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AirCraft Models : Nieuport Sesquiplan racer. Finished !


Hubert Boillot

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The instrument panel is incredible, with the turned brass parts.

 

The propeller looks great (nothing looks like wood better than wood :) ), and it must not be easy to get it symmetrical. At the moment it still looks a bit chubby in the middle (though i dont know how the original looks like).

Edited by Zero77
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Don't we all, Nicolas!

 

Kev

 

I personally do not feel involved in this discussion :) ...

 

Hubert, straight as a " D " for years now ;) ...

 

PS: you're right Nicolas. I based my propo on the kit"s white metal one, but its shape is not at all like the scimitar-curved Lumière one of the Sesquiplan. The new wooden prop, take 2, is a lot closer to the shape of the pic I have. Some final tweaking of the shape to do, plus light sanding and varnishing (three coats), and it will be Ok ...

 

helice002_zpsuvuklyol.jpg

 

IMG_0565_zpsi8fe1dpq.jpg

 

I have also stripped the inside paint with oven cleaner, and sprayed a new base acrylic color, which is a closer match to the base yellowish hue of tulip wood. Next will come the wood effects with some oil paints .

 

IMG_0566_zpsbawslygl.jpg

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Thank you Shaka :)

 

Well I think you are going to love iteration 3 of the prop even more then. Nicolas pointed out some "chubbiness in the middle" in interation 1. In fact after closer ewamination of the pic above, the real prop was quite chubby, and the danger when reproducing a wooden prop is to think "modern" with the thin profiles of the metal props.

 

Anyway, I felt I could do better than what is now iteration 2 prop.

 

From left to tight are the three iterations.

 

1 had the best wood of the 3. It was red cedar by the way, not walnut. But it is completely wrong (a complete mis-interpretation of the white metal model from me, plus I lost sight of my references in the process :BANGHEAD2: ). But I had only one strip of this one in my stock ... Anyway, the look is one for a far more modern prop than 1921, and the diameter ended too small

 

2. Iteration 2 has too narrow blades, and they are also too thin in profile. On the pic of Sadi Lecointe with his Nieuport, it appears that in profile, the prop tapering is more rounded and closer to its extremity.

 

3. So here comes iteration 3. I think I nailed the look of the pic much better now. There probably could be an iteration 4, but I will run out of wood strips soon at this rate ;)

 

DSC02072_zpsm7ujmhff.jpg

 

Hubert

Edited by MostlyRacers
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Inspirational stuff Hubert - Hats off to you!

 

I think your tenaciousness has definitely paid off with No. 3 - better shape and tighter wood grain than No. 2.

 

Are you eyeballing this to get each blade to match the opposite one so exactly or have you some sort of jig/template you use?

 

Torben

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Hi Torben,

 

I drew a template of the general front view shape to have a symetry there. Then the rest is good ol' eyeball Mk 1. Taking your time and trying not to rush things is the best ally here. In the end, I am sure there are small asymetries, but not discernible enough to a "standard" look, even though a close scrutiny will highlight them, I am sure.

 

One thing I learned in the process is to make thougt-out use of power tools. On the first two ones, I used my Dremel belt-sander to quicken obtaining the overall shape from front and side. It was just too fast and powerful. On #3, I still used a drum sander chucked in the mini-drill, but I worked more slowly, and with a light hand :). Much easier to get the right shape, even if a bit longer.

 

Hubert

Edited by MostlyRacers
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Ok, did the oil paint of the tulip-wood. the effect has been somewhat emphasized with parallel pencil lines to simulate the joints between the tulip-wood strips, taking into account that it will all be very dark when the fuselage will be closed. I also had some time to integrate all these bits and pieces into the fuselage. Unfortunately :BANGHEAD2:  I did not take the time to dicument each step with pics (in truth, I was just impatient to see how it all lookd ;) ).

 

So, a general view of the right fuselage with all components added : seat with cushion and belts, joystick, priming pump, rudder bars with their cable and the small (unpainted on the pics) return pulleys, instrument panel, and the left hand side wih the throttle quadrant and their connecteing rods and the guide rail for the left rudder bar :

 

IMG_0598_zps51m2huox.jpg

 

The IP in position :

 

IMG_0600_zpsaevmnva3.jpg

 

Just slightly out of focus, sorry about that, but trying to show the seat, cushion and belts :

 

IMG_0602_zpsppugwypn.jpg

 

Viewed from the front : the rudder bars and their connecting cable and return pulleys, and a glimpse of the joystick :

 

IMG_0604_zpszbmg75l8.jpg

 

And a confirmation that not much will be visible when the fuselage is closed :rofl: but "I know it's here ! " :)

 

IMG_0605_zpspuhpxsh9.jpg

 

And finally I could not resist taping the fuselage components together with the wooden prop :)

 

IMG_0606_zpsyq5opcn2.jpg

 

That's all for now.

 

Hubert

Edited by MostlyRacers
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