Specification P.13/36, The unknown contender.

Gondor · February 22, 2026, 12:54:19 PM

This is an idea I have had floating around in my head for some time, and this weekend, my mojo kicked in big time. So out came the saw.

But before we get to the cutting and shunting, etc., let me show you what I started with.

The skeleton that will have the work done to it. It looks like an original release boxing to me.

The contents were still sealed inside their bag.

Along with the instructions, decals and stand.

Add to the mix a pair of Vulture engines from Blackbird Models and some imagination. Then let the cutting begin!

First, I removed the engines from the undercarriage bays.

Add the oil cooler intakes

Then trim the wing a little. Yes, I know the Stirling has a shortish wingspan, but this will also be a shorter Stirling as well, and the wing had no need of mountings for another two engines.

zenrat · February 23, 2026, 04:06:00 AM

I'm not sure those transfers are going to work...

I remember having a version of that kit many many many years ago. No idea what happened to it. ISTR it was the tractor that attracted me.

Gondor · February 23, 2026, 05:15:56 AM

Quote from: zenrat on February 23, 2026, 04:06:00 AMI'm not sure those transfers are going to work...

I remember having a version of that kit many many many years ago. No idea what happened to it. ISTR it was the tractor that attracted me.

You are welcome to one of the tractors that I now have. I have three of the Airfix kits so I should be able to spare one of them.

Pellson · February 23, 2026, 10:34:40 AM

Quote from: Gondor on February 22, 2026, 12:54:19 PMThis is an idea I have had floating around in my head for some time, and this weekend, my mojo kicked in big time. So out came the saw.

But before we get to the cutting and shunting, etc., let me show you what I started with.

The skeleton that will have the work done to it. It looks like an original release boxing to me.

The contents were still sealed inside their bag.

Along with the instructions, decals and stand.

Add to the mix a pair of Vulture engines from Blackbird Models and some imagination. Then let the cutting begin!

First, I removed the engines from the undercarriage bays.

Add the oil cooler intakes

Then trim the wing a little. Yes, I know the Stirling has a shortish wingspan, but this will also be a shorter Stirling as well, and the wing had no need of mountings for another two engines.

Great cutting work there! Looking much forward see the result!

kerick · February 23, 2026, 12:46:48 PM

You can probably sell a "collector" that precious box!

Gondor · February 23, 2026, 12:56:18 PM

There is usually a stand of such things at the Scottish Nationals, I was thinking of donating it to him. If he doesn't want it, then I shall consider selling it.

Gondor · February 23, 2026, 01:32:54 PM

A small update, as it's a weekday, so I was at work today.

As the plastic is black, I gave the inside of each remaining wing half a shot of white primer.

This will allow me to use my scribing pencil, which had the lead replaced with a needle, to produce a black line.

I have also tested a glue on the kit parts, which seems to work well.

It's Liquid Polly that I am brushing on with the supplied brush. It's working so far.

I shall do more tomorrow. I may try using my ultrasonic knife to separate some sections, well, at least try it out to see how it goes.

Captain Canada · February 23, 2026, 03:02:59 PM

Very cool. Looking forward toseeing more of this beast ~

Gondor · February 26, 2026, 12:39:03 PM

Over the last couple of days, I have managed enough modelling time to draw rough cutting marks onto the other wing sections.

I have also decided where the fuselage will be shortened.

If you think that the wings of the Sterling were fairly short, and that by removing two of the engines I will have made them ridiculously short, here is a picture of the new wing with the outer section from an AVRO Manchester conversion set.

As you can see, not much difference outboard of the engine.

You will also have noticed that I gave up on the idea of using white primer and went for a metallic marker instead.

Gondor · February 28, 2026, 03:57:51 AM

I found a new use for a set square.

I have also started to cut up the other wing sections using my ultrasonic knife. Wonderful too, ideal for this job as it cuts through the plastic as if it were a normal knife cutting through butter.

The above now looks like a demented spider with clamps and clothes pegs holding the parts together while the glue dries.

Gondor · February 28, 2026, 12:57:49 PM

After I had initially cut up the underside of the Port wing, I realised that the flaps needed modifying so that the wing plan would be the same shape after being shortened. Now that part of the wing has been glued together, and the top half of that wing cut roughly to shape, I find another problem.

There is a bit of a gap at the trailing edge. :headbang:

I did come up with a bit of a plan. I removed the locating stub from the upper wing before cutting a wedge away from where the stub was, thicker at the rear of the wing and less at the front. This has worked to an extent.

It looks better. Maybe I should have given it a Snickers

You know how some projects grow arms and legs. They start off nice and simple, but get more and more complex as time goes on. I think this might be one of those, as I am going to remove the flaps to make it easier for me to get a nice trailing edge rather than trying to do this to both the upper and lower wing surfaces. It also gives me the option of having the flaps lowered, which, going by pictures in the Wingleader book on early Stirlings, was not a usual situation; however, the backstory can cover that with a different hydraulic system than was developed for the production Stirling.

Gondor · March 02, 2026, 10:52:26 AM

I made a mistake

I was modifying the wing root last week because I had shortened the chord of the wing. Unfortunatly I reduced the upper wing root thickness rather than the lower wing thickness. You might think that it doesn't sound that important, which, if I was modelling the aircraft with the undercarriage up, it might not be. As the tops of the undercarriage legs fit into hollow pegs in the inside of the upper wing, it does. So I am having to rob the same section from another kit, which might prove to be a bit of a problem if I get around to building the proposed Super Sterling from 1941, which had a wingspan of 135ft 9in, length of 101ft and was to be powered by four Centaurus, but that might not get built, just like the real thing.

Thorvic · March 03, 2026, 11:18:55 AM

Given that your shortening rhe fuselage wont the undercarriage be smaller too ?

Gondor · March 03, 2026, 01:00:44 PM

Quote from: Thorvic on March 03, 2026, 11:18:55 AMGiven that your shortening rhe fuselage wont the undercarriage be smaller too ?

Yes, I intend to reduce the height of the undercarriage and try to keep the rather snooty nose high angle that the Stirling has. That is the reason I need to change the upper wing that I made a mess of, as the mounting points are there. I found a nice side on a picture of a Stirling on its wheels in the Haynes manual, so it will be scanned, printed with the printed version drawn on to measure the angles and lengths, etc. Well, that's the plan.

Gondor · March 04, 2026, 12:31:41 PM

Got to move with the times. No more need for the hacksaw when modifying parts, Ultrasonic knives are the way to go. In only a few minutes, one fuselage half was shortened.

A few minutes later, the other half was also trimmed the same.

And here is the modified fuselage next to the Italeri Mk.1 fuselage half.

I also used the knife to modify another upper wing as I thought I had made a big mistake. On inspection after cutting up the new upper wing, I realised I was correct in what I had done, despite the fact that the modifications to the wings at their root will slightly change the angle of the undercarriage, which will need to be modified anyway to keep the sit of the aircraft looking right.