forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Scratch builds => Topic started by: lone modeller on December 11, 2016, 07:46:38 AM
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Evening All,
Following Stevehed's remarkable scratch build of the DFW giant I too decided that it was time to go big and so I did some research on these early large German machines: the best source is The German Giants by P Grosz and G Haddow, some of which is available of the net. Then I found that DataFile no 89 is about the first of these machines, the Seimens-Schuckert R.1 (Riesenfleugzeug - giant aircraft), which was first flown in May 1915. I decided that here was a project which would be worth following because it is larger than any of my other scratch builds but still small enough to fit into my display cabinet. There will no doubt be some interesting problems to resolve as I proceed but that is part of the fun and challenge of scratch building.
For those like me who are not familiar with this design here is what it looks like (and of course this contains a set of plans in 1/72 scale which might prove to be useful).
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/455/30748852003_41713902fe_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/NRaUqK)
I decided to start with the nose which looks like the front of a very large lorry with three radiators - one in the front and one on each side with a bonnet over them all. There were three engines in the front of these machines, two of which were between the side radiators and a third beneath and behind the pilots. I do not intend to make the engines as they cannot be seen on the completed model unless the top of the nose is left off. I cut three pieces of 30 thou card and glued lengths of 10 thou rod onto the faces of the card to represent the radiator pipes.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/41/31442579441_3f6401efe6_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PUtrqD)
Strips of stretched sprue represent the steel bands holding the pipes in place.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/766/31442580511_e084675b95_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PUtrK6)
Then I made a top and bottom plate to which I could attach the three radiators.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5560/31186102870_83d728fbfa_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/PvNVSN)
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Really looking forward to seeing this on unfold Stephen, a very unique aircraft.
Des.
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Great choice Stephen.
I have thought about scratchbuilding this myself so I'll be following along to see how it goes.
Ian
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Very unique subject Stephen and should prove a challenging and interesting Build as well. I'm looking forward to following along as you work your magic on this beauty!
Cheers,
Lance
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Very interesting subject. I think there is only 1 kit of this beastie a vac in 1/72 I want to say it's by blue rider. I almost won this kit one ebay a year or so ago. Will watch with intwrest
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Excellent idea! Can't wait to see how you get on with this.
There are several hair-raising stories of in-flight repairs on these machines in The German Giants...
Mark
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Great choice of subject. The best of luck with this construction.
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Outstanding start on what is sure to become another beautiful scratch build! I will follow along as always!
RAGIII
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Thank you gentlemen for the encouraging remarks - I just hope that I can fulfil your expectations. This one is going to present a very different set of problems to anything I have attempted before.
Scott the Blue Rider kit was 1/144 scale. As far as I am aware there is no kit of this in 1/72, but I am not the first to scratch build one in this scale so I know that it can be done. The question is how?
Stephen
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Its wonderful to see, that some one is brave enough to start this monstrosity as a scratch build. I was always fascinated by this plane. May be I start one in 20 years....
Bye,Manni
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Great project Stephen!
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I agree with everyone, this is a superb subject and 1/72 is the perfect scale. I think this when built will stand out more than most on a display table or your cabinet.
Alan.
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Stephen, you never fail to amaze or disappoint with your builds sir.
Warren
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Evening All,
Many thanks Manni, Bo, Al and Warren for your supportive remarks - I greatly appreciate them.
I decided to tackle the wings next as these will be an important part of the centre section structure. I am presently thinking of buildiing the nose and tail sections as units and then joining these to the centre section. In order that the latter is both strong and square I will need to have a top wing ready. Wings can be tedious and time consuming to make as I discovered with the Caudron when I had to laminate sheets of plastic and then use filler before I even started on the ribs. These wings will also need to be laminated and filled - so a long process is involved. I started by bending some 40 thou card to start the aerofoil shape and then glued a strip of 30 thou and 20 thou card to the top. The upper wings are in two halves because the card I have is not long enough to make the whole span in one piece. Similarly the lower wings are in two parts, this time because there is a marked dihedral and I cannot bend the card to achieve this.
The top wing halves were assembled first and when the glue was dry I sanded the top surfaces where I had glued the card so that an aerofoil section was achieved. I filled the uneven surfaces of the card joins with copious Mr Surfacer until everything was smooth. The process was repeated for the lower wing sections.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/766/32196625710_4628c2d0dd_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/R4787o)
When the lower wing sections were ready I filed the butt joint surfaces until I had the correct angle for the dihedral. Then I drilled two holes in each joint surface and cut four pieces of rod to insert into the holes: these strengthen the joint. The rod was glued into the holes in the wings and the sections joined using ordinary cement. I added liquid cement to the joints just to make sure. When all was thoroughly dry I used Mr Surfacer again to fill any small cracks.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/592/32453269041_d48f758f25_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RrMuep)
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Nice job on those wings. They should be good and strong too with all the laminations...
Ian
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I will be following this build with great interest and collect learnings from an experienced fellow scratchbuilder!
What a unique subject you have selected for your build. This will be a complex project and I am sure you will turn it into another masterpiece.
Cheers
Ondra
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Evening All,
Thank you Ian and Ondra for the positive comments.
I have been away over the holiday break visiting relatives but this is where I had got to before I left. I had joined the lower wing sections and added the ribs to the wings, ailerons and horizontal tail surfaces from 10 x 20 thou strip. The centre rib was missing from the tail surface when the photo was taken - that is now in place.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/266/32534853556_31e9f4e330_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RyZCsY)
While I was away I decided to take a small box of tools and bits with me so that I could make some parts for this build in the evenings when the relative i visit has gone to bed. This was an experiment which I will now repeat as I was able to make the small wheel discs for the rear wheels and the gearbox housings where the drive shafts from the engines are connected to the propellor shafts. These were small tasks that did not require large amounts of materials or time but kept me happy! The image shows the housings which were made from sprue, and the wheel discs made from 30 thou card with one of the main wheels which I have also completed. The tyres for the small wheels will be made from 30 thou rod wound around a thin paintbrush handle and dipped into hot water. The main wheel was made in this way from 80 thou card shaped with a file and 80 thou rod for the tyre.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4318/35112482943_e2bd721c7b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/VuLDSX)
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Nice work on those wheels, not the most fun task in modelling......
Ian
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Very nice work with the wings and the wheels, this model is shaping up really well.
Des.
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Looks great, you are really brave to do this monster.
Manni
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I'd never heard of the plane before so I'm following this with great interest. Fantastic work so far.
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Evening All,
Thanks to Ian, Des, Manni and Toby for your kind remarks. Such comments from modellers with your skills are much appreciated.
I have finished making the wheels. For those who have not seen my method before here is a short explanation of how I make them. I start by marking out a circle the diameter of which is the wheel minus the tyre on a piece of card of suitable thickness: because these are large wheels I laminated two pieces of 40 thou card. I cut out a square of card with the circle on it and trim and file the disc using the groove as a guide for when to stop. I file the edge of one face of the disc to represent the wheel cover, the other side is left flat. Then I take a piece of rod, in this case 80 thou, to match the size of the tyre and wind this round a paintbrush handle or piece of dowel. The diameter of the handle or dowel needs to be slightly smaller than the wheel disc so that the tyre will cling on to the disc. Hold the rod tightly on the handle before plunging the rod and handle into boiling water for a few seconds. Withdraw the rod from the water and either plunge it into cold water or simply wait for it to cool, still holding it tightly while doing so. Slide the rod from the handle and you will have a plastic coil from which you can measure and cut lengths which can then be placed around the edge of the disc. You will need to bend the rod gently to make the two ends join properly before wrapping around the disc. Secure the rod tyre with liquid glue and if necessary apply a little filler to any small gaps.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/711/32534856806_5b92e1742d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RyZDr1)
I moulded the chin piece below the nose using the standard plunge moulding technique. This was a small piece so I added a handle to the male mould. When the piece had been cut and trimmed I was able to cut the small vent holes using a very small drill and tip of a new scalpel blade and then cemented it to the underside of the nose. At the same time I shaped a mould for the cover above the engines and cut this out ready to fit later.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4236/35751981782_3332928e1b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/WthfB1)
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Nice work,Stephen!I'm looking forward to how you'll do the fuselage!
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Great job, Stephen, many thanks for sharing your scratchbuilding skills!
Cheers
Ondra
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Excellent tip on building the wheels and tyres. Keep it up.
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That nose piece looks great, not easy to do accurately!
Well done!
Ian
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Yes, very cool work here. I'll be watching for updates!
Steve
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Outstanding updates! Like others have said the wheel making tutorial and the shaping of the nose piece ae excellent!
RAGIII
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Evening All,
Thanks to Malaula, Ondra, Edgar, Toby, Ian, Steve and Rick for your kind remarks. Yes Malaula the fuselage is going to present a challenge but then there is no point in building something unless there is a challenge somewhere along the line!
I have been working on the rear fuselage and slab sides of the centre section. However the first priority was to join the halves of the top wing as this will be needed to help to hold the sides in place when I want to attach the nose and rear sections. I drilled 2 holes in each wing half and inserted small metal pins cut from a paper clip. I do not have any brass rod - the metal in the clips is rigid enough so these were CA'd into place and then the wing joined with cement and CA. The circular hole is where the upper gun position will go later.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/724/32297196882_0c34b2d3a7_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RcZzq7)
On to the rear fuselage. This consisted of two triangular sections mounted one above the other. The upper section was slightly smaller than the lower one. These were made from 20 thou card for the sides and 30 thou card for the top and bottom. I made small bulkheads from scrap card to help support the sides. Unfortunately I somehow got the dimensions wrong on the first attempt so I had to make a second pair. The top rear of the upper section was left off as the horizontal stabilizer will need to be fixed there later. Holes were drilled in the apex of each triangle to allow for a piece of wire to be inserted later to represent a bracing strut - the photos show what I mean.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/657/31637055773_8f6219483e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QcEbsR)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/397/32408238446_ade94fac6b_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RnNGcQ)[
I now made the triangular side sections which fill the gap between the rear sections of fuselage and the slab sided centre section. The drawings show these to be flat but the shadows on photographs show that they were divided into three surfaces at a small angle to each other. To get the correct size I cut out a card template and bent this gently to make sure that this was the correct size. When I had got this right I cut two pieces of 20 thou card and scored and bent these to shape. Finally I cut and shaped two bulkheads which will help to join the front ends of the rear fuselage triangles and hold the side pieces in place.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/333/32327300461_a074bbf35a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RfDSak)
Now I could assemble the rear triangular sections. I did this by inserting the wire into the holes in the apexes and CA'd that in place while at the same time cementing the front of the triangular sections where they met.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/755/31604947644_321f21eeb3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Q9PBQq)
The bulkheads were then fixed to the front end of the rear fuselage sub-assembly.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/319/31604948984_722092ec3a_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Q9PCew)
Finally I added the sides and filled any small gaps. The next stage will be to put the sides on to the top wing and then join the rear fuselage and nose assemblies: more on that later when I have got that far.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/321/32408240306_338ede20f3_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RnNGKU)
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Beautifully done Stephen. This really is going to be an outstanding, and very different, addition to your collection!
Ian
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Excellent work so far Stephen, it certainly is an usual fuselage but you are doing a superb job with it.
Des.
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very cool stuff Stephen.
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Like Bo said:veeery cool stuff !!
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Beautifully done Stephen. Cannot wait until your next update.
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Truly inspirational work, Stephen!
Cheers,
Bud
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Wow, stunning work. It makes me want to build this beast, too.
Looking worward, what is coming up next.
Manni
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Evening All,
Thank you Ian. Des, Bo, Malaula, Juan, Bud and Manni for dropping by and leaving supportive comments - I am going to need them in the near future.
Sometimes things happen in modelling - at least they do to me. Often we run into minor mishaps but usually I do not bother to post them because they are not significant and are easily and quickly remedied. Not so this time. Just as I thought that I was getting on well with this model……………………………. catastrophe.
I had glued the rear fuselage assembly to the top wing using a tab of card because this would otherwise be a butt joint and would be far too weak. Having allowed the cement to set I proceeded happily on my way to glue the sides of the central fuselage section to the underside of the top wing. This was so that the sides had something to hold them square and they would be rigid enough to take another sheet of 30 thou card across the bottom to make the underside of the fuselage. Here I hit what I mistakenly thought was a small problem - the fuselage sides were too high - the rear assembly did not fit properly. So I merrily trimmed the fuselage a bit until the rear section did fit, and afterwardsI glued the bottom plate into place. I then added a small extra piece of 20 thou card to the bottom to get the correct depth and filed the edges and added some filler etc and all was going well ….. Holes were drilled in the bottom of the fuselage sides to take the two pins (made from a paper clip), which would go into the wing roots and strengthen those joints later. I added some cross bracing to make this area stronger and made and painted an interior floor plate to cover it all up.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/649/32421403622_c9f2d9de42_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RoYaKC)
The upper gunners cylindrical position was made from 20 thou card wrapped around a thick piece of dowel and held with a piece of clear selotape - this will not be seen on the completed model and it holds the unit in shape - otherwise the joint will spring apart. This was glued into the top wing. Finally I added the nose sub-assembly to the front end of the fuselage and cleaned up all of the joints.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/345/31762434313_552b89abe7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QoJM8P)
Now I was ready to start making the mould for the windscreen and canopy over the cockpit and I noticed something was not quite right but I could not see what it was…….. I carefully measured the drawings and the the model….. and found that the gap between the top of the nose in front of the cockpit and the top of the upper wing was 7mm TOO SMALLl!!!!
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/738/32574240975_5342722b37_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RCtuYp)
Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhh******!!!***!!!******* (The rest has been censored to save the administrator a job!)
What to do? I sat for a full hour trying to work out what had gone wrong. At first I thought that it was the drawings - it was in part: they do not match in cross section and side elevation - there is a 2mm discrepancy, but that was not the entire problem. Somehow I had lost 7mm - I had cut off about 3-4mm from the sides as described above but even that was not sufficient to explain what had happened. The only answer that I could think of was that the side elevation drawings were not accurate because the triangular sides of the rear fuselage slope inwards and therefore using these as templates was not going to work. In the end I cut paper templates to try to determine out what the dimensions of the triangular fillet immediately behind the vertical fuselage sides would be. According to the side elevation in the drawings in the DatatFile, at point B they should be 24mm. From the cross section drawing this section should be 26mm but the sides are shown as flat when it is clear from photos (including those in the DataFile), that they were not: they had three faces with a slight angle between them. If 2mm does not seem much I can assure you that it translates into a significant difference in the length of the side of the triangle that joins the flat fuselage section. After cutting out paper templates of 24mm and 26mm I found that neither matched the vertical side of the central part of the fuselage. The actual size was 25mm according to my experiments, allowing for the angles of the faces, but I am still not sure whether that is going to fit when I assemble this thing again.
One of the advantages of scratch building is that you can always start again, so I dismantled the assembly to retrieve the top wing and the nose section. I have totally discarded the rear and central fuselage assembly and will make new ones. I think that I can restore the top of the nose which was slightly damaged but I may have to mould a new one of those too.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/721/32574241985_69ecc43044_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RCtvgP)
I will now rewrite the instructions to try to ensure that all of the parts fit properly. I have worked out that the dimensions of the upper and lower triangular sections of the rear fuselage are correct but that the triangular side panels between them and the flat fuselage sides will have to be cut to fit after the rear has been attached. I will also ensure that the junction between the top wing and the upper triangular rear fuselage section is at the correct angle - that is where the missing 2-3mm went on the first attempt. So the assembly sequence will need to be completely different and I will need to make a panel to fit into the rear of the flat fuselage section to hold the sides rigid as I will start construction from the bottom rather than the top. All will be revealed in the next post…..or not!
This time round I should be successful - the only problem is that I am having to go on one of my regular journeys this week so you may have to wait for a while to find out. More to follow.
Thanks for looking (and on this occasion at least, praying).
Stephen.
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What a shame Stephen :( I am sure your next attempt will fix the issue! Your perseverance in these builds is amazing 8)
RAGIII
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Wow Stephen, that's a significant set back! You are working with a very complex design, and replication is difficult, but certainly not beyond your proven skills. I'll be watching closely for your re-visit to this obstacle, and the inevitable successful outcome. Break a leg! ;)
Cheers,
Lance
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It appears that you are well on top of the hiccup you have encountered, well done with the 'fix'. This is the beauty of scratch building, if an error has been made during the construction it doesn't take much to go back a few steps and start again, I have done the same thing many times with my own scratch builds.
Des.
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Hi Stephen, don't fret, your build is looking awesome. I am sure you will deal with this setback and come out ahead in the end.
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Evening All,
Thanks to Rick, Lance, Des and Juan for your encouraging comments at a time when I was feeling a bit miffed! Malaula was right when he wrote that the fuselage would present some interesting problems. But now…..
….right. I have rewritten the instructions for this build and proceeded to start again with the fuselage behind the nose. I also had to make a new engine cover and re-assemble the remaining parts of the nose as these had come off when I dismantled the disaster as illustrated in the last post.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2778/32690736152_166fcb0296_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RNLyVW)
I made new sides and added some internal detail in the form of framing etc, a new floor and a rear panel - the latter was not on the real machine but I need one to hold the sides when I assemble all of the parts. Without a rear panel the sides will wave about and not stay square. 60-thou strips were glued to the lower parts of the cockpit sides as two pieces of paper clip have to be passed through - these will form pins to help strengthen the butt joints of the lower wings to fuselage. New triangular fuselage sections were constructed, this time the lower section will extend under the cockpit and join the base of the nose. A new bulkhead which will hold the front ends of the triangular fuselage sections was also made.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2881/32001318614_b754ddd690_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QKR87E)
I should have made two bulkheads really as on the first attempt but I was frustrated and in a hurry - more haste less speed…! The horizontal tail surface was not attached to the upper fuselage triangle because it would get in the way later. The fronts of the cockpit sides were cut to fit into the rear of the nose section.
Now I could start construction agin, but this time following a different sequence. First the cockpit sides were glued to the front of the lower fuselage triangle, and the rear panel inserted to stop the sides from falling about. Two reinforcing strips were added to the front of the fuselage panel to strengthen it ready to add some more card on the underside later. Then the cockpit floor could be put in, this rests on the small blocks added to the bottoms of the cockpit sides earlier. The cockpit floor will conceal the reinforcing pins for the wings which were added later.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2068/32844231805_79d8c5ee60_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S3kgQH)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2021/32690750532_f4830263ee_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RNLDcS)
The bulkhead was glued into the lower triangular fuselage section.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2612/32803266956_a8337bccce_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RYHjqd)
Pins from an old paper clip were inserted through the holes in the bottom of the cockpit sides and superglued into place, followed by the nose section.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2187/32803281346_9f906fd20f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RYHoGj)
The upper fuselage triangular section could be lowered over the bulkhead and the wire support strut inserted into upper and lower rear fuselage units.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2377/32690794402_be2f45dfcb_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RNLSff)
Now the upper and lower sections could be joined so that the top of the rear upper unit lined with the rear of the top wing.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2387/32690763192_63c4655962_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RNLGY9)
Finally the triangular pieces which fill the gaps behind the cockpit were cut to fit - each had to be trimmed and adjusted from the pieces which I had previously made from using the card patterns illustrated above.These were then touched in with some filler.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2930/32803295786_b9fc322051_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RYHsZh)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3844/32690765782_dc7df2de5c_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RNLHJN)
Last the fuselage under the nose had a piece of 30 thou card glued and sanded to shape when it was dry and all the joints were treated with filler.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2074/32720629621_57b63b5bce_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RRpMdz)
This assembly sequence works: certainly the gap for the front of the cockpit is now the correct size and the windscreen will not look too small when I get to fit it later.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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That was a huge undertaking to disassemble, remake then re-assemble virtually the whole aeroplane, you have done a superb job Stephen with excellent results, I'm looking forward to seeing the next updates.
Des.
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Standing ovations for this,Stephen!
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I can not describe, what a fascinating build is going on here!
Just excellent work, Stephen. My hats off to your scratchbuilding skills and many thanks for sharing.
Cheers
Ondra
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Incredible re-work, Stephen, just superb work and a real testament to your Scratch Building talents. This is truly an exceptional and "One of a Kind" model and it's not yet done! :o
Cheers,
Lance
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Love what you have done so far, looking forward to your progress.
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Crazy! Just outstanding, I am absolutely stunned by your work. It is lot of fun to watch your work.
Manni
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Stephen, that was a stunning "Remake" of the fuselage! It now looks very convincing and worth all that effort! This is a fantastic thread to follow, and full of teaching experiences! Well done! Marc
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Stephen,
Incredible impressive thread my old friend. Wonderfully informative,many thanks for that.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
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Evening All,
Thanks to all of you who have dropped in and left such positive remarks. I particularly appreciated them this time following the earlier mini-fiasco!
The first piece to be made after I had assembled the fuselage and nose was the cockpit glazing. I made this in a single piece of clear 20 thou acetate sheet which was plunge moulded in the usual way. I needed to add a little filler at the top to get the contours right but this will not matter as this area was covered on the machine - the glazed parts were lower down. It is noteworthy too that the pilots did not have a windscreen - there was a large hole with side windows and windows above the hole. Later after the wings were fitted I added framing from 10 x 20 thou Evergreen strip.
I fitted the lower wings one at a time. The pins which I had put through the bottom of the fuselage were to go into holes which I had drilled into the ends of the wings. I had to tidy the ends of the wings a little with some thin card because the laminations had left some uneven edges. When I had dry fitted the wings and checked that all was aligned I started with the starboard (right) wing. Superglue was put on the ends of the pins and cement to the plastic edges of the wing. The wing was then attached to the pins and supported while the cement dried. The superglue dried quickly and held things in place but I decided to take no chances and left everything for an hour.
The struts had been pre-cut and shaped from 30 x 60 thou Evergreen strip but they had to be trimmed to fit exactly. I measured the gap with dividers and final trimming was done by offering the strut to the hole. The inner rear strut was placed first and allowed to dry for 10 minutes.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3929/32596852920_e65f1eca90_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/REtoHw)
The remaining struts could then be fixed and the lower wing was firmly in place.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2701/32977474195_091030e117_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Sf7bai)
The above procedure was repeated on the port (left) side. Finally the upper wing overhang bracing struts were fixed into place.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2097/32853217341_84965bd95e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S48jVK)
Now the horizontal tail surface could be fixed to the top of the rear fuselage and the struts glued into place. These were made from 20 x 30 thou Evergreen strip.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/529/32134002544_86ea8520c3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QXzaqC)
I assembled the gearbox bearer struts. These too were Evergreen strip (30 x 40) which was sanded to aerofoil section. I measured the rear struts first and then bent them gently at the mid point before gluing them to the sides of the gearbox. The front struts were shaped and then cut in the centre and the corners at the rear of the centres cut off so that when the struts were joined to the gearbox the tops and bottoms met the rear struts. This sounds complicated but I hope the photos show what I mean. I did not glue the top and bottom of the strut assemblies until all four struts had set on the gearbox. Finally after the struts had been glued together both sub-assemblies could be inserted between the wings and glued into place.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2177/32937006806_91f651e08a_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SbwLBG)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/368/32853227251_0e614a713d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S48nSB)
The next stage will be to paint the model: this will take time as once again I am about to go on my travels.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Looking fantastic Stephen, it's an odd looking aeroplane but you have done a superb job in building your model, the wings and tail are all coming together beautifully.
Des.
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Outstanding progress Stephen! You are making an unusual aircraft into a beautiful Model!
RAGIII
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Evening All,
Thank you Des and Rick for dropping by and leaving encouraging remarks. Yes Des it really does look odd - which is why I am interested in building it! Any machine that is odd or has a lattice tail, biplane tail or other odd appendages appeals to me!! Manni you are right - I must be barking mad to be building something like this!
I have now completed the painting. I used Humbrol enamels - a mix of clear doped linen (103) with natural wood (94) in a ratio of 3:2. The DatatFile suggests grey as a colour but I have my doubts - personally I think that natural linen would have been more likely but who can tell from monochrome photos? In any event it took three coats as the first two were too streaky: I thinned the paint for the third and managed to get a much better finish. The white squares are for the crosses (which I have printed but not put on yet), and I have still to paint the radiators (dark grey) and top of the engine cover (anti-glare black). I also am showing a close up of the front struts with the propellor mounts in place as these were not ready for the last post.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2814/33227844602_be735a41ef_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SCeoys)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3899/33227852372_c7fc223ed7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/SCeqSq)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3879/33227849552_1825f8fb60_c.jpg)
The next post will also be a little while because next week I once again have to go on my travels! However I hope to be able to finish this shortly after I return.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen. (https://flic.kr/p/SCeq2N)
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Truly magnificent, Stephen, and perhaps your best work yet! Very impressive!
Cheers,
Bud
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Incredible Steve. Going to be a beauty when it's finished. Looks like a bit of superglue will be needed on the tail.
Regards, Steve
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Great build so far.
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Wow Steven, really inspireing. Every time I look at your model, I think i should stop my other projects and build this plane.Great job.
Manni
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Wow. That would be absolutely fascinating even without being a scratch built. But bearing in mind that all is scratch build ... simply wow! Hats off!!
Borsos
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I agree with everyone else, really great. I would love to see this in real life rather than on the screen because even in 1/72 this would be pretty big.
Alan.
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Evening All,
Many thanks to Bud, Steve, Toby, Manni, Andreas and Alan for your kind remarks.
After returning from my travels I have finally managed to complete the model: it has taken longer than expected mainly because of the fiddly nature of the tail unit and some of the other smaller parts.
I started with the main undercarriage - I used 60 thou rod and the wheels which I had already made.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3772/32569351903_fe666f34ee_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RC3rC4)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3734/32874811313_ee33448b55_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S6314B)
The tail unit was next. First to be fitted was the central rudder followed by the small elevators which were mounted on a pin which passed through the forward part of the central rudder. Last the smaller rudders were put into place. The vertical join bars between the elevators were from 10 x 20 thou card.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2831/32874815633_04ee7725c5_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S632m6)
Other details were the tail-wheels, the reinforcing struts behind the gear mechanisms for the propellors, the wing elevators, and a small triangular structure by the cockpit. I am not sure what this was for but from photos it seem to have been a mounting for an anemometer - an early form of air speed indicator. I also completed the painting of the engine cover and radiators. I rigged it with rolled copper wire as per usual, but in fact this machine had double wires which were bound with linen to reduce drag. However when I tried to simulate the latter with thin strips of card the result looked awful so I resorted to wire even though this is not quite accurate. I will post pictures of the completed model in the gallery shortly.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Better with each and every update as it should be! You are an amazing Modeler!
RAGIII