bdthoresen Posted October 6, 2013 Share Posted October 6, 2013 Tom- You, sir, ARE THE FRIGGIN' MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Nuff said.....THOR, astonished............... Dan Paxton 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Tom, looks amazing! Such detail and precision. How do you achieve such neat, precise vertical cuts on your styrene stock? Mine are always all over the shop. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee White Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Top marks, Tom!!! And I hope you don't forget the bulkhead tutorial we are hoping for? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cees Broere Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 (edited) Tom, Excellent work. May I be so bold to mention the following? -the black nose portion as you represented is too small. It really extends towards frame 5. The dividing line is between the two port windows. The intention for this is to reduce glare while caught in search lights. -the portholes in the steps are not there, they are solid. -after fame 10 (behind the flight engineers panel), the interior is aluminium. Minor nitpicking I know, you are doing a fantastic job. Hope to see it at Telford. Cees Edited October 7, 2013 by Cees Broere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Hi Cees, Thanks for the information... that'll teach me to use other people's builds on the 'net as a guide! I may well just have to leave the paint as it is now as with the nav's table attached it will be a bit of a nightmare to mask and re-paint... not 100% accurate I know... but if you're not a Halifax expert... I painted the rear portion of the fuselage black as I do not plan to detail this area as next to nothing will be seen (I learnt this the hard way with my B-29 build!) thus I just wanted it to look dark iside if people were tempted to look inside the rear windows. Some questions you may be able to help me with when it comes to further painting if I may: 1) Is the fuselage closest to the rear turret interior green or natural metal? I want to get this correct in case you can see anything past the turret, 2) What colour are the wheel bays? My research so far points to matt black, but I have seen a build on the web with the bays interior green but this didn't look correct to me, 3) What colour is the pilot's seat? I'm thinking interior green but again I've seen models with it natural metal, 4) Am I right in thinking the Flight Engineer did not have a seat? Again from the very few pictures I've been able to source of this area it appears not... poor chap! 5) Finally, did the cockpit and nose section floors have the anti-slip rubber mats fitted? If so do you know where and what they looked like? Also, as you are 'in the know' when it comes to the Halifax, I've heard a rumour that the MkI preserved at Hendon (from the Norwegan lake) is to be restored to factory fresh condition. Have you heard anything along these lines? Sorry - so many questions! Your superior knowledge will be much appreciated! Cheers, Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Tom, looks amazing! Such detail and precision. How do you achieve such neat, precise vertical cuts on your styrene stock? Mine are always all over the shop. Kev More luck than anything else Kev... I just do my best to keep the blade vertical when cutting. Top marks, Tom!!! And I hope you don't forget the bulkhead tutorial we are hoping for? Thanks! Fear not Lee - that'll be coming in the next installment... Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cees Broere Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 HI Tom, No problem, Here are some answers for you 1) Is the fuselage closest to the rear turret interior green or natural metal? This area is natural metal 2) What colour are the wheel bays? My research so far points to matt black, but I have seen a build on the web with the bays interior green but this didn't look correct to me, Correct, the gear bays are matt black 3) What colour is the pilot's seat? I'm thinking interior green but again I've seen models with it natural metal, Pilot's seat (as are most cockpit items) is interior green, natural metal is not correct. The seat cushions are blck leather. Wiring loom is yellow, the throttle box black. The rail above the fuel c@cks is red. 4) Am I right in thinking the Flight Engineer did not have a seat? The flight engineer did in fact have two collapsible seats back to back. Both had folding back rests and the seat was folded back against the fuselage. 5) Finally, did the cockpit and nose section floors have the anti-slip rubber mats fitted? If so do you know where and what they looked like? No anti-slip mats, the floors were made of Plymax, this was plywood with sheet metal, the edges were metal strips. Strange thing is that the metal was on the underside so through wear the wooden surface became visible through the green paint. The floors are all green too, inclusing the forward nosesection. About that rumour. It would be great if that were true but wouldn't bet on it. The RAF Museum have always stated not to restore it (unfortunately) due to cost, fear of destroying the originality. And with the recent Dornier recovery, money would indeed be a problem (as always). There are never too many questions, fire away!!! This is a great thread Hope this helps Cheers, Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 Thanks Cees, as always a gold mine of information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted October 7, 2013 Author Share Posted October 7, 2013 (edited) I've got the flight engineer's rear bulkhead completed this evening. I must confess it's not 100% accurate as the door isn't there on the real aircraft (well, I've done a fair bit of reading and it seems it was there on the very early aircraft but was quickly removed in service.) I didn't want to just leave a gaping hole where the walkway is and have to add shed loads of extra detail to the fuselage interior further back. Call me lazy, but... Cees (who gave me the model) had made a start on the shape of the bulkhead so I knew the shape was right, and I then added the extra details to bring it to life, once again from Evergreen and plastic card, as well as some items from the spares box. I can't guarantee all details are correct as I couldn't find any pictures of a MkII Halifax in this area - all pictures I found on the net were of the MkIII but I presume they're similar... and used a bit of poetic license along the way to liven it up. Here's an 'under construction' picture before paint. The penny gives an idea of the size of the pieces required for a heavy bomber in 1/32nd scale: And after paint and a little light weathering: I made the dials themselves by drilling plastic card, backing it, spraying it black and then scratching the dial detail on with a needle. When I add a drop of PVA to their faces they'll pass just fine. Here is the bulkhead in situ: Total time to make this one piece was about 6 hours... but that's what building models such as this is all about! I'm off to make more interior bulkheads now and as some of you have asked me to show you my methods I'll share how I get (reasonably) accurate bulkheads in my next update. Tom Edited October 7, 2013 by tomprobert airscale, Sharkmouth, Derek B and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted October 7, 2013 Share Posted October 7, 2013 Tom Wonderful work and you're absolutely right. Keep 'em coming :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Getting better and better. Love watching...........Harv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cees Broere Posted October 8, 2013 Share Posted October 8, 2013 Tom, I like you gizmology Work. I had the same idea by using a door to block off the rear. That's why I Did not detail the rear. In fact later hetc halifaxes did have a bulkhead next to the flight engineers Position, this also doubled as a container for a dinghy. Don't forget that some interior can be seen through the two top hatches. In this case the restbunks between the wingspars. My full size cockpit is a Mk III, google Halifax cockpit project and you get more pics than you wish for. Some pics of my earlier attempt at The ( then) ID Models Halifax Are on LSP too. Keep it up, you are doing a fantastic job. Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfighter Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 This is VERY impressive work, Tom! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 (edited) Cheers once again folks! Thank again Cees for sharing your knowledge with us More interior progress on the Halifax to report... I've been working on the wireless operator and navigator's areas. All the radios came from the spares box, and items such as the lamp were built from scratch. The map is an actual WWII map of a part of Berlin reduced on the computer, and printed off and added to the navigator's table. The wiring is thin electrical wire that is easily bent to shape. You can also see the plastic card floor I made in position in this shot: Here is the beginning of the pilot's compartment, which I inherited from Cees, our resident Halifax expert. This will continue to be detailed, and the seat, instrument panel etc. needs to be scratch built and added to it. You can see the engineer's bulkhead in situ here, too: Work has also started on the starboard side of the cockpit, but there's lots more to do here. One step at a time and all that... It won't be the most accurate Halifax interior in the world, but it's good enough for my liking Until the next update, Tom Edited October 10, 2013 by tomprobert Sharkmouth and Starfighter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted October 10, 2013 Author Share Posted October 10, 2013 Almost forgot... bulkhead tutorial! On a model such as this it's fairly straight forward making bulkheads as the fuselage is roughly rectangular in shape and just has rounded corners at the lower and upper parts of its cross section. I start by working out where I want my bulkhead to go, and cut a piece of plastic card to the exact depth of the fuselage. I also make sure it is wider. Here I'm making a bulkhead near to where the stabilisers will go for extra support: This first piece should just fit inside the fuselage: Next, I cut off the corners at approximately a 45 degree angle: Further trimming of the corners results in a better and better fit. Going very slowly is the key; only removing a little plastic at a time: I then use the edges of the fuselage to cut this piece in half and to the exact depth of one fuselage half: I then draw around this piece, flip it over on the axis of the half-way point, and draw the other side. This ensures you now have a symmetrical bulkhead: I then cut it out and sand the edges lightly to get the final shape perfect: And hey presto - a bulkhead that fits like a glove! This is the method I've used over the years and it's never let me down. It will work with any shape of fuselage cross section, and careful trimming with lots of dry fitting is the key to getting a well fitted bulkhead. If you can source a profile gauge it'll make life even easier - I'll be on the hunt for one at Telford this year! One other tip is to use some old cardboard to make your template, and that way you don't end up wasting plastic card. I hope the above helps Tom Sharkmouth, Lee White, Starfighter and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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