Leaning_Dog Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) I've been visiting LSP for quite a while, and have learned something from and been inspired by, every build on the site - and finally decided to join. I called Paul Fisher a few weeks ago and we talked about the original Airshow Models Pitts S2B kits. After assuring me that the original decal sheets were just fine, I placed my order and the kit arrived a few days later. This is my first attempt at a resin airplane kit and it is truly a gem. It is a tiny 1/32 model - the wingspan and fuselage length are nearly identical to a 1/48 P-51 - so all the fun of 1/32 while taking up very little space. I have most of the parts cleaned up and am really looking forward to slinging some paint at this one. The wheel pant casting shows how nicely detailed this kit is - note the brake detail. This also illustrates the size of the casting 'stubs' that need to be removed. The resin is very easy to work with and a new razor saw and sanding sticks make quick work of the stubs. The kit includes two vac canopies - one of which has noticeably yellowed while sitting in the box for several years. I plan to tint the canopy so the yellowing should not be an issue. You can see from the photo that the upper wing ailerons are warped - a quick dip in hot water should straighten them. The lower wing is flat and will need a slight dihedral added. The super-thin rudder casting was horribly warped - more like a propeller than a rudder - and a quick dip in hot water solved the issue. The only aftermarket I plan to use are the excellent instrument decals from Airscale. The instructions are absolutely fantastic, and the online build that "Barney" posted on his website is proving quite valuable. There are also vast quantities of Pitts S2B photographs online so reference for this project has been a snap. I have to say I am having a lot of fun with this one, and will update progress as I go along. Fair warning - I am not a fast builder. Thanks for watching! John. Edited January 10, 2020 by Leaning_Dog Replacing Photobucket images SCRATCH BUILDER, Zero77 and Lars Befring 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome aboard John! Looks like you've got this project under fine control. It's looking mighty good! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loic Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Welcome ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Awesome! I really want to get myself a Bulldog..................really badly. As you said, all the fun and scale of 32nd with the room of that *other* scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peterpools Posted April 4, 2015 Share Posted April 4, 2015 John Welcome aboard and what a great kit to join in with. I purchased my Pitts as soon as they were available and actually emailed Paul, asking the same questions about the decals. When Paul says they are A-OK, I just go with it. Looking forward to following with great interest. Keep 'em coming Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leaning_Dog Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 (edited) Hi Guys - Thanks for the kind words. I've managed a bit of progress over the last week or so. After a quick dip in hot water, I was able to put a slight dihedral into the bottom wing. I also attached the main cabane struts to the upper wing, then straightened and attached the ailerons. The brass cabane struts were bent and proved a bit fiddly to get into alignment. Here is a photo of the final dry-fitting of major components prior to applying any glue. You can also see the excellent cast detail on the instrument panel in this image. Once everything was in alignment, I took it all apart and began assembly by gluing the lower wing to the fuselage using 5-minute epoxy. I then glued the main landing gear legs to the fuselage/wing assembly using extra-thick super glue. The aileron torque tube and control sticks are lost-wax brass castings - the heel plates are photo etch. Interestingly, there are no rudder pedals included in the kit which seems a bit odd. I see in the photo that I need to straighten the control sticks... of course, once the seats are installed and the cowling is in place much of this detail will be invisible... I hope to start priming and painting later this week. The cockpit will be a light gray, and I've seen instrument panels in gray as well as black - I'm leaning towards black. As for the exterior, the last thing the world needs is another red and white Pitts - so I'm going blue and white. I have had great success with Tamiya TS spray paints on race car models, so I'm going with TS-15 Blue... plastic spoons make really great 'sample sticks'. My Canon PowerShot camera doesn't fully capture the blue color saturation, but you get the idea. Thanks for watching! John. Edited January 11, 2020 by Leaning_Dog Replacing Photobucket images Lars Befring, Mal_Belford, Whitey and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Looking good John! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Great stuff! Looking forward to some color indeed. I really want to start my Extra 330 SC when I see builds like this. Im hoping to acquire some of Paul's acrobatic kits myself very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Javlin1 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 That's a sharp looking plane/kit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 This is coming together very nicely John! Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John F Smith Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Really looking Good!!! Love the blue color choice!! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dog Flying Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 John: Thanks for the comments on the construction manual. When PG first asked me to build the prototype kit, all I had to work with was a box of parts and a small 4 page ONE paragraph instruction sheet that would make anyone go blind, My Better Half and I sat down to put together something completely different in the way of a "how to" booklet resulting in what I had hoped would be the first full colour photographic manual..and we were very happy with the results. Enjoy the build, we did Barney Out2gtcha 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leaning_Dog Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Hi Guys - Thanks for the kind words. Brian - The Extra 330 kit looks awesome, looking forward to watching your build. Thanks, Barney - I am enjoying this build very much. To illustrate what we're talking about, here are a couple shots of the excellent instruction booklet that you created. The only sign of it's age are the rusted staples holding it together... John. Edited January 11, 2020 by Leaning_Dog Replacing Photobucket images Out2gtcha and KiwiZac 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seiran01 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Looking good so far, and I really like that blue colour. Can't wait to see this build progress Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leaning_Dog Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 (edited) Hi Guys - thanks for the kind words! This build is slowly coming along - I am really enjoying this little kit. As my first all-resin airplane kit the learning curve has been a bit steep, but it is very well engineered and all issues encountered so far have been of my own doing. I have managed to apply some paint - here are the Hartzell propellers. Factory logos for the props are included on the comprehensive decal sheet. When I attempted to fit the cast brass main gear landing struts there was a much larger gap at the axle than what showed in photographs, so I filled the locating holes and drilled new ones closer to the main gear legs. Not sure why the alignment was off so much, but easily corrected. Also having fun making harnesses using the photo-etched buckles provided in the kit and 3M Painters tape. This is the first time I've tried making my own harnesses and I'm rather pleased with the results. The harness for the front seat is in the photo above awaiting installation, the harness for the rear seat has been installed. Here is an overall view of the current state of affairs. I noticed while looking at photographs online (over 600 images of PItts S2B's on Airliners.net alone...) that the exterior color often appears on the rear cockpit bulkhead, as well as the interior of the cockpit below the canopy. The blue looks a bit darker under indoor lighting than my sample in sunlight, but I think it will look pretty neat when all the white striping is applied. Like I've said before, this is a really tiny 1/32 model - the wingspan is only 7.5 inches (19 cm)... don't know how you guys find the space for those Felixtowes. Thanks for watching! John. Edited January 11, 2020 by Leaning_Dog Replacing Photobucket images Lars Befring, Out2gtcha, Iain and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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