zebra Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 (edited) My Airfix Walrus (actually two of them, but I'll save the second for another time) arrived in the mail today, and I couldn't resist getting started. Starting with the usual open box shot: This will be my first biplane in something like 30 years. It'll also be my first attempt at rigging. Is it a bit perverse that I'm actually looking forward to having a crack at rigging? Not sure what colour scheme to go for. I have the Xtradecals on order, but I'm also wondering about whether to do one of the SAR machines that was stationed at RAF Andreas, to carry on my Manx theme. thanks for looking Z Edited November 26, 2017 by zebra finished 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janneman36 Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 It is perverse that you have two of them to get your hands on Nice to see another one get build over here... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Hi Z, Welcome to the GB! This is the third Airfix Walrus entry and a great choice! It seems it was worth it delaying the GB start date in order to wait for Airfix's release date Let's us know which scheme you'll be choosing as soon as you make your mind. Good luck, looking forward to seeing it taking shape! Cheers Jaime 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboydim Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Hello Z, I'll keep an eye open and see what scheme you go for. The link you posted about the Australian Walrus is very helpful, thanks for that. Joe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Hello Mr Z, This GB is an affair of Blackburn, Supermarine And Dornier's Welcome with your Walrus, More and more hard for me to wait for Telford to have mine !! Very nice kit, Can't wait to see wich one you will do !! I really like the BPF one ! Sincerely. Corsaircorp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 This is a very, very nice kit. I'm progressing very quickly (for me) to the point where I'm really going to have to make up my mind about the colour scheme soon. Everything seems to fit together very well indeed although that comes with the usual Airfix caveat that you do seem to need to clean the parts up well as some of the tolerances are tight. There's a little cleaning up to do - there were mould seams on the engine struts, which were removed easily enough, and of course the injector pin marks that have been mentioned elsewhere. But these are very easily dealt with. So far I've got most of the fuselage components assembled and painted, prior to bringing the four main fuselage parts together, which may well happen tomorrow. Alongside this I've been assembling other components - engine nacelle and upper wings so far - and have been drilling holes for the rigging along the way. Airfoil provides rigging diagrams and fairings where the rigging wires attach to the wings and struts. Airfix has missed out some of the wires around the engine though - the wires that form an X between the front and rear struts are marked on the diagram, and fairings are provided, but not the ones that go across between struts. There's an X going across the front and across the rear of the lower struts, and two wires that form a V between the upper wing and the front of the nacelle (between the upper front struts). You can see them in my photos of the RAF Museum's Seagull V here and here. So I've drilled holes for these as well. Here's how it's looking so far: 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Fast and superb progress on the interiors, Z! Very well done! How did you weather the interior? Could you please provide some details? Thanks! Cheers Jaime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 5, 2017 Author Share Posted October 5, 2017 8 minutes ago, jrlx said: How did you weather the interior? The short answer is it was an accident! I got the paint mix and air pressure wrong - the paint was too thin which ended up with it going on unevenly and resulted in a slightly weathered look. I've also done a bit of dry brushing - a bit of neutral grey to dirty up the bits of the floor I thought would have been walked on the most - and a bit of dry brushed aluminium around a few edges. I'm no weathering expert but it's turned out ok this time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 It may have been an accident but the result is very good looking Cheers Jaime 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboydim Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Great progress Z. The interior looks very good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 That's a start and a half, no mucking about here! Martian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jbbusybee Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 Excellent, thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 4 hours ago, Martian Hale said: That's a start and a half, no mucking about here! Martian Just a couple of hours a day over three days! These new Airfix kits are so nice to build, it's very easy to make this kind of quick progress - my experience of the Defiant and Meteor was the same. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 Decision made on the colour scheme: I'm going for an ASR aircraft of 275 Sqn, one of the aircraft detached to RAF Andreas - this is in keeping with one of my modelling themes, aircraft based in the Isle of Man. I've only found one photo showing a Walrus at Andreas - it's here and only shows part of a Walrus in the background, enough to show its code letter was W and it looks like the camouflage extended all the way down the sides of the fuselage (unlike the ASR option in the kit) and doesn't look like there's any shadow shading. There's no indication of the serial but thanks to @Ivor Ramsden I now know that there were two Walruses at Andreas in 1943-44 - W3037 and W2746 - and the man in the photo (LAC Bernard Matthews) flew in L2282 and W3037. So I'm going to call this one W3037. A few other things I need to think about: Size of the serial - the RAF option in the kit uses 4 inch lettering, from the looks of things. This seems to be consistent with most photos of RAF Walruses - there seem to have been a few with 8 inch serials, but it looks like these were the exception not the rule. Leading edge light: The light on the leading edge of the lower left wing is optional in the kit - from photos I've seen, most ASR Walruses seem to have had this light (I'm assuming it's a searchlight, so makes sense), so I'm going with the light. Guns or no guns? I've not found a photo of an armed Walrus yet. So I'm leaving them off. What to put under the wings? Quite a few photos show ASR Walruses with four smoke bombs under each wing. I don't know a lot about WWII RAF ordnance but there are small bomb-like things in the kit (part E38) - can anyone who has the kit confirm whether these represent the smoke bombs please? And if so what colour should they be? cheers Z 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboydim Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Sounds a good choice Z If you put the light on and change your mind, you can always paint over the lens cover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 Fuselage coming together. Fit is pretty good, I'm going to use a little Mr Surfacer 500 to blend it in properly in a few places though - will need to be very careful to avoid obliterating all that lovely surface detail, but I think it can be done. I think I'll get the fuselage cleaned up as it is before I put the roof on. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Looks beautiful! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 All that interior detail is turning my thoughts towards a possible cutaway model for my kit. Martian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Ramsden Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Guns! Fit them. The 275 Sqn ORB refers to gunnery practice from Andreas surprisingly regularly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VMA131Marine Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Looks like a great kit! The interior detail and ease of assembly really put the Classic Airframes kit to shame. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 3 hours ago, Martian Hale said: All that interior detail is turning my thoughts towards a possible cutaway model for my kit. Martian Good idea! The fuselage construction would make this fairly simple - I think you could lose one side and most of the roof and still have enough strength to support the wings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 55 minutes ago, Ivor Ramsden said: Guns! Fit them. The 275 Sqn ORB refers to gunnery practice from Andreas surprisingly regularly. OK, it's getting guns then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 6, 2017 Author Share Posted October 6, 2017 34 minutes ago, VMA131Marine said: Looks like a great kit! The interior detail and ease of assembly really put the Classic Airframes kit to shame. Yes it's a very nice kit. I have a CA Walrus in the stash - not in a hurry to build it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stever219 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 (edited) I collected my Airfix Walrus today and so far I've only managed a quick perusal of the instructions and a peek at the parts without opening the bag (the Shackleton twins would never forgive me if there was another major distraction now that they're so close to completion). One aspect of this kit that I'm not really looking forward to is getting the anchor cable winch installed neatly. That said I'm glad I've got this kit and not the Classic Airframes/Special Hobby rendition. Also does anyone know what the two open-topped boxes are for on the starboard side just behind the lower rear spar carry-through? Edited October 6, 2017 by stever219 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted October 7, 2017 Author Share Posted October 7, 2017 Top of the fuselage went on pretty well. Fit wasn't perfect, but was pretty good. I've now got just about everything else apart from the engine and prop assembled. It was all more or less trouble free - the nose piece of the front top decking stood a little proud of the fuselage below it, so needed a bit of sanding down, but that was the only complication. Now pretty much ready to paint, so will start masking tomorrow. @stever219 the anchor winch wasn't a problem - it slotted into place perfectly. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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