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1/18 Fairey Firefly VX376


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Excellent stuff Peter the fuselage has come together quite quickly .

 

Guy

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Very inspiring work Peter, as usual.

What primer did you use? would it be Halfords High Build Primer or something else?

I have a similar project on the to do list and would need a good primer/putty to use.

 

/Johan

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evening folks :)

 

thanks for the notes about the book - I have sourced a copy now so looking forward to seeing what's in it :)

 

Dave - about the length - the manual states 38' from tail to Spinner measured on the ground with the aircraft on it's U/C - I found all sorts of dimensions on the internet but when I checked the 38' against my plan in that orientation and how I scaled it it came out at 1/18.2 but I am not too worried :)

 

& couple of things done this week, starting with sorting the tail out..

 

I added the last parts to the tail blank before shaping..

 

WIP64_zpsvm3kfwnz.jpg

 

..then sanded & shaped - it's a bit rough in places, but the shape is developing..

 

WIP65_zpsm5wbpdys.jpg

 

..the tailplane meets it at the base so will cover the ridge at the base.... the leading edge is going to be fun to skin in metal :)

 

WIP66_zpsg0c0m5xb.jpg

 

 

..then on to that pesky chin intake...

 

I thought about different ways of doing it including making a master & vacforming or plunge moulding it, but settled on trying to build it in situ..

 

here is what I did - I started by shaping just the tip chin intake by tracing a head-on photo so I had the right shape & dimensions and transferred this to card which I stuck on the nose. Then added a curved bit of card that matched this, and two thin bits of card to define the panel line that separate the chin intake from the cowl..

 

the black insulating tape protects the cowling from the filler & sanding to come later...

 

WIP62_zpsfyriv3yt.jpg

 

..then a few rounds of filling & sanding to unify the shape - constantly checking reference photos to try to match the complex shapes..

 

WIP63_zpsxygw04ei.jpg

 

and after finessing, it has just the right relief between it and the cowl, though getting inside it to fit the radiator screen & the internal skinning is going to be interesting..

 

WIP68_zpsx8uc9afp.jpg

 

WIP69_zpssvccqd1o.jpg

 

WIP70_zpsomsw9hto.jpg

 

..I also added the skinning section around the cockpit where the instrument panel goes..

 

WIP71_zpsctavweix.jpg

 

WIP72_zpsexcu22fr.jpg

 

..my workroom is a constant dusty mess at the moment, so I might carry on and get the wings done next...

 

WIP67_zpsmtjkmpjf.jpg

 

TTFN

 

Peter

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Looking good. I'd say you've got that chin intake profile sorted.

 

15 hours ago, airscale said:

the manual states 38' from tail to Spinner measured on the ground with the aircraft on it's U/C

That make sense Peter and clears up my confusion. Thanks you.

 

Peter (@airscale) if you are moving on to the wings. I'm not sure if this will help but I found these drawings that look to be 1/72 plans of the Mk.5. Can't vouch for their accuracy, plus they are a little distorted, but they do include some wing profiles. 

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Well.... needless to say I'm hooked too .... waiting for the next post like a junky for is drugs !!!!!

 

Wish you all the best for this new project , and like many of us , I hope your Tigercat will be finished sooner or later.

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evening folks :)

 

been a bit slow around here lately after such a blazing start as life & day job got in the way a bit, and I also spent some time (& money) tyrying to get a better set up for photography as the model is so big it can't just sit easily on my bench for a WIP shot - I still have a crappy little £50 digital camera, but I needed a booth & some lighting.....

 

.. so, al little more progress..

 

..after so much large scale assembly, I thought I would switch it up a bit and work on something with a bit of finesse..

 

..I started by laminating the three layers of the main pilot's bulkhead - there is a base plain layer, a half etched detail layer carrying rivets & openings and then a framing layer..

 

WIP73_zpsvc09nuoi.jpg

 

..then started to add some framing & bracing that is seen in references...

 

WIP74_zpsnuotbb8z.jpg

 

..and then more, there is a sill around the seat that needs to be fabricated..

 

WIP76_zpswuprewmc.jpg

 

WIP75_zpshtepatkn.jpg

 

..and then the bulkhead will go about here...

 

WIP77_zpsevjmu7ob.jpg

 

..started to think about the seat - I found this pic when I was doing the HpH Hornet and now I look again at it I am 100% convinced it is from a Firefly - I have a few views of it..

 

WIP80_zpsgf8xbnba.jpg

 

so it proved useful in making some balsa moulds to vacform some of the shapes seen..

 

WIP79_zpsogtzzn5t.jpg

 

..still loads to do, but it made a nice change from sanding & shaping...

 

WIP78_zpshvy4fnvc.jpg

 

..hopefully the photos are ok - I quite liked the blue background I used to use so will see how I can improve it :)

 

TTFN

Peter

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I haven’t commented yet, but that’s because I can’t find the words to describe this kind of modelling. Having watched the Spitfire materialise at a phenomenal pace in detail that is only something that I could dream of doing, I know this is going to be another masterpiece. Given the rarity of the Firefly being modelled, this just adds to the uniqueness of this build :) 

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