Wingnut Wings RAF SE.5a Lt. Arthur Rhys Davids

[RichieW]

    Thanks for your comments Guys, I'm getting a few very short sessions here and there only thus progress is slow. Fall is the busiest season in the Great White North, especially if you live in a country setting as I do. Better to do the grooming and yard work now then at 35-40 below Centigrade!! I'll hopefully get some photos of where I'm at on this slow Build soon.
Cheers,
Lance

35-40 below zero! I can't even begin to imagine how cold that is. That sounds like a time for bears to hibernate and Lance to build the SE5a without worrying about clearing up outside. I feel cold just thinking about it!

Richie

[lcarroll]

    It's all relative Richie, I wait until it's warmed up to a balmy 20-25 below Centigrade before I venture out for snow clearing etc! It is becoming more temperate with climate change as well, I recall our first Winter here in 1981-82 when the temp. hit minus 52 on New Years Eve ........ now that's cold!
Cheers,
Lance

[MichaelStieber]

This is a very interesting report.
I am very curious about the next steps 

[lcarroll]

    I've finally wrestled some leisure time from the jaws of real life and got a bit of progress accomplished on this Build. It's time for an update before I close up the fuselage.
    The Instrument panel and shelf has been completed with  the Kit components and Aero Club etched instrument bezels.





    Cockpit control cables were installed using monofil and the HGW belts added.





   Cockpit frame braces were done with very fine stainless steel wire from a Model Railroad supplier out of my spare bits collection. A few got stretched out of shape however shouldn't be visible once it's all together.



    The instrument panel showed "posed" in position.



    ...... and finally the components ready for assembly and close up. It's not possible to follow the Kit assembly sequence if you wish to have the control cables installed. Getting the second fuselage half mated is going to be a delicate operation to fit it into and around the slots in the lower wing assembly which includes the cockpit floor, foul language is no doubt a feature of that step imminently!







    More to follow soon I hope!

Cheers,
Lance

[RAGIII]

Excellent progress Lance. The IP looks impressive! The assembly sequence does make it challenging to do the control wires. I think I used sprue and left them loose through drilled holes at the rear location, then very carefully pulled them forward and secured them. A challenging process No Matter what way one goes.
RAGIII

[mgunns]

Hi Lance:

Just catching up a bit here.  Looks like you're on your way to another show stopper.  This isn't an easy kit to build, as I am sure you are finding out.  Tolerances are very tight, that being written, what you have done so far looks the business.  Funny how real life activities invade our modeling space and we have to re-adjust our priorities.  I'm keeping an eye on this space.

[RichieW]

Wonderful work on the interior Lance, the control panel looks like the real thing. Actually that's probably a little unfair to single out one component because it all looks incredibly life like.

Richie

[DaveB]

Excellent work so far, Lance and progressing lovely.

I thought this was one of WNW's best kits in terms of assembly.

Regards

Dave

[Manni]

Wonderful interieur, Lance. The wood looks really great as the instruments, very clean.
Bye,
Manni

[lone modeller]

Super interior Lance. It may be a bit fiddly to assemble but I am sure that you will master it in dur course. Such a shame that so much of this will not be visible on the completed model.

Stephen.

[lcarroll]

    Thanks All, very much appreciated! This doesn't look like much in the way of progress however it was a relief to get it closed up. Getting the second fuselage half into the slots on the lower wing and mated to the other half took a bit of trimming and a lot of "short unprintable words" as the author Paul Brickhill once termed it!







   The seams are near invisible but were given a light treatment of Tamiya Surface Primer. After a second coat and a bit of sanding I can start on the taping for the pre-shading.
Cheers,
Lance

[RAGIII]

I am happy to see you managed to fit that left fuselage Lance! Looking great. It is nice to see someone actually using the wrinkled fuselage halves. Most builds I remember used the flat ones 
RAGIII

[lone modeller]

I wonder what those "short unprintable words" were Lance.... please could you email me a few so that I might be able to use them when I am having difficulties with some of my models.

Looks super - and I agree with Rick, the wrinkled fuselage sides look far more realistic than flat sides. Just wish I could replicate that on some of my builds.

Stephen.

[lcarroll]

Rick, Stephen,
    Thanks for looking and for commenting. I was quite taken by those wrinkled fuselage halves, genius move on WNW's part to provide the option!
Stephen, the reference is to a quote from "Reach for the Sky", the Biography of Sir Douglas Bader. I suspect the word the author referred to rhymes with "truck"! My copy is a wreck, I bought it in 1960 while in school and treasure it. It's traveled with me since that time and certainly looks it!
Cheers,
Lance

[Ernie]

Beautiful work Lance!  Thanks for sharing your talents!

Best regards,
Ernie