Big Daddy

Geez, hard to believe it's been over a year since we started this project. We got bogged down for a while, but are still at it. I will try to get photos up later this week of our progress.

I have heard that Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Lancaster and B-25 will be there. Any confirmation? BD

Yes, you're right. They did not use parachutes and that is why they could not go above 300 feet or the gunny sacks (which were doubled- and tripled-up, would break). They did drop bags of flour as well as a lot of other food items, including canned foods. DC

Thanks, Andrew. Filling, sanding and cutting are always the most tedious parts of a build like this for me. Can't wait to get to the painting, weathering and detailing...IOW...the FUN part! :thumbsup:/> Cheers, Don

The 1/72 Lanc is coming along. My initial impression of the USAirfix kit was pretty good but I have revised that. Many of the joints are a very bad fit and it has taken a lot of filler and sanding to make them acceptable. Also, the lower half of the port aileron was missing so I had to build it up with about 5 layers of thin plasticard and then sand it down to get the correct shape. And I performed successful surgery on the bomb doors today. I had to cut them off as I will need the open area inside to attach the wires to hang the aircraft and balance it properly. Next up...fill all th

Thanks, SERNAK! I have been so busy at the hangar that I have failed to post pics or anything else on here for a while. We just celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first sortie of Operation Manna on April 29th. Here are a few images to commemorate the day... I have been steadily beavering away at the 1/72 Lanc model and will have some pics of my progress later today. Thanks for watching.

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Thanks! Yes, we do have quite a collection of Lanc and Mossie parts and some are duplicates. We are always willing to trade parts as well as expertise. Thanks. Have a great time at the CFA! Don

Hi Anthony, The project is moving along well. The main wing is almost finished and has passed inspection. Work on the tail plane is progressing well. We hope to mate the wing and fuselage in the next few months. One thing we are lacking is good drawings of the vertical fin. Ours are old and almost illegible. Thanks for your interest! Cheers, Don

The fellow you are referring to is named Glyn Powell. Our fuselage was the very first off his moulds.

Edgar, is absolutely correct. We are building a 1:1 Mossie at the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association, and the guys working on it would consider your idea as sacrilege!! :lol: But of course, you can do whatever you like.

Well. we are still plugging away at this project. Rob, my partner in crime, has made some great progress on the dio base. Here are some assorted pics of what he has accomplished so far. I love the last one.

I have been working on FM212 for over 3 years now. Though we are doing all of the restoration to Transport Canada standards, it is doubtful that she will ever fly again due to city ownership and insurance costs. But if they ever change their mind, it is not out of the realm of possibility. :thumbsup:/> FM159 in Nanton can taxi, but I don't think her spars are certified and, more importantly, there is no airfield at hand. I think NX611 in East Kirkby is the most likely candidate at this time. Don

You may be referring to the one in East Kirkby, UK, NX611, known as "Just Jane", which has been taxiing for quite a while. They are working hard to gain airworthy status for her. Just Jane Don

I'm looking forward to watching this thread as I have a Malta 1/32 Spit partially started on the bench. My dad, who is almost 97 years old, met Buzz when he was touring back in Canada after Malta. Dad was stationed in Moncton during the war as an aero-mechanic and signed Beurling out on a Harvard so he could "take it for a flip". My dad said, "There was something about his eyes. He had the eyes of a.....killer." Keep up the good work! BD

It is indeed sad to see that Edmundston could not carry out the restoration in NB. But many thanks to them for saving the last remaining Mk X that actually saw combat in WWII. Rumour had it that she would wind up in Trenton next to their Halifax but Edmonton obviously had the better plan. I see they have already begun the fundraising campaign...http://www.gofundme.com/lancaster. And for the record, Canada has 8 of the remaining 17 complete Lancs, the three in Alberta, (Nanton's FM159, Calgary's FM136 and KB882 in Edmonton), four in Ontario (Windsor's FM212, Toronto's FM104, Hamilton's FM213 a

Beautiful job!! :thumbsup:

Love me some PBY!! Looking good!

LOL!

To the OP, Your modelling skills, I feel, are beyond reproach or criticism. I honestly don't see how they can be improved upon. This is an exceptional piece of work IMHO. I believe that modelling at this level is truly art and as such, is very subjective. While your panel line weathering and rivet detail may be over the top for some, the overall effect is dramatic and very eye-catching. Again, it is all about personal taste at this point and, though I might prefer the weathering to be a bit more subtle, I certainly can't criticize what you have accomplished here. I want to see more! Don

Rich, thanks for the suggestion. I am still debating whether to display the aircraft with bomb doors open and food parcels dropping or not. It poses quite a challenge as the bundless of food were placed loosely in the bomb bays with the doors partially opened. Both aircraft carried over 280 bags and when they opened the doors it fell out in a fairly wide dispersal pattern. In fact, Upcott's Lanc overshot the drop zone and hit the bleachers in the stadium, causing quite a mess and ruining much of the it I imagine. He said they were flying at around 50 feet when they dropped and, being the first

Lovely job! I have this kit coming soon so am inspired to get it done, thanks to your excellent build! DC

I'm finally getting going on the 1/72 Lancaster build. The first thing I have to fix is this terrible looking FN50 Mid Upper Turret. It is not even close to the right shape. So, out comes the saw and I chopped off the top to be replaced by this correct looking turret from a Hasegawa ASR Lancaster kit which I won't need. The guns in the USAirfix kit are crap as well so i will use everything from the Hasegawa kit. After a little sanding everything fits together perfectly and I now have a rotating, correct-looking mid upper. (Sorry for the fuzzy iPhone pics :unsure: )

I will take the round carousel! Thx. Don

Great idea! Regarding Canada and Australia, both were major players in the training of aircrew and production of combat and training aircraft. Canada alone trained almost 150,000 pilots and aircrew from 1940-44 and produced over 400 Lancasters and 1000+ Mosquitos, not to mention countless training aircraft such as the Avro Anson. Though not as prolific as the US or UK, they did play a major role I believe. After all, Roosevelt did refer to us as "The aerodrome of democracy". BD