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1/18 Curtiss P40C - Finished :)


airscale

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On 1/1/2023 at 7:55 PM, airscale said:

Happy New Year all :)

 

Finally got a bit of time and mojo to get back after a hectic few months...

 

Been busy making the new Airfix Spitfire set and also adding some RB Productions tools to our website in addition to Telford, birthdays, Christmas, work and a bunch of other distractions...

 

anyways, enough nonsense, what has actually been going on..

 

For starters my Santa son-in-law surprised me with this 3D printer for Christmas..

 

A2CgTW.jpg

 

so that opens up a load of opportunities - it's the PLA one so good for structural stuff rather than details but is a fine bit of kit and simple enough even I can work it out...

 

PLEASE Peter, ditch that freeping awful PLA crud and get yourself a reel or two of HIPS!!!! High Impact PolyStyrene.... Sound familiar? It should do, it is the plastic they make injection moulded kits from. Easy to print, especially in a FlashForge machine, and you can glue it, file it, fill it, prime it and cement it to kit parts if needed, with standard plastic kit glues and cements. I sands beautifully, wet or dry, and take a scored groove perfectly. Please, give it a try. You can thank me later!!!

 

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Spectacular work, it just leaves me totally gobsmacked!

 

I do have a few questions though, what tools are you using to cut the litho plate, particularly the holes for the propeller hub and what adhesive are you using to glue the litho to the airframe and how are you going to shape the wing fillets, finger pressure, rolling tool or just simple magic angel dust? :lol:

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evening ladies :)

 

On 1/6/2023 at 3:16 AM, Tony C said:

Spectacular work, it just leaves me totally gobsmacked!

 

I do have a few questions though, what tools are you using to cut the litho plate, particularly the holes for the propeller hub and what adhesive are you using to glue the litho to the airframe and how are you going to shape the wing fillets, finger pressure, rolling tool or just simple magic angel dust? :lol:

 

 

Hi Tony - everything you need to know is in these two tutorials :)

 

This one for normal skinning

This one for compound curves

 

..any questions, let me know

 

On 1/14/2023 at 1:28 AM, shark64 said:

The most talented modeler i have watched build amazing airplanes. Always a treat for me to see the magic happen.

 

Well thank you Oliver, of course when it comes to talent, you are at the front of the queue :) I have never seen scratchbuilding skills like yours

 

 

On 1/14/2023 at 5:42 AM, wpierson said:

I just started this thread after ordering your 1/24 Spitfire IX cockpit and sutton harness. I saw the amazing PE that you made up for your P-40. I've got the Trumpeter P-40B in 1/32 and I'm curious if you'd be willing to sell me a set in 1/32?

 

 

Howdy - I would be willing in theory, but unfortunately it requires quite an investment - both yours and mine - a one off etch PPD would do for about £100, but its the artwork thats the problem - simply scaling it down means much of it won't work as it would be too small, and more worryingly all the tags that hold the parts would scale down with it and would be too small to hold them so there would be a danger all the bits would just come free in the process. It would take quite a bit of work to to re-engineer it, which is time I really don't have :(

 

sorry to disappoint..

 

so, talking of P40's, I better start talking about mine..

 

I am still in skinning mode - all the lower rear fusealge has been done - to do this meant I needed to sort out the tailwheel well..

 

No in progress pics, but essentially the mount was set in the fuselage on day one of the build and then bulkheads and inner skins added. I used very thin lead sheet for the canvas boot in the same way as the main gear wells...

 

SESkxx.jpg

 

fmSkC8.jpg

 

8GenXE.jpg

 

..also made up the doors but will fit these much later..

 

vdB8K4.jpg

 

BYSmsw.jpg

 

..then it was up the other end to finish the nose - all of this is so I can get the wing fillets done as I need them on top of all the panelwork that surrounds them..

 

..this is less a sequence of work, but some random pics taken throughout the process, so sorry it's not very co-ordinated..:)

 

..first a tape template and markers for the double row rivet lines where the internal formers are.. these must be positioned to match the upper cowl ones..

 

..I use the same thin blue tape to set out the lower boundaries of the panel under the tape template so I can just get the border marks on the template when its down..

 

oExIfJ.jpg

 

..these are then transferred to litho..

 

..another important step here - I also scan this sheet so I can import it into coreldraw and draw out all the rivet patterns as they are on 'my' panel, rather than as they appear on plans or drawings..

 

faM2oZ.jpg

 

..here the rivets from that scan originated drawing have been made with an awl on the sheet - so much so it has started to curl, but that is sorted out by burnishing when its finished...

 

3w1s0H.jpg

 

..the same process for this tricky nose panel - it's asking a bit much of the tape to do compound curves like this and the panel itself will need a bit of fettling to fit...

 

xYlA7S.jpg

 

..same process, different panel.. a tape hinge keeps its position so I can add the contact cement to both surfaces..

 

wHOAYo.jpg

 

..and again - this one is being beaten into shape with a small ball pein hammer..  once it's fixed all the wrinkles are beaten / sanded out and the rivets re-instated..

 

MzBBuO.jpg

 

..and then after cleanup, sanding, wire wooling and polishing..

 

M11Wc6.jpg

 

h9Fox0.jpg

 

h4NYE2.jpg

 

 

..the cowl panels stop just short of the cowl flaps as there is a dark (green?) strip then the flaps on the real one..

 

Z2EvdM.jpg

 

..and with the spinner on it starts to look the part..

 

Fjkuo9.jpg

 

eDS24z.jpg

 

9OwUEQ.jpg

 

4RwTMx.jpg

 

ZXz8u1.jpg

 

..still loads to do, but glad the nose is complete now - though the chin intake fairing casting needs cleaning up and painting again..

 

TTFN

Peter

 

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Pure alchemy. :o

 

You're so nonchalant and humble about what you're doing Peter but it's absolutely amazing to mere mortals like me. 

 

Lately I have found myself watching one or two YouTube modelling channels and it occurred to me that a video of you creating these panels would be spellbinding.

I am particularly interested to understand how much hammering, sanding, buffing etc. is involved in getting the unblemished finish that you achieve.

 

Could that be the next step in Airscale's future? 

 

Simply brilliant, keep at it. :bow:

 

Cheers

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