Carl Seager

Just gobsmacked! Brilliant review, brilliant kit.

Thanks fellas. I haven't been on in a while as we'll recently relocated to France and we've had much to do getting the new workshop/studio up and running. Nearly there now though so I should be able to make progress on the Camel soon.

This is what I've been waiting to see...just beautiful :-)

I know I don't say much CruZz...but I'm loving this!

This is a bit special :-)

Beautiful job and a great build to follow.

Thanks for the recommendation...just downloaded this (£11.99 from AVF Digital) and it does indeed look superb on the iPad. An excellent book.

Thanks Lawman...and Martin, I'm using a plank of barked boxwood that I was given by a luthier friend. I reckon the encredibly fine grain is just about right for this scale and it's so easy to machine without splitting. I generally use old piano keys for such stuff as they too are some of the best seasoned and truest wood available (plus the ebony and ivory come in handy too) but I'd been looking for an excuse to use the boxwood. The prop is actually from a bought free flight SE5a I have hanging on the bedroom wall. I'll be making one to replace this though as it's somewhat undersized for the Camel (I was surprised to discover just how huge those props actually were!))

Great review! These things are simply amazing aren't they. It's good to know just how much has gone into producing these kits. So many cast parts to consider let alone all the pe stuff. And the quality! I know they're expensive in model terms but these are works of art and as such...they're positively cheap. You mentioned that they can't be compared to the likes of Wingnut and that is true though I do suspect that Wingnut's attention to detail is rubbing off onto other manufacturers. All very promising for the future of modelling and I kinda think we're in for plenty of exciting stuff from all of them in the future.

Just so's you know, I did enquire direct but got no reply so I eventually ordered it from HLJ. It's on its way :_)

And here's where I am at the moment...so the posts will slow down somewhat now, lol.

Alluminium barrel casings formed around a brass bar surrounded with lengths of welding rod. The flutes are formed by running a dental tool along the furrows left by the rods. The brass barrel and turned fittings are coming together and the main sections of the gun mounts are nearly ready for soldering. The mount tubes are brass and the mounting lugs are copper. I used copper for the lugs as it is easily folded into a four-ply which allows cutting out all four similar parts at once with the jeweller's saw. The slots in the brass tube were cut with the milling head on the lathe (heart-stopping moment as one shot across the workshop but all worked out okay)

Frame members bound with thread and rear steel engine mount (made around a wooden former from old biscuit tin, same as the front mount) added to allow that gorgeous Hasegawa Clerget to be slipped in place for the first time. Everything is pressure fitted or pinned using stubs of welding rod at this point, although the engine's timimg case is now bolted to the engine mount with 16ba nuts and bolts.

All coming together. Just as an aside, in the background of this pic you can see a Labattes Beer Thanker which I mastered for DMP Studios of Canada and which was produced here in England by Brooklin Models. Also a T80 tank master and first cast sections made for Imprint Models. I noticed the other day on Brooklin Models facebook page that the Labattes tanker is being produced again. As the first edition was 4000 models I'm guessing they all sold...which is pretty satisfying. I visited Nigel at Brooklin in Bath during the summer, now THAT place is a proper Aladin's Cave :_)

Most of the frame components have lightening slots cut into opposite surfaces. Some are fairly ellaborate shapes so require a little patience with a ball end cutter on the lathe...