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1/32nd scale Avro Shackleton - scratchbuild project


tomprobert

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Hooray! I always enjoy following your builds Tom. This one promises to be very exciting and you're off to a great start. I'm always a fan of how clean (and unpitied-looking) your work is.

 

Another winner in the works.... I don't know how you find time to build to this standard all the time :)

 

Tom, I have a soft spot for the Shack, having seen one at an Airshow in Moose Jaw, Sk in 80-82? What a beast it was, and when those Griffins woke up, WOW!
I'll be following this.

I thought about doing a York from the upcoming HK kit. I love those old 1950s transports.

 

My thoughts exactly Ernie! I've always like the York an I was thinking the same thing. Maybe another candidate for a 3D printed fuselage? ;)

 

Craig

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Evening all,

 

I've been concentrating on the nose section of the Shackleton over the last couple of sessions at the bench, as it's quite a complex area considering the gentle curves and apertures for the nose glazing and turret etc. I felt that if I could crack this it'd set me in good stead for the rest of the project, such as the tail area and engine nacelles.

 

I have cut some plastic card 'planks' and added them one by one to the skeleton structure beneath, which allows the contours of the nose structure to be followed more easily than bending larger 'sheets' of plastic card to shape and getting them to conform. Each 'plank' was approx 3mm - 4mm in breadth, and they were secured with poly-cement for a strong join, both to the ribs beneath and the plank below it as I worked from the bottom up. 

 

This created the basic shape for the nose and after the glue had fully cured the whole nose got a thorough sanding to smooth out any rough edges. Then it was a liberal coating of my trusty car body filler, and this again was allowed to harden over night before it too got a thorough rub-down with some wet 'n' dry. 

 

I must say that considering it's the first time I've attempted anything like this, it's come out pretty well. A few blemishes to sort here and there, but a resounding success if I can bold enough to say! It did feel more like I was building an old wooden galleon than a cold-war warrior though!

 

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Now it'll be a few coats of filler-primer to see how it all looks - no doubt this'll reveal a multitude of sins but nothing some more filler can't sort out.

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

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Hi Tom - I'm curious as to how you go from a 1/72 plan to a 1/32 scale plan with such sharp lines in the 32 scale plan? I've tried scanning a small plan to a much larger scale and printing at the final scale...usually the lines blur to the point of being useless...what's your secret?

Clark

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Hi Tom - I'm curious as to how you go from a 1/72 plan to a 1/32 scale plan with such sharp lines in the 32 scale plan? I've tried scanning a small plan to a much larger scale and printing at the final scale...usually the lines blur to the point of being useless...what's your secret?

Clark

 

I have a very high quality printer/scanner at work and it enables me to 'sharpen up' any images when they are enlarged - this way everything stays in scale.

 

A little more work done on the Shackleton so time for an update.

 

I've given the nose section a good spraying of Halfords' Filler Primer, which was done with a base layer going on, a good rub down, and then a couple more coats with rub downs in between. This has removed any traces of the 'planks' below and has given me a nice smooth surface, which will have the panel detail added in due course:

 

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When the nose section is secured to the rest of the airframe and the interior built, I will of course need to add the 'roof' and fairing for the observer's transparencies.

 

I've also started butchering the ID Models Lancaster and have made some of the fuselage side panels - the plans were followed very carefully to get the windows in the correct locations: 

 

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These then slip over the bulkhead structure:

 

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And then it all starts to come together:

 

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So far, so good. 

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

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It already looks like the real thing: brilliant work !

The nose piece is amazing  ;)

 

Cheers, Loic - considering it's the first time I've ever attempted something like this I'm pleased with how the nose went. It gives me much confidence the tackle the tail area and engine nacelles when the time comes.

 

OMG mate no way!!

 

Another awesome project!  I've just watched my dad build the AIrfix 1/72 kit over the past couple of months, and I must say it's a cool looking aircraft.

 

Hi Rich - I've just recently built the 1/72nd version too, and it certainly helped me get a feel for the aircraft. It's also serving as a really useful measuring mule for this one, too.

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