ThomasProbert

Evening all, I've been concentrating on the nose section of the Shackleton over the last couple of sessions at the bench, as it's quite a complex area considering the gentle curves and apertures for the nose glazing and turret etc. I felt that if I could crack this it'd set me in good stead for the rest of the project, such as the tail area and engine nacelles. I have cut some plastic card 'planks' and added them one by one to the skeleton structure beneath, which allows the contours of the nose structure to be followed more easily than bending larger 'sheets' of plastic card to shape and getting them to conform. Each 'plank' was approx 3mm - 4mm in breadth, and they were secured with poly-cement for a strong join, both to the ribs beneath and the plank below it as I worked from the bottom up. This created the basic shape for the nose and after the glue had fully cured the whole nose got a thorough sanding to smooth out any rough edges. Then it was a liberal coating of my trusty car body filler, and this again was allowed to harden over night before it too got a thorough rub-down with some wet 'n' dry. I must say that considering it's the first time I've attempted anything like this, it's come out pretty well. A few blemishes to sort here and there, but a resounding success if I can bold enough to say! It did feel more like I was building an old wooden galleon than a cold-war warrior though! Now it'll be a few coats of filler-primer to see how it all looks - no doubt this'll reveal a multitude of sins but nothing some more filler can't sort out. Until next time, Tom

Loving what you're doing here, Cees. Any further progress? Tom EDIT - have just seen your thread in the HKM competition area...

Cheers, guys. It's been a lot of fun so far - but a looooonnnngggggg way to go yet! Tom

You know those occasions when you get a crazy idea and just have to give a try? Well this is one of those. There's far from any guarantee of success or completion, but fortune favours the brave and all that..! Having a real soft-spot for the Avro Shackleton I've decided to do something really stupid and have a go at scratch-building one in 1/32nd scale. As I'm sure we're all aware there's kits available in 1/72nd and 1/48th scale, but nothing in 1/32nd so the only option is to start from scratch. I have an old ID Models 1/32nd Lancaster in the stash, and always planned to convert that to a Lincoln. However, when doing some research on the Lincoln I discovered that the wing and centre section (although widened on the Shackleton) were in essence the same airframe. Therefore I thought, making a Shackleton using the Lancaster as a parts donor could be a viable option... The first phase of the project was to find some plans. The Warpaint Series on the Shackleton came up trumps, and although these plans are far from perfect they've given me enough to get started. I duly enlarged them to 1/32nd scale and cobbled together a reasonable outline for a MR2 which is the version I'm hoping to replicate. You can see the size this model will (hopefully) be when finished when you put the Airfix 1/72nd kit on top: With that done it was sourcing the key components of a project like this - various thicknesses of plastic card: And of course the ID Models Lancaster: I then set about building up the centre section from plastic card formers, using the bomb bay roof as the structural centre-point. Wing spars have been made integral to the structure for strength and stability. I'm not going to worry too much about an interior to the fuselage, as it'll all be sprayed black and next to nothing will be visible through the small fuselage windows. The forward flight deck area will be fully replicated, though: The plan is to use the Lancaster fuselage sides for the 'skinning' of the model, and other areas will be 'planked' and blended with filler from thin plastic card strips. With the fuselage centre section progressing well and having cut my teeth on making bulkheads and formers etc., I had the confidence to have a go at making the nose section. This is a lot more tricky as there are many complex shapes and subtle curves to try to replicate, especially around the extreme nose where the bomb aimer/gunner's glazing. Again, the interior won't an accurate structural representation of the real thing, but being black and only the extreme nose interior being visible there shouldn't be too many problems here. As with the fuselage, the basic shape of the formers were made from plastic card and assembled to give a skeleton that'll be skinned in due course: I haven't made the 'roof' to the nose compartment yet as some form of interior needs to be added, as well as the observer/gunner's transparencies and its associated fairings: So this is where we're currently at: And alongside the 1/72nd scale version for a 'size reality check!' As I said at the start, there's no guarantee of success in the long term, but I'm having a blast right now! Tom

This is my first completed build for 2016 - the 1/32nd scale Heinkel He 111 P-1 from Revell. I started this back in the summer of 2015 as a 'pick it up and do a bit as you fancy it' build, and I've been working on it on and off for the last 6 months or so. I have built it more or less out of the box, but I did add some Eduard detailing for the seatbelts and instruments etc, as well as some brass barrels for the guns as the kit's are undersized. It was an absolute joy to build and went together beautifully - very little filler was needed and it proved to be a completely trouble-free project. The only tricky and more time consuming part was the extensive glazing which required careful masking and painting both inside and out. All that glass and no protection 'up front' makes you realise how exposed these chaps were when a fighter sprayed that area - it doesn't bear thinking about the carnage that would ensue in the nose when under attack. Xtracolour enamels were used throughout, with the kit decals also being used which were flawless. The swastika was not included so this was sourced from an Xtradecal sheet, and the whole paint job was finished off with a spray of Humbrol flat varnish. If you're thinking of venturing into larger scale models I'd heartily recommend this kit - it was an absolute joy. Heinkel He 111 P-1 of III.KG 27, Delmenhorst, Germany, Summer 1940. It's also BIG - the He 111 is considerably larger than I had anticipated (span of just over 74ft) and not much smaller than a B-17. Make sure you leave plenty of shelf space! Tom

A lovely job, Mish. I have this in the stash and seeing this is inspiring me to dig it out! Will hopefully see your Spit at a show or two in the coming year. Tom

Here's the latest project to cross the finish line - the 1970's original issue 1/32nd scale Spitfire MkI which has been used as the base kit to produce a Spitfire PRXIX using Grey Matter's conversion set. I chose the original Revell kit rather than the latest release due to the far superior surface detailing (and the fact that it was picked up cheaply at an airshow!) and although it has an issue with the lack of the gull wing effect on the underside I found that far easier to live with than the ridiculously over-scale trenches and rivets seen on the latest Revell offering. The conversion provides a completely new nose section for the big Griffon engine, a new tail fin and rudder, replacement elevators, new propeller, two new radiators and a vacformed canopy for the pressurised cockpit. Work began by modifying the MkI wing - the radiator and oil cooler were removed, along with carburetor intake. The kit didn't have any wheel well detail so this was scratch-built, and the cartridge ejector ports were also blanked off: S1030089 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The fuselage had the Merlin engine cut off at the firewall, I modified and installed an aftermarket cockpit set to replace the basic detail in the kit, and I also scratch-built the camera bays in the rear fuselage: S1030097 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The original nose was then replaced with the resin Griffon one, the MkI tail was sliced off and the resin replacement installed, and the gun bay covers were all filled as of course the PRXIX was unarmed: S1030119 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The Grey Matter conversion kit didn't supply any decals, so I used ModelDecal serials, Xtradecal roundels and the new HGW Spitfire stencil set. Xtracolour enamels were used throughout the build. 1/32nd scale Spitfire PRXIX PS853 of the Meteorological Flight, RAF Woodvale, 1953: DSC_0060 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0065 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0069 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0071 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0073 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0088 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0093 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0094 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr DSC_0101 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr All in all this was a reasonably straightforward conversion to do, the resin parts fitted well and it finally gives me my favourite version of the Spitfire in 1/32nd scale. In hindsight I could easily have based this conversion on the PCM MkIV kit, but I like a bit of a challenge and there's nothing better than dragging ancient kits kicking and screaming into the 21st Century! Until next time, Tom

It's been a while but there's a little more progress to update you on... I've got the interior finished off with some paint and etch belts etc, as well as some "let's raid the spares box and see what we can find to represent some cameras" type scratchbuilding in the rear fuselage. Forgive the horrible lighting in the picture below - it was dark and wet outside when I took this so stayed indoors instead! S1030107 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr With the fuselage halves joined I then added the nose section, removed the kit's original Mk1 tail fin and inserted the Grey Matter resin replacement, then made the joins good. The parts needed a quick lick of filler, but on the whole fitted really well to the Revell donor kit. The wings have finished their modifications (note the filled in and primed gun bay covers) and have also been joined to the fuselage, again with the joins made good: S1030113 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030117 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030119 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030122 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030124 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The next task will be to add the stabilisers before embarking on the radiators etc. I'm having a lot of fun with this! Tom

Morning all, The Spitfire PRXIX is my favourite mark of the breed, and with no kit currently available of this iconic photo-recce version I have decided to convert the original 1970s issue Revell 1/32nd scale MkI into the PRXIX using Grey Matter's conversion set. I've chosen the original issue as I feel the surface detail is a far better representation of the actual aircraft, with Revell's newer issue blighted by ridiculously over-sized sunken rivets and panel lines. The 1970s release has beautifully delicate panel and rivet detail, and is a far better representation of the surface of the real aircraft - in my opinion anyway So, the plan is to use this as the basis for the build... S1030026 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And combine it with these resin parts: S1030029 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030033 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr ...to hopefully make a large-scale version of this Griffon-powered beauty. I've begun by removing the parts needed from the standard MkI wing and plugging the gaps with plastic card. The oil cooler, radiator and carburetor intake have all been blanked off in preparation for the aftermarket parts. The cartridge-ejector ports are the next items that'll need filling in this image: S1030037 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr I've been concentrating most of my efforts on the fuselage, as there's quite a bit needed to bring it up to the PRXIX standard. The original kit lacks any sort of decent interior detail, and what was there was sanded away and the sidewalls and floors have been replaced with a resin set from Aires. I think it's actually for the Hasegawa MkV, but with a bit of modification and creative thinking the main cockpit area is a close enough resemblance to the later mark, and when compared to the Airfix 1/48th cockpit is certainly passable. The rear of the cockpit is totally different on the PRXIX, and being pressurised I have had to make numerous modifications. There is a rear pressure bulkhead at the rear of the cockpit, along with a shelf where the oxygen system is mounted (yet to be made and added), and behind that is the camera bay. This has had the rear bulkhead made, as well as the internal structure added and the framework for the cameras themselves, which was all made from Evergreen strip. Camera ports have been added to the lower fuselage, and the access doors opened up: S1030097 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030103 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr The nose has been roughly sliced off at this stage in preparation for the new resin nose and Griffon engine: S1030086 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030084 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Work has continued on the wing, with the gear bays being scratch built, the shell casing ejector ports filled and the radiator and oil cooling housings blanked off and sanded flush. The whole wing has been sanded extensively to remove panel detail in preparation for my own details to be added: S1030089 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030096 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr And with a dry fit of the Griffon, the graceful lines of the PRXIX become apparent: S1030082 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr S1030078 by Thomas Probert, on Flickr Now, if momentum stays with me I think I'll have a bash at the tail. Until next time, Tom

SInce the last update I've been having a play with the interior of the wing, where the exposed fuel cells will be. The basic wing-spar structure of the Stirling appears to be tubular, so I've begun replicating this with Evergreen rod, adding it to the areas visible in the wing: I then set about making the fuel cells from plastic card, using thicker 1mm card for the upper/lower surfaces, and thin 0.5mm card for the edges as this allows for easy bending and gluing to shape. You'll notice I've only made part of the inner tank as this is the only section that will be seen, as well as my home-made spar structure not being completely consistent with the actual aircraft: With the upper wing slotted into place you start to get the idea of how it'll look: It will hopefully add a bit of extra interest to what is a rather huge upper wing surface: A couple of questions for the Stirling experts out there: 1) Does anyone know what colour the internal wing structure is? From photos of them in the factory the spars look to be either a dark green or black, with some sections such as the internal skinning being natural metal. Other images however look as if the interiors of the wings may be painted - British Interior Green perhaps? 2) The fuel cells themselves: again some images make them look black, whereas others I've seen have a lighter appearance - olive green or oxide reddy/brown? Any help would be appreciated! Tom

The images are great Cees - thanks for your help and input. Any others you have are welcome, not just for me but other Stirling enthusiasts I'm sure! Tom

Yes- that's the long term plan anyway! Time for an update on this project... I've been working on the interior structure of the wings, adding spars and giving them some much needed internal strengthening. I've boxed in the undercarriage bays and done the same with the wing bomb cells using 1mm plastic card, and using thicker 2mm card have made a series of spars and glued them firmly to the lower sections of the wings: The roof of each wheel bay has had two holes drilled in preparation for the undercarriage legs when the time comes. The left wing has also had the area where the exposed panel will be partially boxed in in preparation for further detailing of this area. Small tabs have also been added along the nacelle sides and fronts to strengthen the joins and aid the glueing process when it comes to mating the upper and lower sections of the wing: Here you can see the undercarriage bays and bomb cell - lots more work needed here but the basic shapes are now there: So the results of a few hours work are: It's all good fun! Tom

They've been updating something I think as mine has certainly had a freshen up... it still seems to work as it did before though for me. There's no major rush for any images Cees - I appreciate you help and don't want to cause you undue frustration! I've been busy beavering away with the sandpaper, and have now completed the process of removing the wings from the backing plastic and prepping them. As well as sanding them to the correct thickness, I've scribed on the surface detail such as panel lines etc, which unfortunately do not show up very well in these poor quality pictures! I've also removed the huge trailing edge flaps, the undercarriage bays, and internal bomb cells in the inner portion of the wing: From this angle of both wing undersides, you can see I've removed a lot of plastic - the challenge is now going to be adding spars and internal structure to strengthen all this up! The fit of the parts is excellent, which is always a bonus: Even the parts are still in very basic form at the moment, they clearly belong to a Stirling: Now to get making spars etc... should keep me busy for a while! Tom

Thanks Cees - appreciated.

I've got some great pictures, but as always more is welcome.

There's been a lack of progress on this build unfortunately due a bout of pneumonia - vacform sanding dust and lung infections don't mix too well so I had avoided any sanding etc. However, I'm now back to full health and I've finally made a start on the big Stirling project and have got as far as scribing the upper left wing, removing it from the backing sheet, and call me a madman, but I've decided to open up one of the fuel tank covers on the upper surface to add some interior details. I've got some really good, detailed images of the inner wing structure, so I thought 'why not?' I've also removed the flap as I plan to have these deployed. Not the most interesting of pictures, but I've added a few to prove work has begun. You can just see my scribed details to the right of the outboard nacelle - better lighting is needed to really show the detail off: A size reality check - yes that is a 1/48th Lancaster I'm also working on! Work will now continue on the right wing, so until next time, Tom

The more I think about it Cees the more I think I'd like to do it. Although not often deployed on the ground, it would make for a visually interesting wing. Any images or info would be appreciated. Something to do with being able to fit in a standard British hangar of the time... it seriously limited its ceiling but made it very agile... in one article I read recently a pilot boasted about out-turning a Hurricane in fighter evasion practise. Whether it's true or not is not for me to decide, but it wouldn't surprise me! Tom

Thanks for the interest folks... I'm amazed at the interest these vac kits generate! I've made the smallest of starts this evening and have made myself some templates from thick plastic card for the large panels on the wing upper surface which actually cover the fuel tanks. I like to do the majority of scribing whilst the parts are still on the backing sheet as this way they flex less and are generally easier to handle. Once I've used the templates to do the scribing of these panels on the left wing, it'll simply be a case of flipping them over and using them on the right wing. The next job will be to get scribing... should keep me quiet for an hour or two... Tom

Thanks Cees - will keep your offer in mind. You know you should treat yourself to the Stirling - then we can build them together and share the nightmare! Tom

Having built a Lancaster and Halifax in 1/32nd, I thought I'd have a go at completing the 'Big Three' of RAF WWII heavies and add a 1/32nd Short Stirling to my collection. I ordered this monster from Tigger Models, and a few weeks later a rather large parcel appeared on my doorstep. As is common with these large scale vacforms you are provided with the basics... the fuselage outline, wings, tail and some engine nacelles. Transparencies are provided, but that's about it. As Tigger says on his website - they're a blank canvass for the modeller to work their magic'. As usual, I plan to scratch-build the interior, bomb bays, undercarriage and scribe all surface detail on to the model. This Stirling is rather large in 1/32nd scale - here's the fuselage halves with a tape measure set at 3 feet: Two large sheets provide the wing and stabiliser upper surfaces, some oil coolers and tail wheel halves: Another two sheets give some engine nacelles, fin halves, wing land stabiliser lower surfaces: A set of transparencies is provided: Fellow builders often ask me the size of these models - here's a 1/72nd Lancaster with one of the wings: I've got a set of plans ready to be enlarged to 1/32nd scale, a Warpaint issue on the Stirling, and a box full of spare Revell Beaufighter props and engines to help with some of the detailing: The plan at this stage is to build this as a MkIV glider tug with full invasion stripes, but I'm yet to settle on a particular aircraft. Although I've done a fair bit or research, detailed plans of the landing gear, undercarriage bays, bomb bays and in particular the area where the front turret was are hard to come by. If anyone can point me in the right direction to find information on these areas I'd be very grateful. I have the new Italeri 1/72nd scale kit to guide me on the interior details, but again if anyone can point me in the direction of some decent photo's, particularly of a MkIV interior, it'd be very useful. I plan to have the rear door open and want to detail at least part of the rear fuselage if possible. As with the Lanc and Halifax, I reckon on this project taking about a year to complete, so you may have to bear with me on this one! Let the fun begin! Tom

I'll be there for both days, I've decided to stay over for the first time as there's just too much to see in a single day! Tom

Thank you for an honest, insightful and exceptionally well written review. I haven't taken the plunge with this kit yet, but after reading this and seeing the photos of the parts, it's going to be hard to resist! Tom

Cheers Cees - and yes I agree... I certainly builds well and captures the look pretty well - providing it's not sitting alongside an Echelon example!

Sorry just realised I've posted this in the wring section - should obviously be in Finished Work. Apologies to the mods! Tom

Another of the production line recently - I had hoped to have completed it by the 60th anniversary of the Lightning's first flight (4th August) but I didn't quite make it! This is the Trumpeter 1/32nd scale kit, with the addition of an Aries cockpit set, MasterCasters wheel upgrade set and Xtradecal transfers. I also removed 2mm from the main landing gear legs, as I felt 'out of the box' the tail sits too high - the real aircraft has a slightly tail-down attitude, captured so well by Echelon's kit. A final touch was a homemade air intake cover to add a splash of colour. All paints were Xtracolour enamels. EE (BAC) Lightning F6 XS903/AM of 5 Squadron, Binbrook, 1984 I know this kit gets a harsh press from time to time, but it certainly looks like a Lightning to my untrained eye Tom