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Bitten by a Mosquito!


Wolf Buddee

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Guest Peterpools

Hi Wolf

Following your brilliant progress and always enjoying and learning as you go.

Keep 'em coming

Peter

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Thats why he doesn't build models ! Always looking for awesome photo's.........Harv :innocent:

 

Not true Harvey! He actually does build models but he doesn't want to post any pics even though I've been telling him to. He's currently injecting Martiny goodness in to a Fly Hurricane.

 

Cheers,

Wolf

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1944 Banff

 

Heh - the eponymous Scottish strike wing always reminds me of when, in the mid-1970s, I worked in the sales dept of an east London catering equipment company, and took a large order for crockery and kitchen equipment for a hotel in Banff.

 

A couple of days later the accounts dept. came to me asking was the billing address "meant to be an abbreviation of Bournemaarf" or som'ink".

I had quite the job in pre-internet days in persuading them that Banff was in northern Scotland, and was actually quite a famous place if you knew any WWII RAF history.

Luckily the hotel paid their bill promptly and made a small contribution to the education of some east Londoners.

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Not true Harvey! He actually does build models but he doesn't want to post any pics even though I've been telling him to. He's currently injecting Martiny goodness in to a Fly Hurricane.

 

Cheers,

Wolf

Just bustin my friends chop's Wolf. I know he buids, and does it very well, better than me ! Just pocking him and hoping he WIll post......Harv :innocent:

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Thanks Chris. No I haven't seen that photo before.

 

I was wondering about the ignition harness and coolant pipe layout because the pics in the Merlin 23 walk around show a different configuration. I have to figure out whether I'm going to use the same configuration as I did on my Spitfire Merlin or go as you've done. I'll try and add a pic of my Spitfire Merlin to this post from my main computer. I don't seem to be able to do so using my i-pad. I'll be back in a minute.............

 

..........Ok, I'm back. Here's a photo of my Merlin in my Spitfire and the configuration I used for the coolant pipes as they connect to the Glycol Tank and how I did the ignition harness. More research to do, that's for sure, but that's part of the fun with these builds sin't it?  :frantic:

 

Merlin-15.jpg

Cheers,

Wolf

 

Hi Wolf,

 

I know your spitfire engine very well! Once in my life I would love to peek over your shoulder and see how you are doing all these incredible things. The ignition harness indeed looks different on my engine. I remember that I preferred the Merlin III configuration only to cover the center section of my scratchbuilt engine, which is sealed by a piece of plastic sheet. It was a compromise, nothing else.   :innocent:

 

cheers

Chris

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Now that I see your engine, I remember watching your build and you were adding parts while already painted, what do you use to glue those parts together? I can't get them to stay glued if they're painted! I know this is a beginner´s question but I don't seem to find an answer, coul you tell me what is your aproach? I have a hard time when working on cockpits because of this!

 

Something else is plasticard vs plastic, cyano doesn't seem to do the job. I appreciate if you could lead me to a succesful glueing technique!

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Not Wolf, but perhaps I can help.

 

The strongest bond when gluing polystyrene plastic is best obtained by using a plastic solvent which chemically melts the parts and bonds them together.

I use a liquid poly cement called MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone), a quart can of which was supplied to me by an RAF airframe fitter twenty odd years ago and is still going strong. Tamiya Extra thin is very similar, but you need to scrape the dried paint off the mating surfaces so that you have a plastic to plastic contact of the pieces you're joining.

 

Superglue (a Cyanoacrylate chemical bonder) makes an excellent joiner too, but the surfaces must be free of grease/oils from your skin/dirt etc. or it'll stick to those rather than the parts to be joined. It also forms a 'pad' between the components as there is no solvent action. Over time, that pad can become brittle and even fail under the right (or wrong) conditions. Or the bond is only surface deep paint-to-paint, rather than to the part itself.

 

As a general rule, I'll use cyano as a spot glue (holding parts together where tape isn't convenient, or non-load bearing parts such as switches, panels and levers etc in cockpits) but always go for a proper weld where some strength is needed (fuselage halves/ wing joints/ undercarriages etc.

 

If some parts appear to be potentially weak joints, I'll either beef them up with plastic card plates bonded with liquid poly cement on the non-visible side, (I haven't used tube glue for decades, but some still prefer to use it) or a five minute epoxy glue which has excellent strength against both sheer and impact forces. But again, if joining painted surfaces, remember it can only be as strong as the weakest link in the chain, which may be the ability of the paint to stick to the surface it's been painted on. So always scrape that paint out of the way!

Edited by Chek
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The Mossie's getting throttled! 

 

You'd think for such a small part the throttle would be easy eh? Nope, not so for me. The throttle levers were one solid lump so I separated them with a razor saw and reshaped the rear one as it was moulded too big. The prop control levers were removed (initially by accident) and new levers and grips scratch built. The moulded on supercharger switch guard was removed and a hole drilled to accept a new supercharger switch made of silver wire. A replacement switch guard was made using a 1/48th scale PART photo-etch turnbuckle. The top of the throttle housing was sheeted in thin styrene to build up the area around the throttle levers to make it look like the throttle levers were sitting in open slots. Both throttle and prop control lever stops were made with Waldron's sub-miniature punch and die set. The throttle lever friction adjusting knob was partially drilled and a silver fastener decal was placed within the depression. The data stencils for the throttle assembly came from Airscale's 1/32nd data stencil sheet. While not exactly correct they look the part to me.

 

The following pics should tell the rest of the story. I probably should have taken these pics when I wasn't quite so tired as they seem to be slightly out of focus.  :blink:

 

Cheers,

Wolf

 

Throttle-1_zpshglmasos.jpg

 

Throttle-2_zpsi5ygezeb.jpg

 

Throttle-3_zpsy06elo2j.jpg

 

Throttle-5_zps5h9otjso.jpg

 

Throttle-6_zpszaoifdoe.jpg

 

Throttle-4_zps4bzchawl.jpg

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