1/32 Handley Page V/1500 scratch build (slowgress report)

[lone modeller]

I have come to the conclusion that there is no substitute for wood on a model. The planking looks the part in every way - the sharpness of the cockpit flooring is extremely good.

Best of luck with the cockpit mock-up: time consuming I am sure, but time saving in the end!

Stephen.

[DaveB]

Impressive work on your wooden decking, Willem

Regards

Dave

[Rookie]

Thank you for the encouraging words Stephen and Dave 

Here’s a small update.

I thought the warped cockpit floor would be an easy fix, but it wasn’t. I tried steaming, bending, heating, soaking, wetting and cling-wrapping it to a glass jar, but every next attempt turned out worse than the previous. It is now propeller-shaped with a build-in sinus wave.





So, I made a second version, only this time I used thick CA glue.

Because this glue dries faster than PVA, and I didn’t have to wait so long before applying the next layer, it took less time to make. This one is as straight as an arrow. It has to have some colour and I had 5 coulors to choose from.
After a bit of experimenting I used Admiralty Stains Mahogany, applied with an almost dry cloth.





Here are the first and second attempt of the cockpit floor decking. Practice makes (almost) perfect.





I will lay it aside for now and continue with the mockup.. Yes, it is time consuming Stephen, but I soon found out it is worth the trouble
I tried to bend a 4x4 mm strip of wood into a rim, but after the sixth failed attempt I decided to make it from laminated strips of wood. That turned out very well.  I glued it to a piece of ply that represents the forward section of the cockpit floor to have a base to start with the vertical struts.





The first mistake and proof that making a mockup first was a good idea…
The vertical struts should be at a 90 degree angle with the top of the cockpit, not the floor.





To get the cockpit sides into the right shape, I used an electric plank bender. I’m not sure this will work, because it is now in one piece, instead of two halves, it makes detailing the interior harder. On the other hand, I now have a nicely rounded nose that doesn’t need any fixing. We’ll see.

In the background is the first failed attempt. I used boiling water and a glass jar to shape it, but that didn’t work. In the foreground is a spare one. You just never know.

The white styrene is the template. The markings are the positions for the vertical struts.





So, this is where I am now. I will continue with the mockup and work on the struts and the control column with the steering wheel, elevator control cable pulleys, and rudder bar. After that, the seat and the instruments.

Thanks for looking
Willem

[Tim Mixon]

I am blown away with your work!  Most impressive display of talent.  Eagerly awaiting the next installment!

[lone modeller]

Some superb modelling skills and ideas being demonstrated here Willem. Your bending and glueing seem to have paid off eventually. Progress is being made!

Stephen.

[RichieW]

Willem, you have really amazed me with your patience, skill and determination. There are so many techniques on show here, I'm learning every time you post an update. The mock up is a great idea and will save you a lot of time in the end. I'm looking forward to more modelling brilliance from your kitchen table!

Richie

[Rookie]

Thank you Tim Stephen and Richie. I really think you are giving me more credit than I deserve.

To be honest, half of the time I haven’t got a clue what I am doing. If a method doesn’t work, I try something else. Sometimes I step away from my workspace and sit somewhere else with just my notepad and try to visualize things. And looking for information on the net of course.

I used the wood because the dimensions were right and I don’t have styrene in the right sizes. On top of that I didn’t want to risk ruining it all with a sloppy woodgrain paint job. So the choice to use wood was actually made because it was easier (for me) than making this all from styrene.

So I know this isn’t a scratch build it its strict sense, and I will be using four WNW engine sprues for the Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. But my aim is build a model of the V1500 because there is not kit available. Of course there isn’t I hear you think. Who in his right mind will build an aircraft model with a 120cm wing span. I have been asked where and how I will display this beast. I have no idea.

The other day the balsa planks for the wings arrived. They measure 100 x 10 x 0,5 cm. I ordered a pack of 10 pieces. I think I will need 4 for the V/1500, and the other 6 I can use for the 1/32 Zeppelin Staaken scratch build.

Nah, just kidding.

I also have wooden curtain rings that will serve as a form for the wheels. I intend to make a simple vac forming machine for that. There are some nice DIY instructions for the net on that.

The rib tape is an ongoing experiment too. I have seen modelers that used very small soldering balls to create rivets on fuselages and wings. Now I am experimenting with different sorts of paper to the simulation of the rib tape. It needs to be thin enough to show the stitches (soldering balls) but firm enough to cut into strips that have the same width over the whole length (the chord is about 12 cm).

So a lot of time is also spent on research, redrawing and scaling the factory drawings (The sheets were so large that I couldn’t keep them flat on the table, so the photographs are distorted), trying out different  techniques and materials and then building everything by trial and error.

More on all that later.

Willem

[Borsos]

This looks wonderful, like a huge amount of work.
Very nice!
Andreas

[lone modeller]

Willem,

"To be honest, half of the time I haven’t got a clue what I am doing. If a method doesn’t work, I try something else."

That is what scratch building is about in my experience - making it up as you go along to find out that something does/does not work. I regard all scratch building as a prototype - prototypes are built to find out why something does not work!

"Sometimes I step away from my workspace and sit somewhere else with just my notepad and try to visualize things. And looking for information on the net of course."

Stage 2 of scratch building. I can sometimes spend more time thinking while walking/lying in the bath/driving/working outside or indoors than I do making or assembling anything. I have written in my build logs more than once that I have had to rewrite the instructions.... Visualizing things is frequently the best way to solve problems, but so also is being prepared to use materials other than plastic.

Your use of wood is inspirational - I hope that you go ahead with this as it is so much more realistic.

Stephen.

Stephen.

[Rookie]

Thank you Andreas and Stephen.

I'm not sure yet if I will continue to use wood throughout the rest of the build. As I said, the main reason to use wood for the cockpit was that these planks had the right shape and dimension and the fact that they were already scribed made it easier to maintain perfectly spaced gaps between the slats.

Didn't have much time at the bench this weekend to actually build, but I have made some progress making drawings to determine the position of the control column and the pilots seat in the cockpit.

I'll be back.

Willem

[RAGIII]

I have spent the last couple of days catching up on all of the great WW1 builds. Your experiments all seem to work out eventually and are moving ever closer to an Aircraft! Well Done!!
RAGIII

[DaveB]

Great work and progress, Willem -

I wish my model work would come out as well as yours making it up as you go .......!!

Regards

Dave

[Rookie]

I have spent the last couple of days catching up on all of the great WW1 builds. Your experiments all seem to work out eventually and are moving ever closer to an Aircraft! Well Done!!
RAGIII

Thanks Rick, good to have you back!

Any new WWI projects in the foreseeable future?

Great work and progress, Willem -

I wish my model work would come out as well as yours making it up as you go .......!!

Regards

Dave

Thanks for your kind words Dave...

Progress is at snails pace, because I don’t have a permanent workspace, limited time, and limited budget. I love every second I spent on modelling though.

Still working on the control column which is quite complicated. Hope to show some pics soon.


Cheers

Willem

[Rookie]

Steering column nearing completion.

It’s quite complicated with lots of small parts, some of them moving. All the pulleys are built up from three discs and a rod, and the total amount of parts, once assembled, is 73. Some parts need a little cleaning up, and then it is ready to paint.

I hope to show the completed result soon.

Cheers

Willem

[RAGIII]

Yet more impressive work! Looking amazing. As for your question a while back, I am hoping to receive the CSM Bristol Scout soon and am working on a trade to line up the Roden Strutter 
RAGIII