Hi Guys,

Thanks to Steve, I'm able to build a tug for the Horsa glider.

The packet arrived and was pleasantly surprised that the kit came in grey.
Took a day or two off during CNY and tackled kit with some simple add ons and scratch builds to bring the kit up to present standard of current kits.

Areas of build were the cockpit, rear turret, deleting the top turret, re-scribing panel lines, sanding down of the rivets, adding interior for the rear entrance, refining the cowling flaps.

It's a little late tonight to post pictures so be on the look out.

Cheers,
Richard.

Sanding down the rivets should keep you busy :D

Yup...roughly a few hundred. :P

For those who don't know what a Stirling Bomber looks like, below is an example.
I'm attempting to convert the Mk3 to a Mk4 and probably the one that is not the full glazing and only replacing the front turret with plexiglass.






The kit that I'm using and is the only one of it's kind that I know off is an Aifix kit in 1/72nd scale.
The alignment of its panels and rivets all match when put together, surprizingly for a kit that's nearly as old as me. There are some gaps here and there that can easily be fixed with putty and plastic strip.
The only grouse I have is the lack of interior detail which I will tackle.

Coming up are the pix in the next post...starting with the scribing.

Richard.

Hi,

Scribing was done using the Dymo strip as a guide and a pin locked in a pin vice.



Then I sanded the rivets and any raised lines left over from the scribing...washed the parts with a tooth brush to get all the muck that had built up in the grooves.



The rudimentary cockpit was put together. Detailing will be done at a later stage.



I added some ribbing to the super structure.



Dry fitted to see how it looks.



I scratch built some scaffolding for the rear as I wanted to pose the rear door open. This was done with plastic strip and textured Evergreen strip.



Notice some of the tiny windows...they're peppered all over the planes body. Thought of using crystal clear for this but instead I'll use the kits clear parts as it looked good the last time I used them on my previous stolen kit.

I'll load the next couple of pix later. As of now I haven't yet put the plane together...lots more to do.

Cheers,
Richard.

the Shorts Stirling!

Attended a lecture on Bomber Command once and it was mentioned that the crew door on the fuselage, closed with a hefty 'clank', which says something about the construction of the plane.

Interesting subject.

Richard

If you want that book I mentioned, can pass to you.....will be at HHQ this saturday morning if youre interested...

Yes! Yes! interested but my Saturday mornings are reverved to ferry my daughter to ballet and to run errands. That's why I seldom make it to HHQ...if only it opens on Sunday :(

I don't know if Mr. Low will mind if you left it with him and I can pick it up when able. Sad part is I don't get to meet you to talk shop. :P

Besides HHQ, any place else on Sundays Shah?

Richard.

Sunday daytime will be occupied, but how about anytime Saturday afternoon, evening or even night for teh tarik? Sunday night is also fine with me

Let me know, im in the PJ area so anywhere thereabouts is fine

Cool.

Have to check HM's diary for the evenings for both Saturday and Sunday. May have agreed to go CNY open houses and forgoten which day.

I'll PM you my contact.

Richard.

PS. This reminds me that I owe Desmond a cup of coffee for getting his driver to collect some seedlings to replicate mini durians. Desmond, are you still up for it. :D

Update.

Look at them windows...man so many to mask later.



There were some unsightly sink marks on the wings that I had to fill.





I used the tape to mask off so the surrounding details will not be sanded off.



Tamiya putty was added.



Richard

More updates.

Sprayed the interior with interior green and gave it a wash with a mixture of black and brown poster color.



Then I cut away the top turret opening.



Added plastic strip.



The plastic strip was supported by plastic beams glued across the bottom.



I did the same painting to the cockpit area with the same wash.



Added seat belts and a paper map just to spruce things up abit to make the rather dull cockpit lively.



Another angle...I've only dry fitted the halves together with tape.



Thanks for looking. C & C welcomed. There's more to come for instance the nose modification and the tail turret plus the rear door detailing.

Cheers,
Richard.

Looking great! Im sure this will be a stunner with its stalky undercart.....

How this weekend? Ill pm you my details

Hi Jason,

Lucky you to be able to attend the lecture. They also say that the Stirling although bulky and strong that made it through heavy damage was an amazingly easy aircraft to fly.

Thanks Shah,

This weekend looks quite safe. I'll look out for your details.

Cheers,
Richard.

While waiting for the sub assembly's to dry I had an hour to improve the engine cowling flaps. The original is kind of thick and the surface detail very soft.

With a motor tool I thinned down the flaps/slats...



...had to be careful and maintain the same thickness throughout. I cleaned out the burrs with a hobby knife...



...I chucked in a circular saw into the motor tool and sawed the slats then using masking tape as a guide I scored the joint and sanded an indentation at the base of the slats.



You can compare the before and after of the cowling in this pix. The last one on the right hasn't been modified.

Thanks for looking.

Did you know that the wings of the Stirling were deliberately shortened to fit into the British hangars of that period. The result of that produced a low surface ceiling performance which plagued this bomber. Even with this handicap the Stirling was rushed into production because Bomber command needed heavy bombers and the Lancaster was still the Manchester with two engines.

Ahh... the English and their short sightedness.

C&C welcomed.

Cheers,
Richard

More updates on the cowlings,

There were two racks of pistons per engine that I glued together... painted them black and dry brushed with silver. The firewall was painted interior green.



Painted all of them like factory :lol:



Then I painted the cowlings with interior green...



...then with black I sprayed it to look like grime and soot deposits.



The propeller needs sanding to get rid of flash.



Since I was into D-Day stuff I decided to paint my other aircraft in the same theater scheme. I had a ready made Mosquito and Dakota lying around in need of painting so I'll show them to you in another post soon.

Cheers,
Richard.

Look so nice. I always like to see ur build.

Gambatte sifu. :lol:

Thanks Becky,
I hope this build won't drag on too long.

More progress. This time it's the nose conversion from the nose turret to the plexiglass.

I did this without glueing the halves together but just taping them with masking tape.



I then sawed away the upper lip extention. Notice that I had drilled and carved away the turret base supports.



to be continued...

....then I traced out the outline of the plexiglass dome onto three blocks of balsa wood...glued them together and carved away the excess. My blade is so rusty, I need a tetanous jab by just looking at it. :lol:



I sanded and filed until satisfied with the shape and look, everytime checking it against the reference drawings and placing it on the nose of the kit.



All these years of modeling and I've not vacu-formed clear parts. I'm going to attempt it the first time. Is it easy? Anyone out there with experience in this sort of thing can give pointers?

So far is my sample mold the correct size or should I reduce it slightly to accomodate the thickness of the clear part?

Any advice welcomed.

Richard.

richard, when u got to the small fuselage windows, pls post some WIP pics yaa especially on how you're going to mask the windows, etc (without pushing them back into the fuselage - happened to me before :P)... thx.

Gladly Jimbo,

For now I'll give you a hint on what I use. For circular windows I make sure that the windows are glued tightly with liquid cement. To mask I use a blob of white glue despensed with a toothpick. Just let it settle to the edges. After painting just peel off with a tweezer.

The WIP will come as soon as I tackle the rear turret and put the halves together.

Richard.

Richard, I have actually typed quite a lengthy reply on the vac-form and thermal-forming but then when I hit the "add reply" button, my internet was disconnected so the reply never go through.... Never mind, I will retype again and hopefully this time it will go through.

With the issue on vac-form or thermal forming, I would advise you to try vac-form or thermal forming (whichever you prefer) on the current master before decicing whether to sand a bit more or not because when heated and drop the soft plastic, it will stretch and to conform to ths shape and this will reduce the actual thickness of the plastic.

One more thing, I would like to advise you to cover the master with a few layers of primer and polish it to shine because any scratch or unevenness will surely be transferred onto the clear plastic when it is heated.

Thanks Imran for the advice on vac-form.

I'll coat the master with primer and polish it tonight. I love experimentation.

Questions:
1. What kind of clear plastic is best to use and what is used to heat it?
2. When heated, what do you use to hold it?
3. Will you need the assistance of a Vacuum machine?

Very excited. Can't wait to go home to try.

Richard.

... white glue as masking? that's something new to me.... looking fwd to it B)

What's stopping me from putting the fuselarge halves together is the front perspex and the rear turret.

The kit provides a very basic assembly so I had to improve on it...



...a figure was used to hold the four brownings so I cut the body away and left the moorings for the guns...I also shaved the shell casing chutes...



...colored and weathered the interior...



...cut strips of plastic card, measured and glued the sections...



...accidently got some glue on the glazing so lots of fine sanding and polishing ahead...



...other angle...



...dry fitted just to look see.



I think I'm quite satisfide with it and will proceed to closing it up, fill up gaps, sand and paint.
Didn't get round to do my vac-forming yet, perhaps next.

C&c welcome.

Cheers,
Richard.

Not a problem Richard.

Questions:
1. What kind of clear plastic is best to use and what is used to heat it?
I don't have the exact answer for this. Maybe Dremel/Naza can answer it. I have tried using the overhead projector (OHP) clear plastic and it works pretty well. It's a bit thin though and I heat it on top of the kitchen stove.
2. When heated, what do you use to hold it?
When I tried using the OHP sheet, I just hold it on the edges. You can also make a simple frame using wood or thick paper board and secure the plastic sheet either using stapler or glue.
3. Will you need the assistance of a Vacuum machine?
It depends actually. Unless the parts did not have complicated curves, thermal forming should suffice. Vac-forming needs to be used if the master has complicated curves and shape. If you want to see a D-I-Y vacuum forming machine, maybe Dremel/Naza can show his... :D

Thanks for the tips Imran,

Overhead projector sheets huh...see if office still has em.

Naza,
Can show some pix on the home made vac-form machine ah?

Richard.

Richard I show you mine DIY and have thermoformed a canopy.
Shy not as we are all learning. No pic as prefer hands on explanation.
Come lah bring no money plastics will do.

Thanks for the offer Multifilla,

This weekend already busy building my homemade vac-form. Made it from Ferrero Vocelle container. Drilled some holes at the top and a large one for the vacuum cleaner nozel attchement.



Close up of the perforated holes and the master...the masking tape is to cover the extra holes.



Ha Ha!! My first attempt is going into the bin... :lol: :lol:



Aahhh!! the second attempt was a success...need to polish and dip in Future.



Now I can vac-form parts anytime.

Richard.

Great stuff man! Congrats on your first vacform.

What material did you use for the transparency? And how did you heat it so it is soft enough to mould when suction is applied?

Did you get my PM? Book and teh tarik session must do la :D

Good job there Richard and the vac-forming equipment looks good too. On the last picture, is it dust or is it the surface that looks like small white dots? If it is just dust then it's ok lah... :)

Can't wait to see this finished... :D

Nicely done but tape up container to reinforce as will crack under vacuum.

Thanks Guys,

Shah - The transparency comes from left over CD cases. They're just thick enough because I found out that when you vac-form, the material stretches and thins out. Also can glue with liquid cement. My first try heating over the stove wasn't even so I used tea candle lights and heated the center and had free area to hold when pressing down on the master.

Imran - The dots are a mixture of dust and tiny particles that formed while heating. I hope they're not microscpic bubbles. Will dip in future to see outcome. Aisay :lol: now can vac-form another one sap sap sooi.

Multi filla - Yup... noticed the box convexing inward when the vacuum was on. Will tape up as advised. Also will reinforce inside with extra frames. Thanks.

Cheers,
Richard

On Saturday evening I dipped the rear turret clear part into future and placed it on a paper towel to drip dry.
Lucky me it took out most of the scratches and smudges. I painted the inside and outside paneling before gluing to the bulk head.



Then I added more detail to the gun assembly with a front deflector and sight...



...painted it black...following picture shows another angle.



Glued and clamped it down as the sides of the clear part stuck out.



Then last night I masked the canopy edge and puttied to later sand level to main bulk head.



Next after sanding I'll mask and paint the panels. While it dries I'll tackle the little windows on the Stirlings main frame.

Cheers,
Richard

Neat-o Richard.

Gotta give that that vac form thingy a try one day.

cheers

Neat, Richard!
be prepared to be bombarded by endless request to help vacform broken canopies!!!! :D

Thanks guys,

Still trial and error. May have to vac another copy just in case I botch up this one during assembly.

Have already sanded the rear turret and little windows stuck. pix will follow next post.

Richard

Hi again,

More updates. I promoised some more pictures, so here they are:

The little turret has finally been sealed, puttied and painted. The gun barrels were drilled with a 0.2 drill bit.



Then the windows were glued down...make sure to add more glue...don't want it to pop in once the fuselage halves are joined together. :lol:



More windows <_<



I finally can join the halves together...made sure the fit was aligned with tape.



For the windows on the exposed cockpit, I painted the back edges with interior green so it wouldn't stand out. Some purist would cut away the extra plastic...I'm not that mad. :lol:



A lot more windows <_<



I botched this part by accidently smudging the third window with glue. I sanded and polished it but it still is quite hazy.



Aahhh!...the culprit or one of it that stalled the building process. The other is the plexiglass for the front.



I sprayed the surrounding area of the turret mount in black first so that it would be simpler when it came to masking later on.

Next is what I dread...puttying and sanding of the body and wings.

C&C welcomed and thanks for keeping up with this progress.

Cheers,
Richard

Updates.

Before puttying and sanding I added some shims and card to gaps. The following pictures show these areas.



The tiny gap on the ex-top turret position closed with slotted thin card.



The canopy didn't fully fit to the back. Card was added.



The front was too thin so I shored it up with card as well.



Used the cowlings for support to maintain dehydral for the tail planes.



More to come later.

Richard.

More updates

Looking at the forum lately and found members tackling old kits too...some with fantastic results and some with loads of stuff to sand, fill and accurise.

This Stirling is no exception...if Bomber Vince has a problem with filling sinkholes in his Melvin then the following pictures will give him comfort that he is not alone in suffering.



The big Stirling put together with dry fitted wings and engine cowlings...



The flaps are workable and that leaves an unrealistic gap between the wings and the flap...



Some thin plastic card glued in place helped fill this gap...



The tail sections also got some card fillers.



The Stirling taking shape...canopy masked and stuck on...



So are the front plexiglass observers and bomb aimers station...



Close up of the amount of sanding to correct the nose section...



Undercarraige doors were thinned out...the right one is still in its original thickness...



The intakes had dimples/sinkholes that were filled and sanded...phew!! lots more to go

Looking really good Richard. I cant wait to see this one standing on its huge undercart and decked in invasion stripes....

The "enjoyment?" of old kits? We are masochists :D :D

A question on the rudder and aileron hinges...are they that big in the real thing?