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airscale

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Everything posted by airscale

  1. thank you all, very kind So, the painting stage is looming.... I needed to get some new etch primer as it only has a 12 month shelf life and frustratingly it is still not here yet.. I have worked out the colour (I think) - some of the original paint is still on S1595 in the Science Museum (it was repainted ages ago in the wrong blue, likely roundel blue) so I did some samples and arrived at what i think is a reasonable match given the limitations of eyeballs, digital sampling and light I took all my similar blues and did a tester, photographed in natural and artificial light and ended up mixing a shade from what I had - this is the analysis.. It is what it is, there are no colour pics so sue me if I am wrong... ..while waiting I busied myself and there is absolutely no construction remaining.. Pitot tube done - complex little thing.. ..cockpit canopy done, another complex little thing - i hate doing transparencies as they are just a huuuuuge opportunity to fu#k up.. also all the beaching gear was made of plastic and wood, and the wire wheels finished.. ..again with no colour photos, I painted them what I thought / interpreted - basically battleship grey as it's likely marine paint.. ..added the petrol cans and trolley.. ..and thats it - the next time I post, it will be all painted.. wish me luck ..in other news, I have decided on my next subject - something I have wanted to do for ages but thought it wouldn't fit in my display cabinet - I measured again and I think I can just squeeze it in - any ideas? TTFN Peter
  2. fantastic! enjoy your time off Jay - can't wait to see what is next Peter
  3. thank you chaps, you are all so very kind Well Jay, having just done the wings I do have pains from RSI - it will pass, but yes sometimes I just have to push through the pain Exactly Chuck, it is an adjustable trimming tab, but only on the ground - suits me, as it makes it easier to build So, lots has gone on the last few weeks... ..the propeller was made as a 3D print which I found very hard to do as it's a complex shape which has oblong roots and quite a twist.. - the spinner cap is machined from solid aluminium so it can be polished like the original.. ..I started the wings by filling the plastic frame with foam & filler - this was then refined many times and note they are complete with the ailerons in place so they can be cut out later... ..after a lot of finishing, the ailerons were removed... ..and so to the skinning... I drew out the plans that copied the layout of all the fastners that cover the entire surface.. by the time I finished I selected all objects in the drawing and for the four wing surfaces there were 8,962 rivets... that is bordering on the ridiculous and likely as many as I have done on entire airframes before.. ,,nothing to do but get started, so here is a typical panel - the small dots are one rivet depression, the big dots two, which was even more demoralising.. ..also seen is a template to score out a hatch with a pin in a pin vise.. ..after 3 days and a very sore set of muscles they were done... ..no time to rest though, and the ailerons were completed.. ..the wings were added using JB weld and given a day to set, then I could start the fillets - I have not done the front ones as they need to also cover the forward strut mount.. ..with the wings on, I could add the belly oil cooler assembly - as with the fuselage sides this was a 3D printed buck over which the metal sheet was fomed.. ..in two parts, it stretches all along the lower fuselage.. ..with so much skinning going on, I fancied a change and so started on the beaching trolley - well at least the wire wheels of the trolley.. I 3D printed a hub, a rim and a jig.. ..and then bent a lot of piano wire spokes and started to populate them ..and the finished wheels, along with some Pratts petrol cans I have seen in pictures with the airframe.. ..and so before the painting starts next week, some final shots in all her nakedness... ..time to start thinking about the finish... until next time TTFN Peter
  4. Wonderful work Tom, real master craftmanship and I am glad you overcame it so we can see more soon It is just looking so 'right' now & the transparency work is top class I marvel at how you can work on something delicate like that where you need access to all angles and are constantly handling the model and all the while in the background is 4 feet of wingspan knocking about Peter
  5. what a relief! you must be beside yourself Jay This is a magnum opus in every sense - and such a joy to watch Peter
  6. Hi everyone thank you for your kind comments, really encourages me to do better Hi both - for skinning I exclusively use Evo Stick contact adhesive, which is diluted with it's own brand cleaner to the consistency of single cream - this is then brushed on both surfaces and left for a minute or two to go off before application. Very occasionally, I use thin CA for an errant edge to hold it down.. I finished the floats and detailed the struts, all done with litho - this includes some very long, this one piece multi hundred rivet strips that run the length of each chine.. the struts were detailed as well.. ..next up the tailfeathers... the stabiliser seems to have overlapping panels, with the elevators a joggled but flush panel edge... ..the card formers I made had tiny brass 'L' sections added to the trailing edge and were filled with P38 - then the skinning started with the outer edges as the panels overlap in this direction.. ..tape and dymo tape guides used to make one piece wrap around panels.. ..the elevators were also done and interstingly have a sheet extension at the trailing edge so this was copied by leaving the brass sheet core exposed.. ..the rudder was a sheet brass core with plastic ribs, then covered with scored thin plastic sheet to represent linen - I can't see any evidence of rib tape, but there is a characteristic rib feature i need to add (perhaps this is tape?) ..after covering, I added the Flash Gordon style counter weights.. ..and while not fitted yet, the tail is virtually complete.. ..might do the prop next as it is starting to come together.. TTFN Peter
  7. Wonderful to see this Pete - you have taken to skinning in metal like a natural - looks perfect I am going to have to get me some of this adhesive & try it out Peter
  8. Fabulous Jay - such precision, skill and ingenuity I am getting to relive my P51C build through you and loving it Peter
  9. Thank you gents, very kind Hi OBG - the foam is pretty soft really and can be easily deformed with a fingernail for example, but it is stiff and retains it's form. As far as PPE goes, no I don't wear a mask - only when painting really - I know I should though.. Haha Geedubelyer, thats a challenge to get it done by then, though I do feel I am steaming along - I recon there is a month in the trolley & wire wheels it sits on alone, let alone the airframe Hey Matt, I have a saw toothed riveting template and just taped it to an edge and cut each 'tooth' one by one... yes I am mad.. The saga continues with skinning the floats - these are covered in symetric rivet patterns and rather than do panel by panel, I did pairs of panels for each float. I would say over the course of a few days I did ~5k rivets.. ..here are two pairs with about 1200.. ..again these were only lightly burnished to retain the oil canning seen on the real one - also any panel overlaps on the real one were copied.. ..once complete, I started the struts - I used a 3D extrusion to sheath the brass rods I set at the beginning, and then used ali foil on the floats and fuselage so I can fill to them and it will all unstick cleanly with a matching mating face.. ..it can all be seen in a jig I had to make so I can get everything aligned properly & the yellow sponges apply enough upward pressure to hold them in place without distorting the position.. ..the forward upper strut mounts have these odd tails, maybe to deflect water.. ..these were made by embedding stiff wire into the strut and filling around it.. some of the mounting stubs are a bit short for my liking, but they can't intrude into the cockpit or they are as long as they can be before they cross each other hopefully when mounted with JB weld they will be ok.. ..skinning these is going to be problematic as it won't be easy for one thing, and they would need to be a perfect fit when assembled so I haven't quite figured out how I will do it all yet.. TTFN Peter
  10. I am enjoying it and think they have done it really well. One thing is triggering me tough and driving me bat$hit crazy and that is the battle damage - EVERY aircraft on EVERY mission is coming back with the most ridiculous damage - 2 or 3 engine cowlings blown off, car sized holes all over the airframe - it is really jarring... other than that an enjoyable ride Peter
  11. Thank you gents, you are all very kind With the fuselage coming along, it was time to start another major sub assembly in the floats... the former structure was filled with hard foam to give it a basic profile.. ..this was then skim filled with P38 and templates used to get the chines the right shape... ..I would say there were over 30 filling/sand/prime excercises before they were in their final forms.. ..then the undersides were skinned... ..there were a few structural features of interest, one is the lapped panels where on the real aeroplane the panels are joggled into an overlap, and the other are these sort of serrated panels which I assume have something to do with disrupting water suction on the step of the float - these were cut one serration at a time so quite tiresome ..on to the top surfaces now and these are covered in spaced fittings & rivets so are going to be a challenge... TTFN Peter
  12. brilliant! love the PE - such a cool way to enhance a kit Peter
  13. Happy Friday my friends Hey there, thanks for dropping in so to answer your questions - I just use normal, if very tired bits of sandpaper of various grits - I rarely wet sand the metal. The finish is created by polishing after sanding with 0000 wire wool. The rivets are done one by one and on this ship there are probably 3 x a normal aircraft unfortunately as the wings were the radiators so the surface has tens of thousands of them They are done with a awl set. The panel overlaps are deliberate and copy the real airframe - that is pretty much what this update will be about The fuselage is skinned like a Spitfire, from back to front with some overlaps - the fist step was analysing pictures to work out the skinning order - I started at the rear with a tape template, using dymo tape to define borders where needed. I always mark out rivet lines on the tape template so they are right on the model as what can look a straight line rarely is... these are those panels after rivetting and making the holes for the circular hatches..the next step is to peel the tape off, wash them with a stiff brush and solvent to get all the tape discs left by the rivetting off, and then finally turn them over and burnish hard with a rod to remove the 'quilting' effect... ..with that panel down and the others that form the bottom layer, I need to fill the upper edges as with another panel to go on top if I don't a visible ridge will appear when I lay it down... ..then the next panel that wraps across the spine - you can see some rivets done with the panel in place have deformed as the foam/filler skin has given out under pressure.. nothing can be done about that.. ..the edges are also filled again.. ..with that done, the skins on the tail are marked out....this is an intersting design feature as the tail is actually the oil cooler so the surface air cools it rather than a cooler sticking into the airflow and causing drag.. ..it has a very distinct 'quilted' appearance which is exactly what you get if you don't burnish a rivetted panel, so this will be fun to make.. ..same principle applies - tape templates & dymo tape..just thsi time i only lightly burnish the panels before adding them.. ..with the fuselage skinned another distinctive feature needs doing - there are radiators running the full length of the fuselage each side (again to reduce drag by hanging them off the wing or under the chin).. ..like this.. ..I pondered how to do it and eventually tried 3D printing a male mould I could work from - I figured I could burnish the shape in one piece if I was careful.. ..it had to be in two parts to be printed though.. ..these were then superglued to a bit of perspex.. and the work started.. ..millions more damned rivets... ..and then scored & carefully broken away.. ..I was worried that I would need to fill the 'tubes' but it seemed rigid enough so I bit the bullet, took a deep breath and got ready to stick it in place.. ..quite a bit of work that, so here is a walkaround.. ..gonna be a shame to paint it TTFN Peter
  14. just brilliant watching you work on this Craig - superb job great to see the set come to life like this Peter
  15. amazing Jay - I made a jig at this stage too, but nothing like as sophisticated as this - this is just next level! such a pleasure watching every challenge get bested and this is going to be a true masterpiece when complete Peter
  16. hi folks 100% correct GW - as in you are 100% correct and the instrument is canted the wrong way Oh well, it's staying like that now.. I kept thinking I will stop in a minute and take a picture of what I am doing, but then I would think, I will just finish this bit... well before I knew it the engine cowling was done.. it is a complicated structure, but shouts early aviation.. can start the fuselage proper now.. TTFN Peter
  17. I do it because I think it makes me attractive to women...
  18. wow, looks fabulous - it is really rewarding to see this come to life I am so pleased you are taking it on and showing how to integrate the parts bravo Peter
  19. Hi folks, Happy New Year Thanks Jay - there is no real secret other than making sure the compound panels are super tight to the form as most times the distortion is because there is still some 'give' in the metal/glue layer - really heavy burnishing will prevent this. The other thing is the pressure applied to make the rivet is 1/10th of the pressure on the hard sheet cockpit is pretty much done.. all the best for 2024 TTFN Peter
  20. Seasons Greetings I figured before I finish the cockpit, I better start skinning some of the nose as there would be some hammering involved to get the metal to conform to the very curvy rocker cover blisters.. ..it all starts like this - a bit of ali sheet taped along one edge and worked & beaten to follow the shape.... it creases and buckles and really doesn't like it, but I will have my way in the end.. ..by now it's pretty much there, always working the creases away with thousands of taps of a tiny ball pein hammer.. ..then the surface is abraded to get it smooth (sorry for the crap pictures..).. ..and finally cut to shape allowing the bottom edges to flare under the panels that will sit on top of them.... ..and with those panels added and the exhaust ports.. lots more panels to go, and I need to complete the cockpit before I can do the rear of the blisters and add the cooling vents.. Happy Christmas everyone Peter
  21. that just beggars belief... outstanding work - I could sit here for hours just soaking up all the components in any one picture... truly a masterpiece Peter
  22. thank you ladies, you are all too kind so, this is one of the few pics I have of the cockpit... ..tons of info there - all I have to do now is make it.. ..started with control yoke, forward bulkhead & rudder pedals, all from plastic or brasss.. ...then it was a few more bobbins including the seat and time for paint.. I have tried to start a bit of weathering as I suspect open cockpit, seawater and an oliy monster 18 inches away would mean it would get a bit grubby.. ..also starting to get the fuel tank seen in the photo ready for fitting, though lots more pipes to go.. ..and thats it - I want to get it closed up so I can start skinning the fuselage - the instrument panel is next as soon as the decals arrive later this week have a wonderful Xmas everyone TTFN Peter
  23. Thank you Gentlemen, very kind there is plenty of rework, thats for sure, but thats all part of the fun In fact, this post is littered with it... time to make the fuselage sides, so made a plug using the same bulkhead drawings and vacformed form sheet.. ,,these were then tack CA'd into place so the sanding & filling could start.. you can see additional strip plugs added as I screwed up the measure / cutting.. ..and once refined, the structural elements of the fuselage are complete.. ..a jig was fixed to the sides while they were in place to keep everything where it should be (if they flex, the detail breaks free inside later - tell me how I know), and then they were cut & prised off and interior detail started.. ..in the next screw up, I should have made the sides run right to the last bulkhead, but I had cut them at the headrest bulkhead - the fuselage is hollow in real life so actually there is no bulkhead at all, but I ran it to one behind the seat in the hope it won't be seen.. ..so the sides were refitted and the last section cut out.. ..this meant the sides needed sorting out to integrate the additional walls, so out with the filler again.. ..the missing detail was added.. ..and cleaned up & primed you would never know on the inside.. ..however, on the outside it is Frankenstein's monster.. ...the structural beams were made from litho, but will have to be fitted to the fuselage rails, rather than the walls as there is no way to add the sides over the brass beams once they are in place.. onwards & upwards TTFN Peter
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