1/72 Airfix Avro Lancaster B. III Dambuster "Operation Chastise" (Finished)

There must be a rule that Lancaster nacelles can't fit well!  Nice digs, Joe.  Get some display cases in there.

The Lanc looks great despite the poor fit issues.  I really like the man cave! 

Your black looks great. I’m excited to try to apply your technique to some of my planes, specifically the Black Widdows in my stash!

Thanks for sharing, Joe!

jeaton01

There must be a rule that Lancaster nacelles can't fit well!  Nice digs, Joe.  Get some display cases in there.

 

Probably for all 4 engine bombers.  Thanks!  If I ever build one for myself I might.  It would be empty right now.  Thanks for dropping by.

Mopar Madness

The Lanc looks great despite the poor fit issues.  I really like the man cave! 

 

Thanks Chad

RadMax8

Your black looks great. I’m excited to try to apply your technique to some of my planes, specifically the Black Widdows in my stash!

Thanks for sharing, Joe!

 

Thanks Max.  That's basically where I dicsovered it, on my last widow.  I continue to experiment of course.   

Nice shop!  Your effects on black aircraft are really nice.

Holy crap Joe!! That's a lot of kits on the shelves! How the hell do you keep up with that!?! Good Lord. =] 

Looking real sharp as always. You definitely have the right idea with blacks. I recall your P-61 from a short while ago and you absolutely nailed it. Anybody on the forum care to see where this is going, go dig up Lawdog's P-61 Widowmaker from about a year ago. Somebody on here even more recently dropped a B2 stealth bomber that all but made me want to hang up my airbrush. Black done to perfection. Weathering and all. Very humbling experience to see all that was going on with it.

I agree about the NATO Black. I use it on my props all the time. It absolutely does the trick. More people should go for it.

Get you some more paint, quick! =D

keavdog

Nice shop!  Your effects on black aircraft are really nice.

 

Thanks Dog...

bvallot

Holy crap Joe!! That's a lot of kits on the shelves! How the hell do you keep up with that!?! Good Lord. =] 

Looking real sharp as always. You definitely have the right idea with blacks. I recall your P-61 from a short while ago and you absolutely nailed it. Anybody on the forum care to see where this is going, go dig up Lawdog's P-61 Widowmaker from about a year ago. Somebody on here even more recently dropped a B2 stealth bomber that all but made me want to hang up my airbrush. Black done to perfection. Weathering and all. Very humbling experience to see all that was going on with it.

I agree about the NATO Black. I use it on my props all the time. It absolutely does the trick. More people should go for it.

Get you some more paint, quick! =D

 

Thanks Britt...a lot of them will eventually be sold as I’ll never build them. I concur that I’ve seemed to have amassed a collection over the years. 

Thanks for the kind words. Indeed NATO black is very versatile. I probably use it the most. I like the ever so subtle hint of green in it too. 

I think I'm finally in the home stretch, but I'll go back to where I left off. I finished the Dark Earth using Tamiya Lacquer Thinner to thin it.  Sprays like silk. I faded and streaked a little using some XF-2 White.

I used Blue Tac for the demarcation lines.  Once I had the pattern out, I filled in the area to remain brown with cheap masking tape.

Next I sprayed XF-81 RAF Green.  I added some XF-57 Buff to fade it out a bit.  

All masked removed.  

I'm very happy with the performance of the Montex.

I wanted to simulate the prominent exhaust staining on the upper wings.  I was going for noticeable but not overdone. I started with diluted XF-69 NATO black then added diluted XF-19 Sky Grey to simulate the heat. 

This looked about right to my eye.

I love this new glossing "system".  Half of each, then a dusting of straight thinner. Dries hard as a rock for decaling and washes.

I added the wingwalk stripes and other small decals.  Airfix should have someone else make their decals.  They were very brittle and opaque.  They needed tons of Micro Sol and I needed to slice them with an exacto to get them to go down in the panel lines.  Fortunately the silvering disappeared under a gloss coat. I shutter to think if I had to use their roundels.  Once dried, I gave it a dusting of Testors Dull Cote then started adding all the bits and pieces. This is as far as I got before I ran out of time. 

I was fiddling with the canopy and found the fit to be a bit lousy.  Ill need to fill that small gap at the base of the windshield....or I won't worry about it.  Truthfully I'm ready for my venture into 1/72 scale to be over. 

Hopefully my next update will be finshed pictures.

lawdog114, it’s a shame in that you’ve think that this venue 1/72 will probably be your last as you make it look as if this is a huge Tamiya 1/48 kit.  Lol!  But truthfully I’m always trying to find out how you do things and can see with your experience and expertise with respect to the hobby and history, you are able to navigate such builds with ease.  I just hope I can pass down 1% of what I’ve learned from you on FSM Forums on to “Young Master Ezra” if he so chooses to make modeling his hobby.  I can only try.

Your friend’s, Toshi & Ezra

Tosh

lawdog114, it’s a shame in that you’ve think that this venue 1/72 will probably be your last as you make it look as if this is a huge Tamiya 1/48 kit.  Lol!  But truthfully I’m always trying to find out how you do things and can see with your experience and expertise with respect to the hobby and history, you are able to navigate such builds with ease.  I just hope I can pass down 1% of what I’ve learned from you on FSM Forums on to “Young Master Ezra” if he so chooses to make modeling his hobby.  I can only try.

Your friend’s, Toshi & Ezra

 

Thanks Toshi.  I definitely prefer the larger scales.  Under your tutelage I have no doubt Ezra will become a great modeler.  I'm sure those are memories he will cherish his whole life.  Thanks for stopping in.   

I'm going with done on my first (and likely last) venture into 1/72 scale.  To recap, it's the new tooled Aifix kit Dambusters in the markings of "T-Tommy", from Operation Chastise in May of 1943.  Although 1/72 isn't exactly my cup of tea, I enjoyed this build.  Airfix did a nice job on it.  The only issues I found were the fit of the canopy glass.  I needed some filler at the base of the windshield.  I added Eduard PE belts, and Quickboost gun barrels.  Markings were painted on using Montex masks. 

I can't think of anything else.  I'm going back to 1/48 with a Midway Devastator.   

I'm always amazed by the smooth finish you achieve on the "steel" parts, your paint job is spotless and just shiny enough to look real but battered, just look at that bomb...

My two cents on the 1/72 : before I temporarily gave up on the planes, I added some 1/72 in the stash, mainly for

- practice : cheap and easy to work my chops ;

- the big birds like this one ; you have to put them somewhere and a B-17 or a Lanc in 1/48 is big, takes a lot of work and money to make right (the bigger it is, the more obvious are your shortcomings. Well... mine!) I still keep that Revellogram B-17 on the shelf, I'll build it someday but in retrospect I'm happy I didn't get the Liberator as I intended to because I'm not sure it would even have seen the light of day!

- some jets ; I got bit by the 80's Navy bug again at some point and got a set of classics in 1/72 ; a 1/48 Tomcat is quite a big beast so I figure 1/72 would be good and cheap enough to try out different squadrons. When it comes to WW2/Korea or even Nam planes, single and twin engines, to me, 1/48 is just perfect!

Anyway... another great work of yours, you really gave life to a somewhat "simple" finish :) Enjoy your Midway trip!

Very nice!

   I haven’t been around much lately,  but I see you are still as talented as ever.  That is a beautiful build!! The Lancaster is one of my favorite planes. (DC3 is tops). 

    I’m getting ready to sell two or three of my table top armies and purchase one of the 1/32 scale kits. If I could afford the 10 grand it would take to commission you I might. .   I will use your wip as a guide.  

    Again, this plane is serious eye candy. 

                                             knox

Smashing LD!!!

Most impressive.  I was just eyeballing this kit.  You set the bar pretty high.

tempestjohnny

Dude you nailed it. Looks like it could fly away. Definitely add me to the list of... you should make a few for yourself.

 

Thanks Johnny. 

Hobbie

I'm always amazed by the smooth finish you achieve on the "steel" parts, your paint job is spotless and just shiny enough to look real but battered, just look at that bomb...

My two cents on the 1/72 : before I temporarily gave up on the planes, I added some 1/72 in the stash, mainly for

- practice : cheap and easy to work my chops ;

- the big birds like this one ; you have to put them somewhere and a B-17 or a Lanc in 1/48 is big, takes a lot of work and money to make right (the bigger it is, the more obvious are your shortcomings. Well... mine!) I still keep that Revellogram B-17 on the shelf, I'll build it someday but in retrospect I'm happy I didn't get the Liberator as I intended to because I'm not sure it would even have seen the light of day!

- some jets ; I got bit by the 80's Navy bug again at some point and got a set of classics in 1/72 ; a 1/48 Tomcat is quite a big beast so I figure 1/72 would be good and cheap enough to try out different squadrons. When it comes to WW2/Korea or even Nam planes, single and twin engines, to me, 1/48 is just perfect!

 

Anyway... another great work of yours, you really gave life to a somewhat "simple" finish :) Enjoy your Midway trip!

 

Thanks Hobbie. Reference the finish, it‘s just me messing with Testors Dull cote cut with generic Lacquer thinner until the sheen looks right to my eye. I personally don’t like dead flat. 

Thanks, but I’m done with 1/72. It’s definitely not my thing. 

Don Stauffer

Very nice!

 

Thanks for stopping in Don. 

knox

   I haven’t been around much lately,  but I see you are still as talented as ever.  That is a beautiful build!! The Lancaster is one of my favorite planes. (DC3 is tops). 

    I’m getting ready to sell two or three of my table top armies and purchase one of the 1/32 scale kits. If I could afford the 10 grand it would take to commission you I might. .   I will use your wip as a guide.  

    Again, this plane is serious eye candy. 

                                             knox

 

Thanks!  Nice to see you back in here again Knox. I do the same. I have a few that I won’t part with, at least not yet. I did just grab the 1/32 Hasegawa Bf 109 K that I hope to build for myself soon. I’m starting to get into a Luftwaffe mood again  

I’m actually very reasonable with my commissions. I do it for fun and the money I make goes right back into the hobby fund. PM me if your serious. 

Mopar Madness

Smashing LD!!!

 

Thanks Mopar

Caveman

Most impressive.  I was just eyeballing this kit.  You set the bar pretty high.

 

Thanks Caveman, If 1/72 scale RAF bombers are your thing, it’s a must have. I wish Airfix would upscale this to 1/48 scale. I’d be all over it. 

Beautiful work again, Joe. Even in that scale the kit looks huge. Magnificant looking bomber.

BK

Fantastic work.  Very nicely done.

Mike

Another fantastic finish. Thanks for sharing Joe. That camo job is da bomb. Or should I say skipping da bomb

BrandonK

Beautiful work again, Joe. Even in that scale the kit looks huge. Magnificant looking bomber.

BK

 

Thanks Brandon