crazypoet

I've always loved the A7! I look forward to watching this come together

I was laid up with pneumonia over the holiday, so I didn't get nearly as much bench time as I'd planned. Ick. That said, I did manage to do a couple of things. First, I was terribly sneaky, and built part of Mrs Poet's Christmas present under her nose. I used some spare 1/32" basswood stock to make her a box for the vintage necklace I gave her... I told her that I was making parts for the picket boat, and did the final assembly one day while she was out with friends. I still need to add hinges (the ones I wanted weren't available at my LHS), but here's the current state of things, as presented to her on Christmas morning: Meanwhile, on the boat itself, I did make *some* progress. I figured out my approach to seat bracing, and made the braces from 1/32x1/16" brass strip: I also got a good start on the main deck and coal bunkers. They're nowhere near ready, but you can at least see where I'm going. Deck and bunker dry-fit and weathering: More to come - watch this space!

Nice!!! I love this sort of work!

Happy almost-Christmas to all! Bits and pieces of progress, and two minor milestones... I finished framing and decking the bow compartment interior (yippee!) along with the decking and seats for the cockpit. I still have to fabricate seat supports for a portion of the cockpit area, which is requiring more research than I'd anticipated so as to avoid doing something utterly anachronistic. I'm happy with the bow compartment structure at this point. There's a lot more I could do with it, but the only way anyone would ever see additional details is with multiple mirrors and a really good flashlight or a fiber-optic camera so I'll stop before I descend into utter madness. The planking inside the compartment will be cut to match the curve of the hull planks later; I can't cut it just yet because it would leave some plank ends unsupported. I'm also happy with the latch design and function for the two hatches - there's always room for improvement, but they look right and function correctly. Bow compartment framed and planked: The view from the rear of the compartment Cockpit decking I'll do another update after I finish the seat supports for the cockpit, later in the week. After that, I'm completely re-working the main deck and coal bunkers - the kit design for the bunkers makes no sense whatsoever from a functional standpoint (it's obvious that the designer never once had to actually shovel coal!). So that will be a fun challenge. And of course this also means adding a proper coal shovel to the "odds & ends" list, along with the gun gear, ammo chests and whatnot.

Minor update on this. I got the latches completed and built, and the bulkhead attached. I can now get to work finishing out the bow compartment interior decking and the last of the framing details. The latches were a royal pain - making flush-mount rivets in thin stock from brass pins when I don't have a small enough setter to fit. I had to use the end of a needle-file handle as a setter, and tap it smartly with a 6 oz. hammer while hoping that the file wouldn't chip. It all worked, though, and I have a pair of functional latches for the doors. The next step is the decking and seats in the cockpit. The kit specifies "drawing lines with a #2 pencil to simulate planks". Right. I'm having too much fun doing the real thing. I'll also fabricate seat supports from wood and brass, as these are completely lacking in the kit. Decking in progress: More to come later.

This looks fun! I've always liked the looks of this aircraft - it has that sort of awkward not-quite-biplane-not-quite-monoplane look Very cool - I look forward to following the build!

Nice work on filling/correcting those intakes! I look forward to seeing this come together

Still no photo-ready progress on this, but I've finally had a chance to test and validate my approach to the rough surfaces on the engine castings. I had to use a leveling primer on some of the parts, which changes my painting approach rather dramatically. I'm also changing the push-rod design to better reflect the original. I'm gong to fabricate my own frame connectors from sheet and strip steel stock, based on documented full-sized plans. The kit-supplied connectors look *adequate* from a distance, but simply don't hold up well to close examination. The one other thing I'd like to find is a better set of guns. Cleaning the castings for these is doable, but will take a LOT of time.

I'm truly looking forward to following this build. It's an epic challenge!

I just saw this - my god that's a big kit, and it's one that I want to tackle myself someday. *after* the Camel, B-17, Grumman Goose and USN Picket Boat I already have on the bench. Keep us posted - I love this aircraft (I've always wanted to own a real one (the ULTIMATE Camper/RV! ). This kit is as close as I'm ever likely to come, absent a Lotto win. Have fun!

I've been muddling along on this, developing an approach to period details in hardware, and researching the best way to adapt the model expo hull to documentation by John Dahlgren for use of the Dahlgren Boat Howitzer on small craft. I also realized that my old reliable mk1 human eyeball was no longer sufficient for precise part fabrication, so I broke down and ordered a drill-press mount for my dremel tools. So I've made progress, but not much. Head-scratching, reading and sketching do not a model make! That said, there's been at least a modicum of progress. I've cut out and built up portions of the bow compartment to emulate the heavy timber framing specified by Dahlgren ("A System of Boat Armament in the United States Navy" 1852) and developed a functional compartment latch based on period designs. I'm making the latches from soldered and chemically-blackened brass strip. The latches are still very much in-progress (I'm picking up the drill press today so I can finish them this week). So here's the current state of things: Latch components: Some of the internal framing and decking for the bow compartment: I hope to have the door latches completed and installed this week, so I can move forward with the next phase - coal bunkers, decking and getting the hull planking underway. Opening up the bow compartment and making it both functional and period-appropriate were priorities for this build. The compartment would have been used to store supplies and gear for both the gun and the steam plant (though I suspect that it would *NOT* have been used for ammo/powder storage, being the location most exposed to incoming fire). I'm planning to slightly modify one of the coal bunkers to accommodate regulation USN ammo cases for the howitzer, and I'll build a case of canister, as that is what this boat is known to have carried and used on its mission against the CSS Albemarle.

That rifle shows part of what I love about building in wood and metal - you get the true feel of the original, even in the smallest of scales. There's nothing that feels or looks like wood except wood... Ditto for metal and cloth. This is why foiling a NMF model aircraft works so well - nothing looks like bare aluminum so much as, well, bare aluminum... With wood there's one other benefit - if I screw up and break a part (or decide to change the design in mid-stream), I can just carve a new one. That's a difficult thing when the part in question came off a sprue. All that said, It's a challenge to get to anything like the level of detail possible with the current generation of plastic and resign kits - but that's part of the challenge. And I'm not *about* to attempt to scratch-build a B-17 from aluminum sheets...

Wow! I look forward to following your progress on this - you've set yourself an amazing challenge, and I hope to learn from your progress as I share my own. I've just started the Model Airways kit, and I share some of your concerns - the metal castings *are* rough, and there are some key parts that I'll still need to fabricate from scratch. Out-of-box, there are some trade-offs that I'm not happy with (especially the turnbuckles and frame connectors), but it does give me a good starting canvas. I'll be sharing my joys and frustrations as I go along...

Nice! This is on my long-term wish list - I look forward to seeing her come together

Nice, Ralph! That kit looks fun! One of these times we'll actually get coordinated and say hello at HobbyTown... I had two deliveries last week. I finally got my HK B-17 (it was back-ordered so long I was starting to worry) and (in a box that looked like it'd been drop-kicked a few times), the Signifier 1/48 Grumman Goose resin/PE kit I found on eBay Now if only the Eduard stuff I ordered through HobbyLink Japan would arrive, I'd be happy...

I'm looking forward as well. I have a soft spot for all of the Sopwith fighters

I'd never heard of this aircraft until I saw it here, and I've completely fallen for it. I'm happily watching this build, and I'm thinking of adding one to the stash at some point - it's an extraordinary aircraft. Thanks for sharing this with us!

Good lord - I'll have to add this one to the stash. I always loved the Mosquito fighter versions - now I'll have to do some serious research to figure which to build. *After* I finish the Camel, Picket Boat, Goose (found a nice resin kit from Signifer that I just couldn't pass up...), HK B-17 and a PBY....... I'll be happily busy for at least the next couple of years...

After a week in Florida visiting mom-in-law, I've made a bit of progress on this. I've been working on bulkheads and frames where they'll be visible, and in opening up the bow section, under the area where they mounted the 12 pdr howitzer. Out of the box, the bow section is completely closed off. To me, this made no sense, as the crew would have needed that space for equipment stowage, ammunition boxes, tools for loading and firing the gun and so forth. So, given that there is zero documentation (that I've been able to locate at least) on how they approached this in the original, I've been trying to look at this from the standpoint of the crew and how they might have used and accessed the space. Where this led me was to create two compartments, one on either side of the keel, with framed hatches. So far, I've cut, framed and hinged the hatches on the main bulkhead, and I'm planning the framing for the interior of the compartment, working around both the model bulkheads and keel design. Hatchways cut, hatches built and framed, dry-fit looking forward: Rear of the bulkhead and framed hatches. I used a #80 drill and dark stain to simulate nails in the frames. Front of the bulkhead, painted, weathered and with the hatches installed. I'll fabricate the latches from strip brass; the hinges came from Hambly House miniatures. Finally, the bulkhead dry-fitted, with the hatches open. I'll frame and finish the compartment after I open up the other two interior bulkheads. With these compartments available, I can build ammo chests, canister rounds and associated tool, and have logical places to stow them....

I don't have any pics for this update, but progress is happening. Between taking a week off in Florida and doing some framing work on the 1/24 picket boat my Sopwith time has been a bit limited. Here's the update : I found that the castings of some of the engine parts were not as clean as they should be, so I've been doing a bit of troubleshooting. My goal is to have my fills match the white metal casting, so that they won't show through the transparent colors I plan to use, So... I've been looking at different foils and metal leaf treatments over both gap-filling CA and milliput. I think I found something that works - I'll know this weekend, and will post the results. Model Expo does great work with the wood portions of their kits, but I've found that their white metal castings can be a bit rough. In this case, both the front and rear crankcase castings were not fully filled at the edges. i could request replacements (and I might still) but I''m treating it as a challenge and learning opportunity for the time-being. I also found a variegated leaf foil that I think is perfect for the induction tubes - photos to come on this as well.

Have fun with this!!! It looks like a fun kit

Thanks - I hadn't thought of that. I'll drop them a note

So why isn't this being documented in the LSM Armor WIP forum? I believe that 1/1 does qualify as "Large Scale" ???

I'm building a 1/16 Sopwith Camel as a museum display, and I'd love to have a second engine to put on a stand next to it as part of the display. Absent ordering a second kit from Model Expo, do any of you know of a source for this engine/scale? Many thanks!

Your attention to detail is impressive - and this carries a fascinating (hi)story as well.