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Blenheim Mk 1F, 1/48 Classic Airframes


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Thanks for the pics Trevor, I'll add the ejector chutes now I have that for reference! I took some pics of the Blenheim at Hendon, but before I was contemplating this build, so missed some areas I'd find useful. Plus it was so blummin' dark in there half of the pics were rubbish!

And thanks for all the positive comments from everyone :)

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Thanks for the pics Trevor, I'll add the ejector chutes now I have that for reference! I took some pics of the Blenheim at Hendon, but before I was contemplating this build, so missed some areas I'd find useful. Plus it was so blummin' dark in there half of the pics were rubbish!

And thanks for all the positive comments from everyone :)

Not a problem! I took the pics specifically because there were no references about the wing gun.

Good luck

Trevor

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Progress has been a bit slow of late, I've been working on getting the nose transparencies to fit around the cockpit parts and get them securely attached. I decided to use superglue to join the two nose halves, so masked off the window areas of each to prevent misting and then applied a small amount of glue to the contact faces.

Blenheim046s.jpg

Blenheim048s.jpg

When the masking was removed the parts were still clear! :)

I added the upper aft glazing using Clearfix, and then used superglue to attach the nose - I only glued along the edges not adjacent to the windows for fear of vapour misting, and held it upside down to minimise the risks further. I then brushed Klear along all the joins to seal them, although clearfix was required in one area as the gap was too big for the Klear. The end result is a fairly strong attachment - it needs to be as I would be masking after this assembly step!

Blenheim054s.jpg

Blenheim055s.jpg

Notice the masking of the turret aperture, to minimise debris getting in and sticking to the interior of the canopy - no way of removing it from now on :fraidnot:

After 2 hours of masking, back pain and eye strain, the masking is complete!

Blenheim057s.jpg

Next I'll tidy up the joins and spray interior green. Hopefully main assembly will proceed apace!

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that masking is really sharp. alot more work right there than it will be painting the thing I'd wager!

as is true is so many things in life, good preparation leads to good results.

Edited by rowmk9
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  • 2 weeks later...

A quick update...

The wings have been added, but there are gaps all along the joint. I've also added the belly gun pack, which was not a good fit. It required a fair bit of sanding to eliminate the pour stub, and it then mates to the slightly curved belly. I tried sanding a curved surface into the pack but there are still big gaps all round. Looks like I will be getting my fix of Milliput once again :)

Anyway, in the meantime, I sprayed the interior colour over the masked transparencies and wheel wells in advance of the primer that will be applied all over the airframe.

Blenheim059s.jpg

Blenheim061s.jpg

At least it is starting to look like a Blenheim now!

Mike

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The original actually had all the instrument cabling jutting out like that?

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Coming together nicely Mike
Great work so far.Carry on !

Thanks chaps! Appreciate the encouragement with this one!

The original actually had all the instrument cabling jutting out like that?

I have no idea, but I wanted to have some wiring as the back of the instrument panel is very visible and would look bare. It's just to add some interest :)

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Thanks chaps! Appreciate the encouragement with this one!

I have no idea, but I wanted to have some wiring as the back of the instrument panel is very visible and would look bare. It's just to add some interest :)

Gotcha ;)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Made some slow progress on this one, as I'm generally limited to airbrushing at weekends...

After priming I had to tidy up some of the joints etc, but nothing too major. I also assembled the power eggs, which required a fair bit of filler afterwards as the engines are a touch too big but being circular are not easy to sand uniformly. I painted the exhaust collector ring in a steel shade followed by some dark grey drybrushing (subsequent to the pic). This looked a reasonable match for the aircraft at Hendon.

Blenheim062s.jpg

Blenheim064s.jpg

The reference I have suggests the underside was Eau de Nil, so I mixed this using a recipe from a model mag of 3 parts 130, 1 x 120 and 1 x 38 (all Humbrol).

Blenheim072s.jpg

After masking the undersides, it was on with the Dark Earth (Xtracolor X002):

Blenheim068s.jpg

Having struggled with references for the finished aircraft, I was happy to discover that the Camouflage and Markings guide by James Goulding included the camo scheme for the Blenheim!

Blenheim067s.jpg

This I enlarged and then used to cut masking tape, resulting in a much more accurate scheme than I could have done otherwise.

Blenheim069s.jpg

This is the result after the Dark Green (X001) was on and the masking was off:

Blenheim070s.jpg

Decals are going on tonight...

Mike

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm calling this one complete now.

Blenheim073s.jpg

The main undercarriage isn't perfect as I had to pin it with some fuse wire: the new resin wheels, although now the correct diameter, are too narrow for the forks! Some day I might re-visit it to improve the sit. The main undercarriage plastic parts were heavily flashed, so I'd recommend a strong tea/coffee/whiskey before settling down for half an hour's tedious clean up. The fit of some of these parts is also vague (putting it kindly) but superglue was my friend here :)

I'm reasonable happy with the finish, and glad I have it sitting on the shelf with my other BoB aircraft, but I wouldn't want to build another (not for a long time anyway!). To anyone else building one, I'd recommend the usual limited run kit procedures of cleaning up the parts well, checking everything 5 times before committing glue, and thoroughly checking for blemishes before painting. It's a nice looking model, and more pleasing than the long-nose variants in my opinion. So that's it for this build, thanks for your interest and I'll post a few more pics in the completed builds section.

Mike

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Must say Mike that it looks brilliant. Nice to see a rare Battle of Britain aircraft finished for the GB. Just been browing through the gallery and there's some very impressive models in there, this one included!

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This hasn't disappointed - you've turned out a great looking model Mike. :thumbsup:

What's next?

Cliff

Must say Mike that it looks brilliant. Nice to see a rare Battle of Britain aircraft finished for the GB. Just been browing through the gallery and there's some very impressive models in there, this one included!

Many thanks for your kind comments chaps, glad you like it :)

I've just finished the CR.42 as well, so another 'rare' bird for the gallery Rowan! As for what's next, I have a few other BoB aircraft in various staes of construction, but none eligible for this GB. I'm looking forward to participating in another, I've enjoyed being part of the GB as it has spurred me on to finish these trickier kits!

Mike

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