1/32nd scale Halifax: *project complete*

[GUY5Y]

Its pure joy.

[Wingco57]

Fabeltastic Tom,

The painting stage is getting closer.

Really love this.

Cees

[ThomasProbert]

Thanks for the kind words gentlemen...

 

More to update you on with the engines...

 

As I'm sure you remember from earlier in the build, the engines were pretty basic as they came in the 'box' with the carburetor intakes and the exhausts moulded on to the nacelles:

 

 

These wouldn't pass in this scale, so off they came, and I made my own masters to be cast in resin. Well they've arrived, and I must say they are excellent:

 

 

 

As you can see from the above picture, I've got far more than I need (as well as propeller blades) so if anyone has this kit and wants a set of intakes please get in touch!

 

I've improved the shape of the radiator intakes, as well as adding the radiator shutters to the undersides of the nacelles, which were made from plastic card. The new carburetor intakes look the part when installed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've still got the exhausts and propellers to make, so hopefully when installed the engines will look a lot better than what I started with!

 

Until next time...

 

Tom

[benjaminsummerfield]

Wow big improvement, is it a particular company who offer the casting service?

[ThomasProbert]

Wow big improvement, is it a particular company who offer the casting service?

CMK... Superb casting in my opinion. Am yet to find a single air bubble...

 

Tom

[ThomasProbert]

I've got a little more to update you on regarding my Halifax project...

 

I've been doing some further work to the flightdeck interior in preparation for the adding of the canopy. I had this resin seat in my spares stash left over from a detail set provided with the Combat Models 1/32nd B-17:

 

 

Although it doesn't really resemble a Halifax seat, it was a good starting point. A few modifications later:

 

 

I also scratch built the instrument panel from plastic card which was drilled to resemble the dials and gauges. The rudder pedals were also scratched form Evergreen strip:

 

 

 

When painted up it looks passable (especially as it will be viewed through the canopy)

 

 

When all painted up and added to the earlier detail on the flightdeck it all comes together nicely. The control yoke and various other smaller details were scratch built, as well as the fire extinguisher which was made from old sprue and sanded to shape:

 

 

 

 

The only non-scratch built items were the seat harness which came from Eduard, and the basis of the seat.

 

I've also added a little more detail to the wheel bays, and added the outer-most bomb doors:

 

 

 

Finally, I've started work on the propellers. These will be 4-bladers and the spinners are more rounded in shape than the 3-bladed prop - I will be plunge-moulding my own spinners so have made a Milliput master to use. It has to be slightly smaller than the actual size you need it to allow for the thickness of the plastic:

 

 

Slowly but surely edging to the point of painting...

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

[Wingco57]

Now, that is nice.

Well done.

Cees

[CruZz]

Great build!

[JonathanReed]

This has been an amazing build.  Love watching it look like an airplane.  I've alwys been in awe of this kind of building and the patience required to do it.  They look like a blob when started.  VERY Nice!    

[ThomasProbert]

Thanks for stopping by and giving me your feedback chaps - it is great to hear your thoughts and sure helps to keep the motivation up on such long projects 

 

Time for another update...

 

I've got the props more or less completed now, which is a weight of my mind as they can make or break a project such as this. As there are none provided in the kit, it's a case of having to steal some from an appropriate donor kit, or make your own. I have wracked my brains (that didn't take very long!) and couldn't think of a kit which had the same 4-bladers as a Halifax - my life would have been easier if I'd done a MkIII as a Revell Beaufighter would have been a fine donor, so it was down the "scratch-build them" route.

 

Earlier in the build I showed you how I'd modified a 1/24th scale needle-blade Mosquito prop as a master for making resin copies:

 

 

Well CMK came up trumps and this lot arrived:

 

 

So with the blades sorted, it was a case of making a spinner. The four-bladed propellers have a more rounded appearance then their three-blade cousins, and I was confident that I could make a master from Milliput. Here is this master offered up against the plans:

 

 

And after a little more shaping with sandpaper and a polish:

 

 

It was then time to have a go at some crash moulding. This is a reasonably quick, cheap and straightforward way of making copies of the master without having to spend ages making four from Milliput and ensuring that they are all identical.

 

Step 1:

 

Heat some plastic card over the hob until it starts to 'wobble'. Don't let it get too soft otherwise you'll push the master right through it (and make a mess of the hob!):

 

 

Step 2:

 

Allow the plastic to cool a little, and then remove the master. You will be left with a perfect copy of the spinner in the plastic:

 

 

Step 3:

 

Carefully cut the spinner away, but leave some spare plastic as this will be trimmed later:

 

 

Step 4:

 

Make a backing plate for the spinner:

 

 

Step 5:

 

Insert this plate into the back of the spinner and then trim the excess plastic (yet to be done in this picture):

 

 

(Part two to follow)

[ThomasProbert]

(Part Two)

 

Step 6:

 

Check out your handy work with a quick test-fit:

 

 

Step 7:

 

It's now time to attach the blades - this was done using the plans to ensure everything was aligned correctly. Special care was needed when drilling the apertures for the blades to pass through and attach to the backing plate:

 

 

Finally, it was time for a test-fit of all the props (no 2 excluded for obvious reasons) and see how everything looks:

 

 

 

The propeller for engine No2 has been put in the fully feathered position as on the finished model the cowlings will be removed so I thought it could be a nice little touch to show some problems with this engine:

 

 

All in all I'm pleased how they've come out. In hindsight I think I could have made the blades slightly thicker at the root, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it to be honest. Considering I had nothing to start with I think they'll be passable. 

 

That's another big step forward on what is turning in to quite a journey!

 

Tom

[rkranias]

beautiful engineering and model building.  you make this look s easy.

[Grant]

This really is stunning work Tom - quite stunning!!

[GUY5Y]

Oh my!

[Beychevelle]

crazy! insane! ....and WOW!

[ThomasProbert]

Thanks for the kind words chaps... much appreciated.

 

Tom

[Wingco57]

So it should be Tom.

How did you get the propblades in place? Did you use a central core? And what about the

Pitch?

Cees

[Spitfire]

Just pure plastic magic

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[ThomasProbert]

So it should be Tom.

How did you get the propblades in place? Did you use a central core? And what about the

Pitch?

Cees

 

Cees,

 

The first step was to offer the spinner up against the plans and mark out the postition for the blades on the spinner itself. Once I'd cut the apertures, it was then a case of inserting each blade and sticking it directly against the backing plate - and a quick check on the plan before the CA glue completely set. There is no 'hub' as such - everything is sectured to the backing plate. As you can't see anything inside the spinner it all works rather well.

 

The pitch was done purely by eye - they are all in fairly fine pitch apart from the feathered prop which will go on No2.

 

Tom

[ThomasProbert]

I've been having a play with the cockpit framing over the last few evenings as there is fairly prominent bracing behind the pilot/engineer's bulkhead.

 

With the transparency test fitted you can see the problem - in this scale you can see something needs to be done as it's far too bare in there:

 

 

The solution was to check my references and build the upper part of the bulkhead from Evergreen strip and tubing, as well as the escape hatch framework, with the following result:

 

 

And a test fit on the model:

 

 

And finally under the canopy:

 

 

Now all that's needed is a quick coat of paint...

 

Tom

[GUY5Y]

<sigh>....ya beaut.

[Wingco57]

Slowly but surely a classic bomber emerges. As soon as you have finished this a injected plastic one will

be announced perhaps.
Cees

[Flip]

oh wow, that's just fantastic work. That's 'real' modelling!  Have some vac form kits in my stack as well, but never dared to tackle them. You make it look easy indeed (but I bet it's not :-))

Grtz

Flip

[ThomasProbert]

Slowly but surely a classic bomber emerges. As soon as you have finished this a injected plastic one will

be announced perhaps.

Cees

 

Story of my life, Cees...

 

 

oh wow, that's just fantastic work. That's 'real' modelling!  Have some vac form kits in my stack as well, but never dared to tackle them. You make it look easy indeed (but I bet it's not :-))

 

Grtz

 

Flip

 

I'd say have a go!

 

Vacs are by far the most fun I have at the modelling desk. Challenging? Yes. But they have made me a better modeller and have taught me a host of new skills I'd never have needed to learn if I just built 'regular' kits.

 

Just be prepared for a lot of trial and error (not to mention filling and sanding!) but at the end of it you'll have a very unusual model to add to your collection. I've done the Combat B-17 and B-24 in 1/32nd, and the ID Lancaster and B-29. Along with this project I have also have a 1/32nd Sunderland ready to go, too. I'd never seen another in those scales at any shows until the arrival of the HK B-17. And now no doubt HK will be planning a Halifax... 

 

Tom

[Wingco57]

Hope so.

Cees