1/72 RAF BE2c from Airfix with Eduard PE

[markleecarter]

Here is my progress so far with the Airfix BE2c

First up is the engine:

With kit air scoop:


and with Eduard air scoop:

[markleecarter]

The Eduard instrument panel looks like this:


Unfortunately I destroyed it while trying to make a change to the map so had to scratch build a replacement:


Initially I made the fuselage pretty much OOB but with the kit pilot seat stripped out to make way far a Barracuda replacement. Here you can see some of the Eduard additions to the floor:

[markleecarter]

And here's a view with the control stick:



When all put together it is quite good





But then this arrived in the post:


And it showed just how thick the fuselage sides were:

[markleecarter]

So I had to sand the sides and build some longerons and stringers. I attached the bracing wires to the stringers before gluing to the longerons:







And that is pretty much where I'm up to now with the fuselage.

[markleecarter]

I also did some work on the wings and trying to get the effect of light shining through the upper surface. It was hard as I don't have an airbrush but I'm quite pleased with the results.

Here was my first attempt:





But as someone rightly pointed out, in this photo the white of the roundel is darker than the cdl:


So I shaded slightly with coloured pencil before lightly washing again with my CDL colour (Vallejo sand)

[boggie]

Very convincing Mark.

Well done! 

[RAGIII]

This is an impressive build to date. Your see through effect is more than convincing. You said you had no airbrush so how did you achieve such gorgeous results?
RAGIII

[Des]

You are doing a great job with this build, the translucent effect on the upper wing is extremely well done.

Des.

[markleecarter]

Thank you very much for the kind words everyone.

The see through effect of the wing was actually largely a result of what I assume to be a mistake on the part of Airfix. The decals for the Leefe Robinson machine have a very pale grey-blue colour for the roundels. (I think they possibly misinterpreted a photograph to arrive at that colour.) This means that it only takes a very light wash to make the roundel appear to be underneath the fabric. I think that if the blue were at it's full intensity it would be too difficult to achieve with a paintbrush. I also used coloured pencils for the ribs and a white pencil to try and add a little extra lightness to some of the areas where the light shines through.

[PrzemoL]

Beautiful progress, Mark. And the translucent linen effect you got is exactly what I would like to have on my BE2c. Thank you for showing!

[Ernie]

Gorgeous work, Mark!  You are really using the Eduard PE set to
good effect.  I think your treatment of the translucent wing
is nothing short of amazing.  Well done, my friend!

Cheers,
Ernie

[markleecarter]

Thank you again everyone! One thing I forgot to add was that after thinning the sides, of course I had to redo the instrument panel. It seems that the Eduard panel is based very much on the TVA BE2c which is quite different from the IWM airframe that the airfix kit is based on. In trying to (unsuccessfully) find photos of that particular cockpit I came across some nice pictures of a BE2b at Hendon https://bristolscout.wordpress.com/2013/11/17/84-comparisons/and so used that as a basis for a new panel. A nice feature of this machine is the Eliott Bros Instrument Board which I made from sheet plastic. The dials are the ones from the airfix kit individually cut out and with bezels made from wire wrapped around a micro drill bit. I also added part of a photoetch turnbuckle to represent the vertical guage (airspeed indicator?)

[IanB]

Nice to see this one on here too mark. It really is looking good!

Ian

[BigBlue]

Your work on this so far has been terrific, Mark!  As others have noted, the wing transparency is very convincing, and the interior details looks great. 

I'm glad you decided to share it with us here.

Chris

[coyotemagic]

Wow, Mark!  Very fine work on this tiny bus!  Love the see through effect you've achieved, all the more impressive being brush painted.
Cheers,
Bud