Calling all Shackleton buffs..

[Windy]

I am looking to get my mitts on the Aeroclub Shackleton AEW.2 conversion and wondered apart from millions of rivets on the old Frog kit is there anything else I could do to improve it??

[plimsol]

I am looking to get my mitts on the Aeroclub Shackleton AEW.2 conversion and wondered apart from millions of rivets on the old Frog kit is there anything else I could do to improve it??

yes, convert it to a 37sqdn mr2 phase 2 (not sure if I am joking, guess which sqdn I was on)

[kitnut617]

I am looking to get my mitts on the Aeroclub Shackleton AEW.2 conversion and wondered apart from millions of rivets on the old Frog kit is there anything else I could do to improve it??

You could put some floats on it,

---------- OK! I'll get me

[Windy]

Mmmmmm floats sound interesting

[canberraman]

Hi Windy

I built an AEW.2 using the Frog MR.3 and Aeroclub conversion about 12 years ago. I have to say laziness stopped me removing all those rivets, but I did sand them down to make 'em less prominent. And after a couple of coats of gloss dark sea grey and a Klear finish, they don't look too bad.To be honest there wasn't much else that needed doing becuase all the necessary modifications are included in the Aeroclub kit. I've posted a few shots beneath of WL757 which has come out to enjoy the autumnal sunshine today after being confined to the model 'hangar' shed for a good few years! I hope I've managed to get most of the dust off!

Incidentally those Aeroclub conversions are pretty rare these days, but I did note there's one on ebay this week that may interest you?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Good luck with your Shack, it'll be worth the effort

Regards

Mark

[Windy]

That is one fine Shackleton Mark, I have been told the Aeroclub conversion is hard to find but I do have my sources for one.

[earlswain341]

That is one fine Shackleton Mark, I have been told the Aeroclub conversion is hard to find but I do have my sources for one.

Perhaps you could let me in to your secret scources. i put a massive bid on the Shack and outbid at £74. Outragous

[earlswain341]

Perhaps you could let me in to your secret scources. i put a massive bid on the Shack and outbid at £74. Outragous

Just to add, that is one of the most realistic AEW2's I have seen. I'm lucky enough to live close to Manchester and visit the museum regularly just to gaze at" Dougal". About 30 years ago I converten a Shack using the Airmodel Gannet vacform and would love to do another Shack. I have 3 Revell kits in the stash, eventualy to be completed and set aside a Gannet and my Nimrod AEWand Sentry, to complete the line up.

Well done that man

[canberraman]

Earlswain

Many thanks for your kind words about my AEW2 but I'm sure it doesn't deserve such high praise! I've never visited the Manchester Museum of Science where Dougal resides but it's on my list of places to go.

I agree with your earlier e-mail about the high price the Aeroclub conversion now fetches - it really is astonishing but I fear many Aeroclub products will go on getting more and more expensive if the ranges are now discontinued in the wake of Peter's untimely death.

Cheers again

Mark

Just to add, that is one of the most realistic AEW2's I have seen. I'm lucky enough to live close to Manchester and visit the museum regularly just to gaze at" Dougal". About 30 years ago I converten a Shack using the Airmodel Gannet vacform and would love to do another Shack. I have 3 Revell kits in the stash, eventualy to be completed and set aside a Gannet and my Nimrod AEWand Sentry, to complete the line up.

Well done that man

[Jade Falcon]

That's a really nice Shackleton, I've always been interested in the Shack. It's a shame that Revell didn't do the Mark 2 variant in addition to the Mark 3. Mind, the Mark 1 with the stubby turret would have been interesting to see as well. I remember being inside an AEW Shackleton and wonder how the crew coped, it was damned cramped inside.

[earlswain341]

That's a really nice Shackleton, I've always been interested in the Shack. It's a shame that Revell didn't do the Mark 2 variant in addition to the Mark 3. Mind, the Mark 1 with the stubby turret would have been interesting to see as well. I remember being inside an AEW Shackleton and wonder how the crew coped, it was damned cramped inside.

I've just had six shacks delivered from canada to go with the two in the stash. Can anyone tell me the serial numbers ,codes and Magic roundabout characters of all 8 sqd's aircraft as I fancy doing them all

Steve

[canberraman]

I've just had six shacks delivered from canada to go with the two in the stash. Can anyone tell me the serial numbers ,codes and Magic roundabout characters of all 8 sqd's aircraft as I fancy doing them all

Steve

8 Sqn originally had a total of 12 AEW.2s all of which were at first named after a variety of characters from the Magic Roundabout and The Herbs and wore noseart accordingly. The practice was sadly discontinued in the mid 80s at the insistence of a latter day OC! For the record the 12 were:

WL745/45 'Sage'; WL756/56 'Mr Rusty'; WL747/47 'Florence'; WR960/60 'Dougal'; WR963/63 'Parsley'; WL757/57 'Brian'; WL790/90 'Mr MacHenry'; WL795/95 'Rosalie'; WL741/41 'PC Knapweed'; WL793/93 'Ermintrude'; WR965/65 'Dill'; WL754/54 'Paul'. The last six remaining in service are WL756, WL747, WL757, WL790, WR963 and WR965.

Regards

Mark

[Radar]

Windy,

Hi, it is possible to do the conversion the old fashion way. I,ve included a couple of photos (a poor one I'm afraid as I only had a 110 camera) of an AEW Shack that I converted from a FROG model built in 1978 using the Aviation news plans balsa wood block, dope and talcum powder filler.

The main tasks were fabricating the undercarriage, the nose profile and of course getting the radome profile right.

My biggest regret was that I gave the model away to the Int Cell staff at RAF Waddington. I do have an Aeroclud conversion set and a few Shack kits in the stash which I will build as AEW is my speciality. I have also bought the Czech Model 1/144 scale version and it looks excellent, I will be building it when I have finished my Boeing Wedgetail.

Good Luck with the build.

Ian

[xvtonker]

Perhaps you could let me in to your secret scources. i put a massive bid on the Shack and outbid at £74. Outragous

If you're that desperate for one I've got one you can have for £70.00 inc P&P

XVTonker

[pigsty]

8 Sqn originally had a total of 12 AEW.2s all of which were at first named after a variety of characters from the Magic Roundabout and The Herbs and wore noseart accordingly. The practice was sadly discontinued in the mid 80s at the insistence of a latter day OC! For the record the 12 were:

WL745/45 'Sage'; WL756/56 'Mr Rusty'; WL747/47 'Florence'; WR960/60 'Dougal'; WR963/63 'Parsley'; WL757/57 'Brian'; WL790/90 'Mr MacHenry'; WL795/95 'Rosalie'; WL741/41 'PC Knapweed'; WL793/93 'Ermintrude'; WR965/65 'Dill'; WL754/54 'Paul'. The last six remaining in service are WL756, WL747, WL757, WL790, WR963 and WR965.

Regards

Mark

A number of them changed their names during their time on 8 Sqn. Unfortunately my reference is 250 miles away so I can't confirm which, or what the full range of names was.

[Simon Cornes]

You could always check out Sanger - www.sangereng.fsnet.co.uk . I picked up the MR2 conversion for next to nothing (in fact it might have been nothing!) via BM and then realised that I could get the MR1 fuselage mouldings for not a lot. Have you thought about getting the AEW bits from them? I'm sure they do the AEW mouldings but, of course, its nowhere near as comprehensive as the Aeroclub jobbie, which I think sold for between £25 and £30? Lets hope John produces some of those heh?

[earlswain341]

If you're that desperate for one I've got one you can have for £70.00 inc P&P

XVTonker

Thanks for your kind offer, however, I am well on with a master now, using the AIRMODEL radome and intend to knock off a few to convert my stash. It would be something to do the last six in service. I have tried to contact Sanger via email to buy their decal sheets and see if they could supply just the whitematal undercarriage legs from their MR1 kit, but the email just bounces back.

They only do the 1/48 AEW2 as far as I can tell

Steve

[earlswain341]

8 Sqn originally had a total of 12 AEW.2s all of which were at first named after a variety of characters from the Magic Roundabout and The Herbs and wore noseart accordingly. The practice was sadly discontinued in the mid 80s at the insistence of a latter day OC! For the record the 12 were:

WL745/45 'Sage'; WL756/56 'Mr Rusty'; WL747/47 'Florence'; WR960/60 'Dougal'; WR963/63 'Parsley'; WL757/57 'Brian'; WL790/90 'Mr MacHenry'; WL795/95 'Rosalie'; WL741/41 'PC Knapweed'; WL793/93 'Ermintrude'; WR965/65 'Dill'; WL754/54 'Paul'. The last six remaining in service are WL756, WL747, WL757, WL790, WR963 and WR965.

Regards

Mark

Mark,

Your info is very much appreciated. At first I will do the last 6 in service and take it from there

Once again

thanks to everyone who posted

Steve

[earlswain341]

Mark,

Your info is very much appreciated. At first I will do the last 6 in service and take it from there

Once again

thanks to everyone who posted

Steve

I'm sure one of the aircraft was zebedee. does anyone know which one ?

steve

[canberraman]

Steve

Shackleton T4 VP283 carried the nickname Zebedee. This trainer was loaned to 8 Sqn for a while whilst crews were converted on to the type and allegedly gained the nickname as a result of its rather bouncy landings! On retirement it was presented to the Strathallan Collection, but sadly today just the forward fuselage exists at Duxford.

Mark

I'm sure one of the aircraft was zebedee. does anyone know which one ?

steve

[Mark M]

if anyone needs photos of wr977 mr3 from newark i have a virtually complete walkround internal and external

[Gmat]

Is the Frog Shackleton larger than 1/72?

[Notdoneyet]

Is the Frog Shackleton larger than 1/72?

Gmat,

Nope, it is 1/72^nd.

HTH,

Ian

[Windy]

Well I finally managed to get my hands on a Sanger MR.2 kit this morning and all I can say is I have my work cut out, my supply for a Aeroclub conversion was a wash out :shithappens: . The canopy is for a MR.3 not a MR.2 and not a very good one, the naccelles are just rough shapes (bad ones at that), there is no radome at all included in the kit or the plans, a bag of white metal parts that are of no real use, a poor set of decals and a poor set of plans/instructions. I knew that Sanger kits do have their problems but I never thought it was going to be this tough. It looks like I will need to get a scrapped Frog kit and combine the two to get a better chance of completing my build, however when I do get my bits together I will start a photo build to put on the site just so you can all have a laugh at me.

[MikeR]

Hi all,

I've a Revell re-issue that's been sitting in it's box for a while and I'm considering converting it into a MR2 at some point in the future. Apart from the canopy, undercarriage and wingtips (and rivets!) what would I need to do to it? Is there any major re-shaping to be done?

Mike.