RLWP Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 With my record on group builds, I'm sure this is a bad idea - two deadlines missed, one model finished years later At the beginning of WWI, right at the infancy of the air war, neither the RFC nor the RNAS had a 'standard' aeroplane. Hence the rather motley collection of 'planes they went to war in in 1914 One of the first designs to be ordered in (relatively) large numbers was the Sopwith Tabloid - a wing warping biplane with an 80HP rotary engine. The RFC took a few, the RNAS more. They also took the two Gordon Bennet air race aeroplanes built for the 1914 competition which had been cancelled. They got the numbers 1215 and 1214. 1215 was a sort of streamlined Tabloid with rounded sides to the fuselage (a bit like a Pup), 1214 was much more like a standard Tabloid apart from having a simpler vee strut chassis I don't have drawings for either, I do have the Datafile for the Tabloid, so I'm using that. Anyway... Fuselage sides in 0.010" styrene: These are easier to paint and 'rig' while flat, so: I did take pictures of the steps in making the wings, but they came out fuzzy unfortunately I can see three potential stumbling blocks ahead - I don't have a 7 cylinder Gnome to hand, I may go for the Vector one or make something as it is largely invisible. I have to vac form those curvy cowlings and that can get tedious. Finally, she had open spoke wheels which is going to be a new challenge Then there is the question of armament - a Webley revolver? A rifle? A hand grenade on the end of a piece of string... Richard Alain Gadbois, scvrobeson, Starfighter and 13 others 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mozart Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Looks exciting Richard, and very ambitious but it’ll be fun to watch! RLWP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Oooh - cracking subject and start! Iain RLWP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, mozart said: Looks exciting Richard, and very ambitious but it’ll be fun to watch! It isn't too scary. I can buy an engine, I've done the vac forming before on my Nieuport X, and I can always use covered wheels if the spokes get too daunting! I have also dealt with the 'wings balanced on toothpicks and cocktail sticks' problem by making the cabane struts part of the fuselage. That will hold the upper wing nicely in place What I don't want is for this to join my huge queue of partly finished models Richard mozart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 Last night I got the rear of the fuselage sorted: Look - a Tabloid high wing monoplane! Richard dodgem37, Uncarina, LSP_Kevin and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 10, 2021 Author Share Posted March 10, 2021 Progress - a Sopwith biplane! Not so clear in that picture are the metal cockpit sides added in 0.005" styrene Richard Out2gtcha, LSP_Kevin, BradG and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LSP_Kevin Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Loving this! Kev Out2gtcha and RLWP 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out2gtcha Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 Wow! RLWP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 Tailplane and elevators: It's all a bit out of line at the moment because nothing is fixed: There's every danger I'm going to end up using the rigging wires to pull the wings into the right shape! Richard dodgem37, Derek B, LSP_Kevin and 8 others 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazzas Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 Looks great, Richard! You must be an old hand at scratch-building to be moving forward so quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 12 hours ago, Gazzas said: Looks great, Richard! You must be an old hand at scratch-building to be moving forward so quickly. A lot of what I'm doing is pure Harry Woodman. I suppose it all is, as my impression is Harry was out to give modellers methods and then encourage them to have a go. There's probably some David Jenkinson in there too as I've built a few railway carriages in styrene: And I've spent all my life making things including a lot of models, it all seems to help somehow Meanwhile, I've made the fin and rudder: It's all a bit weird and wobbly because it isn't glued together - and the tailplane struts are going to have to work for their living Richard Starfighter, Derek B, dodgem37 and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzerwomble Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 I'm loving the scale aircraft rests to go along with it all, puts my use of paint cans to shame Gazzas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 16 minutes ago, Panzerwomble said: I'm loving the scale aircraft rests to go along with it all, puts my use of paint cans to shame Go mad, make yourself some. They don't take long and can be used over and over Richard Gazzas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzerwomble Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 It looks like too much like the thin edge of the wedge to me ! I'll end up getting mini jacks out for the armour models, the wife will decide I've finally flipped and leave , I won't get fed and starve and it'll all go badly wrong . Do you have a set for 1/32 and a separate set for 1/48 ? * *I can't believe I actually asked that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RLWP Posted March 12, 2021 Author Share Posted March 12, 2021 Nope - I've never knowingly built a 1/48 model I occasionally wonder what 1/16 would be like Richard Panzerwomble and Gazzas 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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