Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Guys, Thought it was time to show you some progress work on the 1/32 scale Eclipse Model Design Hawker Tempest V master patterns. Eclipse Models, my own label - with grateful thanks to Bob Brown of MDC, is producing this model as a joint MDC/Eclipse Models venture (similar to RB Productions) - I wouldn't have been able to do this without his assistance and expertise. The hardest part of this pattern are the wings. They are completely different from those of the Hawker Typhoon, and somewhat more complex. Over the past 12 months or so, I have had three aborted attempts at producing these wings until I finally settled on this fourth option (the first three attempts having been scrapped). What makes these wings particularly difficult is the fact that they are to contain an undercarriage bay, flaps and cannon bays. 1mm plastic sheet is cut out to the full size wing plan. All spars and bays are marked out. The undercarriage bays and cannon bays are cut away (oversize by 1.5mm). Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Guys, Thought it was time to show you some progress work on the 1/32 scale Eclipse Model Design Hawker Tempest V master patterns. Eclipse Models, my own label - with grateful thanks to Bob Brown of MDC, is producing this model as a joint MDC/Eclipse Models venture (similar to RB Productions) - I wouldn't have been able to do this without his assistance and expertise. The hardest part of this pattern are the wings. They are completely different from those of the Hawker Typhoon, and somewhat more complex. Over the past 12 months or so, I have had three aborted attempts at producing these wings until I finally settled on this fourth option (the first three attempts having been scrapped). What makes these wings particularly difficult is the fact that they are to contain an undercarriage bay, flaps and cannon bays. 1mm plastic sheet is cut out to the full size wing plan. All spars and bays are marked out. The undercarriage bays and cannon bays are cut away (oversize by 1.5mm). Wing rib template shapes are transferred to more plastic card and cut out (allowing for the wing planform sheet thickness). Similarly, the upper and lower (fore and aft) wing spars are also fabricated, this time, from 1.5mm plastic sheet. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Ribs and spars in the process of being applied. Upper wing. Lower wing. Completed ribs and spars. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Both wings have been joined together to form a single piece wing. The cannon bays and undercarriage bays have been boxed in at this stage. Flap spars are also be added. Overall view of complete wing. Next stage is 'blocking in' of all of the various bays between the spars. This is accomplished using laminations of 1mm and 1.5mm plastic shhet up to the required thicknesses. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Lower wing blocking. Upper wing blocking. Laminations in place on port side of upper wing. General view of fuselage. Comparison of MDC Hawker Typhoon fuselage to that of the Hawker Tempest V, showing length extension. That is about it for now, but I shall post additional update pictures whenever I can make further progress on this pattern. Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maverick728470 Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Derek, The work u have done so far is really great and it loks like a real winner as to when everything will be done and getting it ready for a kit for all of us to get. Now the 64cent question and i would be more than happy to comply as to help u get it on the and off the back burner.That P-61 project u were planning on doing.Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Very interesting to see some what is involved in designing a kit such as this. I honestly had no idea.... I for one am eagerly awaiting the completion of this project. I have always thought the Tempest was one of the most "purposefully" beautiful aircraft ever built. I cannot understand why it is so underrepresented in kit form. I assure you I will buy at least one....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pratt Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Derek do we really need another 1/32 kit at this time? Fantastic work mate.Simply fantastic...I've always liked the Tempest and Typhoon.Keep up the great work...cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCote Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Derek, I won't comment on the workmanship - excellent as always with you - but rather on the clever solution you devised for the wing: a flat planform with the aerofoil shape added top and bottom. Did your failed first attempts use the same technique, have you used it before on other projects? Inquiring minds want to know . Jean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skiner Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dric Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Glup really nice work. Hawker will finaly be well represented in the 1/32 scale. It's a good new. Dric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radub Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Now, that is fantastic stuff! Please stay on track! I would really like to have one of those. Radu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Thanks for the support guys - I'll need all I can get in order to stay on track with this one (hence the reason for posting it). Larry: The P-61 is the one I want to do the most, but it is a massive future project, and shall take time, but boy, will it be awesome when it's made. Jean: The first attempt at the wings were similar to the pictures that you see, but it was far too flimsy, and therefore unstable. The second attemt was from a solid block of plastic material - as I do not have a workshop or the correct tools to work material on this scale (I only have a small table top and I use only very basic knives, saws and files for most of my pattern work), I had to abandon this one after cutting out the centre section shape - it would also have taken me too long to shape and cut out all of the bays. The third attempt was trying to fill the ID vacform Tempest wings and rework those. I actually got as far as filling and seperating the inner and outer wing panels (these were displayed at Telford last November). However, filling the wing sections increased their chord thickness, and I would have had to lengthen and increase the wing chord as well to acurately match the wing planform - again, too much work and time required. Finally, I went back to my first idea. The approach to this one is basically an 'inside-out' approach - start with the bays, and build the rest of the wing around them (as the various bays are the key feature of this wing). Blocking in and skinning of the wing will take me a long time to do, but the material wastage is minimal, and I can control the process with greater accuracy. I have to make it this way, as it is a master pattern, which shall be required to withstand heat and vacuum pressures during the rubber moulding process, so no short cuts can be taken. If it were a 'one-off' model, I'd probably have made the wing from balsa wood and skinned it with plastic card, cutting out and boxing-in the bays afterwards. Cheers Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kagemusha Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Great posting-very informative-superb work there Derek, I always like the Tempest, built the matchbox kit about 800 years ago, always wanted one in 1/32, but didn't think it'd happen, and now my dreams are coming true, and it couldn't be in safer hands. Could you explain what method you used to make the fuselage? Keep up the very good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek B Posted March 19, 2008 Author Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Kagemusha, Thanks for the kind words. If you look at the MDC resin Typhoon fuselage, then the Tempest fuselage, you can work out where it has been extended. In this case, it is two MDC resin Typhoon fuselage halves that have been cut fore and aft of the cockpit area, and extended Typhoon fore and aft fuselage sections have been re-attached to the cockpit centre section (the breaks are just in front of the windscreen, and forward of the tailplane). The 'hole' where the wing goes has been filled with plastic card and filler, although I may have to open this again for the new Tempest wing. The extended dorsal fin fairing is, again, made from plastic card and filler. HTH Derek Great posting-very informative-superb work there Derek, I always like the Tempest, built the matchbox kit about 800 years ago, always wanted one in 1/32, but didn't think it'd happen, and now my dreams are coming true, and it couldn't be in safer hands. Could you explain what method you used to make the fuselage? Keep up the very good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now