Tamiya 1/48th Avro Lancaster B.III Dambuster RAF 100 anniversary

Started by Chuck A. Villanueva · 129 · 5 years ago
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    Paul Barber said 6 years ago:

    That masking must have taken some time, Chuck. Especially the 'bulged' parts. This build has long been a compulsive watch for me. Absolutely loving it. I am 'stoked' (sorry, just testing elements of my growing Aussie vocab), that this old behemoth is being transformed. I'm sure, with your estimable skills, you won't be finding this too tough - I'm just amazed by the recovery - those nacelles looked fit for nothing until you got going - it appears nothing is ever lost in this game!

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    david leigh-smith said 6 years ago:

    G@d speed and chocks away, Chuck. Loving every post.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 6 years ago:

    Thanks Paul, the masking did, but not as long as it would have without the masking set, I dread this step as it can be time consuming. Your slang is working quite well by the way. "stoked" we use quite often here in So Cal.
    Amen David, trying to get this baby finished finally.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 6 years ago:

    With the masking job finished, finally we can start the painting process. First I will apply Xtracolour RAF Interior Grey/Green for the canopy framework and apply whats left over the upper surfaces as a primer and see how the seam work looks.


    Before apply the Grey/Green, a quick once over to make sure everything is plugged up and masked.

    First I apply the Grey/Green over the observers window under the nose, then hit the center seam under the fuselage.


    Finally over the top with the canopy and hitting the spine of the fuselage. Doing this gave me an idea which I will share in an upcoming update. That's it for now. More to follow.

    3 additional images. Click to enlarge.

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    david leigh-smith said 6 years ago:

    One of the many great things about this hobby is how the skill set gets better as we get older. As Paul said, those engine nacelles looked distinctly average at best until you finessed them into life.

    I'm probably not the only one, but I love seeing the shots of current builds actually on the 'bench' getting a sneaky look at the work setting and other projects in the background.

    Said it before, but I look forward to these posts, as a Brit the Lanc has a special place in my the spirit.

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    Paul Barber said 6 years ago:

    Sensational work Chuck, the transformation is continuing apace! The way you have made those seams disappear is just exemplary!

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 5 years, 12 months ago:

    Thanks Dave, always striving to be better. I also have passion when working on a project. I hope it shows it's not just paint, decals and cement on these models. That image of those Lanc's flying low in the moonlight skies is very inspirational.
    Thanks Paul when I first built this kit as a teenager, i don't think I had developed the skills yet as I have now. It was the days before I knew what an airbrush was. All hand painted.

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    Louis Gardner said 5 years, 12 months ago:

    These Lancs have always had a spot in my heart. I vividly remember building the Revel 1/72 scale "Dam Buster" kit when I was a kid. Brush painted it with Pactra paint right from the bottle. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I flew a lot of low level missions in it and got pretty good at "dropping" the can on the plastic "Army Men" set up below.

    Later I read about how they had two lights that were aimed to converge when the proper low level drop altitude was achieved... astonishing stuff indeed.

    David you painting photo reminded me of that.

    Well done Chuck, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment... 🙂

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    I remember that kit, though I never got around building it. Even then I was more into 48th scale. So I saved up and got the Tamiya Lancaster. That was brush painted. But by then I was aware of the Microscale decal system. With Monograms B-25H and a B-17 already under my belt at the time, it was fun building a Tam Lancaster after reading an article about it in Scale Modeler Magazine. Had to get one so save for a long time. Good memories

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    While using the Interior green as a primer over the top. I used a Light Grey over the lower portion of the airframe to check the work on the nacelles. Still a little more work on these to make them a little better.

    Also going over the top sections of the engine cowlings as well.

    Soon I will have these smoothed over and cleaned and ready for paint after another hit of primer to check the work. Really a lot of time on this part of the build. Definitely not like the newer Tam kits we have today.

    In the meantime I worked on the bouncing bomb and delivery system a bit, but most likely will install this towards the end of the build. Just some prep work.

    More to follow.

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    david leigh-smith said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    A toast to you, Chuck, especially in the week that saw the anniversary of the Dambusters raid.

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    Cheers, though I don't drink alcohol, I will raise my cup of coffee to you. Though I would love to get one of those bottles to display when the Lancaster is finished. That is cool.

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    david leigh-smith said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    I'm very much an occasion drinker (and then only when I think I've 'deserved' it) and this was too good to pass up. I'll be keeping the bottle.

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    Paul Barber said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    I remember those nacelles Chuck! What a transformation - perfection doesn't come easily - this is a lesson in patience I will certainly learn from!

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    Chuck A. Villanueva said 5 years, 11 months ago:

    David-here's too you, just hopefully you may come across another one of those bottles.
    Thanks Paul, just a little more heft on a heavy bomber.