Jump to content

1/48 Trumpeter Westland Whirlwind


Recommended Posts

You could represent the break out panel by taping a scribing template over the appropriate area of the canopy and try scribing two concentric ovals, a very risky process that I would hesitate to try, Alternatively, if you or a friend are able to do so, represent the panel in decal form. Depending on how much it bothers you, you can always give the panel a miss altogether. In Martian world it is sometimes better to accept a small inaccuracy rather than mess up neat work.

 

Martian

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

You could represent the break out panel by taping a scribing template over the appropriate area of the canopy and try scribing two concentric ovals, a very risky process that I would hesitate to try, Alternatively, if you or a friend are able to do so, represent the panel in decal form. Depending on how much it bothers you, you can always give the panel a miss altogether. In Martian world it is sometimes better to accept a small inaccuracy rather than mess up neat work.

 

Martian

I did think about the decal option Martian but thought I would try cutting out a bit of de-gunked Scotch tape. Seemed to have worked although my photo is not the best. I will go back in and add the six bolts with a needle after the Future dries. 

I used a PE template from Eduard. 

 

32754917385_6f1740e223_c.jpg

 

Cut out the inner ellipse first and then the center a larger one to cut the final ellipse.

 

32754917305_0579c27413_c.jpg

 

I then positioned the little ring and dabbed it with a drop of Future to cement it in place. 

Sorry that the photo is a bit out of focus.

31911707634_af92305b45_c.jpg

 

The other thing that I worked on today was the cannon ports on the nose. Adding the bulges around the lower two and added the washer and captured nut that secures the nose cone to the cannon framework.

 

31911707964_b27f5aa554_c.jpg

 

That's it for today. Going out for our anniversary tonight! 36 years of wedded bliss. 

Thanks for watching.

Terry

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a "better" picture of the blobby thing that I will call a knock-out panel. (until I try the make your own decal route!).

I will add some marks to represent the bolts etc and see how I like it... Eye sight failing.. So standards lowering... Damn you camera close ups!!!

31914188064_bebcb1d547_c.jpg

 

But seriously, I might get some injet decal sheets and see if I can come up with something better. The problem being how to print something transparent... Outlines I guess.. Anyway for "do it with the skills and materials at hand.. I might be able to make it work..

The three foot rule looms large... Should I change this thread's title to Sow's Ear?

Basement still wet, but drying... sigh.

Terry

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the tape idea didn't work, at least Future does not make a very good glue. The next day I went to exam the canopy and my little pudgy breakout window had fallen off. So I had to rethink that approach. Plus the execution was not that great. Cutting out little pieces of plastic by hand is not a good way to end up with something that looks like a machine produced shape. So I ordered some decal paper and fixative from Popilio and drew an image for reduction.

 

32787642136_c29de04dd8_c.jpg

 

I did try another type of thin plastic and cut it out using a needle, which was much better. But was unable to find a suitable glue. Also my little templates don't quite match the object. So perhaps the decal will have to do. It hopefully will have crisper lines, but it's look will be different than something semitransparent lying on the surface. Compromise seems in order.

 

Meanwhile I kept plugging away at the rest of the canopy details. Remember there are two to do!. I really couldn't do anything with the hash I made of the old canopy so decided to drill a large hole that covered all three scars that I created and then plug the hole with a bit of clear sprue. Looks terrible but, marginally better than the "bullet holes" that were there before. I am treating the first kit as my prototype and learning a lot. 

 

Made another brass antenna support and glued it into a new hole in the old canopy:

 

32828681895_3a9e40ffeb_c.jpg

 

Glued the reinforcing strip up the back of the new canopy, as well as the PE at the front where it mates with the front portion of the canopy:

 

32787642286_1342a2a4ce_c.jpg

 

32705132391_e11c5f8b57_c.jpg

 

 

Folded up some PE brass to create the rear view mirror as the kit canopy's molded mirror is too small:

 

32787642336_83c5f11c81_c.jpg

 

Also painted the internal support members for the canopies. But have yet to figure out how to install them without gobs of epoxy.

 

32787642226_636b94d038_c.jpg

 

All this attention to the canopy has got me realizing just how inaccurate the kit canopy is. Not sure that the length is wrong. The profile may be off both from the front and the side. But they molded the framework in the wrong place I think any way, if there is one lesson that I hope to take away from this build, it's to check and double check the photos and plans before doing anything! Sigh... Learning can be painful, but modelling is still fun!!! 

 

Thanks for checking in.

Terry

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good work on the canopy. I hope the decal solution works out. If not, may I suggest not spoiling the model over that break out panel?

 

Martian

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Martian Hale said:

Good work on the canopy. I hope the decal solution works out. If not, may I suggest not spoiling the model over that break out panel?

 

Martian

Thanks Martian for the advice. I will try to restrain myself! I have managed to reduce my drawing of the breakout window in Photoshop and am now contemplating filling it with a very, very pale gray and changing the lines to white or just adding white lines to the black. Trying to represent the plastic pieces is an interesting challenge. Here is what I have so far after an hour of adjusting in Photoshop:

 

32869532425_59662d1474_c.jpg

 

I suppose that I will do several different versions of the decal and select the best looking one.

 

Moved ahead on the canopies. Masked them and painted them adding a coat of Testor's Dullcote Lacquer over top to try and protect them. Glued the tiny support V in place and will cut it off at the right level before attaching the base members that are secured to the bottom of the rear canopy. Tiny fiddly bits!

 

32715989332_49b881efb5_c.jpg

 

Also cut out the ailerons and filled the voids with Bondo. The molded lines for these flaps were embarrassing to look at, so a bit more work.

 

32026642284_317bc51111_c.jpg

 

Trying to stay the course here, but my Christmas gift arrived and sits in the wings:

 

32026642194_18a11f942c_c.jpg

Looks to be a lovely kit with a booklet of photos. Keeping the box firmly closed!

 

Thanks for checking in!

Terry

 

Edited by Sprueloose
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi sprueloose. I think I might have a idea re your knockout panel. Have a look at my mig15 build where I use a 'Half laminating' technique for surface details. I think you could adapt that technique to your needs. PM me if you want to discuss further.

 

Reconcilor 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/12/2017 at 6:22 PM, Reconcilor said:

Hi sprueloose. I think I might have a idea re your knockout panel. Have a look at my mig15 build where I use a 'Half laminating' technique for surface details. I think you could adapt that technique to your needs. PM me if you want to discuss further.

 

Reconcilor 

Reconcilor, I had a look at your mig 15 build and the half laminated idea. I may investigate that if the decal route doesn't get me what I want. Thanks for thinking of that, and great build by the way! I will  stay the course with the Whirlwind and have put the boat in a cabinet!

 

On 2/12/2017 at 9:47 PM, Martian Hale said:

That flying boat looks great fun!

 

Martian

Thanks for checking in Martian. It does look like fun! 

 

Just a little more done. Finished the interior framework for the canopies and painted them:

 

32753251372_7d70f1ae9d_c.jpg

 

Cut the ailerons out and reattached them with stainless steel pins set in epoxy: 

 

32783046451_6f7fff645d_c.jpg

 

Filled them back over with epoxy and filler:

 

32783046561_8f453343d8_c.jpg

 

Continuing the filling and sanding of both kits. Here is the old one:

 

32753251432_0369cb40ce_c.jpg

 

Lots more filling and sanding to do. I think that I am learning that the ideal build is one in which you do not sand the surface of the model at all! But it is still fun to work to get it to look better than what came out of the box.

 

Thanks for looking.

Terry

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of the many things that I have been looking at as I work my way around this model, is the intakes for the radiators at the wing fronts.

Here is what they should look like:

32544821600_2835f2316f_c.jpg

 

Notice the way that the openings meet the fuselage. Here is the kit:

32544821430_b05a432451_c.jpg

 

Granted I have hacked away at the kit to move the PE back into the wing and position the radiators at a more realistic depth, but you can see that there is a huge step on the engine side and a bulky protrusion at the root. The kit also doesn't do the air intakes for the engines justice. So I did a little more hacking today. I am embarrassed to admit just how much I enjoy hacking this kit up! After days of filling and sanding, sanding, the opportunity to remove some offending styrene is quite a rejuvenator!

Here is how it sits tonight. Port side filled and waiting for some sanding, starboard root done and engine side waiting to be modified. I basically ground off the bits of plastic and removed enough to allow the insertion of a piece of sculpted sprue on the fuselage side. 

 

32082144484_4b4a3c0002_c.jpg

 

The more that I look at the photos the more I see to do, but there is an end. Although this is only the third month! 

 

Thanks for checking in.

Terry

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The intakes loo better. As to enjoying hacking away at this kit, clearly you have now reached the level of insanity required to allow you to fit seamlessly into the BM massive! :mental:

 

Martian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Martian the intakes may look better but in looking at the photo of the real plane and then looking at the model I realized that I had put the PE that represents the diagonal bracing in the first wing strut up side down! 

 

Here is what I mean:

 

32904668346_8d1f79aa6d_m.jpg 32904654156_bf53577770_m.jpg

I knew that it would bother me forever so I ripped the PE out and cleared the way to add the bracing back in. I decided to use stretched sprue instead of wire because I thought that it might be easier to glue in place. So I set about learning how to stretch sprue. It took a while to get the hang of it. I used a piece of wire as a template to try to match the thickness. 

 

32904654336_3c8d865775_c.jpg

 

32904654326_5f8bcb88b5_c.jpg

I will sort through and find the best sized pieces. But the real problem is going to be gluing  these little pieces in place. At first I thought that if I provide some spacers of wood I could set the braces  correctly. I used the kit part as a guide for spacing as it looked right:

32904654206_fc7ba83a2c_c.jpg

But getting those little pieces in place was too much for my shaky hands,  perhaps after a few beers. Anyway I have a cunning plan: I will use the kit part to lay out the little pieces and attach them together from the rear with a bit of stretched sprue and once the whole thing is a lattice in one piece I will see if I can manage to insert it into the intake and glue it in place. It's a plan. We shall see how it works out.

 

More rain and the basement is wet again! House was built in 1911 and they didn't wash the aggregate when they made the concrete for the foundation!  So over  the years the water has leached out all of the organic matter and the foundation is a wee bit porous.

 

Spring is almost here!

Thanks for checking in.

Terry

 

 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So my cunning plan came to naught. When I tried to set up a lattice with the stretched sprue it was just to unstable to hold together long enough to let the PVA to set. So I decided to just glue the diagonal braces to the kit part with VA and then glue the braces together at the ends with epoxy:

32135382154_a1a9e07a96_c.jpg

 

Besides being rather bulbous looking it just didn't hold together after soaking it in water to soften the PVA glue and gently cutting it away from the kit part. Plan B. I used Tamiya Cement, just goopy modelling cement and used the kit part to cut my pieces of sprue and stick them in the intakes. I managed to get one end of the piece stuck to the cement and then gently move the other end into position:

 

32135382244_b743024e39_c.jpg

 

Not perfect but I felt lucky to get them in there!. 

Looking at the photo I noticed that the front ends of  the air intake/exhaust tubes didn't look right on the kit. Here is what they look like in real life:

 

32544822000_fa63a195dc_c.jpg

 

So I added some Bondo and will ease them into the nacelle at the front. This gentle curve only happens at the front end, plus you can see the separation of the nacelle cowl and the actual intake.  I also did a little more sanding on the props trying to close in on the proper shape.

32135382304_3314098b25_c.jpg

 

That's it for today. Time for a walk while it's not raining!

Terry

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Life has intervened a bit but have managed a little modelling:

Reworked the antenna masts. They were too tall and bulky. Painted the rear view mirror as well.

 

32324031973_8807590844_c.jpg

 

Reworked the brake lines, securing them to the oleos with thin copper wire to be painted.

 

32756968890_d0d3f4bb14_c.jpg

 

Cut out the wingtip navigation lights. But I may redo them as I think that the bulb should actually be on the other (inboard) face of the lens. 

 

32324032233_96d3949884_c.jpg

 

Fighting a cold so I am trying not to make any horrible mistakes while I'm under the weather.

 

On 2/20/2017 at 1:29 AM, Reconcilor said:

it seems sir that you are taking your punishment like a man sir!

Very kind of you to say so Reconcilor. But with the medication I'm feeling no pain. :beer:

 

On 2/20/2017 at 4:12 AM, Martian Hale said:

I think the investment of the time on those intakes on he cowling was very worthwhile, they seem to make a big difference!

 

Martian

Like you said before Martian, it's a series of small kits and completing one small part is satisfying.

 

Thanks for watching,

Terry

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've been busy working away on these two models, doing a bit of this and that. I redid the wingtip navigation lights. But it's pretty hard to tell from the photos that I have which version is correct. Colored bulb on the inboard side is what I decided but also drilled out a bit on the rear edge as well. Some photos show something on both faces of these lights. 

Worked on the retractable landing lights and installed a piece of clear plastic for the lens. Added PE around the cockpit opening . Installed the gun sight in the old kit with the failed canopy:

32818197320_b301aa00e4_c.jpg

 

Made a new gun sight for the new kit, but the carpet monster got it before I could install it, so I will have to build another one. This time without the benefit of the PE mounting bracket. 

Filled and sanded scratches and dings in preparation for first priming.

Glued on the front windshield to the old kit with PVA glue and attached the rear portion and masked it all with Tamiya tape.

Spot glued the front windshield to the new kit as I will have to remove it to install the gun sight.  Masked the rest of the opening with tape.

Masked the rear wheels and used frisket to mask the navigation lights.

Primed both models with Stylrez so I can begin panel line scribing and seeing what I need to fill and sand:

 

33200688475_756e04c829_c.jpg

 

That's about it for today.

Thanks for checking in.

Terry

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Hewy said:

Just gone through your thread terry, love what your doing ,some super adjustments,good stuff 

Glynn

Thanks Glynn

 

Little update:

Yahoo! I tracked the carpet monster to his/her lair and returned with my gun sight! I was just about to start building a new one but thought that I should do one more search of the workbench and environs. By a process of deductive reasoning and dumb luck, I tracked the little beastie down to one of the organizers. The gun sight was black, the organizer was black. Missed it first time around.

32371493144_6c4fdc2417_c.jpg

 

So naturally I look at the thing and and think, gee I could do better than that! .... (Put it in any way and counted myself lucky!).

 

32400924933_d137027af4_c.jpg

 

But really the first thing I did today was to look at the models and slather on the Surfacer in prep for the start of the sanding season.

 

The newer version has most of the Surfacer as it had the most modification.

 

32400925093_4aae68c78c_c.jpg

Also modified the canopies internal frameworks so that they could close, almost. But I was planning to have both of them open anyway.

Here's the older unmodified model:

32371492934_d1fd6bee99_c.jpg

 

While I waited for the Surfacers to dry I had another look at the cannons. Master doesn't make a set for this aircraft but I thought that I might be able to modify/combine the parts from two versions of the 20mm cannons that they make for the Hawker Hurricane. I wasn't sure until I got the parts from Master which type of recoil supressors these things had. They appear to have the flat spring type as well as an air break (?) at the muzzle end of the cannon. It's the air break that is going to have to be created.

 

Here's a picture of the real thing:

33059356622_0d34c3a714_c.jpg

 

Here are the Master parts with the kit plastic: (the upper cannon comes apart so that you can attach the round spring)

 

33087944691_dc10594283_c.jpg

 

So I thought (oh silly me), perhaps I could dismantle the round spring cannon and use the muzzle end (shortened) to provide a base for constructing the air break. 

 

32400925013_b8ca112317_c.jpg

 

The plan was a wee bit beyond my primitive skills and equipment. I managed to cut the muzzle piece shorter (bottom piece, above) and set about reducing it's diameter at the back end to fit into the flat spring cannon's open muzzle. Epic fail on two counts. I thought that I could just chuck it into my Proxon dremel clone and gently turn the back end down... Oh I got it's diameter reduced, but it's off center and the jaws on my Proxon squeezed the bore of the muzzle into a triangle. Ha!   Micro metal lathe might have worked... maybe. So anyway, I am left still plotting. I thought about just stuffing plastic in the end of the flat coil cannon to extend the barrel and it may come to that, but I'd rather not...

So that's were is sits for today. Tomorrow... sanding! Oh joy! And more learning! lol

Thanks for stopping by...

Terry 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...