The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

With a lot of unavoidable background distractions I am attempting to build a Formaplane 1/72nd Vacform Handley Page Hastings in a Coastal Command Met Flight scheme:




It's a very basic vacform. It doesn't even have the thimble nose that's featured on the box art, and no decals (although I have suitable ones somewhere). No injected plastic or metal parts either.








It's possible I'll be able to rob some parts from an old Airfix Halifax as I'm led to believe that wings, engine cowlings and some u/c parts are the same/very similar. I have two Hastings reference books on order, so I guess I'll find out.

The cowlings definitely need replacing as the thin front edges are all crushed:




Until the references arrived it will be stage one: The Removal of Parts. Score, snap, score snap, wet'n'dry, wet'n'dry....

I thought the Hasting was a Halifax with a new body (same as with the York and Lancaster) so the Airfix kit should prove a useful donor kit. I shall have to consult my Warpaint.

JamesPerrin wrote:I thought the Hasting was a Halifax with a new body (same as with the York and Lancaster) so the Airfix kit should prove a useful donor kit. I shall have to consult my Warpaint.

James, that's what I had initially thought. But reading other aviation forums, there are more differences to the flying surfaces than I'd thought.

Even visually, the Airfix Halifax had squared tips and the Hastings rounded ones. Also the inner plane chord is different. So I'll be using the vacform wings. But the cowlings do look very similar, and hopefully will fool all but the most exacting rivet counter

If you do it with spinning props you won't have to worry about those 4 blade vacform nightmares

JamesPerrin wrote:If you do it with spinning props you won't have to worry about those 4 blade vacform nightmares

Yes, don't think that hadn't already crossed my mind

It's at times like this I really miss consulting the Aeroclub website for appropriate metal parts

Brews wrote:

bluesteel wrote:

JamesPerrin wrote:If you do it with spinning props you won't have to worry about those 4 blade vacform nightmares

Yes, don't think that hadn't already crossed my mind

It's at times like this I really miss consulting the Aeroclub website for appropriate metal parts

Try Hannants.

'Twas my first port of call, but no joy. However I did order the two reference books from them as happily both were on Special Offer

Try The Aviation Hobby Shop.

Regards,
Bruce

Someone makes rounded wingtips for the Halifax. I have a set, now glued on, for my 100 Group A/C. Unfortunately I do not have the name of the company to hand.

Dai

Great to see this one underway Julien, I don't think I've ever seen one built up before.

Regards

Tom

Interior floor and 3 formers cut out and dry fitted. Then the seats and instrument panel. I'll now have to wait until my ref books arrive to add a little extra interior detail - not too much as not a lot will be seen through the transparencies.

Looking at the 1/72 plans in the Warpaint last night really gives you a feel for the bulk and size of this aircraft.

Hannants came up with the goods again in record time:



Both books look very useful. So some reading now to select a good CC Met scheme. I also found a good walk around with detail photos online too.

I'm opening up the portholes before removing the fuselage from the plastic as it gives more places to hold it while I drill. The Hastings has unusually large portholes and they are rather faintly depicted in the plastic and I don't have a file or drill of sufficient diameter. So I have used a narrow felt tip to give a better outline, then an assortment of drills and files to open them up and gradually work back to the mark, attempting to keep them as circular as possible:

I have decided to depict the model as CC Met Flight TG624/B of No 202 Squadron, RAF Aldergrove 1962, as the Warpaint book has a good set of colour elevations and a Squadron crest I can scan and turn into decals:

Windows opened up and fuselage cut out. I'll wait until the fuselage is sanded down to the lines before removing the main glazing areas.

Just tried a dry fit with interior formers in place and all looks quite good. I just have to sand down the joins now if I can find a sheet or sheets of sandpaper large enough...