Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Hi Max
Re the flap interior colour I'm fairly certain that UK built machines were interior green. There is a suggestion that Canadian built Mk Xs were either black or even Zinc Chromate Yellow, also Canadian Lancaster fuselage interiors were possibly black from the main spar forward to the bomb aimers position. Interior photographs of museum examples seem to follow this logic.

Mike

Today after a primer coat of satin black I’ve masked up the main undercarriage parts and then applied a coat of Alclad II duraluminium



Finaly the masking comes off and now its back to the fuselage and wings.



Till the next.
Mike

I haven't used Alclad II before though I may have a need to in the near future. Is it easy to use? Presumably it's cellulose based, I've always been a bit wary of such.
Max

ME453 wrote:I haven't used Alclad II before though I may have a need to in the near future. Is it easy to use? Presumably it's cellulose based, I've always been a bit wary of such.
Max

Hi Max
Alclad II is without doubt the standard in airbrushed metallic finishes. The main advantage is that it comes pre-thinned in a bottle with a rattle/stir device, so its just shake and pour.
Yes its cellulose based and dries in a jiffy. Clean the airbrush with cellulose thinners in exactly the same way you would if using enamels but spray at low pressures say 12 - 15.
So far I've had no issues with the product and the range of tones and colours is comprehensive. Some colours require a base coat usually gloss black but I've found I can get a tonal range by using a satin finish.
As for some other metallic finishes I find these to be the quickest route to a blocked airbrush and I gave up with them a long time ago.
Give Alclad II a try you'll never look back.

Mike

This photograph shows my progress to date. The wings are fixed, mainly so that I am sure of the alignment when I fix the undercarriage in place. The fuselage seams have been addressed and any lost panel lines have been rescribed. The tailplanes are loose fitted just for alignment



This photograph shows a problem I had with the wing to fuselage joint. Try as I might it kept on gaping open and in the end I decided to fill the offending joint with green stuff after careful masking. Any filler residue will be removed not by sanding but with a cotton bud soaked in nail varnish remover so as not to damage the surfaces.

Till the next.

Mike

Just a quick update. The wing joint has been cleaned up as previously described and the canopy masked and test fitted. The rear fuselage windows have been filled and sanded smooth as these are to be over painted.
Till the next.

Mike

In these pictures you can see the main undercarriage legs are installed and the nacelle tops have been added. A little filler will be required here but nothing the nail varnish remover and cotton bud technique can’t deal with.
I’m not sure if it’s me but in Section 52 the installation of the main undercarriage legs part C15 implies that those parts are identical whereas to me they are left and right handed as their fit favours one side or the other.
In section 62 don’t forget to paint the interior of part E2 the inside of the nacelle cover as this can be seen from inside the wheel well.
Till the next.
mike

Today’s update is more work on the fuselage namely cleaning up and preparing for the fitting of the main canopy. The collectors on the engines have been painted a very weathered reddish bronze and have now been masked out.


The turrets are nearly complete and have been masked using a combination of parafilm and Tamiya tape. The mid upper turret has been framed using painted decal strip.

Till the next.

Mike

This shows the wing tip lights under preparation, clear plastic courtesy of Gillette has been let into the tips and once the liquid cement has cured can be shaped and fettled. Usually I drill a small hole into the rear of the clear part and fill with either green or red paint to simulate the bulbs, but the plastic is so thin in this scale I’ve omitted this process.









Also I’ve drilled out the camera port and the upper escape hatches.
Till the next.
Mike

Just a quick update. The camouflage is going on airbrushed freehand following a faint pencil outline. The green will receive another coat once dry.
Till the next.

Mike