styreno Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Over the holidays, I was tidying my stash, and discovered a Merlin 1/72 Fulmar purchased in 1991, for £6.95. A product of the early garage-industry limited run injection process, it is molded in a waxy white plastic, with semi-opaque parts that represent the canopies. All surrounded by so much flash that carving the parts to shape is the first thing required, after sawing the parts from the huge sprues. There are decals, but the less said, the better. A good three-view is provided, and it is absolutely necessary if one is to believe this could represent a Fulmar. Easy to understand why it was never started, once the Pegasus version, and then the Vista/Airfix/Smer/Revell appeared. Obviously, this should be one for the bin, but I am possessed occasionally by excited delerium, and in this state of mind I decided to see if anything resembling a model aircraft could be produced. The two fuselage halves do not exactly line up, and the solid wings have a slight bend. The canopies would be useless, except that they are so thick, that inside their form can be discerned something of the original shape. The wings, after hot water treatment and much sanding, were straightened. The fuselage halves were roughly aligned, mating surfaces sanded flat, then glued together. The canopies were sanded extensively to fit their apertures, and lightly glued in place. They were then sanded to match the airframe contours, removed from the model and polished to give a semblance of clarity. Turning to the wings, having decided to try to represent a folded wing Fulmar, each wing was cut into three pieces. The stub wings were pinned with brass rod, and glued in place, as were the horizontal tail and vertical pieces. And that is where we are today. Next up, some scratch built cockpit invention/detail and paint, then re-attachment of the canopies. More to come......... Edited January 6, 2015 by styreno 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Folding the wings is a great idea! And you seem to be wrestling into shape quite nicely. With a nice coat of EDSG/DSG it will look great! Looking forward to more progress on this. Just please don't go buying some fancy aftermarket wing fold detail set! Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 You're a brave, brave man. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. http://imgur.com/gallery/B0I1rJy Edited January 6, 2015 by styreno 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. http://imgur.com/gallery/B0I1rJy The nice thing about stupidity, in my vast experience, is that it's much less stressful on the front end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 As above,......you are a very brave bloke! Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 (edited) I'm very curious to see what you'll end up with, it's hard to see Merlin kits built on the web. The initial description of the parts fits well with my experience of kits from Merlin, parts of different lenghts and so on. You really are a brave man, best of luck ! About the canopy, there's a vacform canopy from Pavla on the market, sells for very little money. It's meant for the Vista kit but may be made to fit this one. In case the original parts can't be used, it could be a good solution as a replacement Edited January 7, 2015 by Giorgio N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 About the canopy, there's a vacform canopy from Pavla on the market, sells for very little money. It's meant for the Vista kit but may be made to fit this one. In fact, if it doesn't fit, that just makes for a more authentic Merlin Models experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Thanks for the interest in this build. Last night got the 'pits detailled (minimally) using the white metal seats and scrap plastic. Main concern was that the canopy would still fit as it is so thick. I do have a Falcon canopy (a thing of beauty) that is/was intended for my Pegasus Fulmar. If the Merlin canopy is really the abomination that it seems to be, I'll donate the Pegasus canopy. Didn't really want to start swapping parts, as that changes this build from a retro exercise in modelling to something more contemporary. I was tempted to order some Airwaves detailling P/E, but decided to do that another time. Time to get some paint in the cockpit. I noticed that the spine has an inaccurate slight dip. I think a bit of putty and sanding will fix that, and is still within the original scope of the build. I'll add a photo or two once the next step is done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 Photos from last week show the cockpit detailled, painted, and the kit canopy tacked in place. Not very impresive. Background are the two choices I have - the Falcon vac, and the injection Pegasus canopies. There is NO WAY that those two will fit the Merlin fuselage - it is much smaller. I also checked a Revell injected canopy, same size problem. So it will have to be the Merlin, as bad as it is. The sagging spine was solved with one application and sanding of putty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyverns4 Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 As above, you are a very brave man! It is impressive to see what you have done so far to a 'Merlin' and it bodes well for the future, i look forward to seeing your progression. About that canopy; how about using what is supplied and plunge moulding replacements? Any ideas on what markings? Christian the Married and exiled to africa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Interesting project I shall watch with interest and admiration as you beat this into submission! Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 Did you notice that one of the thread's tags is 'self flagellation'? Builds character. I did consider plunge molding, but if I really wanted to go that far, I have three other Fulmar kits in hand, all considerable improvements over the Merlin. I don't believe in binning a kit, no matter how bad. The challenge is to get as much out of it without excess distraction. I have too many projects stalled because I am undecided about detail, or dissatisfied with the quality of the build. These older kits are always useful as gifts for the nephews and other youngsters who stand in awe of my finished collection, (if they do get finished). I would never give an unfinished primitive kit to a beginner - it only leads to frustration. A finished, painted model is another thing. Our standards are self-imposed, and it is necessary to keep things in perspective. I (and other experienced modellers) may agonize over fine detail in contempory wunder-kits, but we learned how to build with these amorphous chunks of plastic, and revisiting them is worthwhile. Next up, sealing the canopy over the cockpit and masking it. Then taking a look at the prop and undercarriage. Only thought on markings so far is to use an 'A'-prefixed serial ( to identify non-flying airframes used for ground training in the FAA) This is obviously going to be a hanger queen. :-) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Work on the cockpit blending has not gone smoothly. White glue used to fill the gross gaps, and multiple applications of Mr. Surfacer. Last one is still drying. Light sanding between applications. This is going to be the weakest part of the build. The white plastic and clear glue filler has made it extremely difficult to judge contour blending. Markings selected. It came down to what was in the decal dungeon. The Pegasus sheet with Torch markings won by default. Starting to think about the wings. Will use fine wire and P/E offcuts to make the attachments. Not expecting problems. Reference linked photo from the FAA Museum. Landing gear went together surprisingly easily. Kit parts just required flash removal. White metal prop and spinner needed some attention, but is going to be OK. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 If you like, I think I have some spare Fulmar decals from an MPM kit I could post you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the offer Procopius. However, the decals I have are adequate for this job. How did the MPM go together? Presumably a few more parts than the Merlin version? :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Thanks for the offer Procopius. However, the decals I have are adequate for this job. How did the MPM go together? Presumably a few more parts than the Merlin version? :-) Haven't built it yet, so I'm not sure, but yes, several more parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Great to see one of these old Merlin lumps being beaten into submission! I agree with your comment about how we learnt to model years ago, and I have a few Merlin kits in the stash awaiting attention - all WWI subjects though. I'm looking forward to seeing how you manage this one! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 I am enjoying your efforts to build this kit but am unsure as to whether I should admire or pity you! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Save the pity for something else. This is just an aberation, an exercise in bravado. No photos this evening, but the build slowly progresses. I found a 60 gal. overload tank from a Spitfire that fits perfectly (well, almost). I also discovered that the ailerons should droop symetrically to clear the fuselage side when folded. Not going to happen - the wing is solid, and the sawcut would remove too much material. Also, the carb filters needed adding either side of the of the radiator. Stole those from a Revell kit when I couldn't find the unused ones from a Vista I built years ago. Some filler and surfacer to sand before proceeding. Hope to get some progress shots up tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 If I were building this, I would just cover the dreadful canopy sections with a tarpaulin! With the wings folded and a tarp in place it would look like it has been battened down on deck ready for some inclement weather. Cheers Tony 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
styreno Posted January 23, 2015 Author Share Posted January 23, 2015 Progress so far. Basic fuselage assembly finished, canopy attached and masked. Horizonal and vertical tailplanes in place. Wings assembled and brass pins inserted for folded position. Flaps have sheet brass attachments fitted. Attachment to tailplane not yet done. Carburetter filters attached. Arresting hook attached. Ventral fuel tank added. Prop fitted. Undercarriage assembled, not attached. Clear cover for landing light fabricated and attached. From hereonin, work will be essentially the same as any other simple model. Not going to go overboard with superdetailling - just finishing will be sufficient. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procopius Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 That's some nice work on the masking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Thats looking more like a Fulmar - nice work Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 That looks super. It will be nice to see it with some primer/paint because it will have much more definition in photos than the pale plastic. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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