forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

WW1 Aircraft Modeling => Under Construction => Topic started by: ScanmanDan on May 19, 2018, 10:34:32 PM

Title: 1/28 SPAD XIII Back from the shelf of Doom
Post by: ScanmanDan on May 19, 2018, 10:34:32 PM

Many years ago, maybe ten, I started three Revell 1/28th scale kits the Triplane, SPAD and the Camel.  They all got quite far into being built and then stalled hard.  I finished up the Triplane last year but the SPAD and Camel have sat there mocking me since.  I decided to clean off The SPAD and see if I could get her across the line as well.  The Camel will need to wait for another day.  

First thing was to clean a decade of dust and muck off the SPAD and then get to grips with what I could really do with her.  I quickly remembered exactly why I stopped work on the SPAD.  Rigging.  I had been using invisible thread and stretched QTips for crude turnbuckles.  Much of the original rigging of the struts survived and with a little applied heat returned to an acceptable tightness.  I have since used elastic thread and brass micro tube but even so it has taken about five hours to get to this stage and I still have the back wing rigging to do.  

I have started on trying to get the paint to look okay, I like a weathered look of an in service machine, so I can hide a little bit.  But I am limited by what I did ten years ago. This will never look as good as I thought it could when I started all those years ago but at least I will have finished it.

Here are some pics of where I'm at now.

(https://photos.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-bWDgrw9/0/af10810a/L/SPAD%20XIII%2001-L.jpg) (https://dancooper.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-bWDgrw9/A)

 (https://photos.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-xXj2H6m/0/65f48bd5/L/SPAD%20XIII%2002-L.jpg) (https://dancooper.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-xXj2H6m/A)

I wonder have many folks have brought back kits that have spent years on the shelf of Doom?  Any success stories?

Thanks for looking in.

Dan

Title: Re: 1/28 SPAD XIII Back from the shelf of Doom
Post by: RAGIII on May 20, 2018, 02:03:00 AM

Many a good tune is played on an Old Fiddle. This applies to the kit as well as your resurrected build!
RAGIII
PS: I was very close to finishing a Roden SPAD VII that had been sitting on My shelf of doom. Knocked it off of my display case with a WNW Salmson and it went West  :-[
RAGIII

Title: Re: 1/28 SPAD XIII Back from the shelf of Doom
Post by: GazzaS on May 20, 2018, 06:22:48 PM

Dan,
   That's some great work in restoring the SPAD.  I don't have anything around that long, so I can't give any SOD stories.  I turned one SOD candidate into a paint hack.  The others have either found the bin, or sit patiently waiting for me to get better at soldering.

Gaz

Title: Re: 1/28 SPAD XIII Back from the shelf of Doom
Post by: ScanmanDan on May 20, 2018, 08:51:35 PM

Thanks guys.  Nice to get some life back in the old girl.

I have nightmares about dropping and smashing kits as I have many, many thumbs and multiple left feet.  ( Makes it hard to buy shoes...but that a story for another day.)

Pics of todays progress;

(https://photos.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-rgNWgCL/0/572875ef/L/SPAD%20XIII%2003-L.jpg) (https://dancooper.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-rgNWgCL/A)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-tH8zVZH/0/79e28a84/L/SPAD%20XIII%2004-L.jpg) (https://dancooper.smugmug.com/WIP-Models/SPAD-XIII/i-tH8zVZH/A)

Just need some more rigging and a touch more paint and then I'm done :)

Thanks for looking in.

Dan