airscale

Hi again I was doing an experiment and it got completely out of control... In thinking about what to do next, I am a bit limited in it needs to fit in a 55cm sq display cabinet and I love working from drawings but apart from whats in Aircorps Library they are thin on the ground. I looked at what's in there (which is loads) and went for the, I think much maligned and forgotten P39. Technically advanced and actually an interesting airframe to take on given the mid engine & nosewheel, plus the doors to the cockpit allow all of it to be seen I sort of got the bug for it.. in preparing & thinking about it, I was worried about the noseweight needed to stop it being a tailsitter so I thought 'what if I 3D print the tail section..' - this seemed straightforward given the fairly consistent oval cross section.. ..well in 2 days I had designed the fuselage based on drawings... now I am no Rhino expert but using some of the most basic shape forming processes got me here as can be seen by the messy 'creativity'.. ..I can't do complex shapes like the fin tip, or fillet, but basics seemed to work.. ..I also needed a subject, and I think you guys and I might be getting a bit bored with bare metal so while it will be skinned, it will also be painted.. My last two models were USAAF so this one will be AH601 of 601 Squadron. They operated the P39 (P400 version) for a short while and actually only completed one combat mission, but nonethelesss, it works for me.. I was also curious about what, if anything the RAF did to lend lease aircraft in order to make sure mine was accurate - I needed look no further than the Air Ministry Pilots notes... embelished with lovely pics of the wireless fit and the sutton harness..they also carried a 20mm instead of the 37mm prop cannon.. ..having got into a bit of 3D design, where I previously did wheels, spinners etc for my other models I thought why not try getting a printer and trying that yourself too, so after watching Youtube a lot I settled on the Elegoo Saturn 2 and 8K resin printer which with all the stuff including a wash & curing station came in at about £800. I think this will open up the world to my model building and actually will be a business tool for airscale as I look to grow it. Its a steep learning curve, but I just made my first print of the spinner, the fishtail exhausts and the 20mm cannon.. ..the detail is incredible and I am very happy with this for my first calibration - just look at the cooling fins on the 20mm - this is about 1.5mm diameter... ..the other thing that has kept me busy is preparing the PE for the model - I have never done such an extensive set and this lot is about 900 parts across three nearly A3 sheets.. every one is from the factory drawings which is what gives me the most satisfaction.. now as for printing the fuselage parts, I was given a Flashforge Adventurer 3 for Xmas by my son in law and the bits were printed in PLA which is horrible to work with - it doesn't sand very easily but is incredibly stable & strong. I have now got some HIPS which I am told is better so will try that. The parts were broken down into substructures which fit within the 15cm x 15cm x 15cm print bed and took about a day to print. I also designed in square holes with 5.3 degrees dihedral to accept brass square spar sections ..the upshot is that in 3-4 days, I got a structure that is strong, light, accurate and represents what would have taken 6 - 8 weeks using traditional methods.. ..enough waffle, I guess you want to see it.. so, after a few days I had had a go at a few other things - mainly learning how to modify shapes - I found a tool in Rhino called 'Cage Edit' which basically allows you to for example create a ball and deform it so much it becomes a wingtip ..any competent designer would have a coronary if they saw what I was doing... I think the problem with 3D is knowing when to stop.. I reprinted a new nose and tail that incorporated a nosewheel mount and keyed & slotted areas to accept a new rudder & stabilisers - also printed these in resin not HIPs ..wings were done in sections to as close as I can get the tips - again with brass mini spars.. ..and a quick skin with P38 and a shot of primer and in a week I had an airframe.. ridiculous really.. ..onto the PE and the floor first which on the real one is many layered panels, so as per the original thats how this was made.. a small plunge moulded bit was made for the nosewheel cap.. ..the seat was next, this had some PE and the rest scratchbuilt - the rolled edge was made of fuse wire.. ..the rollover structure was a laminate of PE onto a 3D resin bulkead and the wholde thing dressed with Meng nuts.. ..the trim control box was again PE and resin parts.. just resting together here.. ..and it's good to be back in the 'pit and thats it for now - about 12,000 more parts to make.. TTFN Peter

thanks all Right - it's done... started 29 December 2021, finished 9th May 2023 so 17 months in the making... there are still a few bits to do - mainly the flaps - jury is out on these as while I spent a lot of time making them, I have not seen one picture with the flaps down at rest so I may just close them up... Max on LSP helped me out with the masks and they were perfect (thanks Max :)) & lots of bits done in the last weeks to get it pretty much done. i really enjoyed the build and learned a lot so here are some pics... so thats it onto the next one - which is a 3D experiment with very few skills that has got totally out of hand.. thanks for coming along for the ride TTFN Peter

howdy folks thanks for all your kind comments - very inspiring after a few weeks getting my next project underway with 3D design & print & huge PE frets, I am back to the P40... it's been lots of little jobs including... ailerons - these were 3D printed blanks then skinned with very thin plastic card scored with a ballpoint for the ribs and then decal ribtapes.. ..the underside is ready for the US ARMY markings when I can get some masks done.. ..wingtips - these are different to ones I have done before in they have an upper and lower panel sandwiching a frame.. stabiliser and fin tips.. ..the unit marking.. ..the nose guns.. ..the mainwheels were 3D printed, painted and a litho hub made up.. ..and the tailwheel & fork.. ..I can't stand it on it's gear yet, as they just rotate on their mounts, but it is nearing the finish line.. all I really need are the masks so i can paint the markings, in the background I am making the gear doors, pitot tube and bomb sway braces, but in terms of construction there is not much more to go.. TTFN Peter

Brilliant - excellent job so far and very interesting to watch bravo Peter

evening ladies thats an interesting question Richie - it's early days so yes, right now it's very rewarding and I cannot get over how quickly things can be made - plus they are super accurate so if I think about how I would make a wing with a core, ribs with the middles missing to allow for the core, add foam, filler & sand, by the time I have finished the rib section bears little resemblance to the original wheras this way it is 100% to the drawing so that is satisfying. I also like there are no real limits - any part could be made this way really and where last week I thought I would make things the old way, now I am looking at them thinking 'do I have to?' i think it is just a different skillset, but the rewards for me at least are the same so, it has been a few days and I have had a go at a few things - mainly learning how to modify shapes - I found a tool in Rhino called 'Cage Edit' which basically allows you to for example create a ball and deform it so much it becomes a wingtip ..any competent designer would have a coronary if they saw what I was doing... I think the problem with 3D is knowing when to stop.. After some great advice not to use PLA but use HIPS, I reprinted a new nose and tail that incorporated a nosewheel mount and keyed & slotted areas to accept a new rudder & stabilisers - also printed these in resin not HIPs ..had a go at the airscoop - you can see the limitations of my skills - I know the cross sections of the scoop are right, but I strugged to blend it into the skin and keep it's correct position - nothing a bit of filler and sanding can't sort out.. ..the tailfeathers had keys to hold position with each other and holes for brass mini spars to ensure location and preserving a perfect crucifix.. ..wings were done in sections to as close as I can get the tips - again with brass mini spars.. ..and a quick skin with P38 and a shot of primer and in a week I have an airframe.. ridiculous really.. ..so much to learn, so many possibilities... Peter

Now don't slap me... I have not shelved the P40.... I was doing an experiment and it got completely out of control... In thinking about what to do next, I am a bit limited in it needs to fit in a 55cm sq display cabinet and I love working from drawings but apart from whats in Aircorps Library they are thin on the ground. I looked at whats in there (which is loads) and went for the I think much maligned and forgotten P39. Technically advanced and actually an interesting airframe to take on given the mid engine & nosewheel, plus the doors to the cockpit allow all of it to be seen I sort of got the bug for it.. in preparing & thinking about it, I was worried about the noseweight needed to stop it being a tailsitter so I thought 'what if I 3D print the tail section..' - this seemed straightforward given the fairly consistent oval cross section.. ..well in 2 days I had designed the fuselage based on drawings... now I am no Rhino expert but using some of the most basic shape forming processes got me here as can be seen by the messy 'creativity'.. ..I can't do complex shapes like the fin tip, or fillet, but basics seemed to work.. ..I also needed a subject, and I think you guys and I might be getting a bit bored with bare metal so while it will be skinned, it will also be painted.. My last two models were USAAF so this one will be AH601 of 601 Squadron. They operated the P39 (P400 version) for a short while and actually only completed one combat mission, but nonethelesss, it works for me.. I was also curious about what, if anything the RAF did to lend lease aircraft in order to make sure mine was accurate - I needed look no further than the Air Ministry Pilots notes... embelished with lovely pics of the wireless fit and the sutton harness..they also carried a 20mm instead of the 37mm prop cannon.. ..having got into a bit of 3D design, where I previously did wheels, spinners etc for my other models I thought why not try getting a printer and trying that yourself too, so after watching Youtube a lot I settled on the Elegoo Saturn 2 and 8K resin printer which with all the stuff including a wash & curing station came in at about £800. I think this will open up the world to my model building and actually will be a business tool for airscale as I look to grow it. Its a steep learning curve, but I just made my first print of the spinner, the fishtail exhausts and the 20mm cannon.. ..the detail is incredible and I am very happy with this for my first calibration - just look at the cooling fins on the 20mm - this is about 1.5mm diameter.. ..the other thing that has kept me busy is preparing the PE for the model - I have never done such an extensive set and this lot is about 900 parts across three nearly A3 sheets.. every one is from the factory drawings which is what gives me the most satisfaction.. ..they are with PPD being made.. now as for printing the fuselage parts, I was given a Flashforge Adventurer 3 for Xmas by my son in law and the bits were printed in PLA which is horrible to work with - it doesn't sand very easily but is incredibly stable & strong. I haave now got some HIPS which Tim tells me is better so will try that. The parts were broken down into substructures which fit within the 15cm x 15cm x 15cm print bed and took about a day to print. I also designed in square holes with 5.3 degrees dihedral to accept brass square spar sections ..the upshot is that in 3-4 days, I got a structure that is strong, light, accurate and represents what would have taken 6 - 8 weeks using traditional methods.. ..enough waffle, I guess you want to see it.. ..to say I am amazed is an understatement, and I wonder where it will end - I may make the whole thing out of 3D! ..anyways, it's just a side project for now, but thought I would share it TTFN Peter

thanks fellas so... part three of the transparencies - with two done without issue, this canopy hood surely would be the screw up.. ..started by steaming & draping some PETG over a form - the shape is constant so that made it a bit easier, then from drawings determined the shape.. ..also started making framing from litho.. ..spent time scoring the middle of the frames onto the hood.. you might just be able to see it.. ..started with the bottoms and the ends.. ..and then it happened - the inevitable... as I was finishing up for the night, I went to wipe some fingerprints off, and they wouldn't move... I tried CA debonder and acrylic thinner, both of which seemed to leave no mark but these were not shifting - I even tried polywatch which is for polishing scarred watch faces but no luck... ..I still don't know what happened, but it meant the part was scrap and time to start again.. ..I ordered some latex finger cots, but they were a few days away so I experimented by cutting the film from the PETG where the frames were and then CAing parts to it... it seemed if a brand new blade was used i could splash about CA with no weeping or damage to the glass... ..so with that, I made a new one and cut everywhere I had to attach litho.. ..as long as tape wasn't used, or I did anything to lift the edges this should work.. ..then spent a day adding the frames inside & out - there must be 50 parts to it... ..the interior was harder and included the emergency release handle.. ..then I primed & painted it with the blue masks in place.. ..I can tell you it was a twitchy moment pulling the blue stuff off, but thankfully it worked really well.. ..still more to do, including the lower fairings but I am really glad thats all over... TTFN Peter

evening folks Hi PR - no, its very unlikely I will go back to the F7F - it was my first skinned model and I see to many flaws in it now - plus I just can't bring myself to scratch another R2800... Thanks Antonis - always a pleasure to see you drop in my friend I haven't Marklo, but I will look it up now as sounds like something I could really use so, round two of the opportunity to screw up, otherwise known a transparencies.. ..now I have done the windshield, I am two for two so far, so that means I WILL screw up the sliding hood.. I tried vacforming, that failed, then I realised that apart from the top cap of the windshield it is one linear wrap around sheet of perspex, so I tried clamping PETG to some sticks and holding it over a steaming kettle to then drape over the windshield mould... ..by keeping good pressure and pulling down and in, i got it to conform eventually.. ..I started to fettle it to fit the fuselage and built a card jig to ensure it is the right space from the seat bulkhead and at the right jaunty angle.. ..this is my bird, and thankfully it doesn't have the big slanted armoured glass, just two tie rods and a square gunsight thing... ..seing that makes me think I probably should have fitted the floor gunsight projector thing in the cockpit.. ..this is the sight thing mounted straight on the glass.. ..also note the emergency hood release button (the black dot) on the cap of the windshield.. ..you can also see the tie rods either side of the big glass plate I thankfully don't have to make.. I added a vacformed cap to the windshield and the rear frame etch and set out where the sight plate went and took my life in my hands and drilled 4 holes in the glass.. ..I made up the sight from brass and a plate with the tie rods.. ..the rubber grommets in the windshield were just blobs of paint pushed through the holes and cleaned off.. ..and all assembled with the emergency release cable hanging loose.. ..the winsdshield was then added to the airframe carefully with blobs of CA and a constatly running airbrush blowing air to prevent white fogging.. ..the panels were also added, but I have no photos until I masked it up for the anti glare panel (painted MRP super matt black - just about my favourite paint - it's bulletptroof..).. ..and having added the canopy rails & fairings its time for a little tour.. ..probably do the sliding part next... TTFN Peter

evening folks Thanks for all your kind comments, they really inspire me to do my best next up on my model submarine it was time for me to face my nemesis.... ..transparencies - I hate them... they are just a gift wrapped opportunity to screw up in my experience.. thime for the rear vision glass on the fuselage.. ..the panels have a small bit of curvature so I made up a buck from profiles of the airframe I used to build it.. ..filled the gaps with foam and covered in P38.. ..I tried vacforming on this, but as usual got bubbles and distortion so in the end I just used a steaming kettle and pushed the buck into a bit of foam so get the side panels.. ..the riveted former seen here needed to be made to get the right shape where the glass meets the canopy.. ..made a template and bent it from brass, then drilled & added the rivets.. ..then made the outer skins - I had made these in PE, but they were too stiff and slightly off colour so I remade them and painted the insides green.. ..also made the headrest from milliput and the mounting plate / brackets.. ..so the first step was to add the former - I cut a slot in the fuselage to take it - that way I knew the profile was right and the structure looks like it might do that anyway.. ..then the glass was added - the borders edged with a black sharpie as it 'thins' them.. ..then the top fuselage skin was added and here taped ready for glueing, the cockpit sills and lower window panels.. ..then the I spent 2 hours $hitting myself while outer skins and frames were added.. ..oddly, it went quite smoothly, but I have the windshield and canopy to go so I can promise you there will be a senior moment along the way TTFN Peter

Thank you everyone, much appreciated thats a project I will go back to at some point, when I have more drawing data and have come to terms with painting my models the next sub component was the prop... ..I started by cutting a brass sheet blank and adding telescoping tube to provide the mount and the strength.. ..this was then filled with P38 and primed & sanded multiple times to get one decent master.. ..that master was used to create an RTV mould - I only had a little bit of plasticine so really I made the mould too small so the castings were not great, plus they had parting lines & holes where there were bubbles.. ..these were then filled & sanded.. .and then after about 4 sessions of filling, sanding & priming I had 3 good blades.. ..they were painted with a mix of alclad steel & aluminium after Waroff (a P40 expert on LSP) confirmed the early P40's had unpainted steel blades.. ..and on the airframe.. ..theey still need the data panel at the root, but I will do that when I get dry transfers made for the rest of the airfame notices.. TTFN Peter

thank you chaps ..back to the undersides and it was time to paint and sort the undercarriage... these had been made in brass months ago.. all shot with alclad matt aluminium... ..since then I added the pinions which I had 3D printed... ..painted, assembled & weathered.. ..there are still many components to make, but a test fit in the airframe.. TTFN Peter

evening ladies Hi Rob - it gets pretty heavy, I would say a kilo or more... next up are the flaps...these were designed in PE a long time ago, so it was time to assemble them.. ..lots and lots of folding.. ..about half the ribs adeed.. ..and then completed - each had the cap strip added which I have to say was about the most horrible modelling experience i have had for a while.. ..then the skins were made - there are 1,800 rivets in both - I know because I drew the layout and counted the objects.. painted and with torque tubes & fittings added.. so thats them done... and while there is still a great deal to do before this is complete, my eye has been wandering like a drunk at a wedding to what I might do next..I have a couple of parameters I think - 1) i need drawings, it's like my little drug..2) It needs to fit in my expensive show cabinet @ 55cm square... happened upon this scheme when the Planes of fame F8F took it's first flight - a bare metal Bearcat.. ..it's got me thinking.. i wanted to do a Sea Fury, but no drawings and its too big, so this might keep me happy for a while longer TTFN Peter

thank you all - very kind Oh yes it will be NMF, I have yet to paint one of my models which kinda limits the ones I can make so i guess the next one will be... I have considered all of those and am thinking about whats next now - the biggest problem is drawings - I would do a Sea Fury in a heartbeat, but I have been quoted £4k to get the drawings! I use Aircorps library as they have access to all drawings of certain aircraft for a small monthly fee, but there I am limited to F6F, F8F, P47, F4U, F4F, P63 & P39 and i have done two american birds on the bounce now so fancy something different so, pressing on, I made the elevators the same way as the rudder and then added all the rib tapes with solid decal - this is about my least favourite job in modelling - it truly sucks... still, got it done and after many washes with micro sol & micro set I was happy the adhesion was as good as I could get it... in some places like where the trim tabs are, there wwas a bit of creasing, and some bubbles, and it took about 3 days to work through all this and get it all fully dry.. ..after priming, the rudder was painted with MRP insignia white and progressively masked to match a scaled version of a photo of the original aircraft.. the masking was all fine, just took a lot of care and 'de-tacked' the tamiya tape by sticking it to the palm of my hand first, also all edges were cut with a fresh scalpel blade.. ..all the mounts & torque tubes were made, plainted & added.. ..same process for the elevators, but these were just shot with alclad... ..and mocked up on the model.. ..not sure whats up next, will have to be a surprise TTFN Peter

thank you chaps ..to conclude the obvious cliffhangar that was making the rudder core, but saving the skinning - I did that today... ..first the drawing was amended to show where the rib score lines were and the visible rivet heads under the fabric - this was then stuck to thin plastic card - I guess it's 0.10 or 0.15 slaters or plastruct.. ..these black lines were then run over with a biro and the rivets a pin in a pin vise.. ..the leading edges were rolled around a tube to make them curve and enough fat left on them to roll around it.. ..then a thin layer of evo stick contact cement on all surfaces - no blobs or it melts the thin plastic.. ..and the skin is laid down & trimmed at the centreline to meet the other side.. ..i plunge moulded the bottom cap as this is metal and added the rivets, then the edges were sanded & blended.. ..the subtle effect of the scoring on the reverse side to make it look like fabric can be seen here.. no need for fabric effect as when the real ones are doped and painted these surfaces are generally smooth.. ..I have some decal sheet on order and will do all the rib tapes & edges with that - it needs to be able to take a lot of masking tape though for the red and white stripes so we will see how it holds up.. TTFN Peter

thanks chaps Had a day off today and with Mrs airscale out & about, I got to start another part - I settled on the rudder as it makes a change from skinning.. ..started by creating a drawing from the plans with profiles & rib sections - although the GA drawing for the ribs is really washed out so I couldn't make much of it out ..this was stuck to brass sheet with Pritt Stick- I like brass as it keeps its shape when working and gets a really nice sharp trailing edge ..you can see on the drawing there is a torque rod right the way through the lower leading edge which also needs to be factored in.. ..it's easy to cut out the shape with a dremel & slitting disc cutting down into a sheet of balsa.. ..all of the rib positions etc were transferred from the drawing to the blank ..you can also see the trim tab has been largely cut out, but not removed, and the little hole at the top where a big rudder horn connects from the fin.. ..the torque tube was added by soldering in a tube (with brass end caps to stop the tube flooding) and then cutting out the gaps afterwards.. ..the known rib sizes and profiles I could determine were added from brass sheet.. ..all the structure was added from plastic stock and a blob of P38 filler.. the trim tab must be done too so it can just be broken away later with exactly the right profile.. ..the structure is then shaped with a sander and files until the profiles are hit.. ..a shot of primer helps get a good feel for how it is shaping up.. ..next up, skinning it with thin plastic sheet, scored with a biro at the rib positions to get a light catenary effect TTFN Peter

afternoon all thanks for your kind comments I managed to get the wing fillets done - I have shown skinning many times so today is just the work as it stands ..also got most of the undersides done.. ..not sure what i will do next - maybe the windshield & upper cockpit skinning, maybe the rear glazing, maybe the control surfaces.... still lots to go TTFN Peter

evening folks Thank you for your kind words - very much appreciated So, P40 progress... ..it was time to try skinning the undercarriage fairings - these are the attractive bulges at the leading edge - made of three parts, they may look nice but were probably among the most challenging metalwork I have ever done.. ..first up was getting a nice smooth surface and blending in any existing skinning as the surface must be absolutely smooth or any undulations will transfer to the surface.. ..so a spot of filler here & there, a quick prime to check.. ..in order to get the panel shape, the outline needs to be set out in tape so that the border can be seen as the litho is burnished onto it.. to do this, I punched a couple of tape discs so I could set them out equally.. ..soon had them both laid out... ..it's asking a lot of the metal to conform to these double curvatures so I started to make the middle panel first - usual tools, hardwood blocks and a ball pein hammer to start beating to shape.. after beating & fixing, the other panels were added both sides - no pics, but by this point the panels are down and need finishing - some creasing was inevitable and I am hoping they sand out.. ..then the panels were sanded, polished, wire woolled etc, there are still some scratches and creases visible here and there but this is as good as I can get it.. ..I also skinned the fairing behind the cowl flaps - more details need adding, but again more compound curves.... ..more skin panels were added at the lower wing root, fastnings along the fairings and the lower area is coming together.. ..upper wing fairings next.. TTFN Peter

evening ladies I am still in skinning mode - all the lower rear fusealge has been done - to do this meant I needed to sort out the tailwheel well.. No in progress pics, but essentially the mount was set in the fuselage on day one of the build and then bulkheads and inner skins added. I used very thin lead sheet for the canvas boot in the same way as the main gear wells... ..also made up the doors but will fit these much later.. ..then it was up the other end to finish the nose - all of this is so I can get the wing fillets done as I need them on top of all the panelwork that surrounds them.. ..this is less a sequence of work, but some random pics taken throughout the process, so sorry it's not very co-ordinated.. ..first a tape template and markers for the double row rivet lines where the internal formers are.. these must be positioned to match the upper cowl ones.. ..I use the same thin blue tape to set out the lower boundaries of the panel under the tape template so I can just get the border marks on the template when its down.. ..these are then transferred to litho.. ..another important step here - I also scan this sheet so I can import it into coreldraw and draw out all the rivet patterns as they are on 'my' panel, rather than as they appear on plans or drawings.. ..here the rivets from that scan originated drawing have been made with an awl on the sheet - so much so it has started to curl, but that is sorted out by burnishing when its finished... ..the same process for this tricky nose panel - it's asking a bit much of the tape to do compound curves like this and the panel itself will need a bit of fettling to fit... ..same process, different panel.. a tape hinge keeps its position so I can add the contact cement to both surfaces.. ..and again - this one is being beaten into shape with a small ball pein hammer.. once it's fixed all the wrinkles are beaten / sanded out and the rivets re-instated.. ..and then after cleanup, sanding, wire wooling and polishing.. ..the cowl panels stop just short of the cowl flaps as there is a dark (green?) strip then the flaps on the real one.. ..and with the spinner on it starts to look the part.. ..still loads to do, but glad the nose is complete now - though the chin intake fairing casting needs cleaning up and painting again.. TTFN Peter

Thank you all Pleased to say the set is out today and all pre-orders have been shipped TTFN Peter

Hi PR Yes I did, I was very lucky to win best aircraft for the P51 and we were so busy on our stand we did better just on the Saturday than any other full weekend in all the 11 years we have been trading so the show is definately back! Take care Peter

Happy New Year all Finally got a bit of time and mojo to get back after a hectic few months... Been busy making the new Airfix Spitfire set and also adding some RB Productions tools to our website in addition to Telford, birthdays, Christmas, work and a bunch of other distractions... anyways, enough nonsense, what has actually been going on.. For starters my Santa son-in-law surprised me with this 3D printer for Christmas.. so that opens up a load of opportunities - it's the PLA one so good for structural stuff rather than details but is a fine bit of kit and simple enough even I can work it out... ..I wanted to try it on a part for the P40 so went for the spinner as this is a relatively simple thing to design & print.. ..saying that, the first try failed as the pla spool got stuck for some reason so after an hour I was stuck with no tip and a squiggly mess.. ..changed out the pla for a spool designed for this machine and after a bit of sanding had a good, solid, smooth structure to work with. The real spinner has the tip as one big spun cone which goes back nearly to the blade outlets and after much trying this was impossible to do with litho, so I went with just doing the tip to start with where the most demands are made on the metal.. ..started by rough shaping a disc.. ..then stuck this and started to beat / sand it into shape.. in doing so, a bit fell off so that determined how big the tip cone would be... ..I cut away the waste and used masking tape to get a template for the remainder of the upper cone.. ..used tape again to get the lower section and the all important shape and position of the blade outlets.. ..put that on a fresh bit of litho.. ..cut it out and added some rivets while it was flat & easy - even under sanding some witness marks are left so always worth doing this if I can as I can always go over them again.. ..and this layer was added and the final scribing & detailing added.. ..i also printed a hub / blade holder so I could test fit it on the airframe.. ..the important shark side profile ...it will all look better when properly fitted and the rest of the skinning is done and in fact this one was just a bit of a test with some things that could be improved so I may redo it if I can be bottomed.. TTFN & hope everyone has a great New Year Peter

Hi all, Quick update on progress... ..the decals have arrived so did a test for the instructions to be developed... no kit decals are illustrated, but some are still used - happy with how the set is shaping up ..the only problem is the etch folks at PPD are breaking for Xmas and my production order will be mid January for a limited number and end of January for the rest, so I do encourage pre-orders if you have the kit and are waiting on the set. I will turn off pre-orders if we hit the total in the first batch and none will go to retailers until the full production order has been met ..this is all a frustrating by-product of not getting access to the kit prior to release anyways, thats it for now Peter

Hey everyone I have been getting a lot of requests for updates on when we will release a set for the new Airfix Spitfire IX Well, the test shot PE arrived today so I did a test fit I thought I would share... The decals are in production, so sadly I don't have those to show yet, but now I know the PE is all good i can place the production order for them. I am being told the PE will be late December / early January but will see if I can get them to run a very small batch before Christmas it's a sad fact Airfix wouldn't supply anyone with test sprues so we are all scrabbling round trying to design & produce from the kits we received when you did ..anyways on with the preview.. ..here is the fret.. first up the seat gets some improved mounting brackets.. ..the seat bulkhead has an improved finish and is detailed for those not using Armour Plate.. ..and with Armour Plate and the correct seatbelt roller (tube not included..) ..rudder pedal treads.. ..corrected and upgraded undercarriage selector.. ..compass frame and missing fuel select lever.. ..and what it really needs - a new IP and Blind Flying panel.. ..how things look in place.. ..there are a number of other bits & bobs too.. will update again when I have decals - I need to pull all this apart to install them It's a fabulous kit and has been a pleasure to put something together to help if folks feel it needs it Pre order available here TTFN Peter

Hi everyone Hi Antonis what a pleasure to hear from you, how are you my friend? Good advice indeed - I do try primers, I have Mr Hobby and car etch primers and I find they are all pretty much the same - useless.. I will have to try VMS - I do have a good one from precision paints but its a faff to decant it and thin it, plus it needs about a week to cure / etch properly (and even that isn't bulletproof...) Anyways, not much of an update today, more just proof of life really ..still trying to get all the panels around the wing fillets done so I can start them, so I added the fuselage sides and upper wing skins.. no in progress pics, just a few to see where I am up to.. ..the port fuselage side has a hand hold and a hatch - this fuel filler hatch is only applicable for the very early versions before the B/C which my subject is. It also does not have the formation light each side that later ones have either.. ..the other side was also done.. ..and as can be seen in some of the pics above, the upper wing skins were also added.. ...and that means about 70% is skinned now.. ..still some very complex areas to go around the U/C fairings, wing fillets and windshield... See you at Telford hopefully - our airscale stand is in Hall 2 so please drop by and say hello TTFN Peter

evening folks in order for me to work on all the fairings under the fuselage, I need to skin the lower wings like the real one and the fairings sit over these. To finish skinning the wings I needed to make up the canvas wheelbay liners - for these I used very thin lead foil which was shaped over a small pot.. ..there is a small, box like bit of the cover that was made seperately and blended in with foil tape.. I took a pic with the label in case anyone wants to get some, it's great for this sort of thing.. ..these were primed with mr surfacer, but the adhesion is very weak.. ..I painted the canvas colour out of the model because I thought it would be eaiser to get in all the nooks & crannies, but a lot of paint flaked off when it came to getting them into the wheel bays so I had to mask up and paint them again.. ..after painting the many press lock tabs were added into the well and the wing skin panel added. This panel has double layers in places so no need to rivet it. Also this panel has a lip all the way around the aperture which was added before sticking it down.. ..they need blowing out as in the pics they still have lots of dust & wire wool bits from panel clean up.. ..then the doubler panels were added.. ..I am not especially happy about the painting - I see these figure modellers who make canvas and clothes look so realistic, but I just don't know how to do that anyways, it's done and it means I can carry on skinning... TTFN Peter