1:72 Supermarine Scimitar F.1

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

I've just returned home after a week in Chicago for business. A colleague from Germany gave me a Pro-Resin (Olimp) kit of the Curtiss XF15C-1 (Late) - beautiful little kit, very nicely done. I believe Olimp are in the Ukraine, and they've got a nice catalogue, including the Short S.B.5 (both early and late version, different wings and tail configuration). Have a look at their website.

 

I made a special trip while in Chicago to visit a hobby shop that is well known for being (literally) stocked with kits from the floor to the ceiling. It's not in a very good section of town, and I read that you have to be buzzed in. The shop is known for erratic hours, and is managed by an elderly lady. I called her the day before to verify that she'd be open, and told her what time I expected to arrive. She said no problem, she'd be there. It took me over an hour to get to the shop, using both the "L" train and CTA buses plus some walking. Long story short - the shop wasn't open! I hung around for over an hour before I had to return to catch my flight. Arghh...

 

I will have an update on the Scimitar soon. All of the transfers are on the main fuselage, but I have a bit of touch-up painting to do on the leading edge of the tail. The yellow and black checkerboards didn't quite wrap-around the entire way. And I've just begun cutting and trimming the vacuform canopy. Thank goodness CMR included two!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

Time for an overdue update! Here are some quick photos of the main fuselage with the markings applied:

 

 

 

 

Adds a little life to the bird, don't you think? I found the white in the roundels have a slight bit of transparency that is noticeable on the fuselage sides - of course, as the EDSG/White demarcation line goes right through the middle of them! I'll probably leave that as it is, if it were more transparent I would double up on the roundel decals but I'd rather not do that here.

 

Oops, looks like I forgot the tyre/wheel marks. CMR provide decals for those. What are they for? To see if the tyre has moved relative to the wheel rim?

 

Here's the belly:

 

 

I still have some work to do with additional weathering with pastels, but that will wait until the matt varnish has been applied. CMR will have you paint the rear of the cannon troughs a red-brown colour. I've not seen this in any photos - does anyone know what it is meant to represent?

 

Cheers,

Bill

[hacker]

Nice. Always liked the Scimitar but this kit is expensive

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/XK72011

How is this kit for quality? Seems the only other game in town

[Procopius]

I made a special trip while in Chicago to visit a hobby shop that is well known for being (literally) stocked with kits from the floor to the ceiling. It's not in a very good section of town, and I read that you have to be buzzed in. The shop is known for erratic hours, and is managed by an elderly lady. I called her the day before to verify that she'd be open, and told her what time I expected to arrive. She said no problem, she'd be there. It took me over an hour to get to the shop, using both the "L" train and CTA buses plus some walking. Long story short - the shop wasn't open! I hung around for over an hour before I had to return to catch my flight. Arghh...

Wait, what shop is this? I work in the city.

[Navy Bird]

On 9/16/2013 at 08:01, hacker said:

Nice. Always liked the Scimitar but this kit is expensive

http://www.hannants.co.uk/product/XK72011

How is this kit for quality? Seems the only other game in town

 

I'm afraid I don't know as I've never fondled its sprues. I think I've seen some builds on BM though, have you tried searching and see what comes up? Here is a review (translated from German). Rather poor marks I must say:

 

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?client=tmpg&depth=1&hl=en&langpair=de|en&rurl=translate.google.com&u=http://www.modellmarine.de/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D2375:supermarine-scimitar-f1-xtrakit-172%26catid%3D48:mpm&usg=ALkJrhh3ZRP0U03-U6t8ohdRNiGukq4g7w

 

On 9/16/2013 at 09:12, Procopius said:

Wait, what shop is this? I work in the city.

 

It's called Forever Timeless Hobby Shop on Belmont Avenue. They don't have a web site, but there are some pictures here:

 

http://www.bing.com/local/Details.aspx?lid=YN272x18340781

 

As you can see, kits from floor to ceiling (or ceiling pipes anyway)! If I had remembered that you were in Chicago, I would have looked you up so you could buy me a few pints!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Procopius]

Huh, that's about an hour by public transit from my work. I'll have to travel out there some fine day.

If I had remembered that you were in Chicago, I would have looked you up so you could buy me a few pints!

I assure you, the disappointment is all mine, or would be, if you knew me!

[Mozzy19]

Cracking job! If only there was a mainstream 1/48 injection kit of it...

Sean

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

It's pouring rain this weekend, so no excuses for not being at my workbench! First up, I've tackled the air brakes. These are provided in the kit as two photoetch pieces for each air brake. There are a total of six air brakes, three on each side of the rear fuselage. As I think I noted before, I will be modelling these open, depicting the time (3:00 PM was it?) when air brake functionals typically occurred.

 

I snapped a quick photo showing three air brakes assembled (just glued together really) and three of the PE sets:

 

 

It's clever how CMR have made up a nice 3D part from a couple of 2D photoetch pieces. Now I'm going to go and look for photos of the air brakes, as I suspect that they have a slight curve to them in order to match the curve of the fuselage. I've seen several builds of the the CMR Scimitar, and even some of the old Dynavector kit, where the modeller has left these pieces flat. That doesn't seem right to me, so I'll go looking for some photos of the real thing. Putting a slight curve into the PE pieces is really quite easy.

 

I've also sanded and filled the 150 gallon drop tanks and rescribed some panel lines, then mounted them to the Mod. 5072 pylon. These will be mounted to the inner wing. It's interesting how part of the pylon actually overlaps the wing fold line.

 

My intention is to add Mod. 5072 pylons to the outer wing, where I'll add 1,000 lb bombs. I could add Sidewinders, but I'd like to go for something different.

 

Cheers for now,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

Progress! Now we're getting into the last 10% of the build that will take 50% of the time - the fiddly bits and the stuff that hangs underneath! First, a momentous occasion - I cut out the vacuform canopy and separated the windscreen from the sliding part without having to use the second canopy that CMR always provide:

 

 

Maybe I'm learning how to do it. In the case of the Scimitar, the bottom edge of the sliding portion of the canopy has a unique flare, which can be easily seen in the Scimitar Aircraft Walkaround here on BM. The CMR vacuform piece has this flare, but it is very difficult to see when you're removing the piece and sanding to the right shape. I think I maintained it, but it's hard to see:

 

 

This will show up better after some paint. I used the die-cut masks that came with the kit to prepare the canopy for painting.

 

 

Speaking of paint, I finished the wingtips, and applied the markings.

 

 

I then finished up the 150 gallon drop tanks, the airbrake petals, painted the canopy, and prepared the pylons and bombs. The stripes and markings are yet to go on the bombs.

 

 

Now for the moment we've all been waiting for - gluing on the windscreen, and blending it into the fuselage. As I mentioned earlier, I plan to use the official Navy Bird "Why On Earth Are You Doing It This Way" method (rejected by Patent Authorities in over 70 countries). First, the windscreen is glued on. OK, that was easy. Since the canopy pieces were given a bath in Future, I used CA glue not worrying about any fogging. Next, I slather on some wall paste like so:

 

 

(You may have noticed that the model has received a nice coat of Alclad Flat.) So, why on earth am I doing it this way? I have no clue, to be honest. I guess I don't like having the windscreen attached way back at the beginning, and leaving the tape on for a couple of months. I don't know. The reason for using the wall paste is because it can be smoothed out with water, and requires no sanding. Once I'm satisfied with the blending, I'll touch up the paint. I used this on my recent Buccaneer build and it worked out nicely.

 

So will it work on the Scimitar? Stay tuned! Same FAA time, same FAA station!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[SimonR]

Looks stunning Bill, your finish is so crisp its unbelievable!

cheers

Simon

[seadog]

Looks like it's waiting for a shave Coming along beautifully.

F

[SaintsPhil]

Looks ace Bill, I'm sure that canopy work will look good when it's done

[Navy Bird]

On 9/25/2013 at 09:00, seadog said:

Looks like it's waiting for a shave

 

I got out my best razor ("six and a half blade shaving surface - because we figured you'd believe anything!") and went to work! And you know what? I think the old shaving cream did the trick, or at least I'll take it.

 

 

 

All right then, let's get back to work hanging the remaining bits on this bird. I need to finish this and get on to more constructive work, like sanding rivets off of a 1965 Revell PB4Y-1 Liberator for the Hopelessly Out-Of-Date Obsolete Kit Group Build.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Procopius]

If you could explain a little more in-depth how you use the wall paste, I'd be very interested to read it. I've often envied how seamlessly your canopies merge with the fuselage. (Heyo!)

[Navy Bird]

On 9/26/2013 at 21:15, Procopius said:

If you could explain a little more in-depth how you use the wall paste, I'd be very interested to read it. I've often envied how seamlessly your canopies merge with the fuselage. (Heyo!)

 

What? Reveal a trade secret that's been rejected by the patent authorities in over 70 countries? Well, OK, since it's Procopius. I wouldn't do this for just any run of the mill Roman historian. How's that Secret History coming along? Catchy title!

 

Step 1. Curse loudly when you realize that the windscreen doesn't fit the fuselage and will leave a large gap.

Step 2. Curse again when you remember that you've already painted and decaled the model.

Step 3. When wifey runs in to see what the fuss is about, quickly make up a story about this new method you've invented to fill gaps on already finished models. Promise her millions, and ask her where the heck are the tea and crumpets?

Step 4. Attach the windscreen to the fuselage using suitable adhesive. It is somewhat important that the windscreen stay attached throughout the remainder of the procedure.

Step 5. Slob on a bunch of wall paste. See previously posted photo to visualize the precise locating and accurate wall paste dispensing skills of the aforementioned Navy Bird. (Try to keep the wall paste in and around the gap being filled. Failure to do so will require re-application.)

Step 6. Let wall paste dry. The thicker it is, the longer it takes to dry. Drying can be accelerated with a common hair dryer, but do not use an industrial heat gun for shrink tubing. This results in a model that is only suitable for entry into the Salvatore Dali Group Build.

Step 7. Remove wall paste to reveal a perfect blending of windscreen and fuselage. Paint and season to taste.

 

Simple, no?

 

Some tips for Step 7 - wall paste can be "sanded" with water. But too much water makes a real big mess and the wall paste disintegrates quickly. I have tried using ear buds dipped in water, but they will often contain too much water. So what I've been using lately is a paintbrush. For the Scimitar I used a #4 brush. After wetting the brush, most of the excess water is easily removable so that it is just damp. Pull the brush over the wall paste as if you were "painting" the area. Remember, what you want to achieve is a smooth blend, so work on the high spots of the wall paste first. Work your way down from high to low.

 

You'll need to keep cleaning the brush. Work slowly, and constantly check your work by viewing the gap/seam area at a grazing incidence, preferably holding up the model to the light while doing so. This lets you see how smooth the surface blend is.

 

When you're happy with what you have, paint the area. In my case, since the model was already finished, you have to real careful of overspray. I used the finest tip I have, and was spraying a highly thinned mixture, but only letting out three or four paint molecules per second. That way you can slowly watch the color appear on the surface.

 

At this point, I didn't like the way mine looked once it was painted, so I repeated the procedure again. This time though I was VERY careful with how much wall paste was being applied and in what area. Obviously I only wanted it where I still needed some filler. The paint that was applied creates a barrier to any water that we might use now. So I'll only be working on the second application - if we hadn't painted, the water would not only work on the second application, but also on what is left of the first.

 

When I finished with the second application, I painted again. I still wasn't happy, but there was just two very small areas that still needed work. Again, a small amount of wall paste but - surprise - this time I dry sanded it with 2000 grit paper. That fine of a grade will have little effect on the painted areas, but it takes wall paste down easily. Plus when dry, wall paste feathers quite nicely, which means the edges blend into the surrounding surface evenly. One more application of paint and I was happy.

 

(You don't want to dry sand the big blob of wall paste like the one I started with, especially with a finished model. If you do you'll have white dust everywhere.) Further explanations will gladly be provided upon receipt of donation to the Navy Bird Benevolent Fund.*

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

* Go to that cool hobby shop in Chicago, call my cell, and await further instruction.

[heloman1]

Looking seriously good there Bill. I do like your method of blending the windscreen in and sealing the glazing first. Plus the PE working for the airbreaks looks good. Almost there then!

Colin

[seadog]

Really works well! Beautiful bit of blendind in an area I've never managed to do a really good job! Tell me though, if you can be inveigled into revealing all o master, what actually is wall paste? Wallpapaper paste? Huh? huh? Please ease my ignorance.

[keefr22]

Really works well! Beautiful bit of blendind in an area I've never managed to do a really good job! Tell me though, if you can be inveigled into revealing all o master, what actually is wall paste? Wallpapaper paste? Huh? huh? Please ease my ignorance.

Thanks seadog, I was about to ask the same, as I'm just as ignorant as to what it is..!!

Lovely work Bill, another little cracker!

[Navy Bird]

Ah, sorry about that. Wall paste is what you use to fill joints and nail holes when you're installing sheet rock (drywall). In the US it is often called "spackling compound." Spackle comes from the German word spachtel, which means filler, appropriately enough. We also call it "joint compound" or my personal favorite "mud."

 

In the UK you have a brand called Polyfilla?

 

According to Wiki, wall paste is a gypsum plaster made from hydrated calcium sulfate and glue. And like most good things, drywall and wall paste originated in the UK!

 

Cheers,

Bill

[seadog]

Ah, right, thrown by the word 'paste'. Never would have occured to me to try polyfilla. Yer never too old to learn!

[keefr22]

Ah, right, thrown by the word 'paste'. Never would have occured to me to try polyfilla. Yer never too old to learn!

Ditto!

Thanks Bill.

[Litvyak]

I was scratching my head at what wall paste is, too... we have Polyfilla in Canada, too. Like others have said, that would never have occurred to me to use, since that stuff is for like, when you put a hole in the wrong place in the wall.

This model looks absolutely phenomenal.

[SmashedGlass]

Sounds much like using Vallejo Plastic Putty; quite neat stuff, as long as you use it PROPERLY (many people whinge and moan about it, because they are to impatient to allow things to actually CURE). Good work Bill!

[Navy Bird]

Hi mates,

 

Not a lot of work done yesterday, as we were occupied most of the day with our new dog, which was delivered from the rescue agency. She was a stray down in Tennessee, looks to be about a year old and we're pretty sure she's a cross between a Yellow Labrador Retriever and a Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Poor thing, even though she's a big dog she's only 42 lbs. right now. No worry, we'll fatten her up! She's getting along just fine with our other dog, who starred in one of my other builds.

 

 

Back to the Scimitar! Let's see, I remembered that I forgot to paint the navigation lights on the wings. What I usually do is an undercoat of Alclad aluminum and then overcoat with Gunze Clear Red or Clear Green as appropriate. I know some folks actually put miniature lamps or fiber optics in, and then build a lens out of clear epoxy, etc. Personally, I think that's a bit of an overkill in 1:72 scale, so I always take the lazy way out! The painted result does not photograph well, and loses the depth and "sparkle" that you see in real life. Or maybe it's just because I'm a lousy photographer?

 

 

Next, I thought it would be much easier to mount the outboard pylons and ordnance now, rather than after the wings have been added in their folded position. So I did:

 

 

Then I started thinking (dangerous I know) that you probably wouldn't have live bombs on the plane when the wings were folded. But, having never got any farther in my USN career than failing the submarine qualification physical, I honestly don't know. But I think it looks good, and if I get taken to task for modelling it this way, I can always claim it's a "what if" model.

 

I then added the drop tanks, being careful to make sure that the pylon overlaps the wing fold area. It was like that on the Buccaneer, too. There is actually no other way to do it on the Scimitar model, if you keep the pylon entirely on the inboard section of the wing, it won't be straight (perpendicular to the wing surface). For a resin kit, I think the tolerances that CMR achieve are quite remarkable.

 

 

 

Today I should be able to finish it off. CMR provide photoetch pieces for the wing braces, but they are flat, and I'm willing to bet the real things were round. I'm going to substitute some small diameter (0.6mm) styrene rod. All that is left is to add the outer wings, some additional PE in the wing fold area, and add the wing jury struts and braces. Oh, and the rest of the canopy and a bunch of antennae.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Paul A H]

Outstanding work Bill. This is tempting me to start my Xtrakit version.