Roden 1/32 SE5a

[RichieW]

Picked this up for under £30 and thought it would be an ideal kit to experiment with a few new things and hopefully learn some new skills. For the price I paid I'd say this is a very impressive kit, there are some very obvious moulding flaws but this is the kind of thing many of us grew up dealing with so no problem.

First up I carved a propeller, never done that before. Then I carved another using parts of the same veneer that had a little tonal variety, this looked much more in keeping with the few British props I have seen. Lastly I downloaded a photo of an original SE5a prop and use my cutting machine to cut the shape out of different shades of card. This was all glued together and whittled just like the other two, I didn't enjoy the process as much. Not sure I like the result much either but it's a promising technique that maybe just needs refining. These are in the order I made them, the card one has since been stained with oils to tone down the contrast a bit. Still don't like it much though.

home made props. Bottom one is from card. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Next I performed a bit of surgery on the wing pulley inspection ports. These are solid on the Roden kit with the suggestion that a decal be placed over the top. I cleaned up the inside by running Tamiya extra thin cement down the side to melt all the little burrs my scraping and  filing produced. I've never dared chop parts from a kit before but this was fun. I have a little tidying up to do but I think it will be straightforward enough.

Roden SE5a pulley inspection ports cut out. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

I need to represent this;

SE5a, pulley inspection port by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Was thinking micro washers could be used to make the pulleys, I have some on order. Making the fittings might be tricky but I'm keen to have a go.

For the windows I was thinking of just building up layers of crystal clear glue, anybody done this or have any suggestions?

Haven't got round to sticking anything together yet, the engine parts look excellent but I'm not going to be displaying it so it will be just stuck together and painted as simply as possible.

Thanks for reading, all advice, comments, criticisms are very welcome. I'm keen to learn!

Richie

[Borsos]

Great project richie! When it comes to the inspection panels, I‘d cut them of thin clear material in a triangle shape. I‘d cut it as large as the outer borders of the triangle, including the taping, and glue them onto the wings. Then I‘d only have to mask a smaller triangle in the middle of it and spraypaint PC-10 — then there should be both, window and taping around. Just my two cents...
Andreas

[Alexis]

You are busy man in front of the bench Richie  I don't care for the card prop either to be honest with you . The middle prop is  beautiful ! Man that looks good , your a fast learner  Following along on this adventure as well .

Have you thought about investing in a punch set ? Very handy for making such details and other disc of different sizes . I have a Hasegawa set and some others I got from my Dad . For bolt heads I have hex rod stock by Plastruct in 4 different sizes . The framing can be made from thick tin foil or bits from a left over PE tree .


Terri

[RichieW]

Andreas thank you, that sounds like a much simpler solution. I'm not sure what's available but I'll have a search around.

Terri, thank you too. I was so proud of the middle prop, it took me 2 whole days of whittling with a scalpel and sandpaper glued round paintbrush handles and cocktail sticks. Haha, the card prop is truly ghastly though isn't it!

I was looking at punch and die sets online today  but having had  a WNW panic buy recently they look quite costly. Would be very useful though! Was thinking left over PE fret too but thick foil might be easier to work with. Good tips Terri, really appreciated.

[Alexis]

You are must welcome Richie , yes some sets can be pricey . And I meet to say Hex rod  Nothing wrong with buying a few more WNW kits 


Terri

[Ryan]

Ugh your killing me Richie, I myself was cleaning up parts on this very same kit.

Last thing I need is another plastic distraction!

Good show in the props and Andreas speaks the truth, clear plastic triangle will fit the bill nicely. You might even get away with acetate. You get get it cheap on a pasta box.

Terri also is right about punch sets, once you get a set you will wonder how you ever got on without it! Short of that you could stretch sprue and use that with a bit of tape to represent the pulley retainer.

Ryan

[RichieW]

Clear film from a pasta box, now that is a good idea Ryan, thanks! I have loads of little detail photos of the SE5a on Flickr, some are from an original undergoing some work. You get a good view of some of the internals of the engine compartment. All a bit rubbish due to using my mobile but you get to see bits at least.

Yes, I've got to listen to you guys who work in so much detail, a punch and die set has to be ordered. I can't spend anything on going out so I maybe  I should treat myself!

Looking forward to seeing your SE5a, I'm still marvelling at the tiny rivers you made on another build!

[RAGIII]

Wow Richie, you are as much of a Machine as Me! Nice start on the inspection panels! As for the props I would be pleased with any of them!
RAGIII

[RichieW]

Thanks Rick, not sure my machine runs as smoothly as yours but the desk is equally messy!

[kensar]

This is a kit of interest for me, as their doesn't seem to be many WNW SE5's around. 
I did the same surgery on my Sopwith Pup wings, only I have the benefit of having a lathe to make parts.
I'll be following along with interest.

[Ryan]

Richie,
Watch out for the interaction of the side fuselage parts to the lower wing, it looks as though you might have to notch the front of the fuse halves to fit.
I can't post a pic this instant, but will later.

Ryan

[RichieW]

Thanks for the heads up Ryan, I had a dry fit of just the fuse halves today  it looked potentially very troublesome. Would love to see pics.

[RichieW]

Be great to have you along Ken, any advice or tips you can pass along will be hugely appreciated. I've been doing a bit paint prep on another build today so nothing more to show yet.

Have ordered a punch and die set though, so many times I've wished I had one.

[RAGIII]

Be great to have you along Ken, any advice or tips you can pass along will be hugely appreciated. I've been doing a bit paint prep on another build today so nothing more to show yet.

Have ordered a punch and die set though, so many times I've wished I had one.

I have "Sort Of" built this kit twice. The first one was completely rigged when I dropped it, tried to catch the falling model and pretty much destroyed the thing. 

The second one I just totally screwed up on the struts and mounting of the upper wing, eventually scrapped it and purchased another WNW kit  One thing I had no issues with was Mounting the fuselage to the lower wing but being aware there could be a problem doesn't hurt. In retrospect I recommend drilling and pinning the struts as that would have eliminated My Mistakes. Lance also has a good method for aligning cabane struts that you might want to try. I am attaching a link to My second build even though it has a sad ending 
RAGIII


https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=5104.0

[RichieW]

Argh, bet the air turned blue when you dropped the first one Rick!

Thanks so much for the info and links, I shall have a good read up after dinner. I have no great expectations of this one but I've learned heaps from it already without even gluing any bits together. I have scratch built and test fitted a new seat today. Also used milliput for the first time to make new cushions. Will post pictures when they're painted tomorrow. Got to spend the evening being sociable with the Mrs, apparently I may have become a little obsessed recently!