Lancaster B.VI 'Grand Slam'

The Wooksta · March 02, 2009, 03:21:08 PM

Some may know that I'm on a Lancaster kick and I'm getting round to building a few.

This is an Airfix one, scrounged from on of the guys over on Britmodeller (word up to Heraldcoupe), who abandoned it due to terminal warpage. I decided it was salvageable, but the engines had to go.

Consequently, it's now got (or rather getting) 4 Merlin 85s. I also decided on the Grand Slam as it's warload as it's kind of cool. It will also be getting the 'Village Inn' AGL (or Automatic Gun Laying radar) robbed from a Hasegawa kit. Markings as yet undecided, probably 617 Sqn in a European scheme.

pyro-manic · March 02, 2009, 04:46:06 PM

Interesting cowlings - are they annular radiators like on the Shackleton's Griffons? I haven't seen Merlins with those before.

Should make for an interesting looking model.

Captain Canada · March 03, 2009, 05:23:13 AM

So far so good.....Lancasters with giant bombs are always cool, and the new engines are going to make this one even better !

kitnut617 · March 03, 2009, 07:29:12 AM

Quote from: pyro-manic on March 02, 2009, 04:46:06 PM
Interesting cowlings - are they annular radiators like on the Shackleton's Griffons? I haven't seen Merlins with those before.

Should make for an interesting looking model.

Nine Lanc Mk.VI's were made and used operationally from what I've read pyro, I think the same engines were installed on the Canadian North Star (Merlin DC-4)

The Wooksta! · November 24, 2012, 02:42:40 PM

This is another that I really should get round to finishing, bearing in mind it's got all three colours on...

andrewj · November 25, 2012, 12:35:01 AM

Quote from: pyro-manic on March 02, 2009, 04:46:06 PM
Interesting cowlings - are they annular radiators like on the Shackleton's Griffons? I haven't seen Merlins with those before.

Should make for an interesting looking model.

The Avro Lincolns had the same cowlings.

PR19_Kit · November 25, 2012, 06:18:26 AM

Quote from: andrewj on November 25, 2012, 12:35:01 AM
Quote from: pyro-manic on March 02, 2009, 04:46:06 PM
Interesting cowlings - are they annular radiators like on the Shackleton's Griffons? I haven't seen Merlins with those before.

Should make for an interesting looking model.

The Avro Lincolns had the same cowlings.

As The Wooksta says in the initial posting, they are Merlin 85s, and as they poked out 1600 bhp they make a useful 'tune-up' for many whiffed WWII aircraft, except for Spitfires and the like. I really CAN'T see that radiator on a Spitfire anywhere, and in any case the much more powerful Griffon fits them a treat.

As the Shackleton's Griffons were only slightly larger than than the Merlin 85s it wouldn't surprise me to find that the cowling and radiators were the same sizes etc. but I'm open to discussion on that point.

kitnut617 · November 25, 2012, 10:04:35 AM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on November 25, 2012, 06:18:26 AM
As The Wooksta says in the initial posting, they are Merlin 85s, and as they poked out 1600 bhp they make a useful 'tune-up' for many whiffed WWII aircraft, except for Spitfires and the like. I really CAN'T see that radiator on a Spitfire anywhere, and in any case the much more powerful Griffon fits them a treat.

As the Shackleton's Griffons were only slightly larger than than the Merlin 85s it wouldn't surprise me to find that the cowling and radiators were the same sizes etc. but I'm open to discussion on that point.

There appears to be slight difference between the Lancaster Merlin 85 installation and the Lincoln Merlin 85 installation. If you are to take the Paragon conversion for the Lancaster Mk.VI being correct you can see that the cowling is smaller in diameter as opposed to the Flightpath/DB Lincoln cowling if you take that to being correct.

The Lincoln cowling is closer to the Shackletons cowling in diameter. There are some differences to the front face of the Lincoln and Shackleton cowlings

And even between Griffon cowlings, this one I've modified to how the Hawker Fury front face appear (also on the Firefly)

PR19_Kit · November 25, 2012, 11:42:46 AM

Perhaps the Lancaster Merlin 85 had to fair into the normal Lancaster main cowlings but Avro had a clean sheet to play with for the Lincoln?

I've only got the Merlin 85s from the Lincoln set, in multiple, and didn't know that they differed so much from the Lanc IV version. I must admit I prefer the 'fatter cheeked' look of the Lincoln engines.

The Wooksta! · November 25, 2012, 12:07:10 PM

My own feeling is that Paragon got it wrong. He certainly got the Mosquito tropical intakes way out.

kitnut617 · November 25, 2012, 01:56:53 PM

At the moment I can't find any photos of the Mk.VI, in books or on the internet so really couldn't confirm if it's right Lee.

EDIT: Found one, this is Mk.VI ND784.

It would suggest that Paragon was somewhat right, these are different to the Lincoln cowlings. Mind you, RAF Serials website has ND784 as a Mk.III ---

PR19_Kit · November 25, 2012, 02:19:31 PM

I did a Google search on images for 'Lancaster VI' and 'Merlin 85' and it came with many pics of Lincolns! Was the Lincoln called the Lancaster BVI at one stage? I've got a book on the Lincoln somewhere but of course I can't find it just now.....

kitnut617 · November 25, 2012, 02:20:42 PM

Quote from: PR19_Kit on November 25, 2012, 02:19:31 PM
I did a Google search on images for 'Lancaster VI' and 'Merlin 85' and it came with many pics of Lincolns! Was the Lincoln called the Lancaster BVI at one stage? I've got a book on the Lincoln somewhere but of course I can't find it just now.....

Mk.IV Kit

PR19_Kit · November 25, 2012, 02:47:41 PM

I searched for Mk IV as well, as there's a bit of confusion in the above thread. Still no piccies of them, and many pics of Lincolns.

andrewj · November 26, 2012, 12:39:00 AM

Checking a couple of scale drawings ,and assuming of course that they are accurate , gives the Lincoln cowlings as having a diameter of five foot, this makes the Paragon cowlings four/five inches underscale [approx ].

Andrew