Tutorial Novice - Handley Page Hampden - A guide to WWII ID Models

[Mark Braunlich]

Very nice Hampden Lou.

[lastvautour]

Thank you Barry and Mark. Peter is not that far behind and his is also turning out to be a great replica of the Hampden.

Lou

[Peter]

I'm almost ready for the primer, I think. Can you use spray primer in -10 weather? Will it dry properly?

Peter

[Balsabasher]

Peter immerse the spray can in hot water for a few minutes,give it a good shake and spray away,I use this technique all the time in bad weather,you can keep warming the aerosol in between spraying.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

Be careful on the hot water. The internal pressure can rise very quickly. I know you BC'ers are going through a cold snap, but it will not last forever.

Lou

[Peter]

Thank you Barry and Lou for you advice,  our cold snaps don't compare with the rest of the country but West Coasters take it seriously.

Peter

[lastvautour]

Bought some new brushes and was amazed at the quality for a mere $3.00 price. I have started the cam scheme for a Hampden flying out of Pat Bay in 1943. The dark earth is from Model Master acrylic line. The dark green will be applied later today(I hope) and it is from Tamiya and is also acrylic. I don't know if you can still get enamel flats anymore. Regardless, the earth on black give a good idea of what the cam scheme will look like. Painting the canopy frames is quite easy with the raised masking tape. Decals are simple roundels/flashes and a black serial number at the tail end. There are no code letters on these aircraft. I looked for the serial numbers Barry gave me, but could not find any references to them in the RCAF serial number research site. I assume that these numbers were assigned to the RAF Hampdens before the station was turned over to the RCAF. Regardless I will use serial P5884 for my model.

Lou

[Balsabasher]

Its looking really good now Lou,that camouflage really sets it off nicely.
Barry.

[lastvautour]

A shot with the dark green applied. Decals next.

Lou

[Boomerang]

  Lou,

  Looks great . I've enjoyed watching this model progress.

  Cheers

  Gordon

[lastvautour]

Thank you Gordon. I have enjoyed making it.

Lou

[buccfan]

Very nice model Lou, I like that a lot. Regards Paul J.

[lastvautour]

Thank you Paul. I still have a few things to go but I anticipate being done shortly.

Peter - how are things coming on your end?

Lou

[lastvautour]

Decals can be a problem. The easiest way is to check your spares box if you are a plastic modeler. Another is to have someone make them at a pretty cost sometimes. Try Bill at CanMilAir. He can be reasonable for cost. Another is to get decals for a Mosquito which is easier to get than the Hampden and fake the Code letters. The last is make your own. See our tutorial in the tip and technique section.
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?board=9.0

A simple way is to print the roundels on paper, cut and glue using white glue. (My Hampden engines are done this way) It does not look bad from a distance. Another is to use self adhesive label paper. I found that the edges lifted after a while.

Since I have been doing this for a while, I do my own on Testor Decal Film. I do black items on clear film and coloured items on white film. Just for a change I decided to do the roundels on clear film and placing a separate white background circle. This does not work well for shapes other than circles or four sided images such as fin flashes. You will note that I made my white circle just a tad big and I will correct on the next ones.

Lou
PS. Note forward engine cowl has been painted copper and the cooling flaps(masking tape) painted steel.

[lastvautour]

Serial number is done using RCAF font although I am not sure if Barry's father's aircraft would have RCAF or RAF fonts as they are different. I have successfully downloaded free military fonts from this site. http://hans.presto.tripod.com/fonts/stencil5.html

This is not an end all solution as many of the newer RCAF aircraft do not use the font downloaded from this site. Most of the RAF/USAF fonts are great.

Making code letter is another problem. Printing coloured code letters on white film requires you to cut them out and that is a pain and I have not had much success. If you print on clear film, it is see through and need to be painted over by hand which is a bit better but would be even better with decent eye site and steady hand. You young fellows could do that. But I ramble on.

Lou