Angell328 Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 (edited) Hello All, I love the idea of this GB, so much so I found a sealed boxing of airfix's venerable Avro Anson. I remember picking up this model in the Kingston-Upon-Thames branch of Beatties as I was captivated by the curves and streamlined nose. I was amused to see that the model I bought still had a Beatties label on it, it was meant to be! I was fascinated to find that the undercarriage was 'fully functional' when I built it the first time around, and it saw quiet a lot of circuits and bumps on my WW2 airfield (bedroom carpet!) with the dunlops being raised and lowered on every take of and approach. I have decided to build this using the same equipment I would have had the first time around, going through my draws I even found some of the original Humbrol enamel (sorry Super Enamel!) tins I used all those years ago. Time will tell if any of them are still alive in there, but I may pick up a few back up tins when i hit the model shop tomorrow, just in case! So pictured below is the kit, sprue layout and the equipment I will be using for this build, no airbrush, preshading and gloss layers on this build 😁 Cheers Matt Edited August 10, 2020 by Angell328 Finished 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 Very nice. It was still sealed as well - the collectors will be gnashing their teeth in dismay! 😁 Good luck. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 Welcome aboard Matt, and with a real Airfix classic, I imagine most of us have built one of these during our modelling careers. Even better that you are using the same equipment and paints that you used when you first built it, fully in the spirit of the GB. I look forward to seeing her finished. Craig. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 3 hours ago, Jinxman said: Very nice. It was still sealed as well - the collectors will be gnashing their teeth in dismay! 😁 Good luck. Many thanks, going to enjoy this build. I am sure I have upset a few box collectors! 😄 but I have always been one of those that if you have something, then use it! Plus with one less sealed kit out there I have made theirs much more valuable 😂 3 hours ago, modelling minion said: Welcome aboard Matt, and with a real Airfix classic, I imagine most of us have built one of these during our modelling careers. Even better that you are using the same equipment and paints that you used when you first built it, fully in the spirit of the GB. I look forward to seeing her finished. Craig. Cheers Craig, Looking forward to going back to basics and see if my modelling skill has increased or if modern tooling and techniques have managed to hide my cackhandedness! Matt 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted August 4, 2020 Share Posted August 4, 2020 Welcome matt, a very worthy addition to the GB. Awesome with the beaties sticker too 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 Some more progress made on the Anson. Cleaned up all of the parts, that took an evening in itself! The engine cowlings suffered from a huge stepped seamline plus sink marks, so lots of filling and sanding required. The interior green is starting to go down, two thin coats so far, one more to go before I can close up the fuselage. As I was waiting for paint to dry I gave my 3 crew a coat of paint, somewhat more detailed than the first time i made this kit. I had a habit of dunking the pilot into a pot of paint and then letting him drip dry before installing, if he was really lucky he may have got a pink splodge in the rough area of his face 😁 Going to have fun with the turret glazing, a big injector mark on the inside and no turret framing detail, that will take some careful masking to recreate that. I will admit I am missing my airbrush for these large areas of colour, keep cringing at how it looks compared with what I am used to out of the airbrush, so smooth and even, but I am relishing the challenge to learn the skills I have lost and enjoying the simplicity of the build. Cheers Matt 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 Great to see your Anson underway Matt. Nice job on the figures. That turret is going to be "fun" to sort out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klr Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 2 hours ago, modelling minion said: Great to see your Anson underway Matt. Nice job on the figures. That turret is going to be "fun" to sort out. As I recall, it requires considerable intestinal fortitude ... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 A great start to a quaint little aeroplane. I'll follow this with great interest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 4 hours ago, modelling minion said: Great to see your Anson underway Matt. Nice job on the figures. That turret is going to be "fun" to sort out. 2 hours ago, klr said: As I recall, it requires considerable intestinal fortitude ... I have a bottle of port and a lot of masking tape, if that doesn't help the process then after the bottle of port I wont be bothered 😂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 55 minutes ago, Angell328 said: I have a bottle of port and a lot of masking tape, if that doesn't help the process then after the bottle of port I wont be bothered 😂 Thats the spirit! Hope you didn't resort to a bottle of port as a kid though! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 8, 2020 Author Share Posted August 8, 2020 Well I haven't plucked up the courage and the port bottle to tackle the framing yet (well that a bit of a lie, I have picked up the port bottle!) but I have managed good progress elsewhere. It seems I forgot to take a picture of the insides before I sealed up the fuselage, which is annoying, but here she is. Tonight will see a lot of filler and sanding to get the join lines down to something acceptable before the first applications of paint. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 It looks great Matt. Really impressed with your figure painting too 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 It really does look very nice indeed Matt. Looks like she has gone together quite well, especially for a kit of her age. Love the shape of the Anson, a real classic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 Looking good so far, I have a soft spot for the Anson, one of my family worked at Avro's Yeadon works during the war, making them! Cheers Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 8, 2020 Share Posted August 8, 2020 2 minutes ago, PeterB said: of my family worked at Avro's Yeadon works during the war, making them! And my dad built Cheetah's for Armstrong Siddeley, long after the war though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 9, 2020 Author Share Posted August 9, 2020 On 8/8/2020 at 7:11 PM, Dansk said: It looks great Matt. Really impressed with your figure painting too 👍 Cheers, the three amigos came up fairly nicely. 23 hours ago, PeterB said: Looking good so far, I have a soft spot for the Anson, one of my family worked at Avro's Yeadon works during the war, making them! Cheers Pete 23 hours ago, modelling minion said: And my dad built Cheetah's for Armstrong Siddeley, long after the war though. Wow fair bit of family connections to the venerable Anson it seems I have just picked up a classic airframes Late Anson so I can build one in my preferred scale of 1/48. One thing is for sure, I am missing my airbrush!! Not sure if I was much happier with my results as a kid, was better at brush painting as a kid or have just been spoilt by my airbrush, but I get a much nicer finish with my airbrush. last night i finished sanding off the multitude of filler and today I have put the first coat of the green, brown and grey on the old girl. Lets see what she looks like after another coat! Matt 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 Looking good! I think I must have built 2 of these as I seem to remember the side windows on the original were a real old mess - even worse that my later attempt at the Blenheim! The one currently on my shelves looks quite good so I think it must be a replacement. It's a nice kit when built with a little care - not perfect but what kit of that era was? Cheers Pete 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 9, 2020 Share Posted August 9, 2020 I think your Anson is looking really nice Matt. I know what you mean about brush painting, I have brush painted the tail feathers on my Helldiver and it was a right pain to obtain a passable result. By the way, you didn't HAVE to paint it by hairy stick, it just had to be a kit you built as a kid not built in exactly the same way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 9, 2020 Author Share Posted August 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, PeterB said: Looking good! I think I must have built 2 of these as I seem to remember the side windows on the original were a real old mess - even worse that my later attempt at the Blenheim! The one currently on my shelves looks quite good so I think it must be a replacement. It's a nice kit when built with a little care - not perfect but what kit of that era was? Cheers Pete Pete, I can confirm the side windows are still a right pain, so much so that the port lower edge has come away whilst painting, grrrrr! 2 minutes ago, modelling minion said: I think your Anson is looking really nice Matt. I know what you mean about brush painting, I have brush painted the tail feathers on my Helldiver and it was a right pain to obtain a passable result. By the way, you didn't HAVE to paint it by hairy stick, it just had to be a kit you built as a kid not built in exactly the same way. Yes I think my push towards doing the full kid experience has taught me that grown up me should stick to the airbrush! 😆 Saying that I am really enjoying this toe dip back into nostalgia. Thanks for the praise Gents, she maybe an old kit, but still holds her own for a 1962 Mold! Matt 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angell328 Posted August 10, 2020 Author Share Posted August 10, 2020 A good evenings modelling has seen the Anson finished. I was pondering how to sort out the lack of framing on the turret, I had many ideas involving tamiya tape etc. In the end I thought to myself, what would 12 year out Matt have done when faced with the same problem? Free hand the lot with a fine brush! So that is what I did. Looks a bit wonkey in places, but it just adds to the charm, or at least that is what I keep telling myself 😄 Rest was just a bit of tidying up, aerial fitment and decals. Felt so odd just dropping decals straight onto the enamel when I normally have a full process to get smoothest finish I can followed by micro sol/set! So here she is, good old Annie ready for inspection. Shall take some photos in the sun tomorrow for the finished thread. Thanks for setting up this group build, it has been a wonderful trip down memory lane and fun to drop all the extras and just build a kit from the box as i would have done 30 odd years ago. Cheers for following the journey and for the comments and encouragement. Matt 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dansk Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 The result looks super Matt. Really glad to hear you enjoyed the build and took it on with the perfect spirit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 What a fantastic result Matt, you really have achieved an excellent model from this very old kit. I think that your brush painting skills are a lot better than you have let on as you have got a good finish, the decals look to have behaved themselves and settled into place quite nicely. Really glad that you enjoyed the build and the GB, thats what its all about. Hopefully you will join in again if we do a part 2 in the future. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Nice build, looks really neat, good job 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruskin Air Services Posted August 11, 2020 Share Posted August 11, 2020 Nice one, must dig mine out from the stash and repair the aeroclub anson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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