Airfix Shackleton AEW2 1/72 ++FINISHED++

[psdavidson]

This is probably not my brightest of ideas ever

I will attempt to build the Airfix Shackleton AEW2 in the alloted timeframe

 

 

Apart from Eduard masks, it'll be OOB

 

I don't think I've built a kit this big since I was a tiddler

Let's see if it can be done

 

More soon(ish)

/P

 

[Rabbit Leader]

That’s a big-un to commit to within a GB time period. Most certainly doable and hopefully will just fall together easily enough for you. I hear this moulded in UK version goes together better than the earlier (Indian moulded) Mk.2 Shack so that might be something. I’ve got both kits, although haven’t made a start to either.
Cheers and all the best.. Dave  

[JOCKNEY]

4 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I hear this moulded in UK version goes together better than the earlier (Indian moulded) Mk.2 Shack so that might be something. I’ve got both kits, although haven’t made a start to either. 

 

Have a word in his shell like @Enzo the Magnificent, "either" indeed, shocking absolutely shocking .... 

 

Good luck with this one, one day I'll finally get round to building my Frog one.

 

Cheers Pat 

[Enzo the Magnificent]

1 minute ago, JOCKNEY said:

Good luck with this one, one day I'll finally get round to building my Frog one.

 

 

One day?   Tomorrow?    

[TonyOD]

...with full interior, presumably? 🤪

 

I'll be following this one with interest!

[CliffB]

What's not to like?  A great choice 

[Col.]

Brilliant subject choice and one that's sure to be drawing a lot of attention. Good luck getting it done within the GB timespan but I'd certainly not get overly concerned about any soon to be invisible interior detail within the main fuselage.

[PeterB]

1 hour ago, Col. said:

Brilliant subject choice and one that's sure to be drawing a lot of attention. Good luck getting it done within the GB timespan but I'd certainly not get overly concerned about any soon to be invisible interior detail within the main fuselage.

When I built my old Frog/Novo one in 2019 I went to town on the front end as it would be fairly visible but from the cockpit bulkhead back you won't be able to see anything much so I agree. I painted it in the brown/cream scheme in the back "office" as per photos - not sure about the interior of the AEW one though.

 

Pete

[stever219]

1 hour ago, PeterB said:

When I built my old Frog/Novo one in 2019 I went to town on the front end as it would be fairly visible but from the cockpit bulkhead back you won't be able to see anything much so I agree. I painted it in the brown/cream scheme in the back "office" as per photos - not sure about the interior of the AEW one though.

 

Pete

The AEW Shackleton were converted from MR. 2s that had been brought up to Phase III standard, including the MR. 3-standard poo, crud and custard-themed interior in the centre fuselage.  The cockpit, weapons aimer’s and front gunner’s positions remained n Night, although the pilots got a nice new Dark Admiralty Grey instrument panel whilst the rear observers’ positions just aft of the galley and dinette were finished in a fetching (or retchng) apple green whilst the extreme rear fuselage aft of the door reprised the Night theme of the front fuselage.

 

From experience almost exactly nothing aft of the engineer’s and signaller’s positions can be seen on a finished 1/72th Shackleton of any mark.

[psdavidson]

Thanks everyone

I had already decided not to put too much work into the internal details due to time and skill constraints

I think I'll build with the bomb bays closed as well, but not completely decided

 

Anyway, it's time to call this one started

Plastic has been separated from the runners

 

 

I still need to decide (quickly) if there will be pilots; probably not

Removal of the seam lines and nubs is in progress

 

More soon(ish)

/P

 

[PeterB]

As it is the AEW version I wonder if they had anything in the bomb bay anyway - closed sounds sensible to me!

 

Pete

[Col.]

While there's photos out there of the AEW2 Shacks with their bay doors open I've no idea what they'd have carried within it. The crew's golf bags perhaps?

[psdavidson]

Thanks everyone

 

I'm not scratching some golf bags, so the bomb bay doors will be closed

 

I thought I had taken more pics, but It turns out I didn't, so

 

 

Most of the internals ready for priming

They've since been rattle-canned with grey primer

 

Painting the 'proper' colours (as listed in the destructions) will start tomorrow

 

More soon(ish)

/P

[psdavidson]

A busy day in the paint shop today

 

The main interior colours have been sprayed

 

 

All airbrushed with Airfix acrylics from the dropper bottles, thinned with UMP thinners

I'll hand paint some of the details but not too much since they'll not be visinble once the fuselage is buttoned up

 

More soon(ish)

/P

[psdavidson]

Time to start building the interior

 

Give the crew somewhere to sit

 

 

And something to work on

 

Only the bare minimum of colouring-in since it'll be hidden forever shortly

 

Then test fitting

 

The fit is fine at the front and back but not coming together in the middle

Some fettling will be needed. Out with the sanders ......

 

More soon(ish)

/P
 

 

[psdavidson]

Turns out some plastic carving, rather than just sanding, was needed. 

Not going to matter since it'll never be seen without a proctoscope

 

Eventually managed to get the fuselage halves to join together without too much filler going to be needed

I stuck the innards into side 1

 

 

Then stuck on side 2

 

I see a bit of filler and sanding in my future

 

More soon(ish)

/P

[Scargsy]

Coming together well and managing to steal some bench time from that Tyrrell!

[Col.]

Nice progress Peter.

[psdavidson]

Thanks everyone

It's been a while since I last touched this as work got busy and the mojo drained.

Having completed the Tyrell and a couple of quick builds elsewhere it's time to pick up the Shackleton again

 

the tail was the next few steps in the instructions, so onward!

 

 

And as usual, I didn't take any more pictures until I got to this stage...

 

Gonna need a bigger bench!

I don't think it's going to fit in the build-box much longer either

 

Next step is glazing then a lot of masking. Fortunately I have the Eduard canopy masks.

 

More soon(ish)

/P

[psdavidson]

Well, most of my bench time this wee was spent sticking bits of paper onto bits of plastic

 

 

It's done now, so I can start sticking bits of paper-covered plastic onto a bigger bit of plastic

 

More soon(ish)

/P

 

[psdavidson]

Now that everything else I had on the go is finished, I got cracking on with the Shackleton

 

Finished sticking the windows on

 

 

Then started on the rest of the bits

Nacelles and undercarriage bays assembled

 

Then the other nacelles

 

Wings

 

And dry fitted for now

 

It's gonna take up a lot of space on the Tea Tray of Death ^TM

 

 

Some of the larger bits were attached to the fuselage

 

I've actually completed most of the rest of the bits but neglected to take pictures

A spot of filler is needed in a few places, then I can start colouring-in next weekend

 

More soon(ish)

/P

 

[PeterB]

Coming along nicely.

 

When I built my Frog version I completed the wings as separate units and only glued them on right at the end - made it a bit easier to handle.

 

Pete 

[psdavidson]

1 hour ago, PeterB said:

I completed the wings as separate units and only glued them on right at the end

I have a feeling I will do the same. The test fit seemed promising

 

/P

[Col.]

You're making good progress here Peter  

[psdavidson]

Thanks Col.

 

Primer was blasted today

 

 

Next will be a lot of grey

 

More soon(ish)

/P