CL-215 fire bomber

[chrispisme]

I opened this kit yesterday, shook the box and some of the parts were built...well, not really but it is going together quite quickly. I had this 215 in my stash as well as a 415, I had thought I could build them concurrently but common sense (I know, it isn't common) suggested that was a really stupid idea (I sometimes have the attention span of a beagle) so I may try building them consecutively.

Having looked in both the boxes it appears the parts are nearly all the same in both kits other than turbine engines, extra stabilizers on the empennage, and winglets on the 415.

It is a fairly pedestrian subject compared to many builds here.

The mess of parts in the box, the shiny yellow plastic is not hard to assemble but difficult to see where corrections may be needed.

Some of the assembled components (it should be noted; there are no alignment pins/receivers on this model.

Thanks for looking

[Jb65rams]

Nice choice. I built this kit a couple of months ago for the Heller Group Build.

 

I found it went together well, needed quite a bit of nose weight to avoid a tail sitter. Also thought the undercarriage was a bit weak.

[dogsbody]

Maybe you could combine the two kits to build a 215T like this:

 

 

Photo was taken at the Edmonton Aviation Museum 2016 Airshow, at Villeneuve airport.

 

 

 

Chris

[chrispisme]

14 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

Maybe you could combine the two kits to build a 215T like this:

Photo was taken at the Edmonton Aviation Museum 2016 Airshow, at Villeneuve airport.

 

 

 

Chris

Nice but waaay too much work to get the graphics, plus the radial engine one has Sask. decals and I'm in Sask. so that's a no brain.

What separates the 215 turbine from the 415? Looks identical to me. I asked a guy who worked on them he said there were big differences...not seeing it here.

[dogsbody]

1 hour ago, chrispisme said:

Nice but waaay too much work to get the graphics, plus the radial engine one has Sask. decals and I'm in Sask. so that's a no brain.

What separates the 215 turbine from the 415? Looks identical to me. I asked a guy who worked on them he said there were big differences...not seeing it here.

 

One major difference is the water dropping doors. The 415 has 4 doors but the 215 and 215T only have 2.

 

Where is Saskatchewan are you? I'm in Fort Mac.

 

 

 

Chris 

[chrispisme]

44 minutes ago, dogsbody said:

 

One major difference is the water dropping doors. The 415 has 4 doors but the 215 and 215T only have 2.

 

Where is Saskatchewan are you? I'm in Fort Mac.

 

 

 

Chris 

Saskatoon, freezing my nuts off in -30 today!

hows Fort Mac treating you?

[busnproplinerfan]

They are identical except for the obvious parts. The picture of the large doors is an oddball. I'm sure the doors are optional. The four door system will give you more dump options. I did know a mechanic on the '215s. He said the part numbers were all changed for the '415 parts even though they are the same. Regulations, here at least, won't allow you to use the '415 parts on a '215. I suppose the cost went up to.

[dnl42]

Nice!!!

 

I built Amodel's 1/144 CL-415. Not sure what's wrong with building both at the same time! They'll be quite similar except for the engines, empennage, hull doors; not sure what else is different.

[janneman36]

The Cl215/215T are different from the CL415 , like @dogsbody said the dropdoors are different in two for the 215 and four smaller doors at the 415..

They do have more differences like  the left side having slide doors on most 215’s and the capacity of the carried load is different even when the 215 has turboprops..

It is also the main reason in having those different part numbers on the real thing..

Most of those differences are difficult to spot for us modellers or sometimes even neglectable...

 

https://pixabay.com/nl/photos/canadair-brand-bommenwerper-cl415-2565152/

 

The one below has sliding doors

 

http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/World/Europe/France/Paris-Le_Bourget/photo/CL215-1A10_F-ZBAY_23.htm

 

cheers, Jan

 

 

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

I love these kits and many times were almost put in the basket but a cool head prevailed.

One over: Build the two kits and buy two more and do the conversion

It's incredible how effortless is when others do the work!

Seriously, following with pleasure.

Wildfires is one of the four seasons in California, so we see a lot of these firefighting types.

[chrispisme]

Thanks to the folks posting info to clear up the differences, agreed they're subtle enough for me to have missed any...

To my eye the aircraft reminds me of the flying Winnebago from Spaceballs!! Ludicrous speed, Barf as second mate and "Just what we need...a Druish princess!"

I wondered off there for a second (and now I'l looking for Spaceballs on Netflix) but I'm back now...maybe

Thanks for comments.

[stevehnz]

I'll follow along for sure, if only to learn more about these, I really like these birds. I watched a 215 beat a fire to death in Greece a long long time ago. I think that, like @dnl42, a 1/144 is more my style.

Steve.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

16 hours ago, chrispisme said:

and now I'l looking for Spaceballs on Netflix

Yeah!!!

May the Schwartz Be With You!

15 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I think that, like @dnl42, a 1/144 is more my style.

What???? a 1/144 plane won't put a candle's fire off!

[dogsbody]

3 hours ago, chrispisme said:

Saskatoon, freezing my nuts off in -30 today!

hows Fort Mac treating you?

 

We had that yesterday. Today it was only -17.

 

 

Chris

[John Masters]

10 hours ago, chrispisme said:

It is a fairly pedestrian subject compared to many builds here.

Only if you've never sen these things at work.  Amazing clips on YouTube.  

I like this one...it's a 415...

 

 

This is always a fun aircraft to watch come together.

 

 

[chrispisme]

Thanks!

Awesome video as well...Damn he's low!!

I made a slight improvement on a couple of kit parts and painted some of the cabin spaces...All of the cabin spaces actually.

My "improvement", wing stall fences;

 

automotive wheel balancing sticky weights for a total of 28 grams up front (1 oz to my Southern neighbors) 

painted and dirtied:

 

Thanks for looking

[busnproplinerfan]

Looks good, that's how I remember seeing them.

[fjaweijfopi4j48]

A strong start!

[Team Aer Lingus]

Excellent start Chris I will tag along if you don't mind I've got one of these in my stash but it looks beyond my middling skills so I shall try pick up some tips from you.

 

When you say -30 is that C or F ? 

 

regards

 

Eamonn

[chrispisme]

3 hours ago, Team Aer Lingus said:

Excellent start Chris I will tag along if you don't mind I've got one of these in my stash but it looks beyond my middling skills so I shall try pick up some tips from you.

 

When you say -30 is that C or F ? 

 

regards

 

Eamonn

Celsius 

[Team Aer Lingus]

4 minutes ago, chrispisme said:

Celsius 

That's a little bit chilly indeed 😉 all the more reason to stay indoors 

 

regards

 

Eamonn

[dogsbody]

3 hours ago, Team Aer Lingus said:

That's a little bit chilly indeed 😉 all the more reason to stay indoors 

 

regards

 

Eamonn

 

A photographic example of just how cold -30C is:

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[chrispisme]

How true!

Good thing my hobby is indoors!

back to work...a quick test fit showed a simple butt type joint between the inner and outer upper wing sections. It was flimsy and uncertain, it would be covered by the engine nacelle  but I figured it should be helped a bit.

I made a fishplate for the joint;

 

 

and closed up the fuselage halves (seam lines under construction at this time)

Thanks for looking

[71chally]

Love a 215 build, managed to get up close and personal to these lumbering old beasts a few years back, a rare event in the UK.

On their departure from us at St Athan back to Canada, via Prestwick, they were fully loaded, I'm sure they only got smaller and smaller because the Earth rotated away from them!

Got to hand it to the operators of these things, firebomber pilots must be the bravest out there!

 

Canadair CL-215 282 C-FAYN Buffalo Airways 16 Jun 15 by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Canadair CL-215 282 C-FAYN Buffalo Airways 6 Oct 12 by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Canadair CL-215 C-FAYU 283 Buffalo Airways 22 Jun 15 by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Canadair CL-215 282 C-FAYN Cockpit 2 by James Thomas, on Flickr

 

Looks like you're making great progress with your build there Chris, like the idea of strengthening the wing joins like that.

 

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by 71chally

[Jb65rams]

Good progress. I did something similar with the wings, I added a spar to strengthen the join. 
 

I found the joint between the fuselage / wing a very good fit. Allowed me to paint the two parts separately before joining at the end. Made it much easier to handle / fit in the paint booth.