

Basically, the B.2 etc had the original less powerful Avon, identified by the small single cartridge starter bullet which had two exhaust 'spokes' going out to corresponding holes in the nacelle sides.  The B.6 etc had the more powerful engines with much more prominent triple cartridge starter bullets with three spokes going out to holes in the nacelles edges.

 

Anyway, chin up, you're nearly there, and everything looks beautifully done.

[corsaircorp]

Hello Jamie,

I really enjoy your thread, Full of tips and infos !!

Really helpfull for my Canberra lunacy.

Please, a related question, do you know if any retailer is selling the D-Molds stuff here in europe ?

'cause I look for their B-57G Resin nose.

Sincerely.

CC

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I considered cutting the resin engines out and reverting to the Airfix items, but ultimately felt that would simply be too many steps backwards with too much re-surfacing work to do prior to a total repaint of the wings at least since I'd never get a consistent effect now. Because of that, I have compromised perhaps more than I like and frankly now knowing that it has the wrong engines, this model will always be a failure so I'm just going to finish this one, chalk it up and move on. I'm incapable of overlooking mistakes once I've seen them - quite the opposite in fact - they become the primary feature. Perhaps some red intake blanks are in order to hide them!

 

I've cut the Airfix B.2 starter bullets right at the engine face and fitted them in the same relative position. They look like they still stick out a bit too far but it really will have to do this time!

 

[Lord Riot]

This looks brilliant! Beautiful paintwork too, can't wait to see it with the 360 sqn markings. Very cool.

[canberra kid]

Good save Janie, thinks are looking good!

John

[71chally]

Yep, super save! They look pretty darned good to me.

Absolutely not a modelling failure in anyway, a superbly built model, with huge amounts of time and research put in is just that, a superb model.

 

It is disappointing that an aftermarket set is being sold with a bad description, which can lead people in to making a wrong descision though.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I have decided to take another pause, but hopefully a constructive one for the greater good.

 

The decals had been bothering me a little as they looked a bit loud, and having just finished preparing a mark up of the kit instructions of which stencils the T17 appears to have in John's SIG photographs in this scheme, I decided to check the roundels against BS381C prior to getting started.

 

 

More pragmatic people might say these were close enough, or just buy a new aftermarket set, but being me I decided it was time to commit to enhancing my paint range. It'll be a couple of months probably to get round to this with the ongoing production schedule pretty jammed, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

[Biggles87]

I don't know how I could  have missed a build of my favourite mark of Canberra until now, too busy watching all the others perhaps.

Just putting this in as a marker and I'll go back and read it all properly.

 

John

[woody37]

It's fighting, but you're winning Glad you cracked on with it.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

6 hours ago, woody37 said:

It's fighting, but you're winning Glad you cracked on with it.

 

To be fair it's all been my own doing trying to be too clever without the abilities to back it up

 

I'd been meaning to add BS110 to my range for a while, since White Ensign already included BS538 red without a blue to go with it. There's a distinct difference between WWII Dull Blue (which we have) and BS110 Roundel Blue. This has given me the nudge I needed. I'll get some masks drawn up on the Cricut before the paint is ready then we'll be good to go. I can't lay the stencils til the masked roundels are done, obviously.

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I never had any intention of using the Cricut mentioned on post 1 of this thread on this model, but changing plans and adding complexity is how 100% of my builds go, seemingly. I've now got the BS381C-110 roundel blue finished and it's all tinned up. I'm away out for a haircut shortly but before I leave for the city I quickly drew up 84" and 48" post-war 2:1 ratio roundel masks and 24" square fin flashes to go with, and cut those out on said Cricut.

 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Some Roundel Red

 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

I've just airbrushed on the new Roundel Blue this morning and removed the masks. I've quite pleased with this.