airscale

evening all been away for a week so not much done - just a little spell tonight.. ..started looking at the exhausts - the kit ones are pretty good, but miss a few subtle shapes and are not suitable to attatch to an exposed engine. As I am using a Tamiya merlin from the P51 kit, I do wonder what the exhausts in that kit are like - they may be suitable? anyways, as I don't know, I thought I would modify the kit ones and cast copies in resin - this is a bit of a burden as I need to do two handed pipes for each side, and the 'siamese' pipe that covers both the the rear outlets..quite an excercise actually... ..these are the real ones and the kit ones - now I look at them they may be from 3D printing as they are sort of ribbed. The difference I want to capture are the flats where they meet the cylinder head, the weld beads, and the welded tube exhaust tip... ..started by cutting off a kit stub.. ..reshaped it, added the fixing plate and the tip from copper pipe.. ..primed and added the weld beads... ..they are a little heavy for my liking, so more work needed... ..will try casting one and see how they turn out - the tips are going to be too fragile I expect to I may fatten the inside with CA before making the mould.. ..I better get on the internet & see what the Tamiya ones are like, as doing four of these and casting them is going to take a while.. until next time.. TTFN Peter

my word that's nice.. love the schemes you choose Dave and so beautifully executed... top class Peter

amazing Tom - simply brilliant wheels are so hard to get right and these look spot on - ever thought about using resin casting as that way you only need to make one master? I thought it was all witchcraft, but then got a kit from Sylmasta for about £30 all in and never looked back - useful for all sorts of things including wheels as I found out.. love tuning in to see you work your magic Peter

thank you chaps very kind of you to say ..didn't have too much time today but managed to get the seat mounting frame and adjustment lever done... ..this is what I needed to build and is common to the Hornet (ahem...) - you can see quite a chunky milled, angled arm with a recess, a handle & grip and another curved casting mounting the handle to the frame... ..this is how the kit represents the seat, mounting frame and lever... ..first up I started to make the angled arm by bending some stock, drilling the holes, and part drilling some rounded ends of the recess... ..worked the part up and fixed it to the ratchet bit I made yesterday... ..turned the handle in a drill, made up the handle casting and the other side and assembled it all together... ..ran out of time before painting it... until next time my friends.. TTFN Peter

..I got an email form David Collins (who has been helping me with research) that pointed out that I had made a schoolboy error and modelled the seat incorrectly - not sure how as I was looking at references all the time, but the seat I based mine on is from a Firefly or something - the DH Hornet has a cut-down back as the seatbelts come via a tensioning wire through the armoured seat back. Not a problem as I just remodelled the seat, but I did also make a cushion which can't be changed so wasted a bit of time there... ..here is the modified version with the lap belt mountings added ... ..also started making the big seat adjustment ratchet that goes on the side - I make parts in brass - drill any holes first and then cut out, then work the part by clamping it in a folding tool.. ..this is the mounting and actually uses the first kit part in the cockpit - the PE ratchet. This bit is all wrong in the kit as it has a ratchet both sides and a very thin needle like lever when the real one has a bloody great torque arm and handle (maybe post that when I have made it and the seat mounting later..) TTFN Peter

thanks Cees ..might I suggest you have a great deal more momentume than me! loving watching your Tempest coming together - I just seem to spend months fiddling about making small bits and bobs - it seems to take forever to squeeze an aeroplane out of what I do... ..anyways, tonight's episode is a story about a seat... the kit has one of course, but unfortunately it is not as detailed as I would like, so again it's time for some home brew... ..first up are references I found on the web - this is the seat a Hornet has (though this isn't from one) - really nice pictures showing the shape, details and colours - you can see it's actually made from bakelite(?) mouldings rivetted together... ..I also had a drawing David Collins kindly sent me, so could try and work out the complex shapes of the mouldings... I started with the bucket, sides and flanges.. ..to make the curved back, I cut a section from an aerosol lid... ..the seat back actually has a big moulded depression in it which while you can't see with the cushion on, it can be seen from the back. This is more obvious as the Hornet does not have a bulkhead behind the seat (which the kit incorrectly has) but the seat is sort of suspended and is only attached to the floor and armoured seat back - the whole area is very open so it had to be depicted.. ..I stuck a thick bit of card to the bit of lid, shaped it and made a male mould - from that I just plunge moulded the full seat back... ...detailed the back and started to make the 'wings' that feature on the seat sides - these are just bent card and some round rod scraped to a half round and stuck on... ...added the rivets from sprue and other details from brass - the rivets sticking out will be the mounting points for the seat belts... ...primed with mr surfacer... ..the colour is difficult (for me anyway) so I made a start & will try and get the lighter textures as I go... ..will make the cushion from milliput, and the kit includes some lovely, accurate HGW belts so soon have it finished... TTFN Peter

wow - that looks nice Jeroen ..I thought the skid was real - beautiful work.. Peter

thanks guys been fiddling about making up the instrument panel - on the Hornet the panel is at about a 15 degree angle to the Blind Flying Panel (the cluster of six main instruments). As a result some of the instrument casings and other gubbins can be seen through the gap... ..I started making these from rod and more airscale bits and bobs - also added some of the wiring and a ribbed hose from guitar string... ..there is also a cross-brace so I made this from rod too... ..then I made up the panel proper and detailed it - used instruments and placards. The four dials at the top had to be glazed with future as I when I glazed them the dial face looked too deep inside - I just wish my painting was better... ..going to move on from the fiddly bits and start making up the cockpit cell and seat next... TTFN Peter

thanks chaps, Cees - you are right - David is more than a nice chap - I simply couldn't do the aircraft justice without his help, he has been wonderful and as I am obsessive about detail and getting it right we have a lot to talk about! I must admit i do love this part - I have been tempted in the past just to build cockpits from everything I like in 1/24 scale and just forget about the aeroplane! anyways, got a bit more done.. first up I made the Blind Flying Panel - just a card blank with punched out holes and more of our bezels - I drilled tiny holes and threaded sprue for the tiny screws... ..and once finished... ..also made the engine instruments found in a binnacle where the gunsight is on a Sea Hornet - these will be in blue & yellow to bring a bit of colour... ..finished detailing the surrounding panel and sanded down the back so I can put a backplate on it with the instruments... ..soon had the final panel ready for paint... ..I started to lay out the instruments for the Blind Flying Panel from our airscale 1/32 RAF instrument set - these are individually printed so it is just a matter of lining them up on a dark bit of card. Once laid out I wash them in future to secure them... ..they still need glazing and the bezels finishing in a different black, but you get the idea... ..and I have something to work with... ..haven't even looked at the kit parts - sorry - I always build my own! TTFN Peter

thanks Ross - glad you enjoyed dropping in & welcome to the forum been fiddling about making the instrument panel for the Hornet - I had made a start but afeter some guidance from David Collins, I found the Sea Hornet IP is slightly different to the one I modelled - he also sent 2 pics of TT202's cockpit which is incredible as now I can build it exactly as it was ..this is the cockpit section David is restoring - quite amazing... thanks and full credit to his website for the image and for all his help - this would all be guesswork otherwise.. ..having scaled a diagram of the Sea Hornet panel, I started the same process as before, punching out the dial apertures.. the duff one is on the right.. ..I detailed the new one with airscale bezels and PE details - I have some seconds that were bent in production or damaged in some way so I use those.. ...built up the structures as best as I could from the photo's I have.. ..still more to do on this, then it's the Blind Flying Panel and then I will glaze and put our instruments in ..love this bit! TTFN Peter

evening folks & thanks for the kind words Grant, great to hear from you again and thank you - trust all is well now - it wouldn't be if I was driving the scalpel that's for sure! ..little bit more done and my favourite part - getting the cockpit together... ..started by scaling and printing an image of the panel to 1/32 dimensions and using paper adhesive to stick it to some card.. ...punched out the appropriate apertures and carefully scored the outline... ...broke away the waste... ...and after peeling off the printout, cleaned up the part.. ..started adding details - so far only the engine start buttons and a couple of those brilliant airscale bezels :coolio: ...also started to make the armoured seat back - I stuck an old bit of a pen into a drill to shape the headrest... ..thats all for now TTFN Peter ...

evening all.. thanks Cees - hopefully making a few changes will improve things - I always fiddle around no matter what I make ..a few more mods are needed at the rear of the cockpit opening - the fuselage cut-out is further forward than in the kit and shaped differently to the real one.. the kit has a sloped, radiused shape that needs fairing in with the fuselage as the opening follows it's lines.. I cut a clear template to show what I mean.. ..I used simple 'wands' on a bit of thick card held over the cooker and draped over the fuselage shape.. ..cut, fitted, smothered in CA and sanded... ..after careful measurement I cut it to shape.. ..getting the basic shapes so I am happy before cutting the fuselage in half again to fit out the cockpit.. ...speaking of measurements - thanks to both David Collins and John Adams I managed to dimesion the cockpit elements I needed - hopefully of help if anyone is as barmy as me ..they are just my 1/32 version of the info I now have so don't sue me but then the info is first hand ..thats it for today.. TTFN Peter

thanks guys Nick - my impressions are very good - there are a few bits the purists will want to sort out - one of which follows, but on the whole it is a cracking kit.To be honest if it was a pigs ear I would still take it on, such is my love for the looks of this aeroplane I am also getting some superb help from David Collins who runs the Hornet Project and John Adams - both of whom know pretty much all there is to know about them so antghing that does crop up I will gently highlight & sort out so, what's been going on? I have been hopping about the build a bit just sussing out what is what in the kit. It is superb I have to say. If anyone talks of the Hornet in model terms, very soon the discussion turns to the nose. Only very recently were accurate profiles published in the D&V book, before that all published plans had dimensional errors and therefore the kits derived from them. There is still no published accurate plan available but John Adams from Aeroclub has been collecting drawings and is 5 years into creating the first set. Thankfully he helped me out over on a thread on BM with a nose profile so I have something to compare the kit to. The HpH kit has a small issue in that the nose is not quite right compared to the profile (& pictures I now have).. you can see the profile rises too high into the windshield and is slightly 'plump' on the bottom curve.. ..also the windshield should be virtually a straight line from the canopy sill.. ..i scaled a profile picture to see a bit more where I might improve it - it's not too clear here in the photo, but I can see it ..first step was to sand away the top of the nose, and the base of the windshield - thankfully the HpH nose is solid resin so it's a simple job. I also got rid of the canopy rails as I will replace these with scale parts later... ..obviously this also made the canopy the wrong shape to fit so a new one will be needed.. ..I decided to make a mock-up canopy so I can get all the geometry right before starting on the cockpit and coaming - first step cut out some parts from K&S clear sheet... ..bevelled the facing edges and ran a sharpie along them so I can see the angles... ..and ran thin CA along the joins to build it up - this is only a gash one so has glue & crap all over it ..and now the profile is starting to look more like it should.. ..the windshield is not quite the right height of angle at the back, and I need to work out how the flat sides fair into the curved fuselage, but good enough for now - thankfully David Collins is going to help me out with pics & dimensions.. ..thats all for now folks TTFN Peter

evening all, back with a bit more progress.. Hi again Cees - great to have caught up at Telford again yes - only one engine will be exposed - that way from one side the clean lines will be visible.. right - anyone who has waited a long time (as I have) for a 1/32 Hornet, who has sat there and dreamt how fantastic it would be to have one kitted - it's modelling porn time... ..I started on the kit... ..here are one set of nacelle halves... ..taped up with the spinner... ..there is a slight step between the spinner and the nacelle - it won't matter on this one as all this will be cut away to expose the engine, but something to bear in mind for the other side.. ..checking how the merlin fits - all seems ok - it's too tight with the cylinder heads attatched but thats just the thickness of the resin casting.. ..I also roughly cut out the lower wing half and glad I did as I was going to finish the nacelle with the engine in it and fit it to the wing but I think there is too much working and fettling to be done so I am going to fit the nacelle and then mount the engine to it.. ..one issue is the u/c gear well is too shallow - you can see here the lower wing is solid - in fact in the real aircraft the top of the gear bay is the top surface of the wing - one to sort out later ..I soon learnt one new thing about resin kits - it's a messy business - lots of grinding and dust and I have only cut out a few parts! until next time my friends.. TTFN Peter

hiya all I got a bit done today as it was my birthday and birthdays mean birthday rules - ie. have lunch out, catch a movie and then a bit of guilt free bench-time... ..needed to make what I think is the 'cabin air' thingy on the right side of the Merlin - not sure what it is - in this pic it is missing the whole of the rear section, but anyways this is what it looks like.. ..started measuring out from known dimensions and making the part.. ..an assortment of nuts, bolts, rod and tube - I prefer to make things on a handle so I can work them - this is a bit of stock that was worked into the mounting bracket at one end... ..used some rod to make up the missing rear section... ..and the finished part... ..painted in alclads for the base colours - the alclad came off the brass at the end when i peeled the masking tape off - I liked the colour so I left it... ..also painted and mounted the coolant pump.. ..and dry fitted all the bits so far to make sure it hangs together - this version of Merlin was designed to present the smallest possible frontal cross section so I can't have bits sticking out or it won't fit in the Hornet's cowling... ..thats it for now - cylinder heads next and then I promise I will start on the kit nacelle TTFN Peter

thanks chaps good source link Grant - I think I got mine from Scale Hardware where I get the nuts & bolts etc the braided wire is this one on Grant's link - but its showing out of stock http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=4883

Hello all, I picked up the HpH Hornet kit at Telford this weekend and what a beauty it is. It will be my first resin kit and I am looking forward to learning a new discipline. More of the kit later.. The subject I have picked is Sea Hornet F Mk22 TT202. I chose this one as there are a series of colour pictures taken on an air-to-air sortie on the South Coast with de Havilland test pilot Pat Fillingham at the controls. I like the simplicity of the scheme and the fact that the surface finish even on an all silver aircraft has many hues and tones. Here she is... ..a stunningly beautiful aeroplane and full credit to HpH for kitting it. I have been speaking with David Collins who runs the Hornet Project – he is literally a world authority on the aircraft and has been assembling what little remains of the real aircraft into a full cockpit section rebuild. Over time I am looking forward to learning more and more about it. So onto the kit – here are some shots of what’s in the box.. ..major components.. ..nice surface detail... ..lots of bits & bobs... ..nice PE.. ..so, while I was waiting for Telford and not painting the Sea Fury I am also working on, I got started on the Merlin engine – the kit does not have separate engines so I got hold of the sprues for a Merlin from a Tamiya Mustang. The 130 series Merlin in a Hornet differs in that the air intake at the rear takes air from the top, not the bottom, and there is a big gearbox on the front to allow the props to rotate in different directions countering asymmetrical torque. ..visible here.. ..the tamiya parts.. ..first up was to build the rear air intake structure... ..and modify the kit parts.. ...detailed the carburettors - they look like funny little people.. ..with a bit of paint.. ..modified the coolant pump to the bigger bore Hornet unit... ..starting on the gearbox – I made a brass template by reducing a parts manual image to 1/32 scale... ..starting on the gearbox structure.. ...and the nearly finished unit.. ..the hoses are from a car set I got somewhere in the US with an insert of albion alloys tube and another sheath of tube & a micro washer. The clamp is just tamiya tape and a strip of brass (thin as paper stuff). I have just got some brass nuts from scale hardware so will now be able to do the hexagonal connectors I think - used some today and it seemed to work.. ..they are not in this pic, but I did add more hoses & the distributor sheathed cable (again car stuff).. ..the front of the Hornet's merlin (and others for all I know) has the prop pitch control mechanism & bits - it looks like a little engine in itself... ..I made up the core of the unit from a bit of rod and some square brass tube. The little cylinder like thing I made from different sizes of airscale instrument bezels on another rod - being the founder does have some perks! ..started making the other side from stock and more airscale bits ..after a fair few hours I have a Hornet part that will probably never be seen yippee... ..and fitted on the gearbox... ..a bit of paint - it needs sorting as here it is so fresh the wash is still wet... ..thats all for now - sorry but anyone tuning in for Hornet action; I am afraid it will be a little bit delayed while I sort adding a Tamiya engine think I might clean up the nacelle at least then you get to see some of it! TTFN Peter

a little more done.. ..now I have the PE set I designed it was time to start using it - the under wing cooling vents used to look like this (I made these..)... ..pulled them off and roughly rebated where they will sit so the louvre slots don't sit on solid plastic... ..painted the rebates matt black and annealed, shaped & primed the new vents... ..also added the cowling fasteners.. - think they look ok but I can't get them any thinner ...also made up the open fasteners to finish off the cowling panel - it was quite satisfying using home made PE ..I also added the two rings around the engine, I think these came out well and I could not think of any other way to get the tiny square holes that are where the cowling panels would fasten to. Had a little dry fit with the other panels to see how it was coming together.. ..the front windshield looked ok from my home made vacformer, so thought I would start on it - if nothing else I can practice the processes involved... ..first up the cockpit frame - this is thick sheet brass - marked it out and scored the inner cut-out (always remove inner shapes / holes first as the part still has strength..)... after scoring, careful repeated bending and you get a nice clean break... made the inner edge in the same way and CA'd together ..added fastener and structural details... ..started making the exterior framing from wine bottle foil - it has a couple of benefits - it's silver already, it's black on the reverse face, and can be easily cut / shaped / worked... very, very carefully used capillary action of liquid CA to fix by touching a tiny drop at each end - worked out pretty strong and clean... ...adding more - the wine foil is Faustino Vll, a rather nice Rioja.. ..and the finished windshield - it will be tidied up properly when I get round to fixing it (after the landing gear is on..)... ..and dry fitted... ...until next time folks... TTFN Peter

hi folks - glad it was useful.. Hi Dave - I have punched all of the thicknesses successfully, and you can drill all but the thinnest foil stuff as it tears.. Hi Matt - I am not sure if there are advantages - I just prefer working with it and it can have better torsional stiffness than alu so tends to keep it's shape better as for bending 'U' channel, I didn't anneal it, just worked it around a small spray can - I think because the open part of the 'U' was on the outside thats why it didn't kink or crumple - if I had to bend it the other way it might TTFN Peter

very kind - thanks Grant - don't know what took me so long actually - very glad I joined so - on to todays activities... started to make the main undercarriage doors - as can be seen in the pic below there are actually a bunch of complex shapes and some raised rivet detail.. note the curvature at the front where it matches the fairing coming back from the circular engine area, and the 'V' shaped cut-out in the middle.. ..got the basic outline marked out on 0.03 brass.. ..cut out two sets of outer door panels.. ..riveted them and made a former to start bending in the curved shape - this is just a curved bit of thick plastic card stuck to an old bit of perspex. I taped the door shape down and used a rod to roll into the former to impart the shape.. ..made up the pair.. ..made inner cores from thick card and more brass shim - this is before cutting out the 'V' shape and adding shaping parts the 'blow' the inner panel out a bit... ..I have nearly finished one of them... ..also my PE turned up today - as usual PPD have done an excellent job - sorry they won't be for sale under airscale, they are just for this build. I have the lower wing vents, cowling fasteners, cowling liners and a bunch of brackets & rivet strips that will come in handy in the future... ..I was amazed to see when uploading the photo that even the screw heads are visible on the vents - most impressed hope to get some of this fitted soon, so until next time folks.. TTFN Peter

Thanks for the warm welcome guys! Doogs - thanks for the question - I have added a tutorial as it's a method I would love to see more people try and it really is easy.. Tutorial here For those that know me from elsewhere - I am like a bad fart and will follow you around .. TTFN Peter

hello all, just joined and posted a WIP on a Sea Fury I am converting. Doogs asked how I use brass to create details so here is a little infomercial about the technique I use... First get the right brass - I use K&S shim which I get off Amazon - it's about £8 GBP for this pack which has four thicknesses: 0.01 - thinner than paper but good for the 'T' part of T stringers & rivet details and skinning cowlings / control surfaces etc where there is a plastic or kit part substrate 0.02 - multi-purpose - general detailing but not self supporting as it's not rigid enough 0.03 - ideal for replacing panels - self supporting and rigid 0.05 - used as internal cores for control surfaces, will give a razor sharpe thin trailling edge ..this is the pack.. ..draw out the shape you want in pencil... ..get a bit of perspex - I got this offcut for £1 GBP.. ,,,tape the sheet to the perspex and cut straight lines with a scalpel - use new blades as thin brass will tear.. ..cut curves with scissors or snips..these are just cheap IKEA scissors... ..once cut out you can see the edges are a bit flared & bent... ..tape the part down and burnish the edges with a hard, curved surface - in this case scissor handles.. ...use a rivet wheel to add detail - either the depression for flush rivets, or the dome it creates for domed rivets. You can vary the size by either riveting straight onto the perspex for the smallest depression... ..onto a bit of tape for a bigger impression.. ..or onto a cutting mat for the deepest impression.. ..you may be able to see the subtle differences in rivet size here - you will also see the part has bent along the lines of rivets - no problem we sort that later.. ..you can scribe access panels etc - I use a pin in a pin vise - tape the two down so things don't move about... ..add fasteners etc.. ..the detail looks a bit 'blown' for now - no worries we sort that out later too.. ..if the part will need bending, then we need to 'anneal' the brass - no witchcraft here - just hold it over a flame until it glows - afterwards dip it in water to cool.. ..now we tape the part down and burnish all that 'quilting' where the part got deformed... .. I like to clean the part up so onto a sanding pad - sometimes it's hard to get it to move as it's so thin it just grips the pad - get a bit of white tac / blu tack to make it move.. ..you can bend it if needed - I use a tool - before I had this it was just as easy with a steel rule and a blade.. ...if the part is curved - tape one end to something of a smaller diameter and work away from the end you taped down... ..here is our demo part - it can now be primed - I use Mr Metal primer.. ..I use this method for a lot of parts - I find it easier and certainly more realistic than plastic - it's easy - give it a go! hope that inspires someone to try it - the method revolutionised how I go about detailing.. TTFN Peter @ airscale

evening all, Peter from airscale here - long time lurker on LSM so took the plunge and joined Jim and you guys to hang out. I have a build log over on LSP but thought I would have one here too. I love watching your builds so hope some of you like watching mine It’s a 1/32 Hobbycraft Sea Fury I have chosen a Hawker company demonstrator from 1948 Fury 1 NX748 effectively what became in lineage the Sea Fury prototype.... For those with an eye for history, the shot is attributed to be in Luqa, Malta and I have the following info (would welcome any further pics / details / corrections): In April 1948, Bill Humble, Hawkers chief test pilot, flew the first prototype Sea Fury to Cairo for the forth-coming Heliopolis Air Display. On this occasion, it carried the civil registration G-AKRY instead of its original RAF serial number NX798. Humble arrived on 21 April and three days later put on a demonstration of aerobatics and high-speed passes for the Royal Egyptian Aero Club at Almaza AB. This display so impressed the Egyptians that an excited crowd swarmed over the aircraft as soon as Humble landed. On 27 April, Bill Humble gave the machine a ten-minute test flight preparatory to his homeward journey. Just before his intended departure the Hawker test pilot discovered that the Fury had been moved from the civil to the military side of Almaza AB and that the aircraft had been impounded by the Egyptian authorities who turned it over to the REAF. It was given code '701' and become an REAF fighter. On 4th June 1948 this aircraft scored the first REAF air combat victory shooting down an Israeli Fairchild Argus. Anyways, enough waffling, on with some pics ..this is roughly where I am at after 15 months on one £29.99 kit... ..and a potted history.. ..my company airscale makes aircraft cockpit details - so start with my favorite part.. ..made an engine by making master parts & casting in resin, also opened up the firewall area.. ..undercarriage bay - lots of bits & bobs... ..lots of scribing & riveting.. ..tailfeathers from brass - I find it easier to work and good for panels with raised detail.. .wing corrections... ..first time vacforming & made a new canopy.. ..cast 90 gal wing tanks & pylons from masters... ..and this is where I am up to - undercarriage doors... ..sorry for huge post, but didn't want to just show over a year's work in a few pics TTFN Peter @ airscale