1/72 Scale Lancaster...Hasegawa

[flyjoe180]

They look great.

[stona]

Here's the bomber c/w matt coat and unmasked.



I'll add some weathering over the next day or two and finally get on with all the 'dangly bits'.

For Laurie here's the canopy as it was unmasked. A little bit of tidying up will be done with a tooth pick and I'll also remove some traces of the glue from the masking with a cotton bud and alcohol followed by another cotton bud moistened with Klear. I won't attempt to touch up any paint in this scale



This will wait until tomorrow when the final matt coat is well and truly cured......and the light is better.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Hi Steve,

It already looks superb. Wish I could airbrush like you.

Francesco

[Guest]

Like the masking on the canopy Steve, a real patience tester. Cheers Derek

[Guest]

just moved my lancy to the back of the room so it doesnt see how good this looks,awesome

mobear

[flyjoe180]

It looks stunning Steve, very nice work indeed.

[Guest]

The canopy framework has sharper edges than mine and is much tidier. Looks good. Another difference is their width. Mine (Ravell kit with Eduard masks) are much thinner, some as little as 1/3 the width of yours, which I think is too small to get a tidy result.

[Guest]

Steve, am about to be in the same position as you - Revell kit - and was wondering about buying the Eduard masks (would be my first time using masks). Do you recommend against it?

[stona]

Steve, am about to be in the same position as you - Revell kit - and was wondering about buying the Eduard masks (would be my first time using masks). Do you recommend against it?

No I wouldn't. I think they do a decent job. In this scale some of the areas to be masked are very small and whilst you could do it yourself it's not going to be easy. Just applying the pre-cut masks took me a morning, masking myself would have taken MUCH longer. Without sounding too smug (I hope) canopy masking is not something I find too much of a chore, but I'm glad I invested in the masks.

It's a decent kit. My only 'complaints' (if you can call them that) would be the lack of anything in the interior and the tail wheel which is almost as big as the one on the Tamiya 1/48 version! This latter point will cause the model to sit at the wrong angle and as I'm doing a 'bombing up' diorama, in which this would be an issue, I have nicked one from an Airfix kit to get around this.

The one thing I really do have issues with is the decals. If I was building this kit again I would definitely source some decent after market decals.

Other points are very minor. The wing/nacelle fit for the outer nacelles took a little fettling. The main undercarriage assembly is surprisingly fiddly and that's about it

It looks like we'll be seeing a few Lancasters soon

Good luck with your build.

Steve

[Guest]

Steve, am about to be in the same position as you - Revell kit - and was wondering about buying the Eduard masks (would be my first time using masks). Do you recommend against it?

I used Eduard masks for my Revell Dambusters 1/72 kit 04295. The masks were made for that model. It was the first time that I had done a canopy. It was fiddly and took a few hours (there are so many in a Lancaster) but it was strangely therapeutic (I need to get out more)! They stuck well and provided you stick only a corner at first you can move the mask to its position. A sharp toothpic or a needle applied carefully to a corner easily lifts enough for tweezers to grip it. I did not get any significant residue of the adhesive. I think it is best to peel off by moving parallel to an edge where possible.Many of the bars were commendably thin, which I liked.

However, the paint on a little of the framework came off when peeling the masks, leaving a fuzzy edge which is unacceptable—I think a badly painted canopy spoils a model. It was not repairable. I learned afterwards that primer should not be applied to a canopy because it is slightly rubbery and can cause inaccurate edges after peeling. Steve (Stona)'s framework looks very sharp, possibly because the widths of the frames that are produced are very much greater than those using the Eduard masks on my Ravell.

Next time I will try the tape method which I have used quite successfully on the turrets:

http://www.scale-models.co.uk/threads/painting-canopies-with-tape.24569/

This also shows some of the ragged edges (see the front turret window). (At the end of the thread I show how I managed to make the tapes much narrower.)

I suggest you try practicing using little shapes of Tamiya tape (cut with a sharp knife), then painting (I think airbrushing is probably best 'cos it probably applies less paint than a brush. Next time I will experiment with a thin coat of Pledge Klear to see if it strengthens the paint before peeling (but then, it would strenghthen the paint on the mask as well!).

Good luck!

[stona]

Hi Steve, I can't remember whether I mentioned it before but the first coat on the canopy form me is always the interior colour and an enamel paint. Whether the latter point makes a difference I know not.

The primer I use is Halfords Plastic Primer which sticks very well to plastic, as you'd expect. I do rub it down before applying my enamels as it doesn't always dry to the smoothest finish.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

When you've masked the exterior of the canopy, then use some tape/bluetac to protect the inside and shake it in some bird grit, only the exposed parts will get a nice "key" to take the paint.

I can't emphasise how easy this is, used it for windscreens and if I ever do another aircraft I'll do it for that instead of the "toothpick and steady hand" method.

And of course always "trace" the edge of the mask with a new scalpel before peeling there will be no ripping or ragged edges and the edges will be clean and sharp

[Guest]

Another method worth thinking about (for framework that does not curve too much in the same plane as the tape) is to use strips of masking tape to go on both sides of a frame member, from one side where the frame meets the fuselage to the other ditto, passing over other frame members. Then paint the masked member (with a brush of course). Then peel off the tape, perhaps when the paint has become tacky (so it won't run) but not hard enough for bits on the member to come away with the tape. Carry on in this way, with later strips of tape inevitably covering already-painted members. Hopefully, the removal of later strips of tape would not pull off paint already applied and hardened. Several different types of tape could be experimented with.

This hobby raises many different ways of doing things, which I find attractive.

[stona]

I've got the Lancaster up on its own pins now.



The odd wires hanging out of the bomb bay are hoist wires which will eventually be attached to a 4000lb 'cookie'.

Just the bomb bay doors and a few dangly bits to do, hopefully before Xmas, senior management allowing.

Cheers

Steve

[eddiesolo]

Speaking of dangly-bits-this is the dogs-dangly-bits Steve, love the detailing and the vehicles are superb. Really enjoyed seeing this come together.

Si