Kawanishi N1K1 Kyofu Type 11 Rex

[dodgem37]

Still plugging away in between Bf109 and P-51D painting exercises.

 

Constant is hinge line and long line at 5.5mm.  Outer pencil line is kit part outline.  Inner line is 3mm width of .010 sheet template I cut and glued to the inner face of the stabilizer.

 

Top port stabilizer.  With edges to show it's straight.  Without an edge the curve to line connection appears to be off.  Far right: because the stabilizer is longer on the Rex than the George I needed to attach an extension so I could mount it into the fuselage.  Next is a 3.2mm (.125 strip) extension.

 

Bottom port stabilizer.

 

Stabilizer extension at flap.

 

Tacked in place.  Not finished.

 

You can see I'm a bit off at the top of the rudder.  I said the heck with it.  New drilled openings (lower) for lateral line.

 

Finished the bulkheads and glued down some helping hands to keep the bulkheads 'straight'.  Once I cut the fuselage I'll mount the bulkheads.  Then I will set the fuselage onto the drawing, aligning the top.  I will then attach some pieces of .040 strip (the thickness of the kit plastic) to the drawing, note their thickness on the bulkheads with a pencil, draw a transition line on the bulkhead from that point to the cut fuselage edge.  I will then snap off the bulkheads, sand to the line and reinstall the bulkheads.  This will give me my lower fuselage curve.  Then I'll just plank it.  I hope. 

 

The rudder: I've sanded off the .010 template at the rear but have not sanded off the front template.  With the front template in place I though I'd show how I was able to build the new outline.

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Sincerely,

Mark

[Guest Peterpools]

Brother Bear

Going to be an amazing project to follow. I am always in awe of both your research and execution

Keep 'em coming

Peter

[Shaka HI]

Wow. Originally, I thought why bother, but seeing the changes outlined in actual plastic -- makes me appreciate the efforts you have made!

[Azgaron]

Nice work!

 

HÃ¥kan

[Mr b]

Wow

 

Really cool work there

 

 

rgds

[dodgem37]

Thank you, Brother Bear!

 

Shaka, without looking into the details the Rex and mid wing George appear similar.  And for the most part they are.  The differences are in the empennage, the fuselage forward of the wind screen, and cowling.  From below the wind screen to the wing root rear the two are similar enough.  The wing shape is similar but the panel line layout is different.

 

Thank you, Hakan.

 

Thank you, Mr. b.

 

After and before.  Sanded smooth.  I used melted sprue to fill in the mid panel line.

 

Back door.  You can see to the bottom right that when I removed the section to make the alteration I stopped at the last rivet/structural line so I could use that as a keel.  In the photo above you'll notice I filled in the tail wheel opening with strip.  It broke off at the leading edge when I was scribing so I needed to attach a piece of strip to continue the keel.

 

To find the new bottom arc I needed to modify the bulkhead bottoms.

After I cut out the section, I placed the fuselage onto my drawing and marked the bottom arc location on the bulkhead minus .030 (the thickness of the plastic).

Then I pencil marked the upper cut location on the bulkhead.

I then removed the bulkheads and traced the bulkhead bottoms on a piece of index card.  I cut the index card along the line work.

Then I located the top of the arc at the upper cut pencil mark on the bulkhead and the bottom of the arc at the new bottom arc location, drew the arc onto the bulkhead, cut and sanded to shape, then glued them back in.  This gave me a smooth transition from old to new.  Then it was nothing more than filling in the space and solving minor attachment problems.  Solved by gluing in place the interstices strips.  Whew!

 

Note tie-in between horizontal stabilizer extension and fuselage.  Not finished.

 

Lots of structural support is necessary.

 

Gondola gone!

 

Notes to locate the outer float support.  I'm using two references for this location.  The Horizon vac-u-form and an enlarged drawing.  The vac instructions and drawing indicate the center-line of the support is 1.85 (1-14/16) inches inward from the wing tip.  Which is where the dark line is located.  MWS is Main Wing Spar.  The problem is is that although it is located on the main spar, based on the rivet pattern it is not located on an intersecting structural element.  I know, I know, shut up!  Sometimes I can't even help myself.  Anyway, the drilled hole is a panel line/rivet line intersection, and the arrow is the closest structural location based on the rivet pattern.

 

I know, it's all just junk.

Thanks for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[R Palimaka]

Oh my!! Amazing work correcting this one! Another one to follow.

 

Richard

[Hubert Boillot]

Impressive work, and well worth the efforts

 

Hubert

[Shaka HI]

Indeed, very impressive!

[LSP_Kevin]

Impressive work, Mark! Just love watching you do your stuff. This will be a fantastic build when it's done.

 

Kev

[MarioS]

Hi Mark,

 

You have some pretty nice construction work going on there, I definitely would like to follow this as I'm going to learn something Here by watching U   

 

Thanks,

[dodgem37]

Thank you everyone for looking in and your wonderful comments.

 

I've been sanding and scribeing.  Nothing sexy, I'm afraid.

Based on the Tamiya 1/48th scale Rex.  Top.  Bottom is the same pattern.  I used a mechanical pencil lead instead of paint to emphasize the panel lines.  Nothing high-tech.

 

Flaps.  Top is top.  Bottom is bottom.

 

Starboard wing top.

 

Port wing top.

 

Wing float supports.  Intentionally over length.  Top will go into the wing.  Bottom will go into the float.

 

Finding bottom panel lines.

 

Thank you for looking in.

Sincerely,

Mark

[Shaka HI]

Weird..but it looks very sexy. I must be getting old...

[dmthamade]

That's a lot of work you're doing to correct things!! I have to ask, at what point would you decide to scratch the rudder or horizontal tail surfaces instead of modifying kit parts? 

 

Don

[dodgem37]

'at what point would you decide to scratch the rudder or horizontal tail surfaces instead of modifying kit parts? '

I didn't see a point in this build where I would scratch either.  For me, modifying an existing part is easier.

 

Modifying a part that is similar and already fits a condition is less time consuming and easier to do than making a part to fit.  Sometimes it takes two or three times to make a part that is visually and technically acceptable.  Visually is that it has to have the shape of the part.  Technically is that it has to be made to look like the part.

 

I could cut new horizontal stabilizers from .040 sheet that in plan look just like what I've made.  But an oblique angle of viewing would show square edges.  To make it be similar to, or match the part, a lot of sanding would be involved.  That's the technical part.

 

Then there is the fit problem to solve.  So the first problem to solve is one of aesthetics.  The part you make has to look like the part you want to replicate.  Then it has to fit into the condition for which it is made.

 

You can make the most beautiful award-winning part in the world that is the best thing you have ever done and you want to show it to everybody because you are so proud of it.  But if it doesn't fit, you have to make it over.

 

The parts you mention already fit a condition and, to me, only need modification to render them similar.

 

Sincerely,

Mark