R. J. Mitchell - Shagbat to the rescue

[TaffyMan]

Hi Folks haven’t posted any builds for a while life’s detritus just taking the Mo from my Jo!!!!!

 

But there is one plane that will get me back on the hobby horse every time - This is the first model plane I ever bought at the tender age of 6 years. Think my Dad was shocked at my choice as he was expecting me to go for the Spitfire. So home with the Airfix 1/72 box in my sticky paw’s. With my Dad, we spent all that weekend putting it together. Painting and sticking the stickers on. We didn’t know about varnish in those days so these promptly came off on the first bath time mission!  Very happy memories and days!

 

Nearly splashed on the big 1/32 version. Glad I didn’t because if someone of Brian’s skill has struggled with it. Then I wouldn’t have stood a snowballs!! So I was really chuffed when Airfix announced that they where making a 1/48th updated version of the Steam Pigeon. Couldn’t wait and managed to bag a bargain at Telford last year - 5 quid cheaper than Airfix was offering. To good to turn it down…… honest!!!! And thats the only reason I went for it - truth!

 

So finally started this baby about 4 months ago and have slowly been bashing away on it. Its funny with all the fuss about the kit and its build-ability plus the way it was literary flying of the shelf's at Telford. I was expecting to see loads of builds going on. But it does look like not many are being built - or people are just not posting them.

 

So enough waffle - no pictures …… It didn’t happen so lets get it going. Bring on the Steam Pigeon.

 

 

The compulsory box and additions pic - do like the box art

This is one of the new gene Airfix kits - Wow the thing fits together well!

 

 

No glue holding it - and you can pick it up Cool !

 

 

Lots of very - very - very tiny bits of Brass all folded and glued into place. The kit details is pretty good and as most of this is going to be hid and never seen again - not sure I’d bother next time as I fed the carpet monster quite well with bits!!!!!

 

 

I am following a bloke on BM who is also building one and his recommendation was to tape up the glue surfaces before painting. This is because the fit is very tight and even a thin layer of paint will cause you fit problems. Ask me how I know! I have had to do some bodge and scarp on this project …… problems of my own making!

 

 

Yeah got some paint on her. Hummmmm liking that - also started some of the weathering of the interior.

Moved on to the power egg

 

 

One thing I would recommend if your air frame has different colours is paint the struts and legs before you seel it up. What a nightmare to mask and paint

Hummmmm thought I had some shots of the finished egg and engine - but can’t find them now.

So move on

 

 

So back with more in a min Cheers - Taff

[TaffyMan]

Ok back

 

Got the interior in and painted and started to seal her up - Soon never to be seen again!!!!!! Why do we do it?

 

 

 

Tuther side

 

 

 

Soon to disappear any second!

 

Ahhhhh found a pic of the power egg just sitting in place to see what it looks like

 

 

I want to put a bit of sag on the tail plane - so some holes drilled and wire inserted

 

 

This will be my first ever attempt at wiring up a biplane Gulp! So I have been looking at videos and how some of you folks here do it

 

 

Started with drilling lots of holes. My thoughts where to work my way from floats up. Seemed like a great idea and simple at the time but boy did it give me issues as you will see as we go on. I wouldn’t recommend this and I wished I had followed my usual MO and sealed every thing up on the wings before painting. I know some of you do all the painting before hand and get incredible results - but wow if I have to mask this thing up one more time to patch some of my botches!!!!!!!

 

Some more in a bit - Taff

[TaffyMan]

Doh Think this pic was meant to be in the other post!

 

 

Started to paint up the wings over my usual Silver Auto Primer and some pre-shading  - still in half's!!!! Doh!

 

 

Masked up with paper masks drawn up in Illustrate and printed out

 

 

Masks off and some floor polish applied

 

 

Tail feathers next. Same process

 

 

Oh treated myself to a Silhouette Cameo printer cutter thing - Oh yeah should have bitten that bullet ages ago

So first masks drawn up and used - Yeah

 

 

 

Fuselage all masks off (for the first time!) and propped up for a varnish coat.

 

 

Wings tacked together so I can mask up the flight surfaces for there camo. Roundels looking good!

 

 

Masks applied ready to weed out and paint

 

Still some more to come - Taff

[TaffyMan]

Ok peps back with the final bit for know

 

 

White bits on

 

 

Red and blue bits done - just the yellow to do on the roundel

 

 

All the masks off and ready for another thin coat of varnish to protect them.

Oh the wiring begins - Hats off and much respect to all you WingNutters this brought on an attack of abusive language,

 

 

Floats done. It was at this point that I realised my idea of leaving the wings un-glued so I could keep the thread tight got torpedoed,

 

Airfix run the strut all the way down from the top wing in a oner. My thinking was that I could get away with sealing and touching up the wing edges later but the fit is so tight that there is no give once they are in they have got to stay in. And The only way to get the top half on the bottom wing is to run the struts through both. Doh! so paused the wiring and back onto the wings and trying to get rid of the joints.

 

This is where you find you didn’t put the lids on your paint pots properly and its dried up. This was the last of my White Ensign paint and I blow it - not happy! Ordered some more Colour Coats which bought WE paint. So everything on hold for a week till the paint got to me. This was all great but the paint is slightly warmer in colour. Couldn’t face the striping and repainting so I’m putting it down to in field repairs done by the ground crew! LOL

 

In doing the repair work managed to pull of the decals for the walkways - so pulled them all off and made some masks for painting. Should have done this in first place!

So wings sealed up and edges repaired and painted back to wiring up

 

 

 

 

Power egg on and fuel lines in

 

 

Someones been walking on my wings with paint on one boot!
 
Just the other float to do

 

 

Thats up-to-date too where I am at with this little gem of a kit - in fact not so little! This is 1/48 and you realise how big a Shagbat is in reality. Not the Shake & Bake kit I was led to believe …. But then if you want to build it OOTB If you are careful don’t think she would give you to many issues

 

Hope you enjoyed

 

Till next time Happy Days - (glad to be back building) Taff

 

[LSP_Kevin]

Good to see you back and building, Taff! Great work, too. Looks terrific!

 

Kev

[TaffyMan]

Cheers Kev - yep nice to blow the dust off the brushes and scalpel!

 

Taff

[Jeff T]

Looking good Taff!

 

Cheer's,

Jeff.

[D.B. Andrus]

Wow - that's some kit!  You're sure doing a bang-up job on it, Taff, can't wait for the finish.

 

Cheers,

 

D.B.

[spacewolf]

Go Taff go !! That is a bit of all right !! Love the interior and love the paint... wish I could do half as good !!

 

[Uncarina]

I always love seeing your work Taff! The Shagbat is one of my favorites, and you are bringing her to life.

 

Cheers,  Tom

[alaninaustria]

Really outstanding work!!

Cheers

Alan

[TaffyMan]

Cheers guys for the encouragement - She is still fighting me - most of my own doing ....... instructions and build order ....... what are they!!!!

 

Latest fight is trying to get the canopy to sit on with out gaps. The kits fit has been so good that it led me into a false sense of security. Test fitted early on and all seemed fine but now just seem to have gaps all along the bottom edge. As I have said, if you are slightly out somewhere it can have consequences later down the line! For the life of me can't think where I'm out but that's my experience with this kit - if it don't fit you have missed something

 

So I am busy destroying my nice paint work to fix - pics to follow got domestic duties today so will be a bit later - Cake and tea to be consumed first

 

Happy Days - Taff

[TaffyMan]

Hi everyone thanks for looking in and leaving your comments - all helps with the motivation.

 

So on that front I have managed to find some time over the past nights to look at how to get the Canopy to sit down properly.

 

As I already said the fit on this kit has been pretty spot on so far. Almost click together on some of the bits! So all I can think is I have not fitted something properly somewhere and the knock on effect is that I was left with a Gap along the bottom edge. So out with some supper glue filler and some Mr Surface to repair and cover it.

 

I would recommend - unlike me - fitting and blending in the canopy before painting. Even if you to choose the open version That is the route I would take if I was to do another one.

 

So fingers crossed that I don’t make a !?”**** up of the Canopy I started to rub back the edges - Gulp!!

 

 

Repair of  the paint work begins! First light coat of Interior Green on.

 

 

After the Green dried - bit of paper protection and on went the sand.

 

 

Paper masks reprinted and applied. Then Dark Brown sprayed on.

 

 

Retouched and put to one side to dry.

 

 

Ok that went a bit better than I thought it would …….. still a bit worried if I have managed to damage it and I won’t know until I remove the masks,

 

So now the boat part is back on track it was time to start the finishing of its flying bits, It’s time to break out some oils too start weathering the top of the wings. All ready did the bottoms so now need to make the tops catch-up.

 

Dot work light colours first.

 

 

Smeared and start to thin ready to wipe off.

 

 

Repeat with the dark colours and finish with some Pains Grey.

 

 

So these will need to dry and I’ll do some final detail weathering after its all fitted together. Next weathering the Boat so I can get the wings on and make here into a Flying Boat.

 

Till next time Happy Modelling - Cheers Taff :D

[Uncarina]

That finish looks great already!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[TaffyMan]

Cheers Tom - Getting there and now the Boat has dried off time to rough her up a bit. I'll take some pics and try and get them up in a bit

 

Cheers -taff