Evening All,
I am in a bit of a quandry as I have not posted any builds on this site before and am therefore not sure whether this is the right place for this one which is a conversion, not a scratch build. I intend to use several parts from an existing kit but will be making some of my own and the finished model will bear no resemblance to the original kit (I hope). I am therefore hoping that this is the correct place for this thread. I have posted pictures of previous pusher conversions on this site and although I am posting a thread on this build on another website, I thought that you ladies and gentlemen might also be interested in this rather rarified region of modelling. This model will be in God's Own Scale as nobody seems to want to make one as an injection kit in this size, although I am very aware that an excellent kit is available from WNW - but I lack both the finances and the space for one of that size. Anyway I think that building your own is more fun and a greater challenge. The one tool that is indispensable to me but which I never mention is my eye loupe - without it I simply could not continue modelling. Anyway here goes.
I am sure that I do not need to say too much about the FE 2b - it was a design from the Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough which first flew in early 1915 and was a response to a War Office requirement for a gun carrier and general purpose machine. It was powered by a 120 hp Beardmore engine (a copy of a German Merceedes) and adopted a pusher layout because there were no interruptor gears available at the time. Delays in getting machines into production meant that RFC squadrons did not receive any machines until late 1915 and not until 1916 did the type come into service in any numbers. Initially pilots flew it defensively but soon learned that it was superior to the Fokker and Pfalz monoplanes which were causing the "Fokker Scourge" and when they took the fight to the opposition they rapidly gained and held air superiority. However with the introduction of the Albatross and Halberstadt tractor biplanes in the autumn of 1916 these pusher machines became outclassed although they had to continue in front line service until the spring of 1917 because there were no suitable replacements. They continued to be employed until November 1918 as night bombers. I intend to model an early FE with the oleo undercarriage and nosewheel as this epitomises this particular aircraft for me.
I will use the Airfix DH 4 as a source for some parts: wings, Lewis guns, wheels, propellor and struts, to which I will add plastic card, florists wire and copper wire.
I started with the fuselage nacelle which I moulded from 30thou plastic card, cut out and sanded. I have painted the sides of the interior and now have to get on with the cockpit detail for both the pilot and observer.
Thanks for looking.
