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1/48 TSR-2 XR219 - Airfix


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Nice to see this is back on the road Joe. I'm afraid I can't help with the doors, apart from there's some great work you're doing and it looks fantastic.

 

But have you considered looking at the real thing at Duxford? Not far from London. Probably got the bomb bays closed, but if you asked nicely beforehand, you never know. I've found that museums can be pretty helpful. And...

 

2 hours ago, TeaWeasel said:

our first baby on the way

 

You need to get it done! 🍼😂 (ask me how I know!)

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58 minutes ago, Johnson said:

Nice to see this is back on the road Joe. I'm afraid I can't help with the doors, apart from there's some great work you're doing and it looks fantastic.

 

But have you considered looking at the real thing at Duxford? Not far from London. Probably got the bomb bays closed, but if you asked nicely beforehand, you never know. I've found that museums can be pretty helpful. And...

 

 

You need to get it done! 🍼😂 (ask me how I know!)

 

I saw it when I visited earlier in the year and while it's doors were open I wasn't brave enough to ask anyone if I could duck under the rope to get some photos. I've found some pretty decent photos online however, I think the issue is the CMK kit itself and the vague instructions. The large bomb doors in the previous pic for example, the pistons connecting them to the interior structure were far too short and almost useless. 

 

Given how long this thing has taken already I may just attach them at rough positions. Like I said given the rarity of this particular upgrade I doubt I'll find anything to help. 

 

Thanks for the support, hoping to get this at least near-completion before the little one gets here. 

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I'm pleased to see this build progressing again. Looking forward to seeing how you solve the problem.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

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7 hours ago, Tomjw said:

I'm pleased to see this build progressing again. Looking forward to seeing how you solve the problem.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

 

5 hours ago, Back in the Saddle said:

Good to see this one underway again and congratulations on the news! My 1/48 TSR-2 is almost done, a concerted effort will see it finished - not to this standard though, I’m doing mine OOB

 

Thanks for the kind words :)

 

I've hit a bit of a point where I just want this one done, and right now I'd rather trade some degree of accuracy for getting the damn thing finished. I had a bit of a moment where I thought I'd worked out how one of the retracting arms fits, until I realised it wouldn't fit once the undercarriage strut was in place. Looking over the instructions once more I actually think CMK have got this pretty wrong in some areas. 

 

Here's a pic I found of the real thing:

 

1111.jpg

 

The area in red is the strut connecting to the inner forward undercarriage doors. As you can see it appears to be a standard piston rather than the retracting arm CMK suggest in the instructions. After looking and dry-fitting some more I've come to the conclusion that this is the only possible way to fit the doors.

 

With that I made a couple of pistons out of paperclips (they won't be too visible hopefully) and attached them and used some Vallejo putty to blend it into the join, hopefully disguise it a bit more. It's not perfect but it's better than fiddling about with the arms again. 

 

20220601_153623

 

I've also added some more bits for the front undercarriage bay. The doors are pretty fiddly as there's little surface area for the glue but got there in the end. The CMK kit also had a couple of pistons to add but they snapped as soon as they saw the knife, since CMK in yet another stroke of genius decided to attach the 1mm think pistons to the resin gate along the entire length, thus ensuring snapping.

 

20220601_153643

 

You'll also notice the wheels are attached. This was a headache in itself as the main undercarriage bogies are a very poor fit. If I had the choice I'd have stuck with the plastic ones over the white metal. Getting it to sit happy with both bogies and all 6 wheels flat took a while but eventually I got there.

 

 

And here she is, sitting happy!

 

20220601_153607

 

She's too big for the light box now so I'm having to use the box for the Sea Vixen I have waiting. I'm visiting the parents over the bank holiday which will give plenty of time for all the glue to set, at which point I can start on the final touches such as the tail, stabilisers and exhausts.

 

That's all for now, enjoy the jubilee weekend!

Joe

 

 

 

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Well done getting to this point.

 

Sometimes a project can take time and sit unloved for a period.

 

That's all part of modelling of course, because the "mojo" comes back and we progress again.

 

The SAC undercarriage aren't that refined in my view, on my experience with other kits - definitely something that needs work to fit with the rest of the kit. 

 

This is looking really splendid, I look forward to the next update.

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Down at BDAC we have a sectioned WE177, without the "energy pack". It is green, close to your colour, but with a Red nose cap. I was told that all nuclear free fall bombs were so marked 

From the people I meet who were at Boscombe Down when TSR 2 flew, the U/C needed work and didn't always have all 4 wheels square on the ground.  

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Looking great Joe. Just one observation from me and that is that most of the time when the aircraft was on the ground, the large main undercarriage door was closed. Obviously, the problem with that is it hides all that lovely detail you've added.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

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2 hours ago, Tomjw said:

Looking great Joe. Just one observation from me and that is that most of the time when the aircraft was on the ground, the large main undercarriage door was closed. Obviously, the problem with that is it hides all that lovely detail you've added.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

 

Ah damn. Thanks for the heads up, but I agree it'd be a shame to lose the detail.

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I have the same kit and resin as you and I'm torn as to whether I go realistic, or make an assumption that the ground crew need access to various areas within the main undercarriage bay and therefore require access to it. Based on how well your build is progressing I'd ditch reality, I might invoke artistic licence and show the doors open.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

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2 hours ago, Tomjw said:

most of the time when the aircraft was on the ground, the large main undercarriage door was closed.

 

7 minutes ago, TeaWeasel said:

shame to lose the detail

 

2 minutes ago, Tomjw said:

make an assumption that the ground crew need access to various areas within the main undercarriage bay and therefore require access to it. Based on how well your build is progressing I'd ditch reality, I might invoke artistic licence and show the doors open.

 

Absolutely agree with Tom! Keep 'em open for maintenance.

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Little bit of progress made before I head off on holiday tomorrow (fingers crossed my flight isn't cancelled!)

 

Did a bit more research and found just what I was looking for regarding the WE177s. 

 

we177b-5-percent-paint

 

From what I can gather they would have been white during the period in which the TSR was built, but seeing as this is a partial "what-if" build, I think I could be forgiven by the purists if I went for green. 

 

The bombs were previously given a basecoat of Mr Hobby gloss green, the closest shade I had to hand. I then masked off the areas to apply the distinctive stripes. 

 

20220608_124452

 

Vallejo white was applied first, then yellow before that stripe was masked off and orange applied over the rest.

 

20220608_130637

 

 

It doesn't look too bad in my opinion. The stripe widths are a bit different from the technical drawings above but this is more consistent in my eyes. I tried to get a thinner yellow stripe on the other bomb and that just ended up a bit distorted so will redo it as the one above. 

 

They're a nice little project in itself. Next steps will be to apply the red markings. As for the triangular labels I might look for some spare decals, or even if a company out there does do a dedicated set. If anyone does know of any that'd help.

 

Cheers all,

Joe

 

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On 20/01/2022 at 14:25, amos brierley said:

Hello TeaWeasel, hoping to help you out.

 

From your description I think you are saying that your main U/C doors haven’t been cast correctly, here’s my CMK 1/72 offerings (WIP) :

spacer.png

 

And the real thing with actuating jack

spacer.png

 

And the piece you’ve highlighted in red

spacer.png

 

Another view , this overview better shows the jumbled mess of actuating arms not really shown in any of the kit nor detail set instructions

spacer.png

 

spacer.png

 

And a little something for the rivet counter’s - XR220’s intake camera ports - a hole in the intake side skin for said camera :             ( just in case you decide on XR220.) 


spacer.png

 

Hope these help you out.        😉

 

 

 

 

I love how every screw head is finished pointing the same direction! Forward at least (some are a tiny bit off).

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Great to see one of these being assembled; I did a fair bit of reading about the subject many years back as I first saw TSR2 years ago in Cosford and it took my breath away by its sheer size and futuristic look! Lots of great detail being added; I model only in 1/72 and I couldn't add that kind of detail to my preferred scale but very nice work sir!👍

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On 6/8/2022 at 10:21 PM, TeaWeasel said:

Little bit of progress made before I head off on holiday tomorrow (fingers crossed my flight isn't cancelled!)

 

Did a bit more research and found just what I was looking for regarding the WE177s. 

 

we177b-5-percent-paint

 

 

 

G'day Tea Weasel,

 

Based upon UK and NATO common practice:

  • Orange is normally used to denote a test or experimental round, so an operational "All up round" would not likely have an orange stripe
  • The inert example in the later green wraparound scheme would still need a blue stripe as this was common practice with inert rounds
  • You could also have a third option of a 'drill' round (not for flight) painted in all over Oxford Blue with white stencils and the words "DRILL" and "NOT FOR FLIGHT"
  • The single stripe would likely have been 4" in width

Also, the two parallel lines on the lower half of the bomb would indicate trestle points for the bomb loading equipment. It seems strange to have  two of these close together  on the tail aerofoil section. Since most of the bomb mass would be in the cylindrical bomb body, it follows that the Centre of Gravity (CofG) would be forward of the tail so the aft trestle point would also be be forward and there would only be two (fwd and aft) unless there was a lifting adapter specifically designed for use with the WE177. I would suggest the aft trestle point should align with the aft "X" marking. Incidentally these markings look made up as they more closely resemble ejection seat warning triangles than anything painted onto a bomb.

 

The CofG would likely be between the bomb lugs which would have a standard NATO spacing of 30" for bombs over 1000lb.

cheers,

 

Pappy

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On 10/06/2022 at 08:14, Pappy said:

 

G'day Tea Weasel,

 

Based upon UK and NATO common practice:

  • Orange is normally used to denote a test or experimental round, so an operational "All up round" would not likely have an range stripe
  • The inert in the later green wraparound, it would still need a blue stripe as this was common practice with inert rounds
  • You could also have the third option of a 'drill' round (not for flight) painted in all over Oxford Blue with white stencils and probably the words "DRILL" and "NOT FOR FLIGHT"
  • The single stripe would likely have been 4" in width

Also, the two parallel lines on the lower half of the bomb would indicate trestle points for the bomb loading equipment. It seems strange to have  two of these close together  on the tail aerofoil section. Since most of the bomb mass would be in the cylindrical bomb body, it follows that the Centre of Gravity (CofG) would be forward of the tail so the aft trestle point would also be be forward and there would only be two (fwd and aft) unless there was a lifting adapter specifically designed for use with the WE177. I would suggest the aft trestle point should align with the aft "X" marking. Incidentally these markings look made up as they more closely resemble ejection seat warning triangles than anything painted onto a bomb.

 

The CofG would likely be between the bomb lugs which would have a standard NATO spacing of 30" for bombs over 1000lb.

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

Thanks for the info. I did think of using some spare ejector seat warning decals for the red labels but they do seem too large after a second look. I may just try to paint them by hand. 

 

Joe

 

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2 hours ago, TeaWeasel said:

 

Thanks for the info. I did think of using some spare ejector seat warning decals for the red labels but they do seem too large after a second look. I may just try to paint them by hand. 

 

Joe

 

I had a look on-line for WE.177 images and it turns out that the WE.177 designation is just one component of a very complex weapons system with lots of additional designations depending on the various warheads and appplication but the ejection warning traingle markings are a thing!

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Decided to get the engines and exhausts ready. Was hoping to paint them then leave them off until the rest has been painted to avoid any mishaps but due to the angle of the elevators the exhausts have to go on first.

 

Simple coat of gloss black followed by Alclad Airframe Aluminium and that's pretty much it.

 

20220625_212424

 

20220625_212428

 

 

Once the Alclad has set I may try to add a bit of heat staining with some Tamiya Smoke but I'm rather hesitant to do so:

  • My knowledge of the heat staining process is rather limited, would Tamiya Smoke be sufficient?
  • My experience with Alclads is...varied...with some of them simply melting the plastic. Now I have a nice coat I'd rather not ruin it by adding a coat of something else.

 

I figured it was also time to add the last of the Eduard details to the seats. The seats fit rather deep into the cockpit so some of it really isn't visible, but overall they're pretty decent for an older kit.

 

20220625_212717

 

20220625_212715

 

 

Still undecided on wherever or not to add the pilots or use the PE seatbelts at this time. 

 

Last point of consideration for tonight is the decals. The decals supplied in the kit are mint condition, but if they'll still work after all this time remains to be determined. I was considering getting a set of these decals, mainly as they include more of the technical markings and stencils, but I also read in a publication that the white part of the roundels are clear, meaning there won't be a visible difference between the roundel and fuselage. My only concern is that they appear to be dry decals, something in my 20+ years of modelling have no experience with whatsoever. Does anyone have any tips or guides to help me out here?

 

Thanks for looking, any feedback appreciated. 

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

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My experience with dry decals is that you have no freedom to position, once it is rubbed down, that is it. 

It was limited to using letraset rub down letters back in the 70s...

 

BUT they look "painted on"...

 

Good luck...

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Dry decals. Pretty much the same experience as Peter only I’d add that if you move the carrier film even a fraction when rubbing down, the decal breaks up, you can get a crack. If applied carefully the results can be outstanding, as Peter says, they really do look painted on. A bit of practice is probably called for. Best of luck!

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5 hours ago, 224 Peter said:

My experience with dry decals is that you have no freedom to position, once it is rubbed down, that is it. 

It was limited to using letraset rub down letters back in the 70s...

 

BUT they look "painted on"...

 

Good luck...

 

4 hours ago, Johnson said:

Dry decals. Pretty much the same experience as Peter only I’d add that if you move the carrier film even a fraction when rubbing down, the decal breaks up, you can get a crack. If applied carefully the results can be outstanding, as Peter says, they really do look painted on. A bit of practice is probably called for. Best of luck!

 

That's my main concern with them, watched a couple of guides online and they do look good but you have to get it exact first time, bit worrying.

 

My patience with the CMK upgrade snapped last night and I decided to just use the Airfix parts for the final set of undercarriage doors. After this I doubt I'd buy CMK again, mostly just because of the pretty awful, awful instructions. The Airfix doors went on just fine, and you wouldn't be able to see much difference unless you peeked right into the undercarriage bay. 

 

20220626_215908

 

Still not 100% happy with that homemade pistol, I might just remove it alltogether. I think what did it was I saw a masterfully-done TSR on Scalemates and they just omitted the pistons/actuators alltogether, and I realised if someone can leave those parts out and still produce something that brilliant, then I shouldn't worry as much.

 

I also had a go at the Tamiya Smoke on the exhausts.

 

20220626_215914

 

Overall I think it's...ok. Still on the fence wherever to leave it as-is or just go back over with the Alclads. You can also see evidence where I've filled in the rivet detail I did a while ago. I gave the new river-cutter a go on some scrap and it really doesn't do much. Maybe I bought a bad one (even though it's Revell) or maybe it's just not meant to be visible at all. Once it's ready for priming I'll make sure all the rivets are gone.

 

Cheers all,

Joe

 

 

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The tail and elevators are now attached. It's an older kit so the fittings for the elevators were rather loose. I found a suitable prop to hold the wingtips and decided to sacrifice accuracy for ease of construction in that I didn't bother getting the exact anhedral/dihereal, I just went for something that looked ok. 

 

20220629_195853

 

Now that the Tamiya Smoke's dried it doesn't look too bad I think.

 

20220629_195923

 

 

With those parts attached it's pretty much there, with just a few small bits to add such as the forward landing gear doors and small parts here and there. I also decided to go for XR219 so the forward camera ports will need filling in. 

 

Next step would be to order the dry transfers ahead of priming. 

 

Thanks all,

Joe

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1 hour ago, Tomjw said:

Really nice work. It's a pleasure to follow your progress. Keep the updates coming.

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

 

Cheers, I had a proper look at the decals (until now they were neatly wrapped in tissue) and a lot of the stencils I thought were missing were actually there, so some of the dry decal sheet may be a bit unnecessary. Will still be good to use the clear roundels though and this means I've got spares to practice dry decal-ing on beforehand.

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