HK Models 1/32 Lancaster Model - Day 1 - Unboxing & ... Cockpit

Bernard Demer is building the HK 1/32 Lancaster, including the prototype of the Electronic set

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Day 1 - Unboxing

This first day is the unboxing, discovering the plastic parts and begin to determine how to start the building of this huge kit.

The tricky part is to study what will be illuminated with Magic Scale Modeling electronic and led technology. Extra work will be needed because the HKM kit does not integrate it.

Lancaster has a big canopy on its top. This will allow a maximum visibility on the cockpit and inner parts of the fuselage.

To have the maximum illuminated effects, it is recommended to use the Airscale Instrument panel upgrade for the Lancaster 1:32.

Instruments provides by HKM does not allow transparency effects unless you drill each instruments.

Instrument panels from Airscale are more accurate and provide the ad-hoc decals for each instrument.

Main instrument panel

Airscale decals #1, 2, 6, 10 and 11 will be used for illuminating the Lancaster instruments.

The first step is to apply those decals on a transparent sheet of plastic, medium thin.

Then the metal parts will be painted, weathered if needed, and placed over the transparent sheet and decal.

The main panel is composed of 2 parts : decals #2 and #11 + associated metal parts.

Decal #11 + metal has to be put over the decal #2 + metal.

The inner part of the main panel has to be removed (where the decal #11 will take place). If not, 2 instruments will not be illuminated.

The decal #11 and its metal part can be put over (for testing).

Flight engineer panel

On P1 part of the HKM model, we will remove the initial flight engineer panel and replace with the one from Airscale.

To help this new panel to stand vertically, glue a plastic part on the back.

Navigator panel

For the navigator panel, there is an extra work needed.

The X7 part has to be upgraded by applying the metal Airscale part over it.

X7 face has to be sanded to remove the quite weak details.

If wanted, electric wires can be placed on each side of this panel to maximize details.

The upper half of the X7 part has to be drilled to allow transparency needed for the future illuminating.

Though this part is inside the fuselage, this panel will be seen through the round bubble at the far end of the main canopy.

Metal part of Airscale is just placed above the plastic HKM. We can see the transparency.

This is how it will look like when placed in the inner right fuselage. The 'round' shape in the upper fuselage will be the 'bubble' from the canopy.

I think it is worth being done.

The pilot seat

Just to glue some pasting part, the pilot seat. Very nice and easy to build. The belts will be placed after seat painting.