airscale

well, paint has been successfully squirted... while not quite an RFI, I have the canopy and tailwheel doors to make, this is my second ever proper paint job and I must admit I think it worked out pretty well MRP paints over tamiya X22 clear, weathered with wire wool and flory wash, all markings masked (thanks Max!) with the exception of stencils which were frighteningly expensive dry transfers.. erm, I took a lot of pictures so don't fall asleep... ..so i am having the canopy made from a mould by Tigger Wilkes, that's the last major component and then this one is done I have started setting out my next model - a single engine axis prop TTFN Peter

thanks chaps very kind If it is the Dzus fasteners, they were etched for my Spit years ago, if not, then it is an awl to make the circle and a ground scalpel blade to make the slot now I will say I never want to see another pipe or wire again... I have pretty much done the U/C bay which is an amazingly complex arrangement on this aircraft - even so I have probably got about 80% of it and where I can see it the pipework is routed correctly. Tried to match 'Hawker yellow' but not sure if I did very well - i can see a few things need doing in the photos so here we go.. also skinned upper and lower wings... so it's getting there - I think I will do the undercowl next, or maybe the wing roots - the undercowl looks intimidating as it's a bunch of louvres so I maight try and crack that first TTFN Peter

afternoon ladies Ooooh thats a nice model Peter, I hope mine turns out as well 😍 I took the plastic card wing cores and added foam & filler to generate the blanks, careful attention paid to the leading edge intakes & radiator shapes. Chopped out the landing lights and added vacformed clear replacements and then the last few weeks have been busy skinning the forms... ..I started with the cannon blisters and worked outwards - these are the hardest part and it is much easier to make panels fit things like this, than try and make the blisters fit in existing panels.. ..because of the wing fold, the panel & rivet layout is quite complex.. ..also started on the radiator skinning, though not much done yet.. ..starting to look like an aeroplane ..think I will finish the tops and move onto the bottoms, which are even more complicated - prolly 30 - 40,000 damned rivets on this one... TTFN Peter

thank you chaps - inspires me to keep improving after another little break abroad, I came back to continue skinning the rear fuselage and fin, and to construct the stabilisters & rudder and skin those too. My refs show a mix of what look like pop rivets and normal countersunk ones on the tailfeathers so I tried to replicate that. It was a mental change to start to do everything in reverse as far as making them and I found it hard to not burnish and sand the metal like I do with countersunk rivets. first the rudder.. ..and the elevators.. .. I think it kinda works, tghough you basically can't finish the surface as you would abrade the tops off all the rivets.. ..the tailwheel bay was completed with a rod temporarily passing through to lock the leg in place. I have not weathered this or painted the leg yet.. also the fairings need adding still.. ,,and a few glamour shots of how it stands now.. so coming along.. I was thinking about paints and the final colour scheme - I will definately be doing a Royal Navy one, does anyone have any paint recommendations for the FAA Sky & Dark Grey colours, I normally try and use MRP, but I can't see they do these colours. I am less worried about who makes it, but do want it to look right so it is accurate colours I need - I have seen some great builds over the years but not found (or more like retained..) much info on these.. TTFN Peter

Love those belts very nice job Peter

afternoon ladies Great spot Martin- corrected now that is the beauty of posting a WIP, thankfully you good folks pick things up I miss been busying myself with fuselage skinning which I have shown the process for many times - essentially masking tape templates and scale panels drawn from them to nail the rivet patterns. restoration pics are invaluable at this point. like this one.. these can then be transposed one by one to a drawing from the tape template and the printout used as the rivet guide.. ..the cowling was probably the hardest to fashion, but I will let the pics explain work to date.. ..the exhaust area is a complicated little structure, so more work to be done there.. ..think I will finish the fuselage, add the tailfeathers and then make a start on the wings take care y'all TTFN Peter

eternally unbelievable modelling right here Peter

Hola ladies Cockpit is pretty much done.. I based it on an unrestored original in a private collection and just copied what I saw Rear bulkhead.. ..added the compass and control column to the floor and removed the gunsight panel as it will get damaged once the tub is in place.. ..LH side panel including throttle.. RH side panel.. ..the seat cushions are milliput and the one area I am unhappy with - the colour & shape is fine, but I think the weathering / effect is a bit naff.. ..side panels dry fitted.. ..however, when it all closed up, the usual happens - you can't see much of it.. but it's my favourite bit so I don't care ..will try and get it installed and integrate it into the fuselage now.. TTFN Peter

By the way, I love doing cockpits... Peter

Hello ladies Thanks for all your kind comments I use P38 car body filler and yes, it can get perilously thin - I have stuck a rivet awl right through a panel and into the foam before. I have tried coating the foam in resin but the only thing that really seems to work is flooding it with thin CA. That is not practical though so I just try and sand away enough foam beforehand to leave enough of a filler skim to give enough skin strength. It's a process I need to master as it would be a perfect solution if I could coat the foam in a substance that gave it proper rigidity. So, after a 3 week break in Bali things have been a bit slow on the Sea Fury - but some stuff has been done.. I made the gear legs by integrating brass and 3D. I assembled it all before I left and left it standing on my bench. By the time I got back, the wheel mount struts had completely warped under load proving what I suspected that the elegoo 8k resin I use just wasn't up to structural work. Having read up about strong ABS alternatives I went with eSun ABS like resin and printed the parts in that instead.. ..the great thing about 3D is you can get absolutely correct geometry and incorporate all the detail found on the original.. after clean up & prime it worked well and they seem strong enough but I am still testing load - if they fail, the lower wheel mount will be made in brass.. ..also hopping about all over the place, I made the basic gear bay roof out of litho & plastic strut.. and a centre rib in 3D with all the little valves & fittings.. ..there is a TON of pipework in the bay.. ..also made up the wingtips and finished the wing cores.. ..another experiment was trying the IP in 3D - I usually make all this in PE, but as my supplier has a 5 week wait, I thought I would give it a go. The panel is 0.3mm thick so I thought there was little chance of success without warping, but again, I stuck lucky & it came out alright.. ..time to get this cockpit worked up and properly sorted - I have a good basis now.. ..it's a fun build - I am enjoying it TTFN Peter

hey guys bit more done... ..I had done such a rudimentary job on the engine, so even though very little can be seen, I added what I could.. the fuselage formers were bulked out with hard foam and all the template outlines blacked out with a sharpie so I can see the sanding thresholds later.. also added some card formers to help shape the exhaust area around the nose.. I made up a 3D part to lock all the features of the wings together with the spars and dihedral on the outer wing panels and made up ribs from 2mm card.. ..and the wings & airframe start to take shape - it looks like an air racer without the last few ribs and the wingtips.. TTFN Peter

Thank you Peter - very kind I went to make a basic cockpit tub from 3D and once printed I needed to make some adjustments... while I was at it, I got a bit carried away.. still lots to do, but a great canvas, even if it is cheating a bit TTFN Peter

nearly finished - just flying wires to go.. TTFN Peter

No rest for the wicked they say, so with the paint drying on my S6B it's time for a new project.. I built a Hobbyboss Sea Fury back in the day and added loads to it including a visible engine and I have always wanted to make a large scale one. The problem was (and is) it doesn't fit in my display cabinet. I remeasured it the other day and somehow got my sums wrong and thought it would fit so off I went and started researching.. Turns out I was right the first time, the airfame is a beast and won't fit so will need a home once complete (or I get a bigger cabinet..) My last one was the civil demonstrator G-AKRY, but now I just proved to myself I can paint an aeroplane, this one will be a service machine. Choosing one is harder than I thought - it's got to be RN, but to be honest, they were all painted the same for now I chose this one VX620.. I started with Jumpeii Temma's plans and checked these with Will at DBMK on the one they scanned - they were bang on, so I designed the parts for my cutter.. also made a 3D cowling.. ..the brass bar is to keep the keel rigid.. ..the keel was taped to a flat sheet of acrylic and all the formers added - I also 3D printed a wingroot section to help alignment.. ..I have had problems with plastic card cores flexing during construction so I clamped an ali bar and added the other side, moving the bar as I went.. ..very quickly the fuselage took shape - it is huge.. ..the floor is too high here and had to be chopped out and lowered - this is the problem with not having drawings ..having designed the cowling, I spent some time doing the prop, spinner and a basic engine front.. I think it came out pretty good - it defines the aeroplane so has to be right.. ..starting to look like the brute it is.. ..so thats it - off and running with a new build ..A plea for help - if anyone has any good interior pictures of the cockpit, seat, seat bulkhead, rollover structure, please drop them here or PM me also if there are more unique RN schemes out there I am definately open to a rethink TTFN Peter

thank you all, very kind So, the painting stage is looming.... I needed to get some new etch primer as it only has a 12 month shelf life and frustratingly it is still not here yet.. Hey Pete - good to see you - there is a bit of that here, i have limited experience as this is my first fully painted skinned model - basically I use an etch primer that can be diluted so it can be airbrushed.. I am waiting for both of these Phoenix Primer HMG Primer and the paint is either MRP or Humbrol enamel - Humbrol I find better as it is pretty bulletproof, though very smelly.. I have worked out the colour (I think) - some of the original paint is still on S1595 in the Science Museum (it was repainted ages ago in the wrong blue, likely roundel blue) so I did some samples and arrived at what i think is a reasonable match given the limitations of eyeballs, digital sampling and light I took all my similar blues and did a tester, photographed in natural and artificial light and ended up mixing a shade from what I had - this is the analysis.. It is what it is, there are no colour pics so sue me if I am wrong... ..while waiting I busied myself and there is absolutely no construction remaining.. Pitot tube done - complex little thing.. ..cockpit canopy done, another complex little thing - i hate doing transparencies as they are just a huuuuuge opportunity to fu#k up.. also all the beaching gear was made of plastic and wood, and the wire wheels finished.. ..again with no colour photos, I painted them what I thought / interpreted - basically battleship grey as it's likely marine paint.. ..added the petrol cans and trolley.. ..and thats it - the next time I post, it will be all painted.. wish me luck ..in other news, I have decided on my next subject - something I have wanted to do for ages but thought it wouldn't fit in my display cabinet - I measured again and I think I can just squeeze it in - any ideas? TTFN Peter

thank you all, you are so very kind Hi Mike, it's not foil, it's sheet aluminium, like a coke can but maybe a bit thicker. I generally make the panels off the airframe and then beat them into shape once added So, lots has gone on the last few weeks... ..the propeller was made as a 3D print which I found very hard to do as it's a complex shape which has oblong roots and quite a twist.. - the spinner cap is machined from solid aluminium so it can be polished like the original.. ..I started the wings by filling the plastic frame with foam & filler - this was then refined many times and note they are complete with the ailerons in place so they can be cut out later... ..after a lot of finishing, the ailerons were removed... ..and so to the skinning... I drew out the plans that copied the layout of all the fastners that cover the entire surface.. by the time I finished I selected all objects in the drawing and for the four wing surfaces there were 8,962 rivets... that is bordering on the ridiculous and likely as many as I have done on entire airframes before.. ,,nothing to do but get started, so here is a typical panel - the small dots are one rivet depression, the big dots two, which was even more demoralising.. ..also seen is a template to score out a hatch with a pin in a pin vise.. ..after 3 days and a very sore set of muscles they were done... ..no time to rest though, and the ailerons were completed.. ..the wings were added using JB weld and given a day to set, then I could start the fillets - I have not done the front ones as they need to also cover the forward strut mount.. ..with the wings on, I could add the belly oil cooler assembly - as with the fuselage sides this was a 3D printed buck over which the metal sheet was fomed.. ..in two parts, it stretches all along the lower fuselage.. ..with so much skinning going on, I fancied a change and so started on the beaching trolley - well at least the wire wheels of the trolley.. I 3D printed a hub, a rim and a jig.. ..and then bent a lot of piano wire spokes and started to populate them ..and the finished wheels, along with some Pratts petrol cans I have seen in pictures with the airframe.. ..and so before the painting starts next week, some final shots in all her nakedness... ..time to start thinking about the finish... until next time TTFN Peter

Howdy folks I finished the floats and detailed the struts, all done with litho - this includes some very long, this one piece multi hundred rivet strips that run the length of each chine.. the struts were detailed as well.. ..next up the tailfeathers... the stabiliser seems to have overlapping panels, with the elevators a joggled but flush panel edge... ..the card formers I made had tiny brass 'L' sections added to the trailing edge and were filled with P38 - then the skinning started with the outer edges as the panels overlap in this direction.. ..tape and dymo tape guides used to make one piece wrap around panels.. ..the elevators were also done and interstingly have a sheet extension at the trailing edge so this was copied by leaving the brass sheet core exposed.. ..the rudder was a sheet brass core with plastic ribs, then covered with scored thin plastic sheet to represent linen - I can't see any evidence of rib tape, but there is a characteristic rib feature i need to add (perhaps this is tape?) ..after covering, I added the Flash Gordon style counter weights.. ..and while not fitted yet, the tail is virtually complete.. ..might do the prop next as it is starting to come together.. TTFN Peter

Thanks gents Will do next time The saga continues with skinning the floats - these are covered in symetric rivet patterns and rather than do panel by panel, I did pairs of panels for each float. I would say over the course of a few days I did ~5k rivets.. ..here are two pairs with about 1200.. ..again these were only lightly burnished to retain the oil canning seen on the real one - also any panel overlaps on the real one were copied.. ..once complete, I started the struts - I used a 3D extrusion to sheath the brass rods I set at the beginning, and then used ali foil on the floats and fuselage so I can fill to them and it will all unstick cleanly with a matching mating face.. ..it can all be seen in a jig I had to make so I can get everything aligned properly & the yellow sponges apply enough upward pressure to hold them in place without distorting the position.. ..the forward upper strut mounts have these odd tails, maybe to deflect water.. ..these were made by embedding stiff wire into the strut and filling around it.. some of the mounting stubs are a bit short for my liking, but they can't intrude into the cockpit or they are as long as they can be before they cross each other hopefully when mounted with JB weld they will be ok.. ..skinning these is going to be problematic as it won't be easy for one thing, and they would need to be a perfect fit when assembled so I haven't quite figured out how I will do it all yet.. TTFN Peter

Thank you gents, you are all very kind With the fuselage coming along, it was time to start another major sub assembly in the floats... the former structure was filled with hard foam to give it a basic profile.. ..this was then skim filled with P38 and templates used to get the chines the right shape... ..I would say there were over 30 filling/sand/prime excercises before they were in their final forms.. ..then the undersides were skinned... ..there were a few structural features of interest, one is the lapped panels where on the real aeroplane the panels are joggled into an overlap, and the other are these sort of serrated panels which I assume have something to do with disrupting water suction on the step of the float - these were cut one serration at a time so quite tiresome ..on to the top surfaces now and these are covered in spaced fittings & rivets so are going to be a challenge... TTFN Peter

Happy Friday my friends Hey hey Kurok - I used these jeweler ball things on a rod, don't know what they are called, but I have a set of different sizes. I made a buck with a half round in it and just whacked the metal with a hammer to stamp form them - then cut them in half with a slitting disc in a dremel and cleaned them up The fuselage is skinned like a Spitfire, from back to front with some overlaps - the fist step was analysing pictures to work out the skinning order - I started at the rear with a tape template, using dymo tape to define borders where needed. I always mark out rivet lines on the tape template so they are right on the model as what can look a straight line rarely is... these are those panels after rivetting and making the holes for the circular hatches..the next step is to peel the tape off, wash them with a stiff brush and solvent to get all the tape discs left by the rivetting off, and then finally turn them over and burnish hard with a rod to remove the 'quilting' effect... ..with that panel down and the others that form the bottom layer, I need to fill the upper edges as with another panel to go on top if I don't a visible ridge will appear when I lay it down... ..then the next panel that wraps across the spine - you can see some rivets done with the panel in place have deformed as the foam/filler skin has given out under pressure.. nothing can be done about that.. ..the edges are also filled again.. ..with that done, the skins on the tail are marked out....this is an intersting design feature as the tail is actually the oil cooler so the surface air cools it rather than a cooler sticking into the airflow and causing drag.. ..it has a very distinct 'quilted' appearance which is exactly what you get if you don't burnish a rivetted panel, so this will be fun to make.. ..same principle applies - tape templates & dymo tape..just thsi time i only lightly burnish the panels before adding them.. ..with the fuselage skinned another distinctive feature needs doing - there are radiators running the full length of the fuselage each side (again to reduce drag by hanging them off the wing or under the chin).. ..like this.. ..I pondered how to do it and eventually tried 3D printing a male mould I could work from - I figured I could burnish the shape in one piece if I was careful.. ..it had to be in two parts to be printed though.. ..these were then superglued to a bit of perspex.. and the work started.. ..millions more damned rivets... ..and then scored & carefully broken away.. ..I was worried that I would need to fill the 'tubes' but it seemed rigid enough so I bit the bullet, took a deep breath and got ready to stick it in place.. ..quite a bit of work that, so here is a walkaround.. ..gonna be a shame to paint it TTFN Peter

hello all I kept thinking I will stop in a minute and take a picture of what I am doing, but then I would think, I will just finish this bit... well before I knew it the engine cowling was done.. it is a complicated structure, but shouts early aviation.. can start the fuselage proper now.. TTFN Peter

Happy New Year folks cockpit is pretty much done.. all the best for 2024 TTFN Peter

Seasons Greetings I figured before I finish the cockpit, I better start skinning some of the nose as there would be some hammering involved to get the metal to conform to the very curvy rocker cover blisters.. ..it all starts like this - a bit of ali sheet taped along one edge and worked & beaten to follow the shape.... it creases and buckles and really doesn't like it, but I will have my way in the end.. ..by now it's pretty much there, always working the creases away with thousands of taps of a tiny ball pein hammer.. ..then the surface is abraded to get it smooth (sorry for the crap pictures..).. ..and finally cut to shape allowing the bottom edges to flare under the panels that will sit on top of them.... ..and with those panels added and the exhaust ports.. lots more panels to go, and I need to complete the cockpit before I can do the rear of the blisters and add the cooling vents.. Happy Christmas everyone Peter

this is like model porn... seeing complex, mysterious, old aviation things realised in 3D has become quite influential in how I enjoy life 😁 and this has me enjoying life! Peter

well thats pretty special 😍 looks superb Peter, bravo Peter