Clunkmeister

Thanks Hubert, I’ll fix the engine. Now’ SA good time, even though for all intents and purposes, the crankcase will be hidden. The wing gun covers actually aren’t bad at all. You just must be sure to install them before you glue the wing halves together. The wing fit is actually really nice except for the curve of the top outer wings being a bit much. By about .3mm. The fit on the edges is bang on brilliant, so if you just clamp the middle of the join for the glue to dry, all is well. Before I left the house today, I checked the fit of the entire wing to the fuselage, and it is splendid. I’ll try again tonight with the struts temporarily attached. Then I can check the bottom for gaps. But the topside is perfect. Most of these issues on any other kit would be a non event. But with the PZL, we don’t want to damage that beautiful surface detail, so we go slow and careful when joining major components together. I can’t stress enough how much I’m enjoying this build. I’m a huge Silver Wings fan, but this kit is so much more refined. Even the gap on the fin fairing we previously discussed is completely missed on the other kit.

I must say that I’m truly Blessed to be building this model, folks. The little PZL has proven to be THE mojo restorer I truly needed, made all the better by what is decidedly one of the nicest and most rewarding kits to build I’ve ever experienced. It’s not a shake the box kit by any stretch, matter of fact, it’s going to take some serious modeling skill to build, but if you have the skill set and can work with PE, this little kit will deliver in every way. So far it’s been honest and straightforward in a way that it gives you exactly what you put into it. If you let the carpet monster rule, it’ll eat you alive. But if you take precautions, be careful and methodical, this kit will reward you with serious satisfaction around every single corner. I’ve received PMs and emails from many members here telling me they’ve ordered this kit simply because of what they see unfolding in front of them, and I promise you, you won’t be disappointed. Once yours arrives, drop what you’re doing and build it. You’ll love it. You’ll build up a neat little Polish fighter that as far as airplanes go, just looks “right”. What can I say? I’m thrilled!

If your posing it in flight, Tony, those intake covers may prove a bit of an issue. Unless there’s a towline attached? I’d like to see that one........

As Martin is apt to say, "Holy Smokin' Josef!" Amazing work, Ron! Shaking my head and mumbling to myself

Harv, I said "Spring Bender". These days, that sounds like a very, very good idea

Looking great, Harv. I almnost wqnt to pull mine out and do it. Almost. The spring bender is the classic way to make brake and fuel lines from bulk straight tubing.

If you're going in this thing, don't. You could walk faster than they drove.

Yep, I used easily half a roll on my Felix.

And the problem with that is..?

Yes, that's it. I had the same confusion when I first bought line myself. I used .12 of an inch when it should have been .12 mm. I corrected my post. That 2 lb line looks, to me at least, 100% scale.

That line is too thick. I use .12 mm line, same as Rob It's a 2lb line Bob von Buckle originally gave me the link for it, you might want to contact him as well

Rob, that’s exactly it! .12 Maxima Chameleon line. In my opinion, the nest there is. It’s small, really small, but the brownish color makes it stand out nicely. Plus, if it absolutely must be silver or black for a certain project, it accepts a paint pen or even a Sharpie marker quite well. I like Bobs Buckles eyelets. I’m way too lazy to wind my own, and buy his by the thousand. They come in handy for a bunch if things, actually. Coax antenna anchors come to mind... I’ve used his tubes for turnbuckles before, and are nice, but to me, are quite overscale for my liking. Just like 1/32 Gaspatch. RB photoetch turnbuckles are OK as well, quite scale looking, but are PE and require some glue or paint in the center to puff them up a bit. The biggest killer to any biplane build, in my opinion, has always been turnbuckles. With proper care, they look phenomenal. But there always seems to be ‘that one’ turnbuckle that is not aligned properly with the line. So you get the turnbuckle at a 40 degree angle where the line runs at a 45 degree angle. I’m the guiltiest old sod in the world for doing this. No matter how hard you try, there’s always one, somewhere on the model. Des’s site offered a solution that dense old me never even thought of until I saw it in print. Instead of anchoring the end of a one ended turnbuckle into the wing, use an eyelet instead, then tie the buckle to the eyelet with a short 1 mm or so length of line. That way, the turnbuckle is “loose” and can swivel to align itself with the wire once it’s run. Simple, so simple that I never thought of it. It might not be 100% scale, but if you use 1/48 turnbuckles, it looks nice, no matter the Nationality of the airplane.

One of my biggest concerns with this kit has had to do with it’s greatest strength; the brilliantly executed surface detail. I was concerned that if fit of the exterior panels wasn’t absolutely perfect, the builder would be forced to use filler, sand the surfaces and lose that exquisite detail. The fuselage and tailplane proceeded flawlessly, just remember to test fit, test fit, test fit. Approach it like you would any low pressure injection Eastern European kit and you’ll be Golden. It’s truly that nice. No muss, no fuss. Until Now. I got to working on the wings, and I mounted the guns and got ready to join the halves. Remember, test fit first. In this case, we find that the thoughtfully provided locator on the wing halves aren’t thoughtfully located, or even lined up. So, no biggie, cut them all off and the wings go together flawlessly. Now we need to attach the wing halves to the center section. IBG thoughtfully provides us a lip for the wing top surface. Now heres the issue. Remember the PCM Hurricane? How you wipe out fabric wing detail by sanding wing roots. Here’s the fit: But, remember the lip? It comes in handy. No butt join for me, Jefe So have some clamps ready, apply clamps to the panel and the different curvature is no longer a problem. Tamiya extra thin comes in handy. We have a bit of a gap at the front for a cm or so, but it’s on the smooth leading edge, so all’s good. If you're ready for it, it will be a non event. The goal being to keep filler off the beautiful corregated panels.

Ok folks, we’re back. The day’s been a busy one, as Sundays usually are for me, but I did manage to find a bit of bench time.

John, we could crowdfund foe a set of those decals. You technically wouldn’t have bought them.... jes sayin’...

Now I’m not a huge Corsair fan, but I could seriously get into an FAA bird.

I might use the term “easy” with a bit of abandon. It’s a new skill to learn and new rules that must be followed. Once you master the basics, it’s second nature, you just have to get out of plastic model mode and get into ship building mode. Instead of “easy” I’d say it’ll go quickly once you master the basics.

I use Maxima chameleon line I think. I’ll check the size because it’s so small I need to get it in Europe.

On Flat wire aircraft, the wires were generally bolted to a fitting on the wing. He turnbuckle was actually part of the wire and you’d loosed a jam nut and rotated the wire to tighten or loosen. Then tighten the jam nut to secure it. I just learned that for sure yesterday from Steve, BTW. The common method we all use, wire to turnbuckle to line to an anchor on the top wing is more the German style. But it offers the most visual appeal and I use it even on British stuff, wrong as it is. 1/32 Gaspatch scale turnbuckles are way, way, way too over scale so use 1/48 for a scale appearance

Ain’t that FUN, Ron? Heheheeeeeee

Thanks Rob. My sin is letting the Hobby store versions go dull, so I end up squeezing the plastic, not cutting it. I was recommended these, and it works perfect on the PZL’s plastic; no tears or gouges. But yes, DSPAIE is a luxury tool. There are far less expensive options out there.

One of the all time greats, one of the world’s true vocal talents. And like what Wumm said, he made it seem so incredibly effortless. Mr Withers, you will be missed. Heaven added another member to its choir.

I haven’t tried dropping them yet, Carl, maybe I need to do a test.....

Hey Phil, Let me try to help a bit. Where to start? From the beginning, I suppose. Simply put, there are two main types of wires on all rigged biplanes. Landing wires and flying wires. Landing wires are the diagonal wires that run from the inner top to the outer lower. They support the weight of the wings when the airplane is on the ground. The other wires are the flying wires. They run opposite to and cross with the landing wires. They run from the inner lower to the upper outer. They support the weight of the wing plus the weight of the entire airplane while in flight. They are often much bigger or even twinned, like the double wires seen on a Camel. Landing wires on the other hand are usually single wires as they only need to support the weight of wing on the ground plus an occasional negative G maneuver. German airplanes usually use good old round wires and they’re usually just single steel cable or wires, where most British aircraft used flat, or more aptly, aerofoil shaped wires, and most often the flying wires are twinned. The flat wires are often referred to as RAF wires. Then you have the cross braces between the struts, and finally the drag wires from the nose to the struts. Some British and American aircraft (think Curtiss designs like the Felixstowe and Jenny, as well as the Be-2 and Re-8) also have extra jury struts landing wires above the upper wing they keep the upper wing tips from collapsing while the aircraft is at rest. Then finally, you have the various control wires, which run from the controls to the flight controls. Let me get this out of the way, I TRULY DETEST RIGGING WITH FLAT WIRES. Personally, I also actually despise Prym, EZ Line, and all the other stretchy crap for structural wing rigging use. I usually use Mono line for my builds. It adds strength, just like the real thing. On British planes, that’s a problem, so I’ve usually just faked it and used mono line. Not really cool, but you can count the number of British planes I’ve built on one hand. I used RB Productions RAF wires on a Swordfish I built and they looked the part, not 100% perfect, and quite fiddly, but looked really decent when finished. For your Camel, it’s a mighty small plane without the huge wings so you can get away with flat Prym or flat EZ Line for structural rigging. Before you mount the top wing, attach the wires to the top wing. Drill holes part way into the surface, and attach the lines with CA. Once you attach the wing, it’s simple to run each wire to its spot on the lower wing. Slightly tension the line and attach it with a drop of CA. Personally, I do the cross braces between the struts first, then do the landing wires followed by the flying wires, working from the inside and work outward. Always. Otherwise you’ll end up rigging yourself into being unable to reach the last ones. All I can say, is just try in. It’s actually really easy, and if you work carefully and deliberately, you’ll be done before you know it. For control lines, I ALWAYS use found EZ Line or Prym. That way, fumble fingers doesn’t snag one and snap it off. Turnbuckles: are another game altogether. I have my method, which I can explain as well. But there is a great tutorial on turnbuckles at Des’s site, WW1aircraftmodels. If you read through that, I can answer any questions you have, but my experience on flat wires is limited at best.

On a side note, I’ve found the secret to nirvana, the end of gouged parts when snipping them off sprue gates, and just the portal to all around happiness. Get yourself these: The DSPIAE single blade nippers. They’re not cheap compared to the crappy generic craft store stuff, but they function flawlessly and no more torn or crushed plastic!