forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Scratch builds => Topic started by: lone modeller on January 22, 2020, 08:58:05 AM
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Evening All,
I seem to have lost my mojo of late - if anyone finds it can you please pm me and I will send you my address so that you can send it back. Winter is never a good time for me and I seem to be suffering a bit from seasonal lack of energy. I have ideas for several possible projects but frankly I cannot get the motivation to start one. Instead I am going to try to pick up on a long term project which I have been tinkering with for too long - not quite a shelf queen but a stop-start affair which I have decided to bring to a conclusion sooner rather than later. Unfortunately I have temporarily mislaid some of the photos of the stages which I have already completed, so I am having to trawl through my photographic library to find them. (I had no idea about how many photos until I started to look for photos relevant to this project. Normally I create albums straight away but for some reason I failed to do so for this model). Updates will be a little sporadic as I
a. find the photos of the stages completed thus far,
and b. hopefully continue with the model until it is finished.
Many modellers have an FE2b in their collection - WingnutWings have produced two variants in 1/32 scale and Aeroclub produced a 1/48 scale kit many years ago. There is a vacuform kit, (rare I believe), in God's Own Scale, but I chose to convert an old Veeday BE2c and some parts from the Airfix DH 4 into an early FE 2b. If I had waited for a couple of years I could have used the Airfix BE 2c as the basis for the conversion. (The FE 2b and BE 2c had common wing components which meant that I only had to make the centre section of the wings for the FE 2b: alternatively wing parts from two kits could have been used). This was made shortly after I had returned to modelling after a 30+ year break about 7 years ago. The result of my efforts look like this:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49420419427_b151af31c8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ii7yV2)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49420419457_dd9dcbd3f0_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ii7yVx)
This will be the subject of this scratch build:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49420428177_0f045bb67f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ii7BvT)
The FE 2d differed from the 2b by having a Rolls Royce Eagle engine in place of the Beardmore, a different radiator, modified nacelle, four bladed propellor and in the case of the subject I have chosen the Trafford Jones undercarriage (as shown on the cover above).
I have made the wings and flying surfaces, (and found the photos), in the usual way: 30 thou plastic card which had been immersed in boiling water in a 4 inch diameter pipe was the basis for the wings. These were cut to plan shape and the ribs added by cementing Evergreen 10 x 20 thou strip. This was lightly sanded to smooth the edges. The tail surfaces were also cut form flat 30 thou card.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49421511791_d175670617_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iidaCT)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49420442037_06b362c936_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ii7FCR)
I have also made the nacelle parts using the push mould technique. I had hoped that I might be able to use an FE 2b nacele and modify it but that was not practical so I made a new set of moulds. This image shows how I had started to cut out the observer's cockpit:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49420219981_e7a0bf303f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ii6xCi)
More updates will follow in due course.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Got my chair and fresh supply of pepsi , I'm ready !
Terri
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You had me at 'Evening all'
Popcorn at the ready.
Go man, GO!
vB ;)
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You are a brave man Stephen, most Modellers are challenged by a Kit version of the Fee let alone a Scratch Built one! I'll join the others in settling in to follow your progress on this one, great choice for your next work.
Cheers,
Lance
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Your usual brilliant start Stephen! I will of course follow along!
RAGIII
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Evening All,
Did I write that my mojo had gone on a wander? Well it does not seem to have returned so some of you may need rather a lot of popcorn and beer - just a warning so that you can get stocks in. On a more positive note, thanks to you all for the very encouraging comments - they are very much appreciated and have certainly given me a much needed boost.
I have pottered around a bit and now have something new to show. The cockpit assembly is finished - it is simplified from the original as I do not have the patience to fiddle any more with cut-out windows for the pilot and holes in the pilot's seat. Anyway most of that kind of detail is lost in this scale when everything is assembled and besides I do want to finish this before the turn of the next millenium. (Andreas, please note that although I wanted to follow your brillianrt example, I was unable to do so at the moment - just do not have the required patience).
Here is the cockpit - the wood effect was obtained with oils (mix of burnt and raw sienna). All of the parts are made from 20 or 30 thou card bent and filed/sanded to shape.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49493647531_e42557ecb2_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ipzT5x)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49493647581_058ff6217e_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ipzT6p)
The engine has been a headache. I also forgot to take photos of the assembly sequence (I am having problems remembering even more important things at the moment), but what matters is that it represents an early Rolls Royce Eagle, which was a 12 cylinder V with lots of pipes and paraphernalia on the top. Fortunately the DataFile on the FE 2d provides a drawing and there are good photos of kit Eagle engines from WingnutWings, so I did my best to replicate most of the details from those sources. This is again simplified - it could not be otherwise in this scale, and given that it will be largely hidden under the top wing and few people know what it is supposed to look like, I am satisfied with what I have achieved.
I built the sump block from laminated card, the cylinders from rod and the pipework from stretched sprue and wire from a telephone cable.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49493647406_cc7855d5db_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ipzT3o)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49493647451_a3d0ed96dd_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ipzT4a)
I completely forgot to put in a scale for both, but the engine is approximately 5/8 inch (1.5cm) and the cockpit assembly is 7/8 inch (2cm), which means that they are a bit small. To help I have photographed the cockpit against the fuselage moulds and you can see that I have also added the engine air louvre panels on the sides of the fuselage.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49494168787_70ef45ef31_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2ipCy2H)
More when I have joined the fuselage halves and done a good deal more filling and sanding.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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I got lots of pepsi so I'm good to go Stephen :) If it takes you a bit longer that is okay , we will all still be following along . I go through spells like that where I lose my modeling mojo and won't touch the bench for along time . You are not alone 8)
I really like what you have done so far and the engine is an excellent . Shaping up wonderful so far :)
Terri
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Absolutely amazing scratch build work on one of the prettiest planes of WWI. A brave attempt to build an Fe2d from scratch but I am sure you will manage it with your admirable skills.
Andreas
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In this scale it would be extremely difficult to create a lot of detail, so what you have put together is very appropriate. And it yields results relatively quickly - a tonic for a slumping mojo, I think. Besides, builds are best enjoyed when going at your own pace. I'll be following along, Stephen.
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In spite of your "Lost" Mojo you have made terrific progress! The pit looks great! I am in for the Long Haul ;)
RAGIII
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Stephen, what you are showing here looks really fantastic - the parts are so damn small in God's Own Scale!
This is again a great scratch project, and I hope you will find enough energy to continue on it.
From the pusher layout it reminds me on one of my latest shopping results - I was able to catch a 1/48 Vickers Gun Bus from Blue Max :)
I will keep an eye on whether your mojo is bouncing around here, if so I will catch it and send it back to you safely packed!
Cheers,
Frank
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This seems somewhat familiar! Great job so far, and best of luck with the completion! Can't wait to see the finished gem :)
John
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Evening All,
Thanks Terri, Andreas, Ken, Rick, Frank and John for the encouraging comments which are much appreciated as always. This is particularly true at the moment as you will find when you read on - this model seems to have hidden problems which are just testing my patience more than somewhat!
Frank - does this mean that you are going to show us how to really make a pusher with one of your super- builds of the Gunbus? If so I am booking a front seat now!
I made the radiator from 30 thou card. I scribed two pieces of 20 thou card to represent the shutters.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49549880866_7934146dd0_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuy6hN)
The cockpit sub-assembly was added to the fuselage parts which were joined and the radiator added behind the cockpit. The lower edges of the nacelle moulds are rounded whereas on the original machines these were square. I used a method which I learned from another modeller who made vacuforms, (and whose name I cannot remember), which was to glue a piece of stretched sprue along the corner which I wanted to modify.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49550107462_f6ca660077_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuzfDC)
Filler was then plastered into the gaps formed between the sprue and the side and bottom of the nacelle: when this was dry I could sand the filler back to form a square corner. Unfortunately when I did this I found that the bottom of the nacelle was slightly assymetric so I have had to add more filler to the bottom to try to build up one side to balance the other. This has now been completed and the nacelle is complete. The lower wings were glued to the nacelle sides and a gravity tank which had been made from laminated card and sanded to shape was added to the top wing. I have also drilled holes for the struts in both wings.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49550107307_78198ce100_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuzfAX)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49550107362_cc79d01430_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuzfBU)
I have also made the wheels from two discs of 60 thou card and tyres from 40 thou rod. I wound the rod around a paintbrush handle and held the rod in boiling water for about 10 seconds, drew it out and waited for it to cool. The diameter of the coiled rod is smaller than the discs so that when a piece of rod is cut off it will clamp firmly to the disc and hopefully not leave any large gaps.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49549391943_2874c98dea_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuvzX6)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49549391873_78c64e66b8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuvzVT)
The wheels are ready to have axle holes drilled in them:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49549391818_baa795e4d1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iuvzUW)
The next stage will be to use the end of a round file to make grooves in the trailing surfaces of the wings so that I can epoxy the booms to them. I will make the booms from florists wire. More on that next time.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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All is looking spectacular in spite of your issue with the underside of the tub. Your processes always amaze Me! Nothing fancy, just solid Modeling skills!
RAGIII
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To see a plane growing up from nothing like a Phoenix is again very nice, please continue your great work!
But crazy, 12 wing struts? :o That means a lot of rigging!
Frank - does this mean that you are going to show us how to really make a pusher with one of your super- builds of the Gunbus? If so I am booking a front seat now!
Stephen, I have to say sorry about that. There are many other kits in the stash with higher priority. I don't need to buy kits because I already have work for years, but if I'm able to catch a limited numbered edition of a rare BlueMax kit, I have to buy it ::)
Cheers,
Frank
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Wow Stephen , you are making nice progress on this even with your mishap . :) You rock !
Terri
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Nice work on the fuselage nacelle. The wheels will look great when painted. Do keep showing and explaining your techniques for fabricating the parts.
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As usually I will be following your build with great interest, Stephen, excellent progress so far!
Cheers
Ondra
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Nice job! The poor old Dee never seems to get the attention it deserves. I'm really looking forward to following its progress. :)
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Evening All,
Thanks Rick, Frank, Terri, Ken, Ondra and William for the kind comments: as things are going at the moment these remarks are extremely encouraging!
The Fee Dee saga continues - and continues to test my patience a little. I will not belabour you with the painting - it was a pain for a variety of reasons and took much longer than it should reasonably have done. But it is done now - in acrylics with hand painted markings. I have found that I do not have suitable letters or numerals for the serial so the rudder will remain blank and the model will represent a type rather than a specific machine.
Normally I try to take photos of the stages of putting on the top wing and struts, but again because this model has been a pain, I only took the photos when the top wing and many struts were in place. This is what happened: I fixed the booms (florists wire) to the wings before I started painting. To do this I use two-part epoxy for the wing joint and CA at the V at the rear. I use a simple method to get the angle of the boom to the wing right:
a. from the side elevation drawing I draw a line under the wing which touched the leading and trailing edges and runs to the rear;
b. on this line I measure a distance - eg 4 cm rearwards from the trailing edge of the wing (distance x);
c. I measure the vertical distance between the boom on the elevation drawing and the line which has been drawn under the wing (distance y);
d. set up a simple jig so that the boom parts are laid on a support which is distance x from the trailing edge of the wing. The height of the support will be y. The upper and lower wings need different jigs but they are quick and simple to make.
After painting I usually I fix the rudder on to the v of the bottom boom and then put two outer forward struts into the lower wing. This makes a three legged triangle which is stable if I lower the top wing on to the struts and rudder. Well I did so - only for the rudder to drop out!! I managed, just, to get the rear outer struts in place while holding the wing - don't ask how! I decided to add the middle pairs of struts while I could - and for once the plan worked - again don't ask how or why!! Finally I added the forward inner bay struts and left the b@**%!@ thing alone to dry out overnight. In the morning the top wing was rigid so I took the opportunity to take a photo before the model could fall apart:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49635331926_a4d3676e6d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iC73UW)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49634810683_3849512571_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iC4nXZ)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49635608572_770201c7c2_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iC8t9G)
So I had a structure which was stable enough for me to be able to add the boom struts, remaining wing and cabane struts and the b@**%!@ rudder.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49634810788_7284a2d3aa_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iC4nZN)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49635331816_0b29e65fb1_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iC73T3)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49634810623_0ecaed2a57_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iC4nWX)
Needless to write the cabane struts were also a pain to get into place because the exhaust has got to fit around them later and so I had to keep offering the exhaust pipe to make sure that it will do so.
Next update should include the Trafford undercarriage.....
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Great outcome Stephen but it sounds like it gave you a pretty rough time! Forgive me, I had a really good laugh following along as you described the mad contortions of trying to keep it all together as the sequence progressed; a really bizarre Monty Python scene came to mind, mostly because I've been there too, as probably have most of our contemporaries here! All's well that ends well and the "Dee" is looking very fine, I'm looking forward to the rest of the saga as you tame this beast! :)
Cheers,
Lance
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I see you made a big leap in the progress department Stephen , she is shaping up awesome ! Funny how some builds give us no issues at all while others will fight us hand tooth and nail , kicking and screaming across the finish line . Looking forward on the next up-date on this wonderful build :)
Terri
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Once again you have conquered the issues that beset you! Your Fee looks Marvelous!
RAGIII
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Wow, Stephen this is an incredible build of a very complicated subject. I said I was interested in scratch building techniques and this is a superb demonstration of what's involved. Will follow the rest of the build with keen interest!
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You're conquering a difficult build, with all the struts and booms, etc. It's shaping up nicely.
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Evening All,
Thanks to all of you who continue to give me moral support for what is turning into one of my more trying projects.... Lance I can understand your mirth with my struggles - truly I have not experienced such a complex series of actions as when I mounted the wing on this one. I have made 13 pusher models in this scale to date - and NONE of them have caused me as much grief as this one! As I indicate below I am already think of something very different for my next build as I need to get away from this asap.
At last I have fitted the Trafford-Jones undercarriage. This was not a long task - it was just that in order to try to restore my mojo a little I have been toying and practising with some ideas for my next project, of which more later at an appropriate time and place. When I did get around to this one things went smoothly for once.
The undercarriage of the FE series went through three stages: the first was a complex affair with a nosewheel to stop machines tipping over when taking off or landing on the rough grass strips that acted as runways in the very early days of aviation. I have represented this on my 1/72 scale model of the FE 2b at the start of this thread. This layout was both heavy and drag inducing on a machine that had plenty of other headwind built into it, so aircrews were eager to try to remove both weight and drag in order to gain speed in the air. A relatively simple solution was devised by Trafford-Jones who removed the small wheel and bracing struts from the undercarriage - this is what I am putting on my model. For completeness of the record, later machines were either converted or built with a simple V undercarriage: this allowed an extra 5 -10 mph gain in airspeed over the original design, demonstrating the importance of weight and drag on these early aircraft's performance.
Construction was simple enough as I had already built the more complex design as described above. I made two sets of legs with oleo springs by shaping two pieces of 30 x 60 thou and 20 x 40 thou strip and cementing them together to form the main legs. These were drilled at the end to take a 20 thou length of rod which forms the axle. The axle was inserted into the holes in the legs and the legs cemented to pre-drilled holes under the nacelle. Two pieces of 30 thou rod were cemented to the axle where it joined the main legs, and another set of holes in the underside of the nacelle. This was allowed to harden completely:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49656312972_98ba63a06b_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iDXzR7)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49656032026_4d4f55c103_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iDW9kd)
Two lengths of 30 x 60 thou strip were cut and shaped and cemented into a third set of holes drilled in the nacelle - these had to form a V above the axle so a bit of trial and error was employed to get these right. Liquid cement was used to secure the apex of the V. I had already cut and shaped two more pieces of strip to fit between the ends of the axle and the apex of the V - these were also fixed with liquid cement and the sub unit set aside to harden again:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49656312927_ff63e9fa64_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iDXzQk)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49656312907_12c8754f3d_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iDXzPZ)
I have also made the tail skid but the structure at the rear is both complex and fragile so that will only be fitted when I have almost finished the model. I will paint the undercarriage next and then start the rigging.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Undercarriage is coming along well Stephen and will look great once painted !
Terri
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Seems everything is complex on this one. Great execution, Stephen. Looking forward to seeing more.
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What an exercise of skill and patience Stephen, it is looking fantastic so well worth the effort. I'm learning a lot from your excellent work, nearly there!
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What a pity that it causes you so much trouble, Stephen, as it looks so nice! I am sure it will stand out as one of your most fantastic builds when finished. If it helps... when I built my Fe2d, and I didn’t do it from scratch like you but with a 1st class WNW kit, so it was much easier, I also needed several breaks and wasn’t sure if I‘d finish it at all.
Best regards
Andreas
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Quote:"This was allowed to harden completely."
Hey, no fair, that's cheating!
Seriously, fine work on a complex subject in a fiddly scale. If it is driving you buggy, just put it in a dust proof box and go build some kit you have been meaning to get to. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well that trick works when you pick the Fee back up again.
sp
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I know I said this before but...Inspite of all of your trials this one is turning into another Stunner! The gear looks Fantastic!
RAGIII
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That looks brilliant. Fantastic progress, congratulations! :)
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Evening All,
Thank you so much Terri, Ken, Richie, Andreas, SMPerry, Rick and William for your supportive comments. These have certainly helped me to keep going with this model because at times I have thought about consigning it to the shelf of doom permanently, which would be a first for me since I restarted modelling. However I have persevered and this is the result:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49683080232_2f2d43e3b2_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2iGjLPA)
I have finished the painting, rigged it with 40 SWG copper wire, added the horizontal tail surface, propellor, tail skid, Lewis gun and wheels. I will post more pictures in the completed models section later.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
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Just first rate modeling Stephen. It was a pleasure watching it come together.
sp
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Stephen that is utterly beautiful! Massive admiration for your persistence, skill and staying power. You may have been frustrated by this one but you got the job done.
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She is fantastic Stephen , looking forward of seeing more in the complete section :)
Terri
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Looks great, Stephen. That's a lot of rigging. Looking forward to seeing more pictures of it.
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Stunning results. Your Scratch Building skills are Awesome! As always I really enjoyed following your processes!
RAGIII