1:72 Maquette Ilya Muromets

[uncletony]

There are pros and cons to leaving something for a while....I have forgotten a lot of the details I'd worked out, so will have to plan again, but my modelling skills have obviously improved over the last 3 years and what was acceptable, now isn't!

I keep a spiral notebook for each project, which stays with the model, and includes a punchlist (after a while turns into pages) and lots and lots of drawings. I also like to leave myself something really easy to do so that getting back into it isn't so daunting. Worst thing to do is to put it away when you hit something really difficult, then it gets really hard to pull it back down...

[IanB]

Bo, I should have done that, but since I never intended putting the thing away for 2 years it didn't occur to me! Great idea though, I'll try to remember that.

 I have seen many people on Britmodeller forum referring to Halfords High Build Primer as a good product to use for filling minor surface blemishes etc. Since I live in the US that's not available, so I bought a can of Rustoleum Filler Primer. I've given the wings and tail surfaces a couple of thin coats and I like what I've seen. It looks thick when first applied but seems to even out and leave the detail clear once it dries - unless of course you're too heavy handed with it....
It appears to seal everything together and it goes on very nicely, leaving a good smooth surface for further paint. Here are a couple of pics of the wings and tail. It's hard to really get the detail to show in the pics, but I think you can get the picture. It has also highlighted a few small areas which will need a little more attention before final painting.







 I'll leave it all until tomorrow before any further work in them, thanks for looking in!

Ian

[RAGIII]

Excellent work! I am glad to see you back on this one!
RAGIII

[Borsos]

Very nice work on the wings. And a "chapeau!" for the bravery to start and to restart this kit!
Borsos

[lone modeller]

Really great to see you ice this one up again. This looks to be a major build without improvements - it will be worth following agin - hopefully to the finish line this time!

Stephen.

[IanB]

Thanks Krow, Rick, Borsos and Stephen! I'm going to need all the support I can get for this one......

I finished cleaning up the wings and tail surfaces this morning. They're not perfect, but I think they're as good as I'm going to get them, and I'm happy with them, so they've been wrapped in kitchen towel and put away until I'm ready to paint everything.



 The major problem I had was how to make the complicated rudder pedals and their support frame, especially as I couldn't build them in situ, and I couldn't do them before I put the fuselage together as the floor section was separate from the front spar crossmember, and the pedals are attached to both!
 This problem was resolved for me as the Deperdussin frame had come loose and to refit it I had to get inside....the only solution was surgery....



This made access easy, but I still had to figure out how to make the frames. I decided to use 0.010" brass rod and started by drilling two holes in the spar and 2 more in the front of the floor. A simple U shape piece was attached to the 2 spar holes, giving me the basic top and sides to the frame, and the front end pieces were attached to the floor and CA'd to the top frame.



2 simple triangular pieces were then added in the centre of the frame, and the triangle at the ends completed with the addition of a single piece at each end. The pedals themselves were made separately. The frame and pedals have now been painted and when they're dry I'll trim the pedals to size and attach them.





Hopefully the nose will be back on by tomorrow evening and I can then continue the finishing of the fuselage ready for painting.

Thanks for looking in!

Ian

[steveb]

Nice to see this resurrected. I wasn't around here when you started on this, but you are making great progress with the additional pieces. Are the brass pieces held together with CA glue?

Steve

[IanB]

They are Steve, that's why I drilled for the frame, just to give it a little more strength.

Ian

[IanB]

First job today was to complete the fitting of the rudder pedals and replace the nose. that all went without any problems...





I then decided to take a look at the lower transparency and see what work it needed...the answer, of course, was a lot! This is what came with the kit....



So, first off, out came the sanding sticks. It was thinned drastically in the inside, and the surface detail on the outside was removed - it was nice and crsp but there weren't enough frame pieces, so they'll be replaced. The micromesh was next and it was polished up inside and out, and finally it was trimmed to fit. This is how it looks now, I don't think I'll get a better fit than that!



 It's nice to finally use a kit part, albeit highly modified!

The last task for today was to add some more detail up front. I stretched a piece of clear sprue for the bank indicator, added that and then added the central post on the nose.



Tomorrow will see a start on the side parts of the front windows. The 2 main windows at the front will be left until the end as I want to position them open.

Thanks for looking in!

Ian

[IanB]

Since we're under a blizzard warning here on Cape Cod it's been a good day for modelling. I spent quite a while just doing final tidying up on the fuselage and making sure all the joins were taken care of.  I then added pins on the centre "cabane" sections and another pin at the rear of the upper wing to make sure it all stays together. After that I couldn't resist a first dry fit to see how it all looks and check the angles..... she's a big bird!







 Then while reviewing pics I realised that there should be 2 small circular windows in the cabin roof. I had noticed them before but thought they weren't on the aircraft I'm modelling....unfortunately they are!

 So I measured out the centres, guesstimating the size and position from the pics, and marked them on a piece of masking tape, then stuck the tape on the cabin and drilled through the marked centres.....





 The size of the windows was a combination of guesswork, looking at the proportions in the pics, and the fact that I had both 3mm drill bits and a 3mm punch to make the windows! I think they may be slightly too far apart but I'm happy with it, it's certainly not going to be changed now!

Ian

[lcarroll]

Ian, some really clever scratch Mods and additions going on here, very impressive work! The brass and CA combo is a tough one that you've pulled off very nicely with great results. This is going to be one heck of a big and beautiful addition to your line up!
Cheers,
Lance

[RAGIII]

Ian, some really clever scratch Mods and additions going on here, very impressive work! The brass and CA combo is a tough one that you've pulled off very nicely with great results. This is going to be one heck of a big and beautiful addition to your line up!
Cheers,
Lance

I can't say it any better Ian! Big and Beautiful Indeed!
RAGIII

[andonio64]

Ian, I love the work you're doing, masterclass as usual...
How did you polish the transparent under the cockpit?
After sanding it to make it thinner which treatment did you use to make it transparent again?

AnDonio

[stevehed]

Been following this since the start. Very impressive. Can I second Antonio's request re the transparencies.

Regards, Steve

[Monty]

Lovely work, Ian! And a great pleasure to follow along. Your attention to detail is fabulous, and there are great tips and hints for us less-skilled modellers! Regards, Marc.