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Wheels Up or Down - What's your opinion?


BIG X

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Since I came back to this wonderful hobby a few months ago, everything I've built has been "undercart down" (a couple of Spits & a couple of Hurricanes etc).  I'm now wondering - why not "wheels up" (surely a spitfire was simply born to fly).

 

Which way do you prefer???

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I have been a wheels down modeller for a long time. Recently I’ve begun to appreciate the aesthetics of seeing model aircraft in their natural environment. I’ve knocked out a 109 ‘in flight’ and I’m just finishing off a Harrier GR3, which will also be ‘in flight’.

 

I’ve also been a ‘full hull’ ship modeller, but am now seeing the appeal of waterline on a sea base.

 

Mart

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So - we have a down to up convert eh ;)

Or in the case of ships - dry to wet :)

I'm really thinking I should give the wheels up approach a go - but I'll need to master painting those fiddly little pilots :lol:

 

Any more thoughts???

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As a kid I used to model 'wheels up' exclusively and even cut the undecarriage off toy aircraft. I now usually model gear down, but have one or two gear up. One of my favourite models is a F-14A+ on CAP over Iraq in Gulf War 1...

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I prefer wheels up too, but my problem with the pilots is very few brands provide them in their kits.  Along with that, there are sometimes difficulties with thick struts/bay doors that don't allow for proper closure - just some extra work I suppose.

 

regards,

Jack

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7 minutes ago, JackG said:

I prefer wheels up too, but my problem with the pilots is very few brands provide them in their kits.  Along with that, there are sometimes difficulties with thick struts/bay doors that don't allow for proper closure - just some extra work I suppose.

 

regards,

Jack

Ooh - an interesting consideration & one I hadn't thought of...

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Normally I will build my models "wheels down" but sometimes I just cant be bothered painting wheels, oleos and bays and go "wheels up".  Another factor I consider is that most of my models go straight into storage and having no undercarriage down means less bits to break off!

 

Sometimes you have no choice - building a Junkers Ju87 Stuka for example!

 

Dave

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12 minutes ago, Parabat said:

As a kid I used to model 'wheels up' exclusively and even cut the undecarriage off toy aircraft. I now usually model gear down, but have one or two gear up. One of my favourite models is a F-14A+ on CAP over Iraq in Gulf War 1...

 

As a kid - I did the same - but in the late sixties to early seventies this was "the fashion" - if you didn't have a bedroom ceiling full of swinging aeroplanes - you simply weren't a real little boy - it went along with scuffed knees & playing conkers :lol:

 

SWMBO has been pretty understanding as I drift into my second childhoood - but I'm also pretty she would kill me if I hung anything from the ceiling - could be worth it for a good laugh though - imagine the language when she found out :lol:

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When I was a child, my older brother and I had an agreement.Our models were 1/72, hung from the ceiling wheels up. His room was European Theater, mine was Pacific.

Now that I am older,my models sit on a shelf, so wheels down....unless I can convince my wife to let me hang them from the ceiling.:pilot:

 

grown up but not mature,

 

Garry c

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4 minutes ago, davecov said:

Normally I will build my models "wheels down" but sometimes I just cant be bothered painting wheels, oleos and bays and go "wheels up".  Another factor I consider is that most of my models go straight into storage and having no undercarriage down means less bits to break off!

 

Sometimes you have no choice - building a Junkers Ju87 Stuka for example!

 

Dave

Ha ha - I had thought about the Stuka - lovely as it can be "up tiddly up up" & then come "down tiddly own down" - in the words of those magnificent men :)

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1 minute ago, Garry c said:

grown up but not mature,

 

Garry c

I still have no idea what I want to do when I "grow up" & I'm fifty two (and a quarter) :lol:

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When " wheels up" - you need to do something with popeller....A transparent circle? Or fuzzy blades like on photo? Or a gases from nozzle in jet.

I realized that I never did "wheels up" in my almost 50 years of modelling. And likely I will not do it in future, I hope.

I have to confess that It happend also  to me that I am tired with painting again some next wheels - then I am doing a hydroplane :).

But I like sometime to see model with wheels up on BM...

Cheers

J-W

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49 minutes ago, BIG X said:

Ooh - an interesting consideration & one I hadn't thought of...

In many cases you can by-pass the whole problem by filling in the wheel wells with Milliput and either scribing or drawing in the shut lines.

 

I like to do older smaller 1/72 kits as wheels-up display models on stands. If I'm doing something newer, larger and more detailed it is usually wheels down and opened up.

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29 minutes ago, JWM said:

When " wheels up" - you need to do something with popeller....A transparent circle? Or fuzzy blades like on photo? Or a gases from nozzle in jet.

I realized that I never did "wheels up" in my almost 50 years of modelling. And likely I will not do it in future, I hope.

I have to confess that It happend also  to me that I am tired with painting again some next wheels - then I am doing a hydroplane :).

But I like sometime to see model with wheels up on BM...

Cheers

J-W

Interesting observations about the props (all my work is prop based) - I think clear circles look "tacky" & I've seen a couple of "blurred prop" models - which just confused me - until I realised what they were supposed to portray.:confused:

I have an endless supply of really tiny motors - but the wiring & power elude me (I'm no James Dyson).  Let's not go there.  Thanks for your your perspective - well considered.

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Well yes and no about prop blur.  It is a phenom of the camera shutter speed not matching the speed of the propeller.    Stationary blades on a flying model is fine, just capturing a split moment in time, or 'frozen in time' if you will.

 

regards,

Jack

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As I've said before, if you're aiming for the appearance of a photograph of an aeroplane, then a prop blur sort of thing does that. If you're aiming for the appearance of an actual aeroplane, then it's either a clear disc for something simple, or an actually rotating prop for the finest examples.  I'm not a prop blur fan but whichever approach floats your boat more is purely a matter of individual taste and preference.

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28 minutes ago, JackG said:

Well yes and no about prop blur.  It is a phenom of the camera shutter speed not matching the speed of the propeller.    Stationary blades on a flying model is fine, just capturing a split moment in time, or 'frozen in time' if you will.

 

regards,

Jack

I like that thought - there was a book by H E Bates - "A  moment In Time"

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21 minutes ago, Don149 said:

One thing about the Tamiya 1/32 Spits and Mustangs is you can swop from up or down as you choose ! . A pity the Corsair wasn`t the same

You can "supposedly" do the same with the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire Mk1A - but I've messed with 2 now & it's simply impossible :blush:

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UP ...........every single model is up and hanging from the ceiling...........on the shelves are my model battleships:P

 

but, it's much harder to paint with the undercarriage up or to lie the model down after painting

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1 minute ago, MalX said:

UP ...........every single model is up and hanging from the ceiling...........on the shelves are my model battleships:P

 

but, it's much harder to paint with the undercarriage up or to lie the model down after painting

Good advice - have to work around that one :clap2:

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Done a couple of UP's but I have an issue with the props.  They need to be going around.  Stationary props, etched props and clear disks don't quite do it form me.  

 

I'm thinking a motorising the Has Typhoon Ib, using an Airfix 1/48 pilot from the Hurricane and considering if there is a way to light the rocket motor....

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8 minutes ago, Grey Beema said:

Done a couple of UP's but I have an issue with the props.  They need to be going around.  Stationary props, etched props and clear disks don't quite do it form me.  

 

I'm thinking a motorising the Has Typhoon Ib, using an Airfix 1/48 pilot from the Hurricane and considering if there is a way to light the rocket motor....

Careful now!!!  Lighting that rocket sounds dangerous ;)

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The only problem I had putting a tiny motor in this:

WP_20161204_14_15_38_Pro.jpg

-Was making sure the shaft on the propeller was perfectly aligned with the shaft on the motor. And making sure the rubbing of plastic to plastic wouldn’t be an issue.

 

I began by just drilling into the plastic prop shaft, but missed the centre by a fraction giving a wobbly prop! I then glued a small copper tube onto the back of the nose cone and a small bit of plastic tube was just pushed onto the motor shaft then the copper tube was pushed onto that.

WP_20160831_22_43_42_Pro.jpg

 

As for the wiring, it’s as simple as you can get. Battery (small coin cell)>switch>resistor(to slow the motor down a bit,not the best way, but it works)>motor.

The motors/switches/resistors etc. you can get off Amazon/Ebay, or just pull apart cheap tat from Poundland!

 

Another problem with ‘wheels up’, is sorting out a decent base and mounting rod. I’m not a fan of the Airfix stands so I’m just using copper/brass tubing stuffed into a turned wooden base. 

Painting pilots is fairly easy (in 1/72 at least). Block in the colours, then splodge on a wash of darker colour and a drybrush to finish things off.

WP_20161204_11_45_07_Pro.jpg

 

Mart

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