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- FIREBRAND TF 5


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-As I told you in "Ready for inspection" this is the work in progress of the Magna Firebrand. It is a rather reversed process as the finished model has to be shown once the building terminated and I hope the boss won't worry about this.

- So let s go......First why the Firebrand ? I was a teenager when I found a photo of this machine. Owing to its look I could be nothing else than a Warlord, but when much later I learned it was a calf sure I was desapointed but I always like this so brute looking machine and I could not resist to built one when I had a hand on the Magna kit. And this is what I discovered when openning the box

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-So I decided that there was something to do and after a conference wiht my "Adviser" I began the job

- First as usual it was the cockpit which received my attention

-It is notorious that most of resin kit have a completly narrow and wrong office so I began to cut the sides of the fuselage

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- The job consisted in taking a print of the part to remove, report it on the fuselage, taking care of creating a recess around the cut

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- And replace the removed parts by the same in shape made of beer can skin

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-My adviser really wonder what I'm doing.....See you later folks

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or for that matter the valom kit of the firebrand TF2.

one to watch.

I think this one predated the Valom Mk II, I have one of those which is why I'm after the 1/72 version of this to go with it, but I'm watching this build like a hawk for tips.

Steve.

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-Well, going on with the cockpit.The main advantage of cutting the side of it is that gives you much more room for furnishing the inside.

- Owing to the paucity of the documentation on the subject ( as far as I'm concerned), my cockpit is more or less a guess job, trying to be logical with the things that were in the forties

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Edited by IPMS19
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-As an after tough, I should have painted the cockpit in black as most of the cockpits of the end of the forties were....

Yup, AFAIA cockpit was indeed black.

HTH

Andy

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-Now it s time to add a skin to the cockpit .Ingredients : Bier can skin (If you get it "Jeanlin" amber beer is the best suited); and what I call " cyano- resin putty "

- What s that ? May be is it known but for those who ignored what this could be this is my" fabrication secret": First it is only for resin building.

- Each time you file, drill , sand or cut a resin part pick up the dust obtained carefully. You spread generously this dust where you want to have some putty job then drop a few cyano on it .

Don't be surprise it harden in stantenously and become very hard,then you can almost at once sand or file and even drill.

-However some care is to be taken.There could be a chimical reaction emitting some very light fumes ,so better wear a protective mask, don't panic It is not FUKUJIMA.Then when you sand or file, the putty is much more hard than the surrounding resin so be carefull not to hollow the surrounding sides .

-Advantages of this method, this putty is very strong and hard and it is of the same material as your model ,so it does not shows under paint coat as the conventionnal putty sometimes do.

-If you re not satisfied with the results you can renew the operations as many time as you need.

-Now some photos, it is better to understand the process.

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- The skin is installed at the right place you want as once the putty applied it will be too late to rectify, then apply the cyano resin putty

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-You can see the result, the joint is scealled, then sand the eccess

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- Then a few surfacer ( paint coat is the same) all around to have some check, if needed you may add a few cyano drops on the flaws

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-When you are happy with the result, go to the next step ( it will be next week because some vacation days.......At last )

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- As you can see, nothing to worry my Advisor

Edited by IPMS19
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-Now it s time toadd a skin to te cockpit.Ingredients : Bier can skin (If you get it "Jeanlin" amber beer is the best suited); and what I call " cyano- resin putty "

- What s that ? May be is ti known but for those who ignored what this could be this is my" fabrication secret": First it is only for resin building.

- Eac time you file, drill , sand or cut a resin part pick up the dust obtained carefully. You spread generously this dust where you want to have some putty job then drop a few cyano on it .

Don't be surprise it harden in stantenously and become very hard,then you can almost at once sand or file.

-However some care is to be taken.There could be a chimical reaction emiting some vey light fumes ,so better wear a protective mask, don't panic It is not FUKUJIMA.Then when you sand or file, the putty is much more hard than the surrounding resin so be carefull not to hollow the surrounding sides .

-Advantages of this method, this putty is very strong and it is of the same material as you model so it does not shows under paint coat as the conventionnal putty sometimes do.

-If you re not satisfied with the results you can renew the operations as many time as you need.

-Now some photos, it is better to understand the process.

img_3928.jpg

- The skin is installed at the right place you want as once the putty applied it will be too late to rectify, then apply the cyano resin putty

img_3929.jpg

-You can see the result, the joint is scealled, then sand the eccess

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- Then a few surfacer ( paint coat is the same) all around to have some check, if needed you may add a few cyano drops on the flaws

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-When you are happy with the result, go to the next step ( it will be next week because some vacation days.......At last )

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- As you can see, nothing to worry my Advisor

Edited by IPMS19
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-Well, after few days off in Burgondy this is now the follow on of this making-of, hoping you ar still interested in it.

-This part is easier than the first one if cutting resin part can be said "easy"

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-The fin had to be separarted from the fuselage to be cemented at angle to cope with the propeller torque and the sealed again on the fuslage with the help of Cyano- resin putty

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the next step involve the elevators which had to be separated before being cemented in an active position to give some life to the aircraft

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-The dimensions are to be retablished before cementing

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-And then cemented in place

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- Happily for me my Adviser was there to give a hand or whatever else........

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Nice work! That last picture is absolutely priceless, not to say expensive if you don't retrieve the model from your "helper" in pretty short order!

Martin

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I bought one of these about 10 years ago but was never inspired to start it. I think your doing a great job and might tempt me to start mine.

Colin

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I bought one of these about 10 years ago but was never inspired to start it. I think your doing a great job and might tempt me to start mine.

Colin

- When the idea shows the tips of its nose it is time to go on with the project, The more you wait ,quicker the will of building it disapear......the Firebrand is so attractiv.........

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-Moving forward, building of an entirely new anticrash pylon

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then placing of the canopy borrowed from a Sea Fury

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- Amongst the numerous thing to rectify is the forward fuselage in from of the windscreen which requires to be cranked

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- Then the cooling air vents flaps are to be changed

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- Of course al of this has been duly checked by the Adviser

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- Further forward comes the engine cowling, I used a cowling from a Seafury by Trumpy far better than the one from Magna, only the shape under the chin has to be formed and the cooling fan behind the propeller to be made.

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-Creatting a fan is not difficult, for this I used a soft aluminium piece easy to work

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- The air scoop on the top of the cowling having disapeared in the re-shaping process, it had to be restored in its due place and for this ,nothing better than the beer can skin

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-To end with the fuselage, the tail wheel well needs to be re visited

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- As well as the hook housing and the re-shaping of the stern

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- That's enough for the fuselage, this is now time to think of the wings.......

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- Nothing better than a nap on the sofa in front of the TV to be ready for the new challenge.........

Edited by IPMS19
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