Avro Jetliner Vacuform

[Alvis 3.1]

Vacuform Avro Canada Jetliner from Execuform, 1/72




Wing: Uh oh, that's going to be a tad difficult to get the leading/trailing edges right!



Engine pod. This defied me to scratchbuild in 1/144, hopefully, this won't be too hard.



Won't be working on this for  a while, but I thought you'd like to see the raw kit.

Alvis 3.1

[kitnut617]

I'll be getting one of those Alvis, the moulding looks quite similar to how Aircraft in Mimiature does theirs. You have to be very careful when sanding down to the join line on this type of vacuform.

[Tophe]

Not easy... Keep faith.

[Alvis 3.1]

Problem is, there is not exactly a clearly defined seam point. I am going to have to very carefully mark them on the wings, as it progresses from wing to slope to sheet without clear transitions. BUT...
it's a freaking Jetliner!!!!!

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

[Daryl J.]

The subject matter:   :)
The kit itself:   

[Brian da Basher]

You sure can't beat the subject! Kudos, Mr Alvis! Tackling that vacform will take no small measure of courage!

Brian da Basher

[Dr. YoKai]

 Execuforms are not for the faint of heart-I've still yet to start on my Abrams Explorer, and I got that
 in High School! ( I'm fifty-four. Really should get started on that thing...)

 Good luck with the build, Al !

[The Big Gimper]

I received my Mike Herrill Jetliner from Copper Models yesterday. All 16 pieces. 

I now need to source the landing gear, front face of the engines and exhaust.

Would this be a good fit for 3D printing? Any suggestions who charges a reasonable cost for creating the CAD drawings and the finished items?

[kitnut617]

I now need to source the landing gear,

I would say Shackleton, considering the Tudor Mk.8 (which is partically the same size) basically had Shackleton/Lincoln landing gear (albeit in tail-dragger form) in it's twin jet pods, and the Avro Ashton had tri-gear, it would make sense that the tri-gear was some adaption of the MR.3 gear.

Some 3-View drawings seem to show the same style wheel hubs anyway.

For engine fronts, I think CF-100 intakes would work.

http://www.obscureco.com/product_pages/OBS72009/OBS72009.html

In the past, Obscureco have been very helpful to me with buying certain parts from their sets, maybe an email to them asking if you could just buy the engine fronts with an explaination of what they will be used on.  It's what I'm going to do ---- but then I already have a CF-100 set in the stash --- 

[GTX_Admin]

Would this be a good fit for 3D printing? Any suggestions who charges a reasonable cost for creating the CAD drawings and the finished items?

There are some guys over on Secret Projects who might be able to help you.

[kitnut617]

Would this be a good fit for 3D printing? Any suggestions who charges a reasonable cost for creating the CAD drawings and the finished items?

There are some guys over on Secret Projects who might be able to help you.

Well if the undercarriage set I got for the 1/72 Canadair Argus from Cooper's Models is anything to go by, it won't be cheap. On the other hand, the set is really exquisitely made.  Pics below are what you get (there's two sets there too)

Mind you, if Mrs kitnut ever found out how much they cost me, I might be in the same position as Darryl

[GTX_Admin]

Mind you, if Mrs kitnut ever found out how much they cost me, I might be in the same position as Darryl

Shush!  They have spies everywhere!

[The Big Gimper]

I now need to source the landing gear,

I would say Shackleton, considering the Tudor Mk.8 (which is partically the same size) basically had Shackleton/Lincoln landing gear (albeit in tail-dragger form) in it's twin jet pods, and the Avro Ashton had tri-gear, it would make sense that the tri-gear was some adaption of the MR.3 gear.

Some 3-View drawings seem to show the same style wheel hubs anyway.

For engine fronts, I think CF-100 intakes would work.

http://www.obscureco.com/product_pages/OBS72009/OBS72009.html

In the past, Obscureco have been very helpful to me with buying certain parts from their sets, maybe an email to them asking if you could just buy the engine fronts with an explaination of what they will be used on.  It's what I'm going to do ---- but then I already have a CF-100 set in the stash --- 

Thank Robert.

I have some Modelcraft  Shackleton's set aside as donors so I have the LG covered.

I will contact the guys at Obscureco. If they are open to a special run,  would you be interested some units as well as yourself Alvis?

[kitnut617]

Thank Robert.

I have some Modelcraft  Shackleton's set aside as donors so I have the LG covered.

I will contact the guys at Obscureco. If they are open to a special run,  would you be interested some units as well as yourself?

If they will do just a set of intakes, I would be very interested in some too.

[Madhatter]

I can't offer you any advice what so ever, but I do want to say that you are a braver should than me for building a vac form kit

[The Big Gimper]

Not brave but closer to stupid. 

To best of my knowledge the C-102 is only available a Vacuum form kit. At only 16 parts, the carpet monster won't win. But I'm worried about my sanity.

Is there a support group for those who are into modeling S and M?

[The Big Gimper]

Would this be a good fit for 3D printing? Any suggestions who charges a reasonable cost for creating the CAD drawings and the finished items?

There are some guys over on Secret Projects who might be able to help you.

Well if the undercarriage set I got for the 1/72 Canadair Argus from Cooper's Models is anything to go by, it won't be cheap. On the other hand, the set is really exquisitely made.  Pics below are what you get (there's two sets there too)

Mind you, if Mrs kitnut ever found out how much they cost me, I might be in the same position as Darryl

I know what you paid for those Robert. But your secret is safe with me. Even if the SWMBO CA's all my paint brushes to my sanding sticks to my dremel tool, I won't talk.

[Alvis 3.1]

I now need to source the landing gear,

I would say Shackleton, considering the Tudor Mk.8 (which is partically the same size) basically had Shackleton/Lincoln landing gear (albeit in tail-dragger form) in it's twin jet pods, and the Avro Ashton had tri-gear, it would make sense that the tri-gear was some adaption of the MR.3 gear.

Some 3-View drawings seem to show the same style wheel hubs anyway.

For engine fronts, I think CF-100 intakes would work.

http://www.obscureco.com/product_pages/OBS72009/OBS72009.html

In the past, Obscureco have been very helpful to me with buying certain parts from their sets, maybe an email to them asking if you could just buy the engine fronts with an explaination of what they will be used on.  It's what I'm going to do ---- but then I already have a CF-100 set in the stash --- 

Thank Robert.

I have some Modelcraft  Shackleton's set aside as donors so I have the LG covered.

I will contact the guys at Obscureco. If they are open to a special run,  would you be interested some units as well as yourself Alvis?

Count me in for a set. It may be enough to bump the project up a couple hundred in priority!

Alvis 3.1

[upnorth]

That's a seriously ambitious project! Love the Jetliner though; it was a greater loss to Canadian aviation than the Arrow ever was IMHO.

As for the intakes, I'm not sure how far the Obscureco CF-100 set would put you ahead of the game. Beyond the intake shape, you'd still be letting yourself in for a good bit of reworking and scratchbuilding of interior detail if you wanted to get the engine faces looking like Derwents.

There was no exposed fan face on the Derwent and the centre body was much more conical than on the CF-100.

This picture kind of shows what I mean:


net photo

[kitnut617]

I should have checked that --- D-oh!  Sorry Carl, for some reason I thought the engines were what were in the CF-100.

This pic though would definitely scotch that idea --- thanks upnorth for the correction.

[kitnut617]

Looks like we need some of these

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/CMK7167

[Frank3k]

Sprue Bros has it as well: http://store.spruebrothers.com/product_p/cmk7167.htm. I used the Aries 1/72 Rolls Royce Nene on my Ki-98 build. It wasn't very hard to put together, despite the delicate PE screens, but I think that the CMK one is probably easier to assemble.

[The Big Gimper]

Found a 1/72 resin version over at International Resin Modellers.

Nice kit for a mere $400 here.

[GTX_Admin]

Interesting…very interesting.

[kitnut617]

Looking at that intake cone, maybe a modified intake cone from a B-36 jet engine would work