Garage21

I was not pleased with the overall look of the rear assembly so I started a new one today. I wanted to capture the two-piece outer struts and the retaining straps on the outside edge and the piece I was working on just wasn't doing it for me. The last picture shows the one I did last week (bottom) and the new one I did today (top). I like the overall shape, proportions and "sleekness" of the new one much better. Once all the sanding and polishing is done, i'll use 1mm stainless steel rivets on the retaining straps which have been drilled out with a #70 bit. I'll finish up these two pieces and start the rudder tomorrow. Stay tuned. G21.

Work continues on the back end. Progress comes slowly... Lots of work left to be done... Last picture is the pot metal pieces that came with the kit next to the brass pieces I started fabricating this evening.

Seems like that's what happens every time I try and build a kit. I suppose that's why i've never competed a large-scale model in less than 9 months.

Second attempt at rear end using actual blue prints proved to be much more successful. The outer line across the rear wing and rear stabilizer is a perfect continuation from one component to the next. Only way I could figure out how to do that was to build both pieces as a single assembly and then split them when done. This way everything should align perfectly. Pictures are post fabrication but pre-cleanup. G21. The new piece is a few cm larger however as I went off the measurements of the Sopwith Company blueprints and not the plans that came with the Model Airways kit..

Lesson learned indeed Bill.

Wow! Stupid Mistake! Just realized that I went off the model plans and not the actual Sopwith Camel plans when I fabricated the rear stabilizer. The design and specs in the kit are completely wrong (big surprise). To be fair, Model Airways had to make some concessions to scale when they did the kit, but there is a lot of detail missing. Off to the Metal Supermarket to get more brass stock and then... Starting Over. Stay tuned.

Sorry Kevin. Didn't mean to confuse. I just found that seeing the flame gives me a lot more control and accuracy. When I used to use a soldering iron, I could never get the metal hot enough or I ended up heating a far bigger area than I wanted to. I have much more success with a gas torch when I'm soldering. When I use a torch, I can make things much hotter a lot faster.

Bill - if you want my advice, skip soldering and get a torch. So much easier and so much more precise. My torch allows me to do three times the work, with much better results in half the time than what a soldering iron used to take.

With the turnbuckles fabricated I decided to work on something a little larger because my hands and eyes were killing me. Started with the rear stabilizer. Hopefully can get the rest of the rear end fabricated this weekend. Still some sanding and shaping to be done. And have to drill out the two inner-most spreader bars and solder in some eyelets. But the shape is definitely there. I love working in brass.

Have you ever been sitting around your workshop when suddenly you say to yourself, "Self... I wonder how long it would take to hand make 110 1:16 scale turnbuckles and what would they look like when I was done?" The answer is "about 10 days" and this. There is still much sanding, shaping and polishing to be done, not to mention redialing the center hole and running the safety wire. But at least they've been fabricated and I can now move on. Stay tuned.

Two - That is the picture i've been looking for! No doubt now what the proper configuration is. And, contrary to what I thought, it's not a strap that wraps around but a rod the uses wood screws at each end. Thanks very much for sharing - that's incredibly helpful. Andy.

Mike - I have to believe they were made of brass. That's what i'll be using.

I just remembered that I bought the blueprints for the Camel. And the answer is... STRAPS.

You are correct Juggernut; that is indeed the rear stabilizer. But every picture of every wing surface seems to show those metal straps (not that I have that many pictures mind you). What I can't figure out is why would Model Airlines go to such length to provide 50 of those tiny little wooden struts if they weren't even historically accurate?

The first and second photo below show the leading edge of the Model Airways 1:16 Sopwith Camel. The third photo shows a 1:1 Sopwith Camel is restoration. If you look at the three red boxes, you can see that the model uses a tiny wooden insert at the leading edge between each wing rib, while the actual plane shows a metal strap in that same position. I've seen other photos of actual camels and they all seem to show the metal strap that winds around the front of the leading edge of the wings. I'm leaning towards the metal strap, but I'm wondering if anyone has any insight into what's right.