converting the HK Models prototype Lancaster into a Manchester.

[Wingco57]

Who am I not to? Although the Spitfire 21 got a jumpstart today.

[Wingco57]

Almost a month since the last post. I think I need to do some work here soon.

[AITORAZKUE]

Yes please Cees...

[Wingco57]

I will, I promise. Was planning yesterday but Netflix has me in it's grasp currently.

[GusMac]

Ah, the curse of the 'box set' strikes again!

[Wingco57]

Yes, but I managed to get something done in the end.

The bombbay doors have now been cleaned up. As you can see in the pics these are really stitched together from several parts so needed quite a bit of filler and sanding. But they are smooth now. I can now concentrate on the ailerons as they had to be taken off after the rigourous sanding needed on the wings. But that work has been finished and as posted earlier the panellines are now being pencilled in. At Telford I will be working on the Manchester too so come to the LSM/HK Models stand and say hello.

 

 

[Wingco57]

Doing some more work on pencilling in the undersurface panellines.

 

[GusMac]

Good to see this back in progress, Cees

[Wingco57]

Think so too. Having two sets of conflicting drawings does not make it easy to pencil in the panellines. I decided to go for the
Caruana drawings as these have more detail. Don't know if this is totally accurate but I go for effect instead of accuracy.
Nobody would know anyway.

[GusMac]

Sounds good. Can't imagine there are too many Manchester 'experts' out there.

[Wingco57]

Robert Kirby is one, he wrote the book on the subject. I have met him once, nice chap, and he also put the old story to bed that triple tail Manchesters had smaller span tailplanes than Lancs. Only the first twenty production machines, after that they all had the 33 foot span similar to the Lanc, and the triple fins were changed for the Lancaster ones.

If I had known before it would have saved me a lot of grief cutting down the tailplanes and then restoring them again

Pencilling in the lines is nearly finished (no boring pics) and then it's time to start scribing them. Hope to get some done before Telford. As I mentioned before I will

be working on the Machester during Telford.

[GusMac]

Yeah, finding things like that out just after you've done something is always interesting. What to do next? ... Laugh, cry or just throw it at the wall?!?

[Wingco57]

Well couldn't bring myself to work on the Manchester the past few days with Telfort coming up. But the good thing is that I will spend two full

days working on it during the show. So, I'm looking forward to that.

Cees

[Wingco57]

Pity that the stand was so full with boxes and models that we didn't had the room to do some modelling.
But motivation has soared again and I have been working on the Manchester since monday. Planning on

the cockpit details which will have to be scratch built and yesterday I have been drilling the holes for the

axles in the tyres and undercarriage struts. This will make painting easier.

 

Will post pics as soon as visible progress has emerged. Now that the Lancaster is expected in March 2017-ish
there is no rush.

[Wingco57]

;)Paper update.

I have been working on the B-17F since a few weeks so the Manchester has been back on the shelf. But this

coming saturday during the IPMS SIG meeting I will restart on the interior again.

Cees

[Fran]

Get your Manchester done before the Lanc... 

 

 

[Wingco57]

I'm still ahead

[GusMac]

Will be nice to see what you have planned for the cockpit, etc, Cees.

[Wingco57]

A complete scratchbuild Gus, I must say I have put this work off for quite a while and concentrated on the wings. Now that these are almost finished I can't stall any longer. And those IPMS SIG modelling afternoons are great for renewed inspiration. Working on the B-17F at the moment too, so two biggies.

[GusMac]

Hope you have a big workbench!

[Wingco57]

Well, I made some very nice progress on saturday, will post pics later.

[Wingco57]

How time flies,

But I managed to do some work on the interior. For the radio's I use Eduard's Tamiya Mossie set, I also have the set for the HK Models Mossie but the radio's are too small.

Cees

 

 

 

[kkarlsen]

Looking good! I do not know if the Manchester has the same interior as the lancaster, you probably know. But  I remember this from my Lancaster build, and I was a little puzzled by the Radio operators seat, how to build it.

 

Then I found this photo, where the wing spar goes right through the fuselage, maybe its the same in the Manchester?

 

 

Keep up the good work! Kent

[GusMac]

Nice start Cees. Lots of bits on that PE fret for adding interest.

[Wingco57]

Hi Kent,

Thanks, that was just the photo I had been looking for.

 

Information on the Manchester interior is sketchy at least so I mainly use Lancaster references. As the Lanc is basically a Manchester with four Merlins it is quite justified. S - for Sugar at the RAF Museum Hendon was laid down as a Manchester but converted into a Lanc on the production line.

 

Although there are differences regarding some specific Manchester interior details. I cannot seem to find good references about the flight engineers panels but I just use a Lancaster one with two of each engine gauges deleted. Sometimes you have to use artistic license.

Cees