WnW Sop Pup first plastic build in over 10 years

[smperry]

Recently joined the Forum and this is my first attempt at a build log.

I'm building a WnW Sopwith Pup. The kit was bought as a reference for a Balsa USA 1/3 scale Pup kit I have awaiting retirement and the time to build it. Since I already started the WnW kit and since most everyone knows what's in one of those boxes, I'll forgo the customary box and sprue shot this time.

It has taken about a week to complete Step 1 of the instructions, the cockpit. A/C is out in my shop, so i only do a little bit at a time. Probably a good thing as getting used to the level of kit engineering in a WnW kit requires slow going. Being used to limited run kits, it has been hard for me to realize all the tabs and position holes actually fit and in fact are critical. I would have likely said something rude if someone told me about it, but seeing it and working with the pieces...Wow!

I'm still getting my bench set up and re-supplied, so I had to make do with what is to hand for colors, washes and tools. The shopping list grows with each session. In spite of not having everything I'd like to hand, I'm having great fun and looking forward to moving ahead with the build.

Kind words are always appreciated, but do little to knock the rust off. It's honest criticism I'm hoping for, feel free to tell me what I'm doing wrong and especially how to do it better.

sp

[Des]

No criticism necessary Steve, what you have achieved so far looks very impressive.

Des.

[coyotemagic]

I agree with Des, Steve!  Looks fantastic to me.  You haven't skipped a beat in the past 10 years.
Cheers,
Bud

[smperry]

Thanks y'all.

I'm not a big fan of overdone pre-shading, but vast expanses of CDL or PC-10 require something, especially with the rib tape detail on these WnW kits.

I tried something a little different as a 'speriment. I sprayed on a nice even coat of CDL, (I use artists acrylics mixed with Future). Then I went over the rib tapes with watercolor pencil and blended it with a Q-tip. Finally I lightly misted more CDL over all. Managed to get the pencil color backwards as this one has a PC-10 upper surface, so the underside tapes should appear lighter. As it is, it is right for a CDL upper surface. That faux pau aside, how does the technique work?

sp

[Ernie]

I think it looks great, Steve!  Sometime the pre-shading is overdone, and
I speak from experience there, but yours is really good.  The cockpit area
is beautifully done and this pup is shaping up to be a stunner, my friend.

Cheers,
Ernie

[RAGIII]

I agree with Des, Steve!  Looks fantastic to me.  You haven't skipped a beat in the past 10 years.
Cheers,
Bud

I agree with Bud and Des! I particularly like the instrument panel. You have done nice work on the bezels and decals for the faces!
Also the bracing wires for the formers are well done.
RAGIII

PS: Not sure if you are aware but there is one fairly well known issue with this kit. The fit of the Lower Wing to fuselage is affected by the cockpit floor. I know there were some easy fixes posted somewhere perhaps someone else will chime in.

[smperry]

Thanks Ernie, glad you liked it. I'll have to find that open bottle of brake fluid I've been hanging on to for some reason and clean that stab off so I can start over and do the colors right this time. Besides being painless, I think the idea works and tends to the subtler side of shading which compensates for my legendary ham handedness.

Thanks so much for the heads up RAGIII. Well, forewarned is forearmed, (With a Dremel in my pocket, a sanding stick in each hand and an X-Acto with a fresh blade clamped between my teeth.) I hadn't heard about that issue with this kit, but I have dealt with it on other kits. One of the reasons I took photos of the cockpit before any trial fitting. Same idea as taking photos of an RC plane before it's maiden flight. :-)

Those cables are stretched sprue painted with Testors Metalizer Steel. I stretch the sprue and when it cools, I dip a Q-Tip in the paint and press the stretched sprue down into the upturned cap and carefully draw it under the paint soaked tip. One smooth move and done. The result tends to have a spiral effect which helps with the cable look. Probably more to do with how the particular type of plastic I'm pulling stretches than with how the paint is applied.

sp

[oldalbie]

Hi Steve,
I like the subtle approach with your CDL.  Sometimes a lighter touch can be just as realistic looking.  Can't wait to see the rest of your Pup put together.

[Monty]

Hi Steve, cockpit looks just great! I do like your wood tones, it's going to look just fine in the completed model as it has a lovely sparkle and beautiful colours... I think your approach to shading is quite subtle but very realistic, please show us more... I didn't have any problems with fuselage fit on mine, but I test fitted carefully and ensured the layers of paint didn't interfere! (Just sand or scrape them off!)
This looks like a great build to follow...
All the Best,
Marc

[smperry]

Thanks guys.
Marc, The wood is Testors Model Master Wood with no attempt at graining. I oversprayed with Future tinted with a bit of yellow and brown. An attempt to make the wood look varnished.

I cleaned the stab down to the plastic with brake fluid and then cleaned it with alcohol. I re-primed it , then laid down a good coat of CDL. I didn't have a watercolor pencil light enough, so I mixed white into a few drops of the CDL and re-thinned it to a usable consistency with Future. I used this to hand paint the rib tapes and when that dried, I misted some more CDL until I liked it.

Right, wrong or indifferent, the result is exactly what I envisioned. Not often I get that. So I'm pleased enough with the "sandwich shading" technique to attempt it on the wings when the time comes.

sp

[RAGIII]

I think you have nailed the look. If you go through some of James Faheys' posts on the TVAl birds you will see just how close you are.
RAGIII

[Des]

Beautiful job on the tail plane Steve.

Des.

[smperry]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement guys.

A preliminary fit test of the cockpit and fuse halves promises way more "modeling fun" than I was hoping for. So it's off to go find a thread I saw here about the fit issues on the Pup. I'm going to take this slow try not to destroy anything in the process.

I found a new tool that wasn't here 10 years ago. The flashlight app on my phone. Great for shining a bright light on places that don't fit and its just great for finding small bits dropped on the floor.

sp

[smperry]

I couldn't get the fuselage sides to close around the cockpit. No surprise there. It didn't take long to figure out that I'd glued the second, smaller pair of side formers on wrong. Got to look closer at those drawings in the instructions.

The little formers came off clean and while they were off I did some further scraping and sanding and got a good fit. I had to trim the little formers a bit since the rigging had been installed. A little more scraping and sanding after the formers were glued back on and I had a good fit. No doubt there will be more adjustments when I fit the .lower wing, but that is modeling fun for another day.

Lessons learned, besides paying more attention to the drawings, is to make every effort to not paint what doesn't need paint. If I want a photo of a completed cockpit, and I surely will, I'll color the bare plastic with watercolor pencil. After any photos, a quick swipe or two with a damp Q-Tip will remove the color and leave the bare plastic places ready for fitting and assembly.

Off to deal with the tailskid and get the fuselage closed up for good.

sp

[RAGIII]

I couldn't get the fuselage sides to close around the cockpit. No surprise there. It didn't take long to figure out that I'd glued the second, smaller pair of side formers on wrong. Got to look closer at those drawings in the instructions.

The little formers came off clean and while they were off I did some further scraping and sanding and got a good fit. I had to trim the little formers a bit since the rigging had been installed. A little more scraping and sanding after the formers were glued back on and I had a good fit. No doubt there will be more adjustments when I fit the .lower wing, but that is modeling fun for another day.

Lessons learned, besides paying more attention to the drawings, is to make every effort to not paint what doesn't need paint. If I want a photo of a completed cockpit, and I surely will, I'll color the bare plastic with watercolor pencil. After any photos, a quick swipe or two with a damp Q-Tip will remove the color and leave the bare plastic places ready for fitting and assembly.

Off to deal with the tailskid and get the fuselage closed up for good.

sp

Steven,
You have learned lessons that all of us who build WNW kits have dealt with! In particular remember to look forward in the directions as well as at the step you are on. Sometimes painting tips and drawings show things more clearly in a later step! Ask me how I know this  Also remember that the Pup is an earlier release. WNW like most Model Companies has improved over the years. The tolerances aren't quite as unforgiving in some of the Latest kits although care still needs to be taken.
RAGIII