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Everything posted by greggles.w
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Sublime! I’m not sure how I missed this earlier .. thanks Matt! That patina is gorgeous. Reminds me, when I was working on the Knight Twister & posted a WIP update of it largely test-assembled but unpainted, someone suggested then that I ought leave it as polished white-metal. I seriously considered it. But these raw brass masters have a higher level, fine-art authority to them! Not for me to tell you what to do, but were you to bring these all along to a show (Telford your local??) then you might be pleasantly surprised by the level of interest & appreciation they provoke ..
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Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Welcome & thanks Colin! Pleased you approve of the ribbing .. although we're only halfway through the process, let's see how they perform when the filler goes on. That said, I am pleased to report they are now complete, with the underside finished. The MkIII Auster (top in image below) had a discernibly 'concave' under-side profile - correctly replicated in the Sword kit - while the Autocar (bottom in image below) had the reverse, with a notably 'convex' belly.. As can be seen with the dashed innards on the drawing, I don't believe this actually delivered any additional useful internal space. It seems the form was bulked-out for a general impression of roominess when viewed externally. The floor still sits at the bottom steel frame longeron, with a timber frame & stringers below as shown here in this helpful diagram from the manual ... ... which allowed me to dutifully replicate in brass packed up on styrene bits'n'pieces ... And here's the comparison: belly concave / belly convex .. (... and engine bulkhead vertical / sloping again) So I'm going to let all that chemical fully cure. I've bought my tin of car 'bog' as suggested, ready for the next step!- 100 replies
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Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Another image-less post .. I raised a query re undercarriage length on an Auster enthusiast F’Book page, and amongst the responses was a Richard Rudd - since confirmed to be THE Richard Rudd, pilot of this machine on this epic flight! What a happy coincidence!! Now in conversation, already yielding a surprise - the tail colour was apparently a dark Matt green, not grey as I thought. -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Not a model update tonight, just an extract from a newly uncovered account of this machine’s epic flight. Uncovered in February 2021 Air Pilot, an account of the 1969 BP Air Race by the pilot of another Auster - 1944 J1N G-ARGT - which was an offical entrant (“the slowest aircraft in the race”). Along the way they kept company with Richard as he shadowed the participants. Amongst the various anecdotes was this amazing one about our machine & pilot Richard Rudd: “… Some considerable time after his fuel would have run out our man appeared looking a little disheveled. He had landed in the desert [the Rann of Kutch, straddling the disputed Pakistan - India border] after the cable controlling his left aileron had come off a pulley just above his head.The immediate effect was to cause the aircraft to roll to one side which must have given him quite a fright. Somehow he managed to land the aircraft operating the loose cable with one hand and moving the other aileron with the joystick. At any rate he was safe and sound and we would meet again en route.” !!! -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Many thanks Ian for the targeted vacform advice, very much appreciated! Not to be immediately drawn upon, but bookmarked for the hopefully not-too-distant future! The next step in that direction: engine bulkhead. Yet another variation to the kit required! The J5 series - including the subject J5P - introduced a sloping engine bulkhead, in contrast to the earlier vertical arrangement. This pair of Austers make the contrast, foreground being the vertical as per the kit, background being the reclining to be replicated.. After examination of references it seems it’s not that the whole plane was reclined, so much as the ‘chin’ juts forwards. This arising from the geometry of the spaceframe within, presumably to give increased foot-room while avoiding any reconfiguring of the upper windshield & instrument area. This Autocar image shows it clearest. The top 1/4 is vertical, down to the cowl panel joint, then the lower part slopes away forwards .. .. well that’s my best surmise! So a wedged piece of thick styrene sandwiched between thin & slapped on the front face like so .. .. the vertical jig ‘A’ was pulled off & repurposed as a shelf of sorts .. the flexibility of cardboard jigs .. After that thin sheets laminated to both ‘cheeks’ & sanded back to resolve the form .. And with that diversion done, I dutifully returned to finish off the long brass stringers down the flanks .. 24x of them, top & sides .. one of those tasks I’ve learnt are best counted after rather than before! Only 3x remain along the belly .. actually .. then it’ll be ready to ‘bog-up’! -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
.. inching along this week. A little effort to prepare for stringers down the flanks. First gouging out trenches into which the end of the brass rod can disappear.. Then some linking projecting webs. All getting quite small & fiddly, so these went on overly tall & then were sanded down, with much squinting to sight down the sides with a scrap length of brass in place… -
@Malc2, @ianwau .. an added bonus finding your tips re vac canopies here, thank you! I too have a homemade contraption, this time fashioned from an old stereo speaker box .. It’s a while now since I used it. The device worked fine, I recall the bigger challenge was my oven technique: element selection, rack level, temp, seasoning etc .. While I have had some success with it - eventually - I have not yet used it for a canopy. I’m planning to do so soon for my Auster build. Can I bother you with a query? I’m wondering, to achieve a smooth, limited distortion (is this what they call optically clear?) transparency, do you apply any extra finish to the buck? Do you seal-coat & polish or something similar? Or just very fine sand only ..?
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Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
D'you know, I think you've cracked the code - well done & thank you! I have gone back through my little library of accumulated J5-version photos & looking with your comment in mind it seems so! Thanks for taking the time to put your deductive mind to that (& thanks for the Mk III plans, most appreciated!) -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Thanks & you’re not wrong Richard! All those triangular faces with vertexes projecting or recessing or aligning.. and those backwards-leaning verticals! You've caught me now pondering the next bit forwards: the cowl etc. I know the engine bulkhead was changed from vertical as per the kit MkIII, to be on a backwards reclining angle for the J5P (parallel to door hinged edge). And I can see the rear cowl changed from a venting gap all the way round the sides & bottom for the MkIII to bottom edge only for the J5P. But it also seems to me that the Mk III ridge line of the cowl has a more pronounced ‘droop’ from windscreen to prop than the J5P … but as yet I can’t quite confirm as there are so few fixed lines or 90deg angles to benchmark from, & the various military anti-glare or civil pinstripe paint jobs act like dazzle camouflage!! I have good J5 drawings with clear profile view, but not for the MkIII to compare … More investigation needed! -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Ian, I can’t think why I didn’t join the dots earlier! I had come across your scratchbuild Archer when poking around for kit options. I seem to recall thinking ‘scratchbuilding? Ha! Let’s keep looking, surely there’s a kit to be had’ … Now I return to your thread & note with a chuckle your prophetic words in your first post: “there's slim pickings in 1/48 - the Sword kit of the Auster Mk.III is more suited to military use … So much so that you'd end up scratchbuilding most of the fuselage anyway.” How true, yes I am! Seems I don’t have your foresight. I’m going to read back through yours in a more considered way now, as you have proven yourself the oracle!! Your outcome looks great, congratulations! A link here for any other readers looking for a meaty WIP Auster thread: .. and the finished item: -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Many thanks Adrian & again Ian re filler advice, I'm logging this away for use in the near future. Yes, happily so. Now there is some distance I can recount the detail of the error: basically a mix-up with the bulkheads - the 'D' bulkhead jig was using a few 'B' bulkhead dimensions ... sigh! After calm analysis, rectification was principally trimming the unwanted 'peak' out of the rear cockpit sidewalls. Here in foreground showing that which is above the yellow-tape guide-line is to be removed, ... as has been done to the other side in the background ... ... then there were a few follow-up tasks, like trimming back the front seat support / rear toe-board which was now projecting above the diagonal ... To keep a feeling of going forward while forced to go backward, I also made moves on the forward cockpit. To the left, the kit part that which was sawn off recently. The front engine-mount bulkhead scales out just fine, and having the curved geometry ready-made is welcome, but thereafter it all needs to flare out wider to meet the new works. So the floor was chopped out, and spine split ... ... and a new floor wedge inserted. (you can see in background jig bulkhead 'D' chopped down to correct that error) The jig was then added-to with a vertical 'A' bulkhead to allow for hold-in-place while I worked out how much of the residual grey 'ears' needed to be shaved back .. Next fit the uniquely triangular Auster cockpit doors. These of intentionally thinner sheet, mimicking the very thin real doors & internal sill ledge ... ... and lastly the little triangular bits behind the doors, completing the cabin 'tub' ... The inner surfaces above are effectively 'it' - save some finishing - whereas the external faces are a bit messier, with more form making to come. Next will be more styrene-supported brass stringers down the sides, extending from tailplane leading edge to cockpit doors ... Very pleased to be back on track!- 100 replies
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Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
.. & this is tremendous! What a machine! And most instructive. Interesting to see a singular buck used for multiple vacforms, side to side & again upright for the canopy. Great stuff, not least for taking my mind off my stuff-up! -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
This is reassuring, and the detailed response is genuinely appreciated Ian. I am convinced! Care to share brand name/s? I was ready to post a satisfied update, and was musing & measuring for next steps when I found I’ve made an error .. too miffed to detail now. Suffice to say: scratchbuilt works have been assembling precisely as per jig … but insofar as that jig contains an error … I think I can recover it, but best walk away for now. -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
.. whoa, hold you’re horses! If you’re looking for reference material, I’ve been gifted quite a bit more besides, & even that one above is cropped & I haven’t posted the equivalent for flying surfaces. Send me a PM with your email address & I can forward a pile of stuff on to you .. -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Wow - what a beauty! Full credit to you for duplicating the space-frame structure - particularly as it would need to be structural! And nice to be able to open the doors. Lovely. Thanks Ian, makes sense, yes. 'Messy to apply' doesn't appeal so much - I have kids for that - but beautiful to sand back sounds good. Can you confirm: given it is part styrene .. is is solvent based? Will it dissolve, or soften, or undermine the styrene scratch-built structure I've got under the brass? There's time yet for a decision ... Latest body of work has been on the cardboard jig. Cut it & jack it up & extend it ... .. & saw the front half off the fuselage!! All this to allow for me to fabricate the forward fuselage. Due to the extensively glazed cabin, mostly exposed spaceframe within & thin side walls, the forward fuselage cannot be built using the same bog-fill bulk-form method as the back half. Also, with further research I believe (not an authority!) the spaceframe itself was widened for the Autocar, from the the wing trailing edge back, making for broader 'shoulders' at rear bulkhead 'E' to fit those two seats in the rear, like so ... ... so the kit fuselage was made redundant. That said, I won't be discarding that sawn-off bit, as the portion forward of the doors is back to common parts & I can use. -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
.. fascinating, & helpful, thank you! You are correct; the brass has been selected precisely to be visible (just) as a guide of sorts to signal I have reached the required form when filling & sanding. At least that’s the idea - this all a first for me, all a bit speculative! But now with your warning I think I shall allow myself a few extra generous coats of primer .. .. oh that merely means pull back and re-photograph! 😉 -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Sometimes that’s all we can manage! I will rummage around and take a look at your builds. You’re quite right re this Auster, quite unassuming .. yet fascinating! Would have made for a great introduction to the big sky for you! Thought I’d share my little process for preparing these brass stringers. First, a line on tape, then tape is laid sticky-side up over ruler. I cut near-enough lengths of wire, then line them up at the various requisite lengths, all measured from line to right, with excess to left… … with those held parallel by the tape I transfer to this PE folding tool (prior to now, as yet never used!) and that line on the tape is aligned with the folding edge … … then bulk fold them all the same guesstimate amount … … & finally snip them off at consistent length just past the fold using massively oversized cutters … … the resulting parts kept orderly & at readiness on the tape! Here are some of those longer ones going in place … I've been typing this intermittently as a way to get myself to leave them alone while the glue dries ... -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Thanks Dave, & nice to have your company again! Serious effort that Derek, still airworthy? Would be happy to see pictures here is you had them to hand .. No build update right now, but I did want to share this video. As posted on F'Book by Latrobe Valley Airframes and Welding Pty Ltd, who are currently restoring VH-PSM - the one which I posted still image of above showing the timber turtledeck framing. This video shows further progress, professionally executed, but also demonstrates the diminutive fine-gauge metal frame! -
Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Thanks Zephyr, & how great to have a real life connection to the adventurer himself! This Auster came with the optional factory glider towing kit .. I wonder if it was put to use at your club? Hi Colin, it’s a pretty cheap & cheerful kit. The most challenging bit is the fact that the intersection of fuselage & wings is a meeting at a vacformed glazed canopy .. not sure how easy that would be .. but helpfully the kit includes a spare of that critical part. Thanks Malc, nice to have your company again! I’ve been greatly helped by the enthusiasts in a ‘down under’ Auster FB group, who’ve shared photos, drawings, articles. Seems they’ve generously shared with me, so I ought to do the same! I have! I liked & am following! Good to see it looks a promising, orderly & fine restoration .. not some stalled barn burial. Well done! Thanks Ed, we shall see if it pays off ..!! So, to progress: Styrene ‘stringers’ have been laid over the top & both sides, starting to bulk out the form, discernibly so if I let my eyes go a little out of focus .. From here several need to be feathered onward back past that last exo-bulkhead. Then all to be capped with a brass ‘ridge-capping’ of sorts .. I’ve started fixing these onto the short intermediate ones immediately behind the rear cabin bulkhead .. each given a turn-down end detail as with the rounded ends of the real timber stringer ends.. My thinking is that the brass should: hold a stiffer straight edge; be sturdy to tool against when filling the voids (with? epoxy?) & again when sanding; and give a colour contrast to shout out when enough sanding has been done! That’s my limit for concentration this evening .. it’s quite the whalebone & brass corset! -
There is so much going on here in these forums, one can miss some real gems, sorry to be a late attendee Mr Farmer! Very glad to see you’ve outsmarted your collie & got the IT up & running. Well done. And well done too on the rapid progress with the kits. Very pleased to hear you have scanned those Eagle decals. I’ve a few older kits sans decals, & I’d be most pleased to find a scanned copy was held by someone somewhere .. (who knows, maybe one day I’ll discover an Eagle of my own!) I’m enjoying the context of the kit design, fabrication & production thank you. Craftsmanship. It reminds me of my own profession - architect - which I entered just on the threshold of arrival of CAD. I caught just enough of an introduction to the hand-based ‘skills’ of crafting an output .. saw some of it in action in my first office experience, where there was one or two computers in an office of 30. Now those skills a curiosity only. Speaking of hands-on … I’ve been summoned to the Lego table with my son, must go! More soon (incl some pics of my other LDM kit in box as per your request..)
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Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
... & I was interested by how Auster tackled it! Quite resourceful, layering timber over the base steel tube frame (sorry to muddy the waters a bit Anthony, not exclusively 'the steel aeroplane' as per your icon! ... does that icon suggest an interest? an Auster pilot or owner yourself?). Here's another Australian resident machine - VH-PSM a J5G (same-same as my J5P, just different engine .. I believe!) - under restoration, beautifully showing the timber turtle-deck over refreshed & refinished metalwork: .. and this structure remains discernible through the taut fabric skin, as shown with this lovely Netherlands-registered machine ... SO, time to bash together a cardboard jig & fix some paper guidelines ... .. to allow for me to place these ... .. slow work, one each side of spine ... wait to cure ... another each side of spine a few hours later ..- 100 replies
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Auster Autocar goes to the Antipodes
greggles.w replied to greggles.w's topic in Work in Progress - Aircraft
Thanks Anthony, it must be said the rear portion is one level of challenge - it's the glazed cabin ahead that will be the true test!