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Captain Roy Brown's Camel


Bradleygolding

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Hi Folks,

 

Now, for a while I have been thinking about buying a WNW kit, and decided to wait until the Camel was out and some builds had been posted. And it does look like an amazing model. Unfortunately when I saw one completed in the flesh, along with the Snipe at the South Australian Scale Model expo, I was a bit taken back by how small they were. The models had been made with consummate skill and were beautiful, but it made me think back to when WNW first started in the model business and I worked out the size of some of them and thought that 1/32 was the wrong scale, 1/24 would have been better. Yes I know all of the arguments, it's just my opinion. so at the show I found this oldie from Revell.

 

I am aware that it is not a brilliant kit and that the top wing is too high, but I remember my Dad building all of the Revell 1/28 WW1 planes in the 1960s including this Camel (Not as Browns though). So I thought why not? Plenty of scope re acquire those skills from years ago. Apart from a couple of 1/72 Airfix Starter Kits with my nine year old son and five year old daughter, I have not made anything seriously for forty years!

 

Don't hold your breath for the build, but at least this thread is a start of some kind.

 

Steve

 

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Edited by Bradleygolding
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Okay, so not starting just yet, waiting for some more bits and pieces, but trying to get in the zone for Roy Brown and doing some research. I already know quite a bit about the colour scheme as I made this for my eight year old at Book Week time the other year.

 

 

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I have been looking around for any more info and in the end looked at the WNW site, which had THREE photos of the actual plane, two I had seen before, but the side view with the ground crew? was new. Looking at the photos with different treatments in Photoshop I pretty much agree with their colours although the horizontal stab could be either Red or PC 10/12! And the brown plywood areas are almost impossible to see even close up, so not sure about those.

 

However, I think that WNW have actually stuffed up with three or possibly four details of the aircraft, and they are:

 

1, This Camel was fitted with the extended Cockpit opening. It is fairly clear in the photos that it extends well into the guns. WNW say it has a normal Cockpit.

 

2. The windscreen is clearly visible and looks to be a modified one that the Aldis sight went through. This windscreen is either vertical or slopes forward and is only about three quarters of the height of the Aldis. WNW say use a normal screen. There is also what seems to be a rear view mirror on the starboard side of the IP.

 

3. At the wing root there is clearly an area that is some kind of reinforced walkway, there is even some kind of white line going across it. It may not be a different colour, but it is a different texture and shape. WNW...........

 

4. The Rotherham Pump, clearly in the photos it is missing so has to be on the UC. WNW have it on the Starboard front leg, but a significant number of photos on their site have it on the Port leg. Just wondered why or is it a 50/50 guess?

 

The first three come from the close up photo of Roy standing by the wing root.

 

Really it's quite interesting that there is so little detail about this plane. On the Aerodrome site in one of the threads there, a poster says that other pilots at the same airfield reckoned that by the time of that dogfight that the Camel's red cowel had been painted PC10 as per RNAS/RAF instructions! I have to say that I do not think that the phots support this.

 

Anyway, intersting.

 

Steve

Edited by Bradleygolding
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Okay, so after looking at drawings and photos for a few days I decided to formulate a plan and do some actual building. This kit is a bit like a half kit compared to modern examples, it's an empty or sparsely filled shell. I decided to start with ate cockpit framing.

 

 

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I think that the Evergreen stock is perhaps a little large in section at 1.5 x 1.5mm and I may change it. The fit looks a little odd because I have not removed all the excess rubbish from the fuselage yet.

 

I used to think when I was younger that this was a really accurate kit, but there are quite a few shape issues that are going to have to be sorted out. It looks to me as if Revell used the Wylam drawings circa 1946 as the basis for their kit, which is a pity because in the 1950s when this model came out, there were a couple of actual Camels around for them to measure!

 

Dremel time next!

 

Steve

 

And yes, there is one cross member too many in the cockpit. Will be removed later.

Edited by Bradleygolding
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Just for you Gaz.

 

It's all corrugated card with the odd bit of wood for the interplane struts. And the rotary engine turns with the prop! Unlike the real Camel it is nose heavy and needed a large iron spike in the tail to balance it. If I made it again I shorten the nose, my daughter wants a Dr1!!!!!

 

Steve

 

 

 

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Edited by Bradleygolding
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So back to 1/28 scale then. Cleaned off most of the inside mountings with the Dermel to see how the test frame fits. The aircraft is just clipped together but all seems to fit ok. The new more accurate frame is seen in front under construction. Quite pleased with the results.

 

Steve

 

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Edited by Bradleygolding
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