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How to get a PR Canberra?


Plastic_parts

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Hi guys, hope you’re all well and staying safe. I’m just wondering what’s the the general consensus with regards to the easiest, cheapest and reasonably accurate way to get a Canberra PR3/PR7 in 1/72 using whatever is out there and readily available? As always thanks in advance for any advice offered

 Mike

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Not easy but I would try to get hold of an Aeroclub vac fuselage PR3/7 from the 90s.   Failing that, I think you  will just have to add an insert ahead of the bomb bay.

 

David

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1 hour ago, Plastic_parts said:

I’m just wondering what’s the the general consensus with regards to the easiest, cheapest and reasonably accurate way to get a Canberra PR3/PR7 in 1/72 using whatever is out there and readily available?

sounds like a job for the @canberra kid......

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13 hours ago, Plastic_parts said:

Hi guys, hope you’re all well and staying safe. I’m just wondering what’s the the general consensus with regards to the easiest, cheapest and reasonably accurate way to get a Canberra PR3/PR7 in 1/72 using whatever is out there and readily available? As always thanks in advance for any advice offered

 Mike

 

11 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

sounds like a job for the @canberra kid......

Good question? It depends of how accurate you want it to look, but other than the previously mentioned Aeroclub fuselage there is no 'easy/cheep' way. The way I do it is get hold of a Airfix B.57, for some reason they made the fuselage longer than the standard Canberra,  chop the nose off and replace it with what ever B.2 type nose you can get your hands on, you can use the kit wings modified to suite the mark you are building, or add a set of FROG wings and your good to go! The following photos are all built this way; or start with an Airfix PR.9 again chop the nose off add what ever B.2 nose you can find and again use the FROG wings. I've started a build of a PR.3 this way but it's not progressed very far. 

aQyMt6.jpg

aQytjf.jpg

aQyiWb.jpg

John

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Essentially what John and David has said, you need to achieve the fuselage extension (about 3ft? from memory) which is behind the cockpit section transport joint, luckily the extension is in the purely cylindrical part of the fuselage.

The camera windows need to be added, either open or covered.

The clear nose is different to the bombers, essentially it doesn't have the flat glass panel and other minor details, but you could modify a kit one by polishing it up.

 

The PR.3 is based on the B.2, and the PR.7 on the B.6, so the differences in wing details, and engine fronts and nacelles between those two should be noted.

 

Frog actually did a PR.7, and it can still sometimes be found quite cheaply.  It is one of their 1950s releases, but with a bit of kitbashing with a modern kit could be a good basis for a build.

 

 

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"add a set of FROG wings"

 

@canberra kid: Nice job on those Canberras!  In reference to the Frog kit, can you use Frog/NOVO's B(I)8 as a basis, or must it be the PR7?  The PR.9 has different wings (right?) and the engine intakes are wider due to the different mark of Avon, so it seems to me that Airfix's new kit of the PR.9 would be a good fuselage donor up to the "transport joint," but little else.

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7 minutes ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

"add a set of FROG wings"

 

@canberra kid: Nice job on those Canberras!  In reference to the Frog kit, can you use Frog/NOVO's B(I)8 as a basis, or must it be the PR7?  The PR.9 has different wings (right?) and the engine intakes are wider due to the different mark of Avon, so it seems to me that Airfix's new kit of the PR.9 would be a good fuselage donor up to the "transport joint," but little else.

Hi @TheyJammedKenny! Thank you, You can use the FROG B(I)8 for a PR.3 and PR.7 but you will need to extend the fuselage and obviously change the nose to the B.2 type also alter the bomb bay to the shorter flair bay and forward fuel tank configuration. You would also need to change the length of the starter cartage fairing if doing a PR.3 but the FROG 8 is still the cheapest most accurate Canberra.

 

John 

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2 hours ago, canberra kid said:

High Plains are very good too, but by my standards far from cheap. and difficult to get hold of.

John

And harder to build.

 

IIRC you don't need to replace the nose on the Frog Canberra - just modify it to a goldfish bowl canopy. I think it was @John Aero gave me that idea but I'll take all the blame if I haven't remembered it right.

 

If my house move goes to plan I'll have access to the stash from late January and I'll be putting up a For sale listing with some helpful items then.

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2 minutes ago, rossm said:

And harder to build.

 

IIRC you don't need to replace the nose on the Frog Canberra - just modify it to a goldfish bowl canopy. I think it was @John Aero gave me that idea but I'll take all the blame if I haven't remembered it right.

 

If my house move goes to plan I'll have access to the stash from late January and I'll be putting up a For sale listing with some helpful items then.

A chap at IPMS Newark uesd to build his B.2 style Canberra's that way too, and B.57's for that matter. It is a good way if you can get a hold of the nose cap and canopy's needed.

John

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Hi fellas and thanks for the replies. It might be helpful if I say what I have in the stash. I have the following kits, all in the one true scale.

Original airfix B(I) 6

Frog B(I)8

Matchbox PR9

Xtrakit PR9

Airfix B(I)8

Aero club vacform T4/B6 fuselage ( for the old airfix or italeri kits)

I have heard of the frog B(I)8 being bashed into a Mk6 as outlined above but I’ve never tried it and I’m not convinced of the shape of the frog kit being right for a Mk6 although I’m far from an expert. I’ve also heard that the frog kit is the right lengths for a PR 3/7 which if correct would negate the need for a fuselage extension plug, something I would have no idea how to make...so given all the above, do I perhaps have the basics for a PR3/7?

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19 hours ago, Plastic_parts said:

Hi fellas and thanks for the replies. It might be helpful if I say what I have in the stash. I have the following kits, all in the one true scale.

Original airfix B(I) 6

Frog B(I)8

Matchbox PR9

Xtrakit PR9

Airfix B(I)8

Aero club vacform T4/B6 fuselage ( for the old airfix or italeri kits)

I have heard of the frog B(I)8 being bashed into a Mk6 as outlined above but I’ve never tried it and I’m not convinced of the shape of the frog kit being right for a Mk6 although I’m far from an expert. I’ve also heard that the frog kit is the right lengths for a PR 3/7 which if correct would negate the need for a fuselage extension plug, something I would have no idea how to make...so given all the above, do I perhaps have the basics for a PR3/7?

Let's start by dispelling a myth, the FROG B(I)8 and the Airfix B(I)6 are the same length, which is the correct length for a 'standard' B.2 derivative Canberra 65'6'' all production bomber variants are this length, the two mentioned kits reflect this length quite accurately. I think the miss information arises from a statement that the B.6 was the same length as the PR.7, this is not correct! The three PR. Canberra's are the only ones with the fuselage extension having a length of 66'8' 14 inch longer to accommodate the forward camera bay. 

 

On to your model, if I had those options to work with I would stick to a PR.7, use the Airfix B(I)8 as the starting point cop the nose off at the forward transport joint then remove the same section from the Aeroclub fuselage but cutting further back to produse the extra length. You can use the Airfix or Matchbox PR.9 fuselage as reference for the extension and the modified flair bay fuel tank configuration. The reason I suggest using the Airfix 8 over the FROG is purely down to the fact it's a newer kit with wheel wells, better seats, wing tip nav lights, better wheels and engine detail.

 

I hope that helps? If you want some reference take a look around my web site IPMS UK Canberra SIG 

 

John

Edited by canberra kid
typo
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On 11/29/2020 at 6:24 PM, canberra kid said:

High Plains are very good too, but by my standards far from cheap. and difficult to get hold of.

John

That was the impression I've always had of them as well. Much better than the Airfix ones.  Expensive downunder as well, now they have moved to Singapore. 

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3 minutes ago, rickshaw said:

That was the impression I've always had of them as well. Much better than the Airfix ones.  Expensive downunder as well, now they have moved to Singapore. 

Another thing to consider with High Plains is how difficult they are to build in comparison with mass market kits, not every one has the skill set to tackle one.

John

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1 minute ago, canberra kid said:

Another thing to consider with High Plains is how difficult they are to build in comparison with mass market kits, not every one has the skill set to tackle one.

John

Easy-peasy really.  A little extra work but in my experience, they go together well and are easy to build.  Even the resin interiors fit well.

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1 minute ago, rickshaw said:

Easy-peasy really.  A little extra work but in my experience, they go together well and are easy to build.  Even the resin interiors fit well.

Skill set is relative, what you consider easy could well be well beyond someone else. I think I have a reasonable level of skill but I found the kits to be a challenge, in itself not a bad thing. but it could  put someone with less skill/patience off building them. All this is subjective and largely a pointless exercise.

 

John

 

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16 minutes ago, canberra kid said:

Skill set is relative, what you consider easy could well be well beyond someone else. I think I have a reasonable level of skill but I found the kits to be a challenge, in itself not a bad thing. but it could  put someone with less skill/patience off building them. All this is subjective and largely a pointless exercise.

 

John

 

Admittedly I have over 40+ years of experience building kits.  I'd actually rate them about on par with Frog kits of yesteryear, with resin enhancements.  They are only as difficult as you make them IMO.  To me, it seems just another kit.  Admittedly, I think that of most kits nowadays.

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On 11/28/2020 at 10:31 AM, canberra kid said:

I try to spared the love! 

 

Spared the love and spoiled the child.  Or something like that 😉

 

Oh darn, now I want to go look at a Canberra kit again... I think there's one "on the surface" from the last time I had this urge- no doubt also to be blamed, at least partially, on "the Kid".

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