Space Ranger Posted January 6, 2018 Share Posted January 6, 2018 15 minutes ago, AdrianMF said: What were those people from NACA thinking? Why not just have a round hole perpendicular to the airflow if you want to let some supersonic cooling air in... Because a NACA duct works better. Here is what a noted on-line encyclopedia has to say: "When properly implemented, a NACA duct allows air to flow into an internal duct, often for cooling purposes, with a minimal disturbance to the flow." And: "This design is believed to work because the combination of the gentle ramp angle and the curvature profile of the walls creates counter-rotating vortices which deflect the boundary layer away from the inlet and draws in the faster moving air, while avoiding the form drag and flow separation that can occur with protruding scoop designs." But NACA was obviously not thinking of us modelers when the duct was developed! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 Well my scribing-induced grumpiness has passed and I have been given a refresher course on how NACA ducts work! So onwards and upwards. Whilst some of our band (@Ced) are busy embracing hi-tech solutions, I slipped back to the Stone Age to replace some more vacform parts with balsa: And then to priming, with a Halford rattlecan that had been warmed in a bowl of warm water, sprayed in the garage with a fan heater in it to get to "room temperature": surprisingly little to touch up! Regards, Adrian 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristol boy Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Looking good, a188 is still on my’to aquire’ list but have not thought seriously about vac or resin. Looking forward to seeing your NMF, having seen the real thing at Cosford it is very shiny! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 Well I thought my panel lines on the wings and tailplane were a bit too much, so I filled them with PPP. I sanded a couple of problem areas smooth and also around the canopy to get a better fit: Time for more primer! Thanks for looking, Adrian 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 7, 2018 Author Share Posted January 7, 2018 2 hours ago, bristol boy said: vac or resin. Having done this vac, I would say resin! Although Steve (@BritJet) may have something to say about that, after building this. I think there may be nicer resin kits out there now. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 7, 2018 Share Posted January 7, 2018 Great stuff Adrian - she's looking very smart in primer. If very skinny. An interesting design eh? Balsa parts, now there's an idea... haven't used balsa for ages. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 52 minutes ago, CedB said: Balsa parts, now there's an idea... haven't used balsa for ages. Balsa is super easy to carve and sand and you can fill the grain with a couple of coats of superglue, sanding down between each one. This makes it really quick and convenient, and is a real advance over "cellulose dope and talcum powder" grain filling in the days when dinosaurs and Raquel Welch roamed the Earth. Don't know why I'm telling you this - I'm sure you'll be buying a 3D printer next week Regards, Adrian 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 1 hour ago, CedB said: skinny Apparently the fuselage was designed to be the smallest cross section that would fit around a Martin Baker Mk4 ejector seat... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 Fantastic job so far, not sure how I've missed it! NACA ducts don't ice up either. Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 That's coming together so well, I feel a bit of Bristol Envy coming on. Oh Er Missus! The lines of the plane make me think of Dan Dare for some reason. As an aside, I like the fact that the Test Pilot most associated with the plane was Godfrey Auty, a very English name, miles away from something like Chuck Yeager. Comforting somehow. It's also somehow very brit to have built a high speed research plane that couldn't reach high speeds, and would run out of fuel attempting to do so. Empire of the Clouds is a book about the period that I can very highly recommend if you don't already have a copy on your shelves. The second printing is packed with stunning photographs to accompany the highly entertaining text. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 12 hours ago, TonyW said: Empire of the Clouds Great read, albeit somewhat depressing to see how many opportunities were wasted by government and industry alike. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 8, 2018 Author Share Posted January 8, 2018 Hmmm. The pressure to produce an acceptable NMF is beginning to tell... so much so that I dug out my other Airfix YAK-9 from the stash and did a quick OOB assemble (yes, really OOB for once): Then on with Halfords grey primer and a layer of Humbrol Metalcote, followed by some AK True Meral paste (steel). A bit of a rub down got me here: If I did this properly (like sanding the primer down to a smooth finish, allowing all the paints to dry properly) I think this might just work... Thanks for looking, Adrian 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 (edited) This stuff might be worth a try, I bought the powder off Ebay a while back. I wanted it as a replacement for the SnJ powder that I've finally used up. It turned out to be a bit darker than the bright chrome that SnJ gave, so no use to me for most purposes. However, trying it on a bare plastic Airfix Mig 21 just now, the finish is very much like stainless steel. I've not tried it over primer, but I can't see grey or black primer not being OK under the stuff. White might need a whole load of polishing! Be warned though, every tiny flaw shows up like a beacon. On the wing of the MIG I failed to clean it enough and I've now got a stainless steel polished thumbprint to admire. Tony. Edited January 9, 2018 by TonyW More text 7 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Thanks for the tip Tony ... invisible thumbprints are expected in modeling. I cant tell you how many paint jobs ive needed to touch up because one of these showed up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 9, 2018 Author Share Posted January 9, 2018 Thanks Tony! I did come across it on my googling but I couldn't find any reviews. I will order some in and try it out. At some point I must get into airbrushing! Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 I like AK True Metal, the waxy stuff. Brush it on thin and scrub it around for variation. Polish it (or not) for variation. Good if you want panel variation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomoshenko Posted January 9, 2018 Share Posted January 9, 2018 Vallejo Metalcolors are pretty good too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 I have been playing around with the yak/mule and it turns out that a second coat of Humbrol Metalcote can be polished up quite nicely (port wing polished, stbd not): This is over Halfords primer, which is quite matt and rough. With that in mind I have polished up the 188 to a shine with fine sandpaper. I'm not sure whether I should give it a coat of Future as well before reaching for the rattle can. Advice welcomed... Regards, Adrian 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted February 3, 2018 Author Share Posted February 3, 2018 Well I'm going for Humbrol Metalcote Aluminium. Here's it sprayed on. I'm leaving it to dry before I polish it. Thanks for looking, Adrian 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 Well I gave it another coat and polished it: Although it's not as shiny as it could be, I think I'm going to take the result. I will do a small experiment or two with different colour panels, but I am basically done on the painting side. Now for undercarriage, parachute holder, afterburner detail and then decals and lashings of future. Thanks for looking, Adrian 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Looking very smart and shiny, good job Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted February 14, 2018 Author Share Posted February 14, 2018 The trouble is, each coat of silver looks better than the last one, but my standards seem to be rising faster than my ability to produce the results! Now on coat #3, after a light sanding down, especially over the cockpit masking so I can still find the damn' tape if/when the time finally comes to unmask! Also I notice that my touch up with Revell silver on the under wing fairings (which wear straight back to Halfords primer grey as soon as you touch them) looked just as shiny as the sprayed/polished Metalcote Regards, Adrian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 That's fantastic, it'll look amazing with the roundels on! I saw this only last week at Cosford. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Very nice. The plane looks like something from an early Eagle Annual in those overhead shots. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished model. Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 Well I had a weekend of almost non-stop modelling, pausing only to cook and shop for cold cures (Mrs F is on the sofa with a woman-flu). I have to confess I feel quite burned out by the whole thing (the modelling, not tending Mrs F, obvs). So in a fit of madness I have finished the Bristol 188. I started by polishing up the Humbrol MetalCote, and then tried some of the C1 Metalizer mentioned above. It makes things much shinier, but the surface is very fragile and I realised how much more fiddling with the model I still had to do! So it's been a weekend of two steps forward and one back, and I forgot to take any photos along the way. So, in no particular order: Decals courtesy of XtraDecal sets Main wheels and legs from the old, old Revell Corsair Front wheels from the new Airfix Gnat with with fuse wire rims, front leg from the Ursus SR53 Shock cones from hardwood dowel turned with an electric drill and file (not SIHRC but good enough) with plastic card fins Reheat flame holders (I assume it had afterburners) from fuse wire Pitot from a stack of Albion Alloys tubes, painted and sanded down to replicate the tapered shape All involving far too much handling and dodgy touch ups. In rather disappointing light I managed to grab a couple of shots of the finished item: The lighter sections of the nacelles are done with self-adhesive silver foil salvaged from sweet wrappers. Thanks for looking, Adrian 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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