1:32nd scale RAF BE2c

[Beto]

Thank You Mike, I'm really honored for your compliments. And about your painted engine... all I can say is WOW!!!  - Right now I am installing lots of fiddly 1mm and 0.8mm nuts and bolts into my 1/8 scale Renault engine, so I can't even think about a four times smaller version...

[PrzemoL]

Very fine results on that difficult material. Great to see you tackle this kit. I am sure I will have a lot of helpful info when I will start mine 

[lone modeller]

First class engine - and I can well understand that it was not easy to paint. Sensible move to leave the exhausts until later.

Stephen.

[RAGIII]

Your engine painting looks Fantastic! Well Done Mike!
RAGIII

[KiwiZac]

Bravo Mike, the end result gives no indication as to your trials. A beautiful job.

[Mike Norris]

Hi all,
Preparation of the fuselage and basic cockpit.
The fuselage halves were sand to remove resin artifacts from the mating edges.
Plastic 0.8 mm thick strips were secured to one fuselage half to aid with fuselage alignment during assembly (no locating pegs or holes).
The 3D printed cockpit side frames and bulkheads were assembled, including sanding the top curved edges to fit the contours of the fuselage when joined.
The actual aircraft had 'windows' in the fuselage to allow daylight to illuminate the instrument panels.
The two instrument panels were secured to the cockpit frames to align with the windows.
These are moulded as solid, to be painted silver and covered with acetate sheet.
Instead, I've cut out the three windows to match the supplied photo-etch window frames, which will have just the acetate sheet inserts,

Mike

[RAGIII]

Nice clean up and prep work Mike. Having the windows actually opened will be a very evident detail in this scale!
RAGIII

[KiwiZac]

Excellent progress Mike, and good call adding those alignment tabs. I'm keen to see how you tackle "glazing" the windows.

[Mike Norris]

Excellent progress Mike, and good call adding those alignment tabs. I'm keen to see how you tackle "glazing" the windows.

I usually add alignment tabs to resin kit fuselages as I find its best, especially as it's CA adhesive being used for resin.
Otherwise as soon as the fuselage is joined, any misalignment will be obvious and it'll be too late to separate the fuselage.
As for glazing those windows - kit does supply an acetate sheet for the windscreen and there's enough spare to cut out the three windows.
Hopefully with the pre-moulded windows removed, the acetate windows can be fitted under the photo-etch windows frames, using PVA adhesive.

Mike

[Mike Norris]

Hi all,
I've been looking at how the pilots seat was fitted in the BE2c.
The 'Lukgraph' kit has the seat fitted onto a metal cradle attached to the cockpit side frames.
The seat has is just a cushion and a padded backrest is fitted to the rear bulkhead.
However, I think this is based on the 'Vintage Aviator' reproduction BE2c.





A BE2c restoration was carried out at the Musee de l'Airs on BE2c Serial No:9969.
As can be seen in the following photographs, a wicker seat is mounted on a wood or metal tray attached to the cockpit cross frame.
The tray is also braced with wires to the cockpit side frames.





I think this could be a case of kit manufactures basing their kits on replica or museum aircraft.
Sometimes these aircraft are not always totally accurate, possibly due to modern aviation build regulations,

Mike

[lone modeller]

Mike

The seats in the BE 2A were mounted on wood(?) frames which in turn were suspended and braced by wires to the fuselage sides. I think therefore that the Musee example is much more likely to be the accurate/representative one.

Stephen. 

[Mike Norris]

Hi all,
After checking how the pilots seat was fitted in the BE2c, I believe the kit supplied photo-etch seat cradle is based on the 'Vintage Aviator' reproduction aircraft.
However the actual Wicker seat seems to have been mounted on a plinth which was attached to the cockpit side frame and cross member and braced by wires at its front corners.
Therefore I've represented this using 0.5 mm thick plastic card and 0.8 mm diameter plastic rod.
The following photographs shown the modification as well as the dry fitting of the assembly with the 'Barracuda' resin pilot and observer seats.
Note that in general, the observers seat had a higher back rest than that of the pilot.

Mike

[KiwiZac]

I'm very surprised at this difference as TVAL always went to extreme lengths to get every detail right, to the point one could almost call their aircraft "late production". But we all know there are variations in aircraft in service so perhaps both are correct?

[Mike Norris]

I'm very surprised at this difference as TVAL always went to extreme lengths to get every detail right, to the point one could almost call their aircraft "late production". But we all know there are variations in aircraft in service so perhaps both are correct?

Hi Zac,
Could be both are correct, although as I said, it could be the 'Vintage Aviation' BE2c could have been mofified to comply with either modern day regulations or even pilot preference.
It's always tricky to choose between new build 'replication' or true 'restoration' aircraft.
Out of curiosity, I'll ask Richard Alexander - if anyone knows he will,

Mike

[Beto]

I think both options are correct. At some point into the production, B.E.2c's were equipped with armored seats for the pilot and many were retrofitted with those steel seats. If you go with the wicker seat, it was on a platform held in place by 8 cables.