airscale

afternoon ladies so, the Xmas break meant some time at the bench and I am powering on with big structural stuff - it makes a nice change from all the tiny details in the cockpit.. ..first up, I traced the gear doors from drawings to create a template, cut thisfrom card and used it to create the area to cut out for the main gear bays - this whole process took a day before I was happy with the position as it was at variance with the outline HpH had on the surface so I questioned what I was seeing and doing repeatedly... ..you can see the template and the two big holes below.. ..then it was time to add leg mounts - I did what I did for the Spitfire by braze soldering some brass tube onto brass plates to act as spigots to add lathe turned gear later on.. ..these were then epoxied into place.. the perspective makes them look a bit out, but even if they are, they will be cut down to stubs just to act as positioning for the MLG later ..for the roof of the well, I cut out some black card blanks that fitted, and matched these to drawings of all the stringer & rib positions so I could scribe what goes where onto litho to actually line them.. ,,before I could fix the roof position I had to check something... ..in the cockpit, the floor where the control stick goes is actually the top of the wing, so I had to make sure the cockpit pod with the floor did not foul the bay roof. To do this I had to get the pod into the fuselage and into position... I had never done this before, so it could all have gone horribly wrong... ..thankfully and a few fist pumps later it all fitted fine... it's tight, but it fits ...now I could fix the gear bay roof and you can see how the scribed lines will help position all the structure to go in here (and there is tons of stuff...) ..will probably add the walls then look at other big bits like stabilisers and the air scoop under the wing.. feels good to have some wind in the sails and who knows, I may make Telford next year TTFN Peter

Seasons Greetings folks Happy Christmas to one and all.. Just a final one before it all starts as I got out of the cockpit for a bit of fiddling about and hope to spend the nect 10 luxuriant days I have off work doing some proper P51 time ..first on scaling the spinner drawings we have a bit of a big nose - you can see about 1.5mm too big all around.. We also have an offset carb air intake under the spinner.. ..oddly its a bit uneven.. ..I made some scale templates so I can at least get an idea of where shape work may be needed - these were taken from NA drawings.. ..the btop one is a plan of the nose, the bottom a side profile and a few others around the chin intake.. ..also got the layout & spacing of the chin carb intake to correct the offset.. (X 4 as I use them at different times..) ..getting the chin right... ..and the top profile at the last former - again a plastic templete from the drawing, although to be fair to HpH I probably made it this rounded while reducing the spinner disc size.. ..you can see the flat top & 'ears' that need building out with P40 fiuller ..as I did a lot of reshaping the nose needed strength so I filled it with Alec Tiranti expanding foam - this stuff sets rock hard.. ,and hopefully some of the profiles start to take shape.. Have a great Christmas everyone TTFN Peter

evening folks thanks for stopping by so, it was time to move on to the floor.. ..it seems there are two layers, one layer is the top of the wings with a zinc chromate jointing strip and the two fuel gauges as seen here... ..above this, sit all the real floor panels - when I did the PE I did each panel and then made one base panel by joining all these together and filling a few gaps to get one full panel as a basis of the floor... ,,seen here is the part - it actually has a slight bend in it as the floor slopes away down to the rudder pedals, you can also see the first folded panel that go on here and drop down to the wing skin.. ..all the folded floor parts were added, the wing skin & strip made from riveted litho and tubes added for where the fuel gauges go & it was all primed.. ..I added the fixing strips at the bottom of each panel where it meets the skin afterwards as separate bits - they were too complicated to try and fold in.. ..painted and assembled.. you might just be able to see the fuel gauges... ..all the floor parts are wood so I stuck them to some marquetry ply -it's very thin & perfect for the job... ..then all the fixing holes were drilled out and lead wire threaded through... ..soon all the panels were finished.. ..painted and with wear added where flying boots rub against the floor pounding the rudder pedals... ..also added the two controls by the fuel gauge holes - one says hot air & the other defroster so I assume they direct hot air from the engine (the red knobs need matt varnish yet..)... ..and mocked up in place... ..the cockpit pod is coming along and represents a lot of the effort in the model.. ..control column next TTFN Peter

thanks folks & good evening ,,a bit more done over the weekend.. ..this is the sidewall of lopes Hope - as you can see there is lots going on, so pert of the process is deconstructing what you see into small assemblies.. I had most of the structural work done, so time to prime with etch primer.. ..one side.. ..and the other - this is the side you see above in the real one.. ..after painting green, I started to add some of the fittings and decals including the pedestal... ..and on the other side, some of the switchgear.. ..a couple of small control units were needed so I made these and prepared a number of watch parts for the fittings... ..making these convinced me I needed a 3D printer from santa this year as I could have just knocked them up... ..I also made and added these inner parts to the main longeron at the cockpit sill - the brass 'H' section I used was 0.5mm too small and that was enough to mean all the decals along the side didn't fit - so I took the drawings and scaled these I could just laminate to them.. ..that meant I could really start to add in all the decals and placards... ..and a check to make sure all the subassemblies go together to make the cockpit pod.. ..should be moving onto the floor, rudder pedals and control stick next... TTFN Peter

So, evening all Its been a while, so now Telford is out of the way I start to get my mojo back. It was great to meet up with everyone and I still can't believe we sold out of our show stock for the new HK Lancaster cockpit set ..next up for Lopes Hope is the sidewall completion so I can prime & paint the main structures before fetailing them.. seen here left to right - the low shelf down by the side of the seat holds the signal flares, the star shaped thing sticking into the fuselage ay the mid point is the mounting plate for the signal pistol (I think the pilot shot through it, but don't recall seeing big holes on the outside of the airframe?), and on the far lower right is a sort of triangular curved lever housing which is the bomb control selector... (with a red handle top..) ..these were the next bits up onto the bench.. ..the low shelf was created from plan drawings put together in different colours so I knew where the folds were - these were then stuck to litho to be cut out.. ..folded, finished & with the metal parts of the holder added.. ..same process for the flare gun holder - the part was drawn & scaled - some dents were made around the inner hole with a screwdriver and the part cut out.. ..I forgot to take pics of the finished part, but you can see it mounted here on the sidewall along with the shelf.. ..and test fitted with the completed pedestal... ..the bomb selector lever housing was made by using a PE template to make a plug I can vacform over.. ..lots of plastic to get one little part... ..trimmed & with details added this will be primed & painted before adding metal internals and the lever itself.. ..I also made the panel the housing sits on - this side is nearly ready for painting.. ..good to be back at it TTFN Peter

oooh not seen one of these in the flesh - looks fab James I toyed with doing a PE cockpit & instrument decal set for this, but now the WNW one is on the cards I will leave it to the big boys to play in that space really looking forward to seeing this come together Peter

Hi Peter, how nice to see you here not long to go until those Bithday wishes! Hi Jeroen - thanks, but no it won't be at Telford - there is not really much to see - I will wait until nect year by which time it will be in the airframe and it really will be a WIP looking forward to seeing you there so next up was the trim pedestal seen here - this is in Lopes Hope, but has some of the access panels removed - luckily I have drawings of these... ..first thing to do was take what info I could from the drawings and make templates to scale... this was then transposed to a sheet of thick plastic card... ..and working up the base shapes and the access panels.. ..I had the trim wheels 3D printed by shapeways and the tape template is trying to work out the top panel as the plan does not allow for the curvature... ..the tape template then was used to create the top panel... ..and the sub assembly starts to take shape - some of the placards needed backing panels adding.. ..priming and painting the 3D parts.. ..these then had the bespoke decals added.. ..and after painting the unit all the levers were fabricated and the other decals added.. ..it will need weathering later and a big lever at the bottom needs adding.. ..and how it will fit in the fuselage side panel.. enjoyed that, will have to see what is up next.. TTFN Peter

Quality, quality stuff I love this Jeroen - dazzling treatment to the kit & is going to be something special indeed Peter

hi folks so, to what's been going on... actually quite a bit of rework.. ..it started with adding the power panel - this is the canvas enclosed thing here on the back of the 'A' frame - it is a metal plate with some bits added, sheathed in a material bag cut from the original template with added fasteners and some wiring poking out... ..the reworking was adjusting the height & width of the fuel tank - I don't know if I misread the plans but it was too narrow at the top, so I slid it to the side and added anothe section below the brown radio... I also had to cut the end off this radio as I made it too long so the fuel gauge would not sit where it should.. after a lot of chopping & changing I got all the bits in as they can be seen in the reference pics I have... ..you can see the big wadge of tank added here, and how it was raised as well.. fortunately all the messing about will be hidden.. ..I wanted to get the armour plate & seat fitted, so had to fabricate these air vents before they could be added.. ..I found the drawing, scaled it and started to fashion it from plastic.. ..and with paint & pipes... ..then the armour plate was painted & the seat - the pics I have show the seat a different green so did this too.. ..then all the parts were added together to the sub-assembly... ..and a dry fit to make sure it all sits right with the walls... ..will be doing the elevator & rudder trim pedestal next... TTFN Peter

strange - they still work on Hyperscale & Britmodeller I'm stumped.. Hopefully it will fix itself

very wierd - they worked yesterday and now none are visible - must be a hosting thing with photobucket i better check my account or something Peter

evening folks & thank you how nice to see some old faces, I wondered where you had all got to! I can see some fabulous builds going on here too so am really glad I stopped by a little more done.. these are the radios in the back - SCR274 I think... a lovely shot, rich in detail, all of which I have to try and make... ..I started by adding what I could to the 3D printed versions.. I could already see problems though - the main tuning wheels were not very well defined for example.. ..so I cut them off (and the knobs & bumps) and made those myself too.. this is the smaller one.. ..and the larger one.. there are some tiny black screws I still need to work out how to do - paint was too coarse, I tried rivet decals but they have carrier film, so I might try and get a Rotring drawing pen to do them,, ...next the racks they sit on - again another great reference shot from Aircorps.. ..these were made from lots of little bits of litho and odds & sods.. I didn't make up the boxes at the back as these are so deep in the fuselage they won't be seen.. ..and this is how they sit (dryfit) on their racks.. ..lastly the subframes the racks sit on - one square bit of painted litho and a couple of folded constructions painted black.. ..and the ensemble together.. ..next I need to try and get all this kit and the fuel tank mounted TTFN Peter

Hi Ernie.. great job and great to see another early 51 in the mix this is a bit of a unicorn for me - I have heard of Jerry's kit, but never seen one built - looks to be in great hands and coming along very nicely indeed! TTFN Peter

very, very nice wish I could get back & finish mine - it's the kit that got me back into modelling after a 20 year break you are making a superb job of this one Peter

Hi everyone, I got a prompt from Cees to swing by and see whats going on and can see a lot of old friends here hello to all, nice to see you again… I am making a Mustang and I will start to share it with you, but my one little problem is that I am part way through so I am going to share my first post and my last and a bunch of random pictures in between so we sort of catch up So to the beginning.. I posted a build thread on both LSP and Britmodeller so I have borrowed from that.. On with it then I hear you say.. ….. After reaching the pinnacle of my modelmaking goals and winning Senior National Champion at the 2017 IPMS Nationals with my Spitfire, I have been wondering what to do next.. What could possibly top that feeling, well maybe nothing, but just maybe it might be having another shot at it in a few years with another project. After a bit of a slump and an attempt at a scratchbuilt Fairey Firefly, I have settled on something that has lit the fire again and in fact is very similar in approach to the Spit. I asked Mirek at HpH to run me off one of their bespoke 1/18 subjects a P51C as again I could do a natural metal skinned finish, references are abundant and there are restoration subjects that have been documented that fill my need to understand an airframe inside out. One of those restoration subjects is Lopes Hope a P51C-5-NT that Aircorps Aviation in Minnesota have just put back in the air. I was so blown away by the photographic records they kept and the absolute commitment to accuracy they employ that I wrote to them asking for more info about the airframe. I was stunned when their VP wrote back offering to share info, permission to use their photo’s in my build log and even a small part of a real P51 to include in the model somewhere! They are the same guys that host the Aircorps Library which is an incredible online resource offering for a nominal membership fee access to all the factory drawings and manuals for a range of seminal aircraft. Their notes on this P51 and why they chose it echo my own: “Lope’s Hope 3rd was a P-51C flown by Lt. Donald Lopez. Donald and Lope’s Hope 3rd served in the China-Burma-India theater with the 14th Air Force, 23rd Fighter Group, 75th Squadron. The 23rd Fighter Group was the descendent of the famous American Volunteer Group or Flying Tigers after the US entered the war. Lt. Lopez had 5 victories in China and went on to become a test pilot in the early years of the jet age. Later he was the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space museum until his death in 2008. Donald Lopez was instrumental in the construction and opening of the National Air and Space Museum. The original wartime Lope’s Hope 3rd was a P51C-5-NT, Army Air Force Serial Number: 42-103585. The serial number information was just acquired through the generous contribution of pages from Lt. Lope’s war time log book by his granddaughter Laura Lopez. Normally a WWII fighter’s serial number is easily determined by just looking at the tail number. Squadrons in almost every theater of operations number planes this way, but not in China. In China the 23rd Fighter Group’s squadrons were assigned a block of numbers for differentiating their aircraft. The 75th squadron’s block was 150- 199 (or to 200 depending on source). Lt. Lopez used 194 on both his P-40N s and on his P-51C , Lope’s Hope 3rd. Without his log book it might have been impossible to figure out his Mustang’s AAF serial number. Our restoration airframe is a P-51C-10NT Army Air Force Serial Number: 43-24907 , that remained in the continental US during WWII and was used for training purposes during and immediately after the war. The decision to paint her in Lt. Lope’s color scheme is intended to honor him and his service to his country in WWII and to aviation all his life.” I also think it is one of the most attractive early model P51 schemes out there.. ..and to show the kind of reference available through Aircorps Aviations website, these are a few shots that show how a part restored airframe (and this one was done from the ground up) is such a valuable asset to modellers - there are details recorded in pixel perfect clarity that you just wouldn’t see unless you were in the factory when it was built.. When you marry this with the document archive, it means I can go to the P51C parts manual, find the part I want to create and in the manual is listed every part number so I can ID a fuselage frame is part 102-31156 for example.. From there, I can search the library for that part.. ..and from there create the part in Coreldraw for photo-etched parts to be made - here this part has a thicker core (in red) and then laminates with etched relief detail on them so when all assembled they will reflect the real part perfectly.. ..at this stage I am still doing lots of this translation work and creating what will be hundreds of PE parts to detail out the model.. ..lots of cockpit construction parts.. ..instrument panel bulkheads.. ..fuselage bulkheads.. ..the instrument panel is a layered structure.. ..and what will become a bespoke set of decals for all the markings & placards.. ..onto the model itself.. this literally arrived today so I am just starting to look over it and need to find a good set of plans (recommendations welcome) so I can compare what I have here - on first look it looks good, but I am sure as I learn about the airframe I will find things to change.. ..as with the Spit, it starts out as a one piece GRP moulding.. ..also included are flaps, ailerons & tailplanes along with the rudder & airscoop in resin.. ..so quite a project hopefully, and certainly one I am looking forward to - although as with the Spit I have some trepidation as it is such a well known aircraft I am going to need the help of those who know it best to make the best job out of it.. ..the only downside is that my day job changed in November and I have to be in the city a lot more so my modelling time is currently halved so updates will not be as frequent as in the past (who knows, hopefully I win the lottery & can quit ) So that is that, I hope you will join me on a long journey into the magical P51 ..that was it, my first post, now a little catch-up and I hope there is no image limit per post here ..and now we catch up to date with todays fun and games… Target for tonight is the MN26C Tropicalised Radio Compass - I think this is the reciever part.. ...note all the cables & fittings, screws, the odd colour it is - it also has some lovely labels that had to be made as decals... now I thought I would get all clever with this and the other radios and reproduced them lovingly in 3D. As I wanted to start on them now, rather than pull a favour from friends to print them I joined Shapeways where I had seen others just get stuff printed on demand. I uploaded them, paid 60 euros for ultra fine plastic (which seemed horrifically expensive for three bits no more than a cm or two square) and waited for the postman.. ..on arrival I cleaned them up and primed them.. ..not too impressed actually - they seem to have quite a coarse 'waffle' effect like a raised grid across all vertical surfaces and the bigger details don't seem very crisp.. One other major flaw was down to me - I don't know how, or why but the MN26 part seen in the pic of Lopes Hope above is not tall enough... I toyed with living with it given that one part is the cost of a half decent kit, but I couldn't so started to make one.. ..I started by making the endplates, and the box from folded litho, bulked out with plastic to keep rigidity.. ..by scaling & printing the layout I can mark what goes where on the business end.. ..I then started to make up a kit of parts for all the details.. some of our airscale bezels, guitar string, wire from a busted laptop and odds & sods from my box of watch bits... ..then assembled those prior to priming & basecoat.. ..the rear just has a little clasp.. ..also added some feet from ali tube.. ..then spent a bit of time trying to mix a colour that looked right - I looked at originals that have been sold on ebay and the pics I have and arrived at a semi metallic shade of baby poop... ..and then added all the rest of the cables & decals.. ..I like it better than the other one and I have to say it was more satisfying to make ..so thats it for now, a bit of an epic to kick off with, but at least in future it will be more regular & coherent - got to see what I can do with the radios next and have a good look around & see what people have been up to TTFN Peter

Hi Cees - I just use thin CA and a pin to apply it - a bit of careful handling and mostly it ends up without disasters little more done - the cockpit needs bulkheads so I started with frame 10 which is one I had the lining etched as part of the set as it has a load of equally spaced holes.. I cut out some sides from litho and put a bit of plastic between them to space them.. This set the scene for a lot of repetative bending, folding, cutting and filing to make many of these kinds of structures.. ..in this case I folded the sides of the etched part and then annealed it to try and shape it around an aerosol can as it is curved in cross section.. ..then went on to add other bulkhead parts and lateral stiffeners - the ones with small fasteners were little sods and I almost wished I didn't try and make them like that as they took ages to get the fasteners made and fixed.. ..same sort of activity to get the parts done on the top half, except here for a bit of variety I could at least start to make the box section where the canopy winding handle and chain guard will go... ..the key here is get the groundwork done on which to build all the interesting details... ..lastly, I want to try and match the sidewall I am making to the bulkhead and then adapt the cockpit 'pod' I cut away from the fuselage to fit, To do this, I have made the jig to hold the sidewall match the shape of frame 11 - sort of like this... ..the problem I haven't solved yet is matching the walls to the floor as the cockpit is quite open and all those half bulkheads on the sidewall need to somehow be continuous across the floor later.. one for a bit of headscratching... TTFN Peter

evening folks umm - there is a big hole in my aeroplane... ..I cut the cockpit away with a slitting tool in a dremel for a nice clean cut - the fuselage & wings are still very rigid so no worries about compromising strength.. the first thing I wanted to do was check the PE against the inner dimensions - in places the walls of this 'kit' are pretty thick fiberglass, plusI designed the PE from the Monforton book so thought they may not match... started with the seat bulkhead (Frame 11) and the Instrument panel.. ..thankfully both fitted really well - I thinned the walls of the 'pod' but was pretty careful as the glass mat gives the shape strength and I worried if I went too hard it would just crumble in my hands.. no issues though and it turned out ok.. certainly good enough for government work... ..with frame 11 off the fret I started to fiddle about with some assembly to make a change from the hackathon I have been on... the frame starts with a main part and a rivet outline... ..with a strip of card added around the inner circumference to give depth and some brackets or fishplates found on the real thing.. made up the seat mountings from brass stock and more PE parts - there are a couple of seat quick release latches that figure on the horizontal cross brace so included them.. now I have figured out my dremel workstation I also drilled all the parts to bolt together... ..and the two main sub-assemblies start to come together.. ..and dry fitted,, ..couldn't resist trying it with the seat.. ..much more to do, but this is turning out to be a very rewarding build - just hope it stays that way.. TTFN Peter

morning all ... hot tip time... yesterday I told the family it was International Mens Day - that got me a good solid day at the bench without chores or disturbance so I got the control column nearly finished... surprised they didn't google it, but hey... ..I started with making the pressing that shrouds the control chains that go from the grip to the base of the stick and all the control wires - it's a complicated shape and I pondered how to do it - I tried grinding from solid stock but that failed - in the end I tried emulating the original as a sheet pressing... again, a paper template to get the original, I added the two sides I would fold up, and here I am trying to cut out the centre for where the column itself will go.. ..this part has about 2 hours in it - all the time I was terrified I would slip and bend it as it is quite fragile - once you do that it's terminal... ..the final part with the column itself - I used reference pics to make exactly what I see... ..and the sub-assemblies ready to come together - one fake mini-bolt holds it all together... ..it was fiddly, but once together, I just put a drop of CA on the retaining nut and it was done.. ..as a bolt was used it moves freely, here we are rolling to the right ..I still need to add the back plate and some gubbins at the rear of the grip mounting and then top it off with a curved pressing that rounds off the big lower plate and then it really will be finished.. TTFN Peter

evening folks kit has not arrived yet so I have had to busy myself with some other parts.. ..today is about learning and experimenting and that the first solution is not always the best option.. it also seems some crap has got into my camera so sorry about the black smudges here & there.. ..I started with the control column - I scaled a drawing and found an appropriate diameter rod to start trying to form the very distinctive loop shape.. ..it was actually a really hard shape to make - I also turned a brass spigot on my dremel (must get a lathe..) to mount it into.. ..the real one has two rings on either side to give better grip I guess, so I made these too.. ..I tried getting the rubber effect by using heat shrink tubing - it took ages to slide the tubing over the rings and around the circumference - the first one is on the right below - I wasn't happy as it looked too clunky and not textured. This gave me the idea to use guitar string so I made one from that... with this one I just could NOT get the tubing around it and over the rings so I tried others where I put the tubing on first and bent the shape... ..many attempts later.. ..I also tried to make the part the grip actually sits on - I made a paper template and then folded it up from brass sheet - on the left the first attempt - totally fried by my mini blowtorch - I am still a serious learner when it comes to soldering.... on the right take two when I used a soldering iron ..another in the long line of trial and error was the gun button - I figured an air racer wouldn't have one, but actually the mounting is part of the casting of the grip so I thought I would leave it on .. again, at the top the first attempt was to scribe lines into soft ali pipe which I thought I would section and bend around to give the grooved button... fail... at the bottom a section of X-acto handle I worked up which worked out much better.. ..the finished front of the button and it's housing.. ..and all the parts combined,,, ..it's a really iconic part so I hope I captured it.. TTFN Peter

So, this is the picture that changed everything… This is a Spitfire Mk. XiVe (ex TZ138) being raced in Tinnerman Air Races at Cleveland, Ohio piloted by James McArthur placing 3rd on September 4th 1949. The next day McArthur left the airfield at 6:00 am with the winnings and the aircraft leaving no trace of his destination. As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it – bare metal, civilian not military, beautiful lines and right up my street. I had been struggling with fatigue on my F7F and after a bit of soul searching decided why not do both? I found a few more pics, and in fact she is still flying as C-GSPT in Canada.. I looked at the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire Mk. 1a kit and what might be involved in converting it to a Griffon, low back Mk. XiVe, certainly a possibility, but through a culmination of events I went for this… ..it’s a 1/18 Seafire FR47 available by order from HpH at 450 Euros without shipping and is being sent on Monday J. I went for it as it’s bigger and needs less outline work to correct this to a Mk. XIV than taking a Mk. 1 all way up to the later marks.. I have the Monforton book which while it doesn’t cover the Griffon versions it has remarkable detail & drawings on everything Spitfire, so I am already part way through drawing up some bespoke PE for it which is scaled up from what I have pending for the 1/24 kit.. ..I also couldn’t wait while it was being prepared so thought I would get started on something, and thanks to Tony Taylor’s exceptional pics of the seat (I found them on a forum so I do hope he doesn’t mind me re-posting..) I decided to start here.. ..so first up I prepared the rear braces by scaling the drawings and using them as templates to form & bend up the parts.. ..made up a kit of parts either turning on a dremel, forming from litho or using RB Motion car parts.. ..assembled the parts and made up pistons etc from tube & rod.. ..added the start of the seat mounting & adjustment frame – working from such accurate scaled drawings is an amazing bonus as it fits like watch parts and lines up properly provided care is taken.. ..onto the seat itself – I decided to make this from litho even though it is a resin/paper moulding, just because I like to work with it.. ..I annealed a part of it so I could shape the sort of ‘pocket’ thing on the side – as I was working I also referred to David Glens book on his incredible 1/5 scale version… ..there is a uniquely shaped depression in the seat bottom for the parachute pack, so I made a plastic card ‘plug’, fixed it to a thick base and worked annealed litho around it with a coffee stirrer stick.. ..again, making up a kit of parts, including folding a lip at the back of the seat so it will meet and support the seat back.. ..a dry fit of the parts so far.. ..making the seat back – I drilled it so I could use micro rivets to fix it together.. ..used the Monforton drawings to scale templates for all the parts, here I am starting on the fittings related to the seat height adjustment lever.. ..and the finished adjustment lever bits & bobs.. .. I was quite impressed to find with careful assembly it actually works! ..lowest position.. ..highest position.. After a week, that bit is finished and I like how it has turned out.. - this is assembly number one of what will be a long term project.. I hope you will join me on the journey.. ..also, as it’s a Spitfire I am looking forward to getting a lot of advice as I go, as I learn about the airframe and the long list of subtle differences between Marks, versions and variants – I only wish Edgar Brooks was around to keep me straight – in a way I hope this becomes my tribute to him See you soon folks.. TTFN Peter

evening folks it's been a while and things have moved on a bit, so here is the latest on the big cat.. ..I set myself goals to move through the stages needed to get a bird like this done - "make the nacelles, so you can skin the wing", "sort the landing gear geometry out so you can detail the nacelles", "skin the lower wings so you can build the nacelle internals" - I have to discipline myself to do these steps so there is some order to the approach and things don't clash with each other.. ..the current goal is to get the lower wings skinned so I can get the nacelle structure built, so I thought as it is the lower wing just go for it in one big sheet.. ..I marked out rivets, panels and use colours to tell myself whether to rivet from the back (so domed rivets) or stop points so I don't rivet through a panel etc.. restoration photos are great for this as you can see panel & rivet details - unfortunately it is much more difficult with a Dark Blue GSB F7F sitting in a hangar which is what most of my reference is - but I think this is near enough... ..then after at least an hour's work the panel is fully detailed - here is the template being peeled off.. ..I also masked and wire woolled the roof of the U/C bay as the litho plate has a sort of coating I am not sure will take paint, so I stripped it down & will metal prime it.. ..I will be cheating as this will need to pretend to be the wing top skin, as I don't want to go chopping the wing about ..and fixed it in place.. ..another little challenge on some of the top wing skinning are some vents in what is the U/C bay roof - they literally are just holes I think to maybe let hot air created by the engine out of the U/C bay.. I cut some thin slits in the panel and tried making a shaped punch to indent them, after experimenting I had to make a female part to stop the vent mishaping or becoming too big - better to find that out on a test part than a panel you just spent time on.. ..they turned out ok though.. ..and thats it - stage complete - the undersides are done and I can start on the U/C bays... ..and to give a sense of scale, here it is with a 1/32 Sea Fury - the only other model I have completed since I re-started in 2010... ahem... TTFN Peter

boy that is one nice paint job.. ..I want to paint like that when I grow up.. stuning build Jeroen Peter

evening folks ..thanks for stopping by.. so, it's engineering time - some serious structural work to sort out wing spars and mountings for the main undercarriage.. first I thought about how to mount the U/C in the wings - the answer was a chunky brass plate that also could be used to tie in the wing spars as one unit and allow me to slide them in and out of the stub spars while I build the wings.. ..I clamped it all up and fearful of burning the whole thing to the ground soldered together with a torch - I put some metal clamps on the spars before they go inside the airframe as I hoped they would act as a heat sink and not cause any disturbance to the fuselage... ..cleaned up the joints and it is rock solid.. ..made up the other side.. ..the main gear leg is perpendicular to the spar, but is canted at an angle to the wing chord...it is also a solid leg until it gets in the nacelle then it is a mass of rods & arms. I can't model it like that, I need a rigid mounting so will have a mounting tube to slide the leg into... ..the geometry is complicated so I mocked up a nacelle and the gear door openings (the cut-out at the front) with an old spray can lid so I could work out where to put the mount.. ..I also don't trust my eye as the whole airframe has been built away from jigs or any kind of traditional keel so I hung the plan over my kitchen table and worked out where on the mounting plates the fittings should be by working from the wing leading edge so they are correctly positioned... ..and with some careful setting up was able to solder on the mounting lugs... ..the structure seems to look ok and equal, and importantly if I balance it where the gear will be it is not a tail sitter (by quite some way) so the resin nose & lead weight worked... ..the 3mm card wing cores sit above these and have cutouts for the air intakes - I also made a wing root rib which along with a few more half ribs along the wing will be the points to sand the balsa down to to get the core right... ..lots more to go, but it's a start... TTFN Peter

evening folks ..just a few quick snaps now the U/C is pretty much finished.. ..added the gubbins to the retraction arm which must be part of the actuator - there is also a little junction box like thing that has a pipe coming out of it that runs along the arm and back up into the bay via the noseleg.. ..added the actuator arm and taped up a spacer to protect it.. ..calling this done.. TTFN Peter

evening folks been beavering away and now on torque links.. the rusted to hell bits on the right in this pic from Chino - note they seem handed so not just two simple triangles, plus they have a flat centre with sides so are likely a casting, and have lightening holes... ..so where to start... measured off my plans and marked out some sheet - always drill any holes etc first it is much easier when you have something to hold on to rather than do it afterwards when it is a fiddly little bit... ..worked up the parts and scored and bent off a very thin strip for the sides... ..added some tube to each end and started to add the walls from strip.. all this is CA'd together - I was too scared to try soldering it.. ..used tiny bolts to assemble them and the main parts are nearly complete - just the retraction arm to go... ..thats it for now.. TTFN Peter