Received a "rush" request from my better half for a Lancaster for a friend of hers. So here goes even before I have a chance to start to finish those already in progress.
- Scale is 1:72.
- Fuselage, wings and nacelles are cut from pine.
- Horizontal and vertical elevators are cut from maple.
I will create a tenon at each end of the horizontal stabilizer to attach the vertical stabilizers to. The verticals are relatively thin, so the maple tenon should hopefully provide adequate support in case the verticals are accidentally knocked. Since the wing span is rather long coming in at just over 17", I opted for a single pass through wing with a filler piece to keep things simple rather than a stub in tenon design.
As usual, I have left a tang at the front of the fuselage and each nacelle to facilitate holding them in my carving clamp during the shaping process.
We'll have to see if I can complete this before Lou has 6-8 of his Canadian Air Force models completed. I suspect he will beat me.
By the way, have you looked at the price of wood lately in the big box stores? A couple of weeks ago, I visited the wood isle to possibly pick up a length of maple and poplar for some stands to supplement my inventory. Boy was I shocked at the price increase of all wood - pine, oak, poplar and pine. I have lot's of pine, but my maple and poplar inventory is a little on the low side. Should have enough for a few months though, so I held off purchasing with the hope prices will drop over the next few months. Not sure if this is simply a North America increase or more world wide.
Very promising project. I await your progress shots. Your Lancaster will join three already found on our site. http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?topic=1413.msg15064#msg15064
Lou
Always enjoy the Lancaster. Looking forward to updates.
Fraser
Definitely watching for updates.
Gordon
Wing has been rough shaped.
Photo 03 shows the wing shape after contour sanding. A shoulder plane was used to establish the appropriate thickness along the length of the wing. The joy of a shoulder plane is the blade goes right to the side edge of the plane so you can go right into a corner or location where the wing slope changes. It's great for shaving across the grain.
Photo 04 illustrates the various lines to indicate the crown of the air foil, location where the wing starts to slope up, leading edge of the air foil and area which will be embedded in the fuselage.
Photo 05 is the completed rough shaping of the wing. I recently purchased a "cheap" hand cut rasp and used this for most of the shaping. The hand cut rasp certainly cuts much faster than a standard file and leaves a much smoother surface that a machine cut rasp. A few strokes with a file and some sanding with 80 grit sand paper quickly removed the fine grooves left by the rasp.
Great shape to that wing Ken. Thank you for the updates.
Lou
I do like how you incorporate the holding fixture into the initial model design,
Fraser
Managed to grab a little working time tonight.
Photo shows the various stages of the propeller hub assembly
Top - Jig for cutting the propellers the same length. The flowers are from an attempt at dot art on some wooden Easter eggs - Maybe next year
Middle Left - Propellers with holding tabs still attached. I used the 1" belt sander to sand a twist into them
Middle Middle - Hub with holes drilled to accept propeller
Middle Right - Hub with bolt and tee nut attached. I like to have the propeller hubs threaded on in case a future replacement is required. The t nut helps to locate the bolt perpendicular to the hub fax. The wax paper between the tee nut and hub is to prevent the epoxy from contacting the t nut threads
Bottom - Fixture with centre lines 120 degrees apart to assist in positioning the propellers during assembly and gluing.
Excellent results Ken. I hope to see more of your work.
Lou
Excellent work Ken. Looking forward to future updates as well.
Cheers
Gordon
Thanks for mapping out the process for building the props. Looks great.
Fraser
Have had some time to continue work. Nacelles shaped and glued onto wing. Tee nut installed at front of nacelle to accept propeller bolt. Propellers mounted for general fit up. Still need to blend nacelle into propeller hub.
Nice work on those nacelles Ken. Wonderful to hear from you and thank you for the update.
Lou
Coming along Verrrry nicely Ken.
Love the propellers.
Looking forward to more updates.
Cheers
Gordon
Found the fuselage plans were off a little and decided cut a new one. This time, I did not cut out the fuselage to insert the wing. But simply cut slots to facilitate cutting out the the slot at a later time. This allowed me to profile the underside of the fuselage on both sides of the final cut out in a continuous manner to establish a consistent profile.
Photos below show the progression of shaping the fuselage and cockpit.
Great job so far.
Lou
Was hoping to have this model completed for the end of the year. But alas, too many competing items. However, I have completed the carving and will finish painting in 2023.
Cuts for wing insertion were chiseled out, wing fitted and a filler piece glued and installed under the wing. Tail component fitted and installed.
Nose view of installed wing along with tail components. Getting ready to shape the nose and cut off the tang.
Completed carving with engine nacelle exhaust and carburetor installed. Will add the gun barrels at a later point in the finishing process. They are too fragile to install at this point.
Wishing everyone a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year!!
Great looking Lancaster Ken. I look forward to its completion in 2023. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Lou
Outstanding workmanship Ken. Looking forward to further updates.
Gordon
Thanks Gordon and Lou. I still have a long way to achieve your level of craftsmanship. But it's an enjoyable journey. Unfortunately I just don't seem to have the time I would like to spend on building.
In any event, thought I would capture my method of painting over the next series of posts . In the past there has been some discussions on working with pine, which is the wood I primarily use. I am usually concerned about sap or tannin bleeding through the paint. It is a real concern as I am currently working on repainting some pine bi-fold doors which have really "yellowed" over the past few years. I used a water based primer and water based alkyd on the doors and this combination didn't perform nearly as well as past finishing on similar doors were I used oil based paint.
So having leaned my lesson, I usually apply a base coat of urethane varnish thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. This allows the urethane to penetrate. I consider this more a moisture control coat to minimize the natural moisture content change. Not sure how effective this is. But it allows me to rest easily.
On top of the urethane I apply 2 coats of Zinsser Bin shellac based primer. Shellac is the gold standard for preventing sap / tannin bleed through on pine. Shellac is also a great primer. But the Bin is very runny, so it doesn't build a thickness like regular paint primers. This primer sands very nicely, so I give it a light sanding with 400 wet paper prior to commencing to cover the Zinsser primer with a water based alky primer. If using shellac, don't forget to select dewaxed shellac. Many common shellacs contain wax, which is fine if the entire finish is to be shellac. But if the shellac is to be painted, the wax can impact the bond of the paint.
Your Lancaster is coming along beautifully.
Lou
Quote from: Model Maker on January 09, 2023, 04:50:57 AMIn any event, thought I would capture my method of painting over the next series of posts . In the past there has been some discussions on working with pine, which is the wood I primarily use. I am usually concerned about sap or tannin bleeding through the paint. It is a real concern as I am currently working on repainting some pine bi-fold doors which have really "yellowed" over the past few years. I used a water based primer and water based alkyd on the doors and this combination didn't perform nearly as well as past finishing on similar doors were I used oil based paint.
So having leaned my lesson, I usually apply a base coat of urethane varnish thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. This allows the urethane to penetrate. I consider this more a moisture control coat to minimize the natural moisture content change. Not sure how effective this is. But it allows me to rest easily.
On top of the urethane I apply 2 coats of Zinsser Bin shellac based primer. Shellac is the gold standard for preventing sap / tannin bleed through on pine. Shellac is also a great primer. But the Bin is very runny, so it doesn't build a thickness like regular paint primers. This primer sands very nicely, so I give it a light sanding with 400 wet paper prior to commencing to cover the Zinsser primer with a water based alky primer. If using shellac, don't forget to select dewaxed shellac. Many common shellacs contain wax, which is fine if the entire finish is to be shellac. But if the shellac is to be painted, the wax can impact the bond of the paint.
Love the knowledge drop. That's actually quite appreciated.
Echo Ryan's comment and will add a Wow !.
Cheers
Gordon
I enjoy seeing how the basics get done. BIN shellac primer is also pleasant to work with and makes an even better filler if epoxy silica thickener is added to the mix.
Fraser
I'm glad folks seem to enjoy the steps of the build process. It's always great to see the finished product. But I too enjoy seeing how the model progresses through the build and paint stages. There are always tips and tricks which I enjoy learning about.
Speaking of which: I'll have to try the filler in the BIN 123 on the next plane. Where do you purchase it from?
Photo's below of the primer build up (3 coats of white and 4 coats of grey water based alkyd primer). I had some left over from painting baseboard had decanted a portion of the left over into smaller paint cans. Had the local paint store add a "couple" of shots of black tint to make a grey primer. Applying the primer by brush is a little more laborious than spraying a high build primer from a can. But brushing doesn't have any of the fumes. If time permits, I can usually apply 3 coats in one day with a 4-6 hours minimum drying time between coats. I like the two tone approach as I can see when I am sanding a through the top coats of primer. 600 wet sandpaper smooths it down nicely.I'm not worried about any breakthrough (small white patches) as the final paint colours to be air brushed are very opaque.
Masking process started using FSB masking tapes. They are similar to the Tamiya masking tape (white roll on left). But there's significantly more in a roll for about twice the price. It's very flexible as well and comes in different colours based on the width.This is the first time I have used the 1/8" (3mm) red as a break. Previous use of this brand of tape has proven to produce very crisp lines. The orange roll is FSB's K-UTG tape which was applied to the wing leading edge. It's similar to crepe but has a special coating which provides very crisp sealing along the tape edge. Regular 3M blue masking tape was used to complete the masking where no colour demarcation is required.
Complete masking in place to paint the black. I used the FSB ProMask masking paper to cover the wings. It's slightly heavier than tissue paper, but not as stiff as newspaper or printer paper.
Source for the thickener would be at an auto body or epoxy supplier.
I use west system colloidal silica https://www.westsystem.com/406-colloidal-silica/
The smallest size of 1.6 oz will go a long way.
Fraser
Fraser - Thanks for the source info!
I rethought my approach to the masking. I envisioned leaving a thin unpainted primer line where the black ends and the camouflage starts. So I removed the masking and restarted. Laid down the brown camouflage and then masked it to airbrush the green. I painted both colours below where the back will start so there is no chance of any thin grey undercoat line.
Next steps - On to the black and the application of a couple of gloss coats for decal installation.
Your camouflage looks fantastic.
Lou
Nice work indeed! Especially like the airbrush job!
Looks fantastic Ken. Well done!
I possibly found a source FBS tape over here.
I am currently using FROG delicate tack tape which works OK and is a lot cheaper than Tamiya.
Cheers
Gordon
Camouflage masked in preparation for spraying black
Gloss varnish applied after black paint dried in preparation for decal installation
Fantastic finish Ken. Are you making your own decals or painting the markings?
Lou
Excellent ! Excellent work Ken.
Gordon.
I might revamp mine at some stage.
Thanks for the positive feedback!
I was pondering to stencil the "decals". But I think the serial number and ensigns on the tail will be too small to cut out on the silhouette cutter. So I suspect I will make my own water slide decals instead. Will have to perform some tests in the next few days to make a final decision.
Cockpit and turret masking and painting. I wasn't sure if the paint would wick under the masking tape or not because the strips are so thin. Grey was not thinned as much as normal and the air brush pressure was kept low to around 15 psi to keep coats light.
I was pleased how the cockpit turned out with no wicking under the tape.
I tried cutting the serial number on the silhouette cutter, but the letters were too small and tore during the cutting process so I'll use some decals instead of trying to paint the markings.
Excellent masking of your cockpit glass.
Lou
Love your work Ken.
Gordon
Lovely job from end to end.
Finally finished this one!!
Mr. Murphy decided to visit me at numerous times which resulted in: incorrect propeller rotation (new props made), crazed paint (wasn't sure which clear I originally used so decided to spray with lacquer, which caused "cracking or crazing" of the over-sprayed green and issues with paint masks (so had to go with the backup DIY decals.
I've learned my lesson and will be staying away from lacquer and sticking with my tired and true water based varnishes.
In any event, it's complete and ready for gift giving.
That is a magnificent Lancaster. I enjoy your model-making skills.
Lou
An absolutely stunning result Ken. Well Done!
Gordon
Thanks Lou and Gordon!!
I am not a prolific carver due to other competing requirements on my time. Hoping to increase the number of models. But I still have a ways to go to reach the level of creativity and workmanship which you and other site members achieve.
A finely crafted model of the Lancaster. I enjoyed watching the build and am sure the recipient will be thrilled with it.
Fraser