forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com
WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Vacform Kits => Topic started by: IanB on September 16, 2017, 02:35:30 AM
-
Aaaaagh! I give in, I'm going to have to do this! Despite still being in the middle of the Ilya Muromets build, I'm afraid I've succumbed to a seaplane GB on another forum, so I'll post that build here as well!
First a little background. The firm of Donnet-Lévêque was established in 1912 when French designer Denhaut and Swiss engineer Donnet got together. They built a 2 seat tandem flying boat based on earlier design of Denhaut's which had been built by Levasseur. This later machine was designated the Donnet-Lévêque flying boat and the company was formed to build Denhaut's designs.
The original Donnet-Lévêque (the Type A) was a single-bay wing warper, and was powered by a 50hp Gnôme. The later B and C models had ailerons, and were fitted with 70hp and 80hp Gnômes respectively. The C also had a larger wing enabling it to carry 3 people.
The Type A won the Belgian Coupe du Roi (King's Cup) for seaplanes in 1912 and was later produced under licence by F.B.A. (Franco-British Aviation) as the FBA Lévêque, (or FBA Type A) although from what I can find, the FBA types had a normal boat style prow, instead of the blunt nose of the Donnet-Lévêque. The FBA Type B and C were slightly larger 2-bay aircraft and had a side-by-side instead of tandem seating arrangement.
Austro-Hungary purchased 4 Donnet-Lévêque aircraft in 1912 for evaluation: 2 Type As and 2 Type Cs. All entered service in January 1913. They were so impressed that they copied them: 3 were built in 1913 with Gnôme engines, enlarged fuselages and longer wingspan, 4 more in 1914.
The kit will be built as one of the original 4 Austro-Hungarian aircraft, Number 10 (actually the decals supplied are for this aircraft). My reference (French Aircraft of the First World War by Davilla & Soltan) states that this aircraft was a Type A, but the one pic I have found of it clearly shows ailerons, so that's how it will be built. That reference also states that Number 10 was damaged in a crash on 6th December 1913, although it doesn't state whether it was repaired or not.
This was such an important aircraft that I feel I have to include it in my collection. The design was of course developed further by FBA, and any cursory glance at Austro-Hungarian seaplanes from the period clearly show design similarities (particularly the curved tail) - and they were copied in turn by Macchi for their series of small seaplanes.
So, what do I have to work with?
Here's the pic I found online:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4372/37243230505_9424a0b65d_c.jpg)
and here's the kit:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4343/37071253312_98f283385f_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4385/37071258562_441ca017f2_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4355/37071261142_8aaa82d509_c.jpg)
I don't have measurements for this specific aircraft, and those that I do have show the wings as far too long, so I'll see what "looks right". Fortunately the pic is taken from almost exactly front quarter so I should be able to get relative lengths of fuselage to wings from that
The fuselage will need some major work. The rear is flat on top instead of triangular, and the top deck of the nose is wrong, but nothing that should cause too much trouble.
Now to get the bits out of the sheet!
Ian
-
Great news Ian: I am so glad that you have succumbed and I for one will be following your build.
I am sorely tempted to add this one to my list of scratch builds too - would need some drawings first though.
Stephen.
-
Thanks Stephen, glad to have you on board!
This afternoon's progress....all the major parts removed from the sheet and cleaned up....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4360/36433396623_9c4a60eb7a_c.jpg)
It doesn't look as though I'll have quite as much correcting to do as I'd first thought. There is work to be done on the nose, but filling the front with Miliput to make it thick enough to sand, and adding more miliput on top to enable me to flatten it out, should suffice. The big area is still the upper side of the rear fuselage....
Ian
-
A really unique subject! I had never eard of this one but it looks to be really cool. I am looking forward to your build!
RAGIII
-
Hi Ian
I am so pleased you are building a Donnet-Leveque. I cannot help think this manufacturer has been grossly overlooked in the modelling world. I will be following with great interest.
Alan.
-
Thanks all!
Today I decided to tackle the wings. My logic for starting there is that I will then have accurate references for cutting the top off the fuselage....
So...bearing in mind that the drawings I have don't match any of the quoted wingspans, but do match the fuselage length, I decided to stick with them as it does at least "look" right. First up then, adjusting the chord of the wings.
Here we have them marked for cutting. You can see how much needs to be removed from the trailing edge, and that will of course mean more sanding to get back to the nice thin edge I already achieved.....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4334/37124049921_eeb791123f_c.jpg)
That pic also shows the amount needing to be removed from the upper wing centre section......
Having done that, and the sanding (another nice fine trailing edge on both wings!), I cut the upper wing in half, removed one rib's worth, and stuck it back together. With that left to dry, I removed the centre section from the lower wing, and marked the two halves for length....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4401/37124047141_1b9d995273_c.jpg)
With the tips shortened and reshaped, I could now rejoin them and make sure the gap was correct (yes, I had made sure I marked the tips with the correct spacing in the middle!). I used .030x.040 strip for the spars, and cut slots into the wings to insert the strip so it had a better grip.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4390/37124044911_8f370fc3f7_c.jpg)
The last job for today was to open up the rear centre cut-out on the top wing, mark the correct outlines for the ailerons, and then splodge Mr Dissolved Putty on the spar joints and kit strut location marks.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4371/37124052401_222daf5f2f_c.jpg)
That's all now drying, and since I have to work tomorrow it should have plenty of time!
Now I just have to figure out how to tackle the fuselage. I'm toying with the idea of crash moulding a new upper cockpit section, we'll see....
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
Of course, if I'd thought about it, it would have been simpler to have removed the ailerons before cutting the wing up, then I wouldn't have had to alter them, just cut the new location out......
-
If you do mould a new fuselage, why not try scratch building a complete model - as per the Bleriot XI? Go on you know that you would like too.............!
Stephen.
-
Beautiful subject Ian, these little flying boat fighters all had such beautiful lines! Nice work thus far, and she's going to be a real attractive model when complete. I also suspect the scratch built composition of the project will increase as you progress with the Build!
Cheers,
Lance
-
Thanks Stephen, I know there will e scratching involved, but I want to see how much of the kit is usable!
Lance, I totally agree, these were very aesthetically pleasing machines!
After getting the wings to a state more akin to what they should be, I started to examine the fuselage a little closer today. I decided it would be a good idea to get my reference points sorted out first so to that end I looked at the underside. The shape is pretty good, but the step is too far aft - it should be right under the leading edge of the wings.
Easy enough to sort out!
The step part itself is separate, so it was shortened at the front and thinned to give a flush mating surface. It was also a little too shallow, so I added a couple of pieces of .020" strip to the rear edge to push it down a little, then to ensure it was in the correct position, strips of .040" were added to the fuselage underside to bring the step position forward.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4342/37138259272_bb07bc84a6_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4434/37311420785_70e9ef9238_c.jpg)
That will do for now, it'll get properly tidied up when the halves are mated.
Now I had a good underside shape to get all the rest of the detail in the correct place, so I measured it out and marked it in pencil so i could see what I needed to do.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4420/36913395760_1e06e2a903_c.jpg)
The dot on the upper rear fuselage is the point where it becomes triangular, so the flat surface aft of there needs to be removed and the sides brought together - they are also a little too tall, but I suspect not tall enough to be able to do it without reskinning the sides.
The smaller slightly curved triangle in front of that is the rear of the cockpit decking where it slopes down to the tail. The top surface between the rear of that part and the triangular section tail is flat.
The cockpits themselves are not as bad as I'd thought, being almost correct in depth, but just a little too curved from the side - the top should run flat. This is not too much of a problem since most of that area is open, so I can simply sand the edges down. The front part is a little more awkward but a piece of card glued inside the front upper hull section should give me enough plastic to sand that part flat and in line with the rear.
The last part is the bow.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4387/36913392580_2677748102_c.jpg)
You can see that it is very sharply defined at the front edges, indicating to me that part of it was flat. The kit is not....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4364/36913393650_39b5f559df_c.jpg)
Another fairly easy fix. I made a saw cut in from the front, then marked out the bits I needed to remove.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4345/37138263532_38d59e8ceb_c.jpg)
Those corners were cut out with a scalpel, and a piece of .010" card inserted into the slot.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4375/37138261682_6b54793b9f_c.jpg)
Again, that will be properly tidied up and fine tuned once the fuselage is together.
That's all drying now....So that just leaves the difficult bits.......
Oh, and I gave in again, and bought a Smallstuff engine for it!
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
Wow! NICE start and great mods. Truly a vac to be proud of!
Nice one, Ian.
Dan
-
Thanks Dan!
Today's progress was mostly in sitting and thinking about how I wanted to go about the rear fuselage mods. I was contemplating how relatively simple such mods have been on injected kits due to the thickness of the plastic when it suddenly dawned on me that all I really had to do was recreate that thickness so I could sand it to the right shape....out with the Miliput!
Before I did that, I cut out the cockpit openings and added the three bulkheads, plus some tabs to help glue the halves together. I then filled the rear end with Miliput, making sure it is full and the two halves can be glued together. I may even sheath it with .005" sheet when it's done just to be sure.
A false floor has also been added with .010" sheet to hide the seam.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4356/37159137272_6ea1fa001c_c.jpg)
That's it for today, nothing too exciting I'm afraid but a few potential problems hopefully sorted. Now I can start detailing the cockpits.....
Ian
-
I love putty! I do the same thing all the time (with injection kits too) if I need to change a wing profile etc. Stuff it with filler and sand, sand, sand...
Still looks good.
Dan
-
Looks cool! Any idea where I can get this kit?
-
I picked it up on evilbay a couple of years back. Unless anyone here has one they want to part with, I'd say that's your best bet. Just a case of watching and waiting....
Ian
-
Hi all, here's today's update.
Today I've mostly been cutting plastic strip into tiny pieces. I used .010"x.020" (.25mm x .5mm) plastic strip for the majority of the cockpit framing. Fortunately there are some good pics online of the prototype in the Musée de l'Air, including a couple of cockpit shots. With no reference available for the particular aircraft I'm modelling, these are a very good second best. There is no instrument panel (not uncommon in those early machines), so I have simply added the wooden framework, aileron control linkages, and the seat support frames.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4383/37210862521_2f8342ecf8_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4384/36541267093_f9aff4f143_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4420/36541267673_741e0d8279_c.jpg)
I have no idea whether the interior of the Austrian machines was painted or not. The prototype is the same colour as the exterior - green, the alternative is bare wood, which will be the outer colour for this model. So for a bit of contrast I will paint the interior green as per the prototype. I see no reason that it shouldn't have had some sort of protection from the elements/salt water, etc.
If anyone has evidence to the contrary please shout, I'd love to get it right!
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
Some more "real Modelling" going on here Ian. I love it, great work on the cockpit, you are taking this Kit far beyond it's potential and you have a real winner in progress here!
Cheers,
Lance
-
Beautifully done as usual Ian. You are turning a lump of plastic into a first class model....again!
Stephen.
-
Terrific work on the wing length issues and especially the fuselage shape corrections. I love watching how you solve these types of issues!
RAGIII
-
Thanks Lance, Stephen, and Rick. Great to know you're enjoying this as much as I am!
I've made a little progress over the last few days, although most of that time has been spent at work. Unfortunately my camera has eaten the pics I took of the seats, but suffice to say that I have cut them out, sanded them to shape and drilled the lightening holes in the seat backs. Other than that, a coat of interior green has been sprayed and I'm almost ready to close up the fuselage.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4388/36577720183_4876858971_c.jpg)
Ian
-
Coming together beautifully Ian, the cockpit areas look really good.
Des.
-
First class details in the cockp[it department. This is an interesting and informative build.
Stephen.
-
That looks just lovely, Ian. Hard to believe all that strip fit in there and looks so nice once painted.
Top notch, old bean...
Dan
-
Thanks Des, Stephen, and Dan. I must admit the cockpit came out better than I'd dare hope!
The rudder bar was added today from .010 x .030" strip, and I added a little more miliput inside the front end just in case the sanding to reshape it goes through the thin plastic.
That was all that was needed, so the final job was to glue the halves together and tape it up to let it dry!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4490/37306623252_56e89df945_c.jpg)
Here are the seats awaiting paint. They were shaped from the ones supplied on the sheet....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4429/36667045333_fa33bff47e_c.jpg)
Ian
-
Another quick update for this morning...
After the fuselage had sat overnight, I added the step on the hull this morning. Needless to say, it doesn't fit very well.....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4491/37323326302_df2ba86469_c.jpg)
Strips of .010" sheet were then added to both sharpen up the edges, and blend it in to the hull.
I then got the miliput out again and added some to the top of the forward hull. It was roughly shaped with a wet knife blade and will be sanded to the final shape when dry. I also added some of the excess to the step to help blend that in.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4427/37323324492_7772808f71_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4431/37323327642_ce9b2a7f8d_c.jpg)
So that's how it sits now until the miliput has hardened properly
Ian
-
The miliput worked nicely and has now been sanded to shape. Here's its new nose....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4386/36723754253_9442cf8080_c.jpg)
I'm happy with that, but I think it's still a little too narrow, so I may yet widen it a tad.
That left the rear end to sort out. The top deck is too high, the sides should slope more to an apex. Here I've marked out where the changes are needed....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4480/37394015781_895fd67e0f_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4398/23541750088_49215a4ef7_c.jpg)
The tape marks where the apex should be, up to the pencil line, where it starts to slope upwards to the cockpits.
The first step was simple enough, out with the big file and file the top down....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4468/37394012641_49e0d18cc7_c.jpg)
Those of a nervous disposition may wish to look away....the sides were attacked with a 6" half round second cut file, which made light work of them, but it wasn't pretty.....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4409/37346575686_f1662f6fe8_c.jpg)
You can now see why I packed the fuselage with miliput! One small hole at the top front but otherwise ok. That was then refined with sanding sticks, and I have given them a skim of PPP to fill any irregularities. It's now sitting waiting for that to go off before I finalise the shape.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4467/36685031094_eb0d2e9c6e_c.jpg)
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
...and hot on the heels of that last update, once the PPP had dried I sanded it down and refined the final shape. Here's the outcome....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4352/23543905808_aba6f4468b_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4361/37138966960_ffd22de804_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4495/37138970590_26af31d8cb_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4470/36725853093_df40fe39ff_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4458/37365396582_11b8b99963_c.jpg)
Word for today is "chuffed", I'm very pleased with that! I'm sure a coat of primer will reveal areas needing a little more work but the shape looks good to me, there's a nice sharp apex down the spine and the compound curves look good, so any touch-ups should be minor ones!
Time for a beer!
Ian
-
You are brave, Ian! Looks great. It will be cool when done since you will know all that went into it.
Lovely and getting the popcorn for the next installment.
Dan
-
Isn't that a beautiful little thing, just like a fish
Richard
-
Not many modelers would attack a vacform kit with a big file and end up with the results you have achieved, well done.
Des.
-
wow, scary but very effective! What you are doing to correct the shapes is amazing!
RAGIII
-
Thank you Des, Richard, Dan, and Rick. Yes, it was a little scary, to be honest, but the only other option I could think of was to reskin the sides and I wasn't sure how I would keep the integrity of the fuselage and create the curves, so "sculpting" it was!
I spent some time yesterday making up a little jig to drill the holes for the wing mounting struts. The forward pair meet at the bottom of the bulkhead between the cockpits, and need to be the correct distance apart, at the correct height above the fuselage. I drew up a little card template. The edge is the centre of the cockpit, where the struts meet, I marked the height of the wing spar and the distance from the cockpit centre at which the struts met the spar, then simply drew a line between the two.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4460/23583865618_a09ecc671a_c.jpg)
When the template was slotted over the fuselage and aligned, I could simply mark where the extended line passed through the fuselage and drill the holes.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4340/23583863818_10fd3a130d_c.jpg)
As it turned out, I think the fuselage is a little too shallow. The struts pass through the fuselage in the correct place as measured against the drawings, but to get the correct width at the top, they don't meet at the bottom.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4437/37435755191_ccc41600b0_c.jpg)
Not too desperate as only someone who knows the aircraft intimately (and looks inside!) will know, and it will look wrong if I match the bottom and have the tops too wide.
I've also prepared another little jig to help with positioning and trimming the tops of the struts when they are fitted permanently...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4436/37435763501_7c36384e6d_c.jpg)
They have been put to one side now as I want to get the fuselage painted before fitting them. To that end, I have also given it a quick blast of Tamiya White as a primer.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4388/37435767191_538a543ac9_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4397/23583872148_965f8cd4e5_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4506/37435759971_e382576683_c.jpg)
As expected, there are a few areas needing a little more attention, but considering the nature and extent of the "surgery" I'm surprised at how well it's turned out!
On another note, the engine arrived yesterday too....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4367/37404744132_ab3bc21e3e_c.jpg)
What a beauty, I just hope I can put it together without breaking anything!
Ian
-
After tidying up those areas that needed further attention, the last job that needed doing before another coat of primer went on was to add the decking between the cockpits and round off the corners.
A piece of .010" sheet was cut to length and the corners were added with a round jewelers file. The area between the filed corners was removed with a scalpel and the piece was glued in. Mr Dissolved Putty was added to ensure a good blend, and was also used on the remaining corners. When dry, it was cleaned up with the jewelers file and a sanding stick.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4479/37448568116_74a0a3a7ca_c.jpg)
I'm happy with that. So another coat of primer.....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4495/37238245180_23af3ed7ac_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4443/37448571876_772596d396_c.jpg)
It's looking good at the moment, I'll check on it again later!
Ian
-
I approve whole heartedly of your jig Ian. As you know I use these things frequently and always make them from what is to hand - the simpler the better in my book. The rest of the build is coming on really well - another of these very interesting early birds - cannot get enough of them.
Stephen.
-
One can not tell that you did so much sculpting and reshaping... A good thing of course! Looks great with the primer on!
RAGIII
-
The scars of the modifications you performed on the fuselage are no longer evident now that the primer has been applied, well done.
Des.
-
Thanks Stephen, Rick, and Des. The fuselage has undergone a lot more work since the last update, mainly just cleaning up the last few traces of the surgery, and repriming, then repeating. It's as good as I think I can get it now, so on with the painting!
I'm not certain that my usual method of painting wood effect will work on such a large surface, but I'm going to give it a shot - I can always repaint it! I'm also hoping to add a little variation between the ply panels on the sides.
First off was a coat of the base colour. I've used Misterkit CDL as usual.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4459/23802761898_3dd9ba54c9_c.jpg)
I then masked up the panels. the plan is to paint the sides one panel at a time, then mask them off and do the top and bottom surfaces as one piece each.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4475/23802764818_04089bfcac_c.jpg)
The first panels were then painted with thinned ModelMaster Leather acrylic, using a 15mm flat brush. One stroke over each panel, then after a minute or so, another, until I got the look I wanted.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4452/37656199781_393910a763_c.jpg)
Since I will have to mask those to paint the other panels I'll leave that now for a couple of hours. The tricky bit is going to be getting the panels similar, but with just enough difference to be noticeable if looking closely. To that end I may leave some of the panels unmasked and do it in stages so that I have a reference to work from.
Thanks for looking in,
Ian
-
Well, I did the other panels and I'm not too unhappy with how they've come out, especially considering this was more of a proof of concept than anything else....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4504/23805791578_36d8dda786_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4490/37659121901_c7a6cf9574_c.jpg)
The front panels look fine, I'm very pleased with those, but the rear ones are not, so I'll probably do those again. A coat of clear orange over the top should tie it all together nicely.
Ian
-
I'm asking because I don't know - did the grain go up and down the panels? I would have expected it to go along the hull, if only because it would look better
Richard
-
The reproduction at Les Retroplanes d'Argenteuil has the grain up and down, so I went with that.
Ian
-
Not all of it ;D
(http://retroplanes.free.fr/photo/120419-01_03MP.jpg)
Richard
-
I hadn't seen that pic, thanks. I have to redo the tail section anyway!
Ian
-
If you are redoing the panels, I would say there is less contrast in the ply than your first go has created, both within the panels and also from panel to panel
I'd cheat, grain the lot and then faintly draw in the panel lines
Richard
-
I agree Richard, that's one of the reasons I decided to repaint some of the panels. Also, the final clear coat will reduce the contrast too.
So, on that note, today was the day to try to put it right. I gently sanded down the upper front panel, and the rear three on both sides, and repainted those, then did the underside, which left me with this....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4444/37632723366_58109c1000_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4473/37010676113_532bedf369_c.jpg)
That looks far better to me. The rear panels were done horizontally. I'm not too happy with the underside, but since it's not going to show I'm not going to redo it!
Then the final touch, a coat of clear orange to tie it together and give it a more of a varnished wood look....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4462/37649122242_9db201a241_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4453/36971525864_e7d033fda1_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4501/37681761941_f470fef1d3_c.jpg)
I'm very happy with that!
Could it be better? Absolutely! One of the biggest problems in this scale is getting the wood right. It probably looks a little over scale, but to get it closer would mean virtually no contrast and just a plain orange-brownish colour all over, so I'll settle for what I have. It has also given me a much better idea of what needs to be done to achieve this effect and I will be much more comfortable when I get to doing some of the wooden German two seaters.
Thanks for looking in,
Ian
-
This plane was according to my not too reliable notes still in service at Pola in 1916
-
Thanks James, that's very useful to know! Do you recall where that info came from, or can you add to it at all?
Ian
-
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4490/37659121901_c7a6cf9574_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4462/37649122242_9db201a241_c.jpg)
Oh yes, I'd say that was much, much better!
The first one looks like the poor thing was bodged together from old cardboard boxes. The second shows the smooth sweep of the hull
Lovely colour too
Richard
-
Your Wood painting on the Hull/Fuselage has turned out beautifully! The second go really made a difference!
RAGIII
-
Thanks Richard, that's mostly just the difference that the clear orange coat makes!
Thanks Rick, there wasn't a lot changed, a couple of extra passes on one or two panels, but mostly just the clear orange coat.
I have now added the supporting struts for the lower wing. The jig was taped on and the front struts were positioned correctly then zapped with PalsticWeld. The rear ones were glued in with ordinary plastic glue.
They were held in place during this time by slipping the wing over them to help ensure they were at the correct angle.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4488/37444129050_221aa16e92_c.jpg)
Once they were dry they were clipped to size and a trial fit was made to check that all was well
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4509/37444157020_a51138a9a1_c.jpg)
The final job today was to make new tail surfaces from .020" plastic card and mark them and the wings with ribs and spars.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4510/37444145830_13052d2655_c.jpg)
Tomorrow should see a coat of white primer to seal the pencil lines, then I can remove the ailerons.
Ian
-
The representation of the wood work is super. The wing assembly is also first class - this is turning into another of your gems.
Stephen.
-
Looking absolutely Stunning!
RAGIII
-
Thanks Stephen, Rick, I'm definitely enjoying this one!
I gave the wing undersides and tail surfaces a quick blast of white today to seal the pencil lines and stop them smudging, then removed the ailerons and elevator with a nano saw and scribing/snapping them off.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4490/37690255182_11c3b0f171_c.jpg)
Unfortunately that highlighted another error with the kit. The ribs are in the wrong place!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4468/37674167706_42798d8b7c_c.jpg)
If I'd been modelling the wing-warper this probably wouldn't be an issue, but an aileron ending between ribs? Oh well, only one thing for it...the rib detail had to be removed. It will be replaced in the correct place later.
I then turned my attention to the floats and petrol tank. They were removed from the backing sheet and cleaned up, but the floats appeared too narrow and elliptical instead of circular in cross section. To remedy that I added a shim of .020" (0.5mm) plastic sheet between the halves.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4505/37690250252_6c44c5977e_c.jpg)
Those are drying over night before a clean up and assessment of the final shape. I think the fronts of the floats need to be thickened up a little, so the Miliput may have to come out again....
Ian
-
Today was spent mostly looking at drawings and photos and trying to work out what was wrong with the wings.
The drawings in French Aircraft of the First World War show more ribs than the reproduction aircraft, and also show the floats (which are directly under the struts) one rib further outboard than the end of the ailerons. The struts should be at the end of the ailerons! The pic of the Austro-Hungarian machine also shows the shorter lower wings, as does the original in Paris, with the outer struts right at the end, whereas the drawings and the repro both show the wing extending out one rib further. The Paris aircraft appears to have much shorter wings though...
My problem was to try to find where the error was - Were the wings too long or were the ailerons too long?
The rib count was off anyway so I discounted that. The wings didn't look too long compared to the pic when held at a similar angle, and comparing the width of the tail, and where the end appeared to be relative to the wingtip, so I decided that the problem lay with the ailerons being too long. I measured the distance between the tops of the struts on the pic of the Austro-Hungarian aircraft. The distance between the main struts was 30mm and between the outer pair and the extensions it was 25mm. On the model, if I moved the ailerons 2 ribs further outboard the measurement was.... 30mm and 25mm, and it put the outer struts right at the tip of the lower wing!
Eureka!
The actual distance may not be exactly right, but the proportions were, so it would at least look right!
So...I chopped the end 2 ribs off the ailerons and glued those bits back onto the wings.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4447/37696312686_4027b0fe03_c.jpg)
After all that trouble marking everything out and carefully measuring, I had got it wrong! So much for the drawings! (Of course there's no guarantee that I have it right now either, but it should at least look right!)
Now I will need to spend a little time blending the repairs back into the wing, and painting out the extra spar that the ailerons had. Oh well, it'll keep me out of mischief!
After that, I spent a little time humming to myself and sanding down the floats and fuel tank.....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4448/37712891702_12850e9471_c.jpg)
Then I went for a beer...
Night all!
Ian
-
Today's progress consisted of finishing off the corrections to the wing and remarking the ribs, and a little more work on the floats and fuel tank.
I've added .020" rod for the two fillers, and a piece of copper wire under the rear end for the oil feed. A small piece of aluminium tube has been added at the front and will serve as an attachment point for a piece of thin copper wire for the fuel feed line.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4504/37506229880_d3fe3d8e2b_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4497/37506230720_e087a2bb3d_c.jpg)
A quick blast of white tomorrow morning should show if any further work is required. If not, I can start drilling strut and rigging holes!
Ian
-
Terrific work on the wing correction and floats! Looking great!
RAGIII
-
Thanks Rick, much appreciated!
A little more progress has been made over the last couple of days....yesterday the wings, tail surfaces and floats were all given a coat of CDL (the wing undersides only at this point). Then today the wing upper surfaces got another coat of white primer. That revealed a little more work needed on the grafts, so while the skim of PPP filler was drying I did the rudder, fuel tank, and floats. By the time they were done the filler had dried, so that was sanded down, and the white was resprayed. All is now well on the wings, so the next job will be to mask the ribs on the upper surfaces for the first coat of CDL.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4449/37089291454_15d1b151c9_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4462/37089289784_acb89b6852_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4511/37089293824_52e919feab_c.jpg)
Ian
-
Beauty, Ian!!!!
That is some really sweet work.
Dan
-
Thanks very much Dan!
I got a little more done today and have finished painting the wings and tail surfaces After spending the morning masking the ribs, I sprayed a coat of CDL, then took a couple of minutes to remove the masking that took a coupe of hours to put on, and sprayed another coat to tone the ribs down.
Removing the masking after the first coat
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4471/37581210840_f7b7f08144_c.jpg)
and all done
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4484/37128657574_23f7ab0364_c.jpg)
I won't get anything done tomorrow as I'm going to a show in Rhode Island, but the next jobs will be making the struts and drilling all the rigging holes.
Ian
-
Great progress Ian, looking forward to seeing more.
Des.
-
Wow, that is a great build! Never touched a vacu form kit, this looks to me like a lot of effort, more like a scratch build.
You made really nice modules from that, and this makes me sure that the final result will be beautiful too.
I will follow your progress!
Cheers,
Frank
-
the info I got on this aircraft is from the book "Austro-Hungarian Warships of WW I" which in finding more notes the aircraft # 10 and 11 had a S added to the number in 1914 and were used as trainers until 1916.
-
Thanks James, the S certainly ties in, as that is the prefix that was used for trainers. I just got hold of a fantastic book called "Seaplanes of Bocche" by Boris Ciglic, which has quite a few pics of this aircraft, but at an earlier date when the number 10 was carried on the tail and there was no Navy Coat of Arms on it. It is a book well worth getting if you have any interest in Austro-Hungarian seaplanes, and has a ton of very good photos, plus quite a few colour profiles.
I haven't posted much lately simply because I've been working on the struts and that really wasn't very exciting. However I'm now at a point where I can post a couple of pics to show this week's progress.
The struts were made from .020 x .040 strip which was cut into 18mm lengths. The edges were removed by scraping gently with a scalpel, then a small slot was cut into each end, into which a piece of .010" brass rod was stuck to act as the mounting pins. Once they were dry, the ends of the plastic rod were gently chamfered with a fine sanding stick to give them a more correct shape.
Here's one with only one end done.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4508/24144562218_e244db1b79_c.jpg)
There are 8 wing struts, plus 2 engine mounts, that have been done in this way. The remaining "metal" bracing for the engine and outer wings will be done with brass rod.
Once they were all done, they were given a base coat of CDL.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4512/37286742594_375c3afeb9_c.jpg)
The next step was the wood effect, then all the remaining "wooden" items were given their coat of clear orange.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4491/37286744464_088d9118b3_c.jpg)
The last job then was to give the wing upper surfaces a quick pastel wash to break up the surface a little and give a bit of variance to it. I'm not sure if it really shows in this pic, but it is noticeable to the eye, and a lot better than plain, toneless CDL.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4505/24144559498_331b8e71aa_c.jpg)
Now onto drilling the rigging holes.....
Ian
-
Ian,
Truly awesome skill and craftsmanship my old friend. Been catching here,but will be following now. Well Done Ian!
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette
-
Lovely work on the wings and the struts Ian, the wood colour is excellent.
Des.
-
Thanks Gregory and Des, I must admit I'm very pleased with how the wood turned out, far better than I'd hoped!
I gave everything a gloss coat yesterday, so the first job today was to add the decals. There aren't many: 2 number "10s" on the nose and 2 Austrian Coats of Arms on the rudder. The kit decals for the number are a little too wide but I don't have any alternatives, so they'll do. I did narrow the 0 though by cutting a slice out down the middle, and then overlapping the pieces until it looked right.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4497/37358593674_7827b7f32c_c.jpg)
The kit Coats of Arms are far too big, but are accurate as far as having a flat lower edge and low crown. I went with Pegasus ones as the size was better, but they do have a curved bottom edge and the crown is too large.....I still think they look better due to the more accurate size though.
Ian
-
It still looks more like a fish than an aeroplane
;D
Richard
-
Simply stunning! The decals really compliment the wood tones!
RAGIII
-
Thanks Richard, Rick, much appreciated!
A little more progress today in getting the last of the fiddly bits done before tackling the wings. I have added the aileron control sytem to the front cockpit. This aircraft was an "A" Type, which meant it was a wing-warper. However, it is possible that it was repaired, or modified, with another set of wings. The Austro-Hungarians built copies of these so they would have had the later wings available, and this photo
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4372/37243230505_9424a0b65d_c.jpg)
(the white "10" on the bow, and the Coat of Arms on the tail were added in May 1913) seems to show stagger wires between the outer struts (not present on a wing-warper), a lack of the warping controls (which were fitted to the rear of the aft cockpit), and pulleys towards each end of the upper wings, on the upper surface (for the aileron return wire). Also the trailing edge of the upper wing seems to be displaced as would be the case if ailerons were present. So, ailerons it has!
The assembly for the controls was made from bits of spare PE, and the wires are the same monofilament fishing line that I will use for the rigging.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/38114326766_33f89e3f3e_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/38138355912_d8d81e1bd3_c.jpg)
Having added it, I then hid it behind the pilot's seat...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4459/38170335861_022e5081ec_c.jpg)
Then it was time to prepare the struts. They were trial fitted and had the pins trimmed to the correct lengths (very short!), and finally the rigging lines were added to the lower wing.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4562/37460000654_7425b6e311_c.jpg)
So it looks as though tomorrow will be jig time, and the wings will get put together. I've decided to do that before attaching the lower wing to the fuselage, as I can see it all being knocked off if I try to do it after it's been attached.
Ian
Ian
-
The decal on the tail looks brilliant and the cockpit areas are coming together beautifully, looking forward to further updates.
Des.
-
Outstanding interior work! All is looking terrific!
RAGIII
-
Not only a great build log, but a great tutorial to vacuformed models at their top. I'm looking forward to see the finished model.
Cheers
Giuseppe
-
Many thanks Des, Rick, and Giuseppe, I'm flattered that you see it as a tutorial, it's only my second vacformed kit build!
Today I did indeed get the jig out and spent the morning measuring everything up and adjusting the jig. I managed to scrape paint off the first 2 struts I fitted so those will need to be touched up, and the engine bearers proved to be just a tiny bit too long, which meant that because of the hole I'd drilled in them for the rigging, they snapped when I bent them! Another job for tomorrow then....
Here's how she sits now, with the wings together and the stagger wires threaded, but not yet secured.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4567/38164308232_fd3f3effa7_c.jpg)
A couple of them pulled out so I'm going to leave it until tomorrow before attempting to tension them, to be sure they are secure!
Ian
-
Nice to see the good old reliable AeroClub Jig in action, Ian. An absolute gem and such a sin it's not generally available. It has certainly rescued my efforts more then just a few times over the years! Great work so far, keep at it! 8)
Cheers,
Lance
-
Many thanks Lance!
Here is another small update for today. The engine bearers were remade, painted and finally, installed, along with the outer wing braces (.016" brass rod) and these should give the wing assembly a little more lateral strength to enable me to remove it from the jig and rig the flying and landing wires.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4531/26495825419_f93d4512e3_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4524/26495826389_31ed164480_c.jpg)
Finishing the rigging will be the next step, with the exception of the front landing/flying wires, which share their holes with the drag wires from the bow, so they will have to wait until the wings have been mounted.
Ian
-
Hi all,
A quick update on progress over the weekend.
The rigging has been completed and trimmed back, the only wires remaining are those which are either attached to the fuselage, or share a hole with one that is.
The next task was to make a start on the engine. This is what I had to start with.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4550/37684625344_f28728d281_c.jpg)
The SmallStuff engine is truly a model in itself, and it's tiny - or at least some of the parts (spark plugs) are! I painted all the parts and then added the plugs to the cylinders before removing the latter from the casting block. I did it that way for 2 reasons: 1) It would help me to get the cylinders positioned correctly (all the plugs in the same place), and 2) I couldn't cut the cylinders off with the sparkplugs still on the block!
So with those done this is what it looked like after a quick Flory wash to highlight the cooling vanes.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4556/38367607522_12fec37deb_c.jpg)
It looks a lot dirtier in the pic than it does to the naked eye. I'm not going to add the rocker arms and pushrods until I'm ready to fit the engine, to reduce the chances of them being broken/knocked off.
I then too a look at the prop. Unfortunately the one provided with the kit was a tractor prop, not a pusher one, so I had to resort to a bit of kit raiding. I found a 2 bladed pusher prop of the correct type which I won't be needing (it also has a 4 bladed one) in the Eduard DH2 kit, so I nabbed that. It did need a little modification though as the blades were too long, and also a little odd in that instead of being a straight edge from one trailing edge to the opposite leading edge, the blades were at a slight angle to the hub. Easily fixed with a couple of fillets of plastic card and some filler.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4584/38367612962_ba11fd03c1_c.jpg)
After a bit more fettling I had this.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4569/38367605862_708d9e5d45_c.jpg)
I had to plug the hole in the centre and redrill it, but after that was done it fitted quite nicely.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4537/37684627954_de01824b5b_c.jpg)
I'll add a PE hub plate after it's all been painted.
Now I just had to make the mounting plate for it all to fit to, along with the crankshaft, "carb", oil pump and magneto, on the front. Oh, and drill the crankshaft for the tensioning wires.....
The pate was just plastic card, a 5mm piece of .025" (0.64mm plastic rod was used for the crankshaft, with a similar size piece of Albion Alloys tube glued on the front for the carb inlets. The "shaft" was drilled with a .15mm drill nit and threaded (eventually!) with the required lines. which were secured with CA so they didn't slide out - there is no way they could be refitted once the piece is in place between the wings!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4516/38367608892_c5512d4072_c.jpg)
That was then painted and fitted between the engine mounts already in place between the wings.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4536/38367617402_bd3ea2072e_c.jpg)
The last item I've been working on is the fuel tank. I had to move the oil line as I had it too far forward and it fouled the rigging lines, so that was done and it has been repainted. Once that is dry the tank can be fitted, then I can start to add the metal braces to the front of the engine mounts.
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
Some really fine "good old modelling" going on here Ian, that prop work is excellent! Progressing really nicely!
Cheers,
Lance
-
Very nice progress Ian.
I agree with Lance, excellent prop work!
And your CDL translucent effect, first rate! :)
-
Thanks Lance, and Boggie!
Another quick update. There's been quite a bit going on but not much worthy of pics. Today I fitted the fuel tank and "plumbed" it.
The oil pipe and fuel line are bits of scrap copper wire I had lying about.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4524/26694289499_8b4108da02_c.jpg)
The carb bracing wires are just held taut by pegs at the moment as I have also been working on the remainder of the engine bracing frame. The pieces have been cut and painted and will be fitted tomorrow (with any luck!). There are also a couple of braces and a rigging wire for the tank to be added.
Finally today the prop got painted.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4517/24598182078_26d3961fab_c.jpg)
I'm going to try Bare Metal Foil for the leading edge protectors, so those, and the boss, should also be going on tomorrow.
Ian
-
Hi all,
Another small update on the engine installation. The forward framework was completed today, using .016" brass rod. Nothing too difficult there fortunately, just awkward to reach in places! After that was done I cleaned up the wing upper surfaces where the rigging wires had passed through, and started on the final assembly of the engine and prop. The Small Stuff engine is extremely...well, small...and fiddly! I gave up with the push rods that come with the kit as I couldn't even hold one in the tweezers without it bending, and attaching one keeping it straight was impossible, so I used .004" steel wire which was far easier and went very quickly. I also think the engine is slightly too big, as I made the wing struts 1mm too long by accident, and the engine still occupies a larger area between the wings than it should. A result of this is that the braces for the prop shaft would stop the engine rotating - they don't quite clear the cylinders. I can't raise the engine any higher as it is already touching the top wing! Still, it's a huge improvement over anything else available.
So here's how it looks as of this evening.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4584/37773799054_7a5ab49394_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4516/37601931435_af88944408_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4560/37773797644_65ec9189a0_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4578/37601929955_6d49fa38ae_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4553/38433222156_99a8b6be13_c.jpg)
All that remains to do on the wing assembly now is to add a couple more small braces between the rear prop brace arms and touch the paintwork up. I think I'll leave the floats until it's all together, so I think the next step now is to attach the wings!
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
Madness
In a good way
Richard
-
This is shaping up to be best in show at Telford next year, Ian! Magnificent!
Cheers,
Bud
-
Absolutely beautiful work on the engine, prop, and of course the rigging! Just gorgeous all around!
RAGIII
-
Thanks Richard, Bud, and Rick. Your comments are very much appreciated. Even though I don't think it's anywhere near "best of show" standard it's rewarding to know that you think it's up there......
I measured up the engine and it comes out at 1.5mm too big in diameter, so it does take up a little more space than it should and probably won't fit anything with a cowling!
Today's progress followed pretty much with what I had planned - unusual though that may be! I completed the rear engine braces using .010" brass rod, and then touched up the black paintwork. The big problem with using brass rod is, of course, that as soon as you pick it up with tweezers the paint comes off again! The final rigging wires were also secured to the frame.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4553/38474687772_4bed33f379_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/24634588308_5138ac78d5_c.jpg)
Next step was a little more tidying up on the upper wing surfaces. I'll finish that off after all the wires have been secured and trimmed.
The rigging lines on the fuselage were added...I give you one model Catfish....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4557/38474689032_cc32e56a86_c.jpg)
and finally for today the wings were attached!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4586/38474690962_c84e555c4a_c.jpg)
Since there are only 4 very small contact points I'm leaving that now until tomorrow at the earliest, when I will secure the remaining rigging lines to give it a little more strength.
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
PS Postie arrived today with the Pegasus Macchi M5 I bought a couple of weeks ago on Ebay. All the way from Oz! ;D
-
Fantastic work again, also on the Small Stuff engine. In scale 1/72 I only build one engine of that company so I know how small such thing is.
The big problem with using brass rod is, of course, that as soon as you pick it up with tweezers the paint comes off again!
That is the reason why I prime metal parts with the clear Mr. Metal Primer from Gunze. I use the glass can and brush, not the spray variant.
Cheers,
Frank
-
Truly amazing work Ian, cannot believe you can achieve such stunning results in 1/72.
-
Many thanks Frank, I'll have to get some metal primer I think!
Thanks Juan, much appreciated!
Today's task was to complete the rigging. So with that in mind, the remaining lines were threaded, pulled taut, and secured, either with a small piece of tape, or a miniature clothes peg. They were then secured with CA. After letting it all dry properly, the loose ends were carefully trimmed off with a new scalpel blade, and the job is now complete!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4519/37810974984_ede7f5b1f7_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4543/37810973304_f21e271811_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4561/37639243045_33be3b3faf_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4568/37810970494_234c1522d0_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4586/37810969234_301e4510aa_c.jpg)
That's where she'll stay for today. I'm off three days this coming week, so I should be able to put this one in the cabinet before next weekend!
Thanks for looking in,
Ian
-
Outstanding work on the rigging! She is looking gorgeous!
RAGIII
-
Wow! Ian, great results! The rigging, the wood, everything looks very good.
Bye, Manni
-
(http://s19.rimg.info/16c279a06b12009835b57a332ba35180.gif) (http://smiles.33bru.com/smile.163248.html)
(http://s20.rimg.info/ad57d967abf7122ac5566c54b90d54ba.gif) (http://smiles.33bru.com/smile.173430.html)
-
Really nice, Ian. Congratulations!
Borsos
-
Great job with the rigging Ian.
Des.
-
Many, many, thanks to Rick, Sergio, Manni, Borsos, and Des for the positive comments, they are very much appreciated! I must admit to spending maybe a little too long looking at her in the evenings...it's a pretty little aircraft and I'm very happy with the way it's going!
Today I started on the final touches. Cleaning up the wings where the rigging left marks was worrying me a little, but some careful sanding, a little PPP, and a fine paintbrush have left little to no trace of the marks. A final dusting with pastels and a gloss coat should hide it all very nicely. The prop hub got painted, and then I started on the tail. First off I added the skid, which I'd made up previously, then it was time to try to attach the stabiliser. That was not much fun, trying to get the brass rod bent to the right angles and cut to the right lengths at the same time took a while - I couldn't use the drawings as they aren't very accurate in that area. Eventually after a lot of trial and error I bit the bullet, put some CA on the ends of the struts and went for it. I think it's about as straight as I could possibly get it so I'm happy with that! The bracing wires were next and that went ok until I cut the wrong one when trimming the ends..so after a few choice expletives, I redrilled the hole on one side of the horizontal stabiliser, being careful not to dislodge the wire coming up from the underside (I'd deliberately done it with one run from bottom to top).....and replaced the upper wire. Job done, rudder attached. All that's needed now is some touching up on the black paint.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4581/38541466742_0f34229e79_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4571/37684986925_92f9c37111_c.jpg)
One last "major" task to go...the wingtip floats. I need to finish the wings first so I'll prepare the float mounts, then finish the wings. They'll need to dry before the floats can be fitted, but we're definitely on the home stretch now!
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
The tail assembly looks superb, well done.
Des.
-
Thanks Des! It was probably one of the trickiest assemblies I've yet dealt with, even though it's only 4 struts, but there is nothing else to measure up to!
I've been busy over the last few days working on the floats and control rigging, so here's a look at what's been happening......
First the floats. I'd previously made up the brackets from thin strips of aluminium cut from a beer can. This is nice and thin, but not very strong, and bends almost too easily! Needless to say, it took a while to get the brackets fitted, straight, and cut to the correct lengths. That was done in stages, first gluing them onto the floats, letting them dry, then tweaking the alignment and securing properly with a drop of thin CA. They were then attached to the wings and the supporting braces added. A lot of hassle but I'm happy with the way they look.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4519/38581137076_1cc22ca953_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4553/38604941072_c5d12990b5_c.jpg)
One of them seems to have got slightly damaged at some point and the rear brace is a little twisted, but it is not really noticeable unless you look for it so it will stay as is.
Next on the list was the control rigging, starting with the ailerons. I had to add the lower cable before I did the "hardware" in the shape of the brackets fitted to the control surfaces, and the return cable pulleys on the upper wing, The brackets are .008" brass wire, and the pulleys are simply .020" card punched out with a 1.2mm punch. The reason for that was that the centre brace of the brackets on top of the ailerons covers the hole where the centre cable is threaded.
The lower aileron cable was one piece, attached in the middle to the actuator behind the cockpit, run through holes in the lower wing and up through another hole in the aileron. The other two cables are one piece of line tied around the first. I should have tied the first line around the second to give me a better angle at the join and stop the knot sliding when tensioning! I had to add a drop of CA to the knot to hold it in place but that gave me a little bit of a blob on the line...again not too noticeable, but avoidable if I'd just thought about it first!
The central line was secured and trimmed, then the brackets were added.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4566/38604938902_dd469687d5_c.jpg)
The upper line was fitted in a similar way, secured to the "pulleys", then tied around (I learnt!) a second piece for the outer cables.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4537/38581135316_2dcf3a2c57_c.jpg)
This gave me what I needed to attach to the brace....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4577/38581142806_06628cfff4_c.jpg)
I had thought that it would be easier to trim the centre line, then attach the knot to the bracket at the same time that I tensioned the outer lines, which was almost impossible as I had to tension the lines from underneath at the same time! Not a good plan! I ended up having to attach the knot to the bracket by holding both the outer pieces and pulling them evenly. I would have been better off leaving the centre line in place until it was attached to the bracket, then trimming it off.
With that attached, I could then tension all the outer lines from above and below, making sure that the centre line from below remained straight. They were pegged in place and secured with drops of thin CA.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4561/38604944542_7bda0fcd99_c.jpg)
Job done!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4573/38581141506_44001151de_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4567/38604942872_dca23e7351_c.jpg)
The brackets for the elevator and rudder had been added at the same time as those for the ailerons, so I could carry on and start rigging those too. I decided on a slightly different plan of attack for these, since the elevator cables exit the fuselage as two lines, one for up and one for down, and then each splits into two lines, one for each side of the elevator. With one join already, I didn't want to add another at the back end brackets, so I threaded the line through the elevator and around each bracket, with the aim of then simply having the one central cable to attach to each bracket. That went well, until I got careless with the CA and touched it to the tweezers that were holding the elevator, resulting in a panic to get the elevator out of the tweezers before it got well and truly stuck!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4559/38581139276_b055ed16f7_c.jpg)
The join at the right is done, I was doing the next one in when that happened. Needless to say, that was when I decided to put it down and go for a pint.....
That was all yesterday afternoon/evening, so today's tasks are to repair the elevator and (hopefully) complete the control rigging to the tail.....
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
PS The lower aileron cable was added before the floats, to make it easier to get it through the hole in the lower wing, which is above them!
-
Fantastic work Ian, your work-arounds and improvisation on the rigging challenges are impressive and you are really stepping up the game with this little beauty! The first photo with your hand for reference really brought home to me how small the model is, and the challenges of working on those small assemblies. My sincere compliments, this is outstanding work! 8) 8)
Cheers,
Lance
-
Beautiful work Ian I am sure you will have the elevator fixed in no time at all! You are so close to having this beauty done!!
RAGIII
-
Rick, Lance, thanks so much for the positive feedback. It really does add to the enjoyment of the build to know that others appreciate the work, although I still don't think it's as good as I could get it - but that's also part of the enjoyment, learning from mistakes and finding new methods that work (or don't!)......
The damage to the elevator was minor, due mainly to the fact that I was quick enough to get the glue off before it set! A quick touch-up and it was good to go....
I got the bracing cables fitted without further mishap, and attached it using CA to give a little more strength. All 4 control cables were then attached to the fuselage and left to dry before the rudder cables were connected.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4524/24795930208_381d77f6bc_c.jpg)
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4557/24795929028_bf441c03e8_c.jpg)
I've left the elevator cables as I still haven't worked out exactly how to attach them, making sure the main cable remains central. I'll think on that a little more.
Meanwhile I looked at the last bit that needs to be added - the starting handle. A piece of .010" brass wire for the shaft, half of a photo etch strut from a SPAD kit, but how to make the tapered handle? I quickly dismissed the idea of sanding down a piece of plastic rod to get the taper...very quickly! That got me to thinking that it would be easier to build it up to the taper, than cut it down.....so, a piece of .008" brass wire....and I dipped it in Mr Dissolved Putty....not quite right the first time, but promising...the second, third...better but not quite...if it's wrong just wipe the putty off and try again! After 5 or 6 attempts I was happy and left it to dry...
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4527/26892350599_283a2e7f25_c.jpg)
I'll let that dry overnight, tidy it up if needed, and paint it!
Thanks for looking in!
Ian
-
I had a crack at the elevator cables this morning. I started by trying to hold each side with tweezers and get them both to stick but that didn't work, so on to plan B. I taped the model down, then attached tapes to the wires and positioned them where they needed to be. A little adjustment where necessary to centralise the joint between the two sides, then a dab of thin CA...they were left for a while to be sure the glue set, then I removed the tapes and breathed a sigh of relief - they held, and they were straight!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4518/24810557378_91d151d8c0_c.jpg)
The underside was a little more awkward, as I couldn't tape the model down, but it was the same basic procedure. Again, they were adjusted carefully and sealed with a dot of thin CA.
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4572/24810558598_25ff893e25_c.jpg)
The result:
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4563/38683278381_e120b99e92_c.jpg)
Off to work now, so the final step - CAREFULLY nipping off the ends with a new scalpel blade, will have to wait....
Ian
-
Incredible work on this little gem Ian. Looking fantastic. :D
-
All this fine and carefully done rigging is the icing on the cake - fantastic!
Cheers,
Frank
-
All this fine and carefully done rigging is the icing on the cake - fantastic!
Cheers,
Frank
Frank has said it well and I agree completely!
RAGIII
-
Ian,
I had a good chuckle over your second photo with the "Rube Goldberg" approach to a simple jig, looks a lot like my bench at times!
Great work, and almost there! 8)
Cheers,
Lance
-
Thanks Juan, Frank, Rick, and Lance, for the comments. Lance, sometimes simple is not only easiest, it's best!
Well folks, the wires got their trim this morning, and all went well!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4517/37990410844_cf6450f501_c.jpg)
It looks as though the bracing wires on the right have slipped, but they're glued there, so there they will stay!
That left 2 more tasks, a few little touch-ups, and the starting handle.
One starting handle later....
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4552/24835172778_bbd30bea90_c.jpg)
Possibly slightly overscale, but it scales out to 21cm which is good to get both hands on it, so it'll stay as it is!
That, as they say, is that!
(https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4549/37990408304_0fa0b4964e_c.jpg)
I'll post more pics in the completed section. Thanks to all who followed and provided feedback and positive comments, much appreciated!
Ian
-
What a lovely little thing, you must be proud
Flying boats can be very elegant
Richard
-
Gorgeous results! Your rigging is outstanding as is the painting and markings. One to be VERY proud of!
RAGIII
-
What a pretty model of a type I never had heard of before...
Best regards
Andreas
-
Absolutely excellent Ian. This has been a joy to follow.
Alan.
-
Wonderfull work. No one would ever think that this is based on a vacuform kit.