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1/32nd scale Avro Shackleton - scratchbuild project


tomprobert

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I've sprayed and initial coat of Halfords' filler primer onto the fuselage; this enables me to check for any errors or blemishes more easily than when it is in a mish-mash of plastic card and filler, and it also shows off the shape of the model more easily as it's all one uniform colour.

 

Considering the amount of different card panels and bits of the Lancaster I've cobbled together and added, it's gone remarkably well, even if I do say so myself! However, as expected there are a few areas that showed up as needing some additional work, which have been addressed with my trusty P38 filler.

 

Forward section:

 

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The rear section had a dip on the left side which needed remedying, so I've added some P38 here which will be blended in and hopefully bring it level:

 

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So... where's the sandpaper?

 

Tom

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A very productive last couple of days...

 

The fuselage has had some further fettling with more filling and sanding, and has also had a few coats of filler primer with some sanding in between each coat to rid the surface of any minor imperfections.

 

So, here's where the project stands now:

 

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So I'm now at a stage where I can start to think about the wings and stabilisers - I think I'm going to have a crack at the inner wing sections initially as these, being identical to the Lancaster, mean it'll be a nice and simple job of using the ID Models parts... in theory, anyway.

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

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Won't be at Cosford this year as it's a bit far to travel on my own (Dad is away on holiday) but will definitely be at MK.

 

As per PM, that's fine mate... Hopefully see you at MK!

 

Love the work being done on this too, a masterpiece in the making if ever I saw one! :)

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A start has been made on making the wings for the big Shackleton...

 

I have the great Mr Chadwick to thank for making my life easy for this part, as the the original Manchester wing centre section was carried through to the Lancaster, then Lincoln and finally the Shackleton. Therefore, it has just been a case of using the ID Models' Lancaster wing centre sections for this, but with some minor modifications.

 

Here's the vacformed parts removed from the backing sheet and rubbed down to the correct thickness:

 

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These were then checked against the plans, and the exact position on the fuselage was worked out. Also, the Lancaster's fuel pump fairings would also need to be removed as these were not present on the Shackleton:

 

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I then set about removing the pump fairings, undercarriage bays as well as the inboard flaps, as I plan to have these down on the finished model:

 

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The wheel bays and flap apertures were made from 1mm plastic card, and installed on the lower wing halves - this provides a very strong structure to support the weight of the model:

 

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The main spars were then trimmed slightly and the lower wing sections glued to the spars with poly cement for the strongest possible join. A few extra bits of bracing were added at this point, too:

 

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With the lower sections dry, the upper sections were then glued over the top, making sure a strong bond was attained to the internal spars etc:

 

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Some gaps at the upper wing root needed plugging with scrap plastic card in preparation for filling:

 

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The next task will be getting everything blended in nicely with filler and the joins made good. Now where's the P38..?

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

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Incredible Tom - it is awe inspiring to watch an airframe as iconic as the Shack just grow in your hands..

 

amazing 10/10 as always :)

 

what will you do about the Griffons? are you going to try the dark arts of casting :coolio:

 

Peter

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Incredible Tom - it is awe inspiring to watch an airframe as iconic as the Shack just grow in your hands..

 

amazing 10/10 as always :)

 

what will you do about the Griffons? are you going to try the dark arts of casting :coolio:

 

Peter

Thanks Peter, and that's quite a compliment coming from a man as talented as you!

 

The engines are going to be the most challenging aspect of this project, and the way I see it I have two options:

 

1) I have a modelling buddy who's a dab-hand with 3D printing so I may try and twist his arm to do me a master which I can resin cast,

 

2) I make my own master from plastic and then get that cast.

 

Either way, to answer your question, yes I'm going to have to learn the dark art of resin casting. The thought of making four identical power eggs would otherwise give me palpitations.

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Could you use a Tamiya Spitfire engine as a base to modify?

You probably could, although I'm not planning to have any of the engines exposed at this stage. Building the nacelles is going to be enough fun as it is!

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outstanding work Tom!

 

You're really getting on with this project aren't you?

 

Loving what I'm seeing here :)

 

Craig

Cheers, Craig.

 

I've got up quite a bit of momentum with it at the moment, so am making the most of it.

 

I do tend to work in short, sharp bursts on projects such as this so no doubt it'll take a back seat for a while in the future whilst something else grabs my attentions, but so far, so good.

 

A stumbling block is often when there's s big problem to be overcome, and then it goes into the loft for a bit whilst I ponder a solution - you'll know what I mean with your fantastic B-17 build. The fact it's been pretty trouble free so far means it's stayed in the bench for a good while. Long may it continue...

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