On Heather's Workbench - Strike Hard, Strike Sure: RAF Bomber Command 1940

[davidl]

Hi Heather

There's a memorial to Middleton VC just down the road in a local park ... small world

The clear resin solution to widows is a real winner - I will have to try it on one of a number of builds I have stalled for the want of a good option for window glazing - Some of the kit parts that still get offered to us are reminiscent of coke bottle bottoms and ruin otherwise very convincing builds

Your Stirling is coming together nicely - I like the way you have remedied the wings and the fuselage is now looking more like the real thing too

Looking forward to the next installment

Regards

David 

[AdrianMF]

2 hours ago, perdu said:

22' fall

Blimey! That's over three and a half inches!

 

😮

Adrian

 

Terminal velocity from that height would be 25.6 mph, ignoring air resistance. Ouch!

[jackroadkill]

1 hour ago, AdrianMF said:

Blimey! That's over three and a half inches!

 

But on the positive side it's under three and a half metres.

[Heather Kay]

1 hour ago, jackroadkill said:

 

But on the positive side it's under three and a half metres.

At my age even three and a half inches hurts!

[AdrianMF]

3 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

three and a half inches!

In 1/72, for the avoidance of doubt...

 

Sorry Heather, back to your scheduled programming.

[Heather Kay]

Wait? There’s a schedule?! 

[jackroadkill]

9 hours ago, jackroadkill said:

 

But on the positive side it's under three and a half metres.

 

Sometimes I should think my statements through a little bit before confidently asserting them.....  Thanks to @Graham Boak and @perdu for their confused faces!

[Heather Kay]

A combination of warmer weather and some seriously disrupted sleep of late has rather kicked the day job mojo out. I had some really productive days last week, but now… nothing.

 

 

As I’ve been working on the old Mac mini, prepping it for an inevitable operating system transplant over this coming weekend in a vain attempt to prolong its life*, I decided I may as well draw up the glazing masks and get them cut. I hope I’ve made everything here just a gnat's under size so I don’t accidentally mask outside the glazed areas. I also added spares, because you never know. I can be properly ham-fisted at times.

 

The coupe, bomb aimer and turret glazing will be done the traditional way, by hand, with tape, and some serious magnification. I s'pose the next artwork job will be to create the markings.

 

 

 

*I am annoyed by this. It may be nearly a decade old, but it’s still very usable and quite adequate for my needs now I’m no longer a full-time pixel botherer. Unfortunately, the rest of the tech world marches on, the browser is becoming insecure, apparently, and I’m getting left behind on some of the software I still use. I must, therefore, grasp the nettle and upgrade the operating system as far as it might go. I hope it doesn’t break anything in the process. I have also had discussions with Best Beloved, and we have notionally agreed it might be time to start looking into getting a new machine, albeit reluctantly.

[12jaguar]

Noting that we're only talking of 1/72 here but the shape and profile of a Stirling FN5 cupola is totally different to a Wellington one. Even the internals are subtly different doh!

[Heather Kay]

2 minutes ago, 12jaguar said:

the shape and profile of a Stirling FN5 cupola is totally different to a Wellington one

Good point. I plan to use the Falcon clear parts which are designed as direct replacement of the Airfix transparencies. The plan, such as it is (was?), would be to use some of the donor kit parts for the internal parts. Once I get my head round things, it should start to come clear.

 

While I’m here, I had a quick squint at the donor parts for the Herculeses. As expected, some modification will need to be done to match the modern cowlings to the older kit nacelle. Fun times ahead.

[Heather Kay]

While the second day of the Ashes First Test burbles away in the background, I sat and pondered turrets.

 

 

I spent ages carefully trimming the vac transparencies out. Complex shapes like turrets always end up with very thin material in awkward places, and framework is sometimes unclear. The Falcon set is designed to exactly replace the Airfix clear parts, but I found the back of the FN5 nose turret doesn’t match the Airfix base plate. The front part seems a bit large, but it’s replacing what would have been there, rather than trying to correct anything. There’s not a lot I can do about it.

 

 

The FN4 tail turret. The front and rear clear parts do better fit the base plate, though that is going to need quite some surgery to sort out the trough affairs the stick out at the bottom. The central section of the clear part is very thin, and my sharp blade slipped. The area, though, is sheet metal rather than clear, so I hope I can cover it.

 

Now, the gubbins inside.

 

This is what Airfix did for their Wellington MkI and II kits. It’s the same parts for nose and tail, which is correct for those aircraft. The MkIII was upgraded with four-gun tail installation, I believe the same as the Stirling and Manchester. I need to do some measurement and thinking about how best to fabricate these shapes from scratch. As for the tail parts, I’m going to have to sit and figure things out from reference photos, a copy of Italeri's instructions, and some reference material kindly sent over by a fellow BMer.

 

I have to be honest, I’ve run a bit out of puff on this build. I’ve made some good progress, but now I’m getting into some nitty-gritty bits I’ve lost the impetus. It may be time to give this build a rest for a spell to refresh the mojo. I often find I need to leave things alone for a while so my subconscious brain cell can work on practical problems.

 

Time to start one of the Wimpys, perhaps?

[Chuck1945]

I’ve been following your Bomber Command projects, if a Wimpy is in the future, that too will be an interesting project. Too bad (at least for me) the Wellington II falls outside your 1940 criterion; that will be next on my build program.

 

Your WIP topics have always been quite interesting. I enjoy following along with your work.

[Heather Kay]

25 minutes ago, Chuck1945 said:

Too bad (at least for me) the Wellington II falls outside your 1940 criterion; that will be next on my build program.

I’ll have to confirm that, but I believe the MkII was in service in 1940. I’ve got one anyway!

 

EDIT: MkII deliveries began October 1940.

[Robin-42]

Dry fit the tail surfaces so you aren’t surprised by the gaps to be filled, I had to widen my vertical fin at the bottom, mine had a ledge a 1/72 pilot could sit on otherwise.

Edited June 17 by Robin-42

[Pete in Lincs]

Did someone say Halifax turret interiors?

[davidl]

Those Falcon vac parts are a huge improvement - You have done well to cut them out as cleanly as you have  - they do tend to get a mind of their own and become terribly wobbly as you free them from the backing !!

 

Wellingtons - Now you are talking !!

Dad flew them in Europe, North Africa and Italy out of Blida but they were Mk Xs not the earlier types.

If anyone reading this knows anything about the camouflage applied to 142 Squadron Wellingtons ( Code QT ) and whether they retained European Dark Earth and Green or were redone in North African camo, I'd really appreciate and heads up

Dad made a couple pf models during  his life and they were always in Dark Earth and Green but I have seen some articles suggesting they were repainted in African camo colours - I only have B+W pics of Dad's aircraft QT o G LN914 which show a very tired and faded airframe - the colours are impossible to ascertain from the pictures I have

Apologies for hijacking the thread

David

 

 

Edited June 18 by davidl
correction toclarify

[Heather Kay]

I think I mentioned the development of the Wellington while working on the Hampden. Both types were ordered, with the Air Ministry preferring Vickers' offering despite worries about whether the novel construction method would lead to delays in deliveries.

 

As I needed a bit of a break from bashing the Stirling, and in order to let me work out how to scratch a couple of turrets for it, the very much more modern Airfix Wellington MkIC arrived on the bench.

 

 

When launched, this kit received plenty of plaudits, not least for the nicely rendered fabric covering and a pretty complete interior. There’s no kitchen sink, but the Elsan bucket is included. Plenty of options for the build, too, from the bomb bay, crew access, and undercarriage, to the variations in glazing found on the real aircraft.

 

 

Bristol Pegasus engines are provided for this version, as a smaller separate frame with the horizontal stabilisers. Of course, we now know Airfix had already been working on the Merlin-engined Wellington MkII, so only needed to provide an alternative frame for that version. You’ll note I’ve been learning, and have added masking tape tags to make it easier for me to locate the various frames during construction.

 

 

Finally, the clear parts. Alternate cockpit canopies include open and closed side windows. 
 

 

Airfix's markings include those of 'R' Robert, which is a Wellington salvaged in almost complete form in 1985 and which has been undergoing a thorough restoration at the Brooklands museum in Surrey. The restoration markings deviate from the original 1940 ones, but Airfix includes both types on the sheet. Tempting, but I suspect I shall be making my own paint stencil markings. I have the glazing masks, and also acquired some aftermarket transfers which may lead me to recreate an aircraft of No 311 (Czechoslovakian) Squadron. 
 

Since this kit has been reviewed and built several times on Britmodeller, I don’t propose to do an in-depth build. I have elected to fit the full interior - though I’m not going to lavish excessive time on it as it’s invisible in the end! - and build the bomb bay and crew access hatch open. This is pretty much the way the instructions lead anyway, and since I have the MkII in the queue I’ll build that one all closed up and ignore the interior parts. This is where I got to in a few hours, and a pleasant few hours they were, too. I was going to retouch my shonky dry brushing of the geodetic frame, but most of it won’t be seen again. As I didn’t have a suitable acrylic colour for the brick red dope, I sprayed the interiors with Halfords red oxide acrylic primer instead. Close enough.

 

The only questions I have, which I could probably answer by studying photos harder, is was the framework painted darker colours where windows crossed it and was the bomb bay left in aluminium or painted black? I'm not sure I’d want my bomb bay to shine out like a beacon when caught by a search light. 

[Gondor44]

I beleive that the bomb bays were painted "Night" not black, the same as the undersides of all the night time bombers. Like the tabs of masking tape, nice and quick refference for which sprue is which.

 

Gondor

[Galligraphics]

Wow that Wimpey looks so much more detailed than the old Airfix and Matchbox versions I made way back when...

[Heather Kay]

12 minutes ago, Galligraphics said:

Wow that Wimpey looks so much more detailed than the old Airfix and Matchbox versions I made way back when...

It’s absolutely bonkers, and the instructions even tell you which bits you can safely leave out if you’re not bothered with it all.
 

(I may well do that with the MkII, because I’ve proved it all works with this one!)

 

Even better is the fit and finish. I’ve just this second joined the two fuselage halves. Snap-fit. Seriously. No gaps, and just the tiniest amount of sanding on the seams will be needed because the plastic has ever so slightly gone out of shape in storage. 
 

Whoever was responsible for the design of this kit knows their injection moulding onions.

[davidl]

Hi Heather

Re overdone representation of geodesic framing under wing fabric

There's a well know over-head shot of Wimpy in flight showing bulging of the fabric covered wings

However when on the ground, and  just like doped fabric covered WW1 aircraft, the wings had a flat appearance and not the wrong and thoroughly overdone sucked in"look" Trumpeter gave us in their 1/48 model  -

Why Airfix repeated Trumpeter's error in their revised Wellingtons is a mystery

Even Wellingtons serving in the unforgiving sand-blasted environment of the desert don't show more than a very slightly faded high-lighting of the framing under fuselage sides

Someone asked about painting of the framing under the windows in the fuselage sides - In fact the entire window was commonly painted over in the night/ black camouflage which ran up to just below the the turn of the upper part of the fuselage where the Dark Earth and Green upper surface colours began

I believe Gondor44 is correct - Night is correct for both the wheel wells and bomb bays - I think SAM did an in depth ( was it a Colour Conundrum ?) article on the deeper mysteries of the colour "night" and other shades of black

David

 

[Troy Smith]

On 13/06/2023 at 07:35, Heather Kay said:

The Stirling was a big and heavy old bird, so those huge main wheels really need to be given a serious flat to stop the model standing on tippy-toes - and bulged if I feel brave enough. The moulding is quite thick and probably won’t be amenable to gentle softening and squishing. A flat is probably all I’ll do.

Stirling weel. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

149 Sqn. Stirling  1942. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

No idea what turret  @12jaguar

Stirling rear guns. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

this has to be a fairly early model

Stirling crew    1942. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

Note exhaust staining and RDM2 finish?

 

Stirling cockpit. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Bristol Hercules XVI powerplant. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

some interesting detail shots, and cplour oftens guves a quite differehnt persepctive

all from @Etiennedup which has a few more

https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=stirling&user_id=8270787%40N07&view_all=1

 

A kit I wanted a child, but was never available when I had cash...  oddly enough  I now have two started ones I was given by different people...

 

Hope of use

[dogsbody]

The only thing I think is a bit off on Airfix's new Wellington I A/C are the engine cowlings. These are just one-piece. I would have liked to see a separate exhaust ring and a more defined cowl flap ring..

Otherwise, a great looking kit. I have two in the stash.

 

 

 

Chris

[Martian]

Beautiful painting on the interior of the Wimpy Heather, we are muchly impressed.

 

Muchly Impressed of Mars 👽

[Heather Kay]

8 hours ago, davidl said:

Re overdone representation of geodesic framing under wing fabric

I can sort of see why kit makers do it, and I will say the Airfix representation is pretty subtle and will become less obvious when painted. As to geodesic or geodetic, I'm going to use the latter as it’s what I learned as a kid and some things stick. Right or wrong, I don’t know, as I’m not even sure the term is correct for the basket weave framework Barnes Wallis devised. Potato, potahto, let’s call the whole thing off! 

 

8 hours ago, davidl said:

Someone asked about painting of the framing under the windows in the fuselage sides

That was me. I was asking about the aluminium framework where it’s visible behind glazing. Painted-over glazing really does depend on the chosen aircraft to model, and when it was in service. That’s something I’ve been considering pretty much since I got the kit, yet can’t seem to actually pin down in any meaningful way! Until the edict came through to shift the Special Night further up the fuselage and to paint the vertical stabiliser the same colour, any and all combinations of clear and painted, as well as doped over, windows can be found. If I follow my muse and build the Czech squadron plane, it appears the long fuselage windows and the triangular ones amidships were painted over, but nothing definitive on the nose.

 

8 hours ago, davidl said:

Night is correct for both the wheel wells and bomb bays

 

For the record, if I refer to "black" I use it as a shorthand for "Night".

 

7 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

Hope of use

 

Always, Troy, always. I had found most of those images already, but thanks for linking to them. My Stirling will probably have very little weathering as I want to depict about the earliest production airframe I can find, and it’s literally been delivered from the toy shop. 
 

5 hours ago, dogsbody said:

The only thing I think is a bit off on Airfix's new Wellington I A/C are the engine cowlings.

I can only agree. Airfix got it right on the Blenheim and Beaufort with separate exhaust rings. I wonder what the thinking was, as it can’t have been to save on plastic, judging by the amount of interior detail parts!