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1/32 HK Lancaster Dambuster....with Additions


CraigH

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Weekend update. The cockpit is finished! The tricky bit was working out the order to add stuff so nothing got in the way of anything else.

First was the pilot's plinth area. Getting it levelled up and seated snugly against the throttle control column.

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Seat went on next and the hydraulic connections made then worked over with a bit of engine oil enamel wash

Followed by the navigator's table after checking I could get all the gubbins in under the table OK and its support bulkhead at the front and column to the rear.

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Also on this pic are the batteries and the HT/LT boxes for the Transmitter/Receiver, all plumbed in, reference diagram here:

m6aRyjom.pngJust hope it's all accurate:oops:

Thanks to Jari for his tip on the "computers" they appear front and right on the nav table. The pilot's seat plumbing is done and I've added a wire bundle travelling aft as well against the inner fuselage wall.

Column holding the navigators chair came next. God only knows what HKs re[presentation was but it has the seat fixed at two points to the column so it could't swivel whereas the original swivelled out and round to allow passage of crew and for the navigator to actually get into the seat. I've redesigned it with a centre spindle.

 

There's no lamp for the navigator's panel so I had to fashion one and put it in place:

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Lastly, the Gee equipment. HK are a bit out with their under floor boxes. All the H2S ones went out the window but I salvaged the two to the right side of the navigators table and under it which look remarkably like the Gee Mk I receiver and power unit shown here:

ZN7nX2Bm.jpgOn the kit parts they appear side by side so I had to separate them and build a little cage assembly to house them under the table.

 

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From there it's the contentious issue of the Gee indicator unit.

On later Lancasters with H2S, the radar indicators sat at the right hand end of the nav table in a little cage housing affair fastened to the bukhead as in this later Canadian Lanc as well as the Border model CAD drawings:

VsNE2N0m.jpgC1GpIQ5m.jpg

 

That meant the Gee indicator had to be moved to the dividing wall of the navigators and Radio operators sections which is where many perceive it always was, as here:

jT2ESYim.jpg

 

But, in actual fact before H2S, the Gee receiver sat at the right hand end of the nav table on a little tray as in this CAD drawing from the Border models Lanc:

6Z0QjInm.jpg

So that's where it sits in mine. Everything is plumbed in now. The next stage is to close up the cockpit get the canopy on and relax a bit as I can't knock anything off then!

 

As ever, thanks for looking and here's a few shots from various angles of the finished cockpit. Some are before the gee indicator was fitted, some after:

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

A not so quick update before I disappear on hols for a bit.

Mostly my time has been taken up with fixing the many errors in the kit kindly added by HK 

  • First up, the false dinghy stowage on the port wing. HK have simply mirrored the wing halves so there are two dinghy stowages instead of just one on the starboard wing. Filler, sanding, polishing and re-scribing/riveting all done

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  • Next, the engines. Four lovely Rolls Royce Merlin XX engines.......except they're not lovely they're horrid. I didn't expect Packard built engines as on a proper BIII (I've only just realised BTW that all through this thread up to now I've used MK III instead of B.III. God only knows why!) The engines are small for the scale in my eyes and not very detailed TBH. Certainly nowhere near the standard of the ones on Airfix's 1:24 Mosquito or even the 70s Superkit of the Hurricane, but I've built them and all the attendant struts and tanks although none of it will be seen as I've been asked to build with cowings on. Good job really given the quality of the engines. It would have been easier if they'd provided blank engines for modellers who intend to cover them all over but nothing in the instructions.

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  • Next the rear of the radiators. Awful. They're just a wall of plastic with no way to see the rear of the radiator. I've drilled and cut and filed them out to show the radiator as well as thinning down the shutters which signalled the end of a mission with the now legendary "rad shutters auto!"

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Now, the observant among you might look at these snaps of the rads and say "where's the engine?" and you'd be right. The explanation is that, remember those non existent engine blanks? Well they might not appear in the instructions but beavering around at the bottom of the box guess what popped up?

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Yep, four dummy engines. Thanks again HK! So I used em on the one I hadn't fitted yet. The rest are in their housings

 

  • Next up, landing lights. That clever trick of mirroring the wings means there are landing lights on the starboard side as well as the port. Not only that, again they're blanked out plastic. Did this kit really retail at over £400?? Drilled out and I've sourced som car headlights at exactly yhe same diameter of 5.8mm. Lucky. The surplus to requirement ones are filled and sanded.

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  • I've started on the landing gear by taking off the stay that was there to prevent accidental folding of the undercarriage as this aircraft was off to drop a quirky device roundabout some dam or other.

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  • Lastly for now, I promise, are the landing gear bays. I've made up the roofs of the bays and varnished them ready for a load of oil and gunk as well as lots of extra wiring and pipework. I've seen the tanks in white as well as brass so I've gone white and stuck a couple of little decals on there to tart them up a bit.

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Now to where I need some info please. The side walls of the bays. HK provide them blocked in (again).

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I've seen the bays blocked off, with just the struts and you can see the wing fuel tank through them but I've also seen pics of the covered with what looks like canvas. Can anyone shed any light PLEASE?? Driving me nuts.

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I've gone with canvas for now

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And that's about it for now. I've just fastened the starboard cockpit half to the port side so I can leave it a week to cure while I'm away. I've tarted up the bomb aimers section a bit with wiring and a hydraulic recuperator for the upper turret. Also almost finished the inside of the turret but I'm waiting for some lovely brass gun barrels from Master Models which really do make a difference. As a result most of the extra wiring is in but I'll add the last bits when the guns are in place. Another query before I go. I've seen pics of the forward FN.5 turret and the guns look brass coloured? I'd have expected gunmetal/black type colouring. Any info, once again, gratefully received. Thanks for looking as always

 

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13 hours ago, CraigH said:

I've seen pics of the forward FN.5 turret and the guns look brass coloured? I'd have expected gunmetal/black type colouring. Any info, once again, gratefully received.

 

I know there is plenty of period photographs, but here are some personal shots I've taken of Lanc noses that I hope will be of reference help -- or at least inspiration.

Being these are warbirds in museums use your own judgement on how much to rely on what you see.

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.1 TW911 (nose section) -- Flying Heritage Collection

 

Lancaster-FHC-2019-05-11-4125.jpg

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Lancaster-FHC-2019-05-11-4128.jpg

-

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.1 DV372 (nose section) -- Imperial War Museum, London

 

Lancaster-IWM-London-2019-07-04-1888.jpg

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Lancaster-IWM-London-2019-07-04-1893.jpg

-

Lancaster-IWM-London-2019-07-04-1897.jpg

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.1 R5868 -- RAF Museum London

 

Lancaster-POS-RAF-London-2008-02-18-6591

-

Lancaster-POS-RAF-London-2008-02-18-6587

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.10 KB889 -- Imperial War Museum Duxford

 

Lancaster-IWM-Duxford-2008-02-19-6917.jp

-

Lancaster-IWM-Duxford-2008-02-19-6931.jp

 

 

Again, use as reference or disregard as you please. Hope they are helpful or at least have some inspirational value.

 

 

Love the amazing work that you have done so far.

 

 

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On 8/7/2022 at 7:21 AM, Ol' Scrapiron said:

 

I know there is plenty of period photographs, but here are some personal shots I've taken of Lanc noses that I hope will be of reference help -- or at least inspiration.

Being these are warbirds in museums use your own judgement on how much to rely on what you see.

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.1 TW911 (nose section) -- Flying Heritage Collection

 

Lancaster-FHC-2019-05-11-4125.jpg

-

Lancaster-FHC-2019-05-11-4128.jpg

-

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.1 DV372 (nose section) -- Imperial War Museum, London

 

Lancaster-IWM-London-2019-07-04-1888.jpg

-

Lancaster-IWM-London-2019-07-04-1893.jpg

-

Lancaster-IWM-London-2019-07-04-1897.jpg

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.1 R5868 -- RAF Museum London

 

Lancaster-POS-RAF-London-2008-02-18-6591

-

Lancaster-POS-RAF-London-2008-02-18-6587

 

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lancaster B Mk.10 KB889 -- Imperial War Museum Duxford

 

Lancaster-IWM-Duxford-2008-02-19-6917.jp

-

Lancaster-IWM-Duxford-2008-02-19-6931.jp

 

 

Again, use as reference or disregard as you please. Hope they are helpful or at least have some inspirational value.

 

 

Love the amazing work that you have done so far.

 

 

Ah they're brilliant. Thanks a million really helpful. Just means lots of drilling and filing

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11 hours ago, tomprobert said:

Great work so far - I’ll be sure to dip into this when I start mine for some tips and tricks. 
 

One thing that struck me however - I thought Lanc wheel bays were black..?

 

 

Iveseen wartime black and green. It's called a minefield

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