AlexM

No Idea! But they didn't design many ugly aircraft. I have a big soft spot for the MC 200....one of my favourite WW2 aircraft. Don't know why, but it just looks right. CR-42 is right up there too, but this RS-14 is a real looker! 

Nice work Alex,
 
Currently work in the 3D realm also.

Awesome build of a beautiful subject Alex. You make it look so easy. I'm tuned in and settled for the long haul 
 
Got to hand it to the Italians. They designed some lovely looking aeroplanes.
 
Best regards;
Steve

Love it!
 
Torben

Second that, very cool subject choice.
 
Regards. Andy

This is something really special Alex! Great subject and great job!
jan

This is awesome Alex. Certainly the only big scale of this lovely bird out there. Your build is stunning from the inside out.
Well done and thanks for sharing this build with us.
 
Troy

and some!!!

Brilliant!
 
Kev

Ok, I think I figured it out...It don't work from an iPad app! I had to log into the website.
 

 
I spent three nights fitting, sanding, and clamping the exhaust stacks until they actually sort of fit together. Well....actually the second night I spent an hour trying to find resin replacements, but no luck, so I went on with it. When they dried I sanded the edges until smooth, carved out the ends, and I used shims to align them perfectly to the fuselage halves. This was the only part of the kit so far that had fit issues, it was like each top and bottom half were intentionally designed not to fit. I painted them black, then a coat of Vallejo Metal jet exhaust, then dusted with rust pigment. Then brushed a little aluminum on the edges of the stacks. I would like to say it was skill, experience, and forethought. In reality, I threw a bunch of crap at it, and it sort of worked out. I may throw a little darker rust pigment at the stacks when it's done.
 

 
I had planned to wipe off excess wash when dry, but the effect was perfect when dry. I just used a wet brush to streak it down the insides of the fuselage. I was trying to keep weathering to a minimum and reflect how a fairly new P-40 would have looked on Dec 6, 1941.
 

 

 
I managed to fit the wings by sanding until I had zero gap, so far I have only needed a little filler at the forward wing roots. I also made $1 seat belts by using paper from a dollar bill with the Trumpeter photoetch.

I tried to gap everything by sanding before any glue.
 

 
This weird little wing root area required the only filler so far.
 

 

I realised most of my photo links were to Imgur, hence they could still be visible ... Anyway, next ones will be from my (paid) SmugMug account. So hopefully they should stay ...

Fast forward 8 months with the limited progress I could achieve in this time.

Finished building the two frames. Meet my "sense and size checker", aka John Surtees from the venerable Matchbox 1/32 Surtees F1 kit. Good to have a control over the size of what one is building, and make sure the frame is compatible with a human being ... I added some small tabs to glue the wooden bulkheads onto the frame later on ...



I added the foot pedals as well



On this pic, the frames have been further detailed with the support plate for the throttle quadrant, and the axis for the trim wheel (a small brass tube on the left side of the seat frame )



Speaking of the throttle quadrants, they incorporated the throttle itself, the richness control, the propeller pitch lever and a fourth lever I can't remember the function of ATM. I had blast buidling those from layers of brass sheet, throttles cut in aluminium litho, with punched plastic disks to add substance at their end, and assembling all the components, including the washers between the levers, with some Sacle Hardware brass bolt and nut ... The levers actually rotate around their common axis Plastic shims were added between the brass sheets to maintain a proper spacing ...



I also redid the Instrument Panels. The kit's decal was used to measure the spacing between the dials.



Then, to ensure an even spacing between the dials openings and a perfect alignment, I used my Proxxon drill press and XY table, with a 2 mm dia drill bit



Btw, the 2 smaller holes slightly offset from the top dials alignment are not for dials but are fresh air vents for the pilot, with fresh air being taken between the cylinders.

After the disastrous loss of Lt Page in a previous race in 1926 from carbon dioxide poisoning, the Granville brothers wanted it safe for their pilots. Just the same, the frame is actually scale-like and shows how incredibly sturdy these were built. After seeing Lowell Bayles "Z" losing one wing in a sudden pitch-up movement (itself caused by the pilot reaction after he was knocked inconscious by a detached fuel filler cap that shattered the canopy in a world speed record attempt), Zandford Granville promised the "R" would be 12 G capable



I sandwiched some aluminum litho in the drilling process. I will in the end not use the plstic parts, but the aluminium ones, as they are more scale-like with the instruments behind ... Oops, looks like John lost an arm in the last months !



The instruments themselves are Airscale's 1/48 ones. The 1/32 ones are mostly too big for the Gee Bee instrument panel, being 3 mm in diameter, when they are 2 on the Gee Bee.



The left one is actually not as nice as its twin brother having suffered from a failed attempt at inserting a plastic IP layer ... It will however largely suffice in the R-2, with its closed access door ...



Finally, I have drawn some new formers to represent the plywood bulkheads that were affixed to the tubular framework ... The top one of #2 bulkhead needs some detailing as shown on the top row in the pic.



That's it for now ...

Thanks for looking

Hubert

evening folks
 
thank you so much for all your kindness and inspiring words, it really helps keep me focused knowing I need to perform my best with you guys tagging along:
 
 
 
Hi Cees - well, I have been kind of putting them off as the solartex covering is not the easiest thing to do, so probably last - I am sure I will get into it and in fact I pulled out the kit ones to see if I could use them and they are great in shape but wierdly bigger in span than all the plans I have so maybe on a Seafire FR47 they were bigger...?
 
 
 
 
ha! thanks, not sure about fans, but I will move onto something else, not sure what yet, but it needs to be prop, metal skinned, NMF and probably stay with 1/18 scale so suggestions welcome
 
with my bit of painting on the cockpit canopy not being a disatster, I started thinking about painting some of the markings on the airframe. I am getting artwork done for numbers / logos etc, but the cheatlines I need to paint..
 
..I took a profile pic of Race#80 and overlaid it on the Cooke plans to make sure the stripe is level with the datum and to get a sense of proportion..
 
..I also marked key 'waypoints' on the drawing so I can find my bearings on the model..
 

 
..then I scaled the photo to the model which will be rally helpful when it comes to sizing the artwork for the logos etc - it also allowed me to mark out what goes where..
 

 
..I thought I would start with the central red lightning flash, so I set this out in tape so I could align the masking around it..
 

 
..after a fair amount of time and also using scaled guides for the rounded areas at the nose, I had the model ready to paint...
 

 
..same process as with the canopy, etch primer follwed by humbrol enamel..
 
..I am quite pleased with how it turned out, and it is odd seeing colour on the airframe...
 

 

 

 
..then it was onto the pinstripe in blue - this had me worried as it's not an easy thing to get equal and parallel spacing - the best I could do was to create a cutter that was 2 blades stuck together to cut lots of fine strips of tamiya tape and lay them down from the red line outwards, then I get the spacing equal and can remove one of the strips where the actual line will be..
 

 
..it gets pretty complicated at the tail around the race number as there are blanks and two lines merge into one - again a scale printout helped work out whats going on..
 

 
..and after pretty much a day, one side is masked & ready to go - just need to repeat it for the other so thats it for today as I am all taped out...
 
TTFN
Peter

Recognition lights under the starboard wing deleted.

Resicast lens installed for the lights.
 

The engine has just arrived, beautiful .
 
    Best regards Hubert

Thanks, Mates
 
So, that's how it is going to look like, busy enough, I think.
Of course, some more detail still to be added, as well as the pilot's seat and its back plate.
 
   
    And... two more racers are on their way to my workshop:  Lindberg's Laird Turner Meteor and WB's Hall's Bulldog Racer (what a beauty!).    Stay tuned, best regards   Hubert  

Hi, I restarted in the modelling world after a 40 plus year layoff with the Airfix Junkers 87 in 1/24. I need to digout the photos to repost it after the photobucket ripoff. Next up here's my ongoing attempt at the next of the old 1/24 "superkits" The Bf 109E-4. I just need more time to post what I've been doing   
I've been on with the Bf 109E-4 for a couple of months and here's the progress so far.
 
As suggested in the post title, I last built this model in the 70s and a lot has changed since then
I'm sure we all know the fit isn't great and the detail a little lacking but I've tried to scratch build some bits to compensate
 
Engine first,not much to tell. It's not great detail but I Dremmelled off the moulded pipes etc and added some of my own. Due to the build a lot of the engine isn't visible so no point going too much to town. Painted in black with a little gunmetal added. Weathered with an oil wash and some oil stains etc added. Also I've added engine numbers to try and add a little realism

 


 
I'll try and get an update on later with cockpit build etc.
As ever any comments, advice are most welcome
Regards
Craig
 
So, onto the cockpit. It's a bit sparse by todays' standards but I've tried to pep it up a bit
 
First, before any huge debate I've used Humbrol RLM02 as my weapon of choice. This will be painted as a BoB from Aug 1940 so I'm happy that the interior should be RLM02.
 
As I said it's a bit bare in there so I've made a seat back from Milliput and distressed it up a bit. Also used the RB seat harness which I think is brilliant and forms a little project all its own (especially at 54 YoA and with dodgy eyes close up)
 

 
 
I got all the parts in. This pic shows the rudder pedals with the addition of the red hydraulic brake lines and the foot holders made from lead wire. It also show the full metal replacement instrument panel from Airscale. Pricey but worth it. If anyone has any opinions on the Yahu ready made ones I'd be grateful as next up for me is the 1:24 Hurricane
 

 
 
Left side wall I've added various pipes etc and lots of decals from Airscales Luftwaffe placards set. Also managed an attempt at the harness tensioning device from behind the seat
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Right side wall saw me remove the moulded wiring and replace it with red telephone wire. The oxygen regulator got a new coiled pipe from copper wire and some decals on the valves. A blue oxygen pipe was added running up the side wall to the pilots connection. The map was downloaded from an original Luftwaffe one and shrunk and printed(I've since taken the bottom off at an angle to make it sit right in the pocket as you can see in the later pic)
 

 

 

 
Top view shows a bit of weathering and staining etc. 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Next chapter to follow   
 
I've decided to do a bit of a detour and get the wings sorted before looking at the fuselage. The wings were a terrible fit so I had to kidnap the wife's nail sanding sponge block and work it to death to get a decent fit. Wheel wells were blocked in with plastic sheet and a bit of strip for the formers along the floor of the wells
 

 
Bit of an oil wash and they don't look too bad. I've tried using some masking tape cut to size, painted and stitching pencilled in to represent the canvas cover that protects the wheel well surround. Still a bit of sanding etc needed round here. 
The guns were painted with a mix of gunmetal with a touch of black then dry brushed silver and a silver crayon used to add some wear and tear.
 
 
 
 
The wing radiators were again a poor fit. I ditched the horrid plastic kit grilles and fitted some fine wire mesh instead. Even though the grilles sit quite deep in the housing so aren't that prominent, it still adds a more realistic touch....or at least I think so.
 

 
 
 

Hey everyone again sorry for a late update... the flying has been catching up with me with very little work in between flights done on the AEG. I have three solid days coming up where i have nothing and i intend on really pushing through with this kit. strangely enough when you build ww1 you find yourself submerged in a myriad of subassemblies and then when everything starts falling together you look around you and you notice the kit you're building is almost done... this has been the longest running build i have had to date...
 
I also noticed that i had failed to mention some of the details on the previous installments concerning the tail skid. The tail skid itself was made out of metal, i airbrushed it titanium which has a yellowish hue to the metal, then a coat of worn effects and then the color called out by the instructions then i chipped the paint before installing the part. The skid has received a brown wash but still has gotten no weathering and i plan on weathering it properly once i get to the point of laying down the pigments on the tail and fuselage to tie everything together weatheringwise.
The bottom outer wings have been weathered with a thin dilute light earth and light tan dusting to build up opacity and the lower crosses have been also weathered with tamiya smoke
 
Regarding the meager amount of work i have done on the aircraft since our last update,
 
The struts - Wnw has the outer struts keyed so you can't get them assembled wrong on the wing. I worked each wing side individually. The struts had been preshaded with a dark black and a light coat of blue green misted on top while the struts were still attached to the sprue. After cleaning up the attachment points the struts were retouched and installed. The struts have the rigging points molded into their lower part so judicious use of a 0.4mm drill was required to deepen up the eyelet attachment points. The outermost front struts were modified to receive the primitive (by today's standards) navigation lights. The nav lights were painted black then drybrushed with metallic gray. The reflective portion was painted matt aluminium and overcoated with clear red and clear green depending on the port/starboard side. The nav light assemblies received a wire that i then ran up the strut and clamped with thin strips of lead cut to simulate wire clamps on the struts. The struts received a dark brown wash.
 
The tail lifting, transport trailer thing - Nipped off the sprues, cleaned up and assembled. Still unsure where i am going to go with this but had in mind a pinstriped red and white chassis...or not. It is an accessory for the AEG so i haven't made up my mind yet as to wether i will be including it in the build or leaving it out. For the time being it is a side diversion that i will attend to while the decals will be drying up etc and i hope to have it finished by the time the AEG's rigging is complete.
 
The top outer wings - Same treatment given to the other flying surfaces. They are not back at the workshop in doha nicely waiting while the gloss coats are drying off during my layover in Brussels. Polish, night lozs and decals are next for those, then on with the rigging... By the way i was super impressed and that is a testament to how good wingnut wings kits are engineered when i drop fitted the outer top wings with NO struts in place and everything was solid as a rock. you'll see in some of the photos, for illustration purposes
 
Well that's pretty much it folks. I should be flying back tomorrow evening then as i said i plan to plod on with the build. Hopefully will have the upper wings decaled and glued in place. I reckon the rigging will not take more than a couple of hours as it is very easy and straightforward on this aircraft. Two cross rigging wires per strut bay and two flying and landing wires per cell on each wing....
 
I didn't manage to take proper photos with the Sony cam so i quickly snapped a couple with the iphone... the bench is in disarray so please bear with me too and i hope the photos illustrate well enough where we are at present...
 
Till our next update and proper photo shoot, stay safe everyone and happy modeling
 
Karim
 
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https://karimbibi.smugmug.com/Scale-model-Gallery/132-WW1-Aircraft/WNW-AEG-GIV-White-7/Work-in-progress-10/i-xxNbh8m/A][/url]
 

Hi Jim and Kevin, thanks a lot!
 
After gluing some stringers with evergreen profiles, I gave it a coat of interior color. I don't know for sure what color was actually used. According to this great reference site, it could have been interiour green, or some kind of grey (Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1).
 
http://www.stormomagazine.com/RegiaAeronauticaColorsinWWII_3a.htm
 
There is a color photo of the real thing on the last page of the Ali d'Italia book, but due to the pale colors, it could be both grey or green. I finally chose Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 and used the corresponding paint from Lifecolor. The grey turned out slightly greenish, and I think it matches well with the color photo. The fuel tank between the main frames is still dark, but I can't see this color-contrast on the black and white photos, so it will propably become grey as well.
 
After painting, the perforated coverings were glued in place, and the openings for the waist-guns were cut/sanded open. The edges do still need some cleanup.
 

 
Here is the whole thing, showing the slightly modified ends of the engine nacelles.
 

 

 
That's it for now.
 
Cheers
Alex

Little update:
 
The interior of the RS.14 was partially covered with perforated sheet. To replicate this, I (laboriously) made a 3d-model , which was then printed as a hollow object.
 

 
The prefigured holes were drilled through the surface, and the underside of the whole part was cut open. A thin styrene sheet was pulled over by vacuum forming, and the holes were finally drilled with the to-scale diameter (1,2 mm).
 

 

 
At the beginning, I wasn't sure if the whole process works, but I'm pretty happy with the final result:
 

 

 
Cheers
Alex

Hi Jim and Kevin, thanks a lot!
 
After gluing some stringers with evergreen profiles, I gave it a coat of interior color. I don't know for sure what color was actually used. According to this great reference site, it could have been interiour green, or some kind of grey (Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1).
 
http://www.stormomagazine.com/RegiaAeronauticaColorsinWWII_3a.htm
 
There is a color photo of the real thing on the last page of the Ali d'Italia book, but due to the pale colors, it could be both grey or green. I finally chose Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 and used the corresponding paint from Lifecolor. The grey turned out slightly greenish, and I think it matches well with the color photo. The fuel tank between the main frames is still dark, but I can't see this color-contrast on the black and white photos, so it will propably become grey as well.
 
After painting, the perforated coverings were glued in place, and the openings for the waist-guns were cut/sanded open. The edges do still need some cleanup.
 

 
Here is the whole thing, showing the slightly modified ends of the engine nacelles.
 

 

 
That's it for now.
 
Cheers
Alex

Hi Jim and Kevin, thanks a lot!
 
After gluing some stringers with evergreen profiles, I gave it a coat of interior color. I don't know for sure what color was actually used. According to this great reference site, it could have been interiour green, or some kind of grey (Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1).
 
http://www.stormomagazine.com/RegiaAeronauticaColorsinWWII_3a.htm
 
There is a color photo of the real thing on the last page of the Ali d'Italia book, but due to the pale colors, it could be both grey or green. I finally chose Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 and used the corresponding paint from Lifecolor. The grey turned out slightly greenish, and I think it matches well with the color photo. The fuel tank between the main frames is still dark, but I can't see this color-contrast on the black and white photos, so it will propably become grey as well.
 
After painting, the perforated coverings were glued in place, and the openings for the waist-guns were cut/sanded open. The edges do still need some cleanup.
 

 
Here is the whole thing, showing the slightly modified ends of the engine nacelles.
 

 

 
That's it for now.
 
Cheers
Alex

Little update:
 
The interior of the RS.14 was partially covered with perforated sheet. To replicate this, I (laboriously) made a 3d-model , which was then printed as a hollow object.
 

 
The prefigured holes were drilled through the surface, and the underside of the whole part was cut open. A thin styrene sheet was pulled over by vacuum forming, and the holes were finally drilled with the to-scale diameter (1,2 mm).
 

 

 
At the beginning, I wasn't sure if the whole process works, but I'm pretty happy with the final result:
 

 

 
Cheers
Alex

Hi Jim and Kevin, thanks a lot!
 
After gluing some stringers with evergreen profiles, I gave it a coat of interior color. I don't know for sure what color was actually used. According to this great reference site, it could have been interiour green, or some kind of grey (Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1).
 
http://www.stormomagazine.com/RegiaAeronauticaColorsinWWII_3a.htm
 
There is a color photo of the real thing on the last page of the Ali d'Italia book, but due to the pale colors, it could be both grey or green. I finally chose Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 and used the corresponding paint from Lifecolor. The grey turned out slightly greenish, and I think it matches well with the color photo. The fuel tank between the main frames is still dark, but I can't see this color-contrast on the black and white photos, so it will propably become grey as well.
 
After painting, the perforated coverings were glued in place, and the openings for the waist-guns were cut/sanded open. The edges do still need some cleanup.
 

 
Here is the whole thing, showing the slightly modified ends of the engine nacelles.
 

 

 
That's it for now.
 
Cheers
Alex