forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: Squiffy on November 14, 2015, 07:27:19 AM
-
Evening all,
I wasn't sure whether or not to post this build - I'm concerned that it may turn out to be a total disaster (all down to my building skills, or lack of, and not the parts themselves).
I was also unsure where to post it. This is because it isn't a straightforward kit-build. Yes, it's a kit of parts but the parts consist of scratched parts and proprietary kit parts none of which are scratched by yours truly and so posting in 'scratch builds' doesn't seem right as I can't take credit for actually building the model from scratch. So I've decided to post it in 'Under Construction'.
The scratch parts were made for me by a fellow modeller and the proprietary parts are mostly from an Airfix DH4. I have however scratched some small parts myself and will be making some more along the way.
I made a start over a week ago and here is the progress thus far:
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee72-001.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee72-001.jpg.html)
Wings as provided - all scratched from plasticard and plastic strip. I have given them a coat of Tamiya XF55 to represent CDL, although the final colour scheme is yet to be decided.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee72-002.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee72-002.jpg.html)
The nacelle. The parts that I have made myself are the framing and the fuel tank. All the rest, bar the pilot's seat (Eduard) was provided in the "kit".
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee72-003.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee72-003.jpg.html)
Another picture showing the nacelle. I have added my own dashboard base. Next up is to make a dashboard.
-
You have made an excellent start Squiffy, what you have accomplished so far looks really good.
Des.
-
Very great beginning. ;D
Cheers
Martin
-
Outstanding start Squiffy!
RAGIII
-
Great start. Looks super in this phase and i am sure you will finish it in this maner.
-
Lookin great!!!
-
OK Squiffy, now you've gone and done it mate. Now you've entered my pantheon of "real scale modelers" by combining scratch-built and various kit parts to build, not just an a/c, but a real string-bag, a feat hard enough to do IMHO with a kit. :) ;D Kudos to you sir! I'm really looking forward to see how you do with this as a Fee is on my dream list to do one day.
Warren
-
Brilliant start, Squiffy! Gonna be a beauty for sure!
Cheers,
Bud
-
Thanks, chaps.
Progress has been slow but it now has an engine, exhaust, oil tank, inlet manifolds, cooling air intakes, radiator and a dashboard.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/kites-007.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/kites-007.jpg.html)
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/kites-006.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/kites-006.jpg.html)
The PC10 may not be staying. I'm looking into making it into a night-bomber and painting it black.
-
Nice job, SQ! :D
I kind of like the green, but it would look sinister in black...hmmmm....
Nice progress.
Dan
-
Nice work. Go for the night version ;)
-
The engine and nacelle look great Squiffy, looking forward to seeing the next update.
Des.
-
Looking good so far.
-
Excellent work!!!
-
Very beautiful work.
Cheers
Martin
-
Engine, interior, and the Nacelle look terrific! I am sure no matter which direction you go with the painting it will look great!
RAGIII
-
Nice work to this point, Squiffy. This is real modelling at work, great project and I too vote for the black scheme! 8)
Cheers,
Lance
-
Due to popular demand, black is the new... er... black (except for the upper plane, which is PC10). I believe this is correct for a night-bomber?
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/FEE-002.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/FEE-002.jpg.html)
I haven't used a pure black as I feel pure black doesn't look right on a small scale model. Instead I've added some grey into the mix, which looks better and could also be said to be weathered and faded black. And not forgetting lubrication for the modeller - a nice cup of tea!
I'm wondering about the struts - should they be black, or wood?
-
Very nice choice, Squiffy! I'm really liking your black F.E2b! From what I've seen, the struts and booms are dark grey on the back versions. They are a bit lighter than the black on the wings and fuse.
George
-
Squiffy, this build is looking grrrrrr-ate!
Warren
-
The black is looking great! You are moving along at your usual pace so I am looking forward to seeing the wings mounted soon :)
RAGIII
-
Great choice of colour Squiffy.
Des.
-
Have a look here Squiffy for the colour of the struts;
http://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=2602.0
Des.
-
Thanks for the link, Des. I've been looking at pictures of the one in the museum, at Hendon, and it has unpainted wood struts. I guess it varied from aircraft to aircraft?
-
It looks terrific.
Cheers
Martin
-
I'm getting a bit excited about this ;)
-
Looking good!
-
It's been several weeks since I touched this. Partly because of the French GB and partly because I'd reached a stage that needed me to dedicate a few solid hours at it, which is something I can never do during the working week. However, today was the first day of my Christmas holiday and so I went in the shed early this afternoon and have only left it to make cups of tea and for the call of nature...
I was slightly afraid of messing it up at the stage of fitting the interplane struts as there is no kind of positive location for them; only shallow dimples drilled in the wings to show where they go. I do not posess an alignment jig of any description so lining up the struts and top planes was done by the Mk1 human eyeball alone.
It went rather well considering the lack of location holes and the fact that eight of the struts were chopped and modified from the Airfix DH4 kit, and the remaining four were made from plastic strip. The strut ends are extremely small and there is very little strength in them so I had to quickly but carefully get some rigging in place to hold the whole thing together.
The cabane struts and their rigging can be fitted now that everything is stabilised by the rigging that was done today and so that will be the next job.
Other small jobs have been the fitting of the gravity fuel tank and the manufacture and fitting of the carburettors and intakes. For the latter I used plastic rod.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-001.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-001.jpg.html)
-
Nice work on the wings Squiffy...now the fun part!
Ian
-
Looking really nice Squiffy, the timber colour wing struts look good.
Des.
-
Terrific job of getting all of those struts glued and aligned by eye! The rigging looks outstanding.
RAGIII
-
Squiffy,
it is a very great build and an exellent rigging.
Cheers
Martin
-
Squiffy, you've done a fine, fine job on that. That stage on this type of kit scares me to death, as I don't possess a jig either. You achieved a great result in my humble opinion.
Warren
-
Brilliant work on the struts, top wing placement and the rigging, Squiffy!
Cheers,
Bud
-
Thanks, chaps. I think that that what I've done so far is going to look easy when compared with what is to come. Building and rigging the tail boom is going to be rather challenging!
At the moment I'm thinking of using copper and brass tube. Copper tube for the longerons and squashed brass tube for the verticals. I'm going to try soldering it all but if that fails I'll go for plastic rod. I've got to wait until my local model shop opens after the holiday before I can get any more supplies.
-
Very interested in how you do this Squiffy as I have the Formaplane vac in the stash somewhere.
Warren
-
Plan A is progressing.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-001a.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-001a.jpg.html)
The longerons are brass rod and the struts are crushed copper tube. The jig is simply a piece of card that has been cut from measurements on a 1:72 scale drawing.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-003.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-003.jpg.html)
As I progressed with the soldering I cut the jig down to be able to line up the centre strut.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-004_1.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-004_1.jpg.html)
Offering up the boom. The drawing and model parts are placed on a piece of 2mm steel sheet so the boom parts can be held in place for soldering. The square is to check the vertical alignment before soldering the two halves together.
-
Brilliant Squiffy, brilliant!
I have been wanting to try my hand at this for a while, and was cautioned about the heat being applied to new joints bleeding over and melting the prior joints. Did you encounter this problem? If so, how or what did you do to overcome it? (Some have suggested moist paper towels laid over the object in between the new and old joins to act as a heat sink. Thoughts?)
Warren
-
Exellent work!
Cheers
Martin
-
Brilliant Squiffy, brilliant!
I have been wanting to try my hand at this for a while, and was cautioned about the heat being applied to new joints bleeding over and melting the prior joints. Did you encounter this problem? If so, how or what did you do to overcome it? (Some have suggested moist paper towels laid over the object in between the new and old joins to act as a heat sink. Thoughts?)
Warren
Hello, Warren,
I use a resistance soldering unit so heat transfer and other, previously soldered, joints coming apart isn't so much of a problem because the heat application is very quick and the steel plate on which the soldering is done acts as a massive heat sink. When making these joints I was able to pick the piece up with my fingers almost immediately after the joint was made.
I don't think I would have considered attempting to build this with an ordinary soldering iron. When building model railway engines, before I bought the RSU, I would use tweezers and pliers as heat sinks to prevent the iron's heat from spreading previously made joints as well as wet paper towels, as you mentioned.
-
Thanks Squiffy. A resistance unit is beyond my means, won't do enough soldering to merit the expense. However, as a model railroader, I'm sure you get more than enough use out of it.
Warren
-
Lovely job with the booms Squiffy, the brass and copper soldered together will make a very strong unit.
Des.
-
Outstanding craftsmanship Squiffy! The booms look excellent!
RAGIII
-
That's progressing very well and like the way you're going about it. Great skills.
-
The boom is now in the process of being attached to the wings. I've put it on the steel plate so the magnets can hold the boom down whilst the epoxy sets. The rudder and tail planes are not yet fixed but have been placed for effect. Once the top plane/boom is set I will glue the bottom plane/boom.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-006.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-006.jpg.html)
Rigging this boom is going to be difficult with monofilament so I'm experimenting with 0.2mm nickel silver rod. So far the experiment is proving to be extremely trying! I think elastic will be better but I don't know where to get hold of any that's suitable.
Preparing the prop and bombs. The Cooper bombs are spares from Roden kits and the large bomb is from the Airfix DH4. It's not like any bomb I've seen but it's the nearest thing short of making one completely from sctrach (which I may yet do). The prop has my usual trick of a dressmaker's pin and brass tube so it can freely rotate when fitted to the engine.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-007.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-007.jpg.html)
-
Great update.
Cheers
Martin
-
Brilliant all around squiffy!
RAGIII
-
Very nice job on the propeller Squiffy.
Des.
-
Thanks, chaps.
We're on the home straight now. Boom fitted and the majority of the rigging is done and the V-strut landing gear is in place.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-002a.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-002a.jpg.html)
The 230lb. bomb.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-003a.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-003a.jpg.html)
The one at the top is the Airfix bomb as it comes. The lower one is after modification of the tail, the removal of the moulded bomb release and the body has been extended. To extend it I cut it in half with a razor saw and glued the halves to a length of an old paint brush that had also been cut with a razor saw.
Armament.
(http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l5/soddit36/Stuff2/Fee-005a.jpg) (http://s92.photobucket.com/user/soddit36/media/Stuff2/Fee-005a.jpg.html)
The MkII Lewis is from Mini World. This is the most fiddly thing I've ever modelled! Fitting the gunsight was nothing compared to folding over the strap for the ammunition drum. The tips of even my finest tweezers are huge in comparison. I had to take this photo just so I could see the damn thing as I can't see this much detail with the naked eye.
-
Excellent update :) i know how hard this is 1/32 and building it with such detail in 1/72 is madness :) bravo!
-
Keep driving forward Squiffy, it looks great!
Warren
-
Nice job. Those mini-world guns are worth every bit of the squinting though!
Ian
-
This model is looking superb Squiffy, great work on the tiny machine gun.
Des.
-
Absolutely brilliant, Squiffy! Almost done. Looking forward to the final result.
Cheers,
Bud
-
Thanks, chaps. Your enthusiasm is much appreciated. :)
I'm declaring it finished and am now uploading photos of the finished item, which will be posted to "Squiffy's Kites" in the Completed Models section.
-
looks fantastic squiffy, this may be you nicest build yet.
-
Squiffy,
Amazing job on the rigging and MG! Beautiful work!
RAGIII
-
NICE! I have a soft spot for the ol' girl (see my avatar!).
Lovely job...Dan