stevef

I too have eyesight problems when modelling and it is no joke when you have very small parts and painting details to cope with. I have been away from modelling for a very long time and when I look at what I used to be able to do I realise how my sight has deteriorated. However my brother has the same problem and we use clip eye glass magnifiers which have two lenses so that you can magnify x10 or x20. They clip on to the side of the spectacles and can be pushed up out of the way when not in use. I wear varifocal lenses and find that I cannot cope with very small parts without the extra lens, (I model in 72 scale but would have the same problem in any other scale because there are always small parts!). One lens is enough (ie x10) and the parts are far enough away that you can really manipulate them without a problem. There is a small problem with foreshortening but you soon get used to it and can allow for it if you are careful and patient. They leave both hands free and you do not have to screw up your eye to see either. They cost about £8 + p&p from Eureka Trading Company - total about £10.50. Highly recommended. I have successfully rigged a1:72 0/400 recently and been able to make some small parts and add extra details which I would simply not have been able to do without the lenses. Now all I need is a pair of less shaky hands - anybody seen any on Ebay?

Dear Steve, With reference to the Sopwith Baby I am planning to build one too and have the article from Airfix mag referred to by killingholme. I was thinking of using a Pup as I think that you will find that the chord of the Tripehound wings are too narrow. Just for reference the chord of the 504 is also too narrow but only by a couple of mm whereas the Pup are dead on: it is the tips that would need some work. It will be a bit of a so-and-so to build as it is very small, but therein lies a challenge! Best of luck and keep up the good work on the BE2e - I think that you are doing a great job in spite of the problems. By the by have you thought of hand painting the roundels? It sounds difficult but I am having to do the same on an 0/400 because the transfers were unusable (badly printed - offset) and the version I am modelling is different from the kit anyway. Just a suggestion. I think that I described the method in the Vimy article but I can explain it again if necessary. Stevef

Dear Steve, I have a Pup which I would be prepared to swap for a DH4 or a 504 if you should have either. Alternatively I would be prepared to sell one for a reasonable price (and I do not mean some of the prices asked on old model websites) I would prefer the swap. Please send an e-mail with your address via the moderator if you are interested. Stevef

Dear John, I have tried repeatedly to contact you on the above e-mail address and it is always being sent back. I am very interested in the Contrail struts and would like to place an order - can you help by providing another address or contact me direct via a personal e-mail. Many thanks in anticipation. Stevef

Dear All I am asking if anyone knows if I can still get Contrail struts (shaped plastic rod )so that I do not have to make them myself, as making them is a real burden. Any help would be gratefully recieved. Stevef

Dear All I am asking if anyone knows if I can still get Contrail struts (shaped plastic rod )so that I do not have to make them myself, as making them is a real burden. Any help would be gratefully recieved. Stevef

Dear Stevehed I have now got an electronic copy of the FE8 article. I now need an address to send it to: do you know how I can do this without you or I having to put our e-mail addresses in full public view? Please let me know and I will forward the article asap. Stevef

Dear Stevehed, I can certainly let you have a copy of the FE8 article - see my latest comments re-lists on a new thread - it is in part 1. I think that you can contact me there - that is if I have understood how this blog works! I am new to this sort of thing so have patience and let me know if you cannot get through. Thanks for the offer of the Vimy article - I was the author! Stevef.

Dear All, Herewith is the next instalment of the promised list. See part one for the background and how to read the list. Bleriot XI plans Airfix April 1976 BE 2c DH 4 SM June Camel nightfighters Camel/Dr I Airfix Sept Pfalz DIII/IIIa Aurora SM Nov/Dec FE 2b Card/scratch SM March 1977 Albatross BI drawings SM July 1978 Albatross BII drawings SM Sept Albatross BIII drawings SM Nov Pfalz DIII drawings/colours PAM News Oct/Nov Fokker DVII drawings/colours PAM News Dec/Jan 1979 Sopwith Camel drawings/colours PAM News Feb Albatross CI drawings SM Jan Albatross CIII drawings SM March Albatross CV/16 SM May Fokker EV colours SM May Albatross CV/17 drawings SM July Avro 504K colours PAM News Aug Albatross C VII drawings SM Sept Albatross C IX drawings SM Nov Vickers Vimy Frog/Novo PAM News Jan 1980 Albatross CX drawings SM Jan Albatross C XII drawings SM March Albatross C XV SM May RFC Spads feature SM June Albatross JI drawings SM July Albatross JII drawings SM Sept Pfalz DIII Warbirds Vacuform SM Oct Bristol Scout 504K Airfix Dec Nieuport 10 drawings SM Feb 1981 Fokker DDVIII drawings SM March Nieuport 11 drawings/article Revell N17 SM April Halberstadt CLII Formaplane vacuform SM May Nieuport 12 drawings SM June Albatross DXI Veeday SM July Siemens Schuchert I/III/IV drawings/article SM July Nieuport 17 plans Revell N17 SM Aug Junkers DI Warbirds vacuform SM Oct Nieuport 27 Revell N17 SM Oct Nieuport 28 Revell N28 SM Dec Pfalz DIII Veeday Airfix Jan 1982 Staaken RVI Contrail Vacuform SM Feb/April Spad VII drawings SM June Albatross DIII drawings SM Aug DH 5 Camel SM Dec Hansa-Brandenburg W29 drawings SM Feb 1983 And that gentlemen is all I have. Of course there are some kits available today so conversions are not needed, and some vacuforms have also got injection moulded kits which are much easier to work with. I hope that this will be of interest and use to someone. Stevef.

Dear All, Following the request for deatils of conversions, drawings and other related materials I have aquired a hernia bringing down my old magazines from the attic and will probably get another one to match putting them all back. However for those who are interested and have the time to read overlong blogs, here is the list which I have made up from my collection which includes Airfix Mag from no1 to about March 1982, Scale Models from the 1970's and early 1980's but with gaps, and some of the PAM News (later issues only). I have not included the authors but hopefully give enough information for anyone who is interested to track these down. I cannot provide everyone with copies on request because I will probably be swamped and I do like to spend a little time on my current project. However I might be able to reply with a few reasonable requests - if possible I will send electronic copies if I can still get to a scanner (I do not possess such a machine), or I can send photocopies provided you send to me a stamped addressed envelope. I can be contacted via the moderator if you are interested but for obvious reasons I am not putting my address on the net. So here we go in order of publication. Where there is no year it is the same as the previous entry: Aircraft type: Model (where relevant): Magazine: Month/Year Albatross DII drawings Aeromodeller July 1961 Sopwith Tabloid drawings Aeromodeller Dec 1961 Avro 504N 504K Airfix July 1967 2F1 Camel Camel Airfix Dec 1967 DH 9 DH 4 Airfix Feb 1968 DH 9A DH 4 Airfix March DH 4 colours Airfix April DH 4 variants/colours Airfix May Lozenge camouflage Airfix Sept/Oct Avro 504 colours Airfix Jan/Feb 1969 Fokker Dr 1 colours/drawings Airfix July/Aug/Oct Sopwith Baby 504K Airfix Nov Capt. Brown's Camel Airfix Dec Cierva C8R 504K Airfix Feb 1970 DH 4A DH 4 Airfix March Fokker DVIII Dr. 1 + card Airfix Jan 1971 Hanriot HD 1 Camel Airfix July Hanriot HD 1 markings/colours Scale Models Oct 1977 Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter 504/DH 4 SM April 1972 Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter 504/RE8 SM Feb 1981 Jasta 5 markings (Albatross) Airfix Nov 1971 Pfalz DIII markings SM May 1972 DH 2 plans SM June FE 8 DH 4/504 Airfix June Fokker D VI Dr I/D VII Airfix July Albatross DV/DVa Revell D III /Airfix DV SM Sept Roland CII Roland CII SM June 1974 Etrich Taube Airframe vacuform SM Sept Rumpler CIV 2 x Hannover SM Feb 1975 Avro 504K 504K SM May DH 9 DH 4 SM Oct Gotha GIV drawings/notes SM Feb/March 1975 Gotha G V drawings/notes SM April And that is the end of part one as I now want to go to eat my dinner. I will post the next part probably later tonight. Stevef.

Dear Tim and all Please see my note attached to the original request on the Avro 504 bomber for other details. Stevef

Dear Tim, With ref to the P Leaman article I have a copy. With ref to the conversions in Airfix magazine I can recall from memory the following: D H 4 to: D H 4a, D H 9 and D H 9a (you will need an old Frog Wallace for the wings for the D H 9a) Avro 504 to: 504A 504J 504N and possibly some other variants Sopwith Baby from a 504 Sopwith Pup Sopwith Camel F2A Fokker DVI from a triplane and DVII Fokker E VIII Hanriot Scout Sopwith 1:1/2 Strutter Cierva autogyro F E 8 and for the moment that is as far as my memory goes. However if you can be patient and give me a couple of days I will go into the attic and have a proper look for you and update this list as necessary. If you want copies of any or all of these articles send me an SAE and I will be happy to send them. I also have a copy of a Vimy article but that may be appearing in Internet Modeller shortly but without the drawings. I now realise that this should be on another thread but I hope others and you will find it. If you want the whole thing let me know. Stevef

Dear Tim I have not actually attempted the conversion although I have thought about it often. There is a short article and good line drawing with colour scheme in Airfix Magazine Feb 1969 by P. Leaman. The front cockpits were covered over with canvas and the bomb racks were field improvisations. The fuselage is the biggest problem plus the engine and cowling, partly because the Airfix kit fuselage is wrong. Folow Stevehed's advice but also try to get a decent plan if you can. Aeromodeller used to produce them and they were still for sale in the '80's but I cannot find a modern source yet. I think that I have one somewhere...... Stevef

Dear Tim, You have indeed opened a can of worms as there is much confusion about these schemes. Most aircraft had the patterns running across the span of the wings as the fabrics were printed on rolls. The fabric was stonger across its width so that is why it was laid along the wings. Usually they started at the centre line of the wings and worked outwards towards the tips. Some large aircraft had the fabric laid at 45 degrees to the leading edge but this was quickly abandoned. Moveable surfaces and sometimes tailplanes did not conform to standard practice as the fabrics were applied according to availability and ease of application. Fuselage coverings tended to be two or three longitudinal strips sewn together and laced along the under centre-line of the machine. Some aircraft had the fabrics applied transversely if they were of plywood construction. Both 4 and 5 colour patterns were used and both groups came in day and night schemes which can be distinguished by their shades. Do not forget that on many large aircraft the fuselages were hand painted with irregular polygons while the flying surfaces were printed fabric - you need to check photographs to be sure. Some smaller aircraft have been reported to have had hand painted lozenges on the flying surfaces but I cannot find a reliable source to confirm that. Again I suggest you look carefully at the photos: the problem is that it all happened a long time ago and records were not always kept as the ground crews had better things to do. Photos can also be misleading - in short there seem to be some general rules and then there are the exceptions! Do your research and then you can argue your own case. Sorry but I cannot help you with advice on decals. Stevef

Dear Just to confirm for you 8950 is a Sopwith Schnieder which was the predecessor of the Baby. I know because I am about to start a conversion of a Baby from a Sopwith Pup and Avro 504 and have many photos and drawings in front of me.