A new project has begun with a HP Halifax bomber. Drawings were printed some time ago, however other priorities delayed its start. Wood has been selected and fuselage & wing are block shaped.
Lou
I found a few minutes to do some carving on my Halifax Mk III.
Lou
I sanded the tail group this morning.
Lou
Wing is shaped and mated to the fuselage. Next placement of the engines. Note the size difference between the Argus and the Halifax. During WWII, he Halifax was a heavy bomber. Now is would be a medium at best
Lou
Quite the difference in size from only a fews years in development.
Fraser
Engine development during and immediately after WWII made these bigger aircraft possible. Even passenger airliners outpaced the biggest WWII bombers as well.
Lou
Engines are attached and glue is curing before further handling. 5/8 dowels were the perfect diameter for the Halifax.
Lou
Good progress. Looking forward to the finished model.
Gordon
Thank you Gordon. I fiddle with it every now and again.
Lou
Everything is sanded and await primer coat. Wing assembly is first in the paint booth. Vertical fins are glued to the horizontal stab.
Lou
Nice work Lou. Looking at the model, it is apparent that the lack of flowing curves probably made the prototype aircraft easier to mass produce.
Fraser
I agree that flat sides do make it easier to manufacture and probably tale less time to assemble. The Halifax had a 13000lb bomb load, vs the 8000lb B-17 load and was just 5 mph slower. The Halifax loss rate was 4.2 and the B-17 5%. The B-17 is well known, however the Halifax was sadly neglected.
Lou
Great looking model so far Lou. Looking forward to the when she's finished.
Gordon
Thank you Gordon. It has been idle for the last week, however I plan on getting on with it next month and hopefully have it done before Christmas.
Lou
Final primer coat has been applied and it looks good. Decals for RCAF 433 Sqn have been printed on white film with fuselage code and roundels set with black background. Top of wing decals will require close cutting. The all-black bottom has no markings at all.
Lou
Black DecoArt acrylic paint has been applied to the lower fuselage. Upper surfaces will be dark green and dark earth. Once done. several light coats of gloss will seal the paint and make it easier for decals to adhere.
Lou
Looking good Lou. Love your work on the decals.
I need to get more competent making up mine.
Gordon
Thsnk you Gordon. what you don't see are those decals I messed up.
Lou
Lou, I'm guessing you were printing decals on white because the clear ones aren't dense enough on a dark surface? Printing a matching background on the decal is a good way around that.
I have also done the same for the Lancaster. It still needs touch ups around the edges to hide the white film. The model is currently in the paint booth getting a clear coat.
Lou
Roll out of my Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber occurred 10 Oct 2022. The Halifax is a relatively large model in comparison to my usual 1/72 subjects. Construction took 14 weeks. Fuselage decals required redoing due to clumsy fingers when applying. I also found that with black background, printing in best quality gives better results. The most important thing is that it was fun and very satisfying.
Lou
Awesome model . Well Done Lou .
Gordon
Thank you Gordon. AS I said earlier, it was very enjoyable. I forgot to mention the codes represent RCAF 433 Sqn.
Lou
The Halifax looks really nice at that scale. I like how you detailed the inlet cowl exhaust collector system. I saw a restored Halifax in the Canadian Airforce Museum, and it was interesting to see how that was incorporated into the design. I wonder if the cooling effect on the exhaust and the long tailpipe reduced the exhaust flame for night bombing?
Fraser
Thank you Fraser. It fit right in with my other two WWII heavy bombers.
Lou
Nice collection. It just occurred to me how many bombers had twin tails. Seeing them together shows this to be a very common configuration.
Fraser
Fear of losing rudder effectiveness if an engine was knocked out was probably one reason. The other is that an aircraft does not need to be that high so it would fit in existing hangars.
Lou