GazzaS Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Too good! So much more can be done when you have accurate knowledge of the panel structure. Can't always trust the panel lines on a kit. Drooooooolll Gaz 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 afternoon folks So, fillets.... they are all curved as you woulkd expect, some in multiple directions - I was hoping the dorsal fin was the last panel as the very tip of it overlaps the fuselage skin I can't add until the cockpit is in.. but no, it's the first panel down - I guess as it's the least removed in service.. ..to get an idea of the area, this is for a P51C without a dorsal fin - I couldn't find too much on one with a fin and all the resto pics I have of Lopes Hope do not yet have all the fillets fitted so some assumptions were made from what I could see that they are pretty similar to a 'D' model.. ..you can see curvature & shapes and the fittings that fasten them too ..I did the dorsal fin but forgot to take pics, so this is the upper forward fillet first.. ..a sheet is bent & taped down to start the forming process.. ..a ball pein hammer is used to gently beat it into shape, and helped with balsa rubbing blocks and hard wood coffee stirrers.. ..here I am trying to get it to conform to the leading edge and the curved part that runs out onto the fuselage.. ..after shaping a number of scaled templates were used to derive the shapes - these are side views so I have to allow for the shape as it curves away from the eye.. ..and soon all the fillets were in place ready for final shaping & smoothing - at the leading edge you can see where the panels overlap - by sanding away the overlap a perfect seam results - in fact on the full size one this is a butt weld which is finished on the outside.. ..after final finishing and finessing some of the edges, the fasteners were added - this was a vet labourious process as each one must be punched, then marked with an awl for the fastner, then flattened, then added - there are about 60 each side.. ..once the other side has it's fasteners (I can only do so many at a time without getting bored..), I will move along the underside to the air scoop & exit under the fuselage.. TTFN Peter 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 All I can do is shake my head................................... do you hear a rattle?? This is another epic tutorial, just like the Spitfire was..................exceptional skills on ALL levels... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Those fasteners blows my little ego out of the water. Riveting spectacle as always. Cheers Martin 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Absolutely stunning work once again. How you can shape these panels so accurately without damaging what's already there astounds me. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 That is just amazing! What did you use for the "butt weld"? Jaw droppingly good! Gaz 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 Howdy pardners Thank you so much for all your kind words - it really spurs me on to do my best I needed to move on under the fuselage to the scoop exhaust area - again this is a bunch of compound curves, but quite an interesting part of the airframe.. ..having chopped out the 'kit' part as it wasn;t right, I had replaced it with a card & filler structure, but this still needed rework when I got to it as the sidewalls needed to be strong to take burnishing down the metal skins to get the curves.. ..so the first thing was to create some stiff brass walls... ..this was then lined with pre-rivetted ali skins.. ..on the real deal, you can see the roof skin is ribbed to aid airflow and there is an opening for the strut that controls the door in this area.. ..I CA'd some brass wire to the roof to form the ribs over and started working an annealed sheet into the opening - this sheet was prepared by riveting the trailing edge and making the strut hole & rivets.. ..the tips of the scoop ribs were done by cutting the straight edges & pre-riveting, and then sticking these in place before forming the edges over the structure.. ..both sides done (before final finishing) - you can also see the ribs in the roof now.. ..the side panel has a hatch in it so this was added - here as the impact adhesive goes off before being folded back into position.. ..the other side has an indented oval (no idea what it is...) so this was made, then attatched to the skin and a hole made in the fuselage to accept the adaptation.. ..then it was all sanded to uniformity & any missing / lost rivets added.. ..I had also made the radiator before so this was test fitted.. ..have moved to the underwing panels behing the main gear -once these are down, the radiator airscoop can be added back and all the skinning under there completed TTFN Peter 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Impressive working around such a intricate area. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Impressive work........................... period ! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJTX Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 This is now on a level I can't even comprehend. Hold on while I get my Thesaurus. I'm out of words to describe this build. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted June 9, 2019 Author Share Posted June 9, 2019 hi folks just a little update this week, as I am in India on business, but as I had a few photo's on my phone, I thought I might put them up ..you can see here the big panel behind the main gear bay - this is a fuel tank cover and has an oval hatch at the rear and interestingly a lot of domed screw fixings all the way around it.. ..this poses a challenge when making the panel, as all the embossed rivet detail needs to be added and the panel fully finsished, before a final stage which was to emboss the screwws by turning the panel over and pressing down with an awl onto a layer of tape on a sheet of glass - that way the metal gives enough to get a clean dome, but not so much it deforms the panel as I can't burnish it out again or I would lose the dome effect.. ..these panels were then added and the central cover made - this was made by making a buck with some semi-circular plastic rod glued to a sheet of perspex and burnishing the metal to accept the shape - the radiussed nose of the shape was filled with CA so it doesn't collapse and then the finished part added.. ..the central airscoop had been removed to allow the fuel tank cover panels to be fitted, so this was added back. When I marked out the panels on this part, I could see i needed to make corrections - the skin I added to the scoop ages ago did not go back far enough or deep enough down the body of the scoop - you can see whats missing between the panel & the drawn lines.. the only way I could come up with was the 'seamless' method I have been using where I add a panel and burnish it up to it's adjacent panel and sand away the lip it forms as it goes up and over the edge of the panel - here the extra has been added and you can see all along the joins there is an overlap.. ..this is then treated by sanding away the waste and it is virtually impossible to see the join.. ..the last thing I did before I left for India was to start marking out the bottom panel via a tape template - here using cotton thread to make sure the rivet lines correctly follow the contour of the scoop and are straight & vertical when seen from the side.. I hope to be able to pre-rivet the part, but it is going to be tricky to get a good close panel line fit accross three mating sides... ..one for when I get back.. TTFN Peter 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted June 9, 2019 Administrators Share Posted June 9, 2019 Peter, as usual, words escape me. I look, and look, trying to go full IPMS and spot a flaw, any flaw, and there are none. The guys and gals at HPH must be shaking their heads in wonder at your level of artistry. This Mustang is truly the perfect follow up to you Canadian Spitfire racer. I hope to make it to Telford when you show this. I NEED to see this in person. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocRob Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 Outstanding, your metal sheets look like the real deal. You cannot reproduce this look in plastic, equal if you're foiling or airbrushing NMF, plainly amazing. Cheers Rob 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted June 16, 2019 Author Share Posted June 16, 2019 Hi folks Back with a little more... I tried skinning the bottom of the airscoop in one piece, pre-rivetted, but I couldn;t get a good fit.. you can see the gap between the bottom and adjacent panel here.. ..so I decided to try it in two halves, tring to lose the join line down the middle - here the first half starts to get persuaded into shape.. ..and both halves with the skin overlap in the middle.. ..after sanding the join out, the rear of the panel is cut to shape and the waste peeled off.. ..and with some rivet details added.. ..moving backwards, two panels have been added, including one around the oil cooler outlet and a further one is waiting to be stuck down - the intention is to get all the base metalwork down and then sand, shape & refine before cutting out panels for doors etc and riveting in situ.. ..looking to lose another couple of seams, an infill panel between two outboard ones is ready to be stuck down.. ..and now this area is ready to move on to the detail stage.. until next time TTFN Peter 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GusMac Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Just astonishing. I can't believe how well you make those joints disappear. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 sheesh! amazing!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted June 29, 2019 Author Share Posted June 29, 2019 evening all I added the hatches & panels to the underside and rivetted - there are a number of small fragile cup shaped air scoops to be added both sides of the main structure, but I will do that much later so I don't damage them.. I will also do the doors for the oil & radiator coolant exhausts at some point down the line.. ..with that done - I need to stop skinning and get the cockpit finished & installed as the scary bit will be building up and skinning the rear canopy area. I learned from the Spitfire not to race too far ahead with skinning as when you need to do major bodywork & filler it can be really difficult not to damage it and to work around it.. so remindingmyself where I was, I found a few assemblies to do... ..first the Hydraulic Hand Pump seen here.. ..nice turned handle, a tubular & hex section piston case and some cast bracketry.. ..I made up a kit of parts - the most complex of which was the piston housing - this was done from hex brass stock on my lathe... I have so much to learn using that tool... ..the parts were painted & assembled.. ..and a dry fit to check it all fits in.. ..next the Landing Gear Control Handle.. the black funny shaped thing seen here under the vertical trim wheel.. ..this was made from two chunks of square brass stock, shaped with a cutting disc in my dremel... ..not perfect, but near enough for me.. ..and painted and it's decal added.. ..lastly, the control column and mount.. ..I actually made the column ages ago and don't know what I did with the WIP pics, but suffice to say the pistol grip was shaped from a chunk of plastic and had various fittings & the trigger added, the shaft was turned in my dremel with it's subtle taper.. The torsion tube mount thing is again ground from a chunk of brass and is very simplified as all it needs to do is represent the shapes as it all sits under a cloth gaiter.. ..it is articulated, so you could go flying ..not painted it yet, but in situ for reference.. ..should get another good stint in tomorrow so may be back soon.. TTFN Peter 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 Pure inspiration Pete! Barry 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted July 7, 2019 Author Share Posted July 7, 2019 afternoon folks ..I have been away much of the week, so just a little more done - but each part is one more step towards completion! ..firstly, the control column was finished & painted - I just need to work out what to make the canvas gaiter from as all the materials I have the weave is over scale.. ..and dry fitted in place.. ..next, the rudder pedals... these are in Lopes Hope... a very obvious feature is the writing on the faces ..this was taken care of by making PE parts - here the rounded shape is being imparted by taping & rolling over some brass rod.. ..soon the base pedals were made.. ..then a kit of parts assembled, including the forks that hold them.. ..I checked and only the bottom of the assembly can be seen, so all the upper gubbins was pretty much ignored.. ..and these were then painted and some light scuffing - washes & weathering will come much later... ..thats it for now.. TTFN Peter 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted July 7, 2019 Share Posted July 7, 2019 Every time I need my inspirational fix , I come here. Thank you for sharing Peter. Outstanding work as always . Cheers M. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazzaS Posted July 8, 2019 Share Posted July 8, 2019 Such awesome scratch-building. It's one thing to shape a piece, paint it and chip it... But to actually make raised details and instructions on it. Masterful! Gaz 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Clunkmeister Posted July 8, 2019 Administrators Share Posted July 8, 2019 Peter, again, I’m mumbling to myself, my friend. I need to be in Telford for this one... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted July 14, 2019 Author Share Posted July 14, 2019 howdy folks again, not a huge amount to show, but I want to try as best as possible to keep a weekly log, so this week's challenge was the collection of fuel control gubbins that sits below the main instrument panel (in fact the switchpanel below that but whatever) - seen here: ..for the central control selector I designed two methods - I had a decal made, and I tried making an etch part with all the lettering so I could paint it black and sand off the top layer to leave the letters and lines.. ..the remaining parts were made up from sheet or bits & bobs... ..these were then painted & assembled - you can see I used the etch part for the fuel control rather than the decal.. ..and they were added to the lower switch panel using templates to set the angles they all sit at.. ..and thats it for this week - told you it wasn't much ..need to start getting the cockpit pod ready for assembly now, at which point the weathering will be added to make it a little less toy like.. TTFN Peter 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grunhertz Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Beautiful just beautiful 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinnfb Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 Little less toy like, he said ... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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