Bristol Scout C 1/32 First scratch build attempt FINISHED!

[Alexis]

I have Trum 's riveting tool . I is handy for doing lines bit when only one or two is need or a circle I use this

https://www.ultracast.ca/product-p/mdc_me32005.htm

Also have the 48 scale one as well . I like how you handled the the top and tail of fuselage , neat idea !


Terri

[RAGIII]

Fantastic progress Richie. Your problem solving skills are excellent!
RAGIII

[RichieW]

Thanks so much for you kind words chaps, your encouragement and generosity are highly motivating.

While I continue to ponder the shape of the fuselage sides immediately behind the cowling I thought I would have a play with the top wing.

The central section is level while the wings have a lot of dihedral. I thought starting with one piece, shaping the aerofoil then cutting out the central section would be a good way to ensure a constant shape. I did this with sanding, boiling water, bending and iced water.

Top wing aerofoil shape sanded. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

So one piece of 2mm styrene warps under handling, hhmmmm. I taped it to my steel ruler and treated it with boiling water followed by cold water, not perfect but much better.

Warp almost cured. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Having done that I decided it was time for a drink, by English standards the weather is furiously hot and I had to do a heck of a lot of sanding. I'm wondering the best way to cut the central section out, having shaped it, the use of an engineer's square is tricky.

I then thought I may have been better off using using Harry Woodman's balsa core method. Pinning the wings together would be a breeze. The more I thought about the more I was convinced it was a good idea so I ordered a sheet of balsa and will try that technique too. Hope to get this prototype wing finished tomorrow. If it doesn't work out I can use it to experiment with painting the translucent CDL and roundels.

Richie

[smperry]

Richie
To cut, you should use a fine tooth saw. You loose the kerf, but you do not distort the plastic as  you would using a blade even with many fine cuts, it pushes the plastic aside and makes a distorted ridge on either side of the cut. A balsa core is likely better as it is easier to sand, though a fine smear of 30 min epoxy is better than double sided tape. My PS.7 wings delaminated from the core after a few months when the double sided tape let loose. Maybe a better double sided tape would have held, but a light coat of epoxy sure would have held if it had been properly pressed together as it cured.
sp

[RichieW]

Thanks as always SP, yes the double sided tape method is a concern and I was wondering which glue would be best. Now I know! I think balsa would be better all round, I do worry about the masses of tiny plastic particles I have released into the environment. It's fun to experiment though and it keeps me out of mischief.

[RichieW]

Well, I cut out the centre top wing section with a Tamiya saw and scriber. Made a template and cut the shape of left wing (I never remember my port from starboard) and shaped the edges to the correct shape.

20200731_112054 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

This was getting very exciting so I quickly cut the shape of the right hand wing, except in my excitement I didn't.

20200731_112121 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

ARGHHHH!!!!! Not the first and almost certainly not the last time I will do something like this. I could use one for the lower wing as they are the same shape and size but I've had enough of wings for now and will wait for my balsa sheet to arrive and hope for better.

In the meantime, more head scratching and pondering over shaping the nose and it's time to start adding some interior details.


Best wishes all
Richie

[kensar]

Good progress, Ritchie.  You're figuring out what will work for you.  Due to the wing's thickness (pretty thin, actually), the balsa core may not work out as well, but you will have to find out.  An all styrene wing gives the opportunity to make strong glue joints at the wing roots.  I would typically put in a couple of metal pins to reinforce the joint.  Drill oversize holes for the pins and fill with epoxy when putting the pins in and setting the dihedral angle between the pieces.  Food for thought.

[RichieW]

Thanks Ken, I have enough 2mm sheet to have another go. I may even be able to use what I have, I can definitely see your point about an all styrene wing but I'm keen to explore as many techniques as I can at this early stage of my scratch building career. It's certainly a massive challenge but I am enjoying it.

Richie

[kensar]

As long as you are enjoying the journey, that's all that matters.

[RAGIII]

Following your build, and also your enjoyment of the learning process is inspiring! The wing is looking great and by now I am confident you will get them the way you want them!
RAGIII

[lone modeller]

Richie you might consider laminating 2 x 1mm sheets. You can curve these first using hot water, then glue them together - they are unlikely to delaminate if you use enough liquid cement. I agree with drilling and pinning the wings at the dihedral joint - it is a method I normally use in these situations. Because the wing is so thin I would not use the balsa core method - but then I do not favour that method even for thicker wings - just a personal thing.

Good luck with the learning curve - it is all good fun provided that you do not fall off!

Stephen.

[RichieW]

Thanks chaps, yes that sounds like a good approach Stephen. Got a few days with no bench time available so have been pondering the build whilst wandering round the zoo and tomorrow I will be umpiring a cricket match. I'm loving the problem solving that is involved in scratch building. I'm not feeling the pressure that the possibility of ruining an expensive kit brings. I have just ordered a few spitfires though, well 80 years ago and all that. Got to really.

[jeroen_R90S]

Cool stuff, Rich! And also kudo's to everyone offering advice and tips, this is really what makes this such a great Forum!

Jeroen (when not working on my 1/72 Corsairs I'm modifying ejections seats for my off-topic 1/32 A-6A Intruder...)

[RichieW]

Cool stuff, Rich! And also kudo's to everyone offering advice and tips, this is really what makes this such a great Forum!

Jeroen (when not working on my 1/72 Corsairs I'm modifying ejections seats for my off-topic 1/32 A-6A Intruder...)

Many thanks Jeroen, yes this forum is amazing. Without all the great advice so generously offered by the brilliant, gifted modellers here I certainly wouldn't be attempting this project!

It's been far too hot here to spend time at the bench today and tomorrow is forecast to be much the same. Yesterday I did manage to sit outside in the shade and have a whittle on a balsa sheet to see if I could make a wing core. The real challenge is to make it thin enough and retain symmetry.

I started with a single piece of balsa long enough to make all of the wings with a bit of excess in case of mishaps. By laying it out along a BBQ table top and sanding in long strokes with a curved sanding block I think I may have got there. It was a hugely time consuming process but I don't mind that as I have no work on at the moment and England were playing very poorly against Pakistan in the test match. I used a foam cored sanding block which was easily bent and held into the required shape.

Bristol Scout top wing balsa core and frame. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

You can see how thin it is here. The edges have been reinforced with extra thin CA glue to hold them together.

Scout top wing balsa core and frame. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

The shape of the fuselage side just behind the cowling has been bothering me for a long time. In the end I just filled the area with milliput and sanded back from the firewall and it automatically assumed pretty much the correct the shape. It's certainly good enough for me in my first foray into the mysterious world of scratch building!

I have no idea at all how I am going to skin the core, the options seem to be double sided tape which I'm not sure I fancy much, CA glue which I fancy even less. I am also a little conflicted about skinning with a single piece of styrene bent over both surfaces or separate top and bottom skins like I used for the tail feathers. I suspect I will stick with what I know here.

Many thanks for reading, please feel free to offer any advice or criticisms. I am not in any way precious about my hobby and am desperately keen to learn from the great modellers here.

Richie

[RAGIII]

Excellent work Richie! I think you are well on your way to making it all work. By the way the wood tones on the fuselage frame look great!
RAGIII