Throwing one back - building 'Gerti'

[Robomog]

Just setting a place holder.

Alt history is here to whet your appetite
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=7914.msg141775#msg141775


Construction begins soon


Mog
>^-.-^<

[elmayerle]

Oh, that's going to be interesting.  Borrowing the "trapeze" from a suitable Ar.234 kit?

[Robomog]

Nope no borrowing, will be scratch built, still working out where all the hinges and rams are going to go, its one thing describing something quite a different can of worms making it in 3D! 

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Robomog]

And so it begins.

The subject model is an Airfix Wellington BIII.

Unlike some of my older kits it has not been stored very well and has been damaged by other kits lying on top of it. It is very dusty and the transparencies faded. Back in the day I went through a phase of using Sellotape to frame the canopies but this has not survived the test of time very well, on the plus side I do not have to clean much paint off the canopies. Another plus was I found a lot of the missing parts in the box it was in, but I am still left with only one mainwheel, very little of the undercarriage struts and two different exhaust pipes.

Here is the original Kit..............

by Robomog, on Flickr


And a shot with its intended Payload............

by Robomog, on Flickr


The following two pictures show the dust and the state of the transparencies..........

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr


The first job was to give it a wash then split the fuselage apart to release the gun turrets and other transparencies. The original 1970's pilots with groin pain are still in there along with a paper control pane detail I will be leaving them in when I reconstruct the fuselage, no extra detail as you wont see much through the canopy.

The next job was to remove the decals simple enough job?  actually no, these buggers were stuck fast, no amount of soaking would touch them, trying to pull them off with tape just took off the edges, wet and dry only took off the raised detail and a little bit more. In the end I had to soak them with Microsol which barely gave me three seconds to scrape them off. Boy did they make some kick-ass transfers back then!

At The wet and dry stage.........

by Robomog, on Flickr


On the left, finally got the damn things off

by Robomog, on Flickr


Had a bit more luck with the transparencies after cleaning off the tape and sticky residue I gave them a rubbing with tooth paste an lo and behold they shined up a treat.

The turret gives you an idea of the state of the transparencies Before treatment.......

by Robomog, on Flickr

More to come when it happens.

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Robomog]

Hi All
Made some more progress, the fuselage glass is back in and the fuselage put back together, however despite cleaning it up the fit was worse than the original so lots of filler required.

  by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr


Also created the blanking plates for the turrets using Milliput moulded around plastic formers, great stuff this for filling big areas and you can shape it with a wet knife or wet fingers while it is still soft.

by Robomog, on Flickr


The rear plate was damn near bang on................

by Robomog, on Flickr


The front blanking plate less so,  its too wide and bulges above the nose line...........

by Robomog, on Flickr


I feel some serious PSR coming on .............

Thanks for looking.

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Robomog]

Hi All

I said earlier that the battered Wellington BIII had odd exhaust pipes, Just checked the old Airfix Wellington build instructions and it was manufactured with differing exhaust pipes one is an almost a straight through pipe the other is like a hedgehog. Assuming  Airfix have got it right why would a Wellington have differing exhaust pipes ?

Any Ideas chaps ?

Mog
>^-.-^<

[elmayerle]

Perhaps the hedgehog one would have some flame-damping ability and be on the nacelle side facing the cockpit while the other one would be on the opposite side?

[Robomog]

Hi Elmayerle

I think you may be right but for the opposite reason, the 'straight through ' exhaust is on the pilots side and I can't see any evidence of perforations, so it will carry any sparks/flames under the wing and not blind the pilot. This is conjecture  of course I really don't know the right answer.

Thanks for looking

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Old Wombat]

One of the problems with this is that there were several different engine & exhaust arrangements for the Wimpy but the "hedgehog" exhaust is a shroud & flame damper & was, generally, used on the inboard exhaust or on all exhausts. The pipe exhausts (stub or long) were generally fitted to the outer exhaust or on all exhausts.

As per this;



Photo's below show this (not always clearly, I don't think exhaust systems were the focus of the images):









This video, at 23 min 39 sec does show it quite clearly;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzfkRhJ_nzE

[Robomog]

Wow OW !

Thanks for all that, interesting video too. 

Looking like the kit instructions are inaccurate, in the video the hedgehog exhaust is clearly on the pilots side, I may try to find a similar unit in my spares box to equal them up

Elmayerle you were spot on, that'll teach me to believe the instructions!

Thanks all

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Brian da Basher]

Since I have about 10 of this type in the pile ever since a friend sent me a brace of Hobby Craft Wellies, I'll watch with interest.

Brian da Basher

[Robomog]

Hi All

Three evenings of intense PSR later and things are looking pretty good.

The tail blanking plate ............

by Robomog, on Flickr


The Nose blanking plate ...........

by Robomog, on Flickr


I've also started the catapult assembly with the launching plate and hinges I will add the rams when its on the wellington ...............

by Robomog, on Flickr


With that done I have continued with the tail planes and the new twin rudders.............

by Robomog, on Flickr

by Robomog, on Flickr



Hmmmm looking from behind I think it looks like i'm reinventing the Whitley

More when it happens......


Thanks for looking


Mog
>^-.-^<



 

[Brian da Basher]

Well, the Whitley was under-appreciated.

I really like the look of those blanking plates. I've got a thing for re-purposed bombers with faired-over positions.

That sounds a lot racier than I meant it to.

The play-by-play is great and thanks for the update!

Brian da Basher

[Robomog]

I would agree with you there Brian, I've always liked the quirky shape of the Whitley especially the later ones in coastal command colours.

Mog
>^-.-^<

[Robomog]

Hi All

Just a small amount of progress, I have now given 'Gerti'  a coat of rattle can white to show up any join lines or serious surface blemishes also to give the acrylic paint a base on the previous oil paints.

by Robomog, on Flickr

Still Using my sophisticated spray booth with superior air extraction........

by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/54032744@N08/]Robomog, on Flickr

erm .......  moving on again....

I will be painting it in standard colours green/brown upper surfaces and black undersides,  for those of you who haven't read the back story the areas of the aircraft that have been altered or added to will be portrayed as the colour of the new/replacement materials so brace yourselves its going to look quite bizarre.

painting has commenced, more progress reports soon

Mog
>^-.-^<