Author Topic: 1/32 WW1 - what's that then? (Read 13514 times)

Doug Mace · « **Reply #15 on:** October 09, 2017, 06:56:05 AM »

Ooh, ooh, I know, I know...a Lebed 12!

RLWP · « **Reply #16 on:** October 09, 2017, 07:32:22 AM »

Quote from: Doug Mace on October 09, 2017, 06:56:05 AM

Ooh, ooh, I know, I know...a Lebed 12!

I can see why you said that.

Here's an image of the completed empennage:

I'm afraid white styrene is a bit difficult to get good pictures from

Richard

RLWP · « **Reply #17 on:** October 11, 2017, 06:09:12 AM »

Wings are on:

Richard

Borsos · « **Reply #18 on:** October 11, 2017, 06:52:46 AM »

I was thinking that I was quite well informed of WWI planes, even of the not so well known ones. But now I have disappointedly to admit that I have no clue at all what you are building here. I know just one thing: If I were that fast with my kit builds as you are with your scratch builds, I could at least double the rate of my finished models .
Borsos

RLWP · « **Reply #19 on:** October 11, 2017, 08:06:31 AM »

Remember, I am the Grand Illusionist and only show you what I want you to see. Perhaps there is something I'm not showing you that would help explain what this is...

Richard

Berman · « **Reply #20 on:** October 11, 2017, 10:33:36 AM »

This is the 1917 Sopwith Aerial Target. There was also a version with four wheels.

RLWP · « **Reply #21 on:** October 11, 2017, 06:24:17 PM »

Quote from: Berman on October 11, 2017, 10:33:36 AM

This is the 1917 Sopwith Aerial Target. There was also a version with four wheels.

Not quite. It's the R.A.F* Aerial Target, the Sopwith one was a biplane. From what I can tell, the four wheel version is from the 1920s experiments

Do click on that image, it's full of detail

http://engineersatwar.imeche.org/friends-ambulance-unit/royal-aircraft-factory

Six built, maybe three flown, all crashed. The drawings are online too, somewhere

I have a fascination with WW1 wireless, and this popped up while I was looking into something else. Couldn't resist it

Richard

*Royal Aircraft Factory

MORE: Something on Archibald Low here, describing the project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Low

RLWP · « **Reply #22 on:** October 12, 2017, 08:20:02 AM »

More progress:

At last, I can show images that include the top of the fuselage!

Vacuum formed engine cowling with balsa former in front.

I have started on the A.B.C Gnat engine. If anyone has a clear picture of the starboard cylinder head of an A.B.C Gnat, I'd love to see it. I can find fuzzy pictures, I can find slightly less fuzzy pictures of the port cylinder head. Starboard - forget it!

Closest I can get is a picture of an A.B.C Mosquito, which apparently had six Gnat cylinders, although curiously with the spark plug moved: http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/World/Europe/Netherlands/Amsterdam/FK23.htm

There are a few Gnat engines still in existence, you'd think the internet could come up with something...

Richard

RAGIII · « **Reply #23 on:** October 13, 2017, 06:06:39 PM »

That is a very interesting aircraft that I knew nothing about! Thanks for doing the build!
RAGIII

RLWP · « **Reply #24 on:** October 14, 2017, 04:32:40 AM »

Quote from: RAGIII on October 13, 2017, 06:06:39 PM

That is a very interesting aircraft that I knew nothing about! Thanks for doing the build!
RAGIII

There are all sorts of oddities in aviation if you dig around a bit. I'm trying very hard not to build a DeHavilland Queen Bee

Anyway, an A.B.C Gnat:

An Academy Clerget gave up two cylinders for this engine. What do I do now with an uneven seven cylinder Clerget?

Richard

RLWP · « **Reply #25 on:** October 14, 2017, 04:48:18 AM »

Next, I need a propeller. I could make one

Has anyone got a 48-50mm clockwise rotation two bladed propeller? It sounds like a reasonable 1:48 size - around eight foot diameter

Richard

RLWP · « **Reply #26 on:** October 20, 2017, 08:03:40 AM »

That Bob Buckles and his infernal bits of wire and scraps of tube...

I've spent two evenings rigging this aeroplane. How can there be so much string on such a small thing??

There's an interesting arrangement on the elevators:

There was a wire running from the front of the tailplane, over the horn, around the back of the elevator, over the other horn and back to the leading edge. Where the wire meets the leading edge there was a tension spring top and bottom. It looks like the aeroplane was rigged to fly straight and level with the elevator held in place by this wire and springs. There are also control cables running forward top and bottom coming from the servo (whatever that looked like)

To me, this looks a bit of a disaster in the making, I can imagine the elevator would flap about. Looking at the history of unmanned aeroplanes, the Aerial Target predicted the destiny of most of the prototypes - it crashed on take off.

I'm going to have to sort the prop out next

Richard

Juan · « **Reply #27 on:** October 20, 2017, 08:53:56 AM »

Wow Richard, she is looking mighty fine. Would never have learned about her if not for your build.

lone modeller · « **Reply #28 on:** October 21, 2017, 07:26:00 AM »

Looks like another of those strange birds which sometimes get off the drawing board but not off the ground - well not very far anyway. They are still very interesting though and this one is probaly better made that the originals!

Stephen.

RAGIII · « **Reply #29 on:** October 21, 2017, 08:10:16 PM »

Looking stunning Richard! A great build of a crazy concept

RAGIII