Revell 1/72 Lancaster Mk III

[Guest]

Been fiddling around with this for a while now but not posted anything from it. This is straight out of the box, even going for the box art decal option with the groovy yellow wing tips and stabilisers.


Some good detail in the office - not sure you'd get much better without PE. Avoided the decals for the control panel & other kit, just a bit of drybrushing with a spot of colour here and there for interest.


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Toothpick for scale... using 'macro' mode on my phone makes the model seem huge!


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This was an absolute cow to get into the fuselage. But I got there eventually...


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OK say goodbye to all the interior detail...


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Sob. You can't see anything. But hey, this is a big ole beast. Have primed the wingtips with white so they'll take the yellow better... hope this works out.


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See? Hardly anything visible! And once the canopy's on... Sigh. I'll know it's there.


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Some lovely detail in the wheel well, and some of this will be visible. From underneath anyway.


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So this is where I'm up to now - have assembled the engine nacelles. Even cut out a panel on the starboard inside engine to reveal the powerplant (not a lot of detail). If I get the new Airfix Bomber Resupply set as I'm considering, will have a gantry up against it and someone tinkering.


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Like I say, not much detail.


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OK so that's where I'm up to now. May make some progress over the Bank Hols weekend, hope to at least get the nacelles all fitted and hopefully the undercarriage in position. The undercarriage, it must be said, looks mighty fiddly. When the instructions say "use tweezers to get this tiny bit into position once everything else is all cemented up", I read, "You've no chance of getting this right..."!!!


This is the most complex model I've attempted to date, but on the whole it's gone together OK. Taken some finessing at times and the ole "brute force & ignorance" approach at others (buttoning up the fuselage resulted in my wee boy learning some new words...) but it's a good-quality model and I'm really enjoying it.


Will update when there's some progress.

[tr1ckey66]

Looks a neat job so far. The fit of nacelles too wings is sometimes the crucial point but hopefully this will go together well.


Looking forward to the progress.


Cheers


P

[Guest]

Dry-fitting of outer nacelles shows no issue. Inner nacelles though are going to be a bit more tricky.


If anyone's done one of these... there are some tiny struts that fix to the rear of the engine compartment bulkhead (step 20, pc #84). They seem to need to occupy the same physical space as part of the undercarriage assembly (step 23, pc #95). Am I doing something unimaginably stupid here?

[Guest]

Yep, confirmed. Outer nacelles snug as the alleged parasitical insect in the bedclothes. Or something like that.


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Outer nacelles a bit more loose. Loose as those old ship-sinking lips. This fit is after considerable force applied and litres and litres of liquid poly. Have thrown some filler at it, though, and all seems well now (not shown).


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Now - onwards. Am skipping the undercarriage and bomb-bay for now until most of the painting is done, so now coming to grips with all the parts on the transparent sprue!


For the first time, I've gone and bought pre-cut masks - Eduard CX211 made for this kit. Have only just started masking up now and can see that this was cash very well spent indeed.


One question - removing the individual masking pieces from the sheet... how?! I'm using a sharp(ish - not new) blade on my craft knife but worried about damaging the bits as I remove them. But just bending the entire sheet doesn't seem to loosen pieces well (as I learned to do with the lad's sticker collection books a couple of years ago!). Is there some secret method passed down among modellers from generation to generation?

[Guest]

Having never used pre-cut masking before, I've got no inside knowledge but would it be useful to cut each section from the main sheet prior to application? Then they might bend off more easily?


I'm interested to know of any tips as I can see me buying some masks in the near future!

[papa 695]

Some very nice work there Alasdair.


Pity about all the work in the cockpit and not being able to see it but we all know it's there

[flyjoe180]

Superb work so far Alasdair. Nice detail work, we've seen it in your progress shots so it's not lost forever. You should have no issues with the yellow over that white primer. Look forward to the next update.

[Guest]

OK, I'm in love - pre-cut masking sheets.


I did this in one afternoon & evening:


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I'm sure perhaps bits of it could be done more neatly, but perhaps not by me!


I would never have cut out tiny strips & triangles like this:


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We'll see once it's all primed & painted & glossed & weathered and flattened whether this amount of detail survives. Not sure that some of it will, tbh, but have my fingers crossed.


OK may be a little while before I sit down to modelling again - work stuff in the offing. Joy.

[Guest]

For the first time, I've gone and bought pre-cut masks - Eduard CX211 made for this kit. Have only just started masking up now and can see that this was cash very well spent indeed.
One question - removing the individual masking pieces from the sheet... how?! I'm using a sharp(ish - not new) blade on my craft knife but worried about damaging the bits as I remove them. But just bending the entire sheet doesn't seem to loosen pieces well (as I learned to do with the lad's sticker collection books a couple of years ago!). Is there some secret method passed down among modellers from generation to generation?

The method I used for my 1/72 Revell Lancaster (Dambuster version, Eduard masks) was to use a pin to loosen a corner of the mask, without ruckling it, and using tweezers or a finger nail and other finger they came off easily without stretching.

[Guest]

Thanks, Steve... A pin - will certainly try that next time. My knife blade wasn't quite fine enough and I did slightly graunch a few corners. Fortunately had a very good set of fine-nosed tweezers (from a set of otherwise not-great Rolson tweezers) and that was worth its weight in gold too.

[Guest]

...would it be useful to cut each section from the main sheet prior to application? Then they might bend off more easily?

That would be quite tough I reckon as the various shapes are very close together on the sheet.


As for getting some pre-cut masks, I say go for it - wasn't nearly as tricky as I'd thought it would be and saved me hours and hours of eye-squintingly boring masking the 'old' way.


[Now that I'm over my fear of pre-cut masks, perhaps time to address my phobia around photoetch?!]

[Dave W]

Looking good Alasdair.Ive masked many a canopy the hard way with little bits of tape and a sharp scalpel.Very time consuming.Then like you I tried these mask sets.So much quicker and easier.I tend to careful lift an edge from the backing sheet with the tip of a curved knife blade then use tweezers and a cocktail stick to apply them to the model.Any slight creases can be smoothed out with the aforementioned cocktail stick.

[colin m]

Masks are great. I've got a He-111 - loads of Perspex and yes the mask set is in the box ready to go.

[Guest]

Heh, I've an He-111, Ju-88 and a Blenheim Mk 1 in the 'in-tray', best get on to some masks for them too!

[flyjoe180]

The masks worked nicely Alasdair. Must stop being stingy and get some for my more complicated builds.