Revell 1:72 Tornado GR1 (GR4) "Dambusters 70th Anniversary"

[dr_gn]

Hello all! I think this is my first post since day one on the forum, with my WnW SE5a. I've not done any more larger scale stuff since then, but wanted to support the forum, so if it's OK I'd like to share a few of my 1:72 builds occasionally?

 

This build was inspired by my visit to the Derwent dam anniversary flypast of the BBMF Lancaster back in May 2013. I loved the 617 Squadron Tornados that also 'performed' that day. A lot of RAF commemorative schemes appear to have been designed by pre-school kids, but this one I think is pretty smart:

 

When I subsequently saw the Airfix kit with that scheme, I had to have it. Long story short, it's one of the worst kits I've ever seen, so I decided to convert the infinitely better Revell GR1 to GR4 spec, and use only the excellent Cartograf decals from the Airfix kit. This involved quite a bit of work, plus some additional details while I was at it.

 

Modifications included:

• Aires resin cockpit and wheel wells
• SBS resin nose cone
• Freightdog resin FLIR pod
• Master Model brass nose cone pitot tube and AoA probes
• Little Lenses for landing lights, HUD projector and LRMTS gubbins
• Cartograf decals (from the Airfix kit)
• Flightpath crew access ladder
• PJ Resin crew figures
• Airwaves “Remove Before Flight” tags
• Scratchbuilt vacuum formed canopy (0.5mm PET-G sheet) & internal details
• Scratchbuilt LRMTS pod & window (plastic strip & clear acetate)
• Scratchbuilt main door rams (brass tubes)
• Scratchbuilt paper/tape wing seals
• Scratchbuilt fin de-icer (brass tubes)
• Scratchbuilt cockpit shoulder cills (plastic strip) & latches (scrap p/e)
• Scratchbuilt engine intake vanes (plastic card)
• Photo-etch afterburner flame holders (Eduard)
• Photo-etch rivet added to dorsal spine behind rear canopy
• Boxed-in APU exhaust internals
• Internal stiffening added around u/c bays (plastic strips)
• Brake pipes (lead wire)
• Cannon barrel drilled out
• Modified & repositioned BOZ 107 pod (rear fairing)
• Modified fin heat exchanger duct (lengthened)
• Modified fin-top RWR pod (rear extension shortened)
• Modified cockpit pitot tubes (brass tube)
• Modified tail mounting (brass rod/aluminium tube)
• Modified IFR fairing (thinned next to stbd. intake)
• Modified wing pylons (stabilising tabs removed & brass/plastic rod  locating pins added)
• Modified port missile mounting (guide rails and pockets added)
• Modified fuselage ventral rails (pocketed, and rear mounts added)
• Modified front u/c leg (shortened)
• Repositioned & drilled out under-fuselage air intake
• Repositioned main gear doors
• 1:25,000 O/S pilot's map of Derwent Reservoir (scaled print)
• Overall faded Medium Sea Grey was a mix of Vallejo Light Grey 70.990 [RAL7001] (80%) Vallejo White 70.951 [RLM21] (20%). Preshaded with Vallejo German Grey 70.995 + MIG Dark Wash.

The Revell canopy, in fact all the transparent parts, were hopelessly bad, so with the absence of any aftermarket items, I opted to build a vacforming box, and make my own canopy out of PET-G sheet and plastic paper for the frames. I used the original Revell canopy as a female mould for the vacform plug (Milliput):

 

The MDC (canopy Miniature Detonation Cord) was made using annealed copper wire in a jig I made from some drills:

 

 

 

And I also made a punch and die to make some canopy corner radius decals:

 

 

 

I must get myself a proper punch and die set one day. Anyway, here is the finished canopy. The internal details were scratch built, apart form the mirrors which were form the Aires cockpit set. Frankly I'm amazed it worked out as well as it did:

 

This is the excellent Aires resin cockpit. Really for a GR1, but....whatever:

 

Here's the completed model. Obviously, being me I did mess up something - the result is that the port wing is a slightly diferent shade from the stbd, but there you go; I hope it's not too noticable:

 

Hope you like it, Cheers, Garth.

[BevanBrooks]

Wow that is really cool! I'm reading about 617's Tornados in Iraq/Afganistan at the moment.

 

Bevan

[RalphSarc]

Very nice build! Love the cockpit detail!