The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

I started this over a year ago, supposedly for the CC SIG display at SMW2011; well, here's the restart hoping to make SMW2012.

Here is the initial (and short) thread in the CC SIG.
As the conversion is based on data from the Mushroom's Fortress in Coastal Command, which is reviewed here.

I always thought that the censor-modified photos of AN537 over a convoy had the antennas wiped. Turns out, NO, it never flew operationally in that configuration, but it did undergo testing that way. Here are two typical photos:



But the Mushroom book clears this all up and provides a contemporary sketch of the aerials. Also note the antenna location is somewhat rearward of the censor blobs; perhaps the censors blotted out non-existent antenna to make folks think the antenna really did exist !?



Anyway, if you look at the start-up you'll see all sorts of babble about doing it mostly OOB but then I start talking about some aftermarket and then begin adding plastic strip stringers and formers .... I will get a handle on this -- I'm mostly going to stick some of the pre-painted instruments around to make it look busy and not worry about other things.

And we're off .... I got it out, finished the stringers and formers and slopped a coat in USAAF interior green into it.

I'm hooked. Now entertain me.

Well, I got this back out, dusted it off and discovered I had actually chipped away at it a bit more than the pix show.
In a day or so, I'll put a better progress picture up and be back to work ....

OK, so a day or so became two months ....

Actually what you see only took about a week off & on .... For no good reason I decided to populate the fuselage with an Eduard PE set, it's for the E/F model but I faked it. Most won't be seen, why did I bother, who knows .... I had the model, I had the photo-etch, I used it,it was good practice .... It'll all be worthwhile when it throws me into the next weight class when I mail it over





Anyway, next step is to button up the fuselage and clean that seam. The wings & tail are ready to go on, so it shouldn't be far from the paint shop. Of course I do need to make the aerials ....

And here she is, buttoned up ....





No drama -- the halves fit together neatly. I glued in sections with Tenax, using the clamps to hold together and slight finger pressure to take out any seam mismatch ....

Tomorrow I'll clean the join seam and that'll do it until after the 23rd, we're traveling next week ....

Wow!
Great work! You need a clear fuselage half to show off all that beautiful detail.

David

I am behind and heavily involved in a community event through next weekend. Nonetheless, I have had dribbles of bench time.

Fuselage join cleaned. Adding glass, then masking it prior to adding wings & tail. Had to make a window for the gondola, lucky it's flat(ish).



Back as soon as I can .... still intend to finish "in time" ....