Crimea_River
Marshal
Fantastic work as always Gerry.
1:32 scale Lancaster Mk.1 Hachette Partworks
- Thread starter Gerry
- Start date
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ian lanc
Senior Airman
Always looking in on this EPIC build Gerry! Just because I don't post much doesn't mean i'm not checking in!
I love seeing the build coming along and try not to fill the thread with unnecessary posts.
Terry there are two pictures of the armour in the book 'Lancaster at war' one showing the armour in place and one showing just the mount without the glass fitted.
Only the pictures I've seen which are on Page 52 'interiors' [bottom left]. Page 77 [top right]
A4K! Thanks for the pictures showing that curtain.
Regards.
Ian.
I love seeing the build coming along and try not to fill the thread with unnecessary posts.
Terry there are two pictures of the armour in the book 'Lancaster at war' one showing the armour in place and one showing just the mount without the glass fitted.
Only the pictures I've seen which are on Page 52 'interiors' [bottom left]. Page 77 [top right]
A4K! Thanks for the pictures showing that curtain.
Regards.
Ian.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks Ian, and thanks also to Gerry and Evan for the curtain pic !
The B&W shot is the one I'm thinking off. That yellow 'bundle' on the Canadian Lanc definitely looks like a wiring run Gerry. bearing in mind the differences in equipment fit on Canadian-built Lancs, especially the radios, then I suspect there were wiring difference too. Note alos the aperture in the Nav table, presumably for the later style of 'fixed' mounting for H2s.
The B&W shot is the one I'm thinking off. That yellow 'bundle' on the Canadian Lanc definitely looks like a wiring run Gerry. bearing in mind the differences in equipment fit on Canadian-built Lancs, especially the radios, then I suspect there were wiring difference too. Note alos the aperture in the Nav table, presumably for the later style of 'fixed' mounting for H2s.
Love this thread!
- Thread starter
- #705
Gerry
Staff Sergeant
Thanks Evan, Kevin, Andy, Ian, Terry and Wayne for your continued contributions to this build.
Evan, great references for the curtain. As regards the airshow, we're booked in for a holiday over that week but that could change depending on my father in law's condition.
Gerry
Evan, great references for the curtain. As regards the airshow, we're booked in for a holiday over that week but that could change depending on my father in law's condition.
Gerry
A4K
Brigadier General
Hope he's ok Gerry, and to see you up North in September. Will drop you the details of where we'll be in a PM.
...and no worries re the curtain pics guys! Just give us a yell if anyone needs any other details from those books.
...and no worries re the curtain pics guys! Just give us a yell if anyone needs any other details from those books.
- Thread starter
- #708
Gerry
Staff Sergeant
Hi Guys, I'm back - after a longer gap than I'd originally hoped. I'm trying to balance three projects at the moment and unfortunately something had to suffer. But the good news is that I've managed to get some more visually interesting work done on the Lanc, in parallel with some boring unseen work – repairs, stringing etc. The further good news is; I think I've reached the half way mark on this build, allowing for a lot of out of sequence building that I've already completed. Hopefully, by the end of September I should be able to get a clear run at it again and hope to make rapid progress on the remainder of the build.
The two pieces I'm posting are back to the recommended sequence of the build. The first completes the dinghy stowage hatch for the starboard wing, and incorporates the first piece of metal skinning for the wing.
The first shot is what's supplied: the skin for the wing section; the hatch exterior and inner frame. The actual wing section had been built and painted earlier.
The next shows the hatch riveted and assembled along with the riveting of the skin. The thickness of the metal has created some problems, as the pressure I've had to apply to the riveting wheel to get the rivets to show through the thickness of the metal skin has caused the rivet wheel to 'skid' and create double indentations. My solution has been just to lightly mark the rivet positions with the wheel and impress each individual rivet with the stylus shown. It's time consuming but the result is better, I hope. But I'm going to have to do this for the entire exterior!
Next, the inside of the hatch door and skin got a coat of primer, then painted in interior green with the section over the flaps, in black. Some light weathering has been applied.
The dinghies came as blocks of cast metal that just needed painting to pick out the detail. First they were primed then airbrushed with shades of yellow to suggest creasing. The inflation cylinder was painted and a spare decal added to the dial. I wasn't sure whether the stripes were painted on or were retaining straps.
The type J dinghy and bottle in position in the wing and the extra equipment stowed on the hatch door.
Here the skin is loosely positioned over the wing structure, with the hatch open. The instructions call for the skin to be attached to the frame at this point but I don't want to commit to that until I decide whether there will be any cut away on the panel.
The hatch should be removable so it can be either seen open or closed. I'll probably pose it open. These also show how this section relates to the overall wing structure.
The next issue I tackled was the construction of the flap or worm jack. I had some good references for this.
And here's the magazine's version. This comes as five slotted strips glued together laterally across the width and a brass 'screw'. Then the top is filed to create the rounded shape. This is then supposed to be riveted and painted, directly on the wooden finish. Compared to the reference it still looks totally wrong, being too low with too much of the screw visible. Having some spare metal skin available I thought I could improve it with a little time and effort. First I added an extra layer to the base (the brown layer) and after a bit of cutting, riveting and shaping the metal and adding plastic strip, I think it's more believable looking now, particularly when painted.
That's as far as I've got. Having test fitted the jack, I think the magazine is indicating the wrong position for it. I need to check that carefully and check its position against the alignment of the flap hinge rods, to make sure they line up.
Having seen it in position though, I'm struck how cluttered that part of the fuselage was. With the main spars and the flap screw, it became a real obstacle course for the crew.
This got me thinking about the emergency exit procedures for the crew in the event of the aircraft being shot down and the crew forced to bale out. The spars were an obvious obstacle. Was the expectation that the five crew forward of the spars use the escape hatch in the nose? How about the mid-upper and tail gunners? Was the entrance door an option for their escape or was that discouraged because of the danger of being hit by the tail plane? I'm sure Terry or Ian might be able to throw some light on the official directions the crews were given, if any.
I'll leave it at that for the moment and post again when I make some more progress.
Gerry
The two pieces I'm posting are back to the recommended sequence of the build. The first completes the dinghy stowage hatch for the starboard wing, and incorporates the first piece of metal skinning for the wing.
The first shot is what's supplied: the skin for the wing section; the hatch exterior and inner frame. The actual wing section had been built and painted earlier.
The next shows the hatch riveted and assembled along with the riveting of the skin. The thickness of the metal has created some problems, as the pressure I've had to apply to the riveting wheel to get the rivets to show through the thickness of the metal skin has caused the rivet wheel to 'skid' and create double indentations. My solution has been just to lightly mark the rivet positions with the wheel and impress each individual rivet with the stylus shown. It's time consuming but the result is better, I hope. But I'm going to have to do this for the entire exterior!
Next, the inside of the hatch door and skin got a coat of primer, then painted in interior green with the section over the flaps, in black. Some light weathering has been applied.
The dinghies came as blocks of cast metal that just needed painting to pick out the detail. First they were primed then airbrushed with shades of yellow to suggest creasing. The inflation cylinder was painted and a spare decal added to the dial. I wasn't sure whether the stripes were painted on or were retaining straps.
The type J dinghy and bottle in position in the wing and the extra equipment stowed on the hatch door.
Here the skin is loosely positioned over the wing structure, with the hatch open. The instructions call for the skin to be attached to the frame at this point but I don't want to commit to that until I decide whether there will be any cut away on the panel.
The hatch should be removable so it can be either seen open or closed. I'll probably pose it open. These also show how this section relates to the overall wing structure.
The next issue I tackled was the construction of the flap or worm jack. I had some good references for this.
And here's the magazine's version. This comes as five slotted strips glued together laterally across the width and a brass 'screw'. Then the top is filed to create the rounded shape. This is then supposed to be riveted and painted, directly on the wooden finish. Compared to the reference it still looks totally wrong, being too low with too much of the screw visible. Having some spare metal skin available I thought I could improve it with a little time and effort. First I added an extra layer to the base (the brown layer) and after a bit of cutting, riveting and shaping the metal and adding plastic strip, I think it's more believable looking now, particularly when painted.
That's as far as I've got. Having test fitted the jack, I think the magazine is indicating the wrong position for it. I need to check that carefully and check its position against the alignment of the flap hinge rods, to make sure they line up.
Having seen it in position though, I'm struck how cluttered that part of the fuselage was. With the main spars and the flap screw, it became a real obstacle course for the crew.
This got me thinking about the emergency exit procedures for the crew in the event of the aircraft being shot down and the crew forced to bale out. The spars were an obvious obstacle. Was the expectation that the five crew forward of the spars use the escape hatch in the nose? How about the mid-upper and tail gunners? Was the entrance door an option for their escape or was that discouraged because of the danger of being hit by the tail plane? I'm sure Terry or Ian might be able to throw some light on the official directions the crews were given, if any.
I'll leave it at that for the moment and post again when I make some more progress.
Gerry
fubar57
General
Well worth the wait Gerry. 
Geo
Geo
Crimea_River
Marshal
Beautiful work Gerry. I believe the tail gunner jumped from his turret and everyone else went forward but I may be mistaken. It was not a particularly easy aircraft to exit.
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
Beautiful work Gerry, well worth the wait indeed!
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Holy Fricken <BLEEP!>
ian lanc
Senior Airman
Lost for words mate! Oh yes there is!! Can you make me one please...lol
- Thread starter
- #716
Gerry
Staff Sergeant
Guys, Thanks for your continued support on this build.
Slainte,
Gerry
Slainte,
Gerry
Gerry, that is awesome work man....
- Thread starter
- #719
Gerry
Staff Sergeant
Thanks, Kevin Wayne. Always good to know you're still looking in too.
Gerry
Gerry
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great stuff Gerry !
The official procedure for bail out was for the rear gunner to retrieve his 'chute from the storage bin in the rear fuselage, turn his turret 90 degree, and exit backwards, with all other crew members exiting via the nose hatch, the main entrance door being considered too dangerous, due to possible collision with the tail plane.
However, it is known that the rear entrance door was used also, by both mid-upper and rear gunners. Knowing how difficult it is to negotiate the main spar, even without parachute harness, Mae West etc, when stationary on the ground, it must have been near impossible, in some cases, when in the air, possibly with 'g' forces fighting against you.
The official procedure for bail out was for the rear gunner to retrieve his 'chute from the storage bin in the rear fuselage, turn his turret 90 degree, and exit backwards, with all other crew members exiting via the nose hatch, the main entrance door being considered too dangerous, due to possible collision with the tail plane.
However, it is known that the rear entrance door was used also, by both mid-upper and rear gunners. Knowing how difficult it is to negotiate the main spar, even without parachute harness, Mae West etc, when stationary on the ground, it must have been near impossible, in some cases, when in the air, possibly with 'g' forces fighting against you.
