1/32 BE2c

[RichieW]

Many thanks Dave, Stephen and Andreas. How are you Andreas? It's good to hear from you!

I have been having a bit of fun with making the engine, the work is all very small and fiddly but I find it quite amusing whether or not it works out.

The RAF 1a is quite a complicated beast but I'm just going to tackle it from the front to the back in little stages. From the front the real thing looks like this;

Royal Aircraft Factory 1a V8 engine by Richard Williams, on Flickr

I don't know the name for the tear drop shaped housing that the prop shaft goes into, whatever it is called I made with laminated 2mm styrene sheet cut and filed into shape. Handily this gave me a centre line for adding the bolt fixing channels. The bolts (correct number of!) were added by using a similar method to my riveting method.  2mm  lengths of 0.5mm brass tube were cut and using a paintbrush were applied with Future floor wax. Nice and easy because it can be rolled into position.

20210811_224652 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Once dried super thin super glue is applied to each one and zapped with Zip Kicker. Hopefully this gives the look of them being part of the casting rather than separate parts stuck on. A quick lick of paint to see how it looks reveals a few blobs of CA glue that need to go but I quite like the overall look.

20210811_231525 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Cooling fins were added to by cutting tiny pieces of styrene. Gel super glue was added to the engine part and using tweezers the fins were added. Great care needed to be taken to hole the fins so the tweezers didn't touch the glue, not 100% successful but at least nothing pinged across the room.

20210812_193956 by Richard Williams, on Flickr

Again, super thin super glue was run down each fin in the hope of making them look like part of a 1 piece casting.

The main parts are just tacked together with a tiny blob of glue for ease of handling but it is beginning to look like an engine! I won't have any time for a few days so here it will stay for now.

I have had so many offers of help and advice already and have been replying privately, it just seems nicer that way, this forum is everything I hoped it would be and more. Although I joined after Des passed away I cannot help thinking that he would be very happy to see how the community he started continues to thrive.

Best wishes everybody, have a lovely weekend
Richie

[kkarlsen]

Great project! Will follow!

Kent

[lone modeller]

Thanks for showing this to me earlier today Richie - it looks even better in reality than in these photographs. Simple solutions to construction problems usually work - as your photos amply demonstrate. I am following this closely because I know that at some time in future I will need to replicate at least some of this modelling - I just hope that I can keep up with this standard when I do.

Stephen.

[MichaelStieber]

Now that’s very interesting 
I am really looking forward to this project.

[RLWP]

Reduction gear housing, or timing gear housing (same difference)

The little end of the pear has a gear on the crankshaft, the big end has a gear on the camshaft that has exactly twice the number of teeth. It's convenient to use this for the prop shaft

Richard

[Jamo]

Hi Richie. Here is a link to an album of hi-res photos that you may find useful in your build:

https://jamesfahey.smugmug.com/BE2c-reproduction/

The aircraft is a reproduction BE2c built by The Vintage Aviator Ltd in Wellington, New Zealand. It has a new-build 90hp RAF 1a engine and is very authentic with regard to materials and construction., apart from the seat belts which are the Sutton Harness type, which is not authentic for WWI aircraft. Modern aircraft regulations require over-the-shoulder seat belts, so the compromise allows the aircraft to be flown, which it is, regularly.

It is registered as ZK-CBE and made its public debut in April 2015 at at Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, NZ. The aircraft is finished in the markings of 2612, a presentation aircraft sponsored by St Catherine in Ontario, from 16 Squadron, 1916. Declared missing on 1 June 1916. 16 Squadron formed at St Omer on 10th February 1915 from flights of No. 2, 5 and 6 Squadrons, using various aircraft until it was issued with BE2cs in February 1916.The squadron marking consisted of two bands around the fuselage on either side of the cockade. These were black on clear doped aircraft and white on the later PC.10 cover ones. 16 Squadron was re-equipped with R.E.8s in May 1917.

The observers' position is fitted with duel controls. The observer's 'goal post' rear gun mounting is more properly the Mounting Aircraft, Lewis, BF No. 10, Mark 1.

Anyone is welcome to download the images for personal use only. If the images are shared please credit me as the photographer. Use the small download icon, don't do a right mouse button click or the images won't be hi-res.

Happy Modelling!

Cheers, James Fahey

[kensar]

Off to a great start, Ritchie.  Scratchbuilding an engine is something I haven't done yet.  Good explanation of your process to make the gear reduction housing.
I would also like to thank James Fahey for his support of the members of this forum.  The photos are an invaluable source of information.

[lone modeller]

I too would like to thank James as I am considering another large scale scratch build of a similar machine (not a c variant however).

Stephen.

[RichieW]

James, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!! Those photographs are stunning and are going to be very useful. Anybody wanting to model the BE2c in any scale will love these. In fact the photographs are so beautiful that anybody with an interest in WW1 aviation will love them.

This forum, what a great place! 😀

[Alexis]

Engine is coming together nicely with the details being added 



Alexis

[ColonelKrypton]

The Canadian Aviation and Space Museum has an original BE2C  in it's collection. However it has been restored. I seem to recall that it was on display at one time but I am uncertain if it still is - there is only so much room for displays and the rest stored.

https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation/artifact/royal-aircraft-factory-be2c

The museum staff are quite knowledgeable and will answer emails

cheers, Graham

[RichieW]

Hi Richie. Here is a link to an album of hi-res photos that you may find useful in your build:


Cheers, James Fahey

James I just wanted to say a little more. Your photos will be utterly essential rather than meerly useful, I have had time to look through them very carefully and they answer every question I had about the aircraft. This is without doubt the finest set of detail photographs of any aircraft I have ever seen. This is a particularly beautiful BE2c, I may change my plan and try to model it.

Reduction gear housing, or timing gear housing (same difference)

The little end of the pear has a gear on the crankshaft, the big end has a gear on the camshaft that has exactly twice the number of teeth. It's convenient to use this for the prop shaft

Richard

Thanks Richard, good knowledge as always!

The Canadian Aviation and Space Museum has an original BE2C  in it's collection. However it has been restored. I seem to recall that it was on display at one time but I am uncertain if it still is - there is only so much room for displays and the rest stored.

https://ingeniumcanada.org/aviation/artifact/royal-aircraft-factory-be2c

The museum staff are quite knowledgeable and will answer emails

cheers, Graham

Many thanks Graham, I really appreciate that. You're a gem!

Great project! Will follow!

Kent

Now that’s very interesting 
I am really looking forward to this project.

Engine is coming together nicely with the details being added 



Alexis

Off to a great start, Ritchie.  Scratchbuilding an engine is something I haven't done yet.  Good explanation of your process to make the gear reduction housing.
I would also like to thank James Fahey for his support of the members of this forum.  The photos are an invaluable source of information.

Thanks for showing this to me earlier today Richie - it looks even better in reality than in these photographs. Simple solutions to construction problems usually work - as your photos amply demonstrate. I am following this closely because I know that at some time in future I will need to replicate at least some of this modelling - I just hope that I can keep up with this standard when I do.

Stephen.

Thanks so much for your interest in what will be a challenging project, all hints and tips will be gratefully received and highly necessary at some, possibly every stage. I hope my work doesn't disappoint! I can't get anything done until Monday so hopefully an update will come a few days after that.

Richie

[Rookie]

Beautiful work on the engine Richie.

The reduction gear is looking grand!

Willem

[William Adair]

Yep, the engine is looking excellent. 

[Jamo]

James I just wanted to say a little more. Your photos will be utterly essential rather than merely useful, I have had time to look through them very carefully and they answer every question I had about the aircraft. This is without doubt the finest set of detail photographs of any aircraft I have ever seen. This is a particularly beautiful BE2c, I may change my plan and try to model it.
Richie

Really appreciate the feedback Ritchie, thanks for your kind words. Wingnut Wings never got around to doing a BE2c so there hasn't been much need for a detailed walk-around set of images until you started your build. Hope you don't get too bogged down in super detailing (unless you enjoy that sort of thing) 
Warm regards, James