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- #81
The reason I started making the Lancasters by myself was that I couldn't satisfied with the quality of the existing plastic 1/48 scale kit then (and today) commercially available. I knew of course there had been a fine one produced by a Japanese kit maker many years ago, maybe in 1976.
But how could I say yes or no for on that kit which had been for nearly 35 years. Its like criticizing how the F-4 Phantom is efficient as an national defense asset, from today's point of view. Instead I truly respect the determination of the kit maker on the such earlier days. I have been waited for any of the British kit makers to produce a good one in 1/48 scale. The existing 1/72 Lancaster B1/III kit released by a British maker early in 80's was a truly fine Lancaster model.
Even I once thought of just replacing the upper panels of the wing on the existing 1/48 kit which has totally wrong wing section which might be permissible as a model but not as a miniature of the aircraft (to my own standards at least).
One of my old friends who was far senior to me and lived nearby showed me his superbly built hand-crafted models in early 70's. These are truly sperb in finishing and even having near perfectly reproduced detailed cockpit and engine inside of the very thinly carved wood material.
Apart from his technique it was largely dependent on the kind of wood used. In this we have a wood having very fine and not very hard and almost without grains. If you use this you can create anything like whole cowling assembly or thin cockpit walls. But that wood material was not easy to get or buy on these days.
Therefore I have no prejudice over hand crafting and even am thinking that on some occasions it is quicker to carve on the wood (or starting building) than to do cut and fix on the plastic kit repeatedly, or to wait the makers to produce what you have been longed for.
This is, in my opinion, greatly assisted by today's modeling technology with new materials such as various kind of superglues, composite materials, plastics and modeling techniques. Even that wood is easy to buy today at local large and new hardware stoors.
Added with above is today's IT environment which provides the modelers various sources of raw information material on the aircraft such as the production drawings that I posted earlier on this thread. I wished that the designer of the Lancaster kit of that maker in 1970s had chances to refer on them. The kit posseses fine details indeed though.
Through making just two types of aircraft models by myself I am now sure I don't need to wait for the plastic kit makers to produce what I wished for. Only the ideas and patience, plus bit of money are needed, and I think that is not way too hard to practice. It is easier to do than to just think.
But how could I say yes or no for on that kit which had been for nearly 35 years. Its like criticizing how the F-4 Phantom is efficient as an national defense asset, from today's point of view. Instead I truly respect the determination of the kit maker on the such earlier days. I have been waited for any of the British kit makers to produce a good one in 1/48 scale. The existing 1/72 Lancaster B1/III kit released by a British maker early in 80's was a truly fine Lancaster model.
Even I once thought of just replacing the upper panels of the wing on the existing 1/48 kit which has totally wrong wing section which might be permissible as a model but not as a miniature of the aircraft (to my own standards at least).
One of my old friends who was far senior to me and lived nearby showed me his superbly built hand-crafted models in early 70's. These are truly sperb in finishing and even having near perfectly reproduced detailed cockpit and engine inside of the very thinly carved wood material.
Apart from his technique it was largely dependent on the kind of wood used. In this we have a wood having very fine and not very hard and almost without grains. If you use this you can create anything like whole cowling assembly or thin cockpit walls. But that wood material was not easy to get or buy on these days.
Therefore I have no prejudice over hand crafting and even am thinking that on some occasions it is quicker to carve on the wood (or starting building) than to do cut and fix on the plastic kit repeatedly, or to wait the makers to produce what you have been longed for.
This is, in my opinion, greatly assisted by today's modeling technology with new materials such as various kind of superglues, composite materials, plastics and modeling techniques. Even that wood is easy to buy today at local large and new hardware stoors.
Added with above is today's IT environment which provides the modelers various sources of raw information material on the aircraft such as the production drawings that I posted earlier on this thread. I wished that the designer of the Lancaster kit of that maker in 1970s had chances to refer on them. The kit posseses fine details indeed though.
Through making just two types of aircraft models by myself I am now sure I don't need to wait for the plastic kit makers to produce what I wished for. Only the ideas and patience, plus bit of money are needed, and I think that is not way too hard to practice. It is easier to do than to just think.
