Vulcanicity's Shackleton MR.2

[Vulcanicity]

Hi all,

 

Only 13 months after I started, I am finally calling this done. This is my build of the Airfix Shackleton MR2 to represent WR964 "204/Q" of 204 Squadron RAF based at RAF Ballykelly in c. 1963 just after its upgrade to Phase 2 configuration. For me this is the archetypal Shackleton "look" and role - hunting Russian subs for hours over the north-east Atlantic so I was keen to get it looking right.

 

There's a WIP here but it rather peters out, I'm afraid. My work has been pretty well horrendous this year and it was quite enough of a mental struggle plodding through this build - it nearly stalled completely on several occasions.

 

This build is relatively OOB for me: aware of the risk of burning out on such a large project and struggling to find any suitable references, I decided not to correct the AEW.2 interior fit to resemble the MR2. Since you can hardly see any of it through the tiny windows and the pre-Phase 3 interior was all black anyway, I feel like this was a good call. For the sake of sanity, I also didn't bother attempting to modify the kit's incorrect undercarriage bay sidewalls (they are identical in details for both sides whereas they should be handed!)🥴

 

Where I did go full AMS was making sure the exterior details matched the Phase 2 fit, as far as I could with less than perfect references. List of mods to base kit below:

 

• Filed off nearly all scoops/vents etc on nose and rear fuselage, as most of these are copied by Airfix from WR963 and are thus appropriate for Phase 3 and/or AEW.2
• Added NACA intake and tiny round vent on upper starboard nose.
• Added small drain pipe and tiny vent on lower starboard nose
• Added small heat exchanger on lower port nose
• Added forward facing scoops/intakes on upper fuselage above port wing root, lower port rear fuselage and starboard rear fuselage just aft of wing root
• Replaced later radio masts with smaller, raked masts further forward on cabin roof
• Added four whip aerials per photos (with several coats of white these are a bit over thick now!) 
• Added aerial or drain pipe on spine aft of ECM antenna.
• Added prominent object on port fuselage in front of wing root also seen on Lancasters (I think this is a trailing aerial chute?)
• Filled in forward galley window and amended position of aft window one to represent original configuration before the galley was modified at Phase 3 upgrade - unfortunately I manged this correctly on the port side but neglected to fill the forward window to starboard! Oh well...
• Added three prominent rod aerials under each wing tip
• Finished interior entirely in black. Fitted hydraulic actuator rams for radome forward of crew door, apart from replacing the throttle levers and adding seatbelts this is the only interior modification I made.
• Early-type exhausts and wheels are sets from Barracudacast

 

Decals are a mix of kit stencils and Xtradecals. The yellow wing walk lines are not provided by Airfix, as the 205 Squadron Dark Sea Grey option has the FEAF white upperwing strips and corresponding red stencils in this area. I used a Modelcraft sheet for the Frog MR3 for these markings, but cut the over-wide yellow lines down with a scalpel and steel ruler! The end result looks OK under all that exhaust staining!

 

It's finished in Mr Hobby Aqueous Dark Sea Grey (the white is Humbrol rattlecan). Humbrol have rudely stopped making no. 164 in acrylics so I tested a couple of other brands and this is what looked the best shade to me. It doesn't go on well with a hairy stick, but coincidentally @Cookenbacher extremely kindly gifted me a spare Iwata airbrush at abut the time I was scratching my head over paint colour. Now in 23 years of modelling I have never so much as picked an airbrush up, and this kit wasn't exactly cheap or simple, so it was with great trepidation I gave it a first-ever go. I have to say I am rather pleased - I have a way to go to get halfway competent (or halfway confident, for that matter) but I have learnt a lot and it certainly doesn't look any worse than I could have managed with a brush and more tractable paint.

 

In addition to Cookenbacher I'd like to thank @alhenderson for some excellent photos of WR964 (check out his excellent build of the same aircraft!) and contributors to the WIP especially @amos brierley who provided a vast amount of detail info and useful images of the bomb bay.

 

Here she is - hope you like the result as much as I do! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Farmerboy]

Absolutely glorious, well done for staying the course it was well worth the effort, good job!

[AliGauld]

That is quite simply a beautiful Shackleton.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[Fritag]

Super job Phil.

 

Welcome to the world of airbrush-cleaning and paint thinning angst   Lovely finish on the Shack bodes well tho’ 

 

 Cookie ( @Cookenbacher) your a gem of a chap (any spare 3D printer’s you don’t need )

[HL-10]

Got to love a Shackleton 😃

Great work!

[Retired Bob]

Absolutely gorgeous Shack, I was thinking of building mine like on the box art but now.....

[janneman36]

Love that Shack,great job 👍👍👍

 

cheers, Jan

[Marc the Builder]

That is a great looking Shackleton!

[MR2Don]

Now, my old mate Charlie, who used to serve in these things, but its no longer with us, would be much impressed y this, the tales he used to tell of his service life in one pf these were incredible! On his behalf, from a better place, well done.

[tonyot]

That`s lovely Phil,...... really looks the part. 

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Stunning result from a very skillful build thread.  It looks great in that colour scheme.

And Merry Christmas.

Colin

[Mike N]

That is really, really nice. Great job!

 

Mike 

[Viking]

That is the classic Shack look, absolutely nailed it Phil, Well worth all the effort you put in,

 

Cheers

 

John

[David H]

Brilliant job Phil,

 

Not sure if we're on exactly the same wavelength, but i too am one of those "luddites" that emphasizes the exterior details that are most readily visible. I try not to go down the rabbit hole of throwing resin aftermarket into interiors, unless i have to. I'm definitely a painter, not a super-detailer.

 

-d-

[FatFlyHalf]

I can hear those rivets rattling.

[stevej60]

Magnificent! I've seen a good few of these posted and take my hat of to you and other's that have done a great job,if only I had the patience!

[sammy da fish]

I am impressed with your model. Didn’t know there was that much to correct on the model.

sammy

[bigbadbadge]

What a cracker,  you've done a superb job on the Shack.  Great first airbrushed paint too.

Chris

[stever219]

1 hour ago, sammy da fish said:

I am impressed with your model. Didn’t know there was that much to correct on the model.

sammy

It’s not really correction work; the Airfix Shack is essentially accurate but there are a lot of variations between the various Phases within Marks.  Any kit manufacturer has to draw the line somewhere when dealing with these otherwise tooling costs will rise dramatically and returns will diminish accordingly.  Also all of the Mk. 2 Shackletons that Airfix would have had access to had been converted to AEW configuration, although WR963 at least has been partially de-converted back towards MR. 2 standard.  As it turned out Airfix had planned for an AEW boxing of the kit so the AEW-specificities airframe mods were appropriate for [one of] the kit(s).

[Maginot]

Impressive modelling. Great result.

[alhenderson]

She looks beautiful - well done.  And very well done tracking down the actual changes between the phase mods - that's a project in itself!  Every time I see one I'm tempted to do another for some reason 😲 

 

Happy Christmas Everyone!

 

Al.

[Natter]

In 1990 and 1991 I worked out of the hangar the Shackletons used to use at Ballykelly, so I feel something of an afinity with your gorgeous build.

[Nev]

Beautiful model.

[Mig88]

Simply superb!!!

 

Miguel

[Wings unlevel]

Super Shack!