JWM Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Hi, An idea to add Saro Lerwick to series of flying boats, float planes and amphibian (all in 1/72 of course) I did in course of last more than 2 years already (Grumman Duck, Widgeon and Goose, Consolidated Coronado, Martin Mariner, Boeing Clipper 314, Nomad and Catalina, Curtiss Seagull, Seahawk and Seamew, Beriev MBR2 bis and M17, KOR 1 and 2, Supermarine Walrus, Sea Otter and Stranraer, Short Sunderland and Empire). As I said one of the latest was Short Empire converted from Airfix Sunderland using @AdrianMF vacu fuselage. So two halves of Airfix Sunderland was lying on my desk for more then half a year. Al that time I was thing what sort of use can I do with this plastic, otherwise finally it will enlarge the plastic spot on Pacific, and I really would to avoid it... So that is how I came to this idea. The problem with Lerwick is that there are no good drawing to it, and in consequence the two existing kits in 1/72: the classic Contrail one and recent Blackbird made the same error of two pilot sitting one next to another instead of sitting in tandem, what resulted in too wide front of canopy. The comparison of models made from Contrail kit, which I have found in Net, with photos of real Lerwick shows this diference clearly. Anyway - I started work four days ago from cutting Sunderland fuselage in more that 15 pieces: To be continued J-W 22 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBaron Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 25 minutes ago, JWM said: To be continued I do hope so! 😁 Best of luck with this mammoth task Jerzy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Uh oh! I think I’ll be following this one! Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Oh yes, an aeroplane that has always fascinated me. You are so correct about the incorrect cockpit layout on the existing models, I had to bite my lip when a Lerwick with side by side seating kept winning competitions at model shows. And then an injection model appeared with the same error. I told them about it but they did not seemed interested. Good luck with this one. regards, adey 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Many thanks for support! There was a movie on TV I wanted to watch so I break the post hour ago at reporting four days ago stage. I was working those four days on this fuselage using electric saw, cement, Milliput (for massive filling), plastic sheets, Humbrol putty (for less massive filling) and Tamiya putty (for surface corrections) and of course a lot of sanding. Here we are: The plate with doors which ends cockpit (I do not have a photo of this part of Lerwick, but I guess there must be some doors...) is from Academy B17. The second side with attached rudder with tape The fin and rudder is constructed from Special Hobby DC-2 spare fin and from small pieces from Frog/Novo Rezorback P47 wings used to enlarge fin and rudder. The outer parts of wings of the P47 are almost perfect for tailplane And the top view: To be continued Regards J-W 18 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Very nice work and an interesting project Jerzy, I know absolutely nothing of the type, but am always fascinated by scratch building work and am amazed how you guys do it. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Interesting project and I always love to watch some old school modelling going on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorty84 Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Oh wow, another one of your masterpieces in the making. I'm too interested in the Lerwick and often asked myself if it would be possible to scratch one. Watching with interest. Cheers Markus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 35 minutes ago, JWM said: The plate with doors which ends cockpit (I do not have a photo of this part of Lerwick, but I guess there must be some doors...) Hi Jerzy, maybe not. In this PDF of the Lerwick pilots notes I found on Seawings, the last part of section 1 on the cockpit has a photo of the rear bulkhead of the cockpit covered in switches & stuff, ergonomic it was not. I'm guessing the cockpit was accessed by ladder from the wardroom which lay below it according to the plan on this website. Thread on Seawings here might be useful too, if you haven't already seen it. They speculate on a hatch on the right side of the pilots seat. I wonder if a familiar face @dogsbody from that thread might have more info too. Steve. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 15 minutes ago, stevehnz said: Hi Jerzy, maybe not. In this PDF of the Lerwick pilots notes I found on Seawings, the last part of section 1 on the cockpit has a photo of the rear bulkhead of the cockpit covered in switches & stuff, ergonomic it was not. I'm guessing the cockpit was accessed by ladder from the wardroom which lay below it according to the plan on this website. Steve. Stave, many thanks for those links. I think that I already skipped all detailing of fuselage inside, however it is accessible only through small portholes, so in fact nothing is seen. But the cockpit is interesting to put some details, so I appreciate those books (PDFs) - I've seen only few photos from them before... Regards J-W 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Other than whats on Seawings and The Flyingboat forum, I don't have anything else Lerwicky. Chris 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Amazing work, it looks like a Lerwick already. As I have had a long interest in this flying boat I have saved quite a bit of Lerwicky stuff. Amazing interior views posted by stevehnz, I have always wondered what they filled that hull with, basically a holiday boat with wings and guns ....... you can sleep here or here if you prefer ............... and what would you like for breakfast ? regards, adey Edited January 25, 2021 by adey m 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) As I have the Contrail kit, currently at the bottom of the stash pile but making siren calls to me, I shall follow this with interest. Some fast progress, too. Edited January 25, 2021 by Heather Kay Typo. Need proof reader. Apply within. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 25, 2021 Share Posted January 25, 2021 (edited) Interesting close up of a Lerwick at anchor in Oban harbour, courtesy of IWM. That house on the island of Kerrera in background was still there in 2007 when we visited Oban. The starboard wing offers a good perch for a gull. That house is visible on the island of Kerrera on the left. I took this photo from our hotel room, I spent many times trying to imagine Lerwicks and Sunderlands at anchor. The slipway where Lerwicks and Sunderlands were brought ashore is still in use for boats and is where the boats are in the middle of the photo. Edited January 26, 2021 by adey m 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 (edited) On 24/01/2021 at 20:18, JWM said: To be continued just like any good thriller .................. Edited January 26, 2021 by adey m 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 On 24/01/2021 at 20:18, JWM said: I was working those four days on this fuselage using electric saw, cement, Milliput (for massive filling), plastic sheets, Humbrol putty (for less massive filling) and Tamiya putty (for surface corrections) and of course a lot of sanding. you did not mention the cement mixer ................ 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 I love a good scratch-build project and this is great! Ingenious use of the old Sundy fuselage - what do you have up your sleeves for the wings..? Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 2 hours ago, tomprobert said: what do you have up your sleeves for the wings..? nothing perhaps 🤔 ............... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 I fear I may end doing just that with my Contrail kit! 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 1 hour ago, adey m said: nothing perhaps 🤔 ............... This is a temptation... - I was indeed thinking about this option when I found this photo some days ago in net. But Lerwick is to nice as complete machine to have it on shelf that I will not go this way 3 hours ago, tomprobert said: Ingenious use of the old Sundy fuselage - what do you have up your sleeves for the wings..? Tom Before I will go to wings the above photo proves that front of hull has a different upper edge profile between Sunderland and Lerwick, so Still I have to modify the profile, The real Lerwick has much straight curve of hull edge then mine Lerwick at the moment. On wings: I am now considering two options. In Polish we say "tak krawiec kraje jak mu materiału staje" (Google suggest me similar English idiomatic phrase "one must cut one's coat according to one's cloth") In other words you have to look around what real options are on table. I looked through a cheep kits on Polish market, for example by Masterkit, and not found any real option. Iliushyn DB3F is maybe the closes. I looked through Allegro (Polish variant of e-buy) if someone is selling some large broken suitable model - not successful as yet. The central - rectangle part I will likely do from basis using plastic sheets. The Catalina has such squared central piece, but I do not have any spare piece of Catalina wing and there is no cheep Catalina on market. For the outer parts currently I am considering two options. One is extend and convert it from a ZTS IL-2 wings, I have two those models in stash for maybe 40 years now, so there is enough "cloth to do this coat". I certainly will not do them as kits to build. So they are designed by me already years ago to be donors for some scratch builds. The other option is Novo/Frog (in fact the rebox by Polish Intech) of Wellington. But maybe it would be more wise to keep it for future Warwick conversion from Airfix Wellington, what I am sometimes thinking about... Regards J-W 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 1 hour ago, JWM said: For the outer parts currently I am considering two options. or a third option is you ask Heather if she will let you have her wings ...................... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ludwig113 Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 On 1/24/2021 at 8:49 PM, stevehnz said: Hi Jerzy, maybe not. In this PDF of the Lerwick pilots notes I found on Seawings, the last part of section 1 on the cockpit has a photo of the rear bulkhead of the cockpit covered in switches & stuff, ergonomic it was not. I'm guessing the cockpit was accessed by ladder from the wardroom which lay below it according to the plan on this website. Thread on Seawings here might be useful too, if you haven't already seen it. They speculate on a hatch on the right side of the pilots seat. I wonder if a familiar face @dogsbody from that thread might have more info too. Steve. just so you know, you entered the cockpit via a hatch on the floor, it is visable in some of the cockpit photos. there was no door in the rear bulkhead. paul 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 2 hours ago, ludwig113 said: just so you know, you entered the cockpit via a hatch on the floor, it is visable in some of the cockpit photos. there was no door in the rear bulkhead. paul Thanks, that is what I'd figured looking at the photos in the pilots notes, good to have it confirmed. The scarey thing is, if someone came out with a Lerwick kit at not silly money, I'd grab one in a heart beat, just for that weird cockpit. Steve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 @JWM Could you use a set of scrap Sunderland wings and floats? If so, PM me your address and I will post them. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 16 hours ago, adey m said: or a third option is you ask Heather if she will let you have her wings ................... Now @Heather Kay may be an Angel, but..... 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now