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Canuckian 'Biffo' to 1/144


Paul J

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Hello.   My entry for this GB. I may get a couple done or so depends.  Anyway, to start with I am going to have a go with a vac form kit, something I haven't tried in ages!  Welsh Modle Bristol MK,31 Feighter to 1/144.  Got the kit very cheap a few years ago for about £3.00quid so nothing to lose.  Some images to set it going:

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The kit. A little while ago I had a go at removing the fuselage parts from the sheet to see if I still had the wherewithal to build this kit.
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Parts in process of being cut from the sheet.  The kit decals that can be seen here are OK but not 100% accurate. The roundels are the more modern type than those actually worn on the RCAF Bristols which had the earlier silver maple leaf design, The rest seem, OK.  I plan on finishing the build in camo as I remember seeing a couple at Gatwick way back in the late 1960s'!  It will mean a rummage through my stock of Canadian dedicated decals.

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Time to get the heavy duty bad boys tools out! Note the small flat file between the scalpels to the right hand edge centre!  Not quite man enough to do what was needed.
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both these big boy tools in use here to deal with the tailplane halves. OTher that the undercarriage legs, the most trickiest parts to file down.
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The parts all finally sanded down ready for gluing together after a few hours of filing and scraping and wearing away the skin off a couple fingers and thumbs! ( note, I have already joined the nacelle halves to check I haven't filed off too much. Always a worry with Vacforms. And the mess!!!!  Now I know why I don't do any any more.)

More tomorrow.....

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10 minutes ago, Toryu said:

Funny to see the huge tools that you use for that small kit...!

When needs must.....  I tell you my thumbs are still a bit tender after all that filing etc.  At least the worst part is over. Now to get on and start gluing it all together.  I feel more sanding will be needed following amounts of filler.

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Some progress since last night. Fuselage halves joined with reinforcing strips along the edges of one half. Some filler added and ready for.... yes, some more sanding.

 

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The tabs come from the waste plastic that the parts came off.  Waste not want not,
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Much filler applied and ready for another round of sanding down. AT least its not as bad as cutting out the parts!!!
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Wings were also prepared for fitting later. I have got a bit further than these pics and  are ready for fitting so will post more pics tomorrow.

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Some more progress pics. Wings fitted, underside poor joint filled and dealt with, all other joins sorted and sanded down to a nice finish, engine nacelles fiited with main legs sprouting from them, white metal wheels as per kit.and a general view of the build so far. Spent most of this afternoon and evening doing all this and bringing it to primer stage which is next on the to do list.

 

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Fuselage and upper wing centre section all fixed and blended in place.
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Wings started to be fixed into place
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Note the dodgy join to the upper wing centre section. More filling and blending to be done.
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Note the gap at the underside wing root...The scrap plastic from the sheet is too thick to use here so resorted to using slightly thinner card to fill the gaps on both sides.
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Filler piece for the wing root mention above.
 


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Tail planes now on. 
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Engine nacelles ready to be glued in place and undercart legs sprouting....
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Cabin windows all filled. As decals were supplied for the windows normal filler was used and sanded down to fill the recessed impressions.
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Nacelles being faired in.
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Dummy run with the props on.
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The kit wheels with stub axles. Now I need to figure out how or what to do in order to fix them in place as the vac leg parts had a part of the leg but they got rubbed away durung sandg the halves. So I need to find something like spare undercart legs cut down and wheels fitted. OR some other way. Can any one suggest or help???
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 Also note the upper wing joins nicely blended in now. Quite happy how they turned out.
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The bracing strut from fuselage to bottom end of the legs will be from some aerofoil section rod I have.
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Thats it so far. Priming next and probably some more sanding.

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My goodness, that's a lot of filling and sanding! How I hate it - I'm just through with working three days on the same gap... Seems you're faster.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Having a bit of a break from home by house sitting for my stepdaughter and family. It also involves cat (who is not well) and rabbit sitting!  I will be back on this at the weekend.

 

.

 

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Back from a short break but not a lot done yet. Just a couple pics showing how I dealt with the undercarriage. I used the spare rocket rails from my Heller T-6 by cutting them in half in to smallish 'L' shaped axles and legs and then  inserting them up the assembled vac form main legs after drilling a hole to take them. Then drilled holes in the wheels to take the short stub axles. 

 

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Note some work with filler and sanding around the upper intakes and blending with the wings,
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Looks OK. I have enough to act as spares if needed them.  Hoping to get back on to this again during the next few days.

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Masking and painting stage in progress in these images.  Since these pics the painting was completed and I stared having a go with the kit supplied decals... BUT...... thye all disintegrated!! So until I can source replacements or if anyone here can help with RCAF Bristol decals to 1/144 it will be on hold. So, I might start another high wing jobby.

 

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2 hours ago, Paul J said:

So until I can source replacements or if anyone here can help with RCAF Bristol decals to 1/144 it will be on hold.

 

What diameter roundels do you need Paul?

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22 hours ago, CliffB said:

 

What diameter roundels do you need Paul?

Hi Cliff. Thanks but I'm OK for roundels and fin flag and numbers. Found what I need in my 'Canadian decal bank' What I really need are the cabin and cockpit glazing windows in decal form. ALso the nose cargo door glazing. Of all the ones that are on the set these came off worse. So as mentioned the glazing decals are the priority please.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Its about time I got back in to this one.  A little progress with all the main colouring done and decals mostly done. Thankfully Densil at Welsh Models came to my rescue and sent me a replacement set of decals. These worked OK and the only ones I used were for all the glazing. INcidentally the roundels with the kit are wrong and depict the later style Maple leaf that were not seen on the Bristols. I found some in my stash of Canadian decals but once on I found that a shadow ring to the outer edges show up. MIght have to think about those. The fuselage legend just above the cabin windows lacked the white back ground so I used some whit decal stripe that is a tad too wide but will do. 

 

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Here you can see the roundel issue on the wing tops.  But the cockpit and lower cabin windows look OK.
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I still need to add the support / spreader struts to the u/c connected to the fuselage.
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Some work needed to tidy up around the nose. The black stripe is supposed to show the clam shell doors and the decal used not much cop so I'll find some better stripes to us e here and hopefully finer.  Then all it needs are some aerial fit to the tops, props and a bit of tidying up here and there  before jobs done.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Finally finished it.  Added the undercarriage spreader struts from aerofoil shaped plastic rod, some antenna( the 'rugby ball' DF loops are from the kit and white metal). Nose clamshell doors depicted with very fine black decal stripe. ( the pics here and in gallery look as if there is paint chipping around the doors but not so... could not get rid of the decal film silvering) Last pics here and more over in the gallery.  The glazing did get a dab of gloss but that didn't work either??? I must be losing my touch.( there is a hint there)

 

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I have a few more kits that are perfect for this GB but I am not sure I will do any of them.

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13 hours ago, Paul J said:

I must be losing my touch.( there is a hint there)

 

I wouldn't hang up your modelling gloves just yet Paul ;).  Your Freighter looks good from here and it's particularly nice to see one in camo for a change.

 

Cheers

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