DaveCS Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 With the New AZ Model kits and now the new tool Airfix kits coming out this month I have a hankering to toss.. I mean.. "relegate" my old Pavla D.H.82c kit to the bottom of my stash (or to pilfer it for various parts/pieces I may be able to use). Ideally I would have loved one of the kit makers to produce a new D.H.82c but all I see right now are the D.H.82a kits produced. I know Aeroclub used to create vacform canopy replacements for the OLD Airfix kit and I've left a note for John to see if he would have any of these laying around - just in case they may be able to be adjusted/used on the new Airfix kits. Outside of the canopy and some rails (which can be scratchbuilt I think) are there any other major mods required? I have access to a D.H.82c relatively close by in Hamilton Ontario Canada (down the road from Toronto) so I shouldn't have too much worry getting details but I'm curious if anyone else has considered this type of "conversion" per se? Cheers,Dave
Jessica Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 There are many small differences between the -A and -C Tigers: Tail wheel, elevator trim tabs, forward raked landing gear (because the -C has brakes), two-piece cowling, thinner metal wing struts, footwells for the rear pilot under the centre section, optional Menasco engine, "pointed" instrument panels and covers and different instrument arrangement complete with foam rubber crash pad to name the most prominent.
DaveCS Posted January 13, 2014 Author Posted January 13, 2014 I wonder how much of that could be seen in 1/72 scale - the landing gear, for example, I can live with. The two piece cowling could, perhaps, be corrected accordingly. Thinner metal struts, we'll see just how much thinner that is going to be in scale. The footwells, that I think can also be corrected. Cheers,Dave
Jessica Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 The landing gear is the easiest to fix. Just trim the forward struts by about 2mm and it'll fall right into position. The wing struts will stand out a mile. They were wood painted to match the local colours and are at least twice as broad on British Tigers. Compare a DH-82A with a DH-82C. Also visible in the Canadian moth picture is the difference in shape between the rear instrument panel shroud and the aft bulkhead behind the pilot. The trim tabs extend slightly aft of the trailing edge of the elevator and are quite wide so they'd be pretty visible but a bit of plastic card inset into the trailing edge solves that problem. They're just flat sheet metal in real life. Oh yes, I also forgot that the C model moths don't have the little side doors on the cockpit sills and the aft cockpit is a square cutout rather than angled. There's also the door to the baggage compartment behind the cockpit. The -A has a rectangle cutout on the fuselage side while on the C the whole top of the bulkhead above the seat hinges forward. That had to be done because the rear canopy covers the area that opens on the -A
John Aero Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 The Menasco front cowl is a mirror of the Gipsy . I will have to wade through boxes of canopies to see if I have any Canadian ones left. John
Jessica Posted January 13, 2014 Posted January 13, 2014 The cowling on the Menasco moth was subtly less shapely than the Gypsy cowl. On the subject of the instrument panels, here's a great picture. And here's one with the padding in place. If you look carefully you can see the rear pilot's footwells.
Paul J Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 The wing struts will stand out a mile. They were wood painted to match the local colours and are at least twice as broad on British Tigers. Compare a DH-82A with a DH-82C. Surely you mean the wing struts on the 82C were metal and narrower than the wooden ones on the standard -82A! Dave CS: I have a spare Aeroclub one and the spare one from my GB Tiger I'm doing. Re the footwells, I made them from spare rocket heads reshaped and cut tio size. I think the rockets I used were from a the type used on Typhoons not sure where from now.
Jessica Posted January 14, 2014 Posted January 14, 2014 Surely you mean the wing struts on the 82C were metal and narrower than the wooden ones on the standard -82A! Yes. I was speaking from the perspective of starting with the British wood struts the AZ kit gives you and ending up with metal Canadian struts. It's a bit confusing sometimes, this swapping from version to version.
DaveCS Posted January 14, 2014 Author Posted January 14, 2014 Yes. I was speaking from the perspective of starting with the British wood struts the AZ kit gives you and ending up with metal Canadian struts. It's a bit confusing sometimes, this swapping from version to version. I would think, since this will also be the case with the Airfix kit, that one could "sand down" or "shave down" the struts - the issue is, of course, the point where the strut meets the wings. I'll have a look see once the kit comes in and go from there. I could, always, just suffer and build the Pavla kit (took me for-ev-er to build their Airspeed Oxford but I got it done!!) Cheers, Dave
John Aero Posted January 15, 2014 Posted January 15, 2014 The Canadian Tigers can be confusing There was a DH 82a © for Canada, then a DH.82C (Gipsy), DH.82C2 (Menasco Moth I), forget the C3 (Gipsy radio trainer) the the DH.82C4 Menasco Radio trainer which were converted back to Menasco Moths II's. The Menasco has a slightly higher thrust line and has a straighter top to the cowl with the cooling aperture to the pilots right side with a spinnerless right hand prop. The forwards stagger braked u/c with tail wheel was not fitted to the DH.82a (Can). The Canadian Tigers also had an insulated jacket on the oil tank. The thin struts can be simply made by scraping a length of rod with a blade and cutting to length. I might be persuaded to do a set of metal ones, a cowl and a prop and canopies John 2
DaveCS Posted January 15, 2014 Author Posted January 15, 2014 The thin struts can be simply made by scraping a length of rod with a blade and cutting to length. I might be persuaded to do a set of metal ones, a cowl and a prop and canopies John John, I know *I* (and I'm pretty sure many other canuck / RCAF fans) would be forever in your debt !!! Cheers, Dave
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