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

[Heather Kay]

After last weekend's great leaps forward, things have slowed a little.

 

My first task was adjusting the Lancaster main legs so they could fit into the wells. This involved a little measuring, a little cutting, and a little swearing. The original plastic kit would have us insert the legs from above, where the fairing behind the engine is added later. That would have been the better solution, but the resin engine/nacelle pods are moulded with the fairing in place, blocking that route. The tops of the legs therefore need to be narrowed in order to squeeze in from below. This, of course, weakens them a bit, so a slab of scrap styrene has been glued across the incision. Some of the fine rod work disappeared during the works, but as it’s all but invisible in the end I won’t fret.

 

Test fitted. Happy. What you can’t tell here is Past Me left a great big pile of doodoo for Present Me to discover. I didn’t read far enough into the Airfix instructions - I know, don’t tell me! - to understand how the undercarriage went together. I was a bit too fixated on dealing with fitting the wings and everything to think about it. Anyway, if you’ve been keeping up with the story, you will recall I installed some beefy brass rod in various places to hold the outer wings on. I passed the rod, innocently, through the leading edge space of the nacelle area along with copious amounts of epoxy resin. Of course, those rods were now precisely where the undercarriage legs are supposed to go.

 

 

After another Swear Box donation (I've saved up enough now to buy myself a shiny new computer, but that's another story) I attacked the area with a Dremel and a tungsten carbide cutting tool. Messy, but it did the trick without causing massive damage all round. Some further sanding and carving allowed the legs to be a nice sliding fit. I’ll glue them all in after the main painting is done. In fact, I’m a bit dubious about whether the things will stand the weight of all the additions to the original model…

 

While I was hacking things about, I decided I will use the Airfix undercarriage doors. They’re nicely moulded with operating rods and stuff (and some ejector pins, which I’ll deal with eventually) and don’t seem all that different to the resin versions. I think there are some subtle shape differences noted on the real thing, but I’m at the stage where I don’t care any more.

 

I am fast running out of things to do before I have think about painting the beast. So, cockpit and nose glazing is next on the menu.

 

The flatter nose blister was installed. The cheek windows will be made up later, as one has already succumbed to the Laminate Floor Monster. I’m not sure about the nose turret. There’s a fairing to go in after the turret goes in. It’s almost like Airfix don’t think you need to consider masking and painting. I might leave the fairing off until the main paint stages are done, because I don’t fancy having to mask around a pair of Brownings…

 

I checked that the turtle deck under the glasshouse was painted brown, which seems to have been a standard thing no matter what the camo pattern used on Mancs and Lancs. The DF loop was installed, and the separate astrodome. The kit transparencies provide for flat side windows, and the later ones with blisters. I’m for the former - and carefully managed to blob liquid cement all over one of them.

 

 

Did I mention how my Swear Box has enough in it to buy a new computer?

 

I let it harden and spent a good while attempting to polish the mess out. The kit plastic seems to have fogged, so I’ve polished as far as I can. It’s visible at certain angles. I can’t do any more. It’ll have to do. Bah. The canopy has been attached with Kristal Klear, in case it needs removing later for dust removal. Now I need to work out how to drill a hole behind the DF loop blister to take an antenna mast, but without cracking the greenhouse. That would really make my day.

If you hear rumblings from the Kent area later today, you will know what’s causing it. 
 

 

 

 

[AdrianMF]

On 04/11/2024 at 10:34, stevehnz said:

weren't a bad looking aircraft at all.

I think it looks quite racy in some photos. In the later version with the bigger tailplane and bigger fins and rudders. I think the three fin setup makes it look a lot less sleek.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Heather Kay]

The canopy came off again. Drilling the antenna slot left some swarf, and attempts to clear it with a blast of air only pushed into into an obvious crevice.

 

While it was off, I took the opportunity to slather some more brown paint over all the various areas that have seen attention this past couple of weeks. This should show up anything that needs deal with before priming and painting.

 

Speaking of which, the nose turret can be partially assembled and installed so the fairing can go on. The more I think about it, after plugging various holes I shall squirt some Halfords primer on the thing but end up brush painting. I don’t feel like spending ages masking and setting up the spray booth, though I suspect I will have to for painting the markings later. Hmm. 🤔

[Pete in Lincs]

On 10/11/2024 at 11:46, Heather Kay said:

It’ll have to do. Bah

I'm beginning  to sense a pattern developing here on this build. Battle on Heather. You have an avid audience sending you positive waves!

[Paul Lucas]

@Heather Kay, if it's not too late, you might want to rethink the colour on the upper surface of the fuselage under the canopy. As far as I am aware, it was always green on Lancasters built in Britain, and I would have thought that this would also have been true of the Manchester.

 

The disagreement with this part of the colour scheme usually revolves around what shade of green was used. My Lincoln diagram appears to show that the upper fuselage under the canopy was considered to have been part of the interior.

 

My interpretation is therefore that this area would have been Grey Green. Indeed, some colour photographs show the area under the canopy to have been finished in a lighter shade of green than the Dark Green that was used in the external camouflage scheme.

 

Some people however are of the opinion that the area under the canopy looks lighter because it is being viewed through perspex. 

 

It is also possible that if the area was finished in Grey Green during production, some aircraft might have had it subsequently repainted Dark Green during routine servicing.

 

IHTH

[Heather Kay]

1 hour ago, Paul Lucas said:

if it's not too late, you might want to rethink the colour on the upper surface of the fuselage under the canopy

 

Ooh, interesting. Thanks for that, Paul. It's never too late! The canopy is held on with Kristal Klear, and will come off reasonably quickly.

 

I'm following Mark Postlethwaite's artwork found in the Wingleader Manchester book. I admit, I can't recall where I read that the colour under the canopy was always brown, so I may have been mistaken. Mark has illustrated the area on EM-B as brown. That aircraft carried the rarer mirrored B-stype pattern, and the brown camouflage area coincides with the canopy as well.

 

(Edited to correct silly errors, caused by the oven timer going off and upsetting my flow!)

[Paul Lucas]

@Heather Kay, I don't have the Wingleader book, so I have no idea what it says or why.

 

I think that I remember Ian Huntley saying something about the fuselage under the canopy of the Fairy Battle always being Dark Earth and it is perhaps possible that this idea has been carried over onto other types such as the Manchester and Lancaster.

 

I'm afraid that I don't have any documentation that would provide definitive proof as to what colour this part of a Manchester or Lancaster was actually painted.

[Gondor44]

9 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

 

 The kit transparencies provide for flat side windows, and the later ones with blisters. I’m for the former - and carefully managed to blob liquid cement all over one of them.

 

If you need a replacement non-bulged window let me know which part number it is and I will pop one in the post to you Heather.

 

Gondor

[Heather Kay]

27 minutes ago, Gondor44 said:

let me know which part number it is

I say, that’s awfully decent of you. PM incoming.

[Gondor44]

I am going to be using the Bulged windows on a couple of my builds so I know the flat ones will be spare so you might as well get them, it's also quicker than asking Airfix for a replacement.

 

Gondor

[dogsbody]

Under the Lancaster canopy:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Troy Smith]

13 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

 

I checked that the turtle deck under the glasshouse was painted brown, which seems to have been a standard thing no matter what the camo pattern used on Mancs and Lancs.

Check the sun angle, very well lit for once.  Dark Green. Late war though.

Lancaster service, 1944. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

1942, from series of 50 Sq

Avro Lancaster     1942. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Lancaster by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

1948 in Egypt, note black seat armour

Lancaster in Egypt, 1948. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

 

As @Paul Lucas notes, there are arguments for Grey Green, and under some light conditions under the canopy can look lighter, or different,  but it is an area protected from some weathering and fading....

 

Avro Lancaster by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Lancaster Bomber by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Lancaster mascot  1943 by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

But on a run of over 7,000 from different factories variations occur.  

 

I just remembered to check @Etiennedup  Flickr for Manchester...  and colour Manchester pics are not very common so...

 

Manchester Mk1 L7483 served with 207 Sqn as EM-H and EM-O from November 1940 -March 1942 before being taken off operational duties. This photograph is likely to have been taken at Waddington.

 

This Manchester has been converted to the later Mark IA version. The third central fin has been deleted, larger Lancaster type outer fins added, and the tailplane span extended to 33 ft.
It flew with 207 Sqn as EM-O in this configuration.

 

Avro Manchester. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

gosh darn it.... what a place to put a prop blade!

Avro Manchester. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

Avro Manchester by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

note the inside of the turrets look to be aluminium paint

Avro Manchester.            c1942. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

"Hobsons Choice" is Manchester IA L7483 EM-O again

 

 

Note inside of turret of this early Lancaster, and the white(?) Steady Here marking and band, also on the Manchester above

 

Cleaning a Lancaster,  1942. by Etienne du Plessis, on Flickr

 

An armourer cleans the .303in Brownings in the front turret of Avro Lancaster R5666/`KM-F' of No. 44 Squadron while another member of the ground crew cleans the cockpit windows, Waddington, October 1942

 

Next thing you know someone will design a set of 3D printed Manchester bits to fit the newer Airfix kits, probably after seeing this....

 

HTH

Edited November 11 by Troy Smith
add pic

[Jeff G]

I have to say, what would our hobby be if not for dilemmas such as this? Green? Brown? Grey green? If we had all the colours perfectly matched and labelled there would be about 50% less discussion on here. So I hate to tell you but I'm enjoying this! Also -  I've only ever seen "Greenish" in colour photos, but that's just to my eyes. The detail in the Wingleader book gives me cause for pause, however. I look to their works with high regard. Safe to say whatever colour you choose, nobody can disprove it 🙂

[Heather Kay]

Wow!

 

A quick squint at all those photos seems to show a pattern of the turtle deck matching the camo colour that passes over the canopy. So, I’m sticking with dark earth for mine, as that’s the colour passing over the canopy on the scheme for my chosen aircraft.

 

Fascinating subject, though. Thanks everyone!

[Dunny]

21 hours ago, Troy Smith said:

Next thing you know someone will design a set of 3D printed Manchester bits to fit the newer Airfix kits, probably after seeing this....

 

I can't believe anyone would do something so daft 🤣

 

[TeeELL]

‘ADMIRAL PRUNE’ (and later ‘ADMIRAL PRUNE II’) were the Lancasters flown by Guy Gibson when OC 106 Sqn.

[Heather Kay]

Not much has happened here.

 

The starboard side panel is now crystal clear with no sign of fogging, thanks to Alastair @Gondor44 who stepped into the breach with a spare from his Lancaster build.  I managed to fix the piece in without splodging any more cement about the place. You can’t see here, but I also drilled the antenna mast hole without cracking anything. I call that a win.

 

Again, all but invisible here, I’ve reinstated panel lines on the wings. Next up, I guess, should be masking the canopy, partially assembling the nose turret, and hoping the weather will be warm enough to risk setting up the paint booth for some primer. I also need to knuckle down and sort out the various combinations of transfer and mask I need for this build. 

What with lots of domestic shenanigans, like having a clear-out, a bit of a tidy, and setting up that new pooter I mentioned back up the thread, Mrs Mojo was on a bit of a sabbatical.

 

Meanwhile, there’s been a veritable rash of Manchesters appearing round here. The bar is set very high, once more.

[Gondor44]

55 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

The starboard side panel is now crystal clear with no sign of fogging, thanks to Alastair @Gondor44 who stepped into the breach with a spare from his Lancaster build.  I managed to fix the piece in without splodging any more cement about the place. You can’t see here, but I also drilled the antenna mast hole without cracking anything. I call that a win.

 

 

Delighted to be able to help.

 

Gondor

[David H]

I am digging it, so far....

[woody37]

Coming on well Heather

 

[Dunny]

8 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

Meanwhile, there’s been a veritable rash of Manchesters appearing round here. The bar is set very high, once more.

Well if you will go inspiring people...🤣

[Heather Kay]

While I’ve been following the interesting discussion about the size of wheels over on @Dunny's topic, I have to say I’m probably going to just go with the Airfix wheels. I did some measuring and comparing of various wheels between the Lancaster box and a Halifax that's patiently waiting in the queue, and decided the Airfix option was the easiest.

 

No piccies, but the main canopy and nose blister are now attached and masked. The time for primer creeps ever closer… 

[Dunny]

40 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

While I’ve been following the interesting discussion about the size of wheels over on @Dunny's topic, I have to say I’m probably going to just go with the Airfix wheels. I did some measuring and comparing of various wheels between the Lancaster box and a Halifax that's patiently waiting in the queue, and decided the Airfix option was the easiest.

 

No piccies, but the main canopy and nose blister are now attached and masked. The time for primer creeps ever closer… 

Wise choice Heather. FWIW I am reliably informed that the main wheels for Lanc and Halibag were common...

[Heather Kay]

The state of play. I need to make up the nose area and basic turret gubbins. There’s also the question of the nose cheek glazing. If you recall, one of the parts was lost to the Laminate Flooring Monster. Once some paint has dried, I’ll dig out the UV resin kit and see what I can do.

[marvinneko]

1 hour ago, Heather Kay said:

Once some paint has dried, I’ll dig out the UV resin kit and see what I can do.

 

Glue (esp. clear Elmer's / clear PVA) works surprisingly well. Having messed around with UV resin a lot and then trying glue.... I think I might stick with glue. I load the tip of a cocktail stick and swish around the frame of the window. THen reload and switch again to pull it together into a pane. Air bubbles are an issue with both methods