JWM Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 (edited) Hi, The Saro Lerwick was not a fortunate machine, however it has nice look of a carp-like fish with wings... Close to an archetype of a flying boat. Surely it is more than 50 years since I learnt on it, This was a small, pocket size booklet with photos and drawings of airplanes, maybe a WW2 tutorial for British AA soldiers... All this time I was thinking on doing her one day, but mostly I was hoping that a injection model will appear and sometimes I was looking for a possibility of buying the Contrail vacu. But the latest became terrible costly, moreover, from what I 've seen in net it was only partially looking like a Lerwick... Recently, maybe within last two years, a Blackbird resin kit appeared and I was almost decided to buy one when on BM Rumormonger section in comments I've read that the problem of both Blackbird and Contrails models is the wrong idea of he cockpit arrangement: in real Lerwick pilot and second pilot/observer were sitting one behind another whereas on both models they sit one next to other, side by side what makes the fuselage much wider on top. Then I realized that it is what I dislike in internet photos of Contrail models... So I decided that I have to scratch it. This January I had and sudden thought looking at a Sunderland fuselage lying on side of my desk - why not to scratch the Lerwick just now? Here is a build story: If you do not have to to through this hole build thread as a resume I can tell what I used (besides a whole tube of Milliput and Humbrol and Tamiya putty ). Fuselage is glued from pieces cut out from Airfix Sunderland (which left with me as spare after build of Short Empire). In construction of wings I have used two ZTS Plastyk Il-2 kits, spare tail from Farman 223, a plastic sheet 1.5 mm thick. Nacelles from Frog Wellington and Airfix Halifax. Engines from MPM Wellington Mk X (shorted), props from Valom Harrow (resin copies of them), nose and rear turrets made from Airfix Sunderland, the dorsal from Airfic Lancaster, main canopy from mini-sushi dish (curved side windows) plus Gillette packing (front windscreen) and a purposely made top part (8 pieces all together) .... Beach gear wheels from ZTS Il-2 (main) and rear from some toy (I think a Husky broken car), stabilizer from wings of Frog P47D, rudder and tail mostly from spare SH DC2.... I have chosen the scheme for summer 1940, with large fin flash and I took the possibility of shadow shading applied ther, what I think I see on some photos. This particular machine has a bit strange A and A1 roundels with enlarged central red. Here is the results: Two more photos from another camera (with different color balance) Comments welcome Regards J-W , Edited March 22, 2021 by JWM 35 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Very clever - and I enjoyed watching the WIP... great modelling skills on show! Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather Kay Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 A brilliant outcome, with some splendid lateral thinking to give the essential shapes from assorted other kits! Now, have I the courage to hack about the Contrail kit in the stash? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdu Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 I love how you take a concept, tell us about it and then make it all come true J-W Brilliant modelling sir 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Very nice J-W,.... not the easiest aeroplane to get right,...... but your`s looks amazing. Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Looks wonderful and really enjoyed following the industrial strength kitbash of a WIP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Great work, looks absolutely stunning. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Ranger Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 An impressive effort! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin-42 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Wonderful kitbash! A bit more wing and two more engines and it might have been useful- if the Sunderland hadn’t cornered the market already! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epeeman Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 What great (and clever scratch building) work on your model aircraft - wonderful! Regards Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted March 22, 2021 Share Posted March 22, 2021 Really enjoyed watching the butchery in progress to see it turn into something special. Superb result. The wings look tiny for the fuselage, must of took some effort to unstick! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Now that's an excercise in real old fashioned scratch building. Your hard work has paid off and produced a fantastic model in the end. The Lerwick was a rather portly but pleasant looking aircraft and sadly neglected by model manufacturers. I've seen quite a few examples of the old Contrail kit over the years, but I've never seen a Lerwick as good as this before. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Fantastic! Well done. Reminds me of some of the old scratchbuilds/conversions in Airfix Magazine in the 70s using bits if other kits to make then unavailable subjects except this one is on another level of excellence . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_W Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Very nice. Always looks like a "Baby Sunderland". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanC Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 An incredible result after some truly heroic plastic bashing. While on the subject of Coastal Command turkeys, have you ever done a Blackburn Botha? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted March 23, 2021 Author Share Posted March 23, 2021 (edited) On 3/22/2021 at 4:29 PM, tomprobert said: Very clever - and I enjoyed watching the WIP... great modelling skills on show! Tom Tom, many thanks! Perhaps some skills must be there after 50 years of plying this game... On 3/22/2021 at 4:35 PM, Heather Kay said: A brilliant outcome, with some splendid lateral thinking to give the essential shapes from assorted other kits! Now, have I the courage to hack about the Contrail kit in the stash? Heather, I appreciate very much your comment. I am sure that you have this courage to take it out... On 3/22/2021 at 5:24 PM, perdu said: I love how you take a concept, tell us about it and then make it all come true J-W Brilliant modelling sir Perdu, many thanks, sir On 3/22/2021 at 6:23 PM, tonyot said: Very nice J-W,.... not the easiest aeroplane to get right,...... but your`s looks amazing. Cheers Tony Tony, a good words from such perfect modeller as you means a lot to me On 3/22/2021 at 6:57 PM, Marklo said: Looks wonderful and really enjoyed following the industrial strength kitbash of a WIP Thank you, this was really a build bringing back the fun of construction of the model... On 3/22/2021 at 7:30 PM, bigbadbadge said: Great work, looks absolutely stunning. Chris Chris, many thanks! On 3/22/2021 at 7:33 PM, Space Ranger said: An impressive effort! Maybe more joy then effort! Thank you. On 3/22/2021 at 8:10 PM, Robin-42 said: Wonderful kitbash! A bit more wing and two more engines and it might have been useful- if the Sunderland hadn’t cornered the market already! Thank you. It is surprising how much smaller the Lerwick looks next to Sunderland On 3/22/2021 at 8:14 PM, Epeeman said: What great (and clever scratch building) work on your model aircraft - wonderful! Regards Dave Dave, I appreciate, many thanks! On 3/22/2021 at 10:50 PM, woody37 said: Really enjoyed watching the butchery in progress to see it turn into something special. Superb result. The wings look tiny for the fuselage, must of took some effort to unstick! I am glad to hear that you like the build. Indeed it is different look that for example Catalina has, which looks like a light boat attached under huge wing, here a massive boat has chicken size wings ... And older Catalina was successor of Lerwick in 209 Squadron... On 3/23/2021 at 2:59 AM, cngaero said: Now that's an excercise in real old fashioned scratch building. Your hard work has paid off and produced a fantastic model in the end. The Lerwick was a rather portly but pleasant looking aircraft and sadly neglected by model manufacturers. I've seen quite a few examples of the old Contrail kit over the years, but I've never seen a Lerwick as good as this before. Thank you, indeed not many Lerwicks present on Forum (I am here from mid 2014 and do not remember any), moreover the recent Blackbird resin was not shown on RFI at all, I think. On 3/23/2021 at 2:04 PM, Rob S said: Fantastic! Well done. Reminds me of some of the old scratchbuilds/conversions in Airfix Magazine in the 70s using bits if other kits to make then unavailable subjects except this one is on another level of excellence . Rob, thank you! That is true! - the inspiration of the scratching works published in early 1970s are still mine inspirations. I was perhaps twelve when I saw it for the first time (in Krakow Poland, behind the iron curtain). The brother of the school colleague of my two years older brother had some Airfix magazine. He was already student and was a kid of master in art for me those years... What I 've seen was perhaps Fulmar from Battle or Manchester from Lancaster (or maybe just Beaufighter Mk II converted from Mk I) - I do not remember what it was exactly but this gave me a way of thinking how to do model of a type, which is not available and you dream to have it! My very first attempt of conversion was PZL P24 from RUCH P11 soon replaced by similar conversion from Revell P11c. The first totally scratched was IAR-80 using rear of fuselage of RUCH's kit of PZL P11. I still have some pieces of it in the box with spare parts. I was not happy with the result and It was replaced in collection by a Formaplane vacu model. With over 400 models on mine collection maybe I did less then 20 totally scratch builds and much more of scratch (or kitbashing) conversions to different variants. On 3/23/2021 at 5:26 PM, John_W said: Very nice. Always looks like a "Baby Sunderland". John, I appreciate, thank you. I had also a kind of soft spot on this machine On 3/23/2021 at 5:40 PM, IanC said: An incredible result after some truly heroic plastic bashing. While on the subject of Coastal Command turkeys, have you ever done a Blackburn Botha? Thank you. of course the Botha is tempting me for scratch build but there is a nice resin kit (however difficult to get) from less known PH company, maybe a Czech one. I will try to get this kit on reasonable price, when I fail with it I will go to scratch it... There is a risk that injected kit (a short run?) will appear of Botha, in fact I am still surprised that there was not such attempt so far... There is a risk, that Lerwick will appear as short run soon. When I scratched Northrop Delta a whole range of it as injected appeared sooner then 2 years after it Best regards Jerzy-Wojtek Edited March 27, 2021 by JWM 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesa Jussila Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Nice work again. And subjects that are not too often visible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted March 25, 2021 Author Share Posted March 25, 2021 On 3/24/2021 at 6:45 PM, Vesa Jussila said: Nice work again. And subjects that are not too often visible. Vessa, many thanks! I do hope to keep exploring less obvious WW2 constructions, however this year I am planning to do also some Soviet machines produced in long series as well. We will see how the plans will turn to reality... Regards J-W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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