General Dynamics Canberra PR9

[AS.12]

Oh wowsies! 

Now you have me thinking of the feasibility of an actual PR.9 fuselage combined with those wings.  You are a bad, naughty man.

[PR19_Kit]

You are a bad, naughty man.

You've only just figured that out now? 

I've got the bits to do that too, an M'box fuselage and at least one, maybe two, DB Conversions RB-57F wing sets.

[kitnut617]

Gorgeous   

[DogfighterZen]

That's looking very good.

[Old Wombat]

Are we going to have another PR.19 fiasco?

I missed out on the first one, I'd like to see one go off live.

[PR19_Kit]

Are we going to have another PR.19 fiasco?

I missed out on the first one, I'd like to see one go off live.

I suspect not, the 'Long Wings Fan Club' have already been hoodwinked once and won't be caught again.

Unless there's an 'Even Longer Wings Fan Club' out there? 

[PR19_Kit]

All the little do-dads, greeblies and thingies are now installed on the 'PR9' and all it needs is a few more decals and the painting of the aforementioned do-dads etc. and it's done.

Maybe tomorrow evening with luck.

[PR19_Kit]

I've got all the decals on the 'PR9' now.

Some of the Airfix PR9 ones just collapsed when dunked in the water, which meant that some stencils are missing, but as you can hardly see them against the Hemp paint I don't think that's a problem really.

I'm waiting for the PVA glue to dry that I've used to fill in the smaller camera ports, then it'll just need a coat of satin varnish and it's done.

[PR19_Kit]

Hm, that didn't work too well.

I treated the small camera windows like airliner windows and filled them with PVA. For airliners it dries clear and slightly dished from the outside, but on the 'PR9' it's either not dried at all, or the PVA sunk right down to the bottom of the camera ports.

I've tried it again, with the aircraft on its wheels this time.

Speaking of which, why do ALL Canberra models suffer from the wheels tilting inwards at the bottom? This one's not quite the worst but I just know it's going to give me grief in future.

[Doug K]

That looks magnificent

[rickshaw]

Hm, that didn't work too well.

I treated the small camera windows like airliner windows and filled them with PVA. For airliners it dries clear and slightly dished from the outside, but on the 'PR9' it's either not dried at all, or the PVA sunk right down to the bottom of the camera ports.

I've tried it again, with the aircraft on its wheels this time.

Speaking of which, why do ALL Canberra models suffer from the wheels tilting inwards at the bottom? This one's not quite the worst but I just know it's going to give me grief in future.

Depends, I think when you fit your wheels in the assembly process, Kit.  I tend to put mine on the legs separate to the model and allow them to dry straight, then attach them to the model.  You seem to assemble the legs and then fit them to the model and then fit the wheels, am I correct?   That is your problem.  The wheels don't dry straight on the legs, so you end up with a model that suffers from rickets.  How do I know this?  'cause a few of my early ones ended up with rickets as well.

As for your windows, do you "stretch" the PVA over the opening or do you allow it to just pool in the opening?  I stretch mine and while it sometimes fails to dry properly normally it does.  Do not, I suggest put varnish or Future over the PVA 'cause that destroys the surface tension!   

[PR19_Kit]

Depends, I think when you fit your wheels in the assembly process, Kit.  I tend to put mine on the legs separate to the model and allow them to dry straight, then attach them to the model.  You seem to assemble the legs and then fit them to the model and then fit the wheels, am I correct?   That is your problem.  The wheels don't dry straight on the legs, so you end up with a model that suffers from rickets.  How do I know this?  'cause a few of my early ones ended up with rickets as well.

Correct, I do exactly that, because I always file flats on the bottom of the tyres and you have to add the wheels afterwards if you want the flats to be level on the ground. But I do let the glue set off with the model upside down.

As for your windows, do you "stretch" the PVA over the opening or do you allow it to just pool in the opening?  I stretch mine and while it sometimes fails to dry properly normally it does.  Do not, I suggest put varnish or Future over the PVA 'cause that destroys the surface tension!   

Yes, I do 'stretch' the PVA across the gaps, but I let them dry with the model the right way up, so that the PVA would tend to fall down to the bottom of the camera ports. Even then it seemed to get sucked up into the ports. Very weird.

[PR19_Kit]

Right, the 'PR9's done and dusted at last. All satin varnished, a little weathered just like XH131 when she returned from Afghanistan in 2006, and all the little details painted, as well as I could anyway.





Top views




Underside view showing the Airfix PR9 camera window bay door




Detail view showing the BOZ pod, main and auxiliary engines, and the pesky landing gear too!




Detail view of the nose showing the diabolical fit of the canopy (I really did try to fix it....) and the 1 PRU unit badge




Detail view of the tail showing the 'RAF specific' mods, ECM pods on the fin and tail tip and the ILS aerials on the fin. Note also that it's XH131, 'MY Canberra' 

[Leading Observer]

A short wing PR9 at last

[DogfighterZen]

Wow... not a dogfighter but that is a beauty! Love the wings, somehow they make me think of condors...