Jump to content

AirCraft Models : Nieuport Sesquiplan racer. Finished !


Hubert Boillot

Recommended Posts

It's funny how adding the undercarriage has changed my perception of the airframe. it was looking so sleek, and modern without it, when I was flying it around my workspace :piliot: .

 

Adding the undercarriage with the lower wing and the struts, has brought it back to its era :).

 

Thanks for following along.

 

Hubert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly. This plane looks like a concept design in the 20's, but the UC returns you to the period it came from.

 

I get the same feeling when I watch the original Star Trek -- I can only imagine what the generation of kids thought watching Star Trek (or Star Wars, but I'm not huge fan) then and watching it again in the later years. It lacks a certain level of sophistication that makes you chuckle a bit, but it definitely didn't feel like that back then.

 

Like older cars/computers/video games...and on and on...I'll stop now cause I can see some sexism coming on...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tank you Torben :)

 

Well, Mr Lecointe has had some additional surgery, as he withstood the first round so well :evil_laugh: .

 

I was not totally happy with the position of his left arm, coming from another figure in the Preiser set, but who had hus hands in the pockets of a parka-style garment. So The arme was severed again, cut at the elbow, had some wires inserted in holes drilled in the shoulder and the elbow, and the whole arm was repositioned, the gaps being filled with Milliput. I also repositioned the head to look more up.

 

I finished the additional detailing of the figure, with small details such as shorter trousers (to reflect the style of the era), shoe-laces added, the soles of the shoes marked, two buttons added to the jacket, a cigarette inseted in the right hand and finally a small piece of thin copper sheet added in the left pocket, to closer reproduce my reference pic. Sadi also had some minor face surgery, to round-off the square chin of the Preiser figure, and agin move closer to the reference pic.

 

He is now awaiting some final cleaning to dust-off the small plastic burrs, before being primed and then painted with acrylics and oils.

 

IMG_0826_zpsfy8xmutb.jpg

 

Standing on his feet, and a side-by-side to see the changes compared to the orginal figure :

 

IMG_0828_zpsaopgjn1j.jpgIMG_0745_zpso5nc95jt.jpg

 

And finally a glimpse of the tools I used for this surgery (besides the Swann-Morton scalpel with a #11 blade : three micro-chisels (one straight, one rounded and one diamond-shaped) and Micro-Mark's chisel, suitably changed and honed.

 

IMG_0829_zpsjlumtrwz.jpg

 

Meanwhile I am slowly tocking the boxes on my final "to-do" list for the Sesquiplane. The first coat of primer should be on this coming week-end.

 

Hubert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hubert, may I observe that his hat looks a little "perched on top" of his head, but generally what a nice figure, especially the detail on his shoes!

 

As to the tools, I always regrind old, broken or worn out Swiss files. I have some of mine this year for 50 years!  Some of them are now getting a bit thin in the teeth and only good for a regrind as chisels and scrapers. In that form they will see me out for sure, being such good steel! All are either Genuine Stubbs or Swiss Valorbe.

BTW, PM coming about your address for the pearwood.

 

Cheers,

Martin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see what you mean Martin, now that you mention it. I'll have a look at hollowing out the hat to achieve a better "sit" on Sadi' s head ...

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Hubert

 

PS edit : in fairness, this hat was bugging me, but I probably needed a friend to set me straight. Thinking about it, I believe this is an issue of both repositioning the hat on the rear of the head AND making it bigger to better "fit" the head under the hat rim ...

Edited by MostlyRacers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

a thoroughly enjoyable escapade Hubert...

 

.. a perfect example of real modelling where the subject and how you get to the end is more or less up to you

 

I really like the airframe - had never seen or heard of it before, but it has an attractiveness about it thats for sure and I really like the figure, it also lends a sense of scale to the diminuitive little aircraft..

 

I leave here smiling and somehow content with the world.... :)

 

Peter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Peter. I am so glad I made you content with the world :) (btw, did you notice how great your WWI bezels look in my IP ;) ?)

 

As expected, the Sequiplane has now received a first layer of Mr Surfacer 1200, which allows me to check and spot all blemishes, rough areas, gaps, etc ... , and correct and sand them before a second layer. This is the first time I was using Mr Surfacer with an airbrush (an Iwata Neo, which has a fairly important flow rate, btw) and I was a bit wary of using acetone (with which I clean my brushes of Mr Surfacer) in an airbrush. But Mr Color Leveling Thinner works wonderfully to thin Mr Surfacer, so another reason for procrastination removed :yahoo: !

 

IMG_0830_zpsk1rrldez.jpg

 

IMG_0831_zpspwak2br3.jpg

 

Anyway, first layer on. It gives a good feeling of uniformity ... until I have spotted all the small issues that need adressing, marked with a pencil.

 

Sadi has a new hat. I sawed off the Preiser hat bowl and made a new, larger, one out of Milliput, with a band made in lead foil. His torments have continued with his heels drilled to insert brass pins, which allow me to pin him on a champagne cork (what else for a world speed record holder ?). It will be a lot easier to manipulate him during the painting process in this way. Just like his steed, he will need some blemishes smoothed out before I start painting him :)

 

IMG_0834_zpsnd4nrgbs.jpg

 

IMG_0835_zpsa78fumob.jpg

 

That's all for now. Thanks for following along my errands ;)

 

Hubert

Edited by MostlyRacers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bigger, certainly<g>  Better?  Hmmmm, not too sure. I think it's a wee bit too big.  Hats are a pain. I tried making one for my 48th scale photographer and I'm on number 3 so far.  You lot ain't gonna see him till I'm happy with him<G>.

 

You guys make me chuckle with all your Mr. this and Mr. that stuff.  I just chuck a load of Sikkens self etch on it with a spotting gun and clean that out with good old cellulose thinners, that I buy by the gallon!

I have however used, by chance, Mr. UV Flat and good Heavens, the mattest varnish I ever knew.  Perfect for people and animals.

This is no criticism, btw.  I guess not being clubby I don't get to know what others use and being a professional I use what always, without fail, works and is relatively cheap. It has done that for donkeys' years, unchanged and so I still do it. If something changed about it I would look around and ask you guys.  Looking around found me Akrifan gloss clear which is like glass, but strictly indoor.  Fine for models, but not model yachts, dammit!

 

Cheers,

Martin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I 'll have another go at the hat then :) ... this is wahat scratchbuilding or kit-bashing is about : multiple tries until right ...

 

The pencil marks do not show up on the pics of the Sesquiplane pics, but believe me, there are plenty to keep me occupied for a few hours. The original was all wood, and metal cowlings, and the wood was sanded until glass-smooth, and then finished in a high-gloss white. On top of it, "6", the record holder had a very short life. So no weathering really possible to hide the surface imperfections. :)

 

As for Sadi, there is some work to do as well, on top of the hat. There is a difference between "natural" wrinkles of the clothes and rough surface. What baffles me most is that hole on the jacket collar. I could have sworn there was none looking at the figure. This goes to show the difference between human eye interpretation and micro-photography :hmmm:

 

This week, I should also start working on the Villesauvage terrain. It was reputed to be fairly rough with sometimes high grass (which caused the demise of the "Texas Wildcat" in the same place and time). I am sure scenic railroaders know it already, but I will have a go at using and electrostatic device to get the "grass" tufts to stand upright.

 

Cheers and thanks for looking.

 

Hubert

Edited by MostlyRacers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hoho, electrostatic grass, eh?  Another tin of worms again!  I have never yet found how the railway guys can put two or more layers of it on without making the previous layer all clogged with glue!  Even the great Gordon Gravett's book doesn't cover that!

 

I look forward to your take on the technique, Hubert.

 

Cheers,

Martin

 

Edited to say....I always used medical lint, hand coloured, for convincing grass on any scene, but that is now difficult to get hold of in any quantity.

Edited by GuildAero
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...