Airfix 1/76 RAF Recovery Set

[Hellboy]

Great! An exceptionally good building report. Very interesting! Great pictures! So many details! I love that!

I am very curious to see how it goes. Furthermore much fun with the model and good success !!!!!!

[stenfalk]

This is fantastic, you have made an upperclass model from a toy. Great!

[huib]

Thank you very much, guys!

Ready for painting

What´s this?


It's a pulleyblock with cables that serves the elevation of the jib. It replaces the Airfix provided threaded shaft.


All the subassemblies dryfitted together.


Another perspective


And taken apart again.


Ready for painting......

[Wiking]

I really like all the work you put in to improve the kit.
And it show that you follow an other strategy as I do. To paint the kit in several single sections.
Where is the important part to lift the breakfast to the top of the roof, the hook?

[huib]

Thanks, Wiking! Yes, one of the interesting things of building reports is that you can see the building methods and sequences of others. And they can differ significantly. Very inspiring, but most of the time you still cling to your own trusted approach.

Oh yes, and for the hook you have to be a bit more patient I'm afraid. But no worries, there isn't a driver either yet to bring his lunch.

[huib]

Painting

I managed to make some progress on the paint job.


The basic camouflage colours are applied: SCC2 as a basic color and SCC14 for the disruptive pattern and the top surfaces.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4285/35514835876_f6bbced7f7_z.jpg
The disruptive pattern was inspired by this picture. The surfaces that can not be seen on this pic are scientifically based on my own imagination.


The boom painted


And the wheels painted.

Now continuing with some detail painting.

[huib]

The imperfect roundel

I continued my build with painting some details on the model.


Such as rusty leave springs and exhaust.


The insides of the headlights and a yellow bridge classification sign.


As my example has a RAF roundel on the right mudguard, and I do not have a decal that small size, I decided to try and paint one. It starts with masking a circle.


Filling it in with white paint.


Then I did the blue outer ring, and finished with the red circle in the middle.


And this is the result..... Hmm, not too happy with it. The blue outer ring is too narrow, and the red dot in the midlle too big, and the lines are not very sharp. The whole roundel is a bit too large moreover.


So I sanded the roundel away, just in order to start all over. Very time consuming this, with enamel paint....

[huib]

Second attempt roundel and decals

So, I made a second attempt to paint an RAF roundel on the right mudguard, by masking small circles:

I started with masking and painting a white circle, a millimeter smaller than the earlier one. Then I masked and painted the blue outer ring. The result is better already than with the first attempt.


Then I decided to give everything a gloss cote before painting the red dot in the middle. The advantage of an acrylic glosscote is that I can quickly wipe of the red dot if I'm not happy with it.


A gloss cote also ment that decals could be applied. Looks good, these white letters and numbers on the dark camouflage pattern. The vehicle number for the front was ment to be placed on the bumper, but I decided to cut it up and position it on the left mudguard for a change.


Then the moment of truth: I tried to paint a red dot in the middle of the roundel. My first attempt with a small brush failed, so I quickly wiped it of with tissue. Then I tried again placing a small drop of red paint with a cocktail stick in the middle of the roundel. That's better. Not perfect, but I'll leave it like it is now as I do not think I will get it better. And I also gave the vehicle a bridge classification number. Comparing my vague reference picture with the official classification numbers it should be a 10 or an 18. As 10 is too light for this vehicle I decided for 18. An educated guess. I hope it's correct. And now for some weathering!

[huib]

Weathering

On with some weathering:


After I apllied a layer of gloss cote over the decals and the roundel, I sludged a wash of dark brown oil paint in all nooks and crannies of the Thorneycroft. Aftyer wiping the surplus of it looks like this.


Then I applied some dried mud to the wheels and tyres, using Humbrol 118 US tan.


The truck body was drybrushed with different browns and sand colours to highlight the details. A bit of mud applied around the mudguards. (That's what they're for.)


The crane jib drybrushed.


The crane body.


And the rear suspension after drybrushing and bit of of mud.


Then I covered all subassemblies with a matt cote and dryfitted everything together to get an impression of were its going.


It looks almost ready, but there is still some work to be done: glazing, crew, tools and stuff, glueing everything together, touching up, etc.


So, I will continue with glueing some subassemblies together..

[huib]

Wheels fixed


Front wheels glued to the axle, and a track rod added from thin iron wire.


Back wheels glued in place. All six wheels almost touching the ground!

To continue with some cab glazing.....

[Wiking]

Good progress so far.
Where are the flat spots at the tyre? Or do the manual say tyre pressure 145.0377 psi (or 10 bar) up?

[huib]

Or do the manual say tyre pressure 145.0377 psi up?

Hahaha! Yes, you´re right. To be honest I forgot about it as I was too much focused on getting all six wheels on the ground after assembly.

[huib]

Glazing

And for now, some windows in the cab.


I stuck a piece of modelling tape on a sheet of acetate, so I could draw the window on it and cut it along the lines.


The two front windows receive framing. I cut off very narrow strips of tape along the edges of the windows and painted them black. To the left the wiper is in preparation.


All windows glazed. The drivers window is opened for some fresh air, and has the wiper attached to it.

And now some stowage and stuff, I think....

[Wiking]

And here are the first applicants as driver.

[Wiking]

And the last batch of applicants.

[FredG]

Does anyone else get the feeling that it should be in RAF blue?

[huib]

And the last batch of applicants.

- Sir?
- Yes sergeant, what's up?
- Sir, if you don't mind asking, why did you only allocate me wounded, cripples, prostitutes and drag queens for my truck and crane driver vacancies? To be honest Sir, I had hoped more for a bunch of healthy young lads with two arms and two legs.
- No problem Sergeant. I'll explain you the situation. This morning all our young and healthy lads were killed on the beaches of Normandy. This bunch of wounded, cripples, prostitutes and drag queens, as you call them, is, together with your crane truck, the only force we have left to win this war from the Germans. So chop chop, off you go!
- Yes Sir! Of course Sir! Thank you Sir!

(this is the yet unreveiled opening scene of the new Mad Max movie)

[huib]

Does anyone else get the feeling that it should be in RAF blue?

For aesthetic reasons or for historical accurateness, Fred?

[C M Dodson]

Hi, I thought the same as Fred G but this explains things I feel.

The first section is from a forum and the second is part of a discussion on this very subject in the Airfix forum

There is a DVD of a 1944 documentary "Night Bombers" featuring Lancasters of 150 Squadron at RAF Hemsley and it is apparently the only surviving colour footage of Lancasters in action. Lots of RAF vehicles are featured, including several Thorneycroft Amazons with Coles Cranes. All vehicles appear to be in the SCC15 Olive Drab with black Mickey Mouse disruptive camouflage. The Coles Cranes are painted yellow on the top of the jib and the David Brown tractors have yellow bonnet covers. As the order changing from SCC2 Brown to SCC15 was issued in April 1944, the Hemsley vehicles must have been re-painted very promptly.

RAF vehicles were officially RAF Blue Grey BS.33 from 1937. Humbrol 96 is uniform colour NOT vehicle colour. Mix 5 x H32 + 2 x H14 + 2 x H33, satin varnish when dry. In 1939-40 some vehcles in France and South of England were paintedwith browns and greens paint intended for buildings camouflage. AMO 618/41 August fell into line with army colours. Khaki Green 3 basic with Dark Tarmac 4 stripes disrupter. Khaki Green can only be mixed with Revell paints.
AMO 1397/42 December change of scheme, basic colour now SCC 2 brown with SCC1A disrupter in army 'Mickey Mouse' design. October 1943 changed disrupter to SCC 14 black same design. September 1944 change to overall SCC 15 Olive Drab, this is NOT the same shade as the U.S. colour. Mix 8 x H159 +1 pt H33. AMO 306/46 changed back to Gloss RAF Blue Grey but now with Black mudguards, valence wheels and chassis.

Happy modelling.

Chris

[FredG]

For aesthetic reasons or for historical accurateness, Fred?

It's purely my age. I automatically associate the RAF and the blue grey paint scheme.

For historical accuracy you have one of the correct colour schemes. I know that but still expect to see blue grey every time I open the thread. Did I mention the age thingy?