Another update, though progress has slowed due to me having the cold from hell..
Most of the underside bits added - the tropical radiator Vokes Air Filter required some serious fettling to fit properly)
A small amount of filler was required to get all the unsightly gaps filled (and the redundant gun positions - kit can make the MK.1A as well)
Masked up and ready for the underside to be painted (engine side panels are blu-tacked in place - as they won't be fit
With a moulding that is nearly as old as me - some extreme measures were employed...
If in doubt - deploy the mole-grips..
(another cameo)
Fuselage done...
On with the wing assembly and a whole lot of guess work as to where the cannon go (the instructions give no clues)
Unlike the Typhoon, the Spitfire doesn't have wing spars - so extreme measures are needed to get the wings to fit!!
Suddenly a Spitfire appears...
To be co
While building the mighty Typhoon last year, on a whim I acquired the 1/24th Scale Spitfire VB Trop on a certain auction site...
It went into my stash of kits, until the beginning of the month - when I plucked up the courage to start building it.
Compared to the Typhoon, this is a far more basic kit - however it has certainly proved itself to be a challenging build, due to the age of the tooling.
The Merlin 45/46 engine a far more basic build compared to the Typhoon (and to the Mosqu
A slight case of deja vu here, the first Airfix kit I built on returning to Aircraft modelling was the 1/72nd Scale Boulton Paul Defiant NF.I, a few months ago Airfix released the 1/48th Scale Version of the NF.I and it was to tempting to resist...
It's a very straight-forward build, though I chose to use the Eduard Zoom Photo-etched cockpit and masking set as well.
A successful use of the masking set on the turret.
A trial fit of the turret afte
And so the end (of the Next Big Build) begins...
The inner set of engine nacelles getting ready to be fitted
Looks like a Manchester here...
... that's better there's 4 engines...
Wheels, under-carriage doors and radome in place
Ready for transfers...
Transfer time..
Test fitting & adding the final details.
Done, just waiting for the glue & paint to dry.
The finis
As promised part 2 of the Lancaster build (slightly slowed up due to loco projects)
I'll keep the text to the minimum, as I think the photo's explain the build...
I did promise these - the Shackleton's final photo's...
And now on with the next big build - the Avro Lancaster B.I (F.E)
Another of Airfix's New Tooling's and my first Lanc in over 35 years and compared to the Shack, she's proving to be quite a straight forward build..
Note I have added the Eduard Zoom photo etches in lieu of the the transfers supplied for the various instrument panels..
Also having
I think I got carried away photographing this build - this entry is a whopper photo-wise:
A slight c*!" up with the paint needed some remedial action
I don't I've used ever used so much Tamiya Masking tape...
With the bomb bay doors in place - the Shack reminds me of a pregnant fish...
Sitting on her undercarriage for the first time - all the fettling to get a good fit pays off
... Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water
Another update on the Shack..
The devil is in the details, Eduard's etched enhancements are everywhere on this build (see if you can spot them):
Wings temporarily fitted
Details added to bomb-bay doors and tail wheel doors
Glazing fitted to the wing spotlights
Main Cockpit canopy glazing fitted.
First major external components fresh from the
In between Loco Commissions, I started on another plane - the Avro Shackleton MR.2 by Airfix. I'm doing the 'A' Version which flew with 224 Squadron out of Gibraltar - ironically 224 Squadron was my Grandfather's Squadron during WW2.
The interior - with the Eduard Photo-Etch parts (some of them anyway)
Buttoning up the fuselage and adding more bits...
To be continued TBG...
The build that started on June 6th (2017) is finally at an end.
This set of photo's, show the undercarriage installed, cannon access panels partly painted and the frankly massive prop painted.
In this pair, it's the canopy completely painted and partially installed
Next few, the cannon access panels all finished painting (these took nearly two days to paint) and everything not glued positioned as it will be after adding the transfers
Transf
As a Christmas Present to myself last year (also a reward for not actually dying – that’s a story for another time), I treated myself to the Airfix 1/24 Scale Hawker Typhoon Mk 1B.
The kit is the stuff of legends, rumours abound that it takes a year to build - when I saw the instruction book (not a booklet), I saw why…
Finally at the beginning of June – with Loco commissions out of the way, I decided it was time to start it..
Up first was the Cockpit (pages 8 to 11 – of the instructi
This is a very overdue update of my blog, since about March I'd been feeling slightly off colour health-wise - I carried on doing my renaming's and renumbering's until the beginning of August. However in August I got very ill and have been under the Doctor's care since then and it's only in the last week I finally got a diagnosis and treatment began. Lyme disease just in case you want to know.
So signed off work and needing something to do (and when I was able), I started building (or finish
A few weeks ago, one of our forum members asked if I would do a 'How to' guide for Hornby's Crosti Boilered 9F after seeing my first victim grace this forum:
(Many thanks to Rob Mcgavin for having a play with the image of 92021)
Once I received my second victim from Hereford Model Centre, I began by removing both the numbers and crests - as the chosen 9F (92028) didn't receive the Late Crest Totem before rebuilding. I used Micro Sol to remove the numbers and then polished the affect
Time for an update with a couple of projects that have appeared in various threads, but in very brief form..
Merchant Navy (Rebuilt) 35002 Union Castle
Using a bargain 'United States Lines' as a donor along with a heavily modified Wrenn/Dublo 5,250gl tender top, the renaming side is the usual way... with the usual suspect - Fox Transfers & Jackson Evans. However I'll go through the reworking of the tender.
First off is to make the tender top fit the donor loco's tender chassis, n
Well it's finally time for an update, well it has been over 6 months lol
I've been so busy with Loco's going across my workbench that it's been difficult to keep track.
As it stands today the tally for West Country's/Battle of Britain's stands at 105 of the 110 strong class covered by me... so far. With 3 more donor's awaiting their turn on the workbench - 34086 219 Squadron (Last Air smoothed), 34032 Camelford (1st Sound Fitted and penultimate 4,500gl tender Rebuilt) and 1 other which
Equals another milestone - the last Air Smoothed West Country 34094 Morthoe!
Take one donor, in this case a R2282 'Weymouth' and swap the 5,500gl tender for a 4,500gl one.
Remove all traces of it identity, carry out repairs (fill holes where crests were), fit details and renumber and fit new nameplates etc.
I've also included a close up of the front end work - replacing a lamp bracket that snapped off, adding RT Models drain cocks and removing the fairings in front the cy
It's been a fair while since I last did a Standard Arthur, makes a change from the usual Bulleids etc.
I'd had the donor for sometime, plus I'd also acquired Irwells: The Book of Standard Class 5... While reading the book and comparing it to Bachmann's model of the Standard 5, I noticed there was a few things missing to make it a true Standard Arthur - namely lamp brackets and few minor improvements to make.
After discovering that the smoke box door popped out easily (only lightly glued
It's taken a long time to get here, but I've just got the one Battle of Britain to go now (and yes I have the donor ) I decided with the penultimate one to do something unique, to photograph every stage of the process (alright I forgot the donor before photo lol)
The donor was a R2458 '222 Squadron', the Battle of Britain she'd become would be 34080 74 Squadron, with a twist you see like the majority of the 34071 - 34110 series of Bulleid light Pacifics she had her 5,500gl tender swapped fo
As 2012 draws to a close and with a few hours to spare, Bulleid Light Pacific number 100 is finally finished. Due to appalling weather I haven't been able to photograph her under normal light yet, but here's a sneak peak at 34009 Lyme Regis...
Happy New Year to all of you
TBG
Finally my 100th West Country/Battle of Britain arrives on the workbench
A not quite finished 34021 Dartmoor (well the front half) sits next to donor for her yet unnamed and numbered sister loco - 34009 Lyme Regis!
At this point in time I haven't started applying transfers or numbers as other loco's needed to be finished. Dartmoor was finished today and my first B1 61313
is now close to completion.
Till next time
TBG
It's been a long time since I've written a blog entry, health issues amongst the reasons I haven't posted much - thankfully it looks like I'm on the mend.
A lot of locos have passed across my workbench this year, for those keeping tally:
12 West Country's/Battle of Britain's;
Here's the 12th (number 99) awaiting masking and it's visit to the paint-shop 34021 Dartmoor
5 Q1's
2 M7's
2 T9's
2 School's
2 Granges
An A4
1 28xx (though this ones, not finish
February and March have flown by and there's me too busy to post and update.
Well here goes, my Bulleid plans have been tweaked and several other locos have been slotted into the mix.
T9 30718 was in works and was subsequently completed:
These locos have been completed:
Q1 33034, I really love weathering these. This is the 6th Q1 I've renumbered so far, it's also the first loco I've used etched route indicator discs on.
An 'Inworks' picture taken prior to weathering
