Aussie Jeff

Here I go again, but this time no rigging or propellers this time - actually only my third jet aircraft. I had read a the previous build posts and it came out as a good little kit so I thought I'd give it a go. /media/tinymce_upload/8a6d2623ddd92998c9d5053bc9e0c3a1.jpg I haven't applied a lot of decals lately so I'm going to try the silver/orange trainer scheme - I may come to regret that decision later. The cockpit was a dark dark place, and I'm leaving the pilots out, so I decided to have a bit of fun and add a few details to add some interest. I had a look on-line and found a few pics with blue seatbelts so I made an attempt at recreating these with slivers of masking tape. I must admit though the included instrument decal is really good.This was then fitted into the fuselage halves not forgetting the nose weight. For once there was plenty of room for the required lead. /media/tinymce_upload/bc259444f61805f4fea8ab83579e3cb3.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/72f57bc1f7cbebff161b137b382ece46.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/caa9e0b1695a2a9b18693a8dd772f567.jpg There are some very delicate parts moulded into the lower fuselage halves which eventually went AWOL - one I was able to recover but the other will need to get replaced later with a fine bit of stretched sprue. The upper and lower wing halves, engine, twin booms and rear control surfaces really needed assebling in one go before the cement fully cured to allow for proper alignment so things went pretty quickly. It seemed odd to me that the instructions wanted the inside of the engine ducting from the side inlets to the turbine painted as it would never be seen so I didn't bother - I still need to fit the outlet/exhaust. I also lost the fine moulded-in horizontal antenna on the port boom tail. Another bit of stretched sprue to the rescue later. /media/tinymce_upload/0a43154b8c1593c727dffefb31503540.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/74ab4f3a41215812235bda64146fce70.jpg Another errror I made (READ THE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY) was not fitting the undercarriage legs to the booms before fitting the lower wing halves. I could have done the model 'in-flight' but as I had omitted the pilots that really wasn't an option. To get the legs in I had to cut out the small section between the wheel well and where the leg mounts (visible above). No biggie as the plane sits real low anyway. I finished off the tricycle undercarriage parts and allowed to cure overnight before painting - got to love these one-colour (mainly) paint schemes. I still need to do the grey on the nose. /media/tinymce_upload/1f27987182d7c7203a88b21317d33b72.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/166dfd0afe74544383bec9e3ad5481ab.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/5eb4e67a2557f6b6442abe5dbc8ccaf7.jpg Next up will be a couple of coats of clear before starting the decals (yikes).

I admire your skill T2B! I'm no expert but that looks awesome and once behind the canopy I'm sure it'll be very convincing. And your figure painting is great too - he even has a surly looking countenance (as you would sitting at the pointy end of a D-Day aircraft). 😎

I know Airfix (and other manufacturers) have a spares service but not sure how effective it is having never used it but I was wondering about the possibility of a spares co-operative working via this forum? I sure we all have a collection of spares from all sorts of kits, new and old, including decals, pilots, fragile parts etc (I know I have and I've only been doing this for 9 month) that we may never have the need for again that someone else is crying out for. Not sure of the logistics given the privacy rules of the Forum but if there was enough interest/support I'm sure something could be worked out. Comments/ideas anyone?

Details were in 'Latest Acquisitions' but here it is again - "Also got some 'EZ Line RAF Flat Rigging for RFC Aircraft' that turned out to be Prym Knitting-In Elastic (not even rebranded???) - oh well. Might have to visit the local haberdashery when I get through this 200m and see if it's any cheaper!" It does have a flat profile so you do need to minimise the twists (or stretch it more) otherwise it looks a bit odd. See link here - https://www.prym.com/en/knitting-in-elastic-transparent-977770#

Rather than building a new model I decided to look back at some of my old ones and see if I could improve them in some way. The ideal candidate was this Sopwith Camel, the very first model I made last November. It was one of the models included in the RAF Centenary set and was on the old 'fishbone' type sprues. Given I had just completed the pair of Tiger Moths with rigging I decided to have a crack at rigging the Camel. It also gave me a chance to use the new EZ Line rigging thread. While I couldn't correct some of the messy construction errors and the rigging is a little untidy I think the result is a good one. Before/After photos follow. /media/tinymce_upload/f0554e6b16cd782db3ea9ceabfd44de6.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/15c91680eb6da70841e566b156ab5a2d.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/e420dfa0f59c7300984f7ed2e8bf978c.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/f01085f40973a1b842a25fc0ac86da48.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/d569785a2e3e08c5e49b9427bd2f86b1.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/bd588a4e3d146e730fc49fbc9274068a.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/87cdc7c38f611f4b563a575e45e1d63a.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/abbb74ebe18672abfba59e0fb51a6555.jpg

You're making me think I need an airbrush. 😉

Well I couldn't help myself. A local mail-order company had a discount Airfix promotion when I ordered my second Swordfish (25% off) - so I added five more kits to the order including: - another De Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth (the last one I promise)- Fokker E.II Eindecker- Messerschmitt Bf109E-4- Messerschmitt Bf109G-6- Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX Total discount in the end was over 30% - that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 😛

Ha! Now there's a laugh, but thanks for the kind words. If I could do opthalmic surgery I'd be doing on myself! A good magnifyer certainly helps though.

Just finished my Academy P-40E Kittyhawk. You can tell it was painted with a hairy stick. 😀 There was a RAAF scheme in the kit but the Australian War Memorial included additional decals to make up 'Polly' and a couple of others from the Milne Bay squadron. /media/tinymce_upload/8bb3b2beab45ca0e7654874a66f8bc50.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/49bbcc4450eaf2e75a6974670de0ecec.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/cd5014433ec6495fa27ba1b068d3c2c5.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/04431429705c03bbd1b51b09b5be172c.jpg

I have a 1:72 P-40E Mk.Ia from another kit manufacturer beginning with 'A' underway at the moment. Building it up as RAAF Sq.75 A29-133 'Polly' as displayed at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra. See: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/kittyhawk/ http://warbirdswalkaround.wixsite.com/warbirds/nz3009

My Swordfish arrived today (plus another 25% off on the way so I can build both versions, or fix any disasters) along with something else I couldn't pass up at the price. /media/tinymce_upload/1c4a6c98f9ae76fcaa7741f0a627dc70.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/5e8391c316421c6c61a074d81b5e4988.jpg I wanted to do a few more Spitfires and saw this - four complete kits (a Mk. IX early, Mk. IX late & 2 x Mk. IXe) with 14(!) schemes to choose from including two clipped wing versions and two 'beer barrel' Spitfires (the latter I had never heard of before. It comes with photo-etch parts for all four kits, resin undercarriage wheels (4 sets)and beer barrels (2), and painting masks. I've never tried PE, resin or masks before so that'll be a new learning experience too. Also in the box was a random Spitfire squadron-branded beer glass and coaster. That'll definitely come in handy!!! Also got some 'EZ Line RAF Flat Rigging for RFC Aircraft' that turned out to be Prym Knitting-In Elastic (not even rebranded???) - oh well. Might have to visit the local haberdashery when I get through this 200m and see if it's any cheaper! 😮

Both models are finished now - undercarriage, tailplane struts and skids added without much fuss. Decals also went on fine, though not many on either model. I stayed with the monofilament for XL-717's rigging but didn't paint it - I thinkit looks much better. Both the lift and landing wires were simply threaded through the eyelet at the centre and the two 'tails' threaded through the eyelets at the main wing struts and tied off and a dab of CA applied to stop the coming undone. I even had a go at putting in the floating brace between the rear landing wire and forward lift wire - and it sort of worked. I just used a bit of stretched sprue, put a dot of CA where the centre wires crossed and rested the brace on it as well as fixing the end to the rear wire. This was allowed to set before fixing the front point and trimming off the excess. The port side is a bit clunky but the starboard one worked quite well. I also replaced the rudder control wires on XL-717 with super fine wire from an old set of mobile phone earbuds. The wire I had used before (and is still on G-ACDC) just looked wrong. Here's some pics of G-ACDC. I had a few glue issues, particularly around the centre strut area, which ruined the finish a bit, but learnt enough to avoid the issue on XL-717. /media/tinymce_upload/45902d9f33a27b03cfa829dd19ed38da.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/d2bf8d2b650c8d49086e05e77e848acb.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/54f048b676535a470c2e0f8bd4e66694.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/ec9162f2016094a79f6dfeab60edf2e1.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/710d8baf79ca80700af6006f44af28f7.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/f38ee4d4428d22f4ba5c2f1594078877.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/cd23a34eb27ca8d973b91c8e006a5703.jpg The enamel paints on XL-717, particularly the silver and trainer yellow, were much better than the equivalent acrylics - so I learnt something there. Here are the comparison pics. /media/tinymce_upload/1e2b0eb64170fd38903ca7319f760be6.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/b58967428cfac208ead2b268b962cbd0.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/fb4977c497e9022868d915d13fa92b3e.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/da43b3251772381651d4c62344725662.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/b7f8c3b620249a0925646eaba279bb32.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/dc105c080a437343bd60fc25b0bbf635.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/58aa45aa5389f77c552bd1e60a297999.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/c39068c1f9a5e11a9d30949bf342b947.jpg Building the two models together certainly had its advandages - mistakes made on the first could be avoided on the second. As for the paint experiment, I think the enamels had the advantage on the larger surfaces but I think I'll stick with acrylics for the smaller, detailed areas even if it just for the ease of clean up. Using eyelets for the rigging made the process much simpler and less messy. It also has the advantage of being able to replace wires easily if needed. So I'll definitely be using this method in future. And just one last pic. /media/tinymce_upload/bd3415978193b90007ddc609de35ccbe.jpg

Had an 'oops' moment in the home stretch. /media/tinymce_upload/5919148860166509fcf1a59a539edc8a.jpg

Thanks T2B - will definitely be referencing your Swordfish build when I start mine.

Might be an idea to consider the 1:48 kit! 😆

I built an 80's vintage Airfix Catalina a few month ago (post on this forum) and several times I thought to myself "Why didn't I just buy a new Academy kit". ☹️ Turned out okay in the end though.

The new tool is a cracker - its just the loop of a fishing swivel, held in the pin vice, with a small section cut out so you can slip the wire in/out easily. Bend the wire over the loop, pull taut and twirl the pin vice. Eyelets made in seconds, and they are very consistent! I reckon it'll come in handy for the Swordfish - and thanks for the advice on the wings. I reckon it could look interesting.

The build is coming along at a cracking pace and so far no real disasters. The eyelet thing has been a real success. Here's some pics of the assembly of the top wing and mating up to the lower wing. /media/tinymce_upload/202122453f19dbb71343a9e636449b9b.jpg For the centre section bracing I cut slot on the sides of the part that gets glued in place and passed the monofilament underneath - the other ends will be fed through pre-drilled holes in the fuselage just ahead of the screens. I deliberately canted the centre struts slightly inwards so it would apply some positive force when cemented to the fuselage (no need to clamp). /media/tinymce_upload/f64cddee0453ecf7413ceb51342bf55b.jpg Below are the incidence bracing wires that get fitted to the main wing struts. I drilled a hole through the wing where the struts fit, fed the wires through and then cemented the struts in place and allowed to fully cure. it is the possible to adjust the centre of the bracing wires later. The fully assembled top wing follows. /media/tinymce_upload/3235a4cb75aa88d9e5ae26ed9f70e0fb.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/0a5987bad0fdca009778ade3fcb344a4.jpg This is then very carefully joined to the main assembly after feeding the wires/monofilament though the appropriate holes gradually taking up the slack. As you can see this is why I didn't fit the nose cone earlier - makes tensioning the centre bracing cables much easier. /media/tinymce_upload/dbacb1d459ac27db69b3d9d61e8f4f81.jpg Once the centre strut cement points had cured the lower points of the wing struts were matched up to the holes in the bottom wing, glued and the two wings taped together until fully set. /media/tinymce_upload/c75178915b5b24257adfa004f918d4c6.jpg I reckon my next post will show XL-717 fully complete.

New and improved eyelet making tool. Makes these eyelets in seconds! /media/tinymce_upload/19a4417a78f8d88562f02c582d17cf66.jpg

Back to XL-717 and the rigging. I was quite happy with the result of G-ACDC's rigging but I could see room for improvement (there is ALWAYS room for improvement) - so more googling for ideas. This is an adaptation/combination of ideas from various sources - wire eyelets. Using fine wire (like what I had on hand) bend it over a fine drill in your pin vice and carefully twist until quite tight - too loose and the eye will be too large, too tight and the wire will snap. Pre-drill a suitably sized hole in your model (you could probably do all these in advance) where the rigging is to come from/to. Trim off the excess wire with a craft knife/scalpel blade an holding the eye with tweezers dip the twisted strands in CA and insert through the hole, align and allow to cure. Trim of any excess protruding through the model (on thicker areas you probably wouldn't even need to go all the way through) with sprue cutters or craft knife nice and flush and then file smooth. You then have a really strongly bonded eyelet that you can thread your rigging material through. Below are pics of the process. /media/tinymce_upload/be4a4cb5abb1dc9630a4440925821620.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/b66de22fd6634f916c14ebb2a47138e0.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/857fe5fd0112dffff6481e41894f2a4b.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/72035d57b3a2b1647c079a5dc6941359.jpg/media/tinymce_upload/48c243574141cec733bece01062bd165.jpg Had I thought of this earlier (not an original idea mind you) all the attachment points could have been pre-installed which I think (hope) would make the whole rigging process easier. Let's see what happens as I progress with XL-717. And if anyone has comments on this, good or bad, I'd love to hear them.

Just going a bit off tack here but a few of you have mentioned the Swordfish and I might give that a go. I see it has folding wings as an option. Can it be built with one wing folded only? Thought it might look interesting/different if it could - sort of like it was being prepared for flight.

Just a couple to put aside for when I've had enough of rigging wires and propellers. /media/tinymce_upload/4ec01da5b03a9e22d8685c5742b06e0e.jpg

Thanks Paws - let's hope I can do even better on XL-717. Secret weapon - have some EZ Line coming in the post. 😀

Good story Peter - the only thing I've had a go at flying was a glider. No torque to worry about there! I was looking at the Swordfish as it had a similar silver/yellow scheme- maybe I should have started with that. And I believe the Gladiator has markers for where the rigging goes.

Well, they say you learn more from your mistakes than you do from your successes - if that's true I learnt a hell of a lot before I finally got G-ACDC rigged! The wire idea was a complete failure and only the outer wing braces and cockpit bracing remain from that experiment, and only because it was too difficult to remove and replace. And maybe, just maybe, I should have picked a larger model for my first attempt at biplane rigging. Just so you can share my trauma here's a couple of pics before nearly throwing it at a wall ("Remember, we do this for fun" - thank you John. 😀) /media/tinymce_upload/f19807aeaf74b78eb1fdcfb9d2885ed6.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/080ff6cc54d475c0b95264cbdb4240f9.jpg So it was back to the monofilament for take two. I figured I was overthinking the issue and just tried simplifying things and got very dexterous at tying knots with tweezers. Things broke along the way (again) and there is a lot of touch-ups to do but I think the images below show the rewards of my patience. /media/tinymce_upload/1c694948b5535662d57e096fddacf867.jpg /media/tinymce_upload/3f98f73dc59b3ff43837063db60e2853.jpg Now I have to do it all over again for XL-717! Anyone know a good shrink?