W. M. Alexander's Sopwith Triplane 'Black Prince'

[Chris Johnson]

The lower wing is now installed, all of the fuselage decals are applied, and I'm able to test fit the undercarriage and engine to see how they look.



As luck would have it, the undercarriage will be fine once I add the rigging and tweak it just a bit to ensure the aircraft sits level. It's pretty darned close as it sits now.



It was a lucky thing for me that Dave Wilson posted images of his Tripe as it wasn't until I saw those that I realized that I had neglected to apply the 'Lift Here' decals under the serial numbers. Because of the position of the large letter 'A', 'Black Prince' only had one per side, so that helps a bit. Unfortunately, I had already sealed the existing decals in place with a matte coat. My solution was to soak the required decals from the backing paper and shake the water from them. Then I dipped them in Future and applied them to the fuselage. In both instances, I had absolutely no silvering at all. Even with the benefit of a gloss coat in place for decaling, I think I'll use this approach with all clear film decals from this point forward in my future projects.



I'm currently installing eyelets for the rigging lines and preparing the struts for installation.



Thanks for dropping by for a look.

Cheers,

Chris

[Epeeman]

Chris,

That's coming along great.  The weather paint effect to the cowling looks very realistic as well.

Regards

Dave

[Dave W]

Thats looking really nice Chris and I am delighted to see you have survived the fit issues of the cockpit/ lower wing and the fuselage coaming. The rest of the build should be fairly painless !

cheers

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

[uncletony]

That looks great Chris! But weren't the wheel covers made of fabric?

[Chris Johnson]

That looks great Chris! But weren't the wheel covers made of fabric?

You've got a good eye there Bo! See what happens when an AFV modeller is let loose on an airplane?

Dave Wilson brought it to my attention earlier, but as the wheels were already fully assembled, it wouldn't be a simple matter to strip off the layers of paint and redo it.

However, since learning of my mistake, I've seen several images showing the dope chipping away from the canvas covers. That seems reasonable as they would be under stress during landings and while bumping along while taxiing. That being the case, the chipped areas should probably be PC12 instead of silver, but it is what it is! 

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. Is it 100% definite that the covers were always made of canvas? Just grasping at straws here guys!

[pepperman42]

I think with your ability you could carefully sand and repaint........its gunna nag at ya'.......heres me all talk and no build........

Steve

[Chris Johnson]

I think with your ability you could carefully sand and repaint........its gunna nag at ya'.......heres me all talk and no build........

Steve

What an astute fellow you are Steve. Since discovering my mistake, it's been preying on me and driving me absolutely around the bend.

Cheers,

Chris

[pepperman42]

Dont ever want to come across as a pr**k as my out put here is zero from the model bench but I know from your past projects that its an easy fix for you.

Steve

[Chris Johnson]

Dont ever want to come across as a pr**k as my out put here is zero from the model bench but I know from your past projects that its an easy fix for you.

Steve

No worries Steve. I had a good chuckle when I read your comment because it is nagging the h-e-double hockey sticks out of me!

Cheers,

Chris

[pepperman42]

The only reason I tossed in my two cents is because a while ago I built Trumpys 1/32 Mig 3. My modelling buddys said it was good but needed a bit of weathering. I proceeded to add exhaust,oil and various grime around the l/g. I then did some mild pencil chipping and wearing around the cockpit and wing root. The Mig 3 is - you guessed it - a mostly wooden airplane...............

Steve

[Chris Johnson]

The only reason I tossed in my two cents is because a while ago I built Trumpys 1/32 Mig 3. My modelling buddys said it was good but needed a bit of weathering. I proceeded to add exhaust,oil and various grime around the l/g. I then did some mild pencil chipping and wearing around the cockpit and wing root. The Mig 3 is - you guessed it - a mostly wooden airplane...............

Steve

I appreciate any and all comments so don't ever hold fire on something you see that's not right. I make lots of mistakes but if I'm not made aware of them, I won't be able to avoid repeating them.

Now where did I put that belt sander . . .

Cheers,

Chris

[kinnies]

Chris, that really looks sharp. I like how you have done the wings and struts and woodwork. The cowling also looks great.Inspiration as I work on Black Maria (which is kinda in limbo at the moment).
John

[RAGIII]

Chris,
Your build is certainly an inspiration for my current work! Your tripe is all I have come to expect from your talented hands!!
RAGIII

[LindsayT]

Chris, the way you paint these things you could make it look like it was cast iron and had a turret and I'd still think it was the best thing I'd ever seen.

Go with what your gut tells you, but I think it looks great.

Lindsay

[Dave W]

Chris, I know what it's like to have a small error eat away at you for years on end with a model so here's a suggested fix for the Tripe wheel covers- smear them with mud!

Rather than risk damaging that delicate undercarriage assembly by sanding and re-painting, I'm thinking instead you depict the Tripe after it has landed and taxied in on a muddy airstrip on the Western Front.

I recommend the Tamiya weathering compounds and especially their 'mud' which is part of one of the weathering sets which look like ladies eye make up packs! The mud powder s applied with a sponge applicator which gives you a lot of control to dab or smear the mud. I would liberally muddy the wheels and have splashes and spatter on the wheel covers in those areas which suggest metal and leave the rest a blackish hue.

cheers

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia