What's on the workbench!

[McColm]

An idea in the early hours of Tuesday morning,  turning the  C-87 Liberator Express into an all jet experimental aircraft by cutting off the spinners and drilling out the rear engine covers. Lumps and bumps will be added as well.
I also picked up a copy of the Aviation  Classic  F-15 Eagle which covers the systems,  variants,  combat ops and development.
I think I have an Airfix kit in the stash that can be whiffed into the 
RF-15C/D or Wild Weasel F-15G.

[McColm]

Saturday 16th March 2019

The  Avro Lincoln project,  this started out with the Contrail vacform kit and now has the wings from a 1/72 Revell Avro Shackleton MR.3 with the rounded wingtips from the David J.Parkins conversion set.  And yes the wings are slightly longer.
I have found the Convair Privateer vertical tail fin in the spares box which on a dry fit doesn't look out of place.
I'm going to use the nose extension and add the other resin conversion parts apart from the engines which are now on the Avro Yorktown. The guns from the Airfix Short Stirling will be used at the rear,  the upper turret blanked off.
The H2S radar covering has been removed,  although some of the Lincoln test beds do look interesting to build in 1/72 scale.

[McColm]

Sunday 17th March 2019

I have recycled the 1/72 Liberator and  added the wings to the  vacform Avro York,  it's a good job that I went for a turbo jet powered version as I might have had an issue with the propellers. The spares and repairs Lincoln didn't have it's rear twin tail fins,  so the option of a tailless is still on the cards.
As for the vacform Avro Lincoln Mk35 I have superglued the two fuselage halves together with the resin plug from the David J.Parkins conversion set covering the holes made from the upper gun turret and where the radome used to be. I have used the rear tail cone from the  C-87 to blank over the rear gun turret.  The other wing now has the wing extension also from the conversion set glued in place. The nose of the Lincoln is exposed awaiting the vacform extension of the  Mk31 and cockpit detailing.

[McColm]

Tuesday 19th March 2019

I finally tracked down a copy of the Airfix magazine dated January 1972 which features the Avro Lincoln conversion in 1/72 scale which has all the correct number of pages.
The article uses the Frog Shackleton MR. 3 for the wings and engines, parts from the 1/72 Lancaster and  Halifax.  There's a detailed drawing on the middle pages with lots of information on reshaping the scavenged parts.
An early version of the Halifax's twin tail fins would make for an interesting whiff when added to the Contrail  Avro Lincoln.
I don't think I have ever built a 1/72 Halifax before,  that's added to the 'to do list '.

[McColm]

Saturday  23rd March 2019

I've seen the  1/72 Avro  Lancastrian  Nene  engine conversion set advertised on Ebay and this would work on my  Avro Lincoln  Mk35 project.
I wonder if any of the Airfix  BAe Nimrod parts will fit on the  new Mach2 de Havilland Comet kits? Apart from the cockpit seats  and landing wheels nothing else would fit on the  Sud Caravelle. As there's a few Comrod  Whiffs that I would like to build,  if not a  civilian version of the  Nimrod.
I'll be glad to get back on my usual rosta,  as I won't have to ask myself why I added those parts to some of my started builds,  when I was dog tired?
As to the weather down in Erith Kent,  it's been four seasons in one day including hailstones  and bright sunshine. 

[McColm]

Monday 25th March 2019

I'm not too sure if the Avro York was ever fitted with a pair of floats but I found a pair for the 1/72 Consolidated National Express project.  It's the  Contrail Avro York York vacform fuselage mated with the wings from a B-24 Liberator. The tail fins are from a Grumman E-2. I under estimated the ground clearance hence the floats.
The renamed Maverick is now referred to as the Avro Shackiteer with its 4 turbofaned engines from two A-10 scrap models, two at the rear and the other two on the inner mount which used have the landing gear for the Avro Shackleton MR. 3. To stop it being a tail sitter tyre weights have been glued where the cockpit interior goes. The landing gear and wheels have been glued in place.
As to the Shorts  Cadillac the Lincoln tail fins are now in place.

[McColm]

Thursday 28th March 2019

I didn't intend to build 5 heavies  but once the juices get flowing you can't stop yourself.  Yes there's been a lot of recycling and whiffery.
The Airfix Short Stirling does look good with 4 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines and the twin tail fins from a Lancaster/Lincoln,  the Avro York works well with the  Shackleton wings and twin tail fins,  the engines are from the Lincoln conversion kit.
The vacform Avro Lincoln keeps surprising me with what parts I can use when the fuselage is strengthened although sanding will be done in stages.
The Contrail Avro York with the B-24 Liberator wings and engines didn't look out of place either. The floats give it a 'Bush Plane ' feel,  whilst the nose engine hides the nose weight. I have used the metal propellers from the York kit on the wings and found a B-24 engine with its propellers attached..
The Revell Avro Shackleton MR. 3 kit has undergone a radical change to a tailless design but adding the four T33 engines from various A-10 kits does it justice.
Now we come to the trickiest build so far the Roden An-10/12 .I have changed the engines to 4 Rolls-Royce Griffons. PSR is slowly becoming a routine.
I'II opt for the rattle can when it comes to the paint stage.
Clocks go forward an hour for BST and it's Mothering Sunday as well in the UK.

[McColm]

Saturday 6th April  2019

I'm  back,  that was scary not being able to access this site.  Loads of started builds that are now nearing completion and a few recycled.
The Airfix Short Stirling now has longer wings thanks to an extension with the Revell Avro Shackleton MR.3 wing which was used in the Contrail Avro Lincoln Mk35 build. I have also added parts from the Combat Kit Avro Lancastrian-Nene Engine conversion set but I'm saving the engines for another project.
So the Avro Cadillac has a longer nose.
I also started a 1/72 Grumman S-2 Tracker and added the rotodome from the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye with stand.  The vertical tail fin has been cut and reduced,  reglued into place. Which is now an ES-2 Tracker and not an E-1C Tracer.

[Tophe]

I have also added parts from the Combat Kit Avro Lancastrian-Nene Engine conversion set

Interesting and not well known. I was hoping it would be asymmetric but Google shows me not : http://aviastar.org/air/england/avro_lancastrianjet.php

[McColm]

Sunday 2nd June 2019

I don't know what has been happening but I couldn't login for ages. So I used a couple of groups on Facebook centering around the What if modellers builds and ideas.
Work is manic as one security officer is on leave and the other returned from his holiday with a stomach bug.

In no particular order;
Donor kit is the Airfix 1/72  908002 Avro Lancaster B.III. The fuselage has been stretched using the Flightpath Avro Lincoln resin plug,  as the parts don't fit too well I have made the cut from the weapons bay to just past the middle turret. The tail piece has been reglued and so had the forward fuselage. I used the Mk32 nose extension the Contrail vacform kit. The wings came from a Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 with the resin wingtips  which makes the wings slightly longer.  The weapons bay has been plugged with the Avro Lancastrian bomb bay doors.
I found 3 resin turboprop engines which I intend to use instead of the  ones used by the Avro Lincoln whilst in service.
Sort of Avro Lincoln MkIII Tri-Turbo.

Another whiff is the Airfix 1/72 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley  Mk.VII Freighter with a pair of Rolls-Royce Merlin 85s . The kit is a bit over engineered for my taste with some parts fitting perfectly and for some unknown reason a let down in the engine construction.

A revised 1/72 Italeri Short Stirling Mk.IV with the wings and engines from the Airfix Avro Lancaster kit with the Avro Lincoln resin nose and twin tail fins.

Another Italeri sourced build is based on the Lockheed Martin SC-130J concept model.  I'm using parts from the AMT/ERTL AC-130U Gunship on this Whiff. The interior from the Airfix Avro Shackleton could be adapted to fit in the cargo hold with the doors in the open position.

The Avro Majestic now has a pair of wingtips provided by an F-15, these are inverted , the M.A.D. boom has been removed.

Whilst a twist using the Avro York float plane  and a Grumman SF-2 Tracker AEW.1 ( rotodome is off a E-2 Hawkeye,  triple tail fins are from various A-10  broken models,  twin engines are from the Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3).
The Avro-Grumman Mayo.

The Matchbox twin seater Hunter nose/cockpit section does fit the Heller  Mirage IVP bomber without too much fuss.

My Wooster BAe 146 is now a twin engine as the outer engines have fallen off.

[Tophe]

the M.A.D. boom has been removed.

Uh? I swear tail booms are not crazy, not mad!
I hope you are speaking of Magnetic Analysis Detector or something like that...

[McColm]

the M.A.D. boom has been removed.

Uh? I swear tail booms are not crazy, not mad!
I hope you are speaking of Magnetic Analysis Detector or something like that...

Yes you are correct,  it's the M.A.D. boom fitted to maritime patrol aircraft such as the Neptune,  Aurora,  Orion,  Atlantique and the former Nimrod. 

[TheChronicOne]

Welcome back, bruh!! I think the big-wigs moved servers so things might be wonky in areas. Only thing I noticed are the new icons on the forum lists. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known it happened if I had not stumbled onto the thread about it. lol

[McColm]

Welcome back, bruh!! I think the big-wigs moved servers so things might be wonky in areas. Only thing I noticed are the new icons on the forum lists. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known it happened if I had not stumbled onto the thread about it. lol

It's good to be back,  thanks 

[McColm]

Saturday  15th June 2019

The 1/72 Avro Lincaster build
The  story so far. The donor kit is the Airfix Lancaster B.III,  the wings are from a Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3,  the tail cone and weapons bay doors are from the Lancastrian-Nene conversion set and the fuselage extension,  plus wingtips are from the David J.Parkins conversion set. A raid on the spares boxes will also be used on this build.
The David J.Parkins conversion set isn't a good fit but is a lot cheaper than the Blackbird conversion set which sells out fast. With a bit of puty/filler and some sanding the shape can be achieved. Fortunately for me I had the line drawings from the Contrail vacform kit as a reference and the Warpaint series no.34 Avro Lincoln publication as a guide.
The wingtip extension means on my build the wings are slightly longer than the standard model.
I was going to create a triple turboprop version but I have decided to go for a AEW  ( fore and aft system)variant instead, using the Airfix Lancaster B.III engines,  I found an Lancastrian resin nose cone,  this might be the wrong way round but it is a good fit.
Update on today's build and the nose is now the one from the  Avro Lancastrian-Nene conversion set and so are the outer engines,  the inner engines are from the Airfix Avro Lancaster B.III kit.
Other changes have been carried out on the Matchbox Halifax ASR.1 which includes an extended wing ( the Airfix Avro Lancaster B.III wings glued on) and the resin Lancastrian nose. I reglued the Avro York middle tail fin to the rear to make a triple tail fin layout.

Further research indicates that the Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II was used in several camper van conversions which means sticking a caravan on the rear of the 1/24 plastic model isn't a bad idea.