Gondor's various TSR2 Builds

NARSES2 · October 12, 2023, 05:15:05 AM

Personally I was just glad to see it come out, showed there was hope for the brand

I also remember going up to Hannants at Colindale during my lunch break and cleaning them out of the Xtradecal sheets for it

They then got take to Telford for people if memory serves

Gondor · October 16, 2023, 01:59:08 PM

Repairs are progressing

First job eas to drill a hole where there had been a peg

That's that part squared away

Not easy to get right if you know the geometry of the TSR.2 legs.

Next was a new peg to go into the hole

The peg is smaller than what is needed to go into the bogey but as I am using Albion tubing I will be adding a larger tube over the above pin.

Hardest part of the work was getting the drill bit to do two things, 1) Stay in the pin vice and not turn and 2) when that was achieved to get the drill to cut the plastic. Regardless I managed to get enough of a hole to fulfil my needs.

Gondor

Rick Lowe · October 17, 2023, 09:19:23 PM

As long as it achieved what you wanted, that's a Result!

Having had to do a few similar things, I can relate to your efforts.

NARSES2 · October 18, 2023, 06:12:50 AM

Moved as per request

Gondor · October 23, 2023, 01:04:53 PM

So I have restarted one of my TSR.2 builds thanks to Campbell Patterson. The wings had been stuck together and several parts had been removed from their spures but that was it. The CMK cockpit is going inside and a lot of progress has been made towards that this evening. It will also be getting the CMK exhausts as well seeing that I have them and they are in the box. The model that Campbell produced was gorgeous which kind of set a bar for me to match. Campbells build depicted one of the "Black Doe" missions in 1982 as a refuelling aircraft.

Pictures later where there is more to show than a few parts sitting on the bench.

As I now have several TSR.2's on the go and if completed will make a total of four I am thinking that it would make sense to get a speciffic box to house the four of them with standard fittings so it will not matter which kit is in which place. That's for later though.

Gondor

Gondor · October 24, 2023, 11:38:16 AM

So I decided to take a couple of pictures to show how far I have got with the Blue Water build. The only thing that I have that has already been glued together is the wings, which may have come from another kit , unfortunatly they are not as good as I could have done so some care will be needed to improve them.
What I have done since Glasgow and basically was only on Monday evening is the following

Nothing is glued in place yet, I intend to clean up the instrument panels then they will all get a wash to remove dust and debris befor they get primed and then painted!

As it has been a number of years since I started building TSR.2's, at the end of October 2010 so thirteen years ago, I have forgotten exactly how I fitted such things as undercarriage doors so this time the large side doors will be glued in place early on as I see no reason or posibility in this causeing a problem later on in the build. In fact I am hopeing that this will eliminate some of the problems that one of the other aircraft is suffering from.

Anyway, more later

Gondor

Gondor · October 28, 2023, 10:13:47 AM

To try and get around lots of filling, there will probably be some anyway, I fitted the fuselage doors for the undercarriage in place before anything else was fitted.

Next up will be the doors for the underside, not so easy so I may leave them untill later. The boundry layer exhaust which exits through the lower door will either be cut off from the rest of the ducting or I may go slightly mad and scratch build it.

With my last TSR2 build I just cut off the part that was above the door so I may just go that route although the exhaust does look very shallow.

Gondor

Gondor · October 29, 2023, 08:35:27 AM

So far it's been a good weekend, other than the rain starting shortly befor I was going to spray primer on some parts

Anyway, the CMK exhausts were removed from their poor plugs, mostly successfully, the end ot one part can easily be hidden from close inspection

I also removed the intake parts and cleaned them up ready for primer as well, but you know there is that little problem of rain. Not very nice when I live in an upstairs flat, with it's own ground floor door mind you, so outside is really the only play to spray and to cap it all my door faces the direction the prevailing wind come from.

Oh well I suppose I better get on with the lower large undercarriage doors and the duct.

Gondor

Gondor · November 05, 2023, 04:33:59 AM

Arrrrghhhhh

Just tried to use my rattle can of Gloss Appliance White and it splattered extra thick lumps of paint over the parts. I was worried about it due to bubbles of sealant at the base of the can and my fears were well founded

Looks like I need a trip to Halfords to get some more, the question is do I make a special trip today or go on my way home from work $:-\$

In the meantime the mateing surfaces for the CMK exhausts have had a rub down to remove paint from them so in a bit I will be applying paint! Hairy stick time for the cockpit as well!

Gondor

Beermonster58 · November 05, 2023, 10:48:43 AM

Quote from: Pellson on October 10, 2023, 01:26:53 PM
Quote from: Gondor on October 08, 2023, 12:12:14 PM:
Compared to the Reconnaissance aircraft, the fit of this TSR.2 is much better. I did find when checking it over that one of the main undercarriage doors needed part of one side reattached but other than that the main undercarriage doors are great. The forward undercariage doors have a gap that looks big enough to drive a bus through, but that's common with this kit.

Are the TSR.2 kits individually different? From Airfix? And here I was, thinking a mainstream manufacturer will heed to a certain standard, also when abominable..

Well, the Airfix 1/72 TSR.2 was certainly abominable. Probably the worst Airfix kit I ever built. I started two but, they gave so much grief, I only finished one. The other remained unfinished, unwanted and unloved for two years before I broke it up for parts to use in other projects. Totally hateful build.

Gondor · November 05, 2023, 11:29:32 AM

Quote from: Beermonster58 on November 05, 2023, 10:48:43 AMWell, the Airfix 1/72 TSR.2 was certainly abominable. Probably the worst Airfix kit I ever built. I started two but, they gave so much grief, I only finished one. The other remained unfinished, unwanted and unloved for two years before I broke it up for parts to use in other projects. Totally hateful build.

I feel your pain. Not giving up on my Maritime Strile and Reconnaissance builds are not the best but they are the ones I started first. Hopefully I will manage to pull them along with me as I get the Blue Water carrier done.

Got the intakes painted after a trip to Halfords so I may put them together later. Other items I was spraying at the same time didn't work as well so they will be addressed tomorrow as well. I hate white paint and its a shame that nearly all intakes are white....

Gondor

Beermonster58 · November 05, 2023, 05:11:38 PM

Quote from: Gondor on November 05, 2023, 11:29:32 AM
Quote from: Beermonster58 on November 05, 2023, 10:48:43 AMWell, the Airfix 1/72 TSR.2 was certainly abominable. Probably the worst Airfix kit I ever built. I started two but, they gave so much grief, I only finished one. The other remained unfinished, unwanted and unloved for two years before I broke it up for parts to use in other projects. Totally hateful build.

I feel your pain. Not giving up on my Maritime Strile and Reconnaissance builds are not the best but they are the ones I started first. Hopefully I will manage to pull them along with me as I get the Blue Water carrier done.

Got the intakes painted after a trip to Halfords so I may put them together later. Other items I was spraying at the same time didn't work as well so they will be addressed tomorrow as well. I hate white paint and its a shame that nearly all intakes are white....

Gondor
[/quote
Well, I admire and respect your perseverance in building these kits! 👍😊. I actually bought six of them but, after the somewhat negative experience with the first two, I just wanted rid of them. I sold them off on eBay. At least I got my money back!

The Wooksta! · November 06, 2023, 01:28:15 AM

I know it isn't the best build, but I'd suggest looking at what we had beforehand. Merlin's 'kit' makes the Airfix look like Tamiya by comparison, the Contrail vacform is entirely wrong, and the Heritage (nee Resitech) is very complex when it comes to the etch.

Gondor · November 06, 2023, 05:08:55 AM

Quote from: The Wooksta! on November 06, 2023, 01:28:15 AMI know it isn't the best build, but I'd suggest looking at what we had beforehand. Merlin's 'kit' makes the Airfix look like Tamiya by comparison, the Contrail vacform is entirely wrong, and the Heritage (nee Resitech) is very complex when it comes to the etch.

Exactly! After all I am building a plastic model kit, not putting a jigsaw together.

Gondor

Gondor · November 06, 2023, 11:12:48 AM

Only a little done this evening, painted the shock cone and intake lips black. I have also been tidying up the CMK intake covers which I am thinking of adding to the trainer version as well as ladders for the crew which I will probably have to scratch build unless anyone knows of them being made somewhere?

Gondor