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Owen · Posted: Sun 05 Nov 2006 09:08 am Post subject: Fluff75's Build

Progress of Ron's Build will appear here:
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Owen
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fluff75 · Posted: Wed 15 Nov 2006 15:12 pm Post subject:

I have made a start today.
The kit I am using is a 1986 issue of the AIRFIX kit 04015 which has the Deefeater X2-A 296142 in all silver finish with invasion stripes on the box top.
Tha kit is moulded in silver plastic. I have spent quite some time cleaning up the parts.
Here is the progress so far with stage 1.

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I am not sure whether I have part 12 (? the bombsight? the right way up. Can anyone help please?
I found the very small levers on top of part 8 to be very fragile and after knocking them off I have ended up with just two!
At this stage I have not attached the nose wheel undercarriage leg part 112.
My initial feeling about this kit is that it will be a challenge!
(Last one built was in about 1970 when my son was 12.)
Ron.

davecov · Posted: Wed 15 Nov 2006 15:26 pm Post subject:

fluff75 · Posted: Wed 15 Nov 2006 15:57 pm Post subject:

Thank you Dave.
I have cut it off and re-cemented it correctly this time.
You see Group Builds do have their use!
Ron

davecov · Posted: Wed 15 Nov 2006 15:58 pm Post subject:

I just hope my advice was really correct.......

Dave

Owen · Posted: Wed 15 Nov 2006 18:54 pm Post subject:

It does look upside down, so I think your alright.

It's coming along nicely Ron!
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Owen
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams
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FZ6 · Posted: Thu 16 Nov 2006 12:46 pm Post subject:

Looking good so far Ron!

What scheme are you painting it in?

fluff75 · Posted: Thu 16 Nov 2006 17:21 pm Post subject:

Done a little bit more today.
Stages 2 & 3.
The bomb bay and the eight bombs.
The fit of parts was very good and the bomb-bay fits well into the fuselage halves. I haven' t attached the bombs yet since i want to paint them first.

Tomorrow I hope to tackle the engine nacelles and possibly the undercarriage in stage 7.
Ron.
P.S. At the moment I am planning to do "Mild and Bitter" DR-X 131819 which has olive drab uppers and light grey undersides - a straightforward scheme. I will be using the kit's decals.

fluff75 · Posted: Wed 22 Nov 2006 19:49 pm Post subject:

It is now a week since I started this build. The first two days went well and are reported above. Since then I have had various other things to deal with at home and then there was the day out at the wonderful SMW2006 at Telford.
However I have made quite a bit of progress and I will be reporting on this soon.
Ron.
PS. I do hope that Hornby will keep this Marauder kit going even if they do decide to retire some of the earlier Airfix moulds.

Radio Gnome · Posted: Wed 22 Nov 2006 21:14 pm Post subject:

I would hope as well Ron that they will keep the better moulds.

I must say that the bomb bay in the Airfix 1/72 is just as detailed if not a little more so than than the monogram/revell 1/48

fluff75 · Posted: Thu 23 Nov 2006 18:41 pm Post subject:

Here are the parts so far as of 6:00 p.m today.

1. The fuselage halves have had the several heat-sink marks filled with Humbrol model filler and the internal transparencies have been fitted to both halves. Part 105 was poorly moulded in my kit and required cleaning up with file, emery paper and micromesh polishing cloth. The small circular porthole tranparencies (99 & 107) have the famous Airfix dimple in them.
2. The cockpit assembly has been painted with matt black seats, control columns and the central console.
3. Both wing halves have been assembled and the landing lights and navigation lights fitted. They took quite a long time to fit but they do so well and it is rewarding to get this result. The fit of the nacelle parts to the wing isn't very good and much filing, sandpapering and cleaning up has been done. I have painted them with Humbrol HU1 primer.
4.The engines have been assembled and painted matt black, and then dry-brushed with silver to highlight the detail. The engine cowlings have had the two intakes added to the upper side. They have been painted with primer. Unlike Davecov I have not drilled out the bottom air intakes. The cowlings fit well on to the engine nacelles.
5. Spent a lot of time cleaning up the props. They have now been painted with primer (two coats) and await yellow tips before final painting with matt black. I always leave my props off so that the model can be transported more easily and also they do not get in the way during painting and decaling.
6.The undercarriage legs and wheels have been assembled. The legs have been painted with primer.
7. The upper gun turret has had the figure decapitated and his legs sawn off. The bit that remains will give the twin 0.5 m/c guns a support. The transparency (part 64) is poor and is badly marked in my kit. However when it is installed in the fuselage little of it can be seen. I will make it shine with micromesh cloths and Klear. I found this assembly very fiddly and the gun channels in the transparency have had to widened. I want to make the guns elevate and the turret revolve in its fuselage location lugs.
8. The bombs have been painted with primer and await olive drab (HU66) before cementing to their locations in the bomb-bay.
9. The fin and rudder, and the tailplane went together without any problems. Here they are primed.

Not a lot to do now before final assembly can begin.
So far a very enjoyable build.
Ron.

fluff75 · Posted: Wed 29 Nov 2006 12:22 pm Post subject:

A little bit of progress. Photo here

This is the completed bomb bay with the eight 500lb bombs in place. Interior was lightly painted with Humbrol silver, the bomb are painted matt 66 olive drab with 99 yellow fronts. Then matted with Humbrol matt varnish.
More follows.
Ron

fluff75 · Posted: Wed 29 Nov 2006 13:24 pm Post subject:

Some more photos

Here is the port wing with the engine nacelles added. Has been painted HU1 primer with a test painting of Hu66 olive drab on the centre section. Note landing light transparency in place and wing tip nav light prepainted red.

The starboard wing painted Hu1 and with the wheel bay painted with matt 226. The fit of the engine nacelle parts left much to be desired. A lot of sanding and filing to get the parts to fit neatly. I opened up the exhaust pipes a little with a small drill.

One of the cowlings with engine installed. Engine painted black and highlighted with Hu11. Inside of the cowl has been painted matt green 226.

Starboard fuelage half with cockpit assembly test fitted.

The props after first coat of matt black. Note tips masked off - they have already been painted matt 99 yellow.
Quite soon now I should in a position to seal up the fuselage halves and then it will begin to look like a Marauder!
Ron.

Ratch · Posted: Wed 29 Nov 2006 16:38 pm Post subject:

Looks like you're progressing well Ron

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fluff75 · Posted: Thu 30 Nov 2006 18:48 pm Post subject:

Did a little bit more today.
I have completed the dorsal turret as below

The machine guns were painted Hu53 gunmetal and the transparency was treated with Klear. Photo is not very sharp but i was pleased with the result.

and now the moment of truth - here we have the fusleage halves just prior to cementing them together pemanently

The transparenceies were all painted with Klear, I checked that the turret was free to rotate. and then cement was applied. The joined fuselage is now drying.
More tomorrow perhaps.

Owen · Posted: Thu 30 Nov 2006 19:37 pm Post subject:

Coming along nicely Ron.

Out of interest, what shade is H226? The picture in your wheel bay looks considerably yellower than I thought it was. Is this just the camera/picture?
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Owen
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams
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fluff75 · Posted: Mon 04 Dec 2006 11:36 am Post subject:

Since the last report I have made quite a bit of progress

The fuselage halves have been joined and allowed to set overnight. The join lines were then cleaned up with wet ‘n dry and here the first coats of HU66 olive drab and Light grey HU64 have been applied. A small hole has been drilled just to the aft of the bomb bay on the underside. This is for a small plastic prop made from stretched clear sprue. This saves the problem of fitting weights into the nose.. I know that this rod isn’t quite authentic but it is an old-fashioned way of overcoming the model being a tail sitter.

The wings and tailplane/fin/ rudder have also received their first coats of olive drab and grey. I am keeping the wings and tailplanes separate from the fuselage until all painting and decaling has been done (like the Islander).

I have spent a considerable amount of time trimming the cockpit canopy and the fuselage so that a good fit is achieved. It does fit well, but you have to work at it. Also minor adjustments have been made to the wing lugs so that the top of the wings joins the fuselage perfectly.
More later.
Ron.

Owen · Posted: Mon 04 Dec 2006 11:45 am Post subject:

Looks Good Ron. Will you glue it together then decal it? Surely you would get bad wing roots that would need filling/painting?
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Owen
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams
ATF Unverified Spam Appreciation Society - Member Number Two?

fluff75 · Posted: Mon 04 Dec 2006 12:08 pm Post subject:

Hi Owen,
No I intend to decal the fuselage and wings prior to assembly.
The wing to fuselage join may require slight attention and a lick of paint and matt varnish. This may be the final job on this build.

In making this Marauder I have been looking at several books and magazines. I have learned a lot about it. Something I might not have done if I had not joined this Group Build!

For instance, the Airfix instruction sheet mentions 12 0.5 m/c guns but the kit only has nine. It would appear that the B-26B was fitted with a fixed forward firing gun and had two waist guns. Does anyone know the actual position of the forward firing gun and the two side manual operated ones? Also I didn't realise that the rear guns were automatically fed with bullets on a feed system.

Ron.

farmroad38 · Posted: Mon 04 Dec 2006 12:16 pm Post subject:

I was reading my Squadron Signal "Marauder in Action" last night, and it gets even more complicated - there were several different incarnations of the B-26B (and -C), with numerous different configurations of guns, canopies and so on.

I don't know about the forward gun, but the waist guns seem to have been operated through the crew access hatch along the side. At first, this was a jerry-rigged arrangement, but later models had them factory-fitted.

This also ties in with the Eduard PE set I have, which has instructions to remove the waist hatch and place guns in it.
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Cheers,

Adrian