tomprobert

Handling a model this size is always a bit of a challenge - I tend to use the kitchen table as there’s far less to demolish with a wayward wing tip!

Ha ha - I often suffer the same thing and have often splashed the cash on a kit after being inspired on here. Resistance is futile! If I was making the J-model with the big Emerson nose turret I’d buy replacements, but I think I’ve just about got away with what I’ve done with the rear which is less ‘in your face’. I’m going to sand all the framing off the top turret too as the kit example bears no resemblance whatsoever to a Martin turret dome - why it’s got framing all over it (in the kit) I’ll never know. No Lib was ever fitted with a framed mid-upper. Thanks, Dennis. I agree to a point re. the B-24. The Fort does get all the glory but the Lib was certainly a real unsung hero. I call it ‘The Memphis Belle’ effect - William Wyler’s doc filmed with the B-17s of the 91st BG has forever meant the Fortress has been etched in the public’s imagination - whereas records show the first USAAF aircraft to actually compete 25 combat missions over Europe was indeed… you guessed it… a B-24. This has been a slow-burner, Craig - I only pick this up every now and again as I’ve got so many other projects on the go. However, the kit goes together really well and it really is a shake and bake so when I do work on it, things progress quickly! I’ve not put any nose-weight in as I don’t trust the plastic gear. However, B-24s we’re usually seen with a tail prop under the skid when being worked upon on the ground, so I’m going to cheat and do the same. Tom

Matt, The blue is indeed a protective layer. It peels off just fine when it’s time to install the glazing. These are new transparent parts I ordered from John Wilkes (Tigger) who now has the molds and they are superbly done. The original ID Models parts had gone a deep orange but John assures me the plastic he uses will not become discoloured and from experience with his other kits I’ve got that certainly seems to be the case. Happy days. Tom

It's been a while since I updated this thread but work is continuing in the background on the big B-24D. Since last time, I've painted the engines and installed the nacelles onto the wings: Undersides: The tail assembly has also been completed and added - along with the rear turret. The unsightly join has been minimised with painting the mating surfaces black before joining and although not perfect, it's certainly better than simply sticking the parts together. I've also added the 2nd Air Division white circle on the tail which will be masked before the OD goes on: I now need to finish off the cockpit and nose interior before adding the final transparencies and she gets a splash of paint: Until next time, Tom

Yes its final form is slowly beginning to emerge… getting the props done had an important psychological effect as at least part of it is finished and that works wonders for the motivation! Thanks, Dennis - appreciated.

Amazing. There's nothing more realistic for creating a metal finish than... well... metal. I shudder to think about the time spent making, riveting and attaching each panel but the hard graft already looks like it will be well worth the effort - I can't wait to see more. Tom

Wow. Just wow. Tom

Evening all, I've spent a bit more time at the bench this week, as well as seeing a 1:1 scale Sunderland in the flesh - well a Sandringham actually but close enough. We had a weekend down in Southampton and whilst there I sweet-talked the wife into letting me spend an afternoon at the Solent Sky Museum. If you're in the area it's well worth a visit - lots of great exhibits and history about Southampton during the war years but the star attraction for me was of course their rather beautiful Sandringham that used to fly for Ansett: They even let you dive inside - the interior is a little different to the one I'm building but it was great to have a nose around nevertheless. I imagine this example is a bit more comfortable than the Sunderland! The main reason for my visit was photograph and have a measure of the beaching gear which is a job I'm going to be tackling soon, and I managed to get plenty of useful reference shots: On to the model itself, I thought it time to have a closer look at the transparencies. It's important to get the fit of these correct just in case there was some additional structural work to be done before commencing on making their interiors. The turrets were carefully cut from the backing sheet and test fitted to the model. Here's the rear and mid-upper in situ - both fit really well: The only work needed here was build up the rear turret fairing a little more with card and Milliput. The cockpit glazing itself fits remarkably well - phew! For the nose turret, the MkII I'm building still had the early type fitted. This will be installed in the fully retracted position so I have made and added a platform for it to sit on as well as adding the details around the opening itself: The props have also been painted and lightly weathered: And look the part when installed on the engines: And that, boys and girls, brings you up to speed. Until next time, Tom

Time for an update as it's been a while - life and work and everything else has been getting in the way and keeping me away from the bench. However for a change in pace and a break from working on the main airframe, I've began to work on the props. I once again have raided my stash of Beaufighter parts as the props are the same size and turn the same way. I've had to shorten the hubs a little to take the spinners which have come from the spares box (no idea what the were from) and made some new shafts from sprue to fit the modified engines: These will now need a squirt of paint and will be good to go. It's half term next week so I am hoping to get going again in earnest with this! All the best, Tom

There will be a flyover of Tottenham Hotspurs’ stadium by 4 x F-15s for the opening of the NFL games that are taking place there next week, I believe. This was a practice and familiarisation flight - I imagine with a bit of intercept training involved too.

That’s lovely. Refreshing to see a Spit in some different colours for a change! Tom

I cannot wait to see the skins going on, Craig - will you skin the fuselage fully before getting the wings attached? Tom

Thanks, Kev - often the simplest ideas are the best... Thanks, Craig - and please don't tell me being a comedian is your day job

Evening all, This week I have finished off making the floats and have installed them onto the wings -temporarily. With the basic structure of the floats done, I removed the head from some nails and epoxied them into the open ends of the alloy struts. After some very careful measuring of plans, I worked out the location of each float and marked this onto the wing: Just drilling holes and inserting the nails would have meant the join would not have any rigidity, so instead I used some large diameter scrap sprue and inserted this into the wing to act as mounts. These were set into epoxy glue so that they are absolutely rigid and are bedded on to the upper wing surface. These sprue inserts were then filled and sanded flush, before a hole was drilled in each to take the nails and provide a really strong union between the struts and the wing: Here is a float in situ - not glued yet as there are additional struts to add but these will come later just before paint in case they inadvertently get a whack during the final stages of production: Here are a couple of shots of the overall airframe: I've made a tentative start on the transparencies for the cockpit as I want to get this right before I finish off the interior - this will be my next task to complete so hopefully another update in the not-too-distant future. All the best, Tom

The fit of the nose ring was fine externally, and the unsightly gap was inside. It’s quite tricky to address this once the fuselage is together as the radar ‘bullet’ and nose gear bay are in the way - hence I made the FOD guard to hide it. The fuselage extension would indeed be a tricky mod - especially if this would be your first such venture of this nature. It personally doesn’t bother me, but it’s each to their own of course. The fit of the kit was indeed excellent on all of the examples I’ve built. If memory serves me correctly a bit if filler was needed on the ventral tank but other than that it was a breeze and once the cockpit is in, construction went very quickly. I made this from plastic card using a circular cutter - the outer cut to match the nose ring and the inner to match the radar bullet leaving a donut shape. Some simple handles from plastic strip finishes the job. Tom