Roden's 1/32 S.E.5a (Wollseley Viper) - Grinnell-Milne's 'Schweinhund'

[Chris Johnson]

To get things started here on the forum, I'm going to post a build log on the Roden 1/32 S.E.5a in the distinctive markings of 'Schweinhund', as flown by Duncan Grinnell-Milne shortly after Armistice Day, 1918.

As you can see below, my references include the instruction booklet from the WnW S.E.5a kit as well as Datafile, Squadron and Osprey titles.



This will be my sixth rigged aircraft build since getting my feet wet in June 2011 and I have three new goals in my efforts to improve my aircraft models.

1) Detail the pulley inspection ports on both wings and tailplane.
2) Through careful masking, achieve sharp, straight demarcation lines between the top and underside colours, as appear on the underside edges of the wings and tailplane.
3) Employ the pastel technique for rib shading.

My first step was to hollow out the pulley inspection ports. As seen in the image below, I drilled out the centre sections and corners of each port to remove as much material as possible. Then I pared away the rest of the plastic with my hobby knife and files. Next step will be to block in the undersides of each port and add the pulley detail.



Thanks for looking and all constructive comments welcomed.

Cheers,

Chris

[Des]

Excellent start Chris, with the scheme you have chosen you will end up with a very striking model. You have done a great job so far on the inspection ports, they will really look the part once the pulleys are fitted, looking forward to your next updates.

Des.

[Dave W]

Excellent project Chris!

I'm very grateful to you for uploading this build project. I have the Roden kit in the stash with plans to also do the scheme you are doing.

It is very helpful to have someone show the way and highlight any issues. Des has been outstanding with his various Wingnut builds in guiding us through any hidden problems so I'm sure your SE5a build will be of immense help to fellow modellers.

Cheers and happy modelling

Dave W
Gold Coast
Australia

[phs Paddy]

Hi Chris,
Good to see you’ve kicked things off with you SE.5a project. The work you’ve done on the pulley ports looks very good. Did you get a chance to pickup any of Vallejo’s Still Water for a possible clear filler for the inspection windows?

Anyway, I’ll sure be tagging along and watch you develop this beauty.

Paddy 

[Rob Hart]

Nice work on the pulley ports. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on Roden's 1/48 kit.

[Chris Johnson]

Did you get a chance to pickup any of Vallejo’s Still Water for a possible clear filler for the inspection windows?

The last time I was at the LHS, I completely forgot to have a look for it but I'll put it on my next shopping list. Twenty years ago I didn't need a list . . . 

Cheers,

Chris

[Chris Johnson]

It is very helpful to have someone show the way and highlight any issues. Des has been outstanding with his various Wingnut builds in guiding us through any hidden problems so I'm sure your SE5a build will be of immense help to fellow modellers.

Oh, I'm running into issues alright Dave, and I'll be sharing them with you fellows. Frankly, they're of my own making, as I've still got a lot to learn, but more on that a little later.

Cheers,

Chris

[Chris Johnson]

Nice work on the pulley ports. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on Roden's 1/48 kit.

I don't envy you fellows doing them in 1/48 scale as I had enough of a challenge in 1/32! The thinner wing in 1/48 scale would be very problematic for me when trying to add the interior pulley detail, so I tip my hat to you 1/48 scale fellows who make it look like child's play!

Cheers,

Chris

[coyotemagic]

Nice work on the pulley ports. I'm trying to figure out how to do that on Roden's 1/48 kit.

Hey, Rob.  It's pretty much the same procedure in 1/48, only smaller.
Cheers,
Bud

[coyotemagic]

Did you get a chance to pickup any of Vallejo’s Still Water for a possible clear filler for the inspection windows?

The last time I was at the LHS, I completely forgot to have a look for it but I'll put it on my next shopping list. Twenty years ago I didn't need a list . . . 

Cheers,

Chris

That 2 part epoxy really does work great, Chris.  Trust me.  You can get it level.
Cheers,
Bud

[GAJouette]

 Chris,
Outstandin progress my friend.I'm happy to be able to follow along with this project again.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[Pete Nottingham]

Lovely start Chris, just watch out when you get to the engine, there are serious fit issues when you try to get it in the fusilage, I think Roden supply their stand alone engine with the kit and it appears to be too long for the engine bay.

Cheers

Pete.

[Chris Johnson]

With the pulley ports hollowed out, I filled in the undersides and added the pulleys, brackets and cable from various sizes of plastic rod.



I had a devil of a time getting these pieces to fit in the pulley ports and this is at 1/32 scale. Bud and Rob, I have a much better appreciation of your abilities when you're doing it in 1/48 scale. If I see someone doing it in 1/72 scale, I'm going to take up hooking rugs! 



With the pulley ports detailed, it was time to shoot the underside colour and when it was dry, I sealed it with Testor's Dullcote. I then masked it off to lay out the demarcation line between it and the topside colour.



I then shot the topside colour and peeled off the masking tape. It came away perfectly, without any paint lifting at all. This is an important point as you'll see. I sealed everything again with Testor's Glosscoat, added the decals, sealed them with several coats of Dullcote, and ended up with this.



So far so good. I've accomplished two of three goals in this build. And then the model started going into a spin. Moving on to trying my hand at pastel rib shading as Bud has done so successfully in his builds, I started to lay out the mini-ribs and spars on the underside of the wings. I wanted to adjust some of the tape and when doing so, I encountered a disaster with areas of paint and sealer lifting right down to the plastic. I gently pulled up all of the tape at this point as it was pretty evident that some repair work was required, and here's what I ended up with.



Arrggghhh! Remember when I wrote above that I masked and pulled off the tape with no paint lifting whatsoever? Now I run into this issue!     

Stay tuned as my S.E.5a spins out of control . . . 

Cheers,

Chris

[coyotemagic]

Chris, I'm so sorry that this happened to you.  It is fixable, though.  Once you get the paint touched up, get yourself some of this stuff:
http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljlist?GenreCode=Sup&Maker1=AIZ
and apply it over a truly matt finish.  When you're done with your shading, pull the tape back on itself slowly and you should be fine.  By the way, I always wash the parts or wipe them down with alcohol to ensure that the paint will stay put.  I've learned this stuff the hard way, just as you have.
Good luck, buddy.
Cheers,
Bud

[Chris Johnson]

Thanks for the tip on the masking tape Bud. I've been using Tamiya tape and slicing it into strips and this stuff will eliminate that step.

What really irritates me is that when I masked the whole wing and pulled up the tape after airbrushing, there was no paint lift at all. Then I seal and mask the same surface a second time, and I get areas of paint lifting.    It just makes no sense to me.

Am I downhearted? Not at all! This S.E.5a may be a step backwards after my Roland and Dr.I, but I'll soldier on and see what I can salvage. After all, when all is said and done, it's only a toy airplane and I'm still having fun with it.

I'll have some further images of my sputtering S.E.5a in my next update.

Cheers,

Chris