Lancfan's CWH "Vera" build. ***FINISHED***

[lancfan]

Once this was done the wing undersides could be painted black.



The tailplanes were then painted, assembled and installed.



The engines were then built up, partly painted and then fitted.



David.

[PaulBradley]

Coming along nicely, David.

[lancfan]

Shouldn't be long now Paul.

David

[lancfan]

Vera is now almost finished, this is how she looked at 3.00 pm today.


David.

[PaulBradley]

Oooh, who's going to finish their Canuckian Lanc first - you or me...?!

[lancfan]

I've done nothing worth photographing yet today, the airframe has been varnished and is drying and I am now making up/painting turrets and other details ready for the finish later this evening.


David.

[lancfan]

This is how Vera looked at 5.00 pm today, the close up showing the partly finished mid-upper Martin turret.



Finished, Avro Lancaster B.X KB726 "Vera", Canadian Warplane Heritage Collection 2015.






David.
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Critique-

The Model,
Overall the kit is just superb, it does have a few minor issues but there is nothing that an average modeller cannot deal with. It is essential that the instructions are properly read (there are a few faults in there) and followed accordingly- this kit is so over engineered that this is NOT a kit to be built blindly by the over confident. The biggest problem is the interference fit of the wing main spars, a light draw filing with a flat modelling file should give enough clearance after a few seconds work to both sides of each fuselage slot and don't paint the black parts of the spars until the fuselage has been assembled, as with all Airfix new tools it is prudent to VERY lightly and carefully file or block sand the edges of any parts which fit fully from side to side in the fuselage or half to half in the wing (in this case the floor/bomb bay roof, the fuselage frames attached to the spars and the assembled structure over the wheelbays) before assembly to ensure sufficient clearance for glue. The glaring ommision from this kit is the lack of an engraved dinghy stowage bin on the starboard wing root, this is only supplied as a decal which is wrongly positioned in the decal placement instructions anyway. Another fault (but not a build issue) is the location of the IP, this should be level with the windscreen sill and under the 'V' of the windscreen and not a scale 6 inches or so forward of the windscreen under the nose top decking as Airfix have positioned it. For all it's many faults the Revell kit actually got that right so how Airfix managed to get that so wrong is quite puzzling. Cabin Heater, Martin turret and tall astrodome options would have been nice touches.
This kit is not perfect but it has potential for future options including Tallboy and ASR versions. It is probably the nearest we shall get to a perfect Lancaster- 7/10


The Decal Sheet,
As decals they are superb although there aren't enough roundels/fin flashes for all three aircraft BUT the placement instructions are laughably awful, added to this is the fact that the three individual aircraft have been modified to varying degrees from the wartime aircraft depicted by all available kits, Vera being furthest away from original specification- there being no real explanation of the various visible changes to each aircraft, also the decals are not numbered and there are no READABLE decal placement instructions with the sheet.
My opinion- this decal sheet by it's specialist nature desparately needs a set of readable placement instructions, these decals need numbering to match them and they need a set of 1/72 scale drawings to display the neccessary conversion work needed to build each subject aircraft- 5/10

Ideally it also needs a set of conversion parts with scale drawings and instructions to accompany them.
It would need to include-
Three Cabin Heaters (all three)
Three pairs of Avro Lincoln mainwheels with treaded, weighted tyres (all three)
One Martin Gun Turret (Vera)
One 'Fake' Turret dome (Jane)
One tall Astrodome (Jane)
One pair of Avro Lincoln fins (PA474)
Scale conversion drawings/instructions.

David.

[fredk]

Very nice

[PaulBradley]

Nice work, David, and a useful critique.

[DavidWomby]

She's lovely. Just like the real thing (which I go to see whenever I am in the Hamilton/Toronto area) and a great tribute to what may well be the 'Last Lanc to ever cross the Pond'.

Mind you, to be really authentic you need big drip pans under each engine

David

[DazDaMan]

Very nice, David.

[Purplethistle]

If I had a hat it would be off to you!
Just a thought here. If you took another photo of the underside exactly like that one, but on top of a blown up photo of a sunset, I think it would make a suitable backdrop to a fantastic job