So I finally started the 1:48 lancaster I’ve had waiting, this is the kit I always wanted to build when I was little so when I got back into the hobby it’s been on my list from day one. I’m doing a B.II conversion with Hercules radials and bulged bomb doors for something fun, and I have the flightpath photoetch which makes a HUGE difference to the way this cockpit looks (I built a dambusters one when I was little but could never find/afford the normal bomber) Ok, finally, to my question, this is an earlier lancaster, it has the older style nose glass, the older Pitot tube style, and the pictures I’ve found of this lanc (Z-Zombie of 408 Squ. RCAF) show the inside of the turrets are a light shade, definatly not black. I know in later lancs the cockpit area walls and floor were black, I’ve made my best figuring and done this cockpit in interior green, I wasn’t sure if it might have been a grey but I can only find cockpit photos with black or green, so green it is. So can anybody tell me 100% what the interior of early lancaster turrets was?
I have no idea. Butm from the references I have on them, I’d say a lt. grey.
You might have seen this but, if not, I find it interesting[:D]They may have the answer you seek…
Yeh, I was looking at that the other day, Thanks for posting it though, I was thinking I should put that up here. I’m doing a big dio with this thing, I’ve contemplated trying to scratch build one of those Matador bowsers, I’m pretty sure nobody makes one in any scale let alone 1:48, though the search is complicated by the fact a company called Matador makes an RAF Fuel bowser in 1:48, though it’s right for an oil bowser on bomber bases so I can’t complain too much (picked it up too)
Be sure to post some pics when you can as we’d love to see this progress. Sounds like you’ve got a good project going.
Check out ‘The Lanacaster Explored’ cd-rom at www.flyingzonedirect.com.
Someone has recently started releasing a range of RAF vehicles in 1/48. I think the company is called Accurate Armour. Cast in resin and expensive.
I don’t know if you specifically need a matador bowser, but Accurate Armour do the Bedford and AEC refuellers. http://www.accurate-armour.com/showaaproducts.cfm?category=82&subcategory=251
Hey Barrovian, can’t thank you enough for pointing out that site, that Bowser they have on there is exactly what I’m looking for, pricey, but who am I kidding, I couldn’t build it to look near as good as that one looks from the pictures they have on there, and a David Brown Tractor too, I’ve found a couple tractors from different places but I just hadn’t picked one up yet. I will have to get some pictures of this thing up here, borrow a camera or something, the interior really does look great if I do say so, with that photoetch. My only regret is the radio operator’s position won’t be seen when it’s together because the radios look amazing, especialy compared to the kit’s two decals they replace. Maybe I’ll borrow a digital camera and get my 1:48 halifax up here too.
According to the reference material I have including one grandfather who flew with 514 SQN on the BII the turret interiors where black and the cockpits were interior green.
yeh, I think I’ve decided to go with black in the turrets, I’ve done some more scouring through my books and I can find B.IIs with black turrets and what ever the lighter shade in question is, so I don’t think I can proove either way the definite correct way but black seems my safest bet, besides I’m sure a lancaster later in it’s career (photos on the web I’ve seen are Feb. 44 and it was lost in late June) is full of variations from the day it rolled out of the factory, either way, the word of somebody that was in 'em is better than all my photos.
One thing I’ve had good luck with is contacting an air museum that has one in their collection and ask. I did that on a B-17G I’ve been working on. Ended up getting an invite to the Museum & getting my hands dirty on a 1:1 scale B-17G a couple years ago.
Good luck on your search.
thanks for the tip, unfortunatly there aren’t too many (any) B.II Lancasters around. I do see a Mk.X lancaster almost everyday, the air museum in the hangar next to the one I work in has it parked out front, which is a great reference for somethings, not so good for others.All the surfing the internet has had another benifit, I finally found out where the home would have been for the voltage Panel control I bought in a surplus store a couple years ago for twenty bucks (it’s big and ugly, maybe a good conversation piece, I’m sure I’m one of the few who would have considered this a steal and brought it home)
So you work next door to an air museum huh? I’d say go over and talk to someone in the archives/library Dept. and run your question down to them, maybe they have some info in their references,etc. Seeing how they have one on display, they more than likely have references on all of them? Worth a shot at least.
$20 for a voltage Panel control?! WoW!!
Toomanyslurpees, I know the Lanc you are talking about, Hippy-ed is right, talk to the curator, he knows his stuff, and BTW his name is Anthony and is a fellow modeler! I met him just before Christmas at a friends Chirstmas party, really nice guy.
Also, try contacting the Nanton Lancaster Society too, I’ve been there and while that one is a Mk.X too they might know more as their whole thing is about the Lancasters.
Good luck and please post some pics! I’d love to see your progress.
This may be of interest to you:
Mike
ooooh, that is tempting, actually not so much for this plane, I have enough phone references to get me to the point where I do say, “it’s just a model”, but I see he has a Stirling manual which is extreemly tempting, I have a vacuform Stirling in 1:48 and the belief that someday I might even try to build it…