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Airfix BoB 70th Anniversary Gift Set


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Only 10 years late for the occasion with this Airfix Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary Gift Set so will try to make up for it by doing the latest tool of the kits at the same time. Here is the set which I thought was a bargain buy some years ago from a local Toys'R'Us - turns out the big stand is there but someone has purloined the paint pots.

 

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I am going to start with the Hurricane I - this is kit A02082A with decals for LK-A available in 2010 when the Gift Set was released and it says this Hurricane was P2798/LK-A of 87 Sqn, flown by Flt.Lt. Ian Richard (Widge) Gleed from Exeter in August 1940. An easy start but I've noticed already that I will need to scratch build my own pitot tube as the kit doesn't include one.

 

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Edited by Ventora3300
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Off the starting blocks with the Hurricane I - a little flash on the wing tips and a couple of ejector pin marks on the stabilisers to remove. Assembly started with wheels up and paint going on using the acrylic pots supplied with the Starter Kits again. 

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The new tool Hurricane I kit A55111 has arrived just in time  to be built simultaneously. A lot more detail/parts in this kit and a choice of windshields, although it doesn't show this in the Instructions. This will be built wheels down.

 

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Some more progress on Ian Gleed's Hurricane I - Humbrol 90 Beig Green (Sky?) on the wing undersides and the Dark green added to the upper surfaces. Fuselage together now and nearly all of the seam needed some filler so checking with a first coat of Dark Earth.

There is a thin slot cut-out for the stand provided ready in the lower wing but the actual BoB Stand comes with two-prong attachments which are more suited to the new tool versions of the kits. I drilled out two holes, one of them falling right on top of a light position, I think.

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Assembly of the new tool Hurricane I has started in preparation for some painting. The fit of the wing sections and internals was very good with perhaps just a touch of sanding of the internals required to let the top wing fully close up at the front of the wing roots - may have possibly just been a touch of sprue gates requiring full removal.

The starter kit only comes with four colours and the wheel wells and cockpit internals are shown as '90' - looking at the Instructions for the standard boxing, the internals are mostly 56 Aluminium and there is even some 70 Brick Red in there, perhaps for the armour plate (?)

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Progress on Ian Gleed's Hurricane I LK-A. Wings are assembled to the fuselage and the wing joints needed a run of filler. The topside camouflage is finished off with the acrylic pots. I added in the Brick Red behind the seat (armour plate?) and a pitot tube below the port wing (out of sight). I must say that I'm loving the shape of the Hurricane now. I had a go at drilling out the eight gun ports but couldn't get them in straight lines so had to fill in again. Might try a hot pin next.

 

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Gave LK-A a brief outing on the BoB Set stand - noted there are actually five legs provided but only 4 kits in the set!

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The new tool Hurricane I is also coming along - cockpit interior painted and IP decal on, ready for closing up the fuselage. This one will be wheels down - wheels and tyres needing touch up again.

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Edited by Ventora3300
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Can I suggest making a template, perhaps from thin plasticard,  which you will find it easier to get all four in a straight line (or just throw it way and do another).  Place this where required and drill an outer hole.  If  this is in the right place secure it by placing a piece of rod through the template into the wing, then drill the other outer one of the four.  If this is satisfactory then place another pin, which will ensure that the inner two line up perfectly.  Alternatively just place the template where required and add a dab of paint to each hole so you can work on the wing more easily.

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15 hours ago, Graham Boak said:

Can I suggest making a template, perhaps from thin plasticard,  which you will find it easier to get all four in a straight line (or just throw it way and do another).  Place this where required and drill an outer hole.  If  this is in the right place secure it by placing a piece of rod through the template into the wing, then drill the other outer one of the four.  If this is satisfactory then place another pin, which will ensure that the inner two line up perfectly.  Alternatively just place the template where required and add a dab of paint to each hole so you can work on the wing more easily.

Top Tip, Graham, many thanks. I may print out a template and stick to the card to get all the holes lined up before I drill.

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The touch ups are done, the landing light lenses are on and the pilot is in. Still to drill those gun ports though.

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Thinking about putting in a control column but now ready for transfers.

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The new tool Hurricane is coming along too. The fuselage is together and added to the wings. All joints very good and as others have said, you need to make sure that there is no paint on the surfaces to be joined. The Dark Earth is on and all the small pieces are being painted on the sprues.

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Nice new pot of Acrylic Humbrol 30 Dark Green now going on and everything else ready to add in, not forgetting the canopy of course.

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On 14/10/2020 at 07:13, JOCKNEY said:

Great work, usually the Hurricane is criminally overlooked for its contribution to the BoB, so its wonderful to see you building 2 of them here.

Cheers Pat 

Thanks, Pat. Yes, I'm getting to appreciate the 'old' Hurricane - very clean lines so not too many sticky out bits to get knocked off.

 

The new tool Hurricane is out of the paint shop now and all the undercarriage on - quite difficult threading the leg actuators through inside the wheel wells so I actually cut them and did them in two parts. Prop is on and exhaust stubs are in and I thought the kit was provided with a gun sight but it is actually the landing light on the underside of the fuselage, which doesn't go in if you are fitting on a stand - that will have to be changed..

 

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The older Hurricane I kit now has the transfers on and I've added in a rudimentary gunsight made from bits of the clear sprue and a scratch built control column ready to go in (in the foreground). I've also added on a small tab to the aerial post and a small post on the rudder to match in with the new tool kit. Pics I've seen of LK-A have this type of aerial fitted.

 

The new tool kit has the landing light lenses on - a good fit and they have the lens detail inside the 'cover' - and ready for decals. Canopy painting in progress - just the paint and scratch off method as I'm finding it hard to make the home made masking with the current knife - needs a new blade.

 

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Not long to go in this GB and the two Hurricanes should make the Gallery in time. I'm wondering if I can fit in one or two BF109's to even up the odds on the BoB stand. The BoB set provides a Bf109E-4.

 

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I also have a new tool Bf109E-3 - starter kit so interesting to see the camo paint colours included. Ill need to do a bit of research on the differences E-3 to E-4 and also (more fundamentally) if the marking options line up with the published Luftwaffe 'Order of Battle'.

 

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I'll probably end up continuing on with these long after the GB is finished and everyone else has gone home - seems to be my speciality recently.

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Hurricanes are looking good mate B)

 

The Airfix 109E-3 comes with the later E-4-type squarer canopy which is the main differentiator between an E-3 and E-4 so you should be good to go with any E-4 you have decals for, or any E-3 that was retro-fitted with the later canopy.

 

Cheers,

 

Stew

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Hurricane LK-A did get its control column fitted.

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Hurricane KW-Z has the transfers on now and both Hurricanes have their wingtip navigation lights at last, plus a white formation light(?) on the rudder. I agonised a bit over putting on rear view mirrors but I have one reference pic which shows it on LK-A so on they went. Aerial wires now in progress.

 

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In the meantime, the 70's tool Bf109E-4 is sneaking along - its small! Note the Instructions which appears to show an FW190 with the undercarriage down - wing dihedral as well as leg angles all wrong.

 

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The wing to fuselage joints were not precise and did need filler.

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Edited by Ventora3300
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  • 1 month later...

Stew Dapple Posted October 29

 

Looking good mate  It may be a trick of the angle of the photo, but is the old Hurricane bigger than the new one?

 

Cheers

Stew

 

Yes, it does look a bit bigger but I think it's just nearer the camera.

 

Much, much later but the aerial wires were fitted on the two Hurricane 1's and they were finished - just didn't get the pictures loaded to the Gallery in time for the end of the GB. Here is LK-A which was included with the BoB 70th Anniversary Gift set.

 

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This is what you would call a 'fly round the room'...

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Joined by KW-Z which is the new tool kit. A good comparison of raised panel lines against recessed.

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Many thanks again to the Hosts @Stew Dapple, @Procopius @Cookenbacher on this GB as I definitely fell in love with the Hurricane while building these two kits - I see Lidl have got the most recent boxed Starter Kits in stock in their bargain aisle.... 

Edited by Ventora3300
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  • 1 month later...

This Bf109E-4 did actually get finished but the filler put in to help raise the canopy was visible inside so it all had to be done again - plus all the inevitable touch ups.

 

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Transfers went on - I added in swastikas from a separate sheet to maintain the Bf109 'look'. Navigation lights and aerial wires on too. My Humbrol Matt Cote is pretty dreadful and 'shiny', even after lots of mixing. It's hard to get a good matt finish but here it is..

 

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And the Bf109 joins the Hurricane on the stand -only two more kits to do before this 'boxing' is finished - I'll maybe finish in time for the 81st Anniversary.

 

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However, I have decided I'll stick to original plan and finish all the kits plus their more modern 'new tool' equivalents, no matter how long it takes so I'll start a new WIP thread for that.

Edited by Ventora3300
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