airscale Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 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! TTFNPeter 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Here we go again .... "Sea Fury" Part Deaux! Fantastic stuff Peter, love the look at the HpH kit! Definitely watching this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingco57 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Hi Peter, Good to see the Sea Hornet here. And it looks a winner too. Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted November 13, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 13, 2013 Ooooooh wow... I absolutely LOVE the conversion work on the engine. Stunning... Especially the cabling. Following this one for sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted November 13, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 13, 2013 Hey Peter, you have my attention! I once chatted with Eric Brown, and he said this was one of his favourite types, out of all he flew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Ooooooh wow... I absolutely LOVE the conversion work on the engine. Stunning... Especially the cabling. Following this one for sure! Hey Jeroen, A while ago I found these guys and mentally made a note about the cabling (mesh etc):- http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=47&osCsid=bc8531cfc39f87bf86f01f62bd12d5b2 May be of use? G. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Great start Peter! Personally the Hornet does nothing for me... but I love your work so I will be pulling up an pew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted November 13, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 13, 2013 Hey Jeroen, A while ago I found these guys and mentally made a note about the cabling (mesh etc):- http://www.hiroboy.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=47&osCsid=bc8531cfc39f87bf86f01f62bd12d5b2 May be of use? G. Oh wow!! I need some! Thnx Grant. Is this what you are using Peter? Be honest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Oh wow!! I need some! Thnx Grant. Is this what you are using Peter? Be honest! They have amazing braided hose and pneumatic connectors etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Oh wow!! I need some! Thnx Grant. Is this what you are using Peter? Be honest! 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted November 14, 2013 Author Share Posted November 14, 2013 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 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted November 15, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 15, 2013 Peter, you are like a machine. I admit, I'm loving the HPH stuff at the moment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators JeroenPeters Posted November 15, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 15, 2013 I just can't get over the detail. It's sickening.. I need some of those hoses and a new set of eyeballs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingco57 Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Peter, The detail you are putting into this engine is uncanny. Will only one engine be exposed? Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikester Posted November 16, 2013 Members Share Posted November 16, 2013 Holy inferiority complex, Batman! Amazing work, Peter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted November 16, 2013 Author Share Posted November 16, 2013 evening all, back with a bit more progress.. Peter,The detail you are putting into this engine is uncanny. Will only one engine be exposed?Cees 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.. TTFNPeter 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted November 17, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 17, 2013 I'm in absolute awe of this work. That Merlin is just superb. I'd never contemplated the Hornet before.....but now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingco57 Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Peter, I agree, resin is not exactly mainstream, but suitable for the lesser known subjects. I like how they represented the leading edge intake to form the duct inside. Is David Collins helping you with references? Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmayhew Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 wonderful detailing work what are your impressions on the kit itself no you are getting a bit more 'stuck in' to it? there have been some (oft rather heated) discussions on Britmodeller regarding the accuracy of this kit - but from what I can gather it is pretty decent overall, with some detail discrepancies that most (though not all) will be happy to live with personally, i love the Hornet shape because of its affinity to the Mosquito, but as a subject would give it a miss because it is post WWII very much enjoying what you are bringing to us here on LSM with this thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingco57 Posted November 20, 2013 Share Posted November 20, 2013 Hi Peter, That's some great resin engineering. This way we can all understand the complex curves of the Hornet. So it's all a matter of using accurate drawings. Manufacturers please note haha. Cees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted November 23, 2013 Author Share Posted November 23, 2013 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 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingco57 Posted November 23, 2013 Share Posted November 23, 2013 Thanks Peter, You make it look so easy, which it isn't. The difference is obvious.Cees 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators James H Posted November 23, 2013 Administrators Share Posted November 23, 2013 Bloody hell Peter, you're a brave man. Such great work, and you make it look so easy. I know it's now though 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 When I have my next operation, can you do it for me?? Peter, you've such a deft hand with the saw and file it staggers me - is there nothing you can't do with a plastic or even resin model? I think it takes a special "eye" to see beyond the kit parts and be able to create something more special, more unique like you do. This is going to as epic as your Sea Fury. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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