Jump to content

Typhoon bubbletop bomber ZippX, Airfix


Bobsyouruncle

Recommended Posts

Hi Gents, this is my first post here on stuff I'm actually doing myself, so hope it's not so rough you have to look away.

I'm working on the Airfix bubbletop Typhoon and hopefully heading towards Johnny Button's MP195 Zipp X with a couple of 1000 pounders slung underneath.

I had to break off to do a painting for someone, but have got the lower wing on now. Here's some shots to show progress so far:-

 

Started on the regular cockpit parts

stBNlV.jpg

 

H0c5H5.jpg

I won't be having the fuel tank on display, so if it's another colour it doesn't matter (to me).

 

Started adding some additional details to this area as I want to leave this panel off, including an extra pipe to the engine (that I'd seen in photos of the real ones).

lYVJXw.jpg

 

 

I decided to articulate the control column (as I figured it would be forward when the elevators droop, but didn't know how far).

taXrLu.jpg

 

 

Stick fully forwards

Kfz2AV.jpg

 

Originally my engine started like this, with just some extra lines added near the supercharger and hexagonal joints added. I'd also committed to replacing the ignition leads with my own.

Initially, I put the Airfix pipe part on, going to the generator on top of the engine, but after looking at photos....

9ZJhmC.jpg

 

.....I removed a section of it and replaced it with this one. I also changed the pump type and added the offshoot piping.

YgTXYb.jpg

 

At this point I slightly drifted ahead, thinking about the windscreen framing. In photos, the external framing is minimal so I thought about making a replacement.

This is the first prototype.

18CQmD.jpg

 

XuqU17.jpg

 

8Qp9H0.jpg

 

After deciding it might work, I went back to the engine. I loved the Radu Brinzan radiator, so had to have one.

jB1z3h.jpg

 

As I'd decided to only have the port side of the engine on display (with the top cowling on), I only concentrated on this side.

eetLIN.jpg

 

A lot of the upper stuff goes out of sight with this on, unless you sneak a look from a low angle.

oofyxH.jpg

 

Cheers Bob.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks very much for the encouraging words and welcomes, Gents. Hope to get back on with this when I've finished this other Lightning painting for someone. I was really enjoying it.

I'd just started the cannon bays and was thinking about how the different type 20mm rounds (AP, HE, etc.) are arranged on the belt and whether to replace with brass rod segments.

Quote

i assume your using lead wire?

 

Hi Rob, it's a mix of different diameter wires called 'beading wire' (for threading beads onto) from my local hobby shop and copper electrical wire, plus the outer casing sheaths from some

electrical wires (for the wider pipes).  Cheers, Bob.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

In a small window of spare time I had, I managed to tackle a couple of areas that I'd been thinking about.

 

The first one was the spinner. Not everyone will see it how I do, or bother about it, but (to me) the four bladed spinner looked a little too long when seen from the side, compared to photos.

I decided to see what I could do to try and convert the short 3 bladed spinner to a four bladed one (with some filing I thought this shape looked more accurate and a better length).

First thing was to file to shape and fill in the 3 blade apertures. For added strength, especially when cutting four blade apertures, I first cut down and inserted the other 3 bladed spinner within this one.

 

When filled, the spinner looked like this. I sat it on a plan of the prop to show where the 4 blade apertures needed to go.

2zmXVc.jpg

 

I wanted the spinner to have the correct shaped apertures and not to have to use the raised triangular parts which are on the Airfix baseplate (I removed those). Note the 'scoop' into the baseplate also at the spinner apertures in my rough sketch.

ZZRdoh.jpg

 

Here's how the internals of the spinner looked after cutting the apertures. I rotated the inner spinner through 60 degrees to the outer to reinforce areas.

u4eSgm.jpg

 

This is it when tried with the 4 blade prop.

Y8U2cZ.jpg

 

And again from the side (you can just see a scoop in the baseplate).

yWnkEd.jpg

 

 

To see how the shape matched up from the side to the real thing, I held it in front of an online Imperial War Museum shot of Harry Hardy's Pulverizer IV (IWM MH6865), using a spare brush handle and a blob of blu-tac.

To my eyes, it's a good enough match (note the actual topline just above my spinner).

H2D48q.jpg

 

That left me here so far, with the wing lower half on cannon bay started and a new spinner.

ClBe47.jpg

 

The other area that I'd been thinking about was the radiator cover and Vokes air filter (for the Normandy dust).

4bkX9c.jpg

Airfix give a front piece for this, but I wanted to add a little more in this area. I decided the best way around this for me, was to assemble the front of the radiator housing and match it with the rest at a later date.

Here are the raw materials for my filter.

jIa0vA.jpg

What we've got here is a length of plastic strip, the body of a ballpoint pen, size 12mm, 10mm and 8mm plumbing olives and what's left of the stoneguard mesh radiator protector with the centre part removed (thought I'd save part 16 as a back-up).

 

First thing I did was cut the strip into small lengths which were glued around the pen body (to make the filter). I cut down a 12mm olive for the ring at the back of the filter.

The smaller ring was from the 10mm Olive and this was for the front 'cuckoo doors' face.

9dAMTC.jpg

 

The 8mm Olive was a perfect fit for the filter to mount on, in the centre of the radiator (shown inserted). This allowed the filter to positioned correctly.

D0bKqJ.jpg

 

 

This shows the assembled radiator housing front (cut down from the original parts). I wanted to use something strong and maleable for the frame that holds te filter in the radiator intake

(plastic strip just snapped when bent). My son Matt, found this piece of thin steel that he'd brought back from his college work. I was able to cut this into strips (one on the right).

S5cBXl.jpg

 

So this is what I then ended up with. This shows my filter with a modified Airfix part on the front, ready to mount into the radiator intake frame.

R8J5g7.jpg

 

This in front of the radiator shows how the filter sits in front of the radiator (on that brass olive).

3VD8Ne.jpg

 

This one is a loose dry-fit test of the parts together. Looks a little rough now, but I think it'll be ok after some tidying up work, (filing and sanding, perhaps thinning the filter 'blades' a little, proper positioning and a some careful painting).

 

h38tV0.jpg

 

Cheers Bob.

 

 

Edited by Bobsyouruncle
typos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...