Author Topic: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72  (Read 4689 times)

Offline Old Man

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Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« on: April 21, 2020, 09:02:07 AM »
I am reviving this project for this group build, after letting it lapse a couple of years ago when my health got to be too much of a distraction.

Here is a link to the build thread from back then:

https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=8476.0

Here are a couple of photographs of the beast, one of those pre-war 'wings and some sticks' items so common then in the United States....






Here is how it stood when I halted work...






I expect the first thing I will be doing is is fuel tanks and plumbing. I will probably wait on seating arrangements, as photographs show these differed over the life of the machine, and I will have to decide at what point in its career I wish to depict it.

The great step is attaching the upper wing, and if I am going back to this, I will want to do that in fairly short order....

Offline RLWP

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2020, 05:48:17 PM »
Good to see this one back again

Richard
Hendon for flying - the fastest way to the ground!

Offline Monty

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2020, 12:54:51 AM »
An amazing interesting flying machine! Watching the intricate construction will be a pleasure! More power to your modelling arm! Regards, Marc.

Offline RAGIII

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2020, 10:33:13 PM »
I m looking forward to your revival build! Really looks awesome where you left off!!
RAGIII
"A man has to know his limitations": Harry Callahan

"Don't slop it on" Lynda Geisler

Offline Dave W

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2020, 10:40:16 PM »
Hi

I don't know if this helps but I put one of your images through some photo enhancing software and here's the result:



Your scratchbuild looks awesome. Looking forward to the completion of this one.

cheers

Dave W
Gold Coast
Australia
Owner and Administrator of ww1aircraftmodels.com and forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com

Offline lone modeller

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2020, 02:43:40 AM »
I am really pleased that you a picking this up. It is such an interesting machine and an interesting a slightly challenging subject to build. Really looking forward to seeing this progress.

BTW who is mad to try this one?

Stephen.


Offline jeroen_R90S

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2020, 01:45:14 AM »
Glad to see you continue this, some really cool stuff coming up in this GB :)

Offline gbrivio

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2020, 06:11:53 AM »
A rare bird! These very old machines are always fascinating with their look, and you choosen a really nice one and made a great work so far. Nice to see another "set aside project" coming back to life.
Ciao
Giuseppe

Offline Old Man

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #8 on: July 19, 2020, 08:29:35 AM »
Thank you, gentlemen, for the kind comments and interest in this project, and particular thanks to Dave for the helpful treatment of a photograph. There are no drawings, so pictures and eye are what I must depend on.

Putting the Junkers D.I together has got my hands and mind back into the groove, and I consider it a happy coincidence this revival of El Sonora will be my five hundredth post.

I have finally sorted out to my satisfaction the seating arrangements. In the four photographs I have showing the seats more or less clearly, three distinct arrangements are shown: one with a passenger's seat to either side of the pilot (1 photo), one with a passenger's seat only to the pilot's left, but with other arrangements the same as the two passenger version (2 photos), and one with only a passenger's seat to the pilot's left, but with some differences in how the seats are supported (1 photo, and that taken later than the others). I am going with the version there are two photographs of, which is taken in 1913, when a contract pilot, Didier Masson, flew the machine.

I wince every time I handle this thing, and it took a bit of figuring to be able to test fit pieces. I finally hit on the idea of tacking bits in place with white glue, so that things could readily be taken off and put back without need for much force. So here are the seats and supports, tacked in place as rough pieces:





You can see at lower right some early tries at the seats, that were a bit oversized for this, but may prove useful later for some other project. The two cylinders at the left are blanks for the fuel tanks, that were slung alongside the motor. They are made from sprue left from an ICM 'old tool' I-15bis, which was half round in section, and providentially the same width as 'what looked right' in the pictures relative to the size of the men (measured off a pilot figure) suggested to my eye --- about 4mm diameter. There are a couple of halves nearby, and an earlier effort that proved a hair too short for the purpose.

Here at the parts for the seats, and the fuel tanks with their sumps and fastening bands, ready for painting and assembly to the model:



The long bit of rod slats up and out from near the wheel to the leading edge of the wing. The short piece of rod goes across the main girder to the 'extra' brace. The pilot's seat goes in front of this, on supports which rest on the main girder, the front of the passenger's seat is set on this, and its rear is set on the leading edge of the wing.

When these are all attached, and a little more plumbing put in around the motor, I will be able to take the great leap and put the upper wing on....


Offline smperry

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #9 on: July 19, 2020, 08:56:45 AM »
Super work! i looked back and the wood on the engine mount really impressed me as do the wire wheels. I have made 3 1/2" wheels that way for RC models. Hats off to your ability to do it in 1/72. Amazing.
sp
There is something fundamentally amiss with a society which forces it's modelers to work for a living.

Offline jeroen_R90S

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #10 on: July 25, 2020, 10:52:13 PM »
Doing a bit of scratchbuilding in 1/32 currently alongside my Corona-project, that's difficult enough for me, so all the more respect in 1/72!

Offline RAGIII

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #11 on: July 27, 2020, 01:58:16 AM »
Excellent research and results on the seats and supports!
RAGIII
"A man has to know his limitations": Harry Callahan

"Don't slop it on" Lynda Geisler

Offline lone modeller

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #12 on: July 27, 2020, 05:37:18 AM »
This really is a delicate build - and a real testament to your scratch building skill, not to mention patience. The airy character of these early machines is being captured magnificently in this build. Good luck with putting on the top wing.

Stephen

Offline RichieW

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #13 on: July 28, 2020, 08:59:29 PM »
What a superb demonstration of how delicate 1/72 details can be made out of styrene, a real masterclass!

Richie

Offline Old Man

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Re: Martin Flyer 'El Sonora' --- scratch-build in 1/72
« Reply #14 on: July 31, 2020, 05:16:30 AM »
Thank you, Gentlemen, for your kind words and interest in this project.

The new bits and bobs are on and in color...







This clears the way for getting the upper wing on. My usual course is to assemble from the center out, rigging as I go. I use EZ-Line elastic, attached with CA glue. People say this doesn't lend structural strength, but it does add some. The rigged wing-cell is usually much easier to handle than either of the individual wings.

It will, however, be a couple of weeks before I can get back to the bench, owing to family priorities. Things should go briskly then. I have a reasonable measure for gap, and can count off ribs to determine where struts go..