They started out as the Avro Shackleton but.....

[McColm]

I haven't managed to build a 1/72 Avro Shackleton MR.2/MR.3 or the AEW.2 straight out of the box.
My imagination takes over and I come up with really odd designs but somehow someone else has thought of but not in plastic.
I'm grouping all my builds or started builds into one platform with the intention to complete them.
From the top is the Avro Carlton AEW.1
The Shack with the stack is based on the Frog MR.3 with the mushroom radome from the Grumman E-1B and radial engines.
Erm twin-booms triple turboprops
Another twin engined Shackleton

[McColm]

Some people say that this build is very similar to the Martin Model 219 P4M Mercator. I used the 1/72 Airfix Avro Shackleton MR.2 with parts from the Revell Lockheed P-2 Neptune.

It's either a Avro Shacktune or Lockheed Neptelton, I called it the Avro Black Sabbath MR.1.

[McColm]

As sales targets sort the American market as the Shackleton had a larger weapons bay than the Neptune the plan was to replace the Rolls-Royce Griffons with jets.from the North American B-45 Tornado. The four TG-180 turbojets mounted in dual engine pods would easily fit under the Avro Shackleton MR.2 wings with the main landing gear repositioned. Testing was undertaken by Bell Boeing with the AN/APS-20S radar fitted under the nose and a infrared pod fitted to the nose with a MAD boom at the rear. Yellow Gate ESM pods were fitted to the wingtips.
Only one example was built and underwent trials with the USAF and US Navy. 163911 was flown back to Scotland after the Americans had finished with it.

The build uses the 1/72 Novo Avro Shackleton MR.3 with what I believe was the Mach2 North American B-45 Tornado engines. The landing gear legs and the radome are taken from the Aeroclub Avro Shackleton AEW2 conversion set with a few spare parts. Judging by the ground clearance the hydraulics need to be topped up and raised up, other than that it's in remarkable condition.

[McColm]

Towards the end of the Avro Shackleton's life in the maritime world, there were plans drawn up for a dedicated Search And Rescue version this being based on the MR.3 with parts from the other types flown.
The paint scheme is based on the WR972 at RAE Farnborough 1961.
 The build so far has used the 1/72 Frog Avro Shackleton MR.3 with the MR.2 landing gear layout having the rear tail wheel. The MR.3 nose has been replaced by the MR.1 from a secondhand vacformed kit which has the radome fitted underneath it. It also has a snapped in-flight refueling probe. At the rear end is the parachute housing which I think was from a Shorts Stirling conversion set. Underneath the fuselage is a lifeboat that I found on eBay which was a good fit.
This build will be known as the Avro Shackleton ASR.1 (Air/Sea Rescue).

[McColm]

I called this one the Avro Doncaster Gunship as it's based on the Airfix Avro Shackleton MR.2 but it has the wings from a Lancaster. The turboprop engines are from a C-130 Hercules and the guns are from the Lockheed AC-130H Shadow II.
The tail wheel is missing and I think that I have the necessary parts to finish this off.