Revell Lancaster 1:72

[Hangtight]

I'm new to the forum and thought I'd share a build.

I 'grew out' of modelling about the same time I discovered motorbikes and girls, but my son has now discovered the hobby, so to keep him company I bought an Italeri Bell Super Cobra for 4 quid from a local modellers meeting, and enjoyed putting it together. I even enjoyed painting it once I'd been introduced to acrylics! The bug has firmly bitten again, and before I knew what was happening I had somehow bought a Revell Lanc and a Tamiya Mossie with the intention of putting together a diorama representative of 8 Group Pathfinders. They are two of my favourite planes, and a little research had shown that 83 Squadron (Lancs) and 139 Squadron (Mosqitoes) had both operated from Wyton in 1943. A little more poking around the net even threw up the nose art, serials and codes for period correct examples of both types, so it seemed perfect to show them together.

The Revell Lanc has a few faults, and I'm hoping to address some of these in my builds, as well as add a little more detail.

Here's a few pics of progress so far.



Kit Merlin with a bit of artistic license.



Original kit radiator intakes.



Reshaped. Still a bit big, but better.





Detail added to pilots seat (trim wheel, closer to scale armour plate, seat arm in raised position), control panel smoothed as the relief doesn't match the decal. Compass added and extra instruments at the top of dash. Navigators seat moved to 'stowed' position, and both seats lowered to correct height, plus a couple of other odds and sods.

 

[Hangtight]

Having done a bit more research, I'm tending towards portraying OL-Q, the 83 Squadron identity of PO-S, the Hendon Lancaster. Some hunting has brought up some excellent photos of PO-S pre face lift, with the early pitot placement, no Rebecca, the bulged port side observation window and early bomb aimers dome. What I'm having trouble finding is any information regarding nose art, Are there any good references available? The Avro records state that her first nose art was 'a nude female kneeling in front of a bomb, on the port side just

aft of the front turret'. There is also a record of all OL-Qs sorties, the 66th being just prior to becoming PO-S and with a bomb load of 1 cookie and 10 X 500lb. Can anyone shed any light on how this might have been arranged in the bomb bay?

And the HS2 display is gone! I think I got a bit over excited following the instructions

 

[Hangtight]

I found these and thought they might be of interest.

Bomb layout for 10 500 lb HE and a Cookie should be something like...

B B B

B - B

[ ]

B - B

B B B

This would give even weight distribution and not over cramp the bomb bay.

 

[Hangtight]

Some progress.

10 x 500lb and a cookie.

Elevators cut and reset for the at rest 'droop'

Starboard side, jockey seat, handrail and a couple of bits and pieces.

Navigators light and curtain.

Bomb aimers position port side.

Cut and dropped the flaps, and sorted the dihedral.

 

[Hangtight]

Some Merlins, earlier today.

Cockpit's coming together.

Need to learn to take better photos. They look better without the harsh flash!

 

[Hangtight]

The kit wheels are a bit poor, but nothing that can't be sorted out by drilling the indistinct dimples on the hub, and reprofiling the tyre to a more appropriate 'balloon' section.

And I've re cut and reset the elevators, but the right way up this time! DOH!

 

[Hangtight]

I got round to cutting out the rear crew hatch, and scratched a bit of internal detail, including the flare chute and the Elsan. Now I'm just waiting for my Microsol/ set to arrive and I can do the control panel decals and get the fuse together. Just in case anyone is thinking of cutting out the hatch, the scribing on the Revell kit puts the bottom of the door too low. It should be pretty much level with the trailing edge of the wing.

Having read about the almost mythical properties of Klear, and the fact that it's unavailable in the old, possibly superior formulation I was going to try the new stuff. Then while I was hunting around the workshop for something else I came across this stuff.

I bought it a while ago to refinish a customers parquet floor, but upon reading the ingredients I realised it had the same 'shiny' content as the new Klear, but with the ammonia base of the old stuff. So I gave it a go on a spare transparency, and what do you know...it works beautifully. Crystal clear with none of the surface irregularity that's sometimes mentioned with the new Klear. It seems to be fine over acrylics, but I've only tried a tiny patch so far.

 

[Hangtight]

It's a steep learning curve. Today's lesson is, don't stick small delicate bits on until the last minute or you WILL knock them off. So far that navigators light has been knocked off, lost, remade, reattached, knocked off again, left in the tray until I glue the fuse together. And the Quickboost gun barrels looked great in the rear turret for at least 15 minutes...

 

[Ian M]

Well it looks to me that you are a fast learner.

The build looks great so far.

Ian M

 

[mobear]

seems a shame that the fuselage gets shut up,also what a job you are doing awesome

mobear

 

[Hangtight]

Thanks. I'm looking forward to getting it all together. I just hope that I don't make a stupid error and mess up the bits that have gone right!

 

[treyzx10r]

Great looking start,really like the engines as well ,nice detail for that scale!

 

[Vaughan]

Great detail Hangtight for such a small scale. I'm looking forward to seeing this build progress. By the way whats's your first name as we tend to be on first name terms on this forum

Vaughan

 

[Hangtight]

I generally respond to James, although Oi! can be used at a pinch. :cheers:

Thanks for the positive comments. I'm coming to love the fact the there's nothing on a plastic kit that can't be improved with a bit of time, effort, research and lateral thinking. And the research is so much more fun with t'interwebnet.

I haven't got a lot of space available, so I'll be sticking to the smaller scales for now, as much as I'd like to get my teeth into something bigger and more detailed. I have to admit that working in 1:72 isn't as bad as I'd feared. The worse bit was the ridicule heaped upon me by my kids when they came in and found me with 2 pairs of reading glasses perched on my nose looking like I'd got the best part of a sprue stuck up a nostril. I've since been promised a head loupe for my birthday...

 

[mobear]

i generally use the kids to pick up stuff ive dropped,they are only 6 and fell they are helping,also stops them from laughing at me.i made seatbelts for my lanc which were fiddly maybe you could give it a try lol

mobear

 

[Hangtight]

Does anyone have a copy of "Ton Up Lancs"? I've hit a brick wall trying to find images of OL-Qs nose art circa July/ August 43, apart from this one Avro Lancaster (Image Ref: A03852P) | Flickr - Photo Sharing! which I'm 99% certain is right, but confirmation would be good, and a decent picture even better! That's going to be a bugger to do as a decal.

 

[papa 695]

Hi James great work on the Lancaster i'm doing one at the moment but it wont turnout looking as good as yours. I realy like the photo of your engines will be using them to build one for my Lancaster if you don't mind and keep up the good work

 

[tecdes]

Very nice Job James. I built the Revell equivalent at the end of last year.

Not a good fit. Yours looks nice & crisp. Also has engines which from memory the Revell did not.

Good choice a head loupe. A magnifying lamp is good but use 90% a head loup now. Always in the right position & hands free. If it looks right close up it is. Before investing have a look at the articles on these things on this forum. Loads of advice My advice get a good one with glass lens.

You are right James about the size A Lancaster is big any scale. But centre stage in any collection. I put a figure along side mine to illustrate the mighty size of the craft.

Laurie

Edit just realised yours is a Revell & mine was Airfix. There you go memory. Or perhaps it has gone.

 

[Hangtight]

Right, interior decals done, so I've turned my attention to the upper turret fairing. This is another bit of the Revell kit that's just plain 'wrong'. After sitting looking at it for a while, I decided that I couldn't leave it as it was, and as I don't have an Airfix one surgery was in order.

The little scallops at the widest part shouldn't be there, and are caused by the fact the sides at that point are canted in rather than being vertical as on the real thing. The other glaring error is that the aperture for the turret is tubular in form rather than the inverted cone that Revell have moulded.

View attachment 42837

So the offending area has been removed and built back up again with plastic card.

With some careful trimming and a bit of putty I've ended up with something closer to what I wanted.

It still needs a little work just to refine the surface around the hole, but I'm happy with it!

View attachment 46120

 

[mobear]

you did what i didnt want to do to mine,and full marks on that alone

mobear