MikroMir 1/144 Blackburn Beverley C. Mk 1 RAF heavy-lift tactical transport

[Head in the clouds.]

Ticking along nicely, I do like the sand/brown/black scheme.

[Norman]

Great Build ! 

[AMB]

Looking good Adey. Did you mix the camo colours? Hannants Xtracolour range has the precise accurate colours - X029 for the Light Stone and X002 for the Dark Earth.

I note you have used matt paints, so presume you will give the finished model a coat of clear gloss varnish, or Johnson's Klear?  Camouflaged Beverleys were painted in gloss paint and did not last more than a year in service in that scheme  during 1966-67, so did not have time to get weathered to a matt finish.  

[adey m]

On 12/02/2021 at 00:46, AMB said:

Did you mix the camo colours? Hannants Xtracolour range has the precise accurate colours - X029 for the Light Stone and X002 for the Dark Earth.

I note you have used matt paints, so presume you will give the finished model a coat of clear gloss varnish, or Johnson's Klear?  Camouflaged Beverleys were painted in gloss paint and did not last more than a year in service in that scheme  during 1966-67, so did not have time to get weathered to a matt finish.  

Thanks AMB,  I have not mixed my camo colours, I have used Humbrol Matt 119 Light Earth and Humbrol Matt 121 Pale Stone straight from the tins. My experience of Authentic colours has not been good, they may be a good match for the real colour but when applied to a small replica model they become too dark, as colours need to be scaled down too.  I just try and find a colour match from my extensive Humbrol collection that looks about right to me.

 

I will replicate the gloss finish applied to the camouflaged aircraft by using my trusty Johnsons Klear floor polish applied with a brush.

 

 

I think that this bottle will last my life time.

 

HOW MANY BEVERLEYS WERE CAMOUFLAGED

 

There were 47 Beverleys built. Of these 11 were camouflaged between 1964 and 1966. From what I have been able to research 10 where painted at 32 Maintenance Unit at RAF St Athan in the UK. But one, XH122 was painted in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company .............. how strange was that !

 

 

This is XH122, the one that was painted in Hong Kong.

 

 

And this is one of those that were painted in the UK, they have the same pattern except for a different shape to the brown band below the cockpit.

Edited February 13, 2021 by adey m

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Nice one, Adey!  Our C-130 pilots encountered these in SEA, and (I'm told) joked about their having the landing checklist item "three down and welded" in reference to the landing gear.  

[adey m]

A Beverley pilot was asked what it was like to fly one, he said it was like flying a warehouse from the upstairs lavatory window ...............

Edited February 13, 2021 by adey m

[AMB]

On 2/5/2021 at 11:11 AM, Ruskin Air Services said:

I only use a paint brush on models only time I spray with a rattle can when it's one colour. Wouldn't trust myself with an airbrush as I would end up either wearing more paint than the model or loose a vital component when cleaning it! 

I do exactly the same. I  consider an air brush is far more trouble than it's worth, what with having to clean it out each time between colours and getting the snozzle right. Careful hand brushing plus  a rattle can from Halfords for large areas has always given me satisfactory results.

[adey m]

Confusion over colour of the engine cowlings

 

During the painting of the camouflage scheme on my Beverley I realised that I had been mislead somewhere over the colours of each of the four engine cowlings, so I tried to determine why and how I had become confused .................

 

 

Here we have a Beverley with the two outboard engines being light stone and the two inner engines being brown

 

 

On this Beverley the port outer engine is brown and the inner engine is light stone.

 

 

And here we have a silver engine outboard on the port side, but we have covered this before, the engines were replaced as ' power eggs ' complete with cowlings when they required changing, and this would have been particularly frequent on the camouflaged aircraft operating in the hot and dusty conditions of the middle east.

 

 

Here we have a smartened up XH124 at RAF Abingdon for the Queens Review in 1968, the nearest engine is light stone, but the nacelle is brown, this engine would have been brown originally but it must have been replaced with a light stone one during service.

 

 

So I am quite confident that I have accurately portrayed the camouflage scheme as applied originally, before engines were swopped about during service.

[Team Aer Lingus]

Outstanding work Adey very impressive 

 

thanks for sharing

 

Eamonn

[adey m]

Tackling the portholes glazing

 

 

Last night I made a start on glazing the portholes. I am using Humbrol Clearfix, a gloopy clear liquid which I apply to the open porthole with the point of this needle. I did the bottom row of portholes on the side facing downwards then left the model like this while the Clearfix sets. By having the glazed windows facing downwards gravity draws the Clearfix flush with the fuselage sides.

 

 

And this was the result today. So far so good.

[Graham Boak]

I like the tip about getting smooth exteriors to the windows.  There will still be a lens effect because of the curve on the inside, but this presumably can be filled using more Clearfix or when you cover them with gloss varnish to protect them from any moisture.

[Lewis95]

Looking good in here. Carry on!

[adey m]

Solving a light blue roundels problem

 

 

I searched through my many spare transfers sheets for replacement roundels but could not find suitable ones for the fuselage, so I painted over the blue of the kit's ones with Humbrol 25 Matt Blue. I managed to find some suitable replacements for the wing roundels though ................ thank goodness.

 

So next job will be to apply the fuselage roundels before I glaze the portholes, then I can punch the portholes through the roundels when the transfers are set and then glaze them  ........  it is a plan, and I like plans.

 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

22 minutes ago, adey m said:

o I painted over the blue of the kit's ones with Humbrol 25 Matt Blue

Wow!  How did you accomplish that?  Yours is a pro job!

[Marklo]

On 2/13/2021 at 11:11 PM, AMB said:

I  consider an air brush is far more trouble than it's worth, what with having to clean it out each time between colours and getting the snozzle right.

I’d have said the same, I wrestled with my first airbrush disassembling it many times and soaking the parts to clean then etc. Good results but lots of hassle and eventually the airbrush just wouldn’t work anymore. ( still potentially fixable, a possible rainy day project, but since it only cost a tenner and I have two fully functional airbrushes it might be a while  ) 

 

But then I systematically questioned my methods and came up with my current 

regime, which   is to run the airbrush dry when I’m finished painting and then run about a thimble full of airbrush cleaner through it, then dry out the cup with some tissue. Been  doing this for the last six months and no trouble so far.

 

I still brush paint all interiors and small stuff and things like the RAF drone and the Port Victoria kittens I recently finished and my PB31 is getting brush painted. And there  are many modellers here who get amazing results with said same,  but I find on larger jobs and for certain effects ( the mottling on my FW) and modern camo schemes,( I just wouldn’t have gotten the same results by brush panting my little F117a) only an airbrush will do the job properly. 
 

Lovely job on the Beverly so far btw.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Marklo

[adey m]

3 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Wow!  How did you accomplish that?  Yours is a pro job!

 

Thanks.  I do not worry about getting some blue paint off the curve, I just remove it afterwards with a clean brush dipped in thinners.

 

 

[adey m]

DECALS APPLIED

 

 

Since we last met I have applied decals. Here we can see two problems, one we have already mentioned is the missing D in MIDDLE so I have had to allow a sufficient ( hopefully ) space for it to be added later and the other problem is that the white of the roundel is see through, you can make out the change in colours underneath through it.

 

I have opened up one of the portholes through the roundel with the drill.

 

 

So here I have given the roundel a coat of white paint to stop the see through effect and I have had an attempt at painting the missing D in MIDDLE, it needs a bit more attention and tidying up.

 

I have also drilled out what appears to be vents on the side of the rear fuselage.

 

 

The other side of the fuselage showing the see through effect of the white in the roundel.

 

 

After I applied the wing roundel I realised that I needed to correct the camouflage pattern, oh well. The wing roundel came from my spares and is from a Valom kit, and is perfect.

 

 

 

[Mancunian airman]

This should be of interest . . . .

 

AIR HEAD 1963 - YouTube

 

Ian

[adey m]

26 minutes ago, Mancunian airman said:

This should be of interest . . . .

 

AIR HEAD 1963 - YouTube

 

Ian

 

And it certainly is, what a fabulous bit of film, I wondered how they carried the cargo doors from a Beverley when they removed them, now I know.

 

Very nostalgic, most RAF transport types from 1963 are there, with their glorious sounds too.

 

But when the advert for ladies bras suddenly came on I was glad that wifey was not about  ...................

 

It looks like the same Maltese guy that posted it also has a number of other interesting British military films too.

 

Thanks Ian

[adey m]

VERTICAL TAILPLANES NOW FITTED

 

 

I decided it was time to reduce the parts count on my workbench and install those heavy vertical stabilisers. Had a demanding time trying to ensure that they were parallel to each other.

 

 

Wings just pushed on over the spar, I am pleased with the fit. Some corrective work being done on the camouflage pattern on the tail plane

 

 

I am pleased with how things are going so far. I do a bit on a morning before work and perhaps a bit on an evening after work depending on what sort of a day I have had.

 

 

[Ray S]

I have just relocated this build and caught back up again. It is looking very good indeed my friend! It was a nice save with the roundels too.

 

All the best, Ray

[adey m]

Here is an update on progress.

 

 

On Saturday morning I decided to tackle a task that I was a bit apprehensive about, installing the impossibly tiny etched aerials. I bent the supports on these aerials before I cut them away from the sheet, it stopped them from becoming the carpet monster's next meal  ..........  hopefully.

 

 

MikroMir thoughtfully provide a tiny indentation on each side of the nose where the aerials have to go, you just have to try and fix them there.

 

 

I somehow managed to get all the aerials in place, the main mast on the cabin roof should be on the centre line, not offset as the instructions show. I have also added the hand rails and windscreen wipers from fuse wire.

 

 

It seems to be taking shape quite nicely I think, I must say that MikroMir have done a fantastic job of capturing the character of the Beverley.

Edited March 9, 2021 by adey m

[Mancunian airman]

Its definitely looking the part  . . . 

[Murdo]

1 hour ago, adey m said:

I must say that MikroMir have done a fantastic job of capturing the character of the Beverley.

 

So have you!  Cracking work!   

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Steady hands, now.  That's really awesome!  Those antennas are so, so small!  I also love seeing the windshield wipers--in 1/144!!!