MPM 1/72 Blenheim Mk1/1F

[stillp]

Cockpit is closed up and I've started adding some of the bling:

It looks messy as I brushed some black primer on the check the fuselage seam. The canopy was a pretty awful fit so there's a lot of Mr Dissolved Putty around it.
There are a few more bits of etch that I probably won't fit, because they'll certainly get knocked off, and I can't see them on this photo from http://warbirdsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/Blenheim-luonetjarvi.jpg

That photo seems to show the prop blades as having white tips not the usual yellow, and also a white band on the lowered u/c doors. Can anyone confirm this?
Pete

 

[Jakko]

Yellow seems to be an option for the propeller tips:



Though it’s a black and white photo, the tips are clearly darker than the white of the roundels, so most likely yellow.

Also, this one has clearly yellow tips:



Of course, none of this proves that the tips were never white

 

[stillp]

Thanks Jakko. I'll go with yellow, since the first deliveries of Blenheims to Finland were in standard RAF colours, so that probably applied to the props too. The apparent white stripe on the u/c doors must just be a trick of the light.
Pete

 

[stillp]

I've added the last bits of bling that I'm going to - there are several bits left on the fret, but they can stay on the fret. As well as being certain to get knocked off, the instructions are vague about how to fold them and where to place them. I did add these tiny bits on what I assume is an access hatch:

Oops! The part that looks like a locking lever has moved a bit. Have to try to fix that.
There were some PE spoke discs for the main wheels, which I fitted, but them decided the wheels looked better without, so took them off again. That left some cured CA behind - does anyone know how I can dissolve that without attacking the plastic?
Also added a couple more bits of plastic, the pitot and the venturi for the vacuum-operated instruments.

Next, at long last, some paint. Blenheims were delivered to the Finns in standard RAF colours, so I'm using my Hataka RAF paint set, along with the yellow underside wingtips and the band around the fuselage in Tamiya XF-4. Here's the plane with the Sky undersides done:

Another job that needed redoing was the props. I tried the opposite way round to my usual, so painted the blades black first followed my masking then painting the yellow tip. That didn't work very well, so left them in Dettol overnight to get the paint off then repainted them in the more usual sequence, tips first then masked for the black:

I used Tamiya tape for curves for a change.
More soon.
Pete

 

[colin m]

Prop tips. I've changed how I do these. I now spray yellow over black, this tones down the yellow quite nicely.

 

[stillp]

That's what I did Colin, but messed it up. I went the 'conventional way' the second time.
Pete

 

[stillp]

A few things in the real world have got in the way recently, but I managed to get the upper colours on:

Done freehand and a bit patchy, but it'll look alright under a matt coat. Next stage is to unmask the underside and build up the undercarriage, which didn't go so well:

Quite a few patches of the Sky lifted off when the masking was removed. Surprising, as I haven't had that problem before with Hataka acrylics. Maybe some contamination on the surface, although I did wipe it down with alcohol, I might have missed a few bits.
A bit of creepage onto the yellow band, but that'll be easy to deal with.

Off to do some touch-ups.
Pete

 

[stillp]

Touchups (mostly) done, and she's got legs!

Also added the gun pack for the fighter version.
The props came out alright the second time:

Gloss coat later, then decals tomorrow! Then what am I going to do until April 6th?
Pete

 

[Steven000]

Nice progress Pete!
She looks good with some paint on
Steven

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Such a shame about the paint lifting Pete, but she's looking good after the touch ups.

Not far off now by the looks of it, do you have anything else stashed away to keep you occupied?

 

[stillp]

do you have anything else stashed away to keep you occupied?

Only about 40 Andy, but I'll want something I can finish quickly before getting stuck in to the under a fiver GB.
Pete

 

[Deleted member 7181]

Only about 40!

I guess that's not loads compared to some on here but I'd be spoilt for choice lol

 

[scottie3158]

Peter,
Bummer about the paint but great recovery looking really good.

 

[stillp]

Only about 40!

I guess that's not loads compared to some on here but I'd be spoilt for choice lol

Surprising how quickly I've built up a stash!

Peter,
Bummer about the paint but great recovery looking really good.

Thanks Paul.
Pete

 

[topgazza]

Always interesting to see these old kits...from my previous model building era.Why the German/Nazi decals ? Anyone know ? Where any Blenheims captured by the Germans ? Good start and some challenges already.

 

[stillp]

They're Finnish decals Gary, they used the swastika symbol, but not standing on a corner like the Nazis. The Finns later built some Blenheims under licence from Bristol, but the first few they had were delivered from the Bristol factory in RAF colours. They were very quickly painted with the yellow underside wingtips and fuselage band so they didn't get shot down by friendly fire, but it took a while before they were repainted in the standard Finnish colours of green and black. I probably should have chosen the green/black colours so the decals are correct, but I wanted to use the RAF colours.
Pete

 

[topgazza]

Ah, I never knew that Peter. I just finished a FW190 and I mounted the swastika on the tail sqaure and not ona corner. Ah, well.

 

[Jakko]

As additional trivia: the reason the Finns now use a white/blue/white roundel as a national insignia (on aircraft as well as vehicles) is largely because of Soviet pressure after the war, who didn’t want to be reminded of the Nazi emblem on military equipment of a neighbouring country.

 

[stillp]

Decals were going well, until this happened:
I made it even worse after that photo, so just took it off. This Finnish Blenheim will not have a serial number.
These decals are really thin, and don't want to move once they're on a surface.
Pete

 

[stillp]

Now finished - more photos here: https://www.scale-models.co.uk/forums/completed-aeroplanes.173/

Thanks for watching,
Pete