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Lancaster ND644 in 32nd scale


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I have been wanting to start this for some time but having read and watched only one build through to completion, it seems that its quite an undertaking to complete.

Because of the issues I thought that I would build the support vehicles first as I probably wouldn't want to build such vehicles  if the Lancaster was going to become a bind.

However, having virtually completed the AEC 6 x 6 refuelling bowser it time to start the beast . . .

Scratch-AEC-Camouflage-2.jpg

 . . . and others vehicles completed for the planned diorama

DB-Tractor-bombs-1.jpg

 

32nd-Nissen-hut-008.jpg

 

I suppose I have had the advantage of hindsight of other builds so I am able to start with the knowledge of what is required.

I have attached a list of corrections required of the HK model, a number are personal choice and I dare say to some modeller(s) the kit is acceptable in representing the finest allied heavy bomber.

 

HK Lancaster fault/correction list (in no particular order) Jan. 2021

 

Cockpit floor removal as to high 👍

Pilots seat height and seat base in-correct 👍

Pilots armour needs replacing/re-shaping

Pilots Control column to short

Flt. Eng. Panel, remove, shape and thin down kick panel 👍

New flight Eng. seat required

Cockpit rail cut back for IP to fit

Replacement IP with AM Instrument panel

Bomb-aimer bulkhead 7 sink marks 👍

Rear bomb bay bulkhead has 3 viewing windows, Should be 2 👍

ASI position Starboard side fuselage to be eliminated 👍

Dinghy stowage in port wing, upper wing removal 👍

Landing lights in starboard wing beneath removal 👍

Wing tip lights Rearmost

Wing tip fitment (5 thou- top)

Flap detail missing ‘OOO’ top & bottom sections

Flaps additional struts needed

Propeller blades need turning

Cabin heater openings in front leading edge of inner wings section

Exhaust covers (shrouds) to large & need re-sizing 👍

Engine cowlings  removal of panel lines 👍

Engine radiator flap opening, personal choice 👍

Engine rad post-war version, needs wartime type 👍

Reshape inner rad vent, square top 👍

Undercarriage to high, needs shortening

Undercarriage main legs have 'holes' - need filling 👍

Ailerons and brackets, ribbed and bracket re-shaping

Ejector stubs in one-piece main wing

Ejector marks in undercarriage doors 👍

Ejector marks in bomb doors 👍

Ejector marks in bomb-bay rack 👍

To many bomb positions front section of bomb-bay 👍

Remove U/C ‘Non-retraction bars’

Rear entry doorstep wrong 👍

Front turret fairing top section broken (at point of delivery)

Front turret base Sink marks x 5 👍

Front/Mid-upper/Rear turret casings (drill outs)

Mid-upper turret fairing requires ‘blending’

Rear turret doors absent

Rear turret front Perspex removal – my choice of aircraft

Rear turret centre (gunners feet) personal choice

Cockpit framing required ? personal choice

Canopy Escape Hatch framing (additional frame removal ?)

Main wheel hubs need drilling (Resin type obtained)

Tail wheel needs strengthening, personal choice

Tail-plane – 2 tops – 2 bottoms split 👍

 

👍👍👍 indicates issue resolved   :thumbsup:

 

60”    fuselage roundel . ‘ 47.5mm’

102”  wing roundel . . . .‘80.75 mm’

 

My choice of aircraft is the last one lost flying out of RAF Station Grimsby in Lincolnshire . . . 

HK-Lancaster-x2-002.jpg

 

There have been numerous photos and reviews of the sprues so unless somebody wants to see specific parts i shall just dive in and start the build, not necessarily in the order of the instructions  . . .

For me personally, this will be the ultimate Lancaster kit and as such I shall endeavour to produce the best I can.

It will be time consuming and no doubt there will be little progress at times but please bear with me . . .

I am looking forward to putting the plastic together 

Ian

 

Edited by Mancunian airman
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Hi Ian , love your bowser ! , just what my " parked " Lanc . needs , it`s got the Iconicair tractor & trailer backed under it . Both mine came in the same box  too ,

 

 nearly needed a fork truck ! . If you are  going to tackle all your listed corrections , then more power to your elbow. The pilots seat can be made right with a few

 

razor saw cuts . All the " best " with them ! .

 

                                                                   Don .

 

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8 minutes ago, Don149 said:

Hi Ian , love your bowser ! , just what my " parked " Lanc . needs , it`s got the Iconicair tractor & trailer backed under it . Both mine came in the same box  too ,

 

 nearly needed a fork truck ! . If you are  going to tackle all your listed corrections , then more power to your elbow. The pilots seat can be made right with a few

 

razor saw cuts . All the " best " with them ! .

 

                                                                   Don .

 

Thanks Don

I'm looking forward to the challenge 👍

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Hi Ian - I'd love to tag along on this one.  I've opened a window to let some fresh air in / measured a good 2 metre distance to position my chair / popped a new filter into my mask - it is difficult to munch on popcorn whilst wearing a mask :popcorn:  but a straw in the beer makes that easy enough to slurp on :beer:

 

Good luck with this mate - I'll cheer along from a safe distance - Steve

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Awesome!

 

Will watch with interest.

 

The work you'll do here will be a great reference for others brave enough to follow.. 

 

I think Im going to tackle a nose section first and see how I get on.

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Scooby

I do like to display my aircraft with other bits just to bring in some other points of interest . . . 

I was thinking that I would never build such vehicles after the Lancaster because so many others have said what a chore the Lancaster is to build . . . 

 

 I intend also to have a diorama board (8' X 4') . . . to display the vehicles and the 32nd scale Nissen hut 🤔

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1 hour ago, Mancunian airman said:

 I intend also to have a diorama board (8' X 4') . . . to display the vehicles and the 32nd scale Nissen hut 🤔

 

Will there be room for a control tower Ian? ;)

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Marklo

I believe the kit was around Nine years in its development but its hard to imagine why so many errors ?

I appreciate that there are some actual molding limitations but so many things could have been put right . . .

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Do I have double vision or is that not 2 Lancs in that big cardboard box?:D

 

Whats the plan for the other one?

 

I am looking forward to this as I have one to do and much to learn beforehand as my Lanc knowledge is limited so any tips, warnings or advice as you go along will be more than appreciated. Class is sitting upright and paying attention.  Questions at the end of the lesson please. 

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Where to start  . . . the box comes compact with sprues

HK-Lanc-contents.jpg

 

The comprehensive instruction book containing 44 pages, I will photo each page as I build to point out amendments etc

HK-Instruction-booklet-44-pages.jpg

 

Some of the after-market bits, my choice again to improve the overall appearance.

Sadly the aircrafts instrument panel is just a molded representation of the dials, there is no decal to place upon it

HK-Lanc-Extras.jpg

 

Just to give you an idea of the size of the fuselage, this is it on my shelf measuring a full 25 inches and excluding the bomb-aimers nose blister

HK-Fuselage-25-inches.jpg

 

Research over many years has resulted in the superb book

IMG-2215.jpg

and the aircraft profile . . .

HK-Nan-2.jpg

 

The aircraft was one of two lost from 100 Squadron based at RAF Station Grimsby in Lincolnshire during a sortie to Nuremburg 16/17th March 1945 making it the last aircraft lost flying from the airfield.

The crew comprised:

Pilot: F/O George Dauphinee RCAF

F/Eng: F/Sgt.Mervyn Jefery RAF

Nav: F/O Bruce Douglas RCAF - POW

B/A: F/O William Vale RCAF

W/Op: P/O Roy Bailey RAF - POW

Mid-gun: William Harvey RCAF

Rear gun: Lyle Bedell RCAF

 

I knew both Bruce and Roy, I have their stories of the night the aircraft fell to the guns of a night-fighter.

The aircraft ND644

ND644-Nan.jpg

 

Its going to be a journey  . . . 

Ian

 

Edited by Mancunian airman
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John

Pull up a seat, there will be a lot to see . . . 

I have recently purchased a new bomb-aimers blister to give me an option of an aircraft that didnt have the 'oo' in the nose blister.

The second blister in the kit is a shallow version, usually seen on Mk. II's but it was seen on a few Mk.I & III's . . . 

Ian

Edited by Mancunian airman
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On 1/2/2021 at 12:09 PM, Mancunian airman said:

I believe the kit was around Nine years in its development but its hard to imagine why so many errors ?

I scratch builds lot and it’s really really easy to introduce errors unless you’re being very strict with yourself. I also reckon that some companies are all about time to market/cost rather than accuracy. Then there are cases like the Airfix fairey battle where the kit was tooled off actual fairey battle blueprints, except they were for the early prototypes which differed substantially from the production model.

 

And I must add, personally I get quite a sense of satisfaction from getting a good model out of a mediocre/inaccurate kit.

Edited by Marklo
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40 minutes ago, Marklo said:

 there are cases like the Airfix fairey battle where the kit was tooled off actual fairey battle except they were for the early prototypes which differed substantially from the production model.

 

And I must add, personally I get quite a sense of satisfaction from getting a good model out of a mediocre/inaccurate kit.

Wouldn't have been a problem if it'd been based on actual prototypes: the drawings provided were those of early design studies.

 

I entirely agree about the fun to be had: but whether it always justifies the effort is another matter.  Sometimes it just results in the kit getting shelved unfinished.  (Hello, Revell Halifax.)

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With all those fixes, changes and refinements it looks like more fun than the average kit.  Have you estimated the time it will take, beginning to end?

 

I'm not sure I'd be too confident trying one that big without a dedicated workshop and a door with a lock on it.

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Of those I have seen being built, best estimate is a year of the example seen on Youtube by 'Model Nerd' 

The top R. H. corner indicates one of eight so all his videos can be viewed, click to view his list, it gives some idea of the complexity and size of the completed model . . .

 

 

I have seen a couple of other examples but no time frame given . . .

Edited by Mancunian airman
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For my time frame Ian , my first one with all opened up / hanging down took six weeks , the second one on the stand/flying with full crew , five weeks .

But I`m the old guy with nothing much else to do . My lap top workbench is only eighteen inches by sixteen , but the big uns like the Lancs & B 17s were

built with all the parts  like fuselages , tailplanes , wings as seperate models , only coming together after painting ( apart from the sticky-out bits ). The 

main paint/airbrushing is done in my storeroom with the windows open at each end .

One " hollow laugh " today , I was spraying the parts for the 1/12th Italeri Alfa Romero roadster I`m building , started with sunshine coming in the window ,

finished with snow coming in , oh boy ! .

                                                               Don .

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