275 replies to this topic

[Paul Budzik]

As a preface I want to thank the members of LSP. I’ve been lurking around the forums ever since Rato asked me for an interview. What I’ve observed is a group of encouraging helpful members who do not seem to be afraid of taking an old Revell kit and having some fun. I enjoy the attitude and congeniality. I hope that this project might be of interest to some members. I started this about ten years ago. It really went along quite quickly and I apologize for not taking very many pictures during the construction of the main airframe. I was getting a bit burnt out doing the magazine articles which in those days meant that I was having to stop all the time and plan out some meaningful photo, then wait for the development of the film to see if I was going to have to reshoot something. What I was really wanting to do was just build. Some other life stuff happened and a lot of the modeling got shelved along with the Tempest. Fast forward ‘till now. I’ve got the decks clear and I figured it was a good time to do something again, so here goes.

The basic fuselage was constructed in the same way that I had built the hulls for my PBY and Boeing 314. I didn’t take any photos of the Tempest pattern and mold but I’ve included photos that I took of the 314. For the Tempest, I used Bentley’s drawings enlarged to 1/32. These included the cross-sections. The basic outline is cut out of .030 sheet styrene and glued down to a flat surface. The cross-sections are also cut out of .030 and glued to the outline at the proper station points. (I had to make my own drawings of the 314 by sectioning up an Airfix 1/144 314 which is why some of the section are a bit uneven) Modeling clay is used to fill in between. A plaster cast is made of the half-forms and fiberglass was laid up inside the molds.


Rasping off the excess gives you two flat edges that mate together very well. I had decided that I could construct the cockpit from styrene rod stock and insert it from the bottom so the fuselage halves were mated together and I refined the shape. I turned a brass face for the spinner and cemented it in place.


I then turned a spinner from acrylic to use as a guide to help refine the shape of the cowl.


The completed shape


The horizontal and vertical stabilizer were cut from sheet acrylic, shaped and attached to the fuselage.


The cockpit was constructed form styrene tubing, brass machinings, etched brass instrument panel and vacuformed seat. This was fitted into fuselage from underneath. I etched my own panel and created my own instruments.




I’ll get a few more shots of the cockpit after I place the harness, rails, windscreen, gun sight, etc.
Canopy is vacuformed acrylic over a wooden form

[Paul Budzik]

The main portion of the radiator had to be placed before the wing went on. Because of the size, I couldn’t find anything suitable to use so I created a die that I could heat in the oven and then press to mold the radiator surface.


Cutouts for the exhausts were done and I made a brass pattern for the stacks which I gave to Roy Sutherland who made some exquisite resin castings. These were mounted on brass manifolds.


Unfortunately I have no pictures of the wing construction because I intended to do a set of drawings of how it was done (I will do it for the final article). The wing was fabricated from three pieces of basswood temporarily glued together. The wing was shaped and given several coats of polyester resin. The outer sections were then cut free and reattached with the proper dihedral. The wing was mated to the fuselage. Wheel wells were vacufomed.


The wing was cut out so they could be place. A styrene panel was placed over the underside cutout and then opened up to the correct opening so that a lip was formed around the well. Ribbing was placed in the well. Detailing will come later after I get the gear and retraction mechanism done. Cut-outs for the flaps were made and sheet acrylic was added back to half the depth and then contoured into the trailing edge. Ejection chute openings were milled into sheet brass which were cemented over opening in wing. Gun ports are brass machinings that were mounted and faired into the leading edge. Also note the brass tubing to which the main undercarriage will be affixed.


A new spinner was turned from acrylic and the prop blades were fashioned from brass sheet and rod stock. The blades were given a twist and leaded on the front side so they have a nice looking washout and foil.


The tail wheel was fabricated from brass machinings.


I am now beginning to develop the surface detail. I scored lines to accept .010” copper wire which was cyanoacrylated into place. Gap filling cyanoacrylate was built up alongside the wire.


After some refinement.


I cut some tubing to substitute for the main struts. This lets me check how I want the aircraft to sit. The wheels and tires are acrylic machining. The canopy is just an extra that I use to check fit.




That’s about it for now. Apologies again for the incomplete photos but I’ll be taking a more comprehensive series from this point on.

[francky]

very nice and really impressive work Paul,it look superb.....

All the best FRANCK.

[JCote]

Hi Paul, as a longtime fan of your work, I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to see you contributing to this fantastic forum. Your Tempest is gorgeous and your post full of great ideas. I do have one question: you say you machined the master for the exhaust stacks before having a set cast by Roy Sutherland; how exactly did you machine them?

Again, welcome to LSP

Jean

[Paul Budzik]

J

A bit hard to explain, but the front section was machined so that the cross section transitioned from a round cross-section to a rectangle. The rounded corners of the rectangle were shaped with a file. The piece was annealed and given a bend. A short section was done in the same way to simulate the second stack section. The base was just a combination milling and turning. Holes were drilled to accept the stacks and they were soldered to place. A channel was cut with a thin seperating saw along the front surface of the front stack. A piece of shim stock was cut and soldered into the channel. This was shaped with a file to provide the thin bead that you see along the stack. Another piece of shim was soldered to the end to the stack and shaped with a file to provide the bead around the outlet. I hope this makes some sense. I never got the pattern back from Roy otherwise I'd shoot a photo for you.

Paul

[Radub]

Paul,
That is probably one of the most beautiful things I have seen lately. It looks fantastic.
Can't wait to see more.
Radu

[JCote]

Thanks Paul, makes perfect sense.

Jean

[ironman1945]

Paul

Wow, thats fantastic! I can only hope mine will turn out half as good when I get around to it.

Dave/ironman1945

[Erwin]

Most impressive !!

Again a plane of witch it's high time an injected model was made.

[Dave Pratt]

Hi Paul,
Excellent work and good to have you at LSP.Very inspiring work...cheers

[LSP_Ray]

Wow, Paul, excellent work!!!

Great to see the different ways people get to a result!

[wingman777]

Oooooooohhh, I like that a bunch. Please keep us informed.

[Paul Budzik]

Thanks to everybody for the all kind words.

J and anyone else that may be interested, I'll also try an pause long enough to get a few shots of the machine setups/steps of some of the bits.


Again, thanks to everybody for a great forum.

Paul

[DMurph]

Paul,

Great job are you going to scribe in the panel lines? and I'd love to see your lathe setup if you have a picture of it.

Cheers Murph...

[Derek B]

Paul,

Lovely work on your Tempest. It is a joy to see such traditional and exacting engineering such as yours. I am currently producing a 1/32 Tempest master pattern for a full resin kit, therefore, I am certain that your build shall ever be a source of inspiration to me. I very much look forward to seeing more of this build - thank you for sharing it with us. Oh, and if I haven't already mentioned it, welcome to LSP (if a little late!).

Best regards

Derek