Short Sunderland MkII

[Kaireckstadt]

Amazing Thomas! 🤩

[Peterpools]

Tom

Fantastic work - your progress is just amazing

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[ThomasProbert]

Afternoon all,

Progress on this build has slowed somewhat after returning to teaching for the new academic year, so evenings have been taken up with marking books and planning lessons. It's such a shame when work gets in the way of one's hobby. However I've been working on the floats when time allows, so thought I'd share some pictures...

The basic shapes were removed from their backing sheet with a sharp blade. I hold it at a 45-degree angle and score around the part numerous times before snapping it free. It then means there's only a very small 'lip' of plastic needing to be removed which cuts down on the sanding time significantly:

To aid the gluing together of the parts I lined one half of each float with a thin plastic card tab:

The floats are obviously going to be positioned on the outboard sections of the wing in quite a vulnerable position, so I made a trip to my local model shop and bought some alloy tube, helpfully in the shape of an aerofoil like the real thing. This will provide plenty of strength if they inadvertently get a whack! Before joining the floats together I worked out the position of the struts using the plans, before securing them in place using Araldite Epoxy glue:

Here are the floats now together and the struts cut to the correct length. Everything about this model is massive - here's a pot of Tamiya paint as a useful size reference:

I am now going to need to scribe and detail the floats before working out a plan to attach them to the wings and getting a nice and strong join. Stay tuned!

Until next time,

Tom

[ThomasProbert]

Evening all,

This week I have finished off making the floats and have installed them onto the wings -temporarily. 

With the basic structure of the floats done, I removed the head from some nails and epoxied them into the open ends of the alloy struts. After some very careful measuring of plans, I worked out the location of each float and marked this onto the wing:

Just drilling holes and inserting the nails would have meant the join would not have any rigidity, so instead I used some large diameter scrap sprue and inserted this into the wing to act as mounts. These were set into epoxy glue so that they are absolutely rigid and are bedded on to the upper wing surface. These sprue inserts were then filled and sanded flush, before a hole was drilled in each to take the nails and provide a really strong union between the struts and the wing:

Here is a float in situ - not glued yet as there are additional struts to add but these will come later just before paint in case they inadvertently get a whack during the final stages of production:

 

Here are a couple of shots of the overall airframe:

 

 

I've made a tentative start on the transparencies for the cockpit as I want to get this right before I finish off the interior - this will be my next task to complete so hopefully another update in the not-too-distant future. 

All the best,

Tom

[Peterpools]

Tom

Amazing progress with the progress on with attaching the floats and struts to the wing. It's hard to imagine how BIG the Sunderland actually is.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[harv]

I just love this build Tom.....harv

[Kaireckstadt]

Me too Thomas! Awesome build! 🤩

[belugawhaleman]

Enjoying your build Tom, looks great!

[ThomasProbert]

Time for an update as it's been a while - life and work and everything else has been getting in the way and keeping me away from the bench. 

However for a change in pace and a break from working on the main airframe, I've began to work on the props. I once again have raided my stash of Beaufighter parts as the props are the same size and turn the same way. I've had to shorten the hubs a little to take the spinners which have come from the spares box (no idea what the were from) and made some new shafts from sprue to fit the modified engines:

These will now need a squirt of paint and will be good to go. 

It's half term next week so I am hoping to get going again in earnest with this!

All the best,

Tom

[GusMac]

Nice work Tom.

Seems funny you need two of these for a Beau but only four for something this size! I suppose this handled in a way that was a little less sporty. 😄

[ThomasProbert]

Evening all,

I've spent a bit more time at the bench this week, as well as seeing a 1:1 scale Sunderland in the flesh - well a Sandringham actually but close enough. We had a weekend down in Southampton and whilst there I sweet-talked the wife into letting me spend an afternoon at the Solent Sky Museum. If you're in the area it's well worth a visit - lots of great exhibits and history about Southampton during the war years but the star attraction for me was of course their rather beautiful Sandringham that used to fly for Ansett:

 

They even let you dive inside - the interior is a little different to the one I'm building but it was great to have a nose around nevertheless. I imagine this example is a bit more comfortable than the Sunderland!

The main reason for my visit was photograph and have a measure of the beaching gear which is a job I'm going to be tackling soon, and I managed to get plenty of useful reference shots:

 

On to the model itself, I thought it time to have a closer look at the transparencies. It's important to get the fit of these correct just in case there was some additional structural work to be done before commencing on making their interiors. The turrets were carefully cut from the backing sheet and test fitted to the model. Here's the rear and mid-upper in situ - both fit really well:

The only work needed here was build up the rear turret fairing a little more with card and Milliput.

The cockpit glazing itself fits remarkably well - phew!

For the nose turret, the MkII I'm building still had the early type fitted. This will be installed in the fully retracted position so I have made and added a platform for it to sit on as well as adding the details around the opening itself:

The props have also been painted and lightly weathered:

And look the part when installed on the engines:

 

 

And that, boys and girls, brings you up to speed.

Until next time,

Tom

[harv]

Have I said how much I love this build ??.....harv

[GusMac]

Looks great Tom.

Never heard of that museum but will bear it in mind next time we're down visiting the relatives in Portsmouth. Sounds like a good excuse to escape for some peace!

[Kaireckstadt]

Amazing work Tom! Your skills are stunning!

Kai

[ThomasProbert]

13 hours ago, GusMac said:

Looks great Tom.

Never heard of that museum but will bear it in mind next time we're down visiting the relatives in Portsmouth. Sounds like a good excuse to escape for some peace!

Yes - it’s well worth a visit. Lots of interesting exhibits including the Supermarine SB.6 racer which is well worth a good drool over…

[ThomasProbert]

3 hours ago, Kaireckstadt said:

Amazing work Tom! Your skills are stunning!

Kai

You are very kind, Kai!

[Peterpools]

Tom

Looking simply fantastic and your progress is amazing.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[ThomasProbert]

Afternoon guys and gals,

Progress has been slow on this recently as I got to the point where I knew I needed to start to cockpit interior or there was a real danger I would lose steam on this build. I HATE doing cockpits so struggled a bit with motivation to get this done - it's all had to be made from scratch so it's rather tedious. 

Before I go any further I'll say that don't use this build as a reference for your own Sunderland models as I've used a bit of poetic licence here and there, but hopefully you'll agree it looks the part. 

The seats and instrument panel (including the radio) were all made from plastic card (Airscale's excellent etched bezels were used too) along with some bits and bobs from the spares box and Millput for the seat cushions. Control columns were made from Evergreen and some paper clips cut and bent to the correct shape. I found some 1/32nd seatbelts which did the job - pictures of MkII pilots' seats were hard to come by but they'll do:

Individual parts painted up:

And positioned as they will be in the cockpit:

 

When dry-fitted into the flightdeck, all fits as it should:

I've also had the airbrush out and given the front turret area and cockpit and window surrounds a squirt of interior green so the glazing can be added when the time comes:

I've still got to make the overhead panel that'll go under the roof of the cockpit glazing, but that can wait until another day. 

I think I'm going to do something more fun next and maybe have a crack at the beaching gear. 

Take care all,

Tom

[Peterpools]

Tom 

Nice work on the front office, as it looks the part.

Keep ‘em comin

Peter

[Bomber_County]

Holy moly Tom this build just gets better…..

[ThomasProbert]

Howdy all,

I've concentrating my recent efforts on the beaching gear for the big Sunderland - I was for a while considering a water diorama but then it occurred to me that I don't have a 5ft by 5ft display area so wheels it is.

I love the challenges kits of this nature bring and the research that needs to be done as it always throws up so much information about a particular aircraft. It looks as if there were three distinct types of beaching gear, all with their subtle differences, and that does not include all of the different float, wheel and tyre combinations. The version I photographed at Solent Sky looks to be either very late or post-war, therefore not suitable for an earlier MkII of around 1941 vintage. It seems they were painted differently too - some left in natural metal and others in anti-rust red. 

Strength is a must on such a large model, and I did consider using a brass core but my soldering skills are not up to the job. Instead, I raised my stash of spare sprue and found some really chunky parts from the HK B-17 kit and used these as a starting point to form the core of the beaching gear. I used a perpendicular junction point as this provided a very strong 90-degree angle for the main strut and axle without having to worry about the joint failing at any time:

Over a few sessions I then built up the external structure with plastic card, Evergreen and more sprue and detailed them according to references:

The rear beaching gear is a more complex affair and is a sturdy box-like structure with a cradle for the rear of the hull to rest in:

Here are the main components ready for a trip to the spray booth:

I've decided to go for anti-rust red as it'll add a splash of colour. After the base-coat they have received a light wash and some rust streaks etc - the real things got terribly battered so I may add some more at a later stage:

These then slot snugly on to the forward fuselage:

And under the rear of the hull:

You'll notice a distinct absence of wheels at this stage - a friend is kindly helping me out by designing and printing me a set that will be added in due course. Here's an early screen shot of how they'll look:

And now here we are: sitting proudly on it's own three legs and waiting for the next stage of detailing. For some reason, my cat never looks impressed with my models - she must get that from the wife!

Until next time,

Tom

[HubertB]

Never mind the cat : I am impressed 👍 !

Hubert

[belugawhaleman]

I agree with Hubert on this one! Very impressive!

Paul.

[Peterpools]

Tom

I'm right with Hubert and Paul - very impressive work.

Keep 'em comin

Peter

[ThomasProbert]

 Evening folks,

A long overdue update on the Sunderland...

The last few weeks have been spent adding some of the finer details to the model as I prepare it for paint. The last major job was to add the cockpit glazing which is always a nerve-wracking experience as I regularly ruin canopies with wayward glue-sodden fingers and a host of other mishaps. However, this time things proceeded smoothly - the canopy itself was an excellent fit and the whole process was remarkably trouble free!

First job was to add the previously completed flightdeck details:

Then the canopy itself was attached by holding it in place with tape and running Tamiya Extra Thin around the mating surfaces:

This was allowed to set for 24 hours and then I carefully masked the areas in need of protecting before blending the clear piece in with Milliput Fine:

When complete, the windows were marked out and cut from Tamiya tape before the whole cockpit area got a spray of RAF grey/green to ensure the frames are the correct colour when viewed from inside. I also attached the astrodome and DF loop which was a spare from an HK B-17:

With that done, other smaller details were made and added such as the leading edge landing lights on the port wing (these will be fitted and painted after the main paint job is completed), the tip lights were made from clear sprue sanded to shape and the various other access panels were either sribed on or made from thin Evergreen strip:

 

The early Sunderlands were festooned with various aerials for sub-hunting and these have been made from various pieces of sprue and Evergreen - I have fitted those on the top of rear fuselage as they shouldn't get damaged but the remainder will be done after painting:

 

A beautiful set of 3D-printed wheels have also arrived to complete the hone-made beaching gear:

So the airframe is now more or less ready for a mammoth session in the paint booth - you'll notice I've already sprayed her flanks in Medium Sea Grey in preparation for masking off the codes on her sides:

 

Speaking of paint - my go-to brand is Xtracolor's enamel range and I'm stocked up and ready to go!

I may be a while but I'll be sure to update you when she's in her new dress.

All the best,

Tom