My 2011 build review

Hi folks,

Well I'm not going to get the Hampden finished this year, but should get to it mid next month.

It's been a very strange year, what with the ongoing earthquakes here in Christchurch NZ, I feel like I didn't accomplish anything, but to my surprise actually got a few done. All rollicking good fun, with lots of input from you fellows, thanks very much

Have a jolly pleasant new year, all the best.

Jim

Lindberg 1/200 Snap-Fit Space Shuttle

Heller 1/72 F-86F

KP 1/72 Mig-15

Airfx 1/72 F-86D

Airfix 1/72 Bird Dog

Airfix 1/72 BF109G (old mold)

Airfix 1/48 Bf109F

Matchbox 1/72 Wellington

Airfix 1/72 Whirlwind

Airfix 1/72 Hawk (new tool)

Airfix 1/72 Hurricane Mk1

Revell 1/72 Sopwith Camel

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - canopies plus

Vac formed up a couple of replacement canopies..

Built a radar aerial and a gunsight, the fighter Hampden certainly needs a gunsight.

 Then stretched up some tube for cannon barrels..

Hopefully paint the canopy sills. add the crew and then attach the canopies.

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - fin fiddling

I was unsure about the fins, they didn't quite look right...

a bit too tall and square, looked more like Whitley fins.

So this is where we started, compared with the kit fins, thanks to the great input from the guys at the UAMF, I decided to do a bit of shortening and shaping to get these...

follows the Hampden fin shape and slightly taller...

 

I'm a lot happier with them now.

So canopies to vac, and spinners to sort out, then we'll be almost at paint.

This is too much fun.

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - engines and wings on

Hi folks,
Got the engine mounts faried in, and cemented on,

a coat of primer and a little bit of touching up and the wings are on.

laminated some plasticard to make enlarged fins, and the first one is on.

added a couple of troughs in the nose for the cannons, and some holes for the machine guns, I'll stick some barrels in later.

All the best, happy Fill'n Sand

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - engine mounts

Built a couple of mounts for the Airfix Lanc nacelles..

traced the inside of the nacelle, stuck the tracing to some card and then sanded to the traced pattern. Stuck that to more sheet, and traced the outside of the nacelle, and sanded to shape.

Had to sand the front of the Hampden engine mounts/nacelles flat, then attached the mounts to them.


Now the transition to the Lanc nacelle can be filled and shaped, without having the nacelle in the way.

Plenty of Fill'n Sand ahead.

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - fuselage and wheels

Got the nose and underside sorted out..

Need to come up with a canon belly pod, and think about the nose guns and radar aerial.

Finished the wheels, and thought about how to mount them and make not have to mask them. The last few models I've built , have had partly exposed wheels, and they have been a pain to mask, so this time, I decided to try something else.

Cemented in a section of sprue along the wheel opening..

took a painted wheel, marked how much stuck out of the opening...

and sliced it with a razor saw, giving this..

now I can add the wheels after its finished, yay!

Now to mount those merlins to the nacelles....
plenty more Fill'n Sand ahead

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - Engine mock up

Well fuselage is together and a big section of plasticard on the underside, now in the midst of Fill'n Sand it all togehter.

While the fuselage is togehter, I thought I'd mock up the engines and see how the options look..

Kit cowlings.

Lancaster Merlin naccelles...

I quite like the look of the Merlins, they seem to match the skinniness of the fuselage.

Fill'n Sand ahead..

Airfix 1/72 Hampden - interior..

Got an interior knocked together, I'm not using any of the PE on this, just good old plastic.

 and got some paint on it.

The radar op checking his screens..
Got the fuselage together, now just patching up the underside, then on to the nose and wings, those engines.. hmmmm...