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"Sugar's Blues" Late War RCAF Lancaster


Uncarina

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5 hours ago, Out2gtcha said:

Wow! That seat looks tremendous Tom

Thanks Brian! Since it is so visible through the canopy I just had to do something to correct the dimensions.

 

 

5 hours ago, mozart said:

This is probably the BoB Lanc.  Wartime Lancs didn't have a second pilot nor control yoke, they had a flight engineer instead sitting to the pilot's right and just aft on a fold-away seat.  In emergencies he was often the "nominated" chap to take over from the pilot.

Thanks, I figured it was a restored bird modification. Without a copilot to spell the pilot during long stretches, I am amazed at the stamina of the wartime Lanc pilots on long missions.

 

 

3 hours ago, monthebiff said:

Very nice work Tom and the scratch stuff looks definitely worth while.

 

Regards.Andy 

Thanks Andy! It has been fiddly fun, and I'm not going to go much past the easily visible modifications.

 

1 hour ago, Mr Matt Foley said:

Amazing work and I'll follow...but one question: Where do you put a 1/32 scale model with a nearly 4 ft wingspan?

Thanks Matt! An important question indeed! Displaying it in our living room would be great but not a sustainable practice for my relationship with my wife, so I will be approaching the Pima Air Museum to see if it can be displayed there.

 

Cheers, Tom

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13 hours ago, Uncarina said:

Thanks Matt! An important question indeed! Displaying it in our living room would be great but not a sustainable practice for my relationship with my wife, so I will be approaching the Pima Air Museum to see if it can be displayed there.

 

Cheers, Tom

 

That is a great idea..and a safe one too. Let us know if that is where it ends up, I need to travel to Arizona sometime now that I've got the time and would love to check out that particular museum.

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"Pointless to try evasive action in this. Flak was everywhere. Straight and fast was the quickest way out. The war of the stars went on, intensified, filled all space. They seemed to be flying in the tail of a comet. This was the Ruhr. Naturally all hell would break loose.”

 

— 101 Nights by Ray Ollis

https://a.co/hiy7OPl

 

I've prepped most of the cockpit components for adding photoetch, then moved on to the nose. As Dennis has pointed out in his fantastic build, the bombsight support frame comes as a solid L-shaped piece which does not really resemble the real thing, even when you are looking through the nose blister:

 

P9r2PPN.jpg

("Lancaster Bomber Walk Around", Ron Mackay, Squadron Signal Publications)

 

So I scratchbuilt the support based on guesstimation, keeping in mind what can be seen through the limited space when everything is painted black:

 

qrkrbhU.jpg

 

48GkhW7.jpg

 

The strike camera that is aimed at an angle through the small window is missing from the kit, so I cheated by modifying the light that came in the Dambuster version to look like a camera, then built up a small frame around it based on the photos I could access. Hoping to add some paint soon!

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited by Uncarina
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loving the history behind this build, and loving the build itself!

 

i am disappointed and surprised that there are no resin upgrades / correction sets for this kit

 

i wonder if any 'home-grown' 3D printed solutions will turn up given Eduard and the rest of the mainstream producers have chosen to ignore these possibilities?

 

thanks again for sharing

 

Nick

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Thanks Nick for your support and encouragement! I agree, so many opportunities: bombsight, strike camera, canopy side glass panels with blisters, pilot’s seat, Martin upper turret, to name a few. At the same time, the kit is an amazing starting point without any shape corrections necessary, and a fun build. I’m hoping to finally add some paint in the next few days so she can come to life!

 

Cheers,  Tom

 

 

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“‘Corkscrew port go,’ shouted Lofty Lee from his upper turret and began firing as Munro slammed the stick over and stood the bomber on its wingtip. Lofty’s machine guns tilted high above him as he tried to keep the night fighter in his sights while his own plane banked vertically and slid down. It was impossible. Munro grabbed the throttles and reduced the forward speed (and exhaust flame) to minimum and had the satisfaction of seeing the Junkers pass rapidly over him. Its exhausts glowed brighter and brighter as the angle narrowed and he was right ahead of them. ‘Don’t fire, anyone,’ said Munro. ‘He’s lost us.’”

 

— Bomber: Events Relating to the Last Flight of an RAF Bomber Over Germany on the Night of June 31st, 1943 by Len Deighton

https://a.co/7tJVcW1

 

I've been diligently working on the cockpit and forward position, adding paint at last. In my previous post I mentioned the strike camera was missing. I was incorrect (not the first time), as it was attached to the bulkhead below the cockpit instead of on the floor as I was expecting. I did reposition it and add a lens which was missing. Meanwhile, I've been adding photo etch to the cockpit and scratchbuilt the navigators lamp. I still need to add blackout curtains here. I am using Eduard photoetch, but did recolor the yellow and blue dials on the flight engineer's panel since Eduard had the colors reversed. I didn't use photoetch for the radio since I thought it looked more three dimensional if I just painted the details. Note the parachute which is missing from the kit; I have Dennis to thank, since he generously gave me a complete complement!  I still have to add some more details and the throttles, but she's getting there!

 

Cheers,  Tom

 

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Edited by Uncarina
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Thanks John! My original preference was Tamiya Rubber Black, but my supply ran low so I had to reapply with a mix of Rubber Black and Nato Black. I tend not to use the latter because I find it doesn’t cover or adhere as well. Glad you like it!

 

Cheers,  Tom

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