forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Scratch builds => Topic started by: Old Man on August 22, 2014, 06:08:04 AM
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Have gotten solidly underway on this, friends; another from the first Baghdad campaign....
Here is the machine being modeled:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/CC-MSYD_zps48539b43.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/s1ampco_Kut_zpsbb2ece50.jpg)
The machine, flown by Maj. Riley, played a pivotal, if unfortunate. role in the battle of Ctesiphon, which led to the siege of Kut and eventual surrender of Gen. Townsend's command.
Here is the 'scratch-builder's kit'....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5738_zps03a726b1.jpg)
I am using the drawings from old and extremely tattered Harleyford Fighters 1914-1918 book, supplemented by Mr. Bruce's Fighters Vol. I, and whatever pictures I can scrounge up, with the old issue of Cross and Cockade covering this campaign providing some detail on the particular machine, 4244/MH6.
Here are the basic pieces made first:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5740_zps0c2e2772.jpg)
Rectangles at the bottom are blanks for the wings: it does not show in the picture, but they have been sanded to airfoil section, with appreciable camber. They are a little over-size in chord, to allow for further sanding when the ribs are put in, and the final shaping of tips and center-sections is done. They are made from 2mm styrene sheet.
At the top is the blank for the horizontal tail surface. It is made from 1mm sheet, and will be sanded down appreciably. Vertical tail surface will not be made till fuselage assembly is done (or at least its rear portion is done).
The other pieces are blanks for the fuselage sides and bottom. The sides are made of 0.75mm (0.03") sheet, and were taped together when they were trimmed to shape. They go only up to the line of the upper longeron. The bottom piece is made of 1mm (0.04") sheet; it is underwidth by the drawing to allow for fastening of the side pieces.
Here are the wings with ribs in and tips shaped:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5743_zps9b7f0059.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5745_zps3c0f6fb7.jpg)
At this stage, there is no need to differentiate between upper and lower wings, as span and chord are identical. When I choose which will be which, appropriate trimming to the center sections will be made. In the second picture, you can see something of how the 'tapes' stand out, and of the 'sag' between them. Ribs are first drawn in pencil, then scored on either side of the pencil line. The area between ribs is scraped with the curved edge of a #10 blafde, and gone over with a 'swizzle stick' sander (length of foam backed emery about 3/16" wide). Finally, the thing is swiped over a few times with a fine-grit sanding stick moved span-wise.
Here is the fuselage, with the blanks shown earlier assembled, and the rear decking and firewall put in.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5747_zps20d54a7d.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5749_zpse341deef.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5750_zpse04f7954.jpg)
For the rear decking, a backing piece was put in at the cockpit rear (what will be the cockpit rear, anyway), with a 'cap' put atop this to define the shape in front. Then a thin sheet of plastic was put down, from this to the very rear. The rear decking itself is two pieces of 2mm sheet, the first sanded to a 'wedge' shape before being attached. These were then trimmed and filed to match in plan and profile, then sanded to shape in section.
The firewall was put in the same way the cockpit rear was, in two pieces --- one between the sides and one 'capping it'. The portion of the fuselage bottom that is in front of the firewall will be trimmed out later, but for now remains to lend sturdiness to the cheek-pieces.
Next will be work on the cockpit interior....
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Cool , will be following this closely !
Terri
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Always enjoy following your interesting projects OM. No exception this time. Carry on!
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You are sure off to a flying start with this one OM, your progress so far is excellent, I will be following closely, always love your scratch builds.
Des.
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Looking forward to yet another masterpiece!
RAGIII
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What a start you've made OM on a really fascinating project! I found the explanation of how you approached the wings really interesting and informative.
Thanks and best wishes
Nigel
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Another interesting, not to say inspiring, project on the go. Will be watching this with interest too. Great to see these early and less well known types being brought forward, the more so as they are frequently so difficult to research. An excellent start and thanks for the explanations about how you represent wing ribs - always a pain for me.
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Thanks Old Man for tackling this one.
I had considered doing it myself (That is not such a big deal in my case as I consider something new every other day). I will definatly be looking forward to seeing the progress on this one.
Alan
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Thank you all very much, my friends! I appreciate your kind words and interest in the project. Ever since I first learned of this one in the old Harleyford tome, it has held a fascination for me. Obviously, everyone has heard of Lt. Strange's famous dangle, and my tyouthful impulse was to ignore the Middle Eastern service, but now, knowing more about that, and its significance, that seems far nad away the best subject for a model of this type.
Have been working on the interior and detail parts.
Here is the interior as it stands at present:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5797_zps02cdbcdd.jpg)
Fuselage sides of the cockpit were plywood, not fabric. I feel reasonably sure the area behind the motor housed fuel and oil tankage, and that these slanted along the line apparent in photographs dividing plywood from metal; I doubt this will be visible, but still. Instrument panel is loosely based on that of the later 'Elephant', which shared a surprising number of characteristics with the earlier type. Bezels are brass beading wire wound around round rod (try saying that three times fast...), and instrument faces are thin slices of said rod. Note the panel leave room all around for the pieces of sheet that will build up the cockpit covering. Between the panel and the firewall, it will all be solid. A wobble-pump and air-pump need to be added.
Here are detail components under way:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5792_zps7a58ab05.jpg)
Wicker seat, control column, and blank for the seven cylinder Gnome....
The seat had its holes put in with a pin and a bit of twirling a pointed blade.
The first step in the motor was making a slightly over-sized disc of 2mm sheet. This was then filed into a septagonal shape. A hole was drilled center of each face of this, and a short length of 1mm rod let into this. Over the rod, pieces of 2mm tube were slipped, after having been given some taper on their interior ends. Heads were then beveled a little. Circles of thin sheet were added to the front of the crankcase, and fins scraped into the cylinders with a pin-point.
Here is a picture of the front, with the motor very roughly in place:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5800_zps42cfe555.jpg)
When the nose is finally tended to properly, the cheek-pieces, which are 30 thou sheet, will be thinned considerably, which should allow the motor to fit with minimal attentions to the cylinder heads.
Next step will be closing over the fuselage at cockpit and front, and doing the final shaping and scoring of the wings, and splitting the lower wing.
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This is a very fine build which is coming on well. I especially like how you have built your engine - these can be a pig from scratch as I know from experience. I shall keep your ideas in mind when I next have to build a rotary or radial.
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This is coming together very nicely OM, I like your technique for making the rotary engine.
Des.
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Thank you very much, Gentlemen.
A good deal of progress to report:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5830_zpsd7052b7f.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5847_zps9306553f.jpg)
In covering over the cockpit, I used three pieces of thickish (30 thou) plastic, one for each side of the trtiangle, and a narrow one for the space between them. This was overthick intentionally, as there is a good deal of sanding it would have to stand up to. The area between the instrument panel and the firewall is a fairly complex shape. In profile, it rises towards the firewall, and as it does, it transforms in section from the flat-topped triangle at the panel to half-round at the firewall (one ferature the later Elephant shares with its 'Scout' predecessor). The fill in the area is a solid laminate, one layer 3mm sheet, the other 2mm sheet.
The cowling upper is only tacked in place in these pictures. It is one of those exercises in 'take some plastic and remove everything which is not the part' I resort to at times. It is made of three pieces of thick sheet, two 2mm and one 3mm. I placved the first sheet of 2mm against the firewall and traced its outline. I then cut away up to near that line, with a decided slant forward, to get the interior hollow underway, and then tacked it place temporarily to file it down to roughly the desired external shape. I then glued this to a second piece of 2mm sheet, and again trimmed away the interior void, and roughly shaped down the outside. Final step was a piece of 3mm sheet in front. Since at this point, the void is more vertical than not, I traced the interior of the front of what I had in hand already, and trimmed away a void in the thickness of the sheet. When I had done this, I glued the earlier assembly on, and did more internal shaping with 'swizzle stick' sanding sticks and curved edge razor knife blades. Them I tacked the thing in place, and filed it to pretty much its final external shape.
Here are a couple of pictures showing the 'interior' and the fit on the inside...
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5839_zpsd3d51fa9.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5833_zps6589b073.jpg)
Here are a couple of pictures focused on the cockpit, with pumps and a couple more things added....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5834_zps9505cfef.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5837_zps26f63923.jpg)
(this is a late production machine, earlier ones had an oddly a-symmetrical cockpit opening, which re-appeared in the later Elephant)
State of play has advanced a good deal since these pictures were taken. I have cut away the 'bottom' in front of the firewall, trimmed the cheekpieces projecting there considerably, attached the upper cowling piece, given it is final shaping, and added the 'strip' across the front of the cowling (a support for the motor, in part). I can report that, if no detail is put in on the cylinder heads which would be concealed within the cowling, the motor fits in its present state. I have also pitched in on the wings, scribing the ailerons and scoring rib indications on the undersurfaces. Still have not decided which will be upper and which lower, though....
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An excellent up-date Oldman . You are making pretty good progress on the fuselage :)
Terri
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That is a long process to get the complex curves on the nose. Personally I would have moulded it but then I would have to carve the shape in wood first. Either way it is difficult enough and I greatly admire what you have done. This model is really coming on well - so interesting to see one of these early and less well known (hardly known?) types in the making. Looking forward to reading more.
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you are a talented so and so old man. have been enjoying your scratch builds for years. and this one is another example.great work.
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An excellent job, Mr. Man ;) Fantastic modeling!
Mark G
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Excellent progress! Your talent in scratch building is awesome!!
RAGIII
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The fuselage looks just right OM! Looking forward to seeing this one take shape under your skilled hands. :D
Cheers,
Bob
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Thank you all very much for you interest and your kind comments.
That is a long process to get the complex curves on the nose. Personally I would have moulded it but then I would have to carve the shape in wood first.
I have not been comfortable working wood since a bad cut in the tip of my left thumb whittling for a 'balsa and putty' conversion when I was a boy. Grain and I do not get along, I decided then, and have stuck with it. One idea I have seen, and thought of taking my first try at here, is making the shape, a little undersized, in some solid medium, then coating it in petroleum jelly or something similar, and using rolled sheets of Milliput or similar stuff to form the part over this. One of these days I will give this a shot.
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Some more progress on this, my friends, but first, here are some pictures of where things had gotten to after the last set of pictures....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5848_zpse1cd8910.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5851_zps4daa7935.jpg)
The motor is simply pressed into the cowling area. There are some underside bits to the cowling, but adding them will have to wait until the motor is detailed and in place, as I doubt I could get it in once they are added.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5854_zps30bb7412.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5852_zpsb19c616c.jpg)
Here are the wings, still as more or less identical blanks, with the ailerons scribed in, and under-surface ribs and spars marked for painting.
From this point, I put aside the motor and cowling and fuselage, and got onto the tricky bit with the wings:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5856_zps99968709.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5858_zpsa79d3476.jpg)
Though it is not too apparent, dihedral has been put in. On the lower wing, it does not start quite at the root, so it was put in before the center section was removed. To put dihedral in, I simply scored along an upper-surface rib marking, and bent to suit. Glue does not seem necessary. Locator holes for the interplane struts are in, but not yet those for the cabanes. I will be assembling the cabanes to the fuselage first here, since there are some finishing elements where they attach I could not get to readily otherwise.
Here are things with the lower wings resting very roughly in place:
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5861_zpsf3b5ce9f.jpg)
I expect on the next bound to get the engine and cowling finished, and some paint on....
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This really is coming on nicely. Isn't it wonderful how a coat of paint makes such a difference to a model - makes you think that you are getting somewhere at last…..
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She's looking like an aeroplane now OM! Very inspiring work. :D Well done.
Cheers,
Bob
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Another one of your little gems in the works, OM! Looking forward to this one.
Cheers,
Bud
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Lovely work on the fuselage OM and your technique for scratch building the cowls is quite interesting, the wings are also starting to really look the part now, I will be following your progress.
Des.
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Another one of your little gems in the works, OM! Looking forward to this one.
Cheers,
Bud
Dittos from Amigo # 3.
RAGIII
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Thank you for the kind words, my friends.
It has been a while since I could post an up-date, but there has been considerable progress, and most of it I did manage to get pictures taken of, if not processed through until recently. So this will be a fairly long post....
The first item was getting the cowling completed. This involved cutting in some surface detail down low on the forward fuselage sides, and piecing together the lower portions of the cowling after the motor had been affixed.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5876_zpsae46ae5a.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5878_zps971ee35a.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5881_zps67bbe33e.jpg)
It was necessary to replace the front strip; it took several attempts before I managed one with satisfactory perforations. The underpart of the cowling is built up from a total of seven small pieces (five 'parts'; and two 'patches' where angles were sanded through). This took quite a while, though a lot of the time was spent figuring out how to do it and how to make it work. If I were to do it again, it would be a fairly direct process and not take more than an hour or two. I am not sure what is going on on the lower fuselage sides, but I suspect there is a fuel and oil tank directly behind the engine. The deliberately thick sides and bottom gave ample play for the cutting.
Next step was finishing the horizontal tail-plane and attaching this and the lower wings to the fuselage.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5883_zps9c295658.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5885_zpsad9b01fa.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5886_zps0482c9ed.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5888_zpsb0f7731a.jpg)
This went fairly smoothly, and I feel good about the prospect of locator holes lining up, and that sort of thing. There has been some more refining of the sculpting on the nose.
After putting in cabane locator hole in the fuselage, painting has commenced....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5903_zps67c558b9.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5905_zps3a7de5d2.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5907_zps5162d1b0.jpg)
The linen colour is PollyScale 'Old Concrete' cut with some 'IJA Grey'. I do not intend to weather this machine as heavily as I did the Short 827. The only major piece left to make is the vertical tail surface (this has to fit over the tailplane, and goes up to the end of the triangular decking). Wheels and propeller will come from the spares box; I am very glad to note in the in-service up the Tigris picture, wheel covers are in place.
Here is how things stand now, after a solid session this weekend....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5930_zps0cd438cc.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5933_zps88f93ede.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5935_zps07921ef4.jpg)
Undercarriage and cabanes are on, as are the various 'fish-plates' at critical joints, and a coaming for the cockpit, and the vertical tail surface has been made. The fish-plates are a bit over-scale in thickness, but such is life in 1/72. Finish over-all has been tightened up a bit. One nice thing about the design is that there is no splay to the undercarriage or the cabanes, which makes them easier to set up. I thought it best to put in the cabanes first this time, as I think getting in the fish-plates would have been trickier with the upper wing on. I will rig the cabanes before attaching the upper wing. Last picture shows the upper wing resting on the cabanes in a test-fit (it slipped a little askew, I am only going to press the strut ends in solidly once...). This picture shows the miniature Union Jacks wife set up for me (two will go on the rudder, one each side), as well as shield emblems for the U.S.A.A.C. Air Corps Technical School, for an OT build I am also working on (an early P-40 in bare metal finish).
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Exellent work and paint.
Martin
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Coming along really well Oldman . Nice job on getting the cowl shape ;)
Terri
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You certainly have made terrific progress! I wish I had half of your skill!
RAGIII
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Very fine progress, indeed, OldMan. You are going to build a beauty!
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She's really starting to look the business now, OM.
Excellent progress. The view into the cockpit is
quite amazing, especially in the teeny scale. :D
Cheers,
Ernie :)
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Excellent progress, OM! You're really flying along on this one, yet maintaining your usual high building standards.
Cheers,
Bud
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WOW Old Man
This is really coming together. A great pleasure to follow.
Alan.
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Another of your fascinating builds. It looks vaguely like a Tabloid from the nose section. The painting is spot on in my opinion, and the work on the nose is very good indeed. This will be a very interesting subject when it is finished and very different from the usual commercial kits.
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This is really coming together beautifully OM, you work at a fairly quick pace but still manage to produce high quality models, well done.
Des.
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always a nice time viewing your builds old man.
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Thank you, my friends.
This is coming into the home stretch now with the upper wing attached and structural rigging put in....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5941_zpsba4f4f90.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5943_zpsb381f4df.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_5946_zps5dbd524d.jpg)
Interplane struts were made individually once upper wing was on the cabanes. Tricky business, but no serious difficulties.
Next session at the bench ought to see it complete; its due date in two group builds is the eleventh....
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Looking just fantastic, OM! Reminds me a bit of the Tabloid, as someone else has noted. I really enjoy your builds of lesser known aircraft from the Mesopotamia and Palestine campaigns, along with the interesting history you provide. Fascinating. Thanks for sharing these wonderful builds with us! :D
Regards,
Bob
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Getting very close to the finishing line OM and looking really good, the wings look great and the rigging is very well done.
Des.
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Fantastic work OM.
Martin
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Now that is looking really sweet so far Oldman 8)
Terri
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Really looking the part now! Terrific Work on the rigging!
RAGIII
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Really good modelling there. I agree that your builds of lesser known types from secondary theatres are really interesting and very informative.
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Thank you very much, my friends.
This is now done, though I do not have final pictures taken or the full write-up done. But here are some pictures taken a 'proof of completion' for two Group Builds elsewhere this was entered in, with finish dates tomorrow....
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_6047_zps12dd49cc.jpg)
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd447/vieuxhomme/IMG_6054_zpse7fbfea6.jpg)
Stitching is decal wife made up a large batch of some time ago.
There were some last-minute bobbles, but nothing serious (had to reconstruct a bit of the under-carriage was most of it).
This was a fun and mostly trouble-free build, and I am glad to have a model of this one. The type has interested me for a long time, ever since I first learned of it in the old Harleyford 'Fighters 1914-1918' book.
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congrats OM!
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Great-looking model OM! You've got my vote. ;D Very well done!
Cheers & huzzas,
Bob
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Absolutly beatiful model Om.
Martin
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Congratulations OM on completing this wonderful model, you have produced another work of art.
Des.
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Congratulations on the completion of another one of your extraordinary little gems, OM!
Cheers,
Bud
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As always with your scratch builds, VERY NICE!
RAGII
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Congratulations on another brilliant little gem. I hope that this one wins like the last one did - it certainly deserves to.
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Well Done O.M.
Another fantastic scratchbuild.
Alan.