Cap'n Wannabe Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 ....a Hasegawa 1/16 Sopwith Camel, and I was wondering... What type(s) of wood were used in its construction? Can anyone shed any light? BiggTim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggTim Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 I have one of those, and I'm betting much of it is spruce. It's a little too stiff to be balsa or bass wood. I have the engine and prop built, but stalled on the wing ribs....very tedious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Wannabe Posted April 22, 2017 Author Share Posted April 22, 2017 Mine's all plastic - I was wondering about the wood to get the colouring right. Yours might be a different brand, maybe Model Expo? That kit has all wood/metal construction....and it's made from Birch. BiggTim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggTim Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 (edited) Ahh, yes. I could see the kit being birch, and yes it is model expo. I did not know anyone made a plastic kit. So you were asking about the wood used on the real plane, yes? Edited April 22, 2017 by BiggTim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Wannabe Posted April 22, 2017 Author Share Posted April 22, 2017 Yes I was. And more importantly, how to replicate it in plastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick HMD Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Yes I was. And more importantly, how to replicate it in plastic! Birch is a light colored wood, so you may have to experiment a little. If it was me, I'd start out with a light colored tan followed with a light brown wash. HTH Got any scrap laying around? Best regards Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BiggTim Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 That's a good idea, Patrick, but he still doesn't know if the real plane is made of birch. I've been reading everything I can search up, but I can't find whether the real camels were spruce or birch, but I'm betting on spruce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 I thought I read somewhere that Hasegawa's 1/8 Camel was made of accurate materials... I know Der Clunkmeister has one of these in his stash - maybe he'll chime in here. BiggTim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick HMD Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 Spruce is also a light colored wood (blond), used a lot for backs on string instruments, (violins, guitars, etc,). So at a distance, I don't think there would be much difference in appearance for either wood. So even up close, you're viewing it at a distance in 1/16 scale. Now birch is a hard wood as opposed to spruce which is softer and lighter. So maybe a lighter weight wood was more desirable to use, to make it less difficult to get the plane aloft. All this is conjecture based on my woodworking experience. I know nothing about Camels except that I did use to smoke them many years ago. lol Any other woods maybe? Best regards Patrick BiggTim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubert Boillot Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 (edited) Spruce was traditionally used for masts and spars of sailing ships, being strong yet not too stiff, and with a good capacity to resist the elements (like a lot of resin woods) I would assume that the shipbuilding techniques and materials were an inspiration for the early planes, knowing the resistance-to-weight ratio of a wood would also have been a key consideration. Hubert Edited April 23, 2017 by MostlyRacers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Wannabe Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 I thought I read somewhere that Hasegawa's 1/8 Camel was made of accurate materials... I know Der Clunkmeister has one of these in his stash - maybe he'll chime in here. That's my understanding, too....and I'd really like to prise Der Clunkmeister's kit from his grasp! lol Mine's 1/16, which is made from plastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Wannabe Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 Thanks for the comments gents....I think the difference between appearances of spruce and birch are negligible, so I'll go for a light woodgrain colour. Never done it before, so it'll be a good learning experience for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff shreve Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 You can download the Wingnut Wings instructions from their site - there are color photos or a real camel in them. Also TVAL may have more photos online of the one they restored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradG Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I can ask a friend of mine who's building a 1:1 scale camel at the moment if you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Wannabe Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 That'd be great if you could, Brad.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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