Twin Boom Group Build 2013

I know the feeling TREY. I haven't been building as much lately, been to worn out when I get home. Trying to give myself a big shot of motivation.

Its been a bit quiet on here lately, how's every one doing. I just made a start on the 111Z tonight, finally, I am about 2 months behind what I had planned. There's nothing to show yet, just starting on the main structures inside, but hopefully should have something to show by the end of the weekend.

I have no time for my Lightning ATM, but I'll start work on it when I I'm back from the states (end of September)...

Funny this GB should come up again today. I haven't started my Sea Vixen,  but I've bought an Airfix 1/72 Vampire T.11 today.

I'm thinking of changing my entry now, would love to do both but I think I need to finish almost one model per week for the rest of the year just to meet my commitments. Yikes !

Cheers

Tony

I think you have a bit of catching up to do Tony. But I know how you feel, just so many great GB's, its hard not to commit to to many.

Thought I would get in a nice early update. This is the kit I am building.

I am adding an Eduard Big Ed PE set, Aires resin wheels and from CMK resin rear wheel well and wheel and two resin engines. I have started on the left fuselage working on the rear insides. As well as the PE I have made a compartment floor and though the ridding is moulded onto the interior I have gone over the area where the plastic goes in for the wing joins.

Here are both fuselage sections so you can see what I have added.

The Eduard set says to put radio's in both sides. But only the left side carried a mast and radio operator, so I will leave them out of the right section. But the PE set is still missing quite a few pieces so I will use the extra radios to fit the missing ones from the left fuselage as well as delving into the spares box for other missing parts.

The right fuselage is now done and ready for painting. My plan is to do both to this stage and build the wheel wells and paint all those parts RLM 02, then add all the other bits. I have never gone to this level of detail before, and this little bit took me all weekend. It could be a little neater so i'll try to tidy it up before I paint.

The only thing the right fuselage won't have at this stage will be the two radio mounts half way up the fuselage. So I reckon that will take another couple of days.

I had wanted to add this extra detail when I first decided on what I was going to do with this kit, but I was inspired very much by TREY's B-17. But I won't be doing the area in front of this as I think those small windows should be blocked off and you can't see in there anyway. 

Tony we all know how that goes,if you need to change the entry just let me know and I'll update the front page. I've been working so much my build time is way down!

Bish love the upgraded interior,so glad to see this beast underway! Thanks for the compliment,nice to hear the 17 has been a positive influence . Yea with the scale of the windows you're right most of that area would be unseen once the fuse halves are closed up  Watching intently ,just scored the same kit off evil bay.!

I've nothing worthy on the bench to add,thanks for keeping the thread going Guys! Cheers Trey

ps Bish I've more pics to send just been so busy I've not got to it yet,will make an effort to get them sent asap

Thanks TREY. I know this kit is pricey, but having built the Italeri one, I would defiantly say the Hase kit is worth the extra. Even without AM it would build into a great kit, there's some nice detail in the pit and it has the two tow points mounted on top of the wings. I had always wondered where that was on this aircraft, then I found a pic in one of my books yesterday taken from one fuselage looking across to the other, and it showed the tow points. So I checked the kit and it has them.

The photo also shows those two forward windows painted over, so I am going to do that. One point about the Hase kit. On each tail cone there is a thin piece of plastic coming out of the top and another out of the bottom, you will know what I mean when you look at it. The instructions say to remove the lower bit, no idea what that is meant to be for, but to keep the top bit. I think this is meant to be the fixed MG 17 fitted to the tails of some He 111H-6's, which the Z was converted from. But I found no evidence that the Z carried them so I removed those as well.

I started work on the right fuselage last night and I finished one side, doesn't take nearly as long once you know what your doing.

And no worries about the pics, when ever you have the time. And thanks for the inspiration to go that bt further.

Time for another update. Last Tues, I got the interior painted RLM 02. It took so long as I also wanted to paint everything else that would be 02, so I got the undercarriage and wheel bays put together and every gathered up. Then this weekend I got the inside weathered and added rails which I think are for the gunners feet. I used plastic rod for these.

 I just need to weather the rails and add all of the radio equipment. All of that has been painted, and I have scratched all the items that Eduard leave out. The squadron signal walk around has been really handy.

And here the wheel bays with the assembled wings.

I have also added the resin engine mounts for the two CMK engines.

My original plan was to add these to the far right and centre engines. But they are designed to only fit the angled leading edge of a standard He 111, not the straight leading edge of the Z's centre wing. So I have put them on the two outer engines. This is rather symmetrical, so I will re arrange the dio slightly to off set that.

last night, I got the cockpit sprayed RLM 66. I have fitted the none coloured PE and the kit parts.

Hopefully some more soon. 

She looks great, Bish! I can't wait to see more!!

Hmmm... I might be interested in this GB. I've just the kit to buy when I get a chance to head over to LHS.

That is if it's not too late to join.

Thanks for the comments Clemens. I am almost done on the interior. I thought it would have been done a few days ago, but there always just one more thing to add.

BlackSheep. I know TREY isn't able to get on that regular at the moment, so I hope he doesn't mind me jumping in here. The GB runs until the end of the year and its still open to new entries. So as long as it has twin booms, I think it will be fine.

Hi, any space for me and my 1/72 Airfix Vamp maybe?

Theuns

The vamp will be a nice addition. Is that one of their new tooled kits.

New tool Vamp yes. Looks nice in the box :-)

Theuns

I used to avoid Airfix like the plague, but there new kits look really nice. I got a swordfish early this year and have just ordered the new Gladiator II. Look forward to seeing the Vamp.

Yea I know what you mean on the old airfix stuff. I have decided to stick with simple fast shake 'n bake stuff till the end of the year (to keep motivated!) and the new airfix models fall nicely into that idea.

I also have the new 1/72 AF Gladiator, I must admitt it looks very smart and there are some clever designs to keep all the struts alligned for folk like me that have bananas fo fingers LOL.

I just wish they would indicate on the new red boxes if it is a new tool or a re-release of the crummy old stuff. I got "burned" like that with their 1/72 Hurricaine Mk1a :-(

The SAAF here flew Mk T55 Vamps, basically the same as T-11's and initially I thought I wouls make it SAAF Dayglow and silver, but the RAF scheeme of silver/dayglow looks better......might have to go with that one

Theuns

I know what you mean about old and new molds kits. I think many companies are the same, you have to go searching the net to find out which is which.

I like the sound of making it easier to get the struts aligned. I found that bit awkward when I did their old 0/400.

An SAAF one would be something a bit different though.

Basically the SAAF had their vamps in the standard RAF silver with yellow bands but with the "spring buck" roundals aswell as the later silver with day glow bands and castel insignea..........however I must say I have had my fill of SAAF stuff for a while and like to do domething different, besides the Brits used allot more day golw as did the Sweded :-)

Theuns

Thanks Bish. For now, I'm gonna leave it as a surprise of what kit I'm building. mwahahahahahahaha...

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Thanks Bish. For now, I'm gonna leave it as a surprise of what kit I'm building. mwahahahahahahaha...

A surprise for who, us or yourself

Theuns

Basically the SAAF had their vamps in the standard RAF silver with yellow bands but with the "spring buck" roundals aswell as the later silver with day glow bands and castel insignea..........however I must say I have had my fill of SAAF stuff for a while and like to do domething different, besides the Brits used allot more day golw as did the Sweded :-)

Theuns

I know what you mean, sometimes its nice to do something a bit different. Sometimes I even like to take a break from doing German aircraft. It doesn't last long, but it does happen.

Bish -

For the group build silly! LOL!

Just checking. I like surprises.

I was hoping to get my next update in last week. But there was always one more thing to add. But finally I am ready to close the fuselage's up.

Firstly, the rear compartment. This is both the left side's of each fuselage. As I mentioned before, Eduard has you fit all the radio kit in both, but I made the choice of only doing it in the left one.

And a close up of the left side of the left fuselage. The 5 Radio's and the ammo holders are all Eduard, the rest is scratched from spare PE and sheet styrene.

  And the two right sides.

And here the cockpits. Theres still a bit more to do, but this can be done after I have closed it up.

 Last week I realised I had made an error. I noticed in my reference pics that the box for holding the parachute, circled below,

are to far back. They should be under the forward window not the rear. This meant that the foot rail extends to far. This was all caused by the compartment floor being to long.  The bit that the parachute box's are on was originally Eduard, I changed it for styrene as it wasn't wide enough. I took the compartment floor to that.

There should also be a seat on the right side, about here.

But again, there's no room due to the gunners foot rail.

 I am not changing this now, but I have noted it for next time. I have a few more 111's in the stash, and I won't be making the same mistake next time. And I also don't want someone to use my pics as a guide and make the same error.

I would very much recommend the Squadron walk around if you plan on doing this. There is more to add than I have if you want to go full out, which I may do next time. But for my first scratch building at this level, I am pretty pleased with this much.

Just don't make the mistake I did, and make sure you checked the photo's properly.

Thanks for looking, hopefully i'll have more by the weekend.

Gonna stop by the LHS Tuesday and put the kit on hold til my paint comes in later this week.

Excellent work, mate! I can't believe that this is 72nd scale. It looks like 48th or 32nd to me.

A 32nd one of these would be huge, there is a conversion for the Revell kit, but I wouldn't go that far. Thanks for the comments.

Wait a moment. There is a conversion for that big honkin' plastic monster to build one of the twin 111s?

Gawd damnit! Stop inspiring me to do stupid things I'll regret afterwards! Anyway, do you have a link to that conversion set?

Must... Punish... Myself....

Now for the surprise...

Went to my LHS and picked up the kit as well as my paint.

My kit for this GB is.........

1/72nd scale Twin Mustang F-82G!!!!

Should be a quick and easy build. :)