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Armstrong Whitworth Whitley GR. Mk. VII


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Hello gang,

 

My entry for this GB will be Airfix's new Whitley bomber done up as a coastal command sub-hunter. The Whitley had a quintessentially 1930s British design aesthetic, meaning it wasn't the prettiest aircraft in the hangar. The type was designed for night bombing, but was obsolescent by the start of World War II. They were retired from front-line service in early 1942, but continued as paratroop transports, early ECM platforms, and in the long range maritime patrol-bomber role.

 

The example I am building is of an aircraft from 502 squadron, which flew North Atlantic patrols from the Northern Ireland in 1942/43. A real beast! 

 

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I began work with the engines. There are some nice details, but fit is not spectacular.

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Also, be careful. Instructions suggest fitting the radiator faces after gluing the two nacelle halves together, but it works better to install them into one half first.

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Thanks guys. A bit more work on the engines. I added the dzus fastener holes on the sides, and added front openings to the little air scoops on the sides, too.

 

I also filled gaps around the edges of the radiator faces. The fit there really sucked.

 

IMG_20161219_204806113_HDR.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Happy New Year, everyone.

 

The Whitley is taking on shape. Here is the nearly complete wing assembly ready to be mated to the nacelles.

 

IMG_20170101_200040303_HDR.jpg

 

I'm of two minds though. Both the fuselage and nacelles have dodgy fit, so I'm not sure what would be wisest to attach first?

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On 1/2/2017 at 7:07 PM, Trojan Thunder said:

Such an ugly airplane :rolleyes:  Your progress is good. Looking forward to seeing those Coastal Command colours going on.

 

Ugly as sin! But twice as much fun. 

 

I'm loving this build. 


Fit of the engines is less than stellar. 

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Not so good up top, either. 

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The train-car like rear fuselage. All aboard????!!!

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Poor fit or not, I am having A LOT OF FUN building this kit! It reminds me of my first ever Airfix build around 1990. It was the Hallifax, and it was an awfully tricky kit. But I was 12/13 and didn't care. It was so much fun. 

Something about this build is really capturing that same feeling. I can picture myself as one of the crew members, crawling around the multi-level interior from one compartment to another. Something special about RAF bombers for me. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally some progress. 

 

The engines, wings, and rear fuselage parts have had all seams filled and rescribed. 

 

The cockpit is a little toy-like, but should look fine under the glass. I still want to add some detail to the masking tape belts. I built the navigation table stowed and the nav seat in takeoff position.

 

Did not add anything to the radio room as none of it will be visible.

 

One of the reason I like building bombers is because I like to see the layout of the interior and the different crew stations.

 

This one is no exception.

IMG_20170115_222631550_HDR.jpg

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This model is really starting to get on my nerves. Airfix decided to be clever by building the fuselage assemblies around the wing spar, but I'd prefer they had chosen good over clever. None of the spar business is visible, and there are equally effective means of achieving wing strength without breaking up the fuselage. 

The forward and rear sections do not fit especially well. 

Cutting off the front of the ventral turret ring helps 

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but its still far from perfect.

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There are steps between the fuselage walls and gaps at the wing root and below, where the flaps meet the fuselage. 

These wouldn't be much of a problem if there wasn't so much flexion at all the parts. Any puttying will just crack, so a different solution will be necessary. Melted plastic? Shims? I'm not sure yet. I'm tired of fitting things. I'm going to go build a tank! 

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Pealing the roof back a little, helped a lot. It let me push the walls out to better match up with the wings and forward fuselage walls.

Now let's see how the roof fits after all this get fixed.

IMG_20170116_224910591_HDR.jpg

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Definitely only a face a mother could love :rolleyes: .. Shame about the issues you're having with the build.

 

 I have a funny feeling that I'm going to have the same issues with the Lanc when I get to that stage. The lower surfaces butt up really nicely but the upper wing might cause some issues.

 

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The wing on the lanc should fit fine, but you might find yourself fussing with the nacelle inserts that go into the wing leading edge. Some sanding and filling will fix it quickly, but it's there.

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Such a cool build. I've been tempted to get this kit myself. There's something about those Coastal Command planes. Maybe it's the cat and mouse game they played over the North Sea and Atlantic, vs the leveling of cities and industry by Bomber Command, that makes it more interesting. Eduard will release a Coastal Command Liberator later this year, with Leigh light and all, based on the Hasegawa kit. Might be a nice companion to this one.

 

Keep up the good work!

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I agree. The maritime bombers hold a certain charm for me. One of my favorite "dogfight" stories is when a flight of wellingtons engaged a ju-88 patrol over the Bay of Biscay. The two groups of bombers tangles for quite some time before the -88s broke off and waggled their wings at the wellingtons as acknowledgement of a good fight.

 

I'm excited to hear about the Libby kit. Between that, and the Special Hobby Sunderland, this wl be a good year for maritime bombers!

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