1:32 HK Lancaster "G. Gibsons' Lancaster prior to takeoff on Op. Chastise - The Sortie is on again!

[Bonkin]

Impressive attention to detail. Loving this build.

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Amazing work again.  This is a masterclass.  Thanks for posting, looking forward to seeing the finished model.

Colin

[Winded Penguin]

CraigH, I've bookmarked this wonderful thread as one of my reference points for a future planned 1/32 Lancaster build 👍

No matter how many times I read the thread, I see something else to consider. Looking forward to the next instalments.

[CraigH]

3 hours ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

Amazing work again.  This is a masterclass.  Thanks for posting, looking forward to seeing the finished model.

Colin

Thanks Colin. Encouragement like that makes it worthwhile. Hopefully havd the fuselage together by the weekend

[CraigH]

2 hours ago, Winded Penguin said:

CraigH, I've bookmarked this wonderful thread as one of my reference points for a future planned 1/32 Lancaster build 👍

No matter how many times I read the thread, I see something else to consider. Looking forward to the next instalments.

Thank you. Go with the Border though if you can. Save you many sleepless nights 😴

[galgos]

Super detailed work Craig, all very worthwhile time spent!

[mick]

WILL FOLLOW YOUR build great start

[CraigH]

6 hours ago, galgos said:

Super detailed work Craig, all very worthwhile time spent!

Thanks!

[CraigH]

Well, it's been quite a few days! Over last weekend I was almost in despair with this flipping model and its vagaries. I started some work on the flaps and TBH, they are a pile of poo right OOB.

 

As you can see the ejector marks are an absolute nightmare. They're everywhere all over the open surfaces of the flaps and pain to get to. These are the upper surfaces of the flaps but the lower surfaces are just as bad.

Also, there are errors on the lower flaps . The holes drilled out to lighten the flap weight on the outboard flap stop short by 6 holes. They should extend right to the end of the flap but they don't. Lord knows why.

The whole thing was finished off by the joins of the flap strengthening struts. They should be a nice tight right angle but every one as you can see they're a button shape due to poor moulding.

 

It was so bad that I did a bit of browsing and found an old WWII shutdown procedure which said the flaps should be closed after landing before taxying. "Great!" I thought. I can get away with working flaps up. I don't like it as the flaps are an area you can go to town on but the time needed for these would be horrendous, so, I glued them up retracted.

 

I was also getting ready for closing up the fuselage so I dirtied up the area that can be seen through the crew door and spiced up the flare chute a little then went ahead and started the closure.

 

Weekend done, job done, ready to move on next week......or so I thought.

 

This Tuesday was a very special day. I was invited down to RAF Coningsby to see the BBmF aircraft by the current Flight Eng of PA474 who's been following my build and giving lots of support and advice. I expected a look round and to take some pictures but my word it was so much more than that!

Instead of walking round the perimeter of the hanger as all the other visitors were, being told about the aircraft and having what would have been a great time, I was taken all round the aircraft, up close, touching the damn things for around two hours by the said flight engineer, who I won't name because some people don't like it.

 

All I will say is "Thanks Chap". I can honestly say I could've died happy right there and then.

 

I didn't take many photos as I'm not an avid photo taker. I feel you lose the moment if you're obsessed with taking snaps and, anyway,  the knowledge and info that was being chucked at me demanded I listen and learn for every moment I was there. I touched the little plate covering the Battle of Britain bullet hole on P7350 and I had to hold back the tears.

 

Then we finally got to the lady, the beautiful P474 and Eng's pride and joy. We went all the way around, under the bomb bay, inside the wheel wells and studied the flaps......... The flaps, I had to ask didn't I?

"When you shutdown the aircraft, is it flaps up or down?" I asked.

"Oh, flaps down. It takes the pressure from the hydraulic pumps so nothing can move". was the reply

"Bloody hell" I said "you've just made me a shed load of work"......and the subject of a whole post to come 🤪

 

I genuinely thought that was it but no. "Are you clear on board?" was the question to the technician. "Yep" was the reply so onboard we went!

 

Well hidden tears were in the eyes again so photos were hard to take but I got a few. He described her as a "reverse TARDIS" and it's true. She's so huge on the outside but climb aboard and she's so small. I'm 5' 8" and I bashed my head four times. There is just no space at all. We went aft then forward, all the way to the cockpit. Information and procedures flowing the whole time. I felt like a crew in 1943 learning the aircraft. It was fantastic and fascinating. I'm from an electro-mechanical maintenance background so I lapped it all up.

 

As I say, we reached the cockpit and he said "take a seat". "Bloody hell!, there's only one" I thought ( we were past the nav's seat and the eng's seat was up) "THAT one?" Tears again though I'm good at hiding it. I just go quiet🤣. It's even tight getting your legs either side of the control column. So tight everywhere. I thought of the guys trying to get out of a plunging aircraft in the pitch dark, possibly on fire, and I realised why not many did.

 

The motto of BBMF is "Lest We Forget" and it was never more at the forefront of my mind than at that moment. We went through startups, fire procedures, shutdowns. The obligatory "Rad Shutters Auto" and the reasons why of course.

He signed my Haynes manual and I took the cockpit section of my Dam Buster Lanc for him to have a peek at in the flesh.

A memorable day I'll never, ever forget.

 

Thanks again chap and I'm always up for a day doing an oil change if you're ever short😉

 

 

So, to finish off this one, a couple of shots I did take. One showing the bloody size of her and a couple from the pilot's seat. Still can't believe I'm saying that....

 

Flaps next😱

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by CraigH
Typo

[Russmeister 101]

Fantastic build, great update and one lucky person to be able to sit in the drivers seat!!

I'm not jealous, nope, not one bit..  *mutters in green*

.
Keep it coming - I'm grabbing me popcorn
 

[CraigH]

22 minutes ago, Russmeister 101 said:

Fantastic build, great update and one lucky person to be able to sit in the drivers seat!!

I'm not jealous, nope, not one bit..  *mutters in green*

.
Keep it coming - I'm grabbing me popcorn
 

Russ, I said that when he said he flew on the thing. Now then I WOULD die happy right there and then🤣

[Mark Harmsworth]

What an excellent thread. I'm really enjoying this. And admiring.

 

I have the 'Nose Art' kit from HK and I'll be very pleased (and ever so slightly amazed) if I can get anywhere near to what you've achieved.

 

My wife and I had a guided tour round the BBMF hangar in the spring which we both enjoyed a lot - really envious of your personal tour. 

 

all the best

Mark

[Winded Penguin]

2 hours ago, CraigH said:

 

 

Paddle props look drop dead gorgeous from the dead ahead view, just sayin 😂

[CraigH]

24 minutes ago, Winded Penguin said:

Paddle props look drop dead gorgeous from the dead ahead view, just sayin 😂

Cheers. Nowt to do with me though. Mine will be needles of course. I do have some pics of the Lincoln fins at the back though. Controversy 🤣

[CraigH]

So what about these 'ere flaps?

As you saw earlier, they're a disaster. So first to the removal of the ejector pins. Not easy but the sharpened electrical testing screwdriver I used on the bomb bay came in handy again. Getting in to sand wasn't easy either but the bulk of the flaps interior are going to be black (P474's are so that's good enough for me!) with some subtle wear and scratching, remember these were not very old aircraft. 

The right angle joins with awful joints were another matter. I came up with a method as follows:

• First, cut down each side of the "joint" to free that plastic

 

• Next cut across the top of the "button"

 

• Clean out the corners to give a 90 degree angle ie get rid of the button.
• file across the top of each front to back strut to regain its shape.
• Hopefully, after you've done the lot, it'll look acceptable. Top is the adjusted one, bottom as it comes off the sprue.

 

Now we need to address the missing holes we talked about in the last post. 

There are six missing and they're shallow and flat so simply drilling was out. Since I don't have a spare milling machine lying around, the only thing I could think to do was to create a little fillet in thin plasti card, put the holes in and let it into the flap. Then I could file it down to try and make an acceptable bodge job of it.

 

So first I cut a bit of 0.5mm card 31mm by 6mm. The holes sit VERY close to the lower edge but I set them a little high so there was no chance of the holes splitting and then I could adjust when the fillet was in.

 

Next, mark and gentleman's parts the positions of the holes. 

Now, we need a hole of 2.4mm in diameter. It won't drill (I tried🤫) the card is too thin so I used a rat tailed file, put a bit of tape around it at 2.4 mm in diameter and eased the holes out from there

 

Then it's a simple matter to glue it into place, file the edges down to blend it in as well as possible

then prime, check and spray aluminium to get ready for chipping. It's not perfect but better than having six holes missing

 

Only took 10 hours.......

 

Lastly today I started checking the fit of the wheel bays into the wing. Because I cut out all the plastic between the struts it means you can see the fuel tanks in the wings so I had to fabricate those too. I used a plastic bottle middle which is bendable to match the wing shape. Colour wise, I've seen some done in green and others in a red primer. I've gone for red primer as it seems that early Lancs had red primer and later ones interior green (P474 has green ones). You can see the message "STAND TANK THIS END" on the tank so I put that on as well using individual white letter decals about 1.5mm high. The eyes are NOT being treated kindly at the minute. 

 

 

Thanks for looking as ever.

 

[Alan P]

This is a brilliant build Craig, very informative and certainly a reference for others to draw upon. 

 

I hope your customer is pleased with the progress so far!

[CraigH]

1 hour ago, Alan P said:

This is a brilliant build Craig, very informative and certainly a reference for others to draw upon. 

 

I hope your customer is pleased with the progress so far!

Thanks Alan. So do I!

[Russmeister 101]

Noice!

[CraigH]

2 hours ago, Russmeister 101 said:

Noice!

Ta!🤣

[phildagreek]

Fantastic work. Really impressed with your attention to detail & the scratchbuilding to get it in there. You spent more time on that cockpit than I do on some kits.

[CraigH]

52 minutes ago, phildagreek said:

Fantastic work. Really impressed with your attention to detail & the scratchbuilding to get it in there. You spent more time on that cockpit than I do on some kits.

Thanks. Mind you, that cockpit is as big as some kits!🤣

[CraigH]

Time for an update I think!

So, after the flap fiasco it was time to get the cockpit and fuselage together.

The instructions say to keep the cockpit halves separate, glue them to the fuselage halves then glue the whole thing together. I felt that was just too much lining up of some very delicate parts that needed to be absolutely spot on so I decided to build up the cockpit in its entirety then join the fuselage halves together then merge the two together as two complete units. After all, that's how it was done on the real thing!

Before I did that though, I wanted to get the canopy on for no other reason than when you're fitting things like this together, a displaced finger when gently easing things around can mean the IP top altimeter etc can fly off in a heartbeat. At least with the canopy on old Douglas Sausage Fingers here can't knock anything off!

So first thing was to join the cockpit halves together. The fit was really very good and that then allowed me to put in the flight engineers' seat, extra instrumentation.

 

So. before shoots me, I know the extra altimeter above the IP is in the wrong place. It should sit on top of the right hand dial. I'll come to that in a minute.

If you look to the right you can see the engineer "dickey seat" and, if you know the kit you'll be saying "it looks nothing like it" and you'd be right.

The kit engineer's seat looks like this:

Problem is, that's from a late war Lancaster even maybe a MkX. The seat drops on a hinge and the backrest is a swing out lovely padded affair. The wartime LAncastgers had what was called a "dickey seat". Much less luxurious and with a simple canvas webbing strap for a backrest that clipped onto the upright of the pilot's seat. Something like this:

 

So, with a scalpel, thin plastic rod and tamiya masking tape for the strap, plus a buckle from the PE spares box, you can make an authentic looking one from the kit part without too much trouble...he lied.

 

Now to the extra instrumentation on top of the IP. I originally put the extra altimeter alongside the compass repeater because I was worried that there might not be clearance when the canopy went on. But then every reference I looked at had it above the compass repeater so I moved the whole lot forward and put it in its proper place. I'm happy now LOL!

 

 

The DF ariel in the kit was a pretty poor affair, as you can see from the left hand photo. It's just an octagon with nowhere to wind any wire around as the original had.

So the right hand photo shows that I've added some grooves with a very thin rat tail file so i cound put some winds of wire around and make it look a little more realistic.

Next to work on the canopy. Dare I say basic again? The actual Lancaster canopy was made up of a metal front part and the rear was made of spruce wood struts. 

 

So using 1.5mm rectangular strip, I formed the spruce struts inside the canopy, gluing them on with minute amounts of CA glue. It also gives somewhere to fit the cables running the length of the canopy too which supported the sunscreen.

Why a sunscreen in a night bomber? In summer when they were sitting all day out in the open, with a canopy that that size they got very hot very quickly. The sunscreen shouldn't be confused with the blackout curtain for the Nav which ran vertically between him and the pilot. The handles for the sliding windows are 1mm diameter wire with a bit of insulation sleeve on each end and painted black. I've done one closed and the pilot's open, it was a hot May in 1943.

 

Last thing to be fitted to the cockpit was the bomb aimers' escape hatch and the bomb aimers' leaning pad

There's no decal for the parachute exit sighn so I fashioned my own and added the ring pull from 0.5mm red florist's wire

Looking down from where the forward gun turret will go you can see the finished effect. Yes I'm sad enough to make a scale Dann sight too

So now it was fit the fuselage halves together. Not a bad fit, the worst bit is shaping the flipping great hole for the rear spot/ventral turret which you can't really do until the halves are glued together but then the floor of the fuselage gets in the way. I'll post pics of that later but suffice to say that buch sanding, priming, sanding, priming (you all know the story), cockpit met fuselage

Looks a bit like a grumpy pug to me

Lastly, I knocked the rear turret together. Same construction as the front turret but I had some lengths of bullets left from the PE of a 1/32 B17-G so I added them feeding into the guns. Just sets it off a bit I think

Next up is to get the fairings on the underside and get everything in ready for Upkeep.

As ever thanks for looking. Your comments are always appreciated

 

 

[Pete Robin]

Hi Craig, can I start by saying that this is some display of skills and secondly just how jealous a person can get over your VIP visit to BBMF. Stunning and well deserved methinks.

There are some things that have been raised as questions and some questions of my own that I would like to put forward if that's ok.

I am in no way and "expert" and would run a mile if I tried to be and my mind is not so certtain these days, but have a couple of questions or comments I would like to make.

Firstly, a perennial question that has been discussed (without a clear outcome), elsewhere on these forums. Did the pilot's seat actually have a seat cushion? I know the back was padded and green leather, but apart from a few very grainy and inconclusive pics. all I can find is an empty seat pan for the Seat Type Parachute worn by the pilots (all other crew members using chest packs). Principally basing this on the rather fine photo (Fig.2) in Pilots Notes for the Lancaster I, III and X, and on hazy recollections in a memoir I read donkeys years ago. You may have the definitive answer I hope and can put this question to bed at last.

Your maps, are a lovely and intriguing touch. Not sure if maps (or equipment) would be left inside an a/c though. Most Navigators were issued maps prior to a raid and carried them aboard, along with all their rules, protractors, dividers etc. etc., inside a very large canvas bag. The other thing this tired old mind remembered, was that the Dambuster navs were issued special large scale maps of the route and target. One presumes that these would have been in several sheets. Or, did the nav use a similar roller map to the bomb aimer, who aided navigation by spotting landmarks etc. en route?

Flaps! A perennial question and I will just say that it's a Modellers own choice to have em down or up. Personally, I think UP but what do I know?. Again I principally base this on Pilots Notes which states (apologies, I couldn't get the damned scanner to work, so will attempt to copy by hand):

30. Testing engines and installations

While warming up

(i) Check temperatures and pressures, and test operation of hydraulic system by lowering and raising flaps and bomb doors - but do not test bomb doors if a bomb load is on board.

 

 (Apologies cant get the damned indent to turn off!)🤬

From the above I am assuming that the flaps would start in the raised position which I think would indicate that the flaps aren't lowered on the dispersal.

 

32. Check list before take-off

Several stages take place here until:

F - Flaps 15 - 20 degrees down.

 

I understand this as being done at the hold point just prior to entering the runway.

 

42. After landing

i) Before taxying, raise the flaps and open the radiator shutters.

 

Whilst I would not dare to argue with your BBMF source, I am gonna make the assumption that things are done very differently now than during the exigencies of a wartime routine which may have to do with the length of time the a/c is on the ground nowadays.

I struggled to find any photos (my collection is certainly not exhaustive or by any means massive) of a/c at dispersal with flaps lowered. I do however, have at the back of my noggin a niggle that I once saw a photograph of 617's Lancs all lined up on the perimeter track, engines running and flaps lowered and it looked like an armourer was checking the mines. I believe that was in a Souvenir Newspaper thing that some Lincolnshire publisher put out donkeys years ago, but I am not going to swear to it.

 

Sorry I can't add anything to the discussion regarding the fuel tank colours. The only shot I can find in my stuff is a photo study of the BBMF Lanc and it just shows the red colour that seems to be the modern choice. I guess no one had need to go using up valuable film etc. on parts of an airframe that no-one is gonna see, apart from a few "erks".

 

Going to say again, I am sat in great anticipation of your continuing epic tale with this reproduction. Stunning.

Hope you don't mind my aged growlings.

 

Regards

Pete

 

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by Pete Robin

[CraigH]

25 minutes ago, Pete Robin said:

Hi Craig, can I start by saying that this is some display of skills and secondly just how jealous a person can get over your VIP visit to BBMF. Stunning and well deserved methinks.

There are some things that have been raised as questions and some questions of my own that I would like to put forward if that's ok.

I am in no way and "expert" and would run a mile if I tried to be and my mind is not so certtain these days, but have a couple of questions or comments I would like to make.

Firstly, a perennial question that has been discussed (without a clear outcome), elsewhere on these forums. Did the pilot's seat actually have a seat cushion? I know the back was padded and green leather, but apart from a few very grainy and inconclusive pics. all I can find is an empty seat pan for the Seat Type Parachute worn by the pilots (all other crew members using chest packs). Principally basing this on the rather fine photo (Fig.2) in Pilots Notes for the Lancaster I, III and X, and on hazy recollections in a memoir I read donkeys years ago. You may have the definitive answer I hope and can put this question to bed at last.

Your maps, are a lovely and intriguing touch. Not sure if maps (or equipment) would be left inside an a/c though. Most Navigators were issued maps prior to a raid and carried them aboard, along with all their rules, protractors, dividers etc. etc., inside a very large canvas bag. The other thing this tired old mind remembered, was that the Dambuster navs were issued special large scale maps of the route and target. One presumes that these would have been in several sheets. Or, did the nav use a similar roller map to the bomb aimer, who aided navigation by spotting landmarks etc. en route?

Flaps! A perennial question and I will just say that it's a Modellers own choice to have em down or up. Personally, I think UP but what do I know?. Again I principally base this on Pilots Notes which states (apologies, I couldn't get the damned scanner to work, so will attempt to copy by hand):

30. Testing engines and installations

While warming up

(i) Check temperatures and pressures, and test operation of hydraulic system by lowering and raising flaps and bomb doors - but do not test bomb doors if a bomb load is on board.

 

 (Apologies cant get the damned indent to turn off!)🤬

From the above I am assuming that the flaps would start in the raised position which I think would indicate that the flaps aren't lowered on the dispersal.

 

32. Check list before take-off

Several stages take place here until:

F - Flaps 15 - 20 degrees down.

 

I understand this as being done at the hold point just prior to entering the runway.

 

42. After landing

i) Before taxying, raise the flaps and open the radiator shutters.

 

Whilst I would not dare to argue with your BBMF source, I am gonna make the assumption that things are done very differently now than during the exigencies of a wartime routine which may have to do with the length of time the a/c is on the ground nowadays.

I struggled to find any photos (my collection is certainly not exhaustive or by any means massive) of a/c at dispersal with flaps lowered. I do however, have at the back of my noggin a niggle that I once saw a photograph of 617's Lancs all lined up on the perimeter track, engines running and flaps lowered and it looked like an armourer was checking the mines. I believe that was in a Souvenir Newspaper thing that some Lincolnshire publisher put out donkeys years ago, but I am not going to swear to it.

 

Sorry I can't add anything to the discussion regarding the fuel tank colours. The only shot I can find in my stuff is a photo study of the BBMF Lanc and it just shows the red colour that seems to be the modern choice. I guess no one had need to go using up valuable film etc. on parts of an airframe that no-one is gonna see, apart from a few "erks".

 

Going to say again, I am sat in great anticipation of your continuing epic tale with this reproduction. Stunning.

Hope you don't mind my aged growlings.

 

Regards

Pete

 

 

 

 

Pete, thanks for taking the time and interest to write such a great piece. I'll try and give my Sherlock Holmes scratchings that gave me my decisions

 

The pilot's seat - Like you I've seen both. I read accounts from pilots about how uncomfortable it was sitting on a parachute so I was in both camps. Ultimately, the decision was made for me both by HK models (their kit seat was awful, basic and the wrong shape) and the designer I bought the seat from who had cast it with a resin seat. Sorry I can't add much more to the seat debate. PA474 has a cushion LOL

 

Maps - someone raised the same point about them being taken out but then someone else said once used they were of no use to the enemy as the routes were changed each time. The ones I used were actual WWII maps scaled to 1:32 so hopefully they're accurate. In the end, tehy liven it up a bit in the cockpit so I guess I'll plead artistic licence.

 

Flaps- I read the same book you did which said they were raised but the reasons Eng gave me as to why they were down made perfect sense and again, it pleases the eye to see the intricacies if not the nerves. He did state that the position the flaps end in isn't fixed, it's just getting rid of hydraulic pressure. As you say, in these days of H&S things are no doubt done differently,,sigh...

With regard to the last note on your reply about "Rad Shutters Open", that would be on landing. The last move on shutdown was always rad shutters auto. reason being the shutters run from a pneumatic system not the hydraulics and if shutters were left open, every time the battery was turned on or off the shutters would move full deflection and drain the reservoir. Since the brakes are also pneumatic maybe not a good idea!

 

Fuel tanks - the best I've found is that early were green, later were red

 

Again thanks for getting my brain cells going again. As I said it's lovely and humbling that someone thinks my efforts are worth commenting on. Keep it coming!
 

[CraigH]

Well, it's been a while since my last update. It's not that I haven't been working on the build, but the fact that my laptop has been at the menders for an inordinately long time, the reasons for which I won't go into. So there's lots to report that I might indeed do over two posts.

 

Fuselage together, I moved onto painting. I found that when I painted my Mosquito in an NFII config for a client that the @black basing@ technique championed by Matt at DoogsModels works a treat. To get tonality and shade as well as not having to 'cover up the grey', you spray a black primer coat then marble a lighter grey coat over it. Lastly you go with a blend coat of your base colour (RAF Night) and you can achieve somewhere near the tones and shades you see on the wartime photos.

 

So reference wise I'm looking at some of these:

• 

First came the black primer layer of Mr Finishing Surface 1500 then the marble coat:

 

Then a careful blending with Mr Paint RAF Night gives something near:

Next was the Dark Green/Dark Earth uppers, again Mr Paint but this time I used my own variation on black basing and sprayed the base coat, then various shades of green or brown and even a little yellow, then the base colour again highly diluted to act as a blend coat. This gives lovely tonality to the camo. While I was on the wings, I sprayed the roundels too with the same method to obtain some fading effects. TopNotch masks as always.

 

The insignia came next with the iconic G George and ED932. The TopNotch masks are again superb but you need to be very careful with the ED mask. There are some very fine parts to it easily torn but they look bloody brilliant when they're on, better than any decal:

 

With such letters as 'A's I work back to front so to speak. I first place the negative bit on first ( the bit that will eventually be painted) as it's just like placing a decal. You then place the positive bit exactly over it before peeling the 'letter A' away to leave your perfect mask. Don't forget to put the small triangle in as well before peeling away though (like I did!)

or you don't get an A like this:

 

Paint is marking red. The roundels are done in the same style, again VERY carefully.

I popped the wings on at this point just to get the line up for the green and brown between the fuselage and the wings and realised just how big this thing is, as you can see by the foot rule in the picture

So bare camo done bit of shading and the rest next

 

As ever thanks for looking. Next installment sooner than you think

 

 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by CraigH