More than likely![;)]
try www.aim72.co.uk for some more unusual vacformed kits. I’m toying with the Valiant B1 to go with my Victor & Vulcan at the moment… Hmmmmm…
OK - I’ve been in the workshop preparing all the parts for my Dynavector Gannet, and while I was there, I drew the outlines on the parts of the Stirling - It’s my way of guiding my sanding, and also so you can see them better. I took a couple of pics, and here they are [:D]
The files are still pretty big, and if you look closely, you’ll be able to see all the little lumps & bumps along the terminator lines of some of the parts. Much work ahead [;)]
Fuselage halves & engine nacelles
Wings, wheels & tailplanes
White metal parts - There’s another bag full of the same parts.
Well - thanks to the estimable Miduppergunner… a veritable FEAST of research material landed on my doormat yesterday.
David (hope he doesn’t mind me using his real name) had taken the trouble and expense of copying a good 10-12 sheets of articles, pictures, profiles & scale drawings for me, which are greatly appreciated, and deserve public thanks! [;)]
I also got the Squadron/Signal profile, which contains some good shots of the interior, information on the differences between the various marks & series, and lots more profiles of many planes AND some more scale plans.
My final incoming package was a 1/72nd Airfix Stirling that I won on eBay a couple of days back. I can remember wanting this kit so much as a kid, but never being allowed to have it. I had a quick pore over the parts and some of the detail was laughable. Remember the half-man gunners? With their big donut hands that you plug the guns into? The pilots in that odd pose with great big mould-realease pin marks etched deep into their thighs? The crazy distorted glazing for the gun turrets? All of these are classic Airfix traits from the 70s.
Still - It’ll come in handy as a reference for the panel-line scribing, and the size & position of the turret openings, if nothing else.
My fiancee tells me there’s another little package of books waiting for me at home tonight. Once my mountain biking’s out of the way this evening, I might be having a few more Stirling moments later on [:D]
I bought a Peggy from Gerald (Sanger) last year and he told me that the mold quality was not that great because it was an original Combat Models master that he had acquired. From what I see of and what you have said of the Sterling they look very similar in detail and quality. Definitly a lot of work ahead of you but with patience it should be quite a model when done. I’ll be following your progress with interest. The brush strokes that you are seeing in some of the parts may be from a mold release agent used when making the masters. I’ve seen some small companies get a little carried away with it and cause that kind of effect.
That makes sense… maybe they should invest in some spray on release agent! [;)]
Thanks Mike - I think other folk may like to see the Spaniards Stirling?
David.
Indeed. Ladies & Germs… I’d like to present quite an amazing scratch built update to the ageing Airfix 1/72nd Stirling. I found the site while I was trawling for research on mine, and it made my jaw drop. Check it out:
Part 1: http://guide.supereva.com/modellismo_statico/interventi/2004/08/170596.shtml
Part 2: http://guide.supereva.com/modellismo_statico/interventi/2004/09/177102.shtml
Hmmm…doesn’t seem to load the page into my browser properly at the moment [:(]
Hey, just a canadian wondering if you happen to have any clue what someone here would end up paying for one of those stirlings out here, I was looking at the website but I’ld have little clue what the conversion is. I’ve wanted to build every aircraft of RAF bomber command in 1;48 but assumed a stirling wouldn’t happen, now I’ld need some Hampden and Whittely (I’m spelling that wrong aren’t I?) action. (How do people manage that detail in 1:72?, I don’t have the patience to go that for in 1:48!)
Works here Mike!!
Hello TMS… that’s an easy one. I’d go for airmail postage, as it’s quicker, and less likely to get crushed. It’s a BIG kit, and £6 to post to Canada ain’t bad. A little deft use of www.xe.com converted £32 to 68.6291 CAD - not too bad for half way round the world [;)]
You’ll have your work cut out (excuse pun), as it’s a very basic shell of a model - check out my pics at full size for an idea of what I mean. I think it’ll be worth the effort though, and plan on doing a detailed cockpit & turrets only. The mid-section on the Spaniard’s Stirling was fabulous, but WHAT a waste of time & artistry. In 1/72nd it’d just disappear, and even in 1/48 you’d hardly be able to see any of it!
I’ll be detailing what’s on display… that’s if I ever get round to cutting it out of the backing sheet! Know what? I’m going to put some bracing pieces in tonight & maybe even get some of it cut out… I’ve decided [:D]
Oops… just been translating the article with babel, and it turns out he’s an Italian, NOT a Spaniard as I first thought… silly me!
Just wanted to alert those of you interested in the Sanger kits that the bulk of the 1/72nd scale kits are redos of the old Sutcliff/Contrails kits. Sanger bought out this line of vacumform (VF) models as well as those producedby Elliott. I have the bulk of the Sutcliff/Contrails kits and can comment on the quality of the 1/72nd kits if any of you want a preview before buying. I have built several of the big S/C models and have found them to be a challenge but rewarding projects.
I also have a spare Valiant B.1kit if anyone is interested. Contact me at mats.man@cox.net
Richard
After gathering together as much research as I can, I finally got the courage up to cut some plastic at the weekend. I cut out the two fuselage halves, them sanded the scrappy edges down so that they fit snugly. There’s still a slightly raised lip, but that’s down to a slightly incomplete vacuum, and the thickness of the styrene - If I sanded that off, I’d be left with the skinniest Stirling ever!
Here’s a pic of the two parts:
Tonight, I took my 1/72nd plans & my digital calipers, and started to mark the panel lines on the fuselage with an indelible pen. Any mistakes can be removed with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol:
I had to cut out the front turret transparency from the backing sheet with a pair of sharp scissors, to ensure that the hole I was drawing would be the correct dimensions. I also noticed that the bomb aimer’s window was innacurate, being both too long & too deep according to my plans. It does have the correct profile though, so I’ll simply cut it down.
The crew windows down the side of the fuselage are also incorrectly loacated, so I’ve marked where they need to be re-scribed. I’ll just fill in the originals with putty later.
I’m about 2/3 of the way thru one side, and once finished, I’ll tape the two parts together, and continue the scheme over from the midline, to ensure that the lines meet up when I finally close up the fuselage many years from now [;)]
Next step will be the wings, which shouldn’t take long to mark up, as they’re relatively simply panelled. If the wing tank panel lines are wrong however, THEN we’ve got trouble!
(The more observant amongst you will have noticed my new mobile phone/PDA lruking in the corner of one of the pics. An i-Mate K-JAM… Great phone & a cracking calculator to boot!)
He he hee… I love spreading some of my insanity around…
That indeed looks like a nice big project. Despite its operational shortcomings the Short Stirling is one of my more favorite aircraft. The 1/72 Airfix kit is VERY well done (I hear it’s a bear to put together), by the way.
I wish you the best of luck with this kit. (Looks like you have a great start on it!) I’ll also start looking for the number of my psychiatrist, just in case. [;)]
Since we’re on the topic of large Vac kits, check out the main Aircraft forum of an update of my own.
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=50775
(Shameless self-promotion! [}:)] I’m sorry, I really am.)
Self-promote away, old son [;)]
SO FAR, it seems to be going ok. I thought I’d scribe the outside of the fuselage first before I started work on the cockpit, as the bulkheads correspond with some of those panel lines, and it’ll help me get them in the right place from the outset. As far as I can see, the panel lines seem to be in the right place, as a main line that comes down the middle of the wing root matches up with the pre-scribed mid-line on the wing piece. If I keep on going line that, everything should be good!
I’m feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, so I won’t be out on my mountain bike this weekend, and should get some work done. More news later. [:D]
Looking good Mike.
The links are amazing, though I’m with you on the pointlesness (To my mind at least!) of doing all that work on the interior only to shut it away forever.
Keep those progress updates coming.
Karl
It almost seems a shame to hide it away inside the fuselage, doesn’t it? I think I’d have been tempted to do two kits - one with a cutaway, the other “flight-ready”, which was just detailed where it could be seen.
I’ll be doing just the cockpit, bomb aimer’s area & turrets. Might be tempted to open up the main crew door & show a bit of the interior framework, but I might also not bother & leave it shut. Seeing as it needs moving a few millimetres & another window cut into it, I think I might open it up. Yes - I’ve convinced myself! There’s just not enough work on this kit, so I’ll make some more [:D]
Here’s a picture of the two fuselage halves, all marked up & taped together to check the lines meet up:
Here’s the wing next to the 1/72nd scale plans:
And a close-up:
You’ll notice the little ticks & crosses on the (vaguely) circular lines that represent the fuel tanks. The innermost tank is way off in terms of shape & size, and has now been filled, ready to be re-scribed. The innermost end of the 2nd tank has also been filled, as the tank isn’t wide enough. The rest of the wing has also been scribed now, and a couple of formers made from thick styrene stock, using my profile gauge. The wing surface is a lot more sturdy now, but still needs a few stringers to keep it rigid.
While I was drawing the panel lines with the two fuselage halves tapes together, I noticed how badly the “floor” & “roof” of the parts were sagging inwards, so I spent a happy hour cutting strips of thick styrene into formers to keep them square. Now both parts match much better, and will require much less filling & sanding. It does mean that there’s going to be no scratch building going on in the fuselage, but I’m ok with that. Cockpit & gun turrets wil be quite enough of a challenge for me, thank you! [;)]
Update: No pics tonight, but I’ve spotted a problem with the kit that could make my life hell for a while. The top section of the left hand wing seems to have sagged somewhat when it was removed from the mould while the plastic was still soft. The result is a wing with quite a shallow profile, especially when compared to the other wing.
I’ve fired off an email to Sanger in the hope he’s got a fully formed wing piece, but I’ve been told that he may be shutting up shop for a while shortly, as he’s moving premises. That leaves me with a couple of choices as I see them.
-
Use a hairdryer to heat the saggy wing & push it back to shape manually.
-
Create a new template from balsa wood, using the sagged wing as a master for outline, and the opposite wing as the comparison for profile. I could then heat mould the saggy wing part onto this former, and once I was happy with the shape, cut up the former to use as a template for internal bracing.
The third option isn’t even worth contemplating:
- Give up.
Nope. I think I may be shopping for some balsa wood shortly, as that seems the most sensible option unless anyone’s got any better ideas. Let it not be said that I’m easily dissuaded. [;)]
Oh yeah, and congratulations to me on my 1,000th post! Just wish it was a post filled with good news… still. Things could be worse! [:D]