1/32nd scale Avro Shackleton - scratchbuild project

[ThomasProbert]

Cheers, chaps. I've only got a couple of weeks of the holidays left and then it'll all go a bit quieter on the modelling front for me. I've also just bought a new house and am moving next week so this might be the last update for a while...

 

I've made a start on the forward bomb bay and radome over the last couple of sessions. When the MR2s were modified to AEW2s, the radar was fitted in the forward part of the bomb bay, which was then separated from the rear section which was still free to operate as usual. The picture below (used for illustrative purposes only) shows this to good effect. Notice the 'flat spot' on the bottom of the radome too - every extra inch counts for ground clearance when the radome hangs this low!

 

 

My model has been constructed with a full length bomb bay, as when I started the project I hadn't at that point committed to an AEW2 and was originally going to make a MR2. Therefore, the forward part of the bay needs filling in, and the closed doors recreated - there's nothing like making a bit of extra work for yourself...

 

So, a basic frame to support the radome was made from 1mm plastic card, with care being taken to follow the outline of the bay doors from my trusty set of plans:

 

 

Test fit under the nose:

 

 

This framework was then planked with my trusty plastic card method:

 

 

When slung under the nose it looks ok so far:

 

 

The radome itself has come from the Braz Grumman Avenger AEW conversion set, as in essence they were the same unit:

 

 

However, as you can see, there's going to be a lot of fettling needed to get it to fit to the Shackleton properly:

 

 

So, I'm off to busy myself with that this afternoon...

 

Tom

[Wingco57]

That is indeed a better looking Shack with the radome and the smaller bombbay.

That planking method is a very nice way to get large subassemblies done. Didn't Alan Clark use that same

technique?

 

Are you going to include the strenghtening strakes on the sides too using plastic strip?

 

I can imagine with your recent family growth as well as expanding model collection you

have outgrown your new house already.

Cees

[ThomasProbert]

That is indeed a better looking Shack with the radome and the smaller bombbay.

That planking method is a very nice way to get large subassemblies done. Didn't Alan Clark use that same

technique?

 

Are you going to include the strenghtening strakes on the sides too using plastic strip?

 

I can imagine with your recent family growth as well as expanding model collection you

have outgrown your new house already.

Cees

Hi Cees,

 

I'm not sure if Alan Clark used the planking method of not - the truth is I was at the coast one day and just happened to walk by an old fashioned fishing boat and the idea struck me how subtle shapes and curves can be recreated using planks. Next thing I knew I was building a 1/32nd Shackleton!

 

Yes indeed the strengthening strips will go on above the bomb bay in due coarse - another trademark Manchester/Lancaster/Lincoln feature.

 

I'm excited about the new house - it's much bigger and also has a huge attic which I have reserved for my big bomber fleet.

 

Tom

[ThomasProbert]

Evening all,

 

The radome section of the big Shackleton has progressed well over the last few days. The forward bomb door section I'd made earlier had a skimming of filler and was sanded smooth:

 

 

This then received a few coats of filler primer, and when dry I added the slightly raised ribs on the exterior of the doors from 5mm Tamiya masking tape, cut to the correct shape. These were all completed together to keep the cutting consistent, and when done applied one side first, then its opposite number in order to keep them all correctly aligned.

 

The radome itself has had the excess resin that enabled it to fit the Avenger removed, and I've amended the shape slightly in order to make it more like the shape seen on the Shackleton. The rear is still too 'pinched' if I'm being honest, but there's not enough resin left to sand away without going through it. I imagine the shape is different at the rear of the radome due to the narrower nature of the Avenger fuselage/bomb bay structure. The flat spot has also been sanded into the lower part of the dome and the rubber skirt that is present between the radome and the bomb doors was replicated with Milliput - there certainly isn't a smooth join on the real thing so I didn't spend too much time neatening the join here either. Finally, I added the rivet detail with a Trumpeter riveting tool - this served as a good practice for the rest of fuselage when the time comes! A splash of Halford's grey primer finished the job:

 

 

I'm afraid I've not had time to get the proper camera set up out as I'm everything is packed up ready for my impending house move, but the following images give an idea of how it looks on a test fit to the fuselage:

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, it appears to look close enough to the real thing for my liking.

 

This will be the last update for a while now as we move into our new home on Wednesday so the modelling equipment (Shackleton included) is all boxed away ready for the move. And then I imagine the wife will have me decorating rather than modelling so it may go a bit quiet here for a bit 

 

Thanks for stopping by,

 

Tom

[GusMac]

Good luck with the move Tom. The radome looks great and the ribbing is just spot on - can't believe you got it so symmetrical and consistent.

[Wingco57]

Amazing progress everytime you post some. That radome really looks great. I also see you have run a rivetting wheel along the

tape and it looks good too. Something I haven't tried yet but you have done the work for me heheh.

Good luck with the housemove, and the resulting decorating. Hope you get everthing back on track soon as we cannot wait

too long for another great Shack fix!

Cees

[Carvair]

Hello Tom,

 

I love your build really, it is a real craftsmanship that you display here.

However I do have a small remark about your radar and that is that the shape of the rear end of it isn't correct .

It should be rounded instead of a chisl shape.

At the link below are a few super pictures about the radome specifics .

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234923816-shackleton-aew-radome/

Only mention this to get you an even better Shack than you already have, carry on the good work .

(It is not in my capability's)

 

Best regards, Jan

[Thor]

Thomas- This is brilliant! Nice to see a bit of progress on this one! Loving it!

THOR   

[levier]

This project just gets better each time we get a glimpse of your progress.

 

Happy moving Thomas, and a productive modeling year, next!

 

Brian

[shark64]

So talented.

[ThomasProbert]

Hello Tom,

 

I love your build really, it is a real craftsmanship that you display here.

However I do have a small remark about your radar and that is that the shape of the rear end of it isn't correct .

It should be rounded instead of a chisl shape.

At the link below are a few super pictures about the radome specifics .

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234923816-shackleton-aew-radome/

Only mention this to get you an even better Shack than you already have, carry on the good work .

(It is not in my capability's)

 

Best regards, Jan

 

Hi Jan - you're quite right, and having looked at the Avenger radome I've used in comparison to the real thing, the plan is now to 3D print a new radome. Watch this space...

 

It's been a while since I updated this thread, but there's been plenty of work going on with the big Shackleton...

 

Wing Update Part I

 

Using the ID Models Lancaster wing as a base, I set about removing the fuel booster pump fairings, as well as the flap and aileron sections. I also removed the wing tip as a new, extended tip would need to be made:

 

 

Here the basic outline of the new extended tips are being tested:

 

 

A set of spars were made from 1.5mm plastic card:

 

 

And then the top half of the wing was added - here is the outer wing section alongside a 1/72nd scale Shackleton as a size comparison:

 

 

The extended tips were then finished off with some spare Beaufighter stabilisers which were reshaped slightly, as well as lots of P38 filler. The rear skins were made from laminated plastic card:

 

 

When completed, they were ready for attaching to the inner wing sections:

 

 

[ThomasProbert]

Wing Update Part II

 

Attaching the outer wing sections was done by cutting slits in the inner wing ends and allowing the spar stubs from the outer wings to slide through and interlock with the inner wing spars I'd made earlier in the build. The outer sections are quite chunky, and I wasn't confident that normal poly cement or superglue would be strong enough in the longer term, so instead I've used this stuff:

 

 

It's actually are two-part exposy-resin glue that dries so hard it's like concrete. It can be sanded/sculpted and with a workable drying time of 20 minutes, it allowed me to set the wings level and then they could be left overnight to harden. The join is now absolutely solid, and there's very little flex across the entire length of the wing which is rather pleasing for a model of this span.

 

It was important to get the correct dihedral, and because the Shackleton's outer wing sections have a less pronounced upward lift than the Lancaster, the fact I was using Lancaster wings meant I needed to modify the join - you can see in the picture below the plastic card spacers I added to each wing to get the correct angle:

 

 

I then set about blending the inner and outer sections together, and applied a liberal coating of my trusty P38. This was then sanded back over a couple of evenings. Building a model this size requires thinking out of the box, and sanding it over the sink was the only option because 1) it keeps the amount of dust to a minimum and 2) it's one of the only spaces big enough to maneuver it properly! The wife wasn't best pleased, but I explained this was a better option than coating the rest of the house in an inch or two of sanding dust...

 

 

And here we are - it's suddenly become a lot bigger... about three-and-half-feet-across-the-wings-bigger!

 

 

 

You may have noticed that the fins are missing - this was because one was broken off when it had a too-closer encounter with the wall adjacent to my workbench, and thus I removed the other one as well before that took some irreparable damage, too. They will be reattached when the main filling and sanding is complete.

 

In the photo you can see the amount of filler needed to correct the warping on the left wing - it's more or less corrected now but it will be clearer to see if further work is needed when it's been primed:

 

 

So the next step will be to have a bash at the outboard engine nacelles... should be fun 

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

[Carvair]

Love it love it love it what a super build..

 

I am happy to see you haven't given up on this great subject..

 

This is being followed with a lot of enjoyment

 

All the best ,

 

Jan

[GusMac]

Looks great Tom, if rather unwieldy! I'm amazed you've only damaged one fin so far. As they say, 'you could have yer eye out with that!'.

[crazypoet]

Great subject and a beautiful build... I'm loving the process

[Wingco57]

Absolutely amazing and in my opinion the build of the year already. Your perseverence is amazing Tom. Something I can learn from.

[JeroenPeters]

Oh wow.... 

[ThomasProbert]

Evening everyone 

 

Not a lot of progress to report on the big Shackleton project, but work has been going on, albeit at a glacial pace...

 

I've been getting the wing surfaces sorted, as after the outer wings were attached a coat of filler-primer revealed a multitude of sins to be sorted. The original plastic of the Lancaster kit was quite bumpy from the start, and the rather rudimentary panel detailing needed to go, too. So, the pictures you see below are the results of three coats of filler-primer that have now been sanded back and polished, to leave me with a lovely and smooth surface for the final priming:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've also begun the process of marking out the position of the outboard nacelles in preparation to make those:

 

 

Have I said before that this model is rather large? Here's a 1/32nd Spitfire snuggled up and shows the massive span of this thing - it's not far short of the 1/32nd B-29 I did a few years back:

 

 

Not the most enthralling of updates, but I wanted to assure you that this project is still ticking along slowly...

 

On a final note, does anyone know of a good source of plans for the radome set-up on the AEW2? I'm going to redo my earlier one and need a lower, side, front and rear profile of the 'dome itself is anyone knows of a good set of drawings?

 

Until next time,

 

Tom

[GusMac]

Looking good. What a size! Must be hard to manoeuvre without demolishing half the room!

[Wingco57]

Not to mention banging yourself on the head repeatedly with it. You didn't make it easy for yourself fitting the outer wings already Tom.

But it looks fantastic.

[crazypoet]

Every time I see an update on this it inspires me to take on bigger challenges.  Beautiful work!!!

[ThomasProbert]

Cheers, chaps!

 

And yes, she's getting rather tricky to handle. Notice both fins are off as one took an unscheduled encounter with the wall adjacent to the bench, and thus I removed the other to protect it whilst there's still sanding and filling to do...

[shark64]

I have been following this build for a while. its truly a top build. 

[RichO]

I love watching a good scratch project.  I just joined your group here and I'm scratching a MAZ.  Some good techniques to steal here, thanks.

[ThomasProbert]

Evening all 

 

It's been a while since any kind of update on this project, but life and a general lack of motivation for it has got in the way over the last few months.

 

However, I have been doing a bit of work on the outboard engine nacelles...

 

The first task was to establish exactly where the outer engines were on the outer wing sections. I used a combination of my plans as well as scaling up the Airfix 1/72nd scale kit's measurements, and then made the firewalls from 1.5mm plastic card - these were stuck to a 'spine' which was cut to the profile of the nacelle which was in turn stuck to the underside of the wing. Confused? May be the following pictures will explain in better...

 

Here are the firewalls in position on the leading edges of the wing:

 

 

 

With the firewall and spine on the correct position, I could then begin to build up the basic shape of the nacelle with bulkheads (or formers) which again were checked against the plans I have as well as the Airfix kit to ensure the shape was correct:

 

 

 

With the shape of the nacelle sorted, I then began planking the formers with 2-3mm wide strips of plastic card:

 

 

The extreme rear of the nacelle has a too-steep profile for the planks, so this was made from Milliput and wet-sanded to shape without too much of a headache:

 

 

And now we have an outboard engine nacelle completed:

 

 

As you can see from the pictures, the surface is far from smooth. This won't be a problem though, as when the glue is properly cured (and thus there's no more movement in the plastic as it dries) it'll get a coat of car body filler and a thorough sanding, before a few coats of filler primer will be sprayed on to finish the job.

 

Now one nacelle is done, I've got to get cracking with the other. The thought of cutting a load more planks doesn't instill me with joy however, but I keep telling myself it's the last of the main structural work on this project, and then it can be the fun detailing of the airframe.

 

Until next time,

 

Tom