Coronavirus Lockdown Stalled Build: SH 1/32 Nie.11-Jean Navarre No. 872

[rhallinger]

Thanks Borsos!  Wings and legs will be up very soon--in fact next, after a bit of minimal work on the front fuselage deck last night. 

I added the windscreen and synchronized Lewis gun, as per photos of 872.  Navarre used different gun placement on his several Nie.11s.  Most had top wing-mounted Lewis guns, but 872 had the Lewis set up on the front deck ahead of the cockpit, and incorporated a synchronization system called Alkan.  I used the gun and synchronization block from the Copper State Models Early Nie.XVII, which includes a few different Lewis guns (including, conveniently an Alkan-sychronized Lewis).  I plan to build a wing-mounted version of the CSM kit, so a suitable donor was available.   CSM did a nice job with the Lewis--very delicate and fine.  The windscreen is from the PE fret from the SH kit.  Here is the updated fuselage:



   

It seems like an awkward placement for the Lewis gun in terms of having to reach over or around the windscreen to change mags, but I guess better than having to stand up in the cockpit to change mags on the top wing-mounted Lewis.   Makes you wonder how they ever did that with the strong slipstream even at low speeds.  I would likely have fumbled around and lost the magazine overboard, if I didn't fall out myself in the process first!   Then again, I'm not in my early 20s like most of these pilots were.  Still, pretty amazing activity while piloting the aircraft in combat,  when you stop and think about it. 

I am currently building the jig to hold the fuselage and lower wings in proper position for gluing.  The little pins will be of insufficient strength, so I am studying using a narrow bead of epoxy along the wing root.  I plan to try an experiment first with rolling a narrow strand of JB Weld epoxy putty (the white water resistant version that works with plastics) and see if that works.  My thought is that there is a small gap between the fuselage and wing root, and a thread of putty epoxy might fill that as well as give a stronger bond between wing and fuselage.  It's also less messy than liquid epoxy, which could end up all over the place.  Any thoughts out there, sports fans?  Anyone ever used JB Weld epoxy putty on a model?  Any other ideas?  I will experiment relentlessly before committing glue to the model itself, so any suggestions would be welcome. 

Cheers,

Bob 

[Borsos]

Same plane, same time, same unit... they would team up quite well I think...
https://forum.ww1aircraftmodels.com/index.php?topic=9442.90
Best regards,
Andreas

[Radarman]

Bob,
I really like the way this build is progressing. The shade of red you have used looks very convincing.

                                                                                                                                      Kevin

[jeroen_R90S]

Another nice Nieuport! I lke the "deep" red shade of the fuselage

[Alexis]

Shaping up really nicely Bob . How do you like using the Uschi rigging line ? I find it to small in diameter for 32 scale rigging .

I would remove the pins and replace with a thicker brass pin instead . Everything hangs from the top wing so if you have a strong structure in the cab struts no need to over kill the lower wing .


Terri

[rhallinger]

Thanks all!  Borsos, that is a beautiful Nie.11 you've built, with better detailing than the bird I'm working on, but I'm sure they would patrol well together.

jeroen and Radarman, thanks for the kind words.  I am pleased with the red shade as well.  . . . and thanks to Jean Navarre for initially choosing to create a rouge fuselage as his flamboyant early war paint scheme.

Terri, I am relatively new to the Uschi thread, this being only my second use.  I have a spool of EZ-Line which I normally use for the tough bits like PE control horns and tail rigging, which is where I primarily use the elasticized thread.  The Uschi appears thinner than the EZ-Line, but someone here commented that the Uschi is more round and EZ-Line more oval, so I decided to try the Uschi.  I think they both work well, and who knows about the scale?  I ended up using the Uschi on the paper Parasol kit, which required elastic thread for all of the dicey rigging of a high-wing monoplane of very lightweight structure.  It looks pretty good, I think.  In the future, I suspect I will use the two types of elastic thread as needed, as they seem fairly comparable to me.  However, for structural rigging of the wings on a plastic kit like this Nieuport, I will definitely use fishing monofilament and Bob's Buckles to give support and strength to the structure--and because I like the way it looks!   Oh, and thank you for your suggestion on larger pins.  I will likely do that. 

Working on the jig for the wing attachment now.  This may take me into the weekend,  Here's a preview with things just set in place;

   

Until later,

Cheers,

Bob

[pepperman42]

That looks great as the parts come together/ Looking forward to the top wing and the contrast between camouflage and bright red!!

Steve

[rhallinger]

Thanks Steve!  I'm really looking forward to (and sweating a bit) the wings going on, too.   It can be a little touch-and-go with the SH kits.  We'll see how it works out if I take my time and measure and test fit multiple times, instead of bulling my way in, as is my usual approach.  

Andreas, thank you so much for that link to your build from a couple of years ago.  I went back and reviewed it in detail.  I wish I had started out with that thread, because you did a masterful job of dealing with this kit.  I learned a great deal from reviewing your build thread which will be helpful on my next one of these!  Your model is extraordinary.  Can you explain how you did the propeller?  It looks just amazing!  Thanks.

Cheers,

Bob

[Borsos]

Bob, Thanks a lot, there’s much I‘d do differently the next time. but I am happy if it can help a little bit. The prop is real wood. i glued together several layers of veneer using carpenter glue and carved the prop after letting it dry for 24 hours using a new scalpel blade. A scan of the kit part, printed on paper and glued on top of the veneer was a huge help. After carving, sanding and polishing I went over it with some mid-to-dark brown stain and some layers of clear coat.

Best regards,

Andreas

[Alexis]

Man that is looking really sharp !


Terri

[rhallinger]

Well, finally an update after a weekend of frustration trying to get the wings on this bird, followed at last by triumph and satisfaction yesterday.  After multiple attempts, reworking various struts, fabricating some new brass parts, resetting almost everything in the strut department, all punctuated by much swearing, sweating and periodic sanity breaks, I finally got everything reasonably together and have the wings mostly rigged.  Bottom line is that I messed up the lower wing dihedral on one side slightly, and ending up having to lengthen one main strut.  I won't even go into the self-induced issues with the cabanes (if you build this kit, do it the way Andreas did, and test-fit everything together before painting, and get the struts all set securely beforehand, especially the cabanes).   My fix is not . . . optimum, but it will have to do, and the model looks pretty good to me at this stage. Honestly, I'm thrilled just to have it all together, all things considered.

 



 





Looks kind of like a Nieuport, n'est-ce pas?  I still have a small bit of rigging to do, but it's now ready for the landing gear, which the test fit indicates should be okay (I probably just jinxed it! ).  The kit prop is painted and the oil stain drying in the drying box.  Getting close on this one.  I think I might actually complete this shelf queen, a prospect which was briefly in doubt over the weekend (glad now that I resisted the urge to give her a test flight from my bench).  I hope to be done within a couple of days now.  It will be a mixture of relief and pleasure when I get there, but then again, that probably describes my reaction to most of my completed projects.

Cheers,

Bob

[Radarman]

Bob,
This is really coming together nicely.

                                             Kevin

[rhallinger]

Thanks Kevin.  It was agony and then ecstasy, all in a few days!  Modeling is like that sometimes.  I am pleased that this one has rather suddenly come together and the end is in sight. 

Cheers,

Bob

[rhallinger]

Got the landing gear on and rigging completed last night, so all that's left is waiting for the oil-painted prop to dry thoroughly so I can seal it with orange clear coat, paint the bosses and pop it on.  That'll probably happen tonight or tomorrow.  Here are final shots on the bench sans prop:















Well, I did persevere and get this somewhat challenging kit completed, so that's a distinct positive outcome.  Despite the warts and miscues along the way, I am happy with the way it turned out, and very pleased to finally have one of Navarre's Nieuports on my shelf.  Thanks to all who looked in and offered encouragement, and to Dave for establishing this group build theme which prompted me to get this one back on the bench and finally completed about 18 months after I started it!  

I'll be heading back to a paper kit next, but may first complete a figure that's been staring at me from the window sill (fuzzily visible in some of the photos above) for about a year.  It's supposed to be an RFC pilot, but could easily be RNAS, as I now need a figure to complement my Warneford Parasol, so this will be a very short second Coronavirus Lockdown Theme project.  

Take care all. 

Cheers,

Bob

[lcarroll]

   Very nice finish Bob, the scheme is a real eye catcher. I'll save my raves for the Finished Model thread but I gotta say I REALLY like this little devil!
Cheers,
Lance