Avro Super Shackleton MR.7 with photos

[McColm]

This build is based on the donor 1/72 Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 bought secondhand from eBay with broken propellers and a few missing parts.
The build so far has used a V-tail made from the 1/72 Academy KC-97L and nose radar radome, Combat Kit 2018 Avro Lancastian Nene engines on the outer wing, inner wing engines are scratchbuilt turbofan Griffons, M.A.D. boom came off the Mach2 Breguet Br.1150 Atlantic, scratchbuilt Yellow Gate ESM pods.
There was no main landing gear legs but I will be using the ones from the KC-97L and control yokes from a Revell Avro Shackleton AEW.2.
I've got the windscreen from the Avro Shackleton AEW.2 and I will glue this to the one with stress marks that came with the kit.
So far most of the original parts fit rather well, I had to use the hot water trick to straighten out one or two parts.
Filler will be needed around the new tail and engines plus the nose radar. I have found a part which could be used as the in-flight refueling probe which means the front observer's position has no windows but access to the radar and storage.
As mentioned in my blog I'm thinking about buying the decal sheet from Freightdog British Testing Colours Sheet.or the Maritime Operational Training Unit, but the Anti-Submarine Warfare Development Unit RAF St. Mawgan did fit a MR.2 WL789:FD back in 1956 with a Magnetic Anomaly Detection boom.various paint schemes were tried out. The Warpaint series either online or in paperback is a good source of information.

[McColm]

Green Stuff puty awaiting sanding.

[McColm]

I've been using Roots Rail Model Paint Garter Blue acrylic with a hairy brush ,it's similar to PR Blue in colour. I did try and freehand the white upper fuselage but it didn't look right so I painted over it. I also used a combination of the South African Air Force and RAF decals taken from the Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 kit.
I will need to highlight the fuselage windows and cockpit canopy, a bit of filler around the nose and fit a bomb rack to the underside. The paintwork needs touching up in certain areas, aerials to be added and air-conditioning parts.