Lancaster Tiger Force saddle tank in 1/72

[Spellbinder99]

Did Paragon or anyone else do a Tiger Force Lancaster saddle tank in 1/72? Any hints or leads appreciated...

Cheers

Tony

[kitnut617]

If you go on britmodeler you could ask Neil (Mr.Paragon) himself whether he did one or not.  But I seem to recall there was a conversion too, it would be something that DB Products would have done so maybe an email to Flightpath might produce something as they have most of the DB stuff now.

Edit: just found my most up-to-date Paragon catalogue and nothing there I'm afraid.  If you go on britmodeler, try an email to Heritage Aviation too, as Ian regularly posts over there.  And it might even be worth a try to contact Whirlybird too, he has most of Maintrack stuff so that could also be a possibility.

[Spellbinder99]

Thanks Kitnut, the general opinion seems to be that Paragon did one at some time in the past.

If I can find some halfway decent drawings I may attempt to scratchbuild one. I picked up a really cheap injection molded Lancastrian conversion the other day and figured that adding the saddle tank and perhaps a belly pannier as per the Handley Page Halton to make a REALLY longrange and REALLY ugly Lanc variant........

Cheers

Tony

[kitnut617]

I have a colour side profile of it somewhere in a box.  It's in an issue of Fly Past but I couldn't say which one, my Dad had given me a pile of stuff on Lancasters a few years ago (his passion) and I found the issue in the pile.

[Spellbinder99]

That is the one Wooksta. I pulled one of my Airfix Lancs out of the stash to work with the M&E conversion but though the conversion comes with decals for a BOAC Lancastrian I am not really that into an overall silver one.

I did not the Lincoln style rudders on the pictures online I saw but I was unaware of the wheels, thanks.

Would the engines off a Frog/Revell Shackleton be adaptable to the Lancaster wing and nacelles?

I appreciate in real life that the saddle tank was a horrible thing in relation to the aircrafts handling but it certainly adds a different look to the Lanc. Good ideas on the AEW or EW Lanc derivatives. It came to me on the way to work today that the Lancastrian would look different indeed as a firefighting airtanker in white and dayglo red. The bombbay pannier could then have dump doors on the bottom.

Cheers

Tony

[kitnut617]

You could always get the Flightpath Lincoln conversion and use those engines, basically the same nacelle, I'm using my spare ones on my Sanger Vickers Windsor as the details of the kit nacelles are, as Wooksta would say -- poo-poo (with an english accent).

In the Paragon catalogue, which I asked for with a very recent order, shows the Merlin 85 and their Lincoln conversion as TBA. I have a Merlin 85 conversion in the stash Lee, it comes with a very neat transition casting to go between the kit rear nacelle and the round Merlin nacelle casting which should work quite well with the Centaurus, this transition part is in the Hercules conversion too.  I was able to get some of these from Neil seperately for my Chadderton (Twin Lanc) project.

[Spellbinder99]

Thanks Wooksta, the Merlin 85 conversion is a path to look at, was more enamoured of the Shack contra-props as well.

I am pretty sure I can do the Lincoln rudder conversion with some plastic and putty.

Anyone know if the SAMI Lancaster book has drawings of the saddle tank? I have ample supplies of plastic sheet and a wish to do some scratchbuilding.

I think a fire tanker, perhaps in Canuckistan markings would be cool....

Cheers

Tony