Airfix 1:12th scale Blower Bentley

[IanB]

Thanks Ian, the mesh is from The Mesh Company (Warrington) Ltd, #22 mesh with 0.94mm aperture and 0.22mm wire diameter. I will use this for the fuel tank, headlamp and supercharger screens, and will use #60 mesh (0.32mm aperture and 0.11mm wire diameter) for the windscreen and carb screens.

I was going to (finally) get another coat of paint on the chassis and bulkhead today, (actually I was going to do it yesterday!) but the snowstorm put paid to anything yesterday, and today I noticed another major flaw with the kit - there is a chassis member missing! Actually there could be 2 missing, but the one at the rear, right under the rear of the body, just in front of the fuel tank, is visible, the other isn't. So, out came the plastic stock and the offending member was added...



While that was drying, I decided to add the missing part of the gearbox (the shaft holding the gear lever itself) - I messed that up by adding the final piece too soon, so no pic of that just yet!

Maybe I'll get some paint on tomorrow.....


Ian

[IanB]

Still no more paint, but I haven't been idle.
 I've added the shaft to the gearbox - it won't be detailed any further as it's going to be hidden between the floor and the belly pan anyway..



 I've also added some copper "safety wire" to the inlet manifold nuts and the plugs on the front shaft, and done some detailing on the two small additions on the inlet manifold - I'm not sure what they are, maybe some sort of pressure release valves?
 
 I thinned the outer rims on the inside using an old dentist's drill bit, filed down the inner core until it was narrow enough to add a small slice of plastic tube, then cut slots around the edge. I also drilled out the central shaft. I'm waiting on some more resin nuts and I'll add 2 inside each along with "safety wire" when they arrive.
The final addition to the engine so far is the drive for the tachometer on the camcover nosecap and four small nuts...





 Unfortunately I need to respray the chromed waterway covers before going much further, then I'll add all the dome nuts for those......

Ian

[Des]

The engine is looking superb Ian, all the extra detailing is making a huge difference.

Des.

[IanB]

Since I've hunkered down for our latest blizzard - we're under a blizzard warning on Cape Cod from 7pm Sat night until 7am Sun morning - I've managed to get quite a bit done today!

The first task was another coat of green on the chassis, bulkhead and fuel tank. After that I concentrated on the engine.
 I decided against repainting the waterjacket covers, instead I bought some Bare Metal Foil. It's extremely thin, and self adhesive. It goes on very easily and shows ALL detail through it so the surface needs to be well prepared. It trims up very easily, just the weight of a scalpel with a new blade is enough, no pressure needs to be applied. I'm very happy with how that looks now.
 I then added all the dome nuts. These came from RB Motion and are well worth the money - about $60 for as many as I needed here! I managed to knock off and lose one of the spark plugs which is a little annoying. Luckily it's under the exhaust manifold so I'll replace it with piece of plastic rod and it shouldn't be too noticeable.
  Once all that was done I could start adding some of the rest of the detail parts: magnetos, pressure relief valves (?), oil filler, crankcase vent, flywheel, water pump and starter motor are now fitted. The inlet for the water pump will be added when the radiator is in place so I can get it to fit properly - I can't believe Airfix don't include it in the kit! I'll add the fan (also not in the kit!) when the engine is mounted in the chassis.









 I'm hoping I will only need a clearcoat now on the paintwork, then I can start getting stuff added to the chassis!

Thanks for looking in!

Ian

[Des]

Wow Ian, that engine looks spectacular, the bare metal foil is great and really looks the part. The RB Motion nuts may be a little expensive but like you say, well worth the expense. Looking forward to seeing this beautiful engine sitting in the chassis.

Des.

[IanB]

Thanks, Des. I must admit it's nice to be working in such a large scale, it certainly makes detailing a lot easier!
 Couldn't get out today even if I'd wanted to, with a blizzard blowing most of the day. I finally got out around 3:30pm to shovel the drive...again! This is getting old!
 So...modelling all day! Not much to show for it, but I got a fair bit more done.

 The coolant pipework had a very rudimentary flange moulded onto it, which I decided wouldn't clean up well enough, and the kit part is also missing a drain plug. So I cut it at the joint with the front mount. A piece of 2mm rod , a resin nut for the drain plug, and a cut down propeller flange from an Airfix kit (you know the piece...the circular bit with a hole in that gets glued to the back of the prop shaft so it turns) made the new flange - it fitted perfectly over the 2mm rod! A few more resin nuts and I have a much more presentable coolant pipe.

The piece with the modification:



and painted and fitted:



 I started working on the filler caps, separating the handles, and replacing the mechanism part. I'll refit the handles later. I also removed the oil filler and separated the handle. I have no idea if it's correct but at least it looks better than having a handle moulded onto the cap! A couple of nuts were added to the starter motor as attachment points for the power leads, and a bit of a wash applied to tone it all down a little.



 Finally, I decided to take a look at the bonnet panels with a view to thinning them down. I got a nasty surprise....



Hopefully some hot water and putting weight on them will sort it out....


Ian
 

[Ian from Doncaster]

Great work Ian...

The bonnet panel warping looks unfortunate, how did that happen?  They were some of the few parts in this kit that I was reasonably happy with...

[WarrenD]

That is unfortunate, hopefully you'll be able to sort this out.

Warren

[IanB]

I tried to straighten those panels and totally ruined them. New ones on order from Airfix...

Ian

[Des]

Sorry to hear of your misfortune Ian, hope Airfix come good with the new parts reasonably quick, I believe they have a good reputation for customer service.

Des.

[IanB]

 A little more to add but nothing major. I've been cleaning up the fuel tank and bulkhead for final painting, and in between I've got some details done.  The radiator grille has been masked and painted, but I still have to paint the shell. I've also added some detail on the header tank, and made a dynamo.







Thanks for looking in.

Ian

[IanB]

I managed to get the stone screen fitted to the fuel tank today, just need to finish off the straps. Then, since I went to the local modelling club this evening, I put the Bentley together as a dry run.....









 I'm finally getting close the the stage where I can start to see real progress, and put all the small sub-assemblies together!

Ian

[Des]

It great to see all the mechanical components sitting in the chassis Ian, you are doing a superb job.

Des.

[IanB]

A constructive afternoon today, working on the bulkhead. I got the dynamo mounted and the bracket made and fitted, added the heat shield for the electrical box, and added more nuts!





Ian

[WarrenD]

It's looking really great Ian.

Warren