1/32 BE2c

[RichieW]

I like the spin you put on it. I shall make that my motto!

Always happy to help spin things for the better!
 

20221126_112441 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Never mind, I hate you now!  There aren't sufficient words to project my envy. I hope you share the build here!

You're going to hate me even more when the Kotare Spitfire arrives Zac! Always been a sucker for those elliptical wings and graceful contours. Not sure when either will get built, I'm already making plans for my next 3 scratch builds!

That is a serious distraction Richie: I note that you were drunk when you ordered it! Hopefully it will not get in the way of real modelling!!

The elevators look super, especially the way the ribs stick up through the plastic skin. If the rest of your model is as good as this it will be an outright winner.

Stephen.

Thanks as ever Stephen for your tutelage and encouragement, I'm definitely having fun with this.

Yes, the gigantic Spitfire is a massive distraction but whilst handling the delicious Airfix plastic I can't help but find myself wondering how I could make these parts myself out of aluminium and styrene. I would dearly love to be able to scratch build a Spitfire and a Hurricane one day but you'll be relieved to hear that I recently took delivery of datafiles for the Airco DH2, the mighty Bristol Fighter and the Sopwith 1 and 1/2 Struttet. There is also the thought of a translucent Ship's Camel running through my hyperactive mind too!

Richie

[lone modeller]

That is a serious distraction Richie: I note that you were drunk when you ordered it! Hopefully it will not get in the way of real modelling!!

The elevators look super, especially the way the ribs stick up through the plastic skin. If the rest of your model is as good as this it will be an outright winner.

Stephen.
[/quote]

Thanks as ever Stephen for your tutelage and encouragement, I'm definitely having fun with this.

Yes, the gigantic Spitfire is a massive distraction but whilst handling the delicious Airfix plastic I can't help but find myself wondering how I could make these parts myself out of aluminium and styrene. I would dearly love to be able to scratch build a Spitfire and a Hurricane one day but you'll be relieved to hear that I recently took delivery of datafiles for the Airco DH2, the mighty Bristol Fighter and the Sopwith 1 and 1/2 Struttet. There is also the thought of a translucent Ship's Camel running through my hyperactive mind too!

Richie
[/quote]

Ah that sounds better: real aeroplanes being planned. For a moment I thought that you may have been lost to the Dark Side.

Stephen.

[RichieW]

The real dark side for me is JETS, yuk! A proper aeroplane has a propeller and is designed and made by real hands.

Speaking of propellers I spent a very pleasant day whittling away on a blank made from coffee stirrers. Wood is such a fun material to work with but it can cause domestic unrest when wood shavings and saw dust get trodden throughout the house, oops!

BE2c Prop carved from coffee stirrers. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

I could go on forever refining it and trying to get perfect symmetry but this is certainly good enough for me so I'm calling it a keeper. I will get some wood stain tomorrow and call it job done.
i
I made the other elevator flap this morning too, I had all the ribs cut already and after having had many dress rehearsals it went together pretty quickly. They need need sanding, painting, decal strip rib tapes and final painting but here they are with the rest of the tail feathers and propeller. Little by little I'm getting there.

BE2c Tail feathers and propeller by Richard Williams, on Flickr

cheers
Richie

[DaveB]

Richie -

Your making really positive progress again on your BE2 - looking great

Agree with you regarding jets ............ !

Regards

Dave

[lone modeller]

Nothing wrong with that propellor at all - in fact it looks as though it is a kit part. The tail parts also look well up to the mark. Now you can think more carefully about the front end.....

Are jets really aeroplanes?

Stephen.

[KiwiZac]

That prop is stunning! Exquisite work Richie!

[Rookie]

Beautiful work on the stabilisers and the elevators Richie! The translucency works really well. Nice to see the rudder in colours. You are making great progress and I really am impressed by the propeller you made, it looks great!

So, what will be the next stage?

Willem

[RichieW]

Thanks so much chaps, your kind words and encouragement are a huge help and very motivational.

The propeller, although very time consuming has been the most rewarding bit of model making I've ever done. I can't help thinking that it might be fun to attempt a largely wooden model. The massive drunken Spitfire purchase is drifting further from my thoughts!

I'm gradually working my forwards and hope that skills I learn on the way will leave me prepared for
finishing the engine. I will make all of the controls next and set them aside before finishing the fuselage frame. Can't have too many fragile sticky out parts on the body for too long before skinning.

Jets? Hhmmmm....I consider them more to be projectiles rather than aeroplanes
 With just a few exceptions I can't think of any I really enjoy looking at.

Busy few days ahead with very little modelling time available. I will be back soon though.

[lone modeller]

The massive drunken Spitfire purchase is drifting further from my thoughts!

Reads as though sense is beginning to be recovered.....what a relief!

(A wholly unbiased) Stephen.

[FAf]

Really good progress and show of skills, Richie!
That propeller is looking great!

/Fredrik

[RichieW]

Many thanks Fredrik, whittling away at a propeller is so therapeutic.

After a busy week I had a couple of days to myself. I decided to set about making the gravity tank cowling which can be seen here in a phoograph by James Fahey from his magnificent set of detail shots of TVAL's BE2c.

 
BE2C photo by James Fahey by Richard Williams, on Flickr
 

I pondered making the blister by doing old fashioned panel beating but soon realised that it would mean making a former the same shape so I just whittled a piece of styrene rod and CA'd it in place. The panel itself is just 0.15mm sheet aluminium that I annealed and bent over a former a made a few weeks ago. The Tamiya tape will represent the reinforcement strap at the end. The former was made from balsa, I spent an age getting a smooth enough surface to vac form the cockpit coaming but that's for another day. Spoiler alert, the vac form machine didn't get used.  The coffee stirrer the former sits on is the type I made the propeller from.

 

BE2c Fuel tank cowling by Richard Williams, on Flickr


 

This was then primed with car body filler and lots of little punched rivets were stuck on with future. I don't bother measure things like this, it is eye straining enough working with 0.25mm specks of aluminium.

 
Fuel tank cowling, rivets added. by Richard Williams, on Flickr

 

All painted up, that's a fun job done, the finish looks a bit ropey in the photo, there may have to be some micro mesh action later. I'll have a look later with the naked eye and see if I'm worrying about nothing.

 

20221206_183531 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

 

Much less fun was making a strip of stitches for the fuselage from fishing line (1.5lb Maxima chameleon) and styrene sheet. This involved individually drilling over 300 0.4m holes that should be spaced with absolute precision, I didn't manage that but it was so tedious that I won't be repeating the process. Actually I need another strip the same length, I shall wait for my brain to recover before doing the next length.

 

Fuselage stitching strip by Richard Williams, on Flickr

 

I seem to be do be doing everything except finishing the fuselage frame, this is because I am living in terror of cocking up the alignment of the next pair of uprights. My intention is to make them from brass rod and continue the straight up to form an inner core for the cabane struts. Get this step wrong and the top wing won't go on. I will tackle that soon, wish me luck.

 

Richie

 

[KiwiZac]

Good luck Richie, I have total confidence in you - that tank cowling is gorgeous!

[RichieW]

Good luck Richie, I have total confidence in you - that tank cowling is gorgeous!

Thanks Zac, you have more confidence than I do., I shall have to roll my sleeves and get serious! I added the wrong tank cowling photo. All correct now.

Richie

[lone modeller]

The tank and stitching look super. Like ZacI know that you can do this even if you do not!!

Keep at it and you will be surprised how things will pan out as expected.

Stephen.

[RichieW]

The tank and stitching look super. Like ZacI know that you can do this even if you do not!!

Keep at it and you will be surprised how things will pan out as expected.

Stephen.

Many thanks Stephen, that's good advice, I've just got to keep the faith and plod on. I think I will tackle the cockpit coming and turtle deck next. I have star ted to work on the pilot's controls too but won't be adding any of them just yet. I need to have a play with the tailplane too to make certain everything will fit together easily once the main assembly gets underway.

Richie