MPM 1/72 Blenheim Mk1/1F

stillp

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Thought I'd try this next. Bought at the Brampton IPMS show at St Ives. Box was a bit squashed but the parts were in a sealed plastic bag.
P1150671.JPG

The wings weren't on a frame but were loose in the bag. There's a bit of flash...
P1150673.JPG
Decal look decent, and there's some Eduard PE included.
P1150672.JPG
A choice of two schemes, one RAF, one Finnish.
P1150675.JPG
P1150674.JPG
And a whole page of instructions.
Wish me luck!
Pete
 
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stillp

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I'm confused already. They provide etch detail for the fuse sides, but the part for the port side (F18) doesn't match the drawing in the instructions, and doesn't fit the fuselage!
P1150676.JPGP1150677.JPG
Should I cut away that vertical plastic rib at the front of the pit?

I couldn't find a date for this kit, nor find it on Scalemates, but I did find this:
P1150678.JPG
The USSR ceased to exist in 1991.
Pete
 

yak face

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The photo etch cockpit side left on the fret matches the one on the drawing pete , theyve probably got the numbers mixed up. Looks like a rehashing of the old frog kit maybe ?
 

stillp

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You mean F18 and F19 Tony? I don't think they're the wrong way round, F18 has a control panel in the middle, which you can see in the instructions, F19 is just framing. I think that I need to cut away the ribs that are provided to glue the plastic cockpit floor onto if you don't use the etch. Otherwise F18 and F19 won't sit on the fuselage sides. If I do that though I'm not sure what the etch floor F20 can be glued to, other than its edge on to F18/19, but it's very thin etch so there's not much chance of gluing the edge to anything.

I don't know about the Frog kit - it might be a copy. I don't know anything about MPM, or Cooperativa, the name on the instructions.

They provide two layers of etch for the IP, and a small piece of film with some instrument detail - one piece goes behind F15, the main IP, and one behind F16. They don't look as if they line up, but actually do quite well.
P1150680.JPGP1150679.JPG
I'll do some painting before gluing those though.
Pete
 

Archetype

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I can see why you’re confused! That etch panel isn’t the same as the drawing and there are no clues about how to fit it.
 

Archetype

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Did mocking it up assembled give any fitting clues or an idea of what needs to be done?
 

stillp

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Did mocking it up assembled give any fitting clues or an idea of what needs to be done?
Can't get anywhere near a dry assembly without carving off those ribs in the fuselage.
Pete
 

stillp

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Nope, Eduard have a different etch set, which is for the Airfix Blenheim and is completely different, so their instructions aren't much use. There's a date on the etch fret of 1994, so it's not as old as I thought.
Pete
 

stillp

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Did mocking it up assembled give any fitting clues or an idea of what needs to be done?
Did you mean like this Chris?
P1150681.JPG
That seemed to measure 16mm across at the widest point. The fuse sides are 8mm deep at the position I think the seat should go, so that seems OK, except that there's a vertical rib provided to glue the plastic IP to if you're not using the etch,
P1150684.JPG
They don't tell you to remove it, but it's in the way, so
P1150682.JPG
And here it is, gone
P1150683.JPG
The etch can now fit - sort of. It shouldn't overlap the top edge of the cockpit though, so maybe I need to scrape some off the top of that horizontal rib as well, and also cut a lot off that bulge for the wing root.
P1150686.JPG
There's certainly plenty of room for the wing spar!
P1150685.JPG
That slot is more than twice the width of the tab (wing spar) that goes into it, and the tab on the other wing doesn't reach right across the fuselage.
Pete
 
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Archetype

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That is what I meant. A process of elimination of sorts. Put together what you know is right to see what’s wrong.

I think you did the right thing. At least that’s what I would have done!
 

colin m

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As the kit detail is a bit lacking, I think you're right, chop it away and force the PE in there, somehow. It will be an improvement.
 

stillp

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Yes, I have to make it fit somehow!
P1150696.JPG
Almost there. The inner end of the wing will cover that hole at the back end of the etch, but will need to be cut back a bit, which means I'll have to fir the wings before finishing the cockpit.
Pete
 

Steven000

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Nicely done Peter, looks like a very frustrating part of the build but looks good so far :thumb2:
Steven
 

stillp

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The wings are fitted to the fuselage halves, and the forward parts of the bulges for the wing roots have been trimmed back to make room for the PE. I'm trying to work out the best sequence for assemble, since the etch floor and seat can be added through the canopy opening, but the cockpit side framing will have to be glued in place before I join the fuse halves.
P1150697.JPG
I've fitted the control column, and the IP is drying. The turret needs fitting too.
Pete
 

stillp

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The fuselage sides look better with a splash of paint on:
P1150700.JPG
I'll do a bit of dry brushing on that switch panel later on.
I've also been working on the turret. There's an etch piece with the lower 'windows' in - you can see what it should look like here https://www.aircraftrestorationcompany.com/blenheim but I've had several tries to get the etch to stick to the clear moulding. Problem is that the clear part is tapered but the PE part wants to be a cylinder, so the etch pulls away at the upper edge. After several attempts, I think it's as good as it's going to get, but how am I going to mask and paint it? My solution is to mask the parts that remain clear, paint the whole turret Dark Earth, then mount the. I'll just have to arrange the camo so that the Dark Earth section covers the turret. turret so I can close up the fuselage.
P1150699.JPG

I understand the Government are going to 'ask' all those over 70 to stay at home for 4 months, so I guess there'll be lots of modelling done!
Cheers
Pete
 

stillp

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Thought I'd take a pic of the cockpit, this is the last we'll see of it for a while.
P1150701.JPG
The fuselage is closed up, and has developed a step along the join, that I'm sure wasn't there when I dry fitted it. a few days of filling and sanding needed I think. :disappointed2:
Cheers
Pete
 

Jakko

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I don't know about the Frog kit - it might be a copy. I don't know anything about MPM, or Cooperativa, the name on the instructions.
Cooperativa was a Russian subsidiary of Czech company, MPM. According to Scalemates, your Blenheim’s lineage goes back to the Frog kit from 1969.
 

colin m

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That's a great improvement over standard Peter. Nice job.
 
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