What's on the workbench!

[Tophe]

good! go on!

[McColm]

Saturday 22nd  June 2019

The Avro  Lincaster-Nene engine testbed ( these are from the former Handley Page Halifax build) is undergoing PSR at the moment with the possibility of a saddle tank made from a pair of bomb bay doors.
The Italeri Short Stirling is having it's wings lengthened with a pair of Revell Shackleton AEW.2 wings grafted on and keeping it's original engines from the kit,  the new nose is from the  DB Conversions Avro  Lincoln set and twin tail fins are from the ill-fated  Matchbox Handley Page Halifax along with a few other salvaged pieces.
No work on the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V Griffon.
Suprisingly the  Matchbox Hunter T7 cockpit fits on the front of the Heller Mirage IVP,  I just need to find the suitable landing gear.
As to the 1/24 Austin FX-4 Deuce Coupe Street Rod concept,  the roof has been cut down to size and reglued to its new position,  it looks more like a '37 Ford Coupe than a black taxi  in it's present condition. I may still go for the woody finish with a surfboard sticking out the back.

[Tophe]

Suprisingly the  Matchbox Hunter T7 cockpit fits on the front of the Heller Mirage IVP,  I just need to find the suitable landing gear.

This mix sounds particularly interesting...

[PR19_Kit]

Suprisingly the  Matchbox Hunter T7 cockpit fits on the front of the Heller Mirage IVP,  I just need to find the suitable landing gear.

This mix sounds particularly interesting...

Why not transfer the IVP gear across?

[McColm]

Suprisingly the  Matchbox Hunter T7 cockpit fits on the front of the Heller Mirage IVP,  I just need to find the suitable landing gear.

This mix sounds particularly interesting...

Why not transfer the IVP gear across?

The IVP was a 'spares or repair ' with the gear up ,cockpit glazing missing and circular radar missing on Ebay as a job lot. The Airfix Avro Vulcan minus the landing gear and cockpit glazing  I used on The Mighty Thor build along with the Revell  Blohm and Voss BV-222 kit,  the third model was a  Airfix
C-130E/H which had seen better days and I've added the triple tail fins from a Heller Lockheed Constellation,  Mil-24 rotor stack,  a pair of twin jet pods from the B-36 Peacemaker,  the resin nose of the Cammett BAe Nimrod AEW.3 and the fuselage doors are from an Italeri  HC-130J as this kit has the
C-130E doors and inflight refuelling probe as spare parts.

[McColm]

Saturday 6th July 2019

I have been working on the  'Mighty Thor ', PSR and added the rear landing gear.  So it's no longer a tail sitter. I knew that B-36 would come in handy for something.  It's one step closer to getting a  coat of primer.
Why has Academy gone to the trouble of including the the beds for the crew of the B-29 when there are no windows at the rear? I'm sure the  Airfix kit didn't have as much cockpit detail as this kit has,  yes you are right the Academy kit doesn't fit the Airfix kit.
My attention has been drawn to the Ford Crown Victoria,  mine was a 'spares and repair ' model kit in 1/24 or 1/25 scale as used by the taxi trade and law enforcement agencies in the USA.  A respray is overdue with a possible estate/station wagon.

[McColm]

Sunday 7th July 2019

Why do kit manufacturers give you loads of detailing to do on the inside of the fuselage which when glued together you can't see?
Apart from the pilot and the co-pilot on the 1/72 Academy Boeing
B-29A/KB-29P you can't see what is in the rear of the cockpit,  fortunately for me I have kept the fishbowl side windows from the rear of the kit.  I used the KB-29P layout at the rear with the smaller windows.
This is unusual for me as everything fits in the fuselage so far,  it's the wings and bomb bay doors that can cause problems.  I think for this build I will add the landing gear before painting as I can work out how much clearance I have when fitting the dipping radar dome.

[McColm]

Saturday 13th July 2019

The theme is to get as many builds to the paint stage,  having given up the to rear turbofaned engines on the Avro Shackiteer for the Shackleton MR.7B twin jet pods have been found in one of my spares boxes which now totals 6 jet engines based on a tailless  MR.3 Shackleton. I've also came across a spare main landing leg which I need to glue in place.
I also bought the Freightdog SeaKing inflatable AEW radome which I will use on the MR.7B.
News on the Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and the Rolls-Royce Griffon engines taken from a Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 are now glued in place.  I should have used an earlier mark of model to get a better fit. Having said that the gap does make an excellent air intake for the engines.
The B-29 is on hold for the moment as I have pinched the wings and engines for the Stirling.  I might have a pair of Lockheed Constellation wings somewhere in the stash.

[McColm]

Sunday 14th July 2019

I've gone back to adding a pair of Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 wings on the Italeri Short Stirling Cadillac.
The Academy B-29 will get it's wings back but the powerplant will be different.

[McColm]

Thursday 25th July 2019

I was really suffering this morning from nausea and dehydration . So I called in sick, having covered the day shift for the last eight weeks with the odd day off inbetween.  Did I get any sympathy no, they even asked me to work a few hours training up another security officer.  Sure turning up for work covered in puke would really set the tone.
So I have spent the day in bed drinking water and just relaxing on the hottest day so far this month in sunny Woolwich.
No Whiffing but contemplating future builds and improving my started builds.
I'm on leave for two weeks from the 5th August and plan to spend 5 days down in Falmouth Cornwall taking the overnight coach from London Victoria Coach Station.  I have used this service before and although the seats aren't that comfortable but with a pillow and listening to some music I shall be sound asleep by the time we make  Bristol Airport . Then it's Plymouth where the driver's change over,  just in time for a leg stretch.
My other time will be spent trying to get atleast one build finished.

[TheChronicOne]

"Sorry, such and such has passed away and will no longer be able to make it in to work...."

"Uhhhh....so uhhhhh...... does that mean he'll be a little late orrrr......"

"He's dead......"

"Yeaaaaaaah, ok.... so if he's not in my 9 we'll have to dock him half a day and if he's not in my noon we'll have to let him go....."

"OK, thank you, buh-bye..."   

[McColm]

"Sorry, such and such has passed away and will no longer be able to make it in to work...."

"Uhhhh....so uhhhhh...... does that mean he'll be a little late orrrr......"

"He's dead......"

"Yeaaaaaaah, ok.... so if he's not in my 9 we'll have to dock him half a day and if he's not in my noon we'll have to let him go....."

"OK, thank you, buh-bye..."   

By the way he has asked for holiday leave next week.

[TheChronicOne]

Naturally!!

[McColm]

Saturday 27th July 2019

Just been on the Hannants website and found that Barracuda does resin upgrade sets for the Rockwell B-1B Lancer in 1/72 for both the Monogram and Airfix kits.  SAC also provides the white metal landing gear so I will be able to restore my Sea Lancer with the replacement T-tail from the Revell/Matchbox HP Victor K2 kit.  I still intend to place the engines above the main fuselage and use the space to create two weapons bays. Extra windows will be painted along the front fuselage for the crew.
I also received the Italeri ACH-47 Chinook Gunship which will supply the necessary parts for the Airfix Fairey Rotodyne Gunship. The Chinook will become the Chinook AEW.1 . With this parcel came the Mach2 Martin SeaMaster this is still in its original packaging. As the engines will be used on the Lancer, a pair of turbofans will be used in this build.

[McColm]

Wednesday 7th August 2019

Well I didn't start out to build a Avro Shackleton version of the Lockheed EP-3A but all the parts seemed to fit and the donor kit was already built as a 'spares or repair ' from eBay. The lumps and bumps are from various spare parts boxes. As already mentioned the turbofaned engines are from a Matchbox A-10,  the dorsal hump is the David J.Parkins JSTARS conversion set, the turbofaned jet exhaust pipes are off a C-130,  ESM pods come from the Airfix BAe Nimrod MR.2 kit and the EP-3A radome is from the Falcon vacform conversion set. It just needs a rear tail wheel,  wing flaps,  painting,  putty and cockpit interior detail.
Well I am off to Falmouth in Cornwall today,  taking the overnight coach from London Victoria coach station and returning on Tuesday morning.  I might be lucky on the car boot sale or try the model shop in Truro. The forecast is rain Thursday and Friday,  but the weekend is dry.