HP Hampden Instrument Panel - Build

[alzictorini]

Hello PMs

It has been some time since I did a thread but this build has taken up a lot of my time over the last 9 months.

So, what's the build? Well around Christmas time 2020 I was asked if I could consider building a full size panel for a Handley Page Hampden bomber. This came from the staff of the Heritage Centre at RAF Coningsby. The reason for this was when the base opened in 1941 the first aircraft that flew on operational missions from this base was the Hampden Bomber. As a tribute the centre was looking at obtaining such an artefact. The panel in question looked something like this:



I did some research and found that there was 2 aircraft available for me to view and a few places where i could see an actual panel or at least get some pictures. These were:

The RAF Museum Cosford
The museum at East Kirkby airfield
Items held in the RAF reserve collection Stafford
Cees Broeres Panel build in the Netherlands

Darren Priday from Cosford sent me pics of an original panel plan for positions and sizes etc:



As East Kirkby airfield is just a few miles down the road from me, I contacted John Marshall-East who showed me their aircraft under restoration. I took some initial measurements and obtained a number of photographs:







I did some initial drawings and contacted Chief Technician Andrew Copley (RAF Coningsby) and agreed to the commission to build the panel project.

[alzictorini]

Morning PMs

The good thing about living in Lincolnshire UK (bomber county as it was called during WWII), is there are plenty of artefacts available to view somewhere in the county. Flight Sergeant Dave Burke of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight obtained information with regards to exact sizes of aircraft instruments for my build (as the instruments I was to build are still in use today on the flights historic aircraft which they still fly).

I used Fusion 360 to design each instrument, printed them off with my Creality CRS 10 Pro and finally (post clean up) made moulds for each item.









And some pressure gauges;









This was the process for every item on the panel!!!

Enjoy

[alzictorini]

PMs

The first item to aim at completing was the Blind Flying Panel (BFP). This contained 6 instruments and sat in the middle of the main panel:

I used the info from the BBMF ref the size and locations of the holes etc and cut out the BFP in MDF.



As the instruments for the panel were made I added them in their locations:









The finished results looked promising so I continued with this build process for the rest of the panel.

[alzictorini]

PMs

When I visited the RAF Reserve Collection at Stafford, they allowed me to examine and measure one of their items in storage:



From these measurements I drew out my own plane and cut it out on MDF. As I produced the instruments I added them to the panel ready for locating them with real screws and bolts:





As I was building the panel I became aware that some of the instruments are very rare. So rare that my reproductions were the only ones (One of the fuel gauges being unobtainable anywhere). With this in mind I helped out East Kirkby and a builder in the Netherlands with their missing items.

I was amazed how many countersunk screws were going to be required as well as the associated cup washer needed on certain instruments.

As the board started to fill I looked at some of the smaller details such as rivets and the tiny instrument labels which my 3D printer only just managed to produce.

[alzictorini]

PMs

Im happy to say the panel is now complete. Here are a few photographs of the completed Panel:



























Hope you enjoyed the build thread.

Thank you to those who assisted me with this build for there information and assistance they gave.

If anyone wishes to visit the Coningsby Aviation Heritage Centre they can do so via booking from their face book page

Enjoy

[-Jim G]

Wow! What a fabulous project! Thank you for sharing

[Vermin_King]

Very stinking cool, sir. A delightful read. Thanks

[rifleman]

what great craftmanship out standing build well done sir

[whulsey]

Excellent workmanship.

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And hi, alzictorini. As usual, wonderful work on your Hampton instrument panel. It’s always worth the wait to see what you’ll create next.

I thought I’d include a photograph of the Hampton for reference. Known as the “Flying Suitcase” due to its boxy fuselage and tight quarters, the medium bomber served as best as it could during the early, trying days of the war.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog