forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Vacform Kits => Topic started by: djuggie on June 15, 2024, 03:20:09 AM
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June 14, 2024
This model has left the Shelf of Doom at least twice, only to be returned, incomplete. Now is the time to finish it.
A brief history: The FB-26 was a throw back to the pusher days and was to be an armored trench straffer. To increase firepower an Eeman triple gun mounting was used. The development of the aircraft came very late in the war and it was never used operationally. An order for six was placed but I do not know how many were built. One problem was the placement of the radiators resulted in the engine overheating.
It is a basic vacuform with me adding machine guns, seats and belts and a four blade prop. Aeroclub was in business at this time as the kit references some of his parts. There is no Windsock or Datafile information but a good number of photos come up on the internet that will aid in building the kit. I think the main reason it went back on the shelf was the Eeman gun mount. I wanted it but had no idea what it looked like. If anyone has any information this gun mounting, I would be forever in your debt.
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-01.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-02.jpg)
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Following this one with interest Dennis since it's one of a few vacforms I have in the box. I like the look of the nacelle hanging form the top wing rather than being attached to the bottom although I can see how that brings its own problems ;)
Paul
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Nice one Dennis! The FB-26 is one of my favourites, as you may see it's on my personal photo. It's the Bentley powered Vampire II, and though I have the Scaleplanes vac I've only now realized it's of the Vampire I.
Good luck with the build, I will definitely follow.
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Well, I'm certainly rooting for you, Dennis, I'll scour my references for the gun mount. You never know what'll turn up in WWI Aero... unless you have them indexed, that is :-D
Dutch
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Dutch,
Believe it or not, I have all of my WW1 material in a WIKI and I can find almost anything I own it. It took about 3 months to go through each reference one page at a time but the results are well worth it. It got crazy to just finish a model and only then learn I had reference material on it. Problem solved.
I have both (that I know of) Vampires on the Shelf of Doom. I would like to do the rotary engine 26a in the near future. I will be building the Hispano Suzia version.
Progress has been made. A Se5a give up its exhausts and the holes have been drilled for the guns. I reworked the radiators and added metal etch to them. Do you think the handles would have been removed on the Lewis guns? I would get a little crowded in there and they would serve no purpose as they were fixed into position. I also wonder where spare magazines would have been stored.
Dennis
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When I saw the title I first thought it was one of these "other eras" projects....... Glad I clicked on it to see a very interesting project afoot.
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June 17, 2024
Some more bits and pieces completed and the interior is complete and closed up. With the exception of a seat back and seat belts that I found in the scrape box, everything else is scratch built. I cut the nose off so I could make some kind representation of the gun placement. It probably detached on the real aircraft at this point to work on the guns. Just a guess. I will start the gun mounting system today.
I think this was one of the areas of why the model spent so much time on the Shelf of Doom. I could no find any information of the Eeman gun mount. But after I close it up. who will know if its right or wrong. I can trust you not to tell my secret, right?
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-03.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-04.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-05.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-06.jpg)
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That would be easy compared to not telling of the missing engine Dennis ;)
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Engine? What is this engine that you speak of? When they are completely enclosed, you have to use your imagination. I cannot bring myself to install an engine, especially when I have no clue how it looked. Besides, my insanity has to have some bounds.
Dennis
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Not to worry, Dennis, I have it on good authority that the FB-26 didn't actually have an engine, its love for England kept it aloft, in much the same way Lord Nelson stayed warm on his freezing quarterdeck...
Dutch
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June 22, 2024
Took a few days off. Here is my FB-26 progress.
Cut and snipped until the three guns fit to a reasonable degree and glued on the nose piece. Radiators and exhausts were added. The prop is not glued; just fit into place to check its location. The wings are painted and ready for decals. I do think the three gun installation was what caused the model to return to the Shelf of Doom. We will soon see if that was the issue as I progress.
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-07.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-08.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-09.jpg)
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This is a fascinating aeroplane, Dennis, can't wait to see it together! I was completely unable to find anything on the Eeman gun mount, not surprisingly, sounds like if there was anything available you'd have found it in your own collection. Oddly, there's a contemporary Estonian company making pistol upgrade parts that goes by the name Eeman, although there's almost certainly no connection.
Dutch
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Dutch,
Thank you for looking. In retrospect, I should have drilled three holes, stuck in three rods and called it a day. Even if I had info on the Eeman mount, there was no room to put anything. Thank you for your comment.
Dennis
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This is quite some project! It's powered by Schrodinger drive..... (the engine is there but not there). Full of Dennis's dirty little secrets, this will be a totally unique build when it's done.
Very nice progress so far Dennis, keep going.
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No problemo, Dennis. I love scrounging for obscure aeronautical details... a weird idea of fun, but I can deal with it when I have to ;D
And Nigel writes: This is quite some project! It's powered by Schrodinger drive..... (the engine is there but not there).
I had one of those in my little Mazda roadster, but sometimes it worked and sometimes not; I ended up swapping it out for an Ultimate Improbability Drive off EBay. Much more reliable, as long as you really didn't care where you ended up.
Dutch
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June 24, 2024
The top wing is now attached and drying until tomorrow. I didn't use my Aeroclub jig because of the location of the lower wing. The top wing was attached by cutting each strut individually, drilling my rigging holes and installed them one at a time. It is a little fragile at this moment but it should be strengthened when the fuselage to wing structs are added. Think of them as reverse cabanes. I will not build the tail booms until the top wing is secure. It is this area that I am little vague as far as location but I will figure it out.
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-10.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-11.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-12.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-13.jpg)
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Nice work Dennis. I would be completely out of my depth trying to add the tail booms to this. It will be a testament to your modelling skills to see this one done!
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Nigel,
I am looking forward to the booms. At this moment I am working on the structs from the fuselage to the lower wing. How many languages can you say "nightmare". The alignment has to be perfect which I am not. The angles, the precise gluing, all challenges. This has to rank near the top of my most difficult kits.
Thank you for your comments on my modelling skills which at the moment I consider very low. But I will prevail. I may drool for a few days after, but it will be finished.
Dennis
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June 26, 2024
Progress to date. With the exception of some touch up, the wing to fuselage section is complete. The next step will be the building of the tail booms. There are considerable alignment problems but, all in all, it is going together well. This is a model that I put too much thought into. I should have just taken it out of the package and put it together. But that is water under the bridge and I am too far along to quit. Rigging could take place this weekend. But for now, on to the tail booms.
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-14.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-15.jpg)
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June 28, 2024
Tail booms are in place and it is now ready for rigging. There are some alignment problems I have to work out but the fix may be worse than leaving it alone. It has gone together surprisingly trouble free so there is a good chance I will make only a half-hearted attempt at repairs.
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-16.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-17.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-18.jpg)
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Ye gods what a beast! Looks great from over here on the East Coast, Dennis.
Dutch
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Dutch,
The east coast is as close as I want someone to see this kit. I have always said I build "illusions". With the naked eye, my models are highly praised for their detail. However, under the harsh eye of a macro camera lens, the truth is revealed and my model sinks beneath the waves in a manner similar to the Titanic. On the other hand, with the right camera angle, the illusion continues.
Dennis
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Great so far Denis (who knows I might even dig out the kit myself)
Paul
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Smoke & mirrors, Dennis, smoke & mirrors ;D
Dutch
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Well, you made attaching the tail booms look easy, and I don't think that's an illusion...... ;)
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July 16, 2024
Finished at last. If anything could go wrong building a kit, it happened here. I wasn't feeling well, life got in the way and I fought this kit from day one. Only by sheer willpower did I finish it. It should be on the shelf of doom but I wanted finish it. It is not one of my better models and I found it very difficult to build. There are alignment problems, my PC10 paint bottle disappeared so the touch up doesn't match, all of drilled hole had superglue in them, so the had to be re-drilled. The rigging was very complicated and my reference material was lacking. But, it is complete and will join the other models in the case. What I do know is that the chances of the FB-26a being built are slim to none. Rant mode off.
Dennis
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-19.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-20.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-21.jpg)
(http://priswell.com/djuggie/Vickfb-26-22.jpg)
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Well it looks terrific to my eye - and I am grateful to you for letting me see what this rare bird looked like from different angles.
(So glad you plugged that sphincter hole with a propellor, it was looking distinctly bum-like at one stage!)
Great model
Sandy
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You got it done and the most important thing is you have a model that is pretty much unique, I doubt whether there are many (any?) others out there. Yes, it's got some imperfections but it really looks the part. Any flaws always seem much bigger in our eyes......
It's a pity when models become a bit of a struggle but sometimes pushing through to the end gives you a sense of achievement and I hope you got that from this one. I never even knew this plane existed until you built this model!
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I seemed to have totally missed this one Dennis :'( To My eye the results are excellent! Certainly, a unique bird for your collection!
RAGIII
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I missed it too - I can't help but think of the Lockheed P-38 when I see that nose! What a machine!
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Good to see the FB.26 finished. Well done!
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Well done Dennis, your determination to finish this very challenging Kit has paid off "in spades" with a very unique and appealing addition to your display case. You can be very proud of this one; not every Builder would have weathered the storm and taken her to this successful conclusion!
Cheers,
Lance