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Revell's Dambuster Lanc bomb bay


Simon

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Hi all

Having given up my Airfix Lancaster (after I almost lost the will to live wrestling with it - ho hum :wacko: ), I've embarked on the new Revell kit. However, after a quick dry-fit to check the fuselage and bomb insert, there seems to be a huge step at the rear:

revell-lanc3.jpg

revell-lanc2.jpg

revell-lanc1.jpg

This can't be right, surely? I'm pretty sure it's nothing I've done. Anyone built this kit and come across the same thing?

Simon

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All I would say is that this is a very old kit which I had a great many years ago and got rid of. The circular opening in the bottom of the fuselage behind the bomb bay is for a twin gun fitting which never existed on the real planes! If you want a nice 1/72 Dambuster, I believe Hasegawa do one.

Hi all

Having given up my Airfix Lancaster (after I almost lost the will to live wrestling with it - ho hum :wacko: ), I've embarked on the new Revell kit. However, after a quick dry-fit to check the fuselage and bomb insert, there seems to be a huge step at the rear:

revell-lanc3.jpg

revell-lanc2.jpg

revell-lanc1.jpg

This can't be right, surely? I'm pretty sure it's nothing I've done. Anyone built this kit and come across the same thing?

Simon

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It appears to be the more recent kit, I'm afraid.

Yes, it's the Dambusters version of the newer Revell Lancaster, not the rivet-laden 1960s one...odd that it should have such an error (assuming it is an error, of course!).

Simon

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I don't have the kit, but it has been around long enough for such an obvious flaw not to have been mentioned sooner. It looks as though the part should sit inside the bombbay, not flush with the top line of the doors. Is it possible that it could be positioned that way, or is there something else preventing it?

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I don't have the kit, but it has been around long enough for such an obvious flaw not to have been mentioned sooner. It looks as though the part should sit inside the bombbay, not flush with the top line of the doors. Is it possible that it could be positioned that way, or is there something else preventing it?

Well it looks like the rear fairing bit is meant to sit on top of the bomb bay edges, with the flat centre section forward of it sitting between them (level with the lower edge of the open bomb bay). There's a vertical plate at the rear of the insert which abuts the 'proper' bomb bay roof.

I think it's an easy enough fix, but just wanted to check I've not done something daft. (As if... :P )

Simon

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All I would say is that this is a very old kit which I had a great many years ago and got rid of. The circular opening in the bottom of the fuselage behind the bomb bay is for a twin gun fitting which never existed on the real planes! If you want a nice 1/72 Dambuster, I believe Hasegawa do one.

The FN 64 lanc under fuselage turret did exist, it was fitted to some Lancs, (admittedly not the dambusters!) mainly late on in the war when the Lanc returned to daylight raids, but it was available for use throughout the Lancs operational life. The mounting was more often used for the H2S installation.

Selwyn

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Okay, the plot thickens...

I thought I'd try the Airfix rear bomb bay insert on the Revell kit, and it fits better than the Revell one! :huh:

They are, however, completely different in their interpretations of what the rear bomb bay fairing looks like:

lanc-bays1.jpg

lanc-bays2.jpg

So, the $10,000 question is: which (if either, of course) is correct? The Haynes Dambuster Manual has an illustration on the cover which shows an 'Airfix-style' fairing, and photos I've come across of the aircraft in pre-mission testing don't really show this area and are inconclusive.

Simon

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With regards the big step at the back, the standard, non-bulged bamb bay doors should show that step at the back when closed, if you go on airliners.net and look of pictures of the BBMF lanc in flight you can see the step between the bottom of the fuse and the doors. So I expect the designer of the kit used the CAD shape of the standard bomb door and modified the part into the dambusters bomb bay insert without realising it should be a smooth fairing.

I have seen one photo in a book taken from under the nose of one of the dambusters lancasters looking back towards the tail which looks more like the airfix representation so I'd be more happy using the Airfix one.

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Hi

I seem to recall on either the Flypast or TOCH forums, that someone did a 'dig' on a dams Lanc, and found some parts, that had part/mod numbers, that were traced to being part of the under fuselage turret gun fittings, giving some thoughts to that they may have been fitted, at least on that aircraft.

Sorry can't remember more.

cheers

Jerry

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I watched a Documentary obout a "dig" in France of a Dambuster Lancaster that recovered a single gun mount that was hatch mounted under the fuselage, they used it as identification of a particular aircraft, I can't remember the details now though.

Found it: http://www.redkitebooks.co.uk/aa/ex08_Lancaster_Doulens.html

Cheers

Den

Edited by spitfire
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The current release of the Revell Dambuster is a slightly upgraded re-release of the original kit which was the first ever kit of a Dambuster. The fairing at the end of the bomb in the Airfix kit is the right shape, the Revell kit is wrong. The twin gun mount in the Revell kit is wrong. Their were plans to fit a single firing gun under the fuselage and it was fitted to a small number of Aircraft - check out the Squadron Signal 'Lancaster in Action', there is a pic of one of the aircraft with it fitted that did not take part in the raid. As far as i'm aware, it was not fitted to any of the aircraft that took part in the raid itself.

I watched a Documentary obout a "dig" in France of a Dambuster Lancaster that recovered a single gun mount that was hatch mounted under the fuselage, they used it as identification of a particular aircraft, I can't remember the details now though.

Found it: http://www.redkitebooks.co.uk/aa/ex08_Lancaster_Doulens.html

Cheers

Den

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The current release of the Revell Dambuster is a slightly upgraded re-release of the original kit which was the first ever kit of a Dambuster.

No it's not, the current Revell Dambuster is a new tool, released within the last couple of years.

Not that I'm making any claims about the kit's accuracy, but it bears no relation to Revell's ancient Dambuster, which was dropped from their range immediately prior to the new release.

Cheers,

Bill.

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Hi all

Having given up my Airfix Lancaster (after I almost lost the will to live wrestling with it - ho hum :wacko: ), I've embarked on the new Revell kit. However, after a quick dry-fit to check the fuselage and bomb insert, there seems to be a huge step at the rear:

revell-lanc3.jpg

revell-lanc2.jpg

revell-lanc1.jpg

This can't be right, surely? I'm pretty sure it's nothing I've done. Anyone built this kit and come across the same thing?

Simon

Just checked my early release kit sitting in the cabinet and I think I can solve the problem. It looks like you have this lower section in back to front, hence the odd step. Either that or I've got it wrong on my build (of some years ago), yet is does fit perfectly. Tell me the bomb spin drive pulley sits behind the bomb and not in front of it?

...dang it, just checked, built mine the wrong way round all those years ago. Never noticed...... still it looks right and when posted on here some years back nobody else noticed either! :lol:

Edited by HP42
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I just opened my kit and it has the same problem. Looks like they didn't check the profile of the lower fuselage when they made the bomb bay insert. It may take a bit of sanding to get it right.

Chris

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I just opened my kit and it has the same problem. Looks like they didn't check the profile of the lower fuselage when they made the bomb bay insert. It may take a bit of sanding to get it right.

Chris

Or it will need the Airfix bit if the Revell rear fairing shape is altogether completely wrong... :doh:

Simon

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Just checked my early release kit sitting in the cabinet and I think I can solve the problem. It looks like you have this lower section in back to front, hence the odd step. Either that or I've got it wrong on my build (of some years ago), yet is does fit perfectly. Tell me the bomb spin drive pulley sits behind the bomb and not in front of it?

...dang it, just checked, built mine the wrong way round all those years ago. Never noticed...... still it looks right and when posted on here some years back nobody else noticed either! :lol:

Well, you know what that means - you'll have to buy another one! :rolleyes:

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A complete new tool? Or partial re-tool? Believe what you will.

Cheers

No it's not, the current Revell Dambuster is a new tool, released within the last couple of years.

Not that I'm making any claims about the kit's accuracy, but it bears no relation to Revell's ancient Dambuster, which was dropped from their range immediately prior to the new release.

Cheers,

Bill.

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A complete new tool? Or partial re-tool? Believe what you will.

Cheers

It is 100% complete new tool, done at the same time as their new-tool b1/b3 lanc in 2007. Indeed, the dambusters parts are integral to the b1/b3 mould, and it is easy to see that there are turnkeys in the mould to turn on/off various parts as appropriate. The CAD design was done by BraZmodel.

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It is 100% complete new tool, done at the same time as their new-tool b1/b3 lanc in 2007. Indeed, the dambusters parts are integral to the b1/b3 mould, and it is easy to see that there are turnkeys in the mould to turn on/off various parts as appropriate. The CAD design was done by BraZmodel.

That is correct - it has the Revell logo and ©2007 stamped inside one of the wings. All panel lines are recessed, and not a rivet in sight...

Simon

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