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1/18 Fairey Firefly VX376


airscale

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Totally get where you're coming from Peter - you've gotta love a subject to give it the attention I know you want to give it over the course of such long and detailed builds.

 

Whatever has got the nod, I bet your heart's going to be in it!

 

Torben

Edited by TorbenD
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  • 3 years later...

Like some other aircraft, the Firefly - particularly the prettier later ones - acquire a status far beyond their real world impact, such as with the newly rejuvenated interest in the Whirlwind. Glad to see this one back in the what's to be done consideration list.

I'd really like a big Firefly one day and can think of no better researched inspiration than one of your big builds.

Fingers crossed, Peter. You know you want to really....

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  • 2 weeks later...

Howdy folks :)

 

So, i looked at what I might do next and of the shortlist only a couple on my 'mildly want to' fitted in my display cabinet - a P36 Hawk, a Goshawk, a CR32, an H1 and all the ones on my 'really want to' didn't...  Firefly, Sea Fury, Defiant, Blenheim and a few outliers like a Meteor, Spartan Executive and Lockheed 12 were all considered, but in the end, I did want a Firefly so I have restarted it :)

 

I started by taking the balsa wings I had made and giving them a bit of skin integrity by screeding with P38 filler and a shot of primer - then started to make up the radiator sections..

 

..the first bit has the end ribs and the radiator box - this is as 90 degrees to the fuselage, not running the same angle as the wing leading edge..

 

oyzWzV.jpg

 

..these were then shaped & primed..

 

f4GAXd.jpg

 

..then a top panel and the leading edge which cuts in lower than the rib profile..

 

mVe2jy.jpg

 

..sorted & primed - for now these are just general shapes to start me off..

 

PsHOSz.jpg

 

..with the wings partially sorted it was time to start on the fillet shapes - these have a distinct profile and curve upwards from the trailing edge - so this was defined with brass sheet to keep the shape no matter how hard I sand at it and will result in a sharp edge..

 

b4TuPq.jpg

 

..this shot reminds me of the start of the build where there is lego and all sorts making up the central fuselage block..

 

O6omQ7.jpg

 

..foil tape was added to the wings and they were slotted into place so i could build up to them with P38..

 

BaGGSG.jpg

 

 

rough and ready, but this is the start needed before refining the shapes, the wings just break out from the filler as it won't stick to the ali tape..

 

83ejCA.jpg

 

..the finished fillets can be seen here, along with the fuselage sides for the rear cockpit - there is so much to go in here, I need access so made up the sides with spots of CA so they can be broken out again once shaped..

 

LvWnN4.jpg

 

..the sides also had brass L shapes to hold the deck that sits on the top, and also some inside to define where the sides will sit in the aperture..

 

..got some more P38 on and started shaping.. best get all this done before there is loads of delicate detail in there :)

 

Guwv62.jpg

 

..and with a shot of primer..

 

azt1li.jpg

 

..I also had the PE I originally designed remade after I made a few changes - here is the IP..

 

RAdlLu.jpg

 

..after lots of filler & engineering I felt like a change so made the rear bulkhead in the observers position - the tubes are for sono buoys I think..

 

lA9eUI.jpg

 

..it will sit in here something like this...

 

55lUEk.jpg

 

..so thats it - underway again - she is a big girl too...

 

ZZkwEB.jpg

 

MKb5yn.jpg

 

sbbzOJ.jpg

 

The only thing is, I can only find one late Firefly in the UK - in the reserve collection at Yeovilton. I wrote to them asking if i could get access to take pictures but they said no... the aircraft is in a hangar while they are moving aircraft around and she said it would be 'too dangerous' and to write back in March 2022...

 

Needless to say, if anyone knows anyone in Yeovilton's staff, please let me know as I am quite a well behaved civilised individual and could likely be in and out in 30 mins :)

 

TTFN

 

Peter

 

 

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