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 Rank: Superelite      Groups: Registered
Joined: 10/05/2010 Posts: 2,608 Points: 7,519 Location: Lincolnshire
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Hi Kev That looks like a sweet model. I think you’ll enjoy building this. Good luck with your build and the competition. Regards Gray
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looks like a serious contender, plenty to do - enjoy
Jase“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” -Mark Twain
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Thanks for looking in and your comments Graham and Jase, much appreciated as always. 
Yeah, a lot of work to do but I'll definitely enjoy it! Have already made a start, but been too busy with work this week to post any progress photos, will put some up over this weekend.
Kev 
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Hello all,
Time for my first update with some actual building to show.
I was going to start with the cockpit and interior as is the normal sequence with model aircraft kits. However, the floor to the cockpit and forward interior also doubles as the roof to the bomb bay on the underside as can be seen in the first two photos below. This kit although a recent re-release is based on the old 1976 moulds and as such is a little basic in places. Such is the case with the bomb bay which although it has some of the airframe structure moulded integrally, also has some rather strange cone shaped pedestals to which the bombs are supposed to be glued. These needed to be removed and replaced with something more realistic and accurate! I didn't want to fit all of the interior items on the upper side of the floor and then have to do major surgery on the underside to correct the bomb bay faults so decided to tackle the bomb bay first and I can then just tape the bomb bay doors temporarily in place to protect my work whilst fitting all of the fuselage interior at a later date.
So, after gluing the front and rear bulkheads in place, the awful pedestals and all of the moulded structure was removed with micro chisels and scalpel and the remaining flat areas sanded, then any marks filled with Mr Surfacer 500 and again sanded to get them perfectly flat. I then had to spend countless hours rebuilding the structure from 0.5mm square sectioned plastic strip. The longerons were fitted first then the cross braces were individually cut and glued in place. Reference was made to photos of the real bomb bay for placement of the cross braces. Some narrow strips of 10 thou plastic sheet were then added where the structure meets the centre panel. I will also be adding small diamond shaped 'fishplates' across the top of all joints between the longerons and cross braces as can be seen in photos of the real bomb bay. I will then be making some scratchbuilt ribbing that runs along the inside edges of the bay and then there is a lot of pipework and PE brass bomb bay parts to be fitted. More of that in the next update.
I also tooh delivery of two more reference books and some machined brass replacements for the .303 Browning machine guns, all of which can be seen in the last four photos below.
Thanks for looking, all comments and criticisms welcomed.
Kev 
ModelMania attached the following image(s):
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 Rank: Super-Elite        Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
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Very nice start Kev. Those master barrels are incredible. I purchased the same brand for my kit. So much detail on such small parts. Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette) COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
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lovely bit of scratch building and looks all the better for, nicely done that man
Jase“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” -Mark Twain
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Good to see this underway, good luck with the BotY entry
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Thanks Tony, Jase and Tom for looking in and for your comments, always greatly appreciated. 
Kev 
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 Rank: Elite        Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/04/2012 Posts: 1,787 Points: 5,292 Location: Thurso
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Nice start Kev, a definite improvement on the bomb bay.
Graeme
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Thanks for looking in and your comments Graeme, very much appreciated. Yes, a worthwhile improvement though plenty more detail still to add to the bomb bay yet. 
Kev 
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Great to see you make a start on this Kev and a great start too..... look forward to seeing what else you come up with on this one..... Regards Alan
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Thanks for your great comments Alan, very much appreciated as always. I have a lot of refinements to add to this kit yet, so plenty for you to look forward to. Thanks for the support mate. 
Kev 
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 Rank: Super-Elite       Groups: Registered
Joined: 28/07/2014 Posts: 4,269 Points: 12,713 Location: Scotland
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Nice work Kev  the bombay will look superb with all the etch added aswell  regards Phil COMING SOON =1/72 Italeri diorama`s Battle for the Reichstag and Stalingrad battle at the tractor factory 1/16 Trumpeter King Tiger with loads of extras ON THE GO= refurbishment of 1/25 Tamiya tiger 1 , amt Star trek kits and space 1999 models
So Much to Build,But What a Hobby!
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Interesting quote in your Sig line Kev. Another interesting quote came from Herman Goering that was painted onto the S-Sugar Lanc which is on display at the Hendon Air Museum..... “No enemy plane will fly over Reich territory”
It can be seen written in white in this photo of a replica nose section which is copied from the real S-Sugar Lanc at Hendon.... https://www.google.co.uk...d-lincolnshire-36132331
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Yes, thanks for that Tom. I like to change them round every now and again, did have a quote from General George S. Patton (about the Battle of the Bulge) in there for a while but as I am building the Lancaster in my RAF100 entry, I thought I'd put one up from dear old 'Bomber' Harris. Was going to put his more famous "They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind." quote, but I think he was spot on with his Lancaster winning the war quote so plumped for that instead. I've also put a Lanc in my avatar to complete the set! 
That's a good quote from old 'fatty' Goering, can't believe he ever thought that they could bomb everyone else but nobody would bomb them in retaliation? Which is basically what Harris was talking about in his 'whirlwind' speech. How stupidly arrogant was Hermann eh? Our bomber boys certainly made him eat those words! 
Interesting article in your link about the Lancaster cockpit restoration, thanks for that.
Kev 
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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Hello all,
A bit more done to the bomb bay conversion. Doesn't look much but there's a lot of work gone into the few photos below!
I've started adding some of the PE parts from the Eduard Bomb Bay set, the first being a large plate with lightening holes that sits almost centrally along the bay and is the area where the large 'Cookie' bomb will sit along with a few standard bombs. Looking at photos of the real bay, the airframe beneath these holes is hollow, though Eduard suggest just gluing the plate flat against the kit plastic. I decided to enhance this slightly so used the plate as a template, marked the holes with a scriber and spent several hours removing material with micro chisels and then brushed a little Tamiya 'Extra Thin' liquid cement to smooth off the rough edges. It all still looks a little rough at the moment but when painted won't show as anything other than a few holes in the bomb bay roof?
Next job was to add some long PE plates along the sides of the bay, three on each side, which contain some missing details and cabling. I will be adding more scratch built pipework and some ribbing on top of these plates.
After that I've started to add the small diamond shaped 'fish plates' that sit on top of the rib intersections as can be seen in photos of the real bay? Probably unnecessary, as most of it won't be visible when the bombs are fitted, but some of it will and it's added detail anyway! Several hours were spent cutting small diamond shapes from some 10 thou plastic sheet and carefully gluing them in place. They were all cut by eye, so may vary slightly in size but not much and I don't think it will show when painted black? The last photos show the end effect with one half of the bomb bay having these plates added and the other half yet to receive them. I think it is a nice improvement to the overall look of the ribbing?
Thanks for looking, all comments and criticisms welcomed.
Kev 
ModelMania attached the following image(s):
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 Rank: Super-Elite        Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
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Very nice update Kev. Its as you say you can spend an age on one tiny area and it looks like you have not gone very far but then suddenly all those small sub-assemblies all come together and your almost there. Hope it continues well. Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette) COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
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 Rank: Super-Elite       Groups: Registered
Joined: 28/07/2014 Posts: 4,269 Points: 12,713 Location: Scotland
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Great work on the bombay Kev  regards Phil COMING SOON =1/72 Italeri diorama`s Battle for the Reichstag and Stalingrad battle at the tractor factory 1/16 Trumpeter King Tiger with loads of extras ON THE GO= refurbishment of 1/25 Tamiya tiger 1 , amt Star trek kits and space 1999 models
So Much to Build,But What a Hobby!
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Rank: Administration         Groups: Registered, Administrators, Global Forum Support, Moderator, Forum Support Team, Official Builds Joined: 04/01/2016 Posts: 6,683 Points: 20,366 Location: Northamptonshire, England
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Some lovely work on the bomb bay. Mark Regards Markwarren (Mark) Admin
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