MikeC Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I've not been idle for the last 6 months or so: this has been on the bench, and now it's finished. Here are a few photos until I get out and do some "beauty shots". The model is Italeri's 1/32 GR4 in one of the box schemes, the Tornado retirement scheme for IX(B) Sqn. This squadron was the first RAF operational unit to be equipped with the Tornado GR1. IX Sqn flew several types in WWI, and was briefly disbanded in 1919. It reformed as a bomber unit in 1924 - hence the "(B)" in the title - and starting with the Vimy, flew Virginias, Heyfords, Wellingtons, Lancasters, Lincolns, Canberras and Vulcans, before reforming on the Tornado. Italeri's GR4 builds up quite well: it needs a little work to make it fit, but in the end it is a solid construction. I did use rather a lot of aftermarket, to whit: Eduard canopy masks; Bandit Resin Factory empty Sidewinder rails; HGW safety ("RBF") flags; Jet Passion 1500 litre tanks, exterior detail set (partly not used as not needed imo) and replacement back seat monitors (scrapped and reverted to kit parts for reasons I won't bore you with); Master pitot tube; Scale Model Developments (SMD) seats; Tradewind67 (eBay trader name) intake and Jet pipe covers, other covers, and back seat grab handles); and home-cut masks for the roundels and serials. And until I get what I call the "proper camera" out, here are a few quick post-finish bench shots. Thanks for looking. blackbetty, malky761, Rampenfest and 24 others 27 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartmann352 Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Great build! I love variable geometry winged aircraft. Cheers, Dave MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Nice work Mike MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevepd Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Hey mate, looks very well indeed. I'm at the early stages of mine where I'm about to offer up the front section to the main body. Any pointers as I'm going along?. I won't say much but could the canopy be closed do you think?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 (edited) 3 hours ago, Stevepd said: Hey mate, looks very well indeed. I'm at the early stages of mine where I'm about to offer up the front section to the main body. Any pointers as I'm going along?. I won't say much but could the canopy be closed do you think?. Thanks Steve. There really were no big issues I recall. So long as nothing is misaligned (I'm sure yours won't be) it all slots together rather well. When you come to the wings, beware of the swivel mechanism. You just need to ensure that the pivots (11B/28B and 12B/27B) are the correct way round in the wing, as if you get them the wrong way round they don't fit! Alas, I think the instructions on my GR4 were incorrect for one of the wings. [Edit] Just realised I hadn't answered your specific question: yes, the canopy fits well in the closed position, I was considering whether to do that or show it open until almost the last minute. Any specific questions, please feel free to ask here or PM me. Good luck. Edited March 29 by MikeC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geedubelyer Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Nice result Mike. I like an aircraft displayed like this. It looks like it's sat at an airshow which is how I'm used to seeing them. I am eager to see your next raft of photos. Hopefully you'll have time to take some closer, more detailled shots. MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Good looking Tornado Mike, one of the few jets on my list yet to do. MikeC and wunwinglow 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 21 minutes ago, mozart said: Good looking Tornado Mike ... Thanks Max. 22 minutes ago, mozart said: ...one of the few jets on my list yet to do. As an F3 of 56 Sqn perchance? mozart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Indeed, and therein lies the rub….how to model an F3? Not that I know anything about the Mk at all, just that no kit is available of one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoggz Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 That looks superb Mike. MikeC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted March 29 Author Share Posted March 29 (edited) 9 hours ago, mozart said: Not that I know anything about the Mk at all, just that no kit is available of one. I seem to recall that our own @wunwinglow was developing a conversion, but I'm not sure if that's still in the works or not. Edited March 29 by MikeC mozart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted March 29 Share Posted March 29 Yep, Tim was doing a lot of Tornado stuff some while ago, perhaps he’ll look in? wunwinglow and MikeC 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wunwinglow Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Hi folks, sorry, life at Perry Towers has been freeping bonkers the last couple of years, and I decided as I couldn't keep all the plates spinning, something had to give, so I canned all the accessories and half baked projects. Apparently, I have been a great deal saner and less 1000 yard stare than I had been! Several other projects were culled too, so no more subcontracting design, the last couple of such projects utterly burned me out, and with several family members with serious health issues, and my dear father in law passing over Christmas, you can imagine the Perry Clan has been crashing about firefighting for months and months. Enough! I am sorting, culling and rationalising, with the absolute intention of clearing the shed for just MY projects. With Bus Pass Day bearing down on me in the Autumn, I am hoping, finally, to A) Finish the Swordfish, B ) finish the AEW1 Skyraider, C ) Finish the Wizard, D ) finish the HS1121 Then? We will see. Max, we have already spoken. And I suggest folks watch my eBay account. There might be a bargain or three popping up occasionally! Hey, sorry, back to Mikes fab Tornado! Wonderful! MikeC, Shoggz, mozart and 2 others 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted April 1 Share Posted April 1 Take it easy Tim, you deserve it my friend. wunwinglow, MikeC and Kagemusha 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC Posted April 2 Author Share Posted April 2 8 hours ago, wunwinglow said: Hi folks, sorry, life at Perry Towers has been freeping bonkers the last couple of years, and I decided as I couldn't keep all the plates spinning, something had to give, so I canned all the accessories and half baked projects. Apparently, I have been a great deal saner and less 1000 yard stare than I had been! Several other projects were culled too, so no more subcontracting design, the last couple of such projects utterly burned me out, and with several family members with serious health issues, and my dear father in law passing over Christmas, you can imagine the Perry Clan has been crashing about firefighting for months and months. Enough! I am sorting, culling and rationalising, with the absolute intention of clearing the shed for just MY projects. With Bus Pass Day bearing down on me in the Autumn, I am hoping, finally, to A) Finish the Swordfish, B ) finish the AEW1 Skyraider, C ) Finish the Wizard, D ) finish the HS1121 Then? We will see. Max, we have already spoken. And I suggest folks watch my eBay account. There might be a bargain or three popping up occasionally! Hey, sorry, back to Mikes fab Tornado! Wonderful! Thanks for the kind words Tim. Sounds like you've had a tough time of it, hope there's light at the end of the tunnel for you. wunwinglow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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