Building The English Electric Canberra: Brett Green

Building the English Electric Canberra
Brett Green
The English Electric Canberra in Scale Building the new Airfix 1/48 scale Canberra B(I).8 Building Classic Airframes 1/48 scale Canberra T.17 Building Xtrakits 1/72 scale Canberra PR.9 High Planes and Classic Airframes Canberras at a glance
This is a free downloadable PDF booklet available online from HyperScale http://www.hyperscale.com
Great Models Webstore presents HyperScale Resource Guide ___________________________________________________________________________
Copyright 2008 by Brett Green
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Welcome to the latest downloadable HyperScale Resource Guide. The aim of this document is to offer a one-stop guide for modeling a recent and interesting kit release. The focus of this guide is the new Airfix Canberra B(I).8.. The downloadable PDF format will permit modelers to print the booklet and use it as a workbench reference while building your Canberra. I would like to thank David from Hannants; The Aviation Workshop for Model Alliance decals; Alistair from A2Zee Models and Classic Airframes for their support. I am also pleased to showcase Mick Evans High Planes Canberra B.20 and Phil Hales 1/48 scale Classic Airframes B-57B Canberra. I do hope that you will enjoy HyperScales latest Resource Guide. Brett Green June, 2008
Table of Contents
THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC CANBERRA IN SCALE ...................................... 4 AIRFIX 1/48 SCALE CANBERRA B(I).8 ........................................................ 5
In the Box ........................................................................................................................................5 Building the 1/48 scale Airfix Canberra B(I).8 .........................................................................7 Painting and Markings..................................................................................................................8
XTRAKIT 1/72 SCALE CANBERRA PR.9.................................................... 13

In the Box ......................................................................................................................................13 Construction .................................................................................................................................14 Painting and Markings................................................................................................................17
HIGH PLANES 1/72 SCALE CANBERRA MK.20 ........................................ 20 BUILDING CLASSIC AIRFRAMES 1/48 SCALE CANBERRA T.17........... 21
Painting and Markings................................................................................................................24 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................27
1/48 SCALE CANBERRA B.MK.2 & B-57B................................................ 27 CANBERRA T.4 COCKPIT CRAWLAROUND ......................................... 29
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The English Electric Canberra in scale

Canberra Kit Summary
Brand
Airfix
Scale
1/48
Variant
Canberra B(I).8
Comments
PROS: Accurate outline. Relatively easy to build. Good surface detail. Ample ordnance and options including open bomb bay, separate control surfaces and underwing weapons. CONS: Very thick sprue connectors. Decal issues PROS: Accurate outline. Excellent interior detail. Very fine surface features. High quality decals. CONS: Limited run nature of kit demands extra time and effort to align parts (previous experience required); small wing tip tanks (B.2)
Classic Airframes
1/48
Canberra B.2 Canberra T.17 Canberra TT.18 B-57B Canberra
Aeroclub
1/48
Canberra B.6
PROS: Very accurate. Decent detail. CONS: Vacuum formed, short run plastic and white metal parts will need care in preparation and extra detailing in places. Mostly vacform so previous experience with this medium is recommended PROS: Accurate outline and surface detail. Good level of detail. Generally good fit. High quality decals. CONS: Limited run nature of kit means that extra time will be required to test fit and align parts before committing to glue. Ejector pins in wheel wells. One-piece canopy PROS: Accurate outline and surface detail. Highly detailed resin parts. Good decals. CONS: Low-pressure injection moulded parts require a lot of work to prepare for assembly. For experienced modellers only.
Xtrakit
1/72
Canberra PR.9
High Planes
1/72
Canberra B.2 Canberra Mk.20 Canberra Mk.21 Canberra B(I).8 Canberra B(I).12 Canberra T.Mk.4 RB-57D Canberra RB-57D-2 Canberra
Copyright 2008 by Brett Green. First published 2008. All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research or review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system or transmitted by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed by email to editor@hyperscale.com
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Airfix 1/48 scale Canberra B(I).8
Above: Airfix has chosen to launch its 1/48 scale Canberra series with the Interdiction variant, the B(I).8.
The Canberra B(I).8 was designed for the interdiction role, resulting in a number of changes from the original B.2 production version. These included a revised "fighter" style cockpit and canopy with improved visibility, the ability to carry a wide range of ordnance, plus an optional Boulton Paul gun pack with four 20mm Hispano cannon. Airfix continues its new production push with a new 1/48 scale Canberra B(I)8. This is the first time that a 1/48 scale injection moulded kit of the B(I)8 has been available.
In the Box
Airfix's 1/48 scale Canberra B(I)8 comprises 145 parts in grey coloured plastic, 8 clear plastic parts and a large decal sheet covering three markings options for the RAF, RNZAF and South Africa. Parts are supplied to build either a B(I)8 or a B(I)12 variant, although not all the camera options are provided for the B(I)12. Moulding quality is up to the same high standard as Airfix's recent Nimrod, and the surface detail appears slightly finer to my eye. The plastic parts
are perfectly smooth, with recessed panel lines throughout and no sink marks to be seen anywhere. The plastic of the main parts is unusually thick, especially the fuselage halves. Although this will impose a weight penalty, it will also reduce the chance of distortion and warpage during assembly. Ejector pin marks on major and minor parts have been mainly positioned to be hidden when the model is built. The only exception that I can find is the interiors of the main gear doors, which do have a couple of faint circles, but the undercarriage legs should cover these. Some of the sprue attachment points are very thick though, so care will be required when removing parts and cleaning up the waste to avoid gouging the plastic. Detail is a little soft on the wheels, and the demarcation between the hubs and tyres is very faint. The only peculiarity worthy of mention is the deep engraved surface detail on the rudder. I was able to recently drop in and check out the Canberra at the Temora Aviation Museum, confirming that there is no surface detail on the control surfaces except some slight dimpling on the rudder. I will be filling and sanding the engraved lines on the kit rudder.
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Exterior detail is good. In addition to the separate entry door, the model features positionable flaps, elevators and rudder, plus boxed-in wheel wells. The large bomb bay has separate doors and may be posed open. Nearly two entire sprues are dedicated to bombs and rockets. Cockpit detail appears a bit basic in the box, but does look much better after careful painting. However, the seats will benefit from some extra detailing or replacement. Three nicely detailed crew figures are supplied in typical Airfix style. Airfix has supplied a fighter-style control stick, but the B(I).8 should actually have a control yoke. Clear parts include the canopy (supplied in two clear pieces and one grey), nose cone and wing tip navigation lights. The nose cone is moulded with the side observation windows, so there will be minimal risk of smearing glue on the clear sections. Although the canopy has been moulded separately and can theoretically be posed open, the instructions correctly advise that it should only be secured in the closed position. Canberra canopies were fixed shut for all variants except the PR.9. The transparencies are nice and clear. Instructions are supplied in a 16 page stapled A4 booklet. Construction is covered in 39 illustrated steps. A separate full-colour foldout sheet is provided for stencil placement and four-views of each of the three marking options. The three options are: 1. Canberra B(I)8, 16 Laarbuch Germany, aircraft is finished in and Dark Sea Grey surfaces in silver. Sqn RAF, 1972. This Dark Green with lower
dot screen method, which is visible when viewed very close up, but the effect is less obvious this time - perhaps due to the darker colours.
ABOVE: The cockpit detail looks a little basic in the box, but all the main structural features are there. BELOW: Some extra straps from lead foil were added to the seats before painting
BELOW: Following painting, the interior parts look much more convincing. Very little of the dark cockpit will be visible beneath the small sealed canopy in any case.
2.
Canberra B(I)12 of 14 Sqn, RNZAF at Ohkea, New Zealand in 1968. Finish is the same as above. Canberra B(I) 12 of 12 Sqn SAAF, Waterfloof South Africa, 19691975. This aircraft is finished in overall High Speed Silver.
3.
The decal sheet is large and very glossy. Saturation of the colours looks good. Nonprimary colours have been printed using a
Building the English Electric Canberra page 6
Building the 1/48 scale Airfix Canberra B(I).8

Construction started by removing the larger parts from their sprues. The sprue connections are some of the biggest that I have ever seen on a mainstream kit, and many are in locations that will leave large, visible scars if extreme care is not taken. I recommend sawing the larger parts off their sprue connectors, followed by careful clean-up with a hobby knife. I basically followed the sequence laid out by the kit instructions. Although it is a large kit, it is quite straightforward to build. The cockpit parts were assembled but the seats were left off at this early stage. I added some extra straps to both seats from lead foil, and also an overhead pull-handle from fuse wire. Reference photos showed a red circle on the front of the headrest (probably a warning attached to a pin that arms the pull-handle). This as formed using a piece of scrap
plastic in my Waldron Punch and Die set. The cockpit interior was painted scale black a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-63 German Grey. Details were picked out with a fine brush. I was not aware of the incorrect fighter control stick, so this was glued in place. It should be replaced with a bomber-stye control yoke for complete accuracy. I was a bit doubtful about the likely success of the instructions suggestion of gluing the fuselage upper cockpit insert to the top of the cockpit parts before attaching this entire sub-assembly to the inside of the starboard fuselage, but it resulted in an excellent fit. The very nature of this tail-heavy model means that plenty of nose weight would be required. I packed as many small lead sinkers as I could under the floor and behind the rear cockpit bulkhead. The bomb bay was fitted even though it would never be seen, as it would be sealed due to the installation of the lower fuselage gun packs.
Above: There is only limited space in the forward fuselage for nose weight. All this space was employed to pack different sized lead sinkers, but it was still not enough.
Above: The canopy insert was glued to one side of the fuselage per the instructions. The fit was perfect on this side, but some time and care was required.
Above: The plastic on the Airfix Canberra is very thick, and there are plenty of locating pins. These ensure a very positive fit and minimal distortion of the large plastic parts. Building the English Electric Canberra
Above: Some fiddling is necessary before the canopy insert snaps into place when the fuselage halves are brought together. The fit is very good.
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The fuselage halves were now brought together. Some fiddling was necessary to squeeze the port side of the fuselage underneath the overhanging canopy insert, but after a few seconds it literally clicked into place. The thick plastic of the fuselage offered a generous mating surface, and the long parts aligned perfectly. I covered the rudder halves with super glue. This acted as filler for the prominent recessed panel lines. A spot of Zap A Gap accelerant set the super glue instantly, and the rudder halves were sanded smooth.
The balance of assembly was remarkably fast. Although there is only a slightly raised locating guide on the each side of the fuselage, the wings fitted positively and with the appropriate degree of dihedral. The ailerons needed just a tiny amount of sanding to fit into their recesses. The tabbed horizontal tail planes fitted snugly thanks to tight locating holes. I was concerned about the likely fit of the long separate bomb bay doors but they, too, were glued in place with no gaps or steps. The jet intakes and exhausts are split horizontally into two parts each. These also fitted well, with no gaps and only a small step between the intakes and the bulge on the wing. This was later dealt with using Milliput and Tamiya Abrasive Paper. With all the main airframe elements no in place, I placed two fingers in the main wheel well and balanced the model on my hand. The tail sank backwards more nose weight would be needed! Before closing the ordnance bay, I super glued two large lead sinkers on the forward bulkhead. The model was now pretty much balanced.
ABOVE: There are virtually no gaps anywhere on my model, but there are a few steps between the jet intakes, jet exhausts and wings. BELOW: With the wings and tail planes glued in place, it was clear that the nose weight would not be sufficient to keep the nose wheel on the ground. I applied two of my largest sinkers in the front of the bomb bay to provide some more help..
The clear parts were masked with Tamiya tape and installed prior to painting. A few tiny gaps were filled with Micro Krystal Kleer. This white glue was applied with the tip of a toothpick and the excess immediately wiped off with a moist fingertip. A small step on the port side of the nose was eliminated by 30 seconds of sanding. The few remaining steps and gaps were now filled with Milliput and sanded. After this round of finishing, there were still a few suspicious marks on the upper fuselage seam line. These were filled with Tamiya Surfacer and sanded flat when dry.
Painting and Markings

BELOW: The rudder features deeply recessed horizontal panel lines. This does not match the smooth surface of the real Canberra rudder, so the recessed lines were filled with super glue and sanded flat.
The interior colour for the nose cone and canopy were first sprayed onto the clear parts. These were sprayed with my scale black mix, which revealed a few areas under the canopy where earlier gluing and sanding had eliminated panel lines. These panel lines were rescribed using self-adhesive Dymo tape as a guide. For the curved panel directly under the cockpit, the Dymo tape was cut to the appropriate shallow crescent before it was stuck to the fuselage halves.
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The wheel bays and flap wells were weathered with a thin sprayed mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF64 Red Brown before being masked. The first camouflage colour to be applied was black to the lower surfaces. Once again, the scale black blend was used here a 50/50 mix of Tamiya Flat Black and German Grey. Once dry, the lower surfaces were masked with tape. Note that the upper surface camouflage wraps around the leading edges of the wings and the tail planes on these interdiction machines, so the wings masks were fitted to suit.
These post-war Canberras were finished in upper surface colours of ABOVE: I liked the clear separate nose cone incorporating the front side Dark Sea Grey and windows. These were masked with Tamiya tape. Gunze Mr Colour RAF Dark Green. I wanted Dark Green lacquer a bit of contrast, so I used Tamiyas AS-10 Ocean Grey from the spray can paint was mixed with around 50% lacquer thinners as the base colour representing Dark Sea Grey. The and sprayed in several misting coats between the paint was decanted from the can into a glass jar, then paper masks. Two coats of Future polish, also applied poured into the paint cup of my Aztek A470 airbrush. with the Aztek airbrush and thinned with 10% Coverage of this lacquer paint was smooth and isopropylene alcohol, delivered a nice high gloss in preparation for decals. opaque.
I scanned the Airfix colour guide and enlarged it to 1/48 scale in Photoshop. I also converted the plans to black and white, and increased the contrast so that the camouflage demarcation was more obvious. The plans were printed in sections (one page for each wing, one for the tail planes and one for the fuselage this is one big model!) before they were cut out and applied to the model using masking tape and the overlapping edges, and Blu-Tack beneath. The Blu-Tack served two good purposes. It secured the large paper masks, stopping them from flapping around under the force of the airbrush; and it also held the masks slightly off the surface of the plastic permitting the suggestion of a feathered demarcation line in places.
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The markings were sourced from Model Alliance Decals' MA-48146, BAC Canberra B(I).8 and PR.9 Part II. Kit decals were used for the stencils. The white of the giant wing roundels appeared slightly translucent resulting in a faint mottled effect. I made round masks by cutting self-adhesive Post-It Notes with my Olfa circle cutter, masked the red and blue sections of the roundels, and resprayed the white sections. This process was repeated for the fin flashes (the circle masks were replaced b straight masking tape though, with the tack reduced to avoid lifting the decals). With the main decals in place, I was not entirely happy with the camouflage pattern. I therefore masked some of the markings and resprayed sections of the camouflage over several sessions until I was satisfied.
The Airfix stencil markings tended to silver despite the glossy surface and the application of every decal solution known to man. Eventually, some of the decals were sliced or overpainted to reduce the silvering problem. Also, although they looked good on their backing sheet, many of the yellow stencil markings seemed to be printed in two layers, with one layer being noticeably translucent. I do hope that Airfix can eventually address the problems that seem to have beset their recent decals, as they are not up to the same high standards as the rest of the kits. Light weathering followed two thin coats of Polly Scale Flat acrylic. These aircraft seemed to be kept in fairly clean condition, so minimal highlighting of control surface hinge lines, selected panel lines and a bit of general grime sufficed for this project.
Above: The canopy and nose were sprayed black to represent the interior colour. Scribing restored some panel lines that had previously been eliminated during filling and sanding. Self-adhesive Dymo tape was used as a scribing guide.
Above: : Wheel wells and flap wells were painted and weathered before the first coat of camouflage.
Above: The bottom of the model was painted scale black in this case a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF63 German Grey. Demarcation lines along the fuselage sides, tailplanes and wing leading edges (with wrap around camouflage) were masked with Tamiya tape.
Above: The camouflage diagrams in the kit instructions were scanned and enlarged to 1/48 scale. They were then printed and cut out before being applied over the top of the Tamiya Ocean Grey base colour using a combination of Tamiya tape and Blu-Tack. This is a fairly fast and simple method of obtaining hard-edged camouflage on larger models.
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Ordnance and undercarriage parts were painted, weathered and installed on the model. When it was time to finally set the model on its undercarriage, I was horrified to see the Canberra slowly tip backwards. There was still not enough nose
weight to keep the front wheel on the ground! It was a close thing though, as the nose wheel was suspended a few millimetres off the ground. Two small sinkers were glued into the open nose wheel bay. These were sufficient to finally force the model onto its nose wheel.
ABOVE: Mr Color RAF Dark Green lacquer was heavily thinned and sprayed in light coats over the paper camouflage masks.
ABOVE: The result is a nice, hard-edged camouflage demarcation. I was not entirely happy with the pattern though, so I resprayed several areas in three or four subsequent sessions. It is never too late to fix your mistakes!
RIGHT: The white of the Model Alliance decals was translucent, resulting in a blotchy mottled effect. I masked the red and blue of the roundels (the masks were cut from self-adhesive Post-It Notes using an Olfa Circle Cutter), and resprayed the white section of the decal with Tamiya XF-2 Flat White for a bright and opaque finish. I gave the fin flashes similar treatment.
ABOVE: With the decals settled down, the model received two thin coats of Polly Scale Flat acrylic.
ABOVE: These Canberras seemed to be maintained in fairy clean condition, so additional weathering was minimal. Control surface hinge lines and selected panel lines were highlighted with a very thin mix of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black and XF-64 Red Brown. The recessed lines and access hatches were also treated to a wash of Tamiya X-18 Semi-Gloss Black, heavily thinned with water.
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ABOVE: The wheel hubs are not very well defined against the tyres, so I once again resorted to masks cut from Post-It Notes using my Olfa Circle Cutter. The small blobs of Blu-Tack are masking off the small hole in the centre of the masks.
ABOVE: Ordnance and other detail parts were painted and weathered before installation
BELOW: Kit decals were used for the stencils. They tended to silver despite application of every setting solution known to man. A brown square was painted on the top of the fuselage. I assume that this was some sort of di-electric panel.
BELOW: When the model was completely finished, it still did not confidently sit on its nose wheel. Two small lead sinkers were therefore glued into the nose wheel bay. My Canberra now weighs a ton, but it does sit on its own three wheels without further assistance.
ABOVE: This combination of ordnance is apparently not typical, but it looks impressively daunting!
Xtrakit 1/72 scale Canberra PR.9
In the Box
Xtrakit's new 1/72 scale Canberra PR.9 was released in late 2007. It is a limited run kit and therefore does not have locating pins or tabs. Extra care is required to clean up the short-run mouldings and to make sure that all the parts are properly aligned before committing to glue. The kit comprises 66 parts in grey plastic, two in grey resin, seven parts in clear and markings for two aircraft. The plastic parts are manufactured to a very high standard. The grey styrene is cleanly moulded, glossy and well detailed with fine, crisp recessed panel lines and selected raised detail (e.g. vortex generators) as appropriate. The only imperfection on my sample is one large ejector pin in each main wheel well. There are some raised ejector pins on the inner surfaces of some parts. These will not be visible on the finished model, but those on the mating surfaces of the wings and tailplanes will need to be sliced off so that they do not interfere with fit. There is a little flash (thin excess plastic) that needs to be removed from some parts. Parts breakdown is quite conventional. Wings are supplied as full-span top and bottom halves. The wheel wells are separate parts that may be glued
to the fuselage before the wings are fitted. If the wheel wells are left to dry on the fuselage, they should act as large and effective wing spars. The model requires extra weight up front to help the nose wheel stay on the ground, but there is plenty of space in the nose to allow this. The nose is supplied as two separate halves, suggesting possible bomber variants in the future. Cockpit detail is very good. The instrument panels and side consoles are moulded in injected plastic with raised and recessed details. I was pleased to see two resin seats included in this release, as the pilot's seat is likely to be the only feature visible in the Canberra's dark cockpit with its narrow opening. Undercarriage detail is good too. I particularly like the nose wheel with the mud guard moulded to the tyre. Engine fan and exhaust detail is also depicted. Clear parts are very thin and free from distortion. They look a little cloudy on the sprue but they shine after a bath in Future floor polish. The canopy is provided as a single part, so if you want to display the cockpit you will have to spend a few minutes carefully cutting the part
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open with a razor saw. If you do this though, keep in mind that this is a hinged canopy, not sliding. You will have to cut the canopy at the front windscreen and the rear hinge line if you want to display the cockpit. The inclusion of the ventral camera ports on a clear part is a nice touch. Small windows and wing tip navigation lights are included too. Markings are supplied for two aircraft: Comprehensive low visibility stencil markings are included.
ABOVE: The nose cone is supplied in two separate halves. I departed from the instructions and glued the nose halves to the main fuselage halves to ensure the best possible alignment of the fuselage sides. BELOW: The plastic cockpit parts are supplemented with resin ejection seats. Detail is adequate inside the black cockpit
Construction
Before starting the model, I spent about an hour and fifteen minutes removing the plastic parts from the sprues and cleaning them of any remaining attachment points and flash. I disregarded the sequence suggested by the instructions and started by gluing each nose cone to each fuselage half. This gives a better chance for a close fit around the cross section of the fuselage. The fit was almost perfect.
Next I assembled the cockpit components. These are very nicely detailed. It is a shame that everything other than the pilot's seat will be effectively hidden inside the small opening of the black cockpit. The wing halves were glued and clamped. They were allowed to set while the fuselage assembly proceeded. I like to pre-paint as much of the model as possible, especially elements such as the wheel wells and undercarriage. I attached all the silver parts to small boxes using Blu-Tack. This makes the small parts easier to handle, and avoids getting paint on my hands and fingerprints on the parts.
The pilot's cockpit and the forward wheel well are cleverly designed as a single element. This is easy to line up inside the fuselage. No trimming or adjustment was required. In some cases, the parts were rotated and sprayed again to paint the spots covered with Blu-Tack (mainly the undercarriage legs and retraction struts). The process was repeated, this time in dark grey (substituting as a scale black), for cockpit components. Nose weight is essential for this model. As the navigator's position would be completely invisible, I elected not to install it. I used the extra space in the forward fuselage for more nose weight.
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Above: With no locating pin or tabs, it is important to take positive steps for exact alignment. Here, Tamiya tape and clamps are used to secure the wings while the glue sets.
Above: All parts needing silver paint were sprayed in one batch. The parts have been attached to small boxes using Blu-Tack, ensuring that small parts are not lost in the process.
Above: Canberra models all require plenty of nose weight, and the Xtrakit PR.9 is no exception. Fortunately, with no clear nose cover, there is ample room to pack lead fishing sinkers.
Above: The ventral camera fairings are moulded as part of a clear plastic panel. This was glued to one fuselage half before both sides were joined.
Above: The fit of the fuselage halves was good, even with the clear panel in the bottom. I glued the wheel wells to the fuselage to act as a positive locating position for the wings.
Above: Test fitting showed that there would be some gaps at the wing root. The inside edges of the wings were bevelled at the wing roots, which greatly improved their fit against the fuselage halves.
I am sure that there is enough room in the nose for sufficient weight even if the navigator's position is installed, but this was quicker and easier.
The same amount of weight was installed in the starboard side of the nose too. This is more than enough to keep the nose wheel firmly grounded.
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Deviating from the instructions again, I glued the clear ventral camera panel into one side of the fuselage prior to joining the halves. There was a bit of extra flash that had to be carefully cut out of the opening to permit a snug fit for the clear part. With care, a good fit can be achieved in this area. The fuselage halves were brought together, first gluing and clamping the large tail section and progressively moving forward with Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement and Tamiya tape, ensuring that the long fuselage seam was properly aligned. Even without locating pins, the fuselage join was a good fit. With the fuselage assembled, it was time to think about the wings. I have found that the slight dihedral of the Canberra's wide wings has been tricky to accurately portray on other models, so I decided to use the plastic wheel wells as wing spars to help set the correct angle. First, the wheel wells were tacked to the fuselage sides inside the wing root with two tiny spots of super glue. This permitted me to test fit the wings over the wheel wells and make sure that they
were set at the correct height. I had to do this a couple of times before gluing the wheel wells in place. The fit along the fuselage seams is pretty nice even before any putty is applied. The bottom seam line is good too. I just needed to sand the edges of the clear camera panel to bring them in line with the rest of the fuselage. The wings needed a bit of fiddling to improve the fit. I sanded the mating surfaces at the wing root, then thinned the inside of the top wing halves as indicated in the hatched area in the photo below. This permitted the top wing half to fit properly between the top of the wheel bay and the shallow wing root recess in the fuselage. Once this very minor surgery was performed, the fit at the wing roots was very good, with only minor gaps at the top and slightly larger gaps at the bottom. Even so, these could quickly be dispatched with an application of Milliput. I was very happy with the dihedral angle, and the join at the wing root seemed robust. I had intended to reinforce the tailplane join with
Above: Fit of the model was generally good.
Above: Some filler was required along major seams, at the wing roots and at the back of the jet intakes.
Above: Fit at the lower surfaces was also good. Milliput was my putty of choice for this job.
Above: The canopy was masked with Tamiya Masking Tape.
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brass pins, but the kit's method of locating the horizontal stabilisers on a small ledge seemed to work pretty well. Once again, the fit at the top seam was very good indeed. There was mercifully little filling required. The main areas were some narrow gaps at the wing roots (above and below), underneath the tail planes and a few minor issues at the fuselage seam (partly of my own making). The join between the engine nacelles and the intake needed the most putty. There was no gap, but a noticeable step on both nacelles.
I used Milliput White exclusively. I like this very fine two-part epoxy filler because I can remove most of the excess with a moist fingertip while the putty is still pliable. Although it takes more time to mix a two-part putty than squeezing the filler straight from the tube, the Milliput remains workable for around 30-30 minutes, and it does save a lot of sanding later on. Just a few small applications of Tamiya Surfacer and the model was ready for paint. At this stage I dipped the canopy in Future. As expected the canopy, although slightly cloudy straight from the box, positively sparkles after its Future bath.
Above: The entire model was primed with Tamiya Grey Primer to check for any lingering imperfections. The tail was sprayed Grey and masked
Above: The lower surfaces were sprayed Light Aircraft Grey and masked in preparation for the upper surface colour, Xtracrylix Hemp.
Above: The sheen of the Xtracrylix coat was further glossed with Future Floor Polish, applied direct from my Testor Aztek airbrush. Left: Markings were sourced from Model Alliances 1/72 scale Limited Edition decals for the Canberra PR.9 Retirement Scheme, item number MAS-729032. The decals performed flawlessly, which is just as well as there are an awful lot of them!

Painting
I used Xtracrylix acrylic paints for this job, as I really like their interpretation of modern RAF
colours. I have found that Xtracrylix paints perform best over a primer coat, which acts as a "key" for the slippery acrylic camouflage colours. With the canopy installed and masked, and the various other openings plugged, the model was treated to two coats of Tamiya Grey Primer
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applied straight from the can. The primer was buffed with Micro Mesh 6000 cloth after each coat. Xtracrylix XA1015 Light Aircraft Grey was applied very thinly to the lower surfaces. A hair dryer was used to speed the drying process - my last remaining use for this particular appliance. A second coat delivered even coverage. The fin was sprayed XA1003 RAF Medium Sea Grey. After a few hours, the entire fin plus the camouflage demarcation on the fuselage, wings and engine nacelles was masked with Tamiya tape and the same painting process was repeated on the upper surfaces using Xtracrylix XA1016 RAF Hemp. My trusty Testor Aztek A470 airbrush fitted with the fine Tan coloured tip was used for all painting. I also used Xtracrylix thinners this time, which worked very well. I have used Windex in the past too, but other alcohol based thinners do not work with Xtracrylix. Two coats of Future, mixed with around 10% alcohol, provided a nice glossy base for the decals.
number MAS-729032. Before starting on the larger markings, however, I decided to tackle the stencils. The stencils are supplied on the Xtrakit decal sheet. There are many of these markings, and some are very small. The effort is worthwhile though, especially the wing walks and the colourful cluster of stencils around the nose. I spent almost three hours applying the stencil markings alone. The metal strip running along the mid span of each wing was represented with strips of selfadhesive aluminium foil. The Model Alliance decals came next. The individual unit markings were each supplied in two parts - a white backing and the black/coloured detail. The large winged bomb on the tail settled down well under a coat of Micro Sol. In fact, all the decals - kit markings as well as Model Alliance - performed perfectly.
Finishing Touches
The model was given a top coat of Polly Scale Flat. A single application over the gloss finish resulted in a slight sheen, which seemed appropriate for this aircraft. As this was a presentation scheme, weathering was kept to a minimum. I did spray my customary thinned black/brown mix along the
Decals
Alistair from A2Zee Models kindly supplied the 1/72 scale Model Alliance Limited Edition decals for the Canberra PR.9 Retirement Scheme, item
Above: Xtrakits 1/72 scale PR.9 authentically conveys the nose-down sit of the Canberra.
page 18
recesses of the engine nacelles where they met the wings, but I decided against wider use. Instead, I simply applied a very thin wash of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black to the control surface hinge lines and the panel lines. This offers just the slightest hint of the structural layout of the airframe. The small windows and ports in the forward fuselage were filled with Micro Krystal Kleer. The undercarriage was painted and quickly assembled. The attachment points are positive and robust. The sit of the aircraft looks right when the model is sitting on its wheels too. The various vane and blade antennas and masts were painted and installed before rigging the long aerial wire. Smoke coloured nylon monofilament was used for this job. The fin and the trailing surfaces on the real Canberra PR.9 were fitted with short, fine trailing antennas (at least I assume that they are antennas). I cut three of these from stretched
sprue and installed them on the top of the fin, but they were so delicate and difficult to handle that I decided not to bother with any more.
Conclusion
Xtrakit's late version Canberra PR.9 fills an important gap in the 1/72 scale model line-up. It is a very nice kit - well detailed, accurate and it is quite easy to build too, thanks to sensible parts breakdown and the minimal use of multi-media parts. Being a limited run kit means that this Canberra has no locating pins, so extra time will be required to test fit and align parts before committing to glue. Make sure you clean up all the parts of any flash before assembly too. If you make this small extra effort though, Xtrakit's 1/72 scale Canberra PR.9 will not present much more of a challenge than most mainstream kits.
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High Planes 1/72 scale Canberra Mk.20

at a glance
Right: This is Mick Evans High Planes limited-run RAAF Canberra Mk.20 kit. High Planes Models 1/72 scale GAF Canberra Ml.20 kit contains 16 plastic injection moulded parts, 24 resin moulded parts, 2 frets of etched metal, 2 sets of vac formed clear parts, and a decal sheet. High Planes Models offers a large selection of Canberra variants as short-run 1/72 scale kits. The Australian B.20 was the first to be released Micks Canberra was painted using Xtracolours Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green enamels.
BELOW: These are low-pressure, injection moulded kits which are well detailed but do require previous experience and significantly extra time for cleanup and alignment.
BELOW: The resin parts are crisply moulded and offer a very nice level of detail. Some parts contain small air bubbles, but these are in non-critical areas and are easily filled. The cockpit is completely moulded in resin.
BELOW: The detail on the plastic parts is excellent. The small pop-up speed brakes on the upper, and lower surfaces of the wings are finely represented, as are all the hatches around the nose.
BELOW: The wet transfers in the initial kit had problems, but these were replaced with conventional waterslide decals in subsequent releases.
page 20
Building Classic Airframes 1/48 scale Canberra T.17
Introduction
Classic Airframes released the first of their Canberra family, the B.2, in April 2006. This was followed by a T.17, a TT.18 and a B-57B over the following year or so. The parts breakdown of these kits are similar. Being limited run offerings, extra time is needed to prepare and test fit the parts. It is also helpful to have some previous experience with limited run kits. Lets examine construction of Classic Airframes Canberra T.17 step by step. I started by cutting off all the plastic parts and cleaning up the sprue connector points. This did not take long as there are only 42 parts, although some of these are very large. Next, I took to the resin casting blocks with my Dremel motor tool fitted with a grinder bit. I ran an extension cord outside, brought along a container of water to keep the resin parts wet (to reduce dust), donned a respirator mask and started work. Properly prepared and with this power tool, the casting blocks were off in no time at all. Even with the resin parts damped down, however, there is a lot of flying resin dust so, if you plan to use a motor tool for this job, I strongly recommend that you do so outside and wearing some form of face mask.
complete fuselage halves, perfectly aligned where the nose meets the main fuselage part with no gaps or steps whatsoever.
ABOVE: Like all recent Classic Airframes kits, The Canberra family is endowed with well detailed resin parts for the cockpit and wheel wells. BELOW: The cockpit parts look good when carefully painted and weathered, but most of this detail will be hidden under the sealed canopy and inside the black-painted front office. I have painted this Mk.20 cockpit in scale black actually a dark grey shade.
Construction
Before starting the cockpit, I glued the port-side fuselage half to the port-side nose; and the starboard-side fuselage half to the starboard side nose. The result was two
Next was the cockpit. This is made up of a well-detailed jumble of resin and plastic parts, including two ejector seats. The interior parts received a coat of Tamiya German Grey (acting as "scale black"), followed by streaking and staining. This was achieved with a thin mix of Tamiya Flat Black and Red Brown applied with the Testor Aztek airbrush fitted with the fine (tan coloured) tip. Structural details and natural shadow areas were then further deepened with a selectively applied black oil wash. Details on the instrument panels and side consoles were picked out in white, yellow and red paint. Instrument lenses were filled in with semi-gloss black and dial detail added using white paint applied with a sharpened toothpick. I decided not to install the navigator's Martin-Baker ejection seat just in case I needed to add extra nose weight later. I then glued the cockpit floor to the front bottom lip of the rear bulkhead. This wheel well / bulkhead / floor assembly was glued to the port sidewall. Now, the pilot's position was slid, without glue, into the opening under the instrument panel. I test fitted the instrument panel bulkhead on the sidewall and, when I was happy with the position, I simply ran liquid glue along the join on the sidewall. Test fitting showed that the cockpit floor was a bit too wide to permit the forward fuselage halves to meet, so the side of the floor was thinned and trimmed until a gap-free result was possible. This is not difficult, just an exercise in trimming, sanding, test-fitting and repeating until the fuselage halves met along the centreline. One of the blessings of that bulbous nose is the additional space available for nose weight. I thought I had plenty of weight in the front of my first Canberra, but in the end it was not enough. I would not make the same mistake this time. I super-glued nine big lead fishing sinkers into the fuselage - three in the nose and six behind the rear cockpit bulkhead. This proved to be adequate. With the cockpit, nose gear and lead weights installed, the fuselage halves were brought together. Once the excess resin was removed from the top of the resin gear bays, they fitted inside the thick Canberra wings without further preparation. Trailing edges looked a little thick so I scraped the insides and gave them a sanding before assembling the wings. The big wing halves mated up quite well considering the absence of locating aids. I had a
page 22
BELOW: The kit has no locating tabs or pins, so copious amounts of tape help keep the main parts in place while the glue dries. Note that the fuselage wing roots have been fitted with short brass rods to act as strengthening spars. The corresponding area on the facing areas of the wing have been drilled out to accommodate the spars ABOVE: Large lead sinkers were used to keep the models nose on the ground. There is plenty of room in the long, sealed nose of the Canberra T.17. BELOW: The tops of the resin wheel wells must be ground down to permit the wing halves to fit together properly.
little overhang (top wing over bottom wing "overbite") on one wing, but it was easily sanded to shape. I sanded the trailing edges again after
assembly to improve the appearance of this area. I glued the bottom intake half to each wing, then glued the top half in place. In retrospect, I realised I would have been better off gluing the top half to the top wing first. Some trimming and shimming was required to get the intakes to fit properly, but this extra effort meant that very little filler was needed once the parts were glued in place. Classic Airframes supplies two plastic wing spar rods to secure the big wings to the fuselage. The holes for the spars in both the wings and the fuselage were partially flashed over, so I reamed them out with a sharp hobby knife. The top of the wing joining surface was sanded to remove a slight ridge. This added a valuable extra degree or so of dihedral. I replaced the plastic spars with brass tube. The spars were passed through the fuselage and attached to the wings to either end using super glue, effectively tacking them in place. Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement was then flowed into the upper and lower seams at the wing root. The fit was once again very good, with almost no gaps and absolutely no steps on the upper surface, and only narrow gaps at the lower joins. At this stage, the angled horizontal tail surfaces were assembled. Holes were drilled for brass rod spars, and these were also secured to the fuselage using super glue. Tamiya Liquid Cement finished the job once the correct dihedral was set. While the glue on the main airframe set, I modified the nose gear strut. Without modification, the nose gear sits too high, giving the front of the Canberra a slightly stalky appearance. I cut off the top of the gear leg above the oleo collar (about 3/8" of leg plus the locating pin), and sliced off the retraction strut. The top of the remaining nose gear was drilled out and a short length of brass tube was inserted as a replacement locating pin. I also cut off the locating pins for the wheels and drilled out holes for replacement brass pins. The fit of the new resin fuselage tail cone proved to be slightly tricky. First, I managed to glue the part on crooked. I cut the rear of the resin part off and re-glued it at the correct angle. There was also a fairly large
ABOVE: Overall fit is very good. Some filler was required along seam lines and at the wing root, with the only major problem being a fairly deep step alongside the engine intakes. BELOW: These steps were filled with Milliput, then sanded back with coarse Tamiya Abrasive Paper and MasterCasters foam sanders.
BELOW: White primer was sprayed over the tail in preparation for a coat of red paint. Red offers notoriously poor coverage, so the white base coat helps ensure a uniform and opaque coating. White primer has also been used to make sure that there are no seam lines or other imperfections remaining.
page 23
gap between the top of the resin part and the bottom of the fin. This was filled with Milliput, and sanded to shape when the two-part epoxy putty had cured. A few places on the airframe required putty, including the upper fuselage seam and the front of the nose; a step on one side of each engine intake; and the engine tail cones. Before painting, the wing tip tanks were assembled and installed, and the canopy was masked and glued to the fuselage. All the remaining dangly bits would be installed at the last moment. Before painting, I drilled out locating holes for the various antennae and masts. I also drilled out three holes around each jet intake to depict the starter cartridge vents. The holes were filled with Krystal Kleer, resulting in a recessed circle - a close enough representation for my purposes. The sundry resin scoops and vents on the lower fuselage were installed at this stage too.
coat of Tamiya Grey Primer straight from the can. This highlighted a few lumpy areas that needed a bit more attention with the sanding stick. Next, these repaired areas and the entire tail were covered with Tamiya's Fine White Primer, also from the spray can. Red is notoriously difficult to spray, and I wanted a nice even coat of white underneath to ensure even coverage. Despite this careful preparation, the red acrylic paint on the tail cracked and crazed. There was no alternative but to sand the tail back to its white undercoat. Once this messy task was complete I repainted the tail, this time using lacquer spray paint (Tamiya TS-49 Bright Red) decanted into the paint cup of my Aztek airbrush. This delivered a high gloss, even finish. The only problem was that it was not the same shade of red as the Squadron flashes on the kit decals. Ah well, can't have everything... The lower surface now received a coat of Tamiya AS-2 Light Grey IJN. This seemed to be a reasonable match for RAF Light Aircraft Grey. The fast, smooth finish straight from Tamiya cans is a real Godsend on these big models.

The assembled model was sprayed with an overall
Above: The decals were damaged by rampant setting solution during application.
Above: I took the opportunity to revise the colours during repairs. A new batch of Roundel Pink was mixed up and sprayed in the centre of the roundels.
Above: Self-adhesive Post-It Notes were used to mask the Pale Roundel Blue sections of the markings.
Left: While I had the paint mixed and fresh, the fuselage roundels also received this treatment.
page 24
The camouflage demarcation lines on the lower fuselage and engine nacelles were masked with Tamiya tape, then Gunze acrylic H336 Hemp was applied as the upper surface camouflage. Gunze paints are usually quite glossy when dry, but this colour was dead flat.
The two rectangles above the navigator's position were masked and sprayed black to represent windows. The larger rectangle slightly aft - a dielectric antenna panel - was painted Tamiya XF55 Deck Tan. At this time I also painted the bases of the aerial masts black and re-masked the canopy to spray the white line of sealing tape. The entire airframe now received a coat of Future floor polish to provide a glossy surface for decals. During spraying, a thick glob of Future ran down the rear fuselage. I stupidly wiped the area with a cloth dampened in Windex, and promptly stripped the paint in the area. More running repairs... The yellow wing walkway lines were time consuming to cut to shape and position on the model, but I love the way they break up the broad surfaces of the wings. Once all the decals were down, I applied Micro Sol. To my horror, the upper wing decals crazed quite noticeably when the Micro Sol had dried. I brushed a coat of Solvaset over the top to see if this would settle the crazing, but it had no effect. In desperation, I finally brushed Mr Mark Softer (no, it is not a typo, that really is the product's name) onto the two decals. This stuff is really aggressive and, as I should have guessed, it actually melted a few spots into the decals. I had little choice other than to sand the decals back as far as possible without damaging the surrounding camouflage, and re-paint the markings. As it turned out this was not entirely a bad thing as the pink in the kit decals is a bit insipid. I mixed up a brighter batch of pink using Tamiya acrylic Red and White. This was sprayed onto the centre of the upper wing roundels. While I was at it, for the sake of consistency, I resprayed the pink on the fuselage roundels and fin flash too.
ABOVE: Canberras displayed a characteristic weathering pattern on the forward fuselage. The dirty stains behind the cockpit and under the wings are the result of starter charges fitted in the sides of the jet intakes. BELOW: The nose gear was shortened to deliver the correct sit, and reinforced with brass tube.
BELOW: The single-colour camouflage finish was subtly mottled with different shades to lend some variety.
Weathering
While searching for reference on the Internet, I was fortunate to find a great photo of this specific aircraft, serial WD955, on airliners.net. The photograph showed a peculiar pattern of heavy weathering on the fuselage aft of the cockpit and on the lower fuselage. My best guess is that smoke from the inboard starter
cartridges created the heavy staining (maybe mixed with dirt and condensation on the surface), while the bottom of the wing and the open inner gear doors generated a mild venturi effect, funnelling the filth along the lower fuselage. There is also an obvious stain running along the engine nacelle from the starter cartridge vent. I filled the airbrush paint cup with a very thin mix of Tamiya Flat Black and Red Brown, carefully building up fine lines of this dirty mix to duplicate the pattern of weathering in the reference photo. I also added some heavy weathering on the bottom of the fuselage and underneath the wings, especially between the engine nacelles. More streaking was added below the tail surfaces and, ever so lightly, on selected panels around the nose. The same mix was used to create some random streaks and spots on the wings and fuselage. Panel lines on the nose and the engine nacelles, plus control surface hinge lines, were subtly emphasized with a thin wash of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Black acrylic applied with a fine brush. I wanted to avoid geometrically dividing the wing by highlighting panel lines. I felt that this would be unrealistic, and would also distract from the
distinctive yellow wing walks. Even so, I needed to do something to break up that vast expanse of Hemp. I decided to try something different. After spraying a couple of coats of Polly Scale Flat over the completed paint job, I applied a mottle of Gunze Hemp over the top. This mottle was fractionally paler than the varnished paint of the same colour, and also had a very slightly different gloss level. I was pretty satisfied with the result. The final step of weathering was to add a few tiny "chips" around the fasteners on various nose panels using a silver artist's pencil. The distinctive weathering pattern is first sprayed onto the forward fuselage and engine nacelles. The addition of some subtle panel highlighting and a flat coat makes a big difference to the effect. The undercarriage was assembled and secured to the model at this time. I was pleased to find that the shortened nose gear leg greatly improved the sit of the model. Now it hunches down authentically over its nose gear. Various antenna masts and aerials were painted and
Above: Classic Airframes 1/48 scale Canberra T.17 and Mk.20 are seen together here. Building the English Electric Canberra page 26
glued in place. I installed a few extra devices that I found in reference photos, although they were not mentioned in the instructions. These included two fine "T" aerials underneath the fuselage fabricated from fine copper wire; and two blade antennas - one under the forward nose and one on top of the rear fuselage. These were sourced from spare antennas included in the Classic Airframes kit. The reference photo of WD955 also seemed to show a pitot tube on the side of the forward fuselage. I robbed a pitot from an old Hobbycraft Bf 109 kit for this job. Finally, the photo suggested that this aircraft was fitted with "disco lights" - rotating orange beacons above and below the rear fuselage. I chucked a short length of Cutting Edge clear orange rod in my Dremel Motor Tool and shaped the top into a dome using progressively finer grades of sanding sticks. When I was satisfied with the basic shape, I cut the light off to an appropriate height and dipped the part in Future for a brilliant shine. This process was repeated for the second light. The final job was rigging the antenna wire from my pre-drilled hole at the top of the fin to the two aerial
posts on the port side of the forward fuselage. E-Z Line was used for this job.
Conclusion
Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale Canberra T.17 was a lot of fun to build. Detail is impressive, construction is challenging in places but was never frustrating, and this late version certainly presents a different facade compared to the earlier B.2 and TT.18 kits. When confronted with a photo of my model, a friend of mine declared that the aircraft looked like a "wart nosed witch". I actually think it looks pretty attractive, but even if you don't agree, you can't say it is not interesting! If you don't mind a bit of parts preparation and can anticipate problems before you commit to glue, you should have few problems building any of Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale Canberra family.
page 27
Classic Airframes 1/48 scale Canberra B.Mk.2 & B-57B

at a glance
Right: This is my Classic Airframes Canberra B.Mk.2 finished as an RAAF Canberra Mk.20. This variant different in only fairly minor external details such as avionics fit and the style of engine starter bullets. The Aussie Canberra featured the earlier style of elongated intake bullet, These were fashioned by shaping two lengths of scrap sprue. I used High Planes' 1/48 scale decal sheet number 4806 - RAAF Canberra Mk.20. I particularly wanted to finish my Canberra as a Vietnam War bomber.
BELOW: Construction of the Classic Airframes B.2 / Mk.20 kit is essentially the same as the T.17, but there is less room for nose weight.
BELOW: Some extra details such as avionics, aerial wires and disco lights have been added to Classic Airframes kit.
BELOW: Phil Hale built Classic Airframes 1/48 scale B-57B Canberra. Once again, this model needs plenty of nose weight. Apart from the distinctive tandem two-seat cockpit, assembly is similar to the other Classic Airframes Canberras.
BELOW: Four camouflage schemes included - one Vietnam SEA camouflage, one natural metal, one grey and orange Air National Guard, and an overall gloss black scheme.
page 28
Canberra T.4 Cockpit Crawlaround

The photos on this page illustrate an ex-RAAF Canberra T. Mk.4 at the Australian Aviation Museum located at Bankstown Airport in Sydney, Australia. The cockpit is not totally complete, but the equipment is original. This short "crawlaround" offers an insight into the dark jumble of equipment in the Canberra cockpit. It should be noted that it is quite difficult to discern detail even when inside the cockpit, let alone when viewing through the closed canopy of a 1/48 scale model!
ABOVE: Canberra T. Mk.4 instrument panel. The cockpit decor is strictly flat black.
ABOVE: Starboard sidewall & right side of the instrument panel. The top of the open hatch can be seen at the bottom of the photo. RIGHT: Navigator's seat at the rear port side of the cockpit
BELOW: The incomplete port sidewall beside the navigator's position. The blue harness can be seen over the seat. The navigator sits directly behind the pilot
BELOW: The view from the navigator's seat. Note the table directly forward of the navigator.
BELOW: he starboard rear sidewall.
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