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farmroad38 · Last edited by farmroad38 on Tue 27 May 2008 19:28 pm; edited 1 time in total

Progress of XN923's build can be followed here.
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Cheers,

Adrian

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Thanks Adrian. I have settled on a double build of the Airfix Sunderland MkIII and the Catalina. The Cat is still in the garage at the moment, but to be going on with, here're the sprues and box art for the Sunderland. (I'm going to build it as a 230 Squadron machine in all black with SEAC roundels and ASV aerials - I've ordered some etched brass aerials from White Ensign - only ever done a couple of bits of brass before, so not sure if it will work or not. At least means I won't have to tackle the dorsal turret...

farmroad38 · Posted: Tue 27 May 2008 19:31 pm Post subject:

No problem. I've set up a thread for your Catalina here.
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Cheers,

Adrian

hewman100 · Posted: Wed 28 May 2008 10:41 am Post subject:

You may like to have a look at my build here in the 2nd Anniversary GB:

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/about8998.html

I'd be quite happy to supply the SEAC markings for you as I have some of the same style still on the sheet.
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Bubbly!

peebeep · Guest

Very interesting build article here.

peebeep

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Really helpful stuff, thanks guys!

Hewman100 - didn't mean to tread on your toes, and thanks a bunch for your offer of the SEAC decals. I've a set on order from Hannants (wish I'd checked the forum first

) but If I screw up at any stage (as is more than likely) I may well take you up on it.

Peebeep - interesting stuff there, thanks. I was vaguely considering a MkV conversion but think it would likely be beyond me. Plenty of helpful stuff, not least the drawings at the end.

hewman100 · Posted: Thu 29 May 2008 10:18 am Post subject:

Haven't trodden on my toes at all XN923, she is a very appealing and different take on a beautiful subject.

I look forward to following your build and hope you have as much fun as I did on mine.
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Bubbly!

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Thanks - I'm sure it will be fun, though whether it will be accurate or look any good is quite another matter!

There's going to be quite a bit of pondering and preparation to be done, I'm sure. I want to concentrate on getting a good external finish and not go overboard on the interior.

My only experience of this kit is when my Dad built one of these for my brother back in 1982 (I got the Lancaster) - so it'll be interesting to see how it all goes together. It'll also be interesting to see how the White Ensign PE brass compares to the Aeroclub.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

A little late starting due to being on holiday... Bit shocked to find some people finished already (even if with the rather smaller/simpler S6B) so better get a move on. Last night and this morning mainly adding pushrods to the Pegasus engines, which is the only extra detail I want to add to the powerplants. I think it's the single thing that makes the biggest difference to a radial engine when picked out with subtle painting. These were stretched sprue:

I'm going to do a little to the cockpit - armour to the pilot's seat back and a central throttle box, and I may add plasticard 'sides' to the seats. By all accounts you can't see that much inside anyway, although depending on how the time goes I may plunge form a thinner canopy.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

A few more bits and pieces done. Clunky gun barrels replaced with much nicer Quickboost barrels, see lower left, and a drum added to the Vickers K gun in the nose turret.

Sides added to seats and armour/headrest to pilot's, see lower right (the co-pilot didn't get armour - just a rack of flares on the back of his seat

).

Also tops removed from Control yokes, see top middle (most of the pics I've seen show this feature, though the prototype did have circular 'wheels' - presumably a Short Empire boat feature).

Finally, a quick throttle box scratchbuilt from thick sprue and stretched sprue - top right. The flight deck floor looks awfully empty without it.

Has anyone else found fit problems with the flight deck? I tried dry fitting and found that the countrol yokes fouled the cockpit coaming really quite badly. leaning the columns back seemed to do the trick.

Ratch · Posted: Mon 23 Jun 2008 16:50 pm Post subject:

An impressive start

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Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Mon 23 Jun 2008 18:25 pm Post subject:

Nice detail work!

All the best

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Thanks both. Mainly down to Mr. Quickboost's offerings really - I love that range, great quality and so cheap.

Interior's painted now - just waiting for that to dry, and a little bit of detail painting, and I can start on the major assembly.

Still haven't received my etched brass from White Ensign though. Hope it turns up soon, I don't fancy scratchbuilding those Yagi antennae...

Heinkel51 · Posted: Mon 23 Jun 2008 23:58 pm Post subject:

Lovely start, must look at that quick boost.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Test fit of the cockpit interior (ignore the bizarre shade of green, I've had to muck about with the image so you can see better which has involved making everything brighter)

hewman100 · Posted: Tue 24 Jun 2008 11:14 am Post subject:

Great job there. I too must have a look at the Quickboost stuff.

The control yoke problem is a lot to do with the plinths moulded to the floor that they're set in.

I removed 'em on mine, I think farmroad38 did the same on his. That extra 1/8 of an inch or so helped a lot.
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Bubbly!

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

Foolishly, I made the cardinal error of attaching the control yokes before test fitting - it won't happen again m'lud.

Cowlings had to be painted black to create false depth behind the half-relief cylinders, so I decided to go ahead and finish them. They are dry fitted at the moment, but will be added at the end of the build.

Bit of filling to do on the leading edge as you can see!

hippo · Posted: Tue 24 Jun 2008 14:30 pm Post subject:

Nice job on the engines. What paint have you used for the exhaust collector rings? Colourwise, it looks spot on to me.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1175

hewman100 · Posted: Wed 25 Jun 2008 09:48 am Post subject:

A simple but effective idea, must remember that!
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Bubbly!