ungoliat

Hi.
Well, another show...
Please, let me get comfortable, cry and drink something to drown my sorrows

Hi
Now, tell us the truth, do you have a lot of smurfs working for you?
Awesome job, congratulate the dwarves or smurfs who help you
Greetings from this side of the ocean

Hi
Following this thread is like following a TV series. There remains one hoping that it will happen in the next chapter ....
Beer and popcorn, to wait for what follows of the show..
Greetings from Colombia

mojo
 
 
noun
  informal
 
 
a quality that makes you successful and full of energy:
·        He's definitely lost his mojo. ·        He needs to get his mojo working if he's going to finish that model  
 
Well, I lost mine over the last few months in a big way. For many reasons I just lost interest in my Fw190 and so it has been shelved for now. It's one of those inexplicable things, those that remember the 1/24 Tigercat maybe know I have form in this area ..
 
 
Instead, I have found a new source of mojo which has seen me back at the bench, enjoying my modelling which is what it is all about right?
 
 
This is new for me, I don’t think I have ever built a biplane, certainly not scratchbuilt so it will be a journey of discovery I hope to share
 
 
The Hawker Fury needs no introduction from me, all I can do is show you the picture that set me thinking and ultimately on this path…
 
 

 
 
..look at that beautiful form, the polished metal nose panels, the state of the art in it’s day. I don’t know yet which airframe I will model, but likely it will be a Tangmere bird as that was but a few miles from my childhood home.
 
 
I gained the confidence to take the plunge from John Alcorn’s books ‘Scratchbuilt’ where various masters show how they achieve the impossible in relation to fabric covered structures such as those shown below – if you don’t have the books, get them, they are superb..
 
 
Need fuselage stringers? A few methods are shown..
 
 
 

 
 
 
Wings? Just like the originals..
 
 

 
 
I started with the Westburg plans, four sheets sourced from a 1970’s RC Model magazine I found as a PDF that my printer scaled for me..
 
 
..these are widely acknowledged as the most accurate out there..
 
 

 
 
..and so onto building & making a start..
 
 
..the first element I thought would be a rigid structure that supports both the landing gear and the cabane struts atop the fuselage. This would need to be very strong and so was made of brass parts..
 
 
The very first of which is here – the main gear mount..
 
 

 
 
..then the transverse rods that link to the main gear trailing arms and the mounts for those mounted on the mainspar tube.. I used (badly) my new Proxxon mini milling machine for those..
 
 

 
 
..all the parts were made up over the plans and ultimately soldered together, including spigots for the cabane strut mounts..
 
 
..the firewall looking square is to add rigidity and the hole is the prop datum that will carry forwards into the nose..
 
 

 
 
..more of the fuselage framework was constructed of carbon fibre rod – this stuff is super stiff and easy to work with – I used an RC modeller trick in pinning the rods to a scaled plan to get everything lined up..
 
 

 
 
..soon I had both halves (at least the bits that can be seen) which will dovetail into the brass frontal assembly..
 
 

 
 
..the real airframe is bolted together with some quite rudimentary brackets – that’s good, I can do rudimentary..
 
 

 
 
..I should have made these from PE, but such was my renewed enthusiasm I made them by hand with the resultant rudimentary outcome..
 
 

 
 
..the structures were primed and painted with black MRP enamel and the assembly plates added..
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
..whilst I didn’t take any construction pictures, I did make up the seat based on the few pictures I have (that’s a problem I will come onto later..)
 
 
…essentially I drew parts as templates and cut them from litho, annealing & shaping them and bordering with fine solder wire..
 
 

 
 

 
 
..to finish up for now, the work to date dry fitted together…
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
..now for the appeal – I have zero drawings apart from the plans, I have the one Mushroom book I could find and that is 80% about the Nimrod, not the Fury and about 5 cockpit pictures all from the same angle from the internet..
 
 
I have written to both operators of existing Furies in the hope they have drawings they can share, but if anyone out there knows of any good reference, please let me know – drop links in here or PM me perhaps
 
 
So that’s it – a change in direction, for me the main thing is being motivated to pull up to my bench and enjoy myself and that I am now doing
 
..hopefully this one will see a competition table in a few years
 
 
TTFN
Peter

Hi.
Reading slowly.... just wondering,  I have almost 30 years putting together small pieces of plastic and  painting  them. Just to know, that at this point of my life, i´m still learning...and felling like a little child, hoping to some day i can build and paint something like you.
Wonderfull job

Hi.
Reading slowly.... just wondering,  I have almost 30 years putting together small pieces of plastic and  painting  them. Just to know, that at this point of my life, i´m still learning...and felling like a little child, hoping to some day i can build and paint something like you.
Wonderfull job

I think I'm beginning to hate you ...
         
            
 
 

 

Hi
Now, tell us the truth, do you have a lot of smurfs working for you?
Awesome job, congratulate the dwarves or smurfs who help you
Greetings from this side of the ocean

Wow!!!!!!
No more to say....
Wow!!!!!!

What a beautiful build John! She is just amazing - I really like the red oxide primer on the iron/steel parts - very correct.. the landing gear doors had iron/steel bolts that were susceptible to corrosion over time... She has to be one of the nicest 262's that I have ever seen... when do you plan to de-mask the canopies? Can't wait to see the finished & ready pics!! 
Such builds are really not only an artistic journey but a journey into the history of human aeronautical advancements, associated technologies, and engineering amongst other things... the 262 was revolutionary, in almost all asspects - and, as a current pilot I can only really imagine how that was for a 24 year old young man to be flying one of the most advanced flying machines ever invented... 
Great job! 
Now, what's next up on the bench mate?

I think these molds were originally done for some factory assembled & painted toy, which would not only explain the screw points, but also the rather poor fidelity and sparse detail of the cockpit and wheel well. The shape of the completed FW seems to be surprisingly accurate, though! And you really make things come to life with your painting, Guy! Can't wait to see the finished "canvas".
 
(It's a shame Peter (airscale) does only natural metal birds—and there are no natural metal and/or civilian Focke Wulfs that I know of—for this kit could've been a worthy victim for his dark arts ;-))
 
Cheers
Joerg
 

https://youtu.be/x2Kc6NRwSic
 
HTH,
D

Pics or it never happened.
 

Well, like everybody else Peter, I have run out of words to indicate how impressed I am at your modeling skills.  We should force you to build a plastic kit next time, right OOB, to bring you back down to earth with us mortals.  I bet it would kill you to not modify the crap out of it!
 
Great job on the headlight, but I have a tip that I recently learned from another modeler.  There are some really well made aftermarket headlights made for car models, that would have worked for your application without any fuss.  You couldn’t have said that you built it from scratch, however, so I guess you wouldn’t have used it anyway. 
 
Cheers,
Chuck

Hi
Following this thread is like following a TV series. There remains one hoping that it will happen in the next chapter ....
Beer and popcorn, to wait for what follows of the show..
Greetings from Colombia

Hi
Following this thread is like following a TV series. There remains one hoping that it will happen in the next chapter ....
Beer and popcorn, to wait for what follows of the show..
Greetings from Colombia

Hi
Following this thread is like following a TV series. There remains one hoping that it will happen in the next chapter ....
Beer and popcorn, to wait for what follows of the show..
Greetings from Colombia

HI
At the end would you fly this thing?... Sure it can fly...
 

Still some final things to take care of, but it's getting there...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Cheers: Kent

Modeling porn at is best right there ladies and gentleman, WOW !!!!
 
Steve
 
"TOMCATS FOREVER, BABY...!"

hello
Long time no update !
Wing assemby is done and last hinges have been added. Some sort of struggle as flaps and slats had some bend on  my sample.
Lower launchers are now set and their rubber sealing lines have set along them, adding a bit of color. Note that the launchers had both a twist and a bend to cope with...I dont know if all trumpeter cats have these sort of problems ?
 
A dry assembly and the photo booth switched on to check the overall look
I hope you,ll like it 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

DEALING WITH THE CLEAR PARTS
 
We all agree that the main issue of the Revell Mustang is in the clear parts, notably the canopy and the windshield which present some awful distorsion in their transparency.
 
While the Revell canopy can be replaced by one of the three optional canopies included in the Tamiya 1/32 P-51D kit, the main problem resides in the windshield, particularly the central panel which has to be optically flat, i.e. without distorsion, There is no other solution than to replace it.
This is how I did it.
 
Original kit windshield

 
A piece of Scotch Magic Tape is stuck over the windshield and the central panel contour traced over it

 
The Magic Tape is removed and stuck on a suitable piece of clear polystyrene, in this case a CD case.
It's our template for the new central panel

 

 
Now, the nerve-wrecking part: holes are drilled around the contour of the central panel. Masking tape is used to protect the remaining part of the windshield from scratches.

 
Center part is removed and ready to be cleaned-up and adjusted.

 
Windshield ready for new central panel

 
New central panel is cut using the Magic Tape template.

 
After numerous adjustments, the new panel and the receiving windshield are joined and secured with UV-curing glue.

 
The modified windshield in-situ

 

 
That's it for now, folks. Hope you like it.
 
Hasta la vista,
 
Quang
 
 
 
 

Blue and Green! Your my hero Chris!!

please stop posting your work, I can't afford therapy sessions any longer everytime i see your work.  
Pete, this is stunning. I really like it.
Oliver

Seasons Greetings all
 
 
 
 
Hi Larry - thanks for asking, and yes all is well (with me anyway...)
 
Less so for the Firefly however, as after a lot of thinking I have decided to stop work on the project
 
A number of reasons really, I think I was a bit hasty jumping into something new and have never really felt the attatchment I did with my Spit, I fretted over having to paint a full metal airframe that looks so nice in it's natural finish, I struggled to find good drawings and factory references and in the end I got as far as making some wing blanks & just hit a wall and thought if I feel like this now, how do I stay motivated for the next 2 years, so I decided to stop...
 
All is not lost though as I have been researching and preparing PE for a new project which I will set out in the New Year - it is something I think will be much more popular and engaging than the Firefly and has already led me to speak to some fascinating people across the globe.
 
I do apologise to those following the Firefly, I know I have let some of you down and feel a bit of a flake, but in the long term I need to be 100% into something as otherwise it just won't work out so i hope you understand
 
All the best for the New Year and see you in 2018 with what I hope will be an enjoyable romp with one of aviation historys greats
 
TTFN
Peter