The Unofficial Airfix Modellers' Forum

You don't need bit sheets of sandpaper - a normal size sanding block will do: just work along the joints, measure with the good old Mk.1 eye-ometer and test fit regularly. I used to use the old method of rubbing the parts over a large sanding surface but with bigger parts it is too damn difficult getting consistent pressure and coverage - far easier with a sanding block...

This brings back memories Bluesteel as I worked
on these big old lumps for 2yrs on Luqa from 1953
to '55. Good luck with the build which I shall follow
with interest.
Regards,
Pete.

SJPONeill wrote:You don't need bit sheets of sandpaper - a normal size sanding block will do: just work along the joints, measure with the good old Mk.1 eye-ometer and test fit regularly. I used to use the old method of rubbing the parts over a large sanding surface but with bigger parts it is too damn difficult getting consistent pressure and coverage - far easier with a sanding block...

Good idea. I had completely forgotten I have a sanding block. Thanks

Taurusboy wrote:This brings back memories Bluesteel as I worked
on these big old lumps for 2yrs on Luqa from 1953
to '55. Good luck with the build which I shall follow
with interest.
Regards,
Pete.

Good stuff. I remember the Hastings at Scampton in the mid 60's when I was a very young child and my dad was aircrew on the Vulcans.

I don't suppose any of the Coastal Command Hastings transited through Luqa? I'm still trying to find interior shots of the CC Hastings as apparently they were different to Transport Command and other Hastings, with bunk beds and lifeboat stowage among other things. Not that anything will be seen through the model portholes...

Yes you should read John 'Aeroclub' Adams' "A new way of building vacforms" which suggests scraping and sanding block as the old method could easily distort part. You've just got to make sure you pen outline get right into the corners.

JamesPerrin wrote:Yes you should read John 'Aeroclub' Adams' "A new way of building vacforms" which suggests scraping and sanding block as the old method could easily distort part. You've just got to make sure you pen outline get right into the corners.

Thanks for reminding me James, I have a copy of that downloaded somewhere, I think he published it in the Aeroclub section on the Britmodeller Forum a while back. I did read it at the time, and promptly forgot about it. I don't know if I'm coming or going these days...

Thanks to all those who recommended it, the sanding block method of sanding down the vacform fuselages worked a treat. The fit is better than many larger injection kits I've built, both top and bottom:








Next I had to cut out the vacform cockpit canopy. Again I used the 'Aeroclub John' method of very sharp scissors rather than a knife, and that worked a treat too. Just a touch of sanding and it it a very good fit for the fuselage:




Now I can strike two 'vacformaphobias' off my list:

1. sanding down large vacform parts - use sanding block
2. cutting out vacform canopies - use sharp scissors

Very happy

Looks a very satisfying join, I hope the wings come out as well.

Looking very good !

That looks cracking Julian.

Regards

Tom

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I've come to the tricky point now, cutting out and sanding down the flying surfaces:




The tailplane is fine as it's flat. But the wings have been formed with the nacelles upper and lower, 'dropped down':





Which means had I been using the sanding surface method of sanding down it would be rather difficult. But a combination of the sanding block method, with a few rat tail files for the awkward corners seems to work a lot better.

I got hold of a 1982 Scale Models magazine with a build article for the Formaplane Hastings by Dave Williams who built it for the earlier Scale Model World Show in 1979.





It's comforting to know he had the same opinions of the kit that I do. But he tried to use the taped down wet and dry paper method and found it very tricky. He also had the same unusable cowlings as I have. But he went for a very laborious scratch rebuild of the cowls. I think I may just nick some from an old injection kit with suitable cowls and modify. The Airfix Sunderland seems a closer match than the Airfix Halifax and I have an old damaged Sunderland I can rob from, so I'll have a look.

There's also a similar build article on Modelling Madness http://modelingmadness.com/review/korea ... stings.htm The builder there used even more elaborate scratch built cowlings out of turned Teflon and brass. I don't have the facilities for that, so robbed and converted cowlings it'll have to be

Getting there with the wings and tail planes. Sorted the slot in the wing roots and will strengthen the inner floor around the wings with plastic card. Next I need to do the wheel wells. The Sunderland Bristol Pegasus cowls compared against the half destroyed vacform cowl and the 1/72nd plans from the Warbirds series book appear exactly the right size and shape, so I'll be using those.

It's starting to look like a Hastings now...

bluesteel wrote:It's starting to look like a Hastings now...

I'll say Julian! That is going to look fantastic on the table this year, should do a nice job of dwarfing the wartime Met equipment

Regards

Tom

Made the main wheel wells today for the Hastings. I was going to add some detail in the bays, but the Hastings sits so low on it's u/c that it would be impossible to see anyway, so I'm not going to bother:





I've also applied filler to the wing tabs to give some rigidity and will glue some plastic card onto the fuselage floor to give extra strength(as recommended in all the Hastings build articles I've read.

Started work on the Hastings again. The vacform surfaces have no panel lines at all, so using the Hastings Warpaint pull-out as a guide, I'm drawing the lines on with a fine tipped pen, then will scribe them on afterwards. I'm not sure what technique I'll use to do the curved fuselage panel lines yet, I guess I'll solve that when I get to it...