1/72nd Italeri Short Sunderland Mk.I,.....Silver Bullet!!****FINISHED***

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks.

                 As many of you will know,...... I recently finished a Special Hobby Sunderland Mk.V,....... well I`ve always fancied doing a pre war Mk.I too and when I found a second hand kit going for a bargain price (cheers Dave!) I decided to go for it! Now I have already built a Mk.I after it had been refurbished wearing mid war colours and ASV antenna and I intend to do another wearing 10 Sqn RAAF markings plus at least Mk.III too ,....... I just don`t know where I`m going to put them yet!

 

Here is the box art and some of the bits and pieces;

 

Now some of the options selected for colours and markings are rather suspect,..... I`ll probably come back to these later if anybody is interested and I an rember or find my original research from 2014,...... but I don`t need any of them in this instance as I`m going for a pre war silver painted aircraft.

 

Now one of the problems with building a Mk.I from the box is the fact that the kit only provides propellers with spinners and the early Mk.I aircraft did not have spinners,..... plus the hubs of the kit parts are too simplified to use too,...... so to make a decent looking model after market props will be needed!

 

For decals I`ll probably be choosing between;

L2160 `SELANGOR'of 230 Sqn based at RAF Selatar, Malaya in 1938,....... using set KW172077 from Kits at War

OR

L2163/C of 210 Sqn, RAF Pembroke Dock in 1938,........ using set X72163 from Xtradecal

OR

L5802/RF of 204 Sqn, also at RAF Pembroke Dock,...... with grey codes and Type B fuselage roundels, using items from the spares box

 

Here are the decals;

And L5802/RF

 

So,....construction started with the fuselage interior,.....first of all some additional portholes were opened up, uing photos of real Mk.I`s as a guide,..... and although in my first Mk.I model I used plastic strip to make the framework around the mid upper gun positions, this time I used parts left over from the Special Hobby Sunderland Mk.V,...... because this kit includes these plus the exterior parts depicting opened or closed positions,....so it looks like a Mk.I/II may be on the cards from them at some point;

I did not fit the portholes as I shall be using Kristal Klear instead and although the interior detial is good,...... that on the Special Hobby kit is much better and more complete. 

 

Then the wings and control surfaces were assembled, remembering to open up the hole in the left wing root leading edge for the air intake found here on the Mk.I, plus the hole for the exhaust outboard of the inboard engine and a hole on the top behind it, for the exhaust where it enters the wing for heating etc;

As you can see, the recessed panel lines are rather heavy and deep compared to the Special Hobby kit;

 

Then the fuselage halves were joined;

 

And the wings were attached,...... I have to say that the parts fit much better than they did on my Special Hobby kit and the wing root joint is especially better as it routes more inboard and does not go right through the fuel tank detail on the upper wing;

 

 

And that is it for now.

 

In case anybody is interested,...... here is my previous Mk.I which shows the kit propellers and their spinners to advantage. I built it as the first production Sunderland L2158, after it had been refurbished, fitted with ASV and spinners on the propellers, when it was coded KG-M of 204 Sqn based at Bathurst, Gambia in 1942,.....a well worn aircraft. 

 

Here is the original post for the above, completed model, explaining the radar etc;

 

Cheers for now,

                        Tony

Edited July 20, 2020 by tonyot

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

A quick start Tony, 

 

I have the MKIII to do as a RAAF machine one day. Most likely 10SQN as well since my son serves there at the moment.

 

Oh and you might want to update the thread titile, I was amazed to see Italeri had released a 1/48 Sunderland! 

[tonyot]

Here are some reference photos,......

First off some silver Sunderland`s,.....showing how graceful they look without the additional antennae etc;

 

And maybe not SO graceful!

 

And some detail and interior photos;

Here is a wartime Mk.I,......note the ing roundel!

Rear fuselage and mid upper gun positions;

EDIT,....Can I point out that the above photo is not a Mk.I,..... note the pair of portholes rather than 3 and the different floor section above,.... this was simply added to show the crew rest bunk,....... I don`t want to confuse anybody,..... heaven forbid! It is pretty obvious when comparing it to the other pics which do show the upper floor level with the twin dorsal gun positions.....as seen below,...... but hey! Note how the photo below shows the silver painted interior of the Mk.I with painted areas around the gun positions to prevent glare,...... I forgot to paint these on my model,.....oops! 

 

Cheers,

          Tony

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2020 by tonyot

[tonyot]

1 hour ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

A quick start Tony, 

 

I have the MKIII to do as a RAAF machine one day. Most likely 10SQN as well since my son serves there at the moment.

 

Oh and you might want to update the thread titile, I was amazed to see Italeri had released a 1/48 Sunderland! 

Haha,.... wishful thinking eh,...... just testing! I scare myself sometimes you know!

A 10 Sqn RAAF Mk.III sounds brilliant,..... I`m thinking of doing one too,...... they trialled so many of the adaptations which were incorporated onto the Mk.V, such as bow guns, .5in Brownings fitted in new waist gun positions, centimetric radar fitted under the wings etc,...... they were true pioneers.

Hope your Son is OK,.... he is serving with a very proud unit. 

 

PS,.... you just beat me by a split second posting this!

 

Best wishes,

                   Tony 

Edited July 7, 2020 by tonyot

[bigbadbadge]

Crikey that was quick, great work Tony, looks awesome.

All the best

Chris

[tonyot]

19 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Crikey that was quick, great work Tony, looks awesome.

All the best

Chris

Cheers Chris,..... I pre painted it at the weekend and started sticking it together today! A bit better than the Mk.V eh!!!

 

[bigbadbadge]

1 minute ago, tonyot said:

Cheers Chris,..... I pre painted it at the weekend and started sticking it together today! A bit better than the Mk.V eh!!!

 

Crikey yes, although I am wary of the panel lines on the italeri kit as you mentioned compared to the SH kit. I am sure that you will produce a cracker though.

All the best

Chris

[LDSModeller]

4 hours ago, tonyot said:

And some detail and interior photos;

Hi Tony,

 

As an FYI for you and other modellers, the photo with

the Crewman in the aft wardroom bunk is in either a Late Production

Mk II (with upper turret) or Early Production Mk III

The Photo shows the Mezzanine floor, which the Mk I/Early Mk II didn't have.

As a side note the Camera and Flare dispenser as seen in this photo, can be mounted

either Starboard or port (Per Sunderland Mk I/II E&M Manual)

If mounting the fuselage should have ports engraved for the flare exit points.

Regards

 

Alan

[Edge]

More top work Tony. It seems that Sunderlands are a bit of a minefield when it comes to building something accurate.

 

Looking forward to the next instalment!

 

Edge

 

[tonyot]

9 hours ago, LDSModeller said:

Hi Tony,

 

As an FYI for you and other modellers, the photo with

the Crewman in the aft wardroom bunk is in either a Late Production

Mk II (with upper turret) or Early Production Mk III

The Photo shows the Mezzanine floor, which the Mk I/Early Mk II didn't have.

As a side note the Camera and Flare dispenser as seen in this photo, can be mounted

either Starboard or port (Per Sunderland Mk I/II E&M Manual)

If mounting the fuselage should have ports engraved for the flare exit points.

Regards

 

Alan

Cheers Alan,.....yes I was aware of that,.... the perforation in the end secton of the upper floor being the give away,.....plus the number of portholes,...I was however simply showing the bed..

[tonyot]

Hiya Folks..... another quick update,........

 

Got the model sanded,.... hardly any filler needed at all, just a little along the wing root  to clear the joint line,...... unlike the Special Hobby kit!

 

 

And,.... after wondering whether to fill in the panel lines or not,....... I decided to sand the model and then give it a coat of Tamiya rttle can Bare Metal Silver,..... which with a coat of matt varnish later on is a good representation of painted silver;

 

 

Cheers

           Tony

[TheyJammedKenny!]

It would take me MONTHS to get to this point.  Fantastic progress, Tony, considering you're juggling other projects.

[72modeler]

On 7/7/2020 at 4:00 PM, tonyot said:

I just don`t know where I`m going to put them yet!

If you have a swimming pool or a very large bathtub, you could moor them there! 

Mike

[72modeler]

15 hours ago, tonyot said:

.I was however simply showing the bed..

Smoking in bed! Are those issue jammies?

Mike

[LDSModeller]

1 hour ago, 72modeler said:

Smoking in bed! Are those issue jammies?

It would have been a "Staged" photo. Generally if crews had to stay on

board, they could wear their "Jammies", but most likely they wore their

flying Gear or at least Battle Dress, as the mooring etc would have to be

managed, engines started to ensure stability especially if rough weather ensued.

The "Bed"s would not normally be made up, as the "Bunks" would be used for seating etc.

Any bedding would have been folded in RAF Standard Bed Pack (been there done that)

and stored inside the bunk seat (they were hollow for storage).

 

Depending on the Squadron, Bunks and Mess tables "Could" be installed in the Bomb Room

( I have a photo somewhere showing this). These however were only under "Special Order"

from Shorts.

 

Regards

 

Alan

[tonyot]

Well,..... last night I got a coat of varnish onto the model, ready for the decals,....... but in the cold light of day I`m just not happy with it,......... when you look at reference photos the silver Sunderland`s just look smooth,...... and not like a patchwork quilt;

 

 

You can see the Aeroclub propellers that I have had spirited away too,..... oh how I miss this range John,...... you`ve left a big black hole in many modeller`s conversion/update options and are sorely missed. 

 

Anyway,..... rather than adding the decals,....... I think I`m going to cover the thing with filler and sand it smooth. Shame,....as after the Special Hobby kit I was wanting a nice easy build too!

 

Thinking back,....I did fill in many of the panel lines on my previous Mk.I,..... .... but it was also brush painted and the coats of paint helped fill the recesses,..... sprayed on silver is another matter though!

  

 So one step forward,..... two steps back,..... I wish that I hadn`t brushed on enamel gloss varnish last night though!

 

Cheers

            Tony

[72modeler]

2 hours ago, tonyot said:

I miss this range John,...... you`ve left a big black hole in many modeller`s conversion/update options and are sorely missed. 

You, me, and every other 1/72 scale aircraft modeler! I guard my ever-dwindling stash of props, engines, and bang seats like the gold at Ft. Knox! @John Aero- just a thought, and I know you've retired from the business end of modeling, but would there be  any way that the molds/masters for your props and engines could  be used to cast them in resin? If so, maybe some aftermarket firm that you have a high regard for might be able to take this on for you? Just a thought!

 

Back to our regularly-scheduled programming- Tony, might it be possible to use thinned PVA/Clearfix to fill in the worst panel lines, wiping the excess with a cotton bud moistened with warm water. Since both adhesives dry clear, you could then mist on another coat of silver or clear before applying decals? Maybe experiment on a scrap wing or fuselage? (Matchbox preferrably, as the trenches would be a good test!) Seriously, that is a beautiful silver finish, and your seamwork is flawless! I wish I had half the ability!

Mike

[tonyot]

1 minute ago, 72modeler said:

You, me, and every other 1/72 scale aircraft modeler! I guard my ever-dwindling stash of props, engines, and bang seats like the gold at Ft. Knox! @John Aero- just a thought, and I know you've retired from the business end of modeling, but would there be  any way that the molds/masters for your props and engines could  be used to cast them in resin? If so, maybe some aftermarket firm that you have a high regard for might be able to take this on for you? Just a thought!

 

Back to our regularly-scheduled programming- Tony, might it be possible to use thinned PVA/Clearfix to fill in the worst panel lines, wiping the excess with a cotton bud moistened with warm water. Since both adhesives dry clear, you could then mist on another coat of silver or clear before applying decals? Maybe experiment on a scrap wing or fuselage? (Matchbox preferrably, as the trenches would be a good test!) Seriously, that is a beautiful silver finish, and your seamwork is flawless! I wish I had half the ability!

Mike

Cheers Mike and I agree about Aeroclub. The thing about using clearfix is,...... I have applied a brushed on coat of wnamel gloss varnish,..... so I cannot spray on top of it without it lifting up now,..... I could brush some acrylic matt varnish I suppose and take the risk afterwards,..... or use filler and then sand it all off back to the plastic? You should never make modelling decisions at night when you are also tired,..... you`d think I`d lerned that by now! 

I might have a practice like you say though,..... stand by!

 

[bigbadbadge]

Great progress Tony until the trench, I mean panel line issue.  I am sure you will overcome this issue and a stunning Sunderland will emerge.

 

All the best

Chris

[mick b]

Great work as ever Tony.

 

I have the Italeri Mark I and III in the stash, bought a while ago, and I think the Lego look of them isn’t helped by the fact that both recessed lines and rivets are moulded thus accentuating the affect? I thought maybe the laborious task of filling the rivets but keep the panel lines would ease the problem ?

 

Mike

[tonyot]

Aw well,.... I bit the bullet and went over the seam lines with filler!

 

I just hope that it doesn`t take another filling and sanding session after this one,....... I really didn`t want to be doing this!

 

Cheers

          Tony

[tonyot]

29 minutes ago, mick b said:

Great work as ever Tony.

 

I have the Italeri Mark I and III in the stash, bought a while ago, and I think the Lego look of them isn’t helped by the fact that both recessed lines and rivets are moulded thus accentuating the affect? I thought maybe the laborious task of filling the rivets but keep the panel lines would ease the problem ?

 

Mike

I thought the same Mike,..... but just thought sod it,..... some of the panel lines really are very wide and deep,....... I`ll try and gently rescribe what I can. 

 

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great progress Tony until the trench, I mean panel line issue.  I am sure you will overcome this issue and a stunning Sunderland will emerge.

 

All the best

Chris

Thanks Chris,..... I`ll try my best pal!

 

All the best

                  Tony

[AliGauld]

Ye Gods Sir you are a glutton for punishment.

 

It's all going to work out swimmingly though.

 

Excellent work so far.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[tonyot]

38 minutes ago, AliGauld said:

Ye Gods Sir you are a glutton for punishment.

 

It's all going to work out swimmingly though.

 

Excellent work so far.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

LOL,.... Cheers bud! This was supposed to be a relaxing build!!😂

[DaveyGair]

A mate of mine came over today, first visitor of mine since lockdown, and showing him some kits I have bought the last few months. He thought the Italeri Sunderland I had looked like it was plated at Swan Hunters yard! 

Great going Tony, every time I look at mine I think I HAVE to do something with the panel lines!

 

 

Davey