CymroPenguin Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 (edited) Hey everyone , This is my 1/72 Airfix Sopwith Pup, finally got it finished after about 2 months of on and off building Please have read and take a look Brief History The Sopwith Pup was a British biplane fighter built by Sopwith Aviation Company in 1916. It entered service with 'A' Squadron of the RNAS (Navy Branch) in May 1916. By October that year, the plane was on the Western Front fighting with 8(N) squadron where it's exceptional performance saw it shoot down 20 German aircraft in 4 months. In December of 1916, the RFC received their first Pup, with it being used in 3,4,8 and 9(N) Squadrons before being replaced by the heavier-armed Sopwith Camel in mid 1917. The Camel was a much more successful aircraft, having credited over 1 200 enemy fighters destroyed; and it's ground-attack role also being effective until the end of the war. The Model I found this build easy enough for a beginner like myself, but the kit did need a bit of filler here and there and some work done, but hey can't complain The fit was alright, and the painting etc. was easy enough. Scheme This is Sopwith Pup N6453. Flown by Squadron Commander Edwin Harris Dunning DSC (1892-1917). Dunning was credited for the first pilot to land an aircraft on a moving ship, when on 02/08/1917 he landed on HMS Furious. Tragically, he was killed the second time he attempted it when the engine stalled on approach. He is buried at St. Lawrence's Church, Bradfield, Essex. Thanks for looking Dylan P.S Yes I didn't attempt rigging Edited August 29, 2014 by CymroPenguin 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtecjack Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Nice I can remember building one of those as a kid ,quite a fiddly little kit from what I remember ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymroPenguin Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Nice I can remember building one of those as a kid ,quite a fiddly little kit from what I remember ! Thank you, good sir! It wasn't too fiddly but some bits here and there were slightly. Thanks for looking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knikki Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Gah! this has just made me think "I need to build more WWI machines" Nice looking kit I think I built one of them yonks ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev67 Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Very nice, one reason why I don't do bi-planes and that's rigging, even if someone showed me I would not attempt it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymroPenguin Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Gah! this has just made me think "I need to build more WWI machines" Nice looking kit I think I built one of them yonks ago. Thank you! Very nice, one reason why I don't do bi-planes and that's rigging, even if someone showed me I would not attempt it Thank you also good sir! And yes, I wasn't thinking about doing it before I started the kit, only by the time it was painted and decal'd. I didn't want to ruin it but I'm planning on getting 5-6 new biplane/WW1 kits from Airfix or whatever to get some practise with doing rigging (without ruining the Sopwith) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Nice one and great tribute to a courageous aviation pioneer. I've just done my first rigged model. Got a few more grey hairs as a result. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymroPenguin Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Nice one and great tribute to a courageous aviation pioneer. I've just done my first rigged model. Got a few more grey hairs as a result. Thank you! And yes I thought it was fitting. Perhaps it it time consuming but worth the effort in the end Besides, I dare not attempt to rig the darn thing now in fear of losing what I've done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 That's a mighty nice effort for such a tiny plane! WELL DONE!!! Seeing it really makes me want to have fun with a 1WW plane. They look so good. I agree with you: rigging such a micro plane is rather daunting... Good job. JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Very nice indeed,and small! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Thank you! And yes I thought it was fitting. Perhaps it it time consuming but worth the effort in the end Besides, I dare not attempt to rig the darn thing now in fear of losing what I've done Try it, you might be pleasantly surprised. With care and patience pretty much anything can be rigged. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymroPenguin Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 That's a mighty nice effort for such a tiny plane! WELL DONE!!! Seeing it really makes me want to have fun with a 1WW plane. They look so good. I agree with you: rigging such a micro plane is rather daunting... Good job. JR thank you good sir! But yes, I thought I'd get practise on something else or something larger scale first though Very nice indeed,and small! Thanks! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 :winkgrin:Just a thought mate, it's far easier to hide required detail (and mistakes) on smaller models... Go on, rig it! Just try it! Go for it, it can be done and it not really that hard in 1/72! G'wan, rig it, you know you want to! I mean, what have you lost? A £6 kit??? £9 max? Go for it! Rig it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Nice job! The rigging would add so much more realism and really isn't difficult. I'll be happy to help with any advice or tips.... Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CymroPenguin Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 :winkgrin:Just a thought mate, it's far easier to hide required detail (and mistakes) on smaller models... Go on, rig it! Just try it! Go for it, it can be done and it not really that hard in 1/72! G'wan, rig it, you know you want to! I mean, what have you lost? A £6 kit??? £9 max? Go for it! Rig it! Nice job! The rigging would add so much more realism and really isn't difficult. I'll be happy to help with any advice or tips.... Ian Okay then boys, where can I start? It can't be that hard, can it? What do I need then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 (edited) My preferred method is to use monofilament fishing line. 2lb test will do although it is slightly overscale (about 4 thou). The first and most important step is to figure out a plan of action. I usually do the centre section and strut cross-bracing first, then the flying and landing wires. (Flying wires run up towards the wing tips to hold them down so they don't fold up in flight, landing wires run down towards the tips to hold them up when the plane is on the ground). Drill through the wings ,and drill holes into the fuselage, where the "wires" are needed. Once the wings are mounted, thread the mono through and secure at one end with CA glue. Make sure you take your time and let this dry properly. When it's dry, thread the other end and, pull tight CAREFULLY (I use small dolls-house sized clothes-pegs to hold it tight, and secure with CA glue. Work in small sections, don't try to do it all at once! When the CA is dry, trim the ends with a SHARP knife or scalpel. Some people prefer EZ line, which is a little stretchy, instead of mono, it's just personal preference. If you do have a line that sags a little, it can be tightened up by heating an old knife blade and holding it close to the offending line - don't touch it though, or it will break! For some of the more tricky, and none structural wires I use 4 thou stainless wire cut to length, rolled under a metal ruler on a flat glass plate to get it absolutely straight, then simply dip each end carefully into CA gell and pop it into place - it may take two or three attempts to get it in without bending it, but it's very useful for small runs such as control surfaces and the crossed wires seen on Sopwith Camels in front of the pilot. Here's a lilnk to my Hannover build which has a couple of pice of the process. http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234963696-airfix-hannover-172/ As with anything, it takes a little practice, but a biplane without rigging just doesn't look right, and actually rigging it is one of my favourite parts of the build! Have fun, I'm looking forward to seeing your next one rigged! Ian Edited September 1, 2014 by limeypilot 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Another option is "Invisible thread". Asda stocks it, as do many supermarkets. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winenut Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Great effort....Well done indeed. I too am building up to trying the rigging for the first time! I like the overall build and finish and the detail on the pilot...never easy but well done. Now that you have the Pup is the Camel next? Cheers Bruce 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeR Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Very nice! Mike. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbox8 Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Try it, you might be pleasantly surprised. With care and patience pretty much anything can be rigged. I agree. I finally got round to rigging my first, the Airfix RE8 with lots of mods to make it more like the original. I was thinking 'why did I choose such a complicated subject for my first rigging exercise?' early on but actually got in to it in the end. It's not perfect by any means but it does make my non-rigged builds look a bit bare in comparison. It took a while mind you but I had other kits (jets, no rigging!) on the go at the same time in case I started losing the will to live. I also discovered that rigging a kit really adds to its torsional strength, just like the real thing I suppose. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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