Out2gtcha Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 Brilliant! Really starting to look the business now. tomprobert and Anthony in NZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted September 5, 2021 Share Posted September 5, 2021 What a beast! Great work, Tom. Kev Derek B, Anthony in NZ and tomprobert 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted September 6, 2021 Author Share Posted September 6, 2021 12 hours ago, mozart said: Wow Tom, simply stunning. She’s going to look great with some paint on her, what are your thoughts about weathering? Thanks as always gents for your words of encouragement. @mozart she'll be in the dark sea grey / slate grey over sky scheme so at least I don't have to worry about painting and weathering all of that white as seen on the later scheme. I plan for the model to look 'operational' rather than 'museum piece', but I always err on the side of 'less is more' when it comes to weathering. I'll try to get some decent tonal variation and the classic waterline marks (along with some quite heavy chipping in this area going on references) but it certainly won't get the 'tartan quilt' effect Tom Derek B and Anthony in NZ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted September 6, 2021 Share Posted September 6, 2021 Tom you're Terrific. Sincerely, Mark Oldbaldguy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted September 18, 2021 Author Share Posted September 18, 2021 Afternoon all, Progress on this build has slowed somewhat after returning to teaching for the new academic year, so evenings have been taken up with marking books and planning lessons. It's such a shame when work gets in the way of one's hobby. However I've been working on the floats when time allows, so thought I'd share some pictures... The basic shapes were removed from their backing sheet with a sharp blade. I hold it at a 45-degree angle and score around the part numerous times before snapping it free. It then means there's only a very small 'lip' of plastic needing to be removed which cuts down on the sanding time significantly: To aid the gluing together of the parts I lined one half of each float with a thin plastic card tab: The floats are obviously going to be positioned on the outboard sections of the wing in quite a vulnerable position, so I made a trip to my local model shop and bought some alloy tube, helpfully in the shape of an aerofoil like the real thing. This will provide plenty of strength if they inadvertently get a whack! Before joining the floats together I worked out the position of the struts using the plans, before securing them in place using Araldite Epoxy glue: Here are the floats now together and the struts cut to the correct length. Everything about this model is massive - here's a pot of Tamiya paint as a useful size reference: I am now going to need to scribe and detail the floats before working out a plan to attach them to the wings and getting a nice and strong join. Stay tuned! Until next time, Tom Anthony in NZ, Victor K2, Flight Line Media and 17 others 20 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Great work, Tom. Educational as always. Thank you. Sincerely, Mark tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldbaldguy Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 On 9/6/2021 at 5:22 AM, dodgem37 said: Tom you're Terrific. Sincerely, Mark Now, how many of us do you think are gonna get that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brahman104 Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Absolutely marvelous Tom! The floats look bang on, as does the tube sections for the struts. You really make vac forms look easy! Craig tomprobert 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 Excellent progress, Tom! What brand is the aerofoil tubing? Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted September 18, 2021 Share Posted September 18, 2021 21 minutes ago, LSP_Kevin said: Excellent progress, Tom! What brand is the aerofoil tubing? Kev +1 that looks like useful stuff Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMaben Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 17 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said: Now, how many of us do you think are gonna get that? dodgem37 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodgem37 Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 Go, Mike, Go! Sincerely, Mark MikeMaben 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 22 hours ago, Oldbaldguy said: Now, how many of us do you think are gonna get that? You’ve lost me I’m afraid - but then I’ve never been the sharpest tool in the modelling box. 13 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said: Excellent progress, Tom! What brand is the aerofoil tubing? Kev 13 hours ago, RLWP said: +1 that looks like useful stuff Richard It’s from K&S Precision Metals in the US - my local model shop had a whole range of different sizes of both standard alloy tube as well as aerofoils. It would be perfect for doing biplane struts with and great for giving extra strength. Tom LSP_Kevin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Gadbois Posted September 19, 2021 Share Posted September 19, 2021 Excellent work on the engines, cowls and floats. Ingenuity saved you from spending a fortune on aftermarket engines! Just curious, do your students know about your hobby? Alain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted September 19, 2021 Author Share Posted September 19, 2021 18 minutes ago, Alain Gadbois said: Excellent work on the engines, cowls and floats. Ingenuity saved you from spending a fortune on aftermarket engines! Just curious, do your students know about your hobby? Alain Thanks, Alain. I don’t very often buy aftermarket stuff for my builds as I suppose I’m “old school” and try to do it myself. However, the fact that a set of engines would have cost me over £100 meant the decision was an easy one. Yes, my students do know about my hobby - I’ve run an after school modelling club for a number of years and it’s always over-subscribed and I’ve even got a waiting list. They love it - I encourage them to build their models their own way and certainly don’t get hung up on making them ‘accurate’. At their age it would take all the fun away. If they want to paint their P-51 bright pink, so be it Alain Gadbois, Greg W, KiwiZac and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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