PeterB Posted August 27, 2020 Author Share Posted August 27, 2020 So here it is ready to have a final coat of varnish. Putting the nose glazing on makes quite a difference to the appearance. The D/F loop is rather heavy, and could probably do with a bit more thinning down, but it will have to do. If we ever get a bit of decent weather it should be in the Gallery before too long. Pete 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 Hi Pete, That looks really great! The nose glazing is very good (as is the rest). Good colour on the bombs too. Best regards, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookenbacher Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 Yes, that's looking really good Peter. I'm glad to see a Hampden anytime, but especially in this GB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted August 27, 2020 Share Posted August 27, 2020 Hi Pete, this Hampden is lovely and has been given a lot of TLC. This is a plane I have been in love with ever since I first saw it on an antediluvian Airfix catalog when I was a kid. Never found it and therefore never bought it. Online shopping was not very popular then! Congrats! The mat varnish will really bring it to life. JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 27, 2020 Author Share Posted August 27, 2020 (edited) Hi Jean, Not sure I would go as far as "lovely" but the rounded nose of the production model and the "flare" of the fuselage in front of the rear upper gun position does improve the lines and make it a little less "boxy". It is perhaps about time Airfix did a new moulding, but if not, they might re-release the old one before too long. We will hopefully also see what the alternative Valom/AZ one looks like in this GB as well - being much later it could be better! Cheers Pete Edited August 28, 2020 by PeterB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 (edited) I have given it a coat of matt varnish and stuck the bomb aimers Vickers K gun barrel on. It points rather low as it is mounted in the flat "clear vision" panel at the bottom of the nose - presumably the pilot's fixed Browning .303 was meant to cover the upper hemisphere. Given the age of the kit and my shaky hands it seems to have come out quite well. I will post it in the Gallery shortly. So, having done my one and only RAF entry I will get back on to the Luftwaffe with a pair of Junkers! Cheers Pete Edited August 30, 2020 by PeterB 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Well done Pete, looks absolutely fine (despite your shaky hands! ) Cheers, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Lovely. You can’t beat a decent Hampden. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Looks great! Yeah, that bomb-aimer's gun is in a weird position. Chris 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 Top job Pete, I've got to build one of these. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 Hi Ozzy, I am currently attempting to build up a representation of all the Bomber Command machines but it will take some time. The Light bombers currently comprise a Battle and Bleheims Mk I and Mk IV and I have now added replacement Hampden and Wellington Mk III. I probably won't bother with the recent Airfix Wimpy Mk I but I do have an MPM Mk II. I threw my old Frog Whitley when I bought the new Airfix one, but have yet to build it, and have a replacement Stirling in my stash, together with a Halifax Mk I/II. The existing Lanc and Halifax III have recently been joined by a Manchester and a Lincoln, so getting there slowly. I already have a Victor and a Vulcan and am yet to build my Valiant and TSR 2 - who knows, I may manage it eventually. I already have a Mossie B IV, Boston, Mitchell and Ventura for the "others" that saw service in WWII in the bombing role, but I do need a bomber version of the Canberra I guess for post war. The Hampden is certainly worth considering if you can find one at a reasonable price - the only problem I had was with the way Airfix had moulded the "K" guns - the sprue gates being at the end of the barrel and hand grip so that one broke when detaching it. P:ete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted August 30, 2020 Share Posted August 30, 2020 5 minutes ago, PeterB said: Hi Ozzy, I am currently attempting to build up a representation of all the Bomber Command machines but it will take some time. The Light bombers currently comprise a Battle and Bleheims Mk I and Mk IV and I have now added replacement Hampden and Wellington Mk III. I probably won't bother with the recent Airfix Wimpy Mk I but I do have an MPM Mk II. I threw my old Frog Whitley when I bought the new Airfix one, but have yet to build it, and have a replacement Stirling in my stash, together with a Halifax Mk I/II. The existing Lanc and Halifax III have recently been joined by a Manchester and a Lincoln, so getting there slowly. I already have a Victor and a Vulcan and am yet to build my Valiant and TSR 2 - who knows, I may manage it eventually. I already have a Mossie B IV, Boston, Mitchell and Ventura for the "others" that saw service in WWII in the bombing role, but I do need a bomber version of the Canberra I guess for post war. The Hampden is certainly worth considering if you can find one at a reasonable price - the only problem I had was with the way Airfix had moulded the "K" guns - the sprue gates being at the end of the barrel and hand grip so that one broke when detaching it. P:ete Sounds like you've got a busy winter, I'm actively looking for a Hampden hopefully I can pick one up if we are ever allowed back to shows. As they are going for silly money on auction sites, looks like people have them for an investment rather than enjoyment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Ozzy said: As they are going for silly money on auction sites, looks like people have them for an investment rather than enjoyment. Know what you mean Ozzy - same with Canberras at the moment. At least I have 2 of the breed - PR 9 and B-57G. Did have the Frog and Matchbox ones as well but long gone! Pete Edited August 30, 2020 by PeterB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 30, 2020 Author Share Posted August 30, 2020 (edited) Hi, During the latter part of this build something has been nagging away at the back of my mind but it was not until I was writing up the narrative to my gallery post that I realised what it was. I was about to say that the Hampden was not a particularly good looking plane and it hit me - "ugly planes", a subject that came up some time ago in another GB and my suggestion was the Amiot 143! Like the Hampden the Amiot had a relatively narrow and deep slab sided forward fuselage with a much shallower rear section, but by comparison the Hamp is decidedly sleek! The Amiot has an almost plank like shoulder mounted wing that is very thick to allow a mechanic to crawl in and access the engines in flight. It is of course a somewhat earlier design based on the 1928 Amiot 140 and entered service in 1935, three years before the Hamp. There is a row of windows along the massively deep fuselage which caused Green in his Famous War Planes - Vol 7 Bombers to describe it as being like a greenhouse, and yet the cockpit glazing is so shallow it must have been very hard for the pilot to see anything, particularly when landing. The fuselage was about 4ft wide - a foot wider than the Hampden, and just wide enough to accomodate two manually operated turrets, one in the nose and one in the mid upper position, each of which in the main production version had a single belt fed 7.5mm MAC 1934 mg, with another two of the same, one in the ventral step and one firing through a trap door in the lower forward fuselage, and according to Green it could carry about 1760lb of bombs internally and a siimilar amount under the wings compared with a total of 4000 lb in the Hampden (Wki says the Amiot lifted twice that in both cases but I think they have mixed up kg and lb). Although a bit larger than the Hamp in both length and span it weighed a bit less, but the combination of a fixed undercarriage and thick wing created a lot more drag, and as with most French machines of the period it was fitted with slightly less powerful engines so its maximum speed was, depending on the source as ever, anything from 60 to 80 mph less than the Hampden and may have had a somewhat lower range, but the figures for that depend on a combination of fuel load, bomb load and cruising speed and are inevitably dependent on which book you look in. A projected improved version was going to have a twin tail. So, you could say the Hampden looks like a rather more streamlined version of the Amiot 143 - I knew it reminded me of something! Cheers Pete Edited August 30, 2020 by PeterB 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 4 hours ago, dogsbody said: Looks great! Yeah, that bomb-aimer's gun is in a weird position. Chris Chris it almost looks like the whole pane rotates 360*. In the upper right section of the bomb aimers window, it looks like there is a straight handle which might allow the bomb aimer to rotate it ? Its a straight rod approximately 6-7” in what is the upper right if viewing from the bomb aimers position. I dont see a similar rod/handle on the other side ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 1 hour ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said: Chris it almost looks like the whole pane rotates 360*. In the upper right section of the bomb aimers window, it looks like there is a straight handle which might allow the bomb aimer to rotate it ? Its a straight rod approximately 6-7” in what is the upper right if viewing from the bomb aimers position. I dont see a similar rod/handle on the other side ? The gun is mounted below the flat bomb aiming window. Also, that bomb aiming window isn't circular, so it wouldn't/couldn't rotate. Chris 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Well done Pete, that's come up rather lovely now hasn't it! I've got this same kit, although would really love Airfix to re-tool another to go with their Whitley & Wimpy. Cheers and well modelled.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted August 31, 2020 Share Posted August 31, 2020 Well done Pete. I'm doing battle with a Dory I had for lunch. It's trying to come back for an encore so I better go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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