Al Gunthwaite Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 (edited) Hi FolksI need a quick 1/72 SE5a for a long term little project so I thought I would knock out the old Revell kit over the Christmas and New Year break. It will be a quick build - but slow finish...(the reasons will be apparent later). The build is mainly out of the box, except for exhausts, and Lewis and Vickers guns from a spare Roden kit.I have already built a Roden fuselage for part of my project and found it unnecessarily fiddly. So Roden was really out of the question for a quick build. Ive not built the Revell SE5a before although I have tried to use it as the basis for a conversion to a Gloster Grebe (sometime back in the 1970s). I know the kit originates from the 1960s although my versions are stamped with the date 1981 inside the fuselage. However, for the age of the kit, I am surprised at the quality. Comparing the kit to the plans in the Windsock Datafile there appear to be some minor issues with the shape of the wingtips and top of the rudder and the cockpit aperture is probably too small (the headrest is probably too big. The kit also has a fabric texturing. However for this build, Im not going to worry about those matters I just want a model that looks like a SE5a!The biggest issue with the kit is that fact that the exhausts are moulded onto the fuselage. The first job was to remove the exhausts with a chisel bladed scalpel: It was then a matter of cleaning up the parts and giving them an undercoat of grey from a rattle can.Assembly was pretty straightforward using normal plastic cement for the main parts, although I did use medium cyano glue for the tailplanes. A little bit of milliput was used to fill gaps in the fuselage and a couple of small sink marks in the forward fuselage.The kit provides no interior detailing for the cockpit. A pilot will fill the cockpit aperture and as practically nothing inside will be visible when Ive finished, I have left it blank. The wing struts were dry fitted and then cemented to the bottom wing with cyano glue, ensuring they were vertical and that the top wing would fit. A bit of milliput was used to fill the gaps in the troughs where the strut part fits into the wing. The undercarriage struts were fitted using cyano glue.The next job is a bit of painting Al(with rapped knuckles for posting this initially in WW1) Edited January 20, 2015 by Al Gunthwaite 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Moore Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 You are off to a good start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted December 30, 2014 Author Share Posted December 30, 2014 A little more progress this afternoon… The base colours have been applied (brush painted). I’ve used Lifecolor acrylics. Upper surfaces are dark green mixed with a little terracotta. Lower surfaces are Italian mimetic yellow, lightened with Portland Stone with a little light grey added to take the brightness out. It has taken two coats to get coverage. The next job is a coat of Kleer before the transfers are applied (but that’s something for tomorrow). Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSTON Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Al, Nice start to your biplane... I like these old aircrafts and you have chosen a WICKED build.. Nice going so far. it was quick too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 1, 2015 Author Share Posted January 1, 2015 Hi Folks and thanks for the comments Houston. Today’s job has been drilling holes for rigging, highlighting he basic airframe and applying transfers… The aircraft is going to be in a diorama and so I wanted to highlight the basic airframe. Whilst I have been trying to do this quickly without resort to an airbrush I decided it was the best option. So the top wing, spine of the rear fuselage and tailplanes have been highlighted with a mix of Lifecolor green and flesh (to keep the brown hue). I also wanted to tone down the white of the transfers except for the roundels on the upper wing. So the transfer sheets have been given a flash over with a dark mist to take away the brightness of the colours. The aircraft is being finished as No.1 Squadron in July 1918. I was going to use the basic transfers from the Revell kit. However the rudder stripes are the wrong way around (red nearest the rudder post). So I used the rudder stripes and underside roundels from the Roden kit, the upper wing roundels from the Revell kit and squadron marking from the Pheon sheet for SE5a Aces in France. The next job is to add some details such as the Vickers gun, telescopic sight and exhausts before the rigging and assembly… Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 13, 2015 Author Share Posted January 13, 2015 (edited) This is turning into a slightly longer build than I planned... Anyway, prior to rigging, I've given it a coat of matt varnish, added the Vickers MG, gun sight and exhausts (and then re-drilled all of the holes for rigging). I've used Revell varnish because it was the only matt varnish in my paint box. Whilst it went on like sludge I'm reasonably impressed with the finish - it's better than I expected. I'm using two types of rigging thread which are in my workbox - one is definitely Aeroclub thread - I don't know the provenance of the other. Both are white and elasticaed. The thicker thread (with a flat profile) will be used for the flying and landing wires and the thinner thread for all other wires. I've coloured the thin thread with a black permanent marker. I intend colouring the thicker thread with a silver marker. I've not used the "hands free" device before, but as I wanted both ands free to hold the thread and apply glue I thought I would give it a go... A this point I've done the tailplane and the wing struts... The next job is to fix the rigging thread to the fuselage and bottom wings, ready for the top wing to be fixed in place. I reckon it will be easier putting the thread in place beforehand. Al Edited January 13, 2015 by Al Gunthwaite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_gn Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 Nice...my first ever kit. Your last two photos could be mistaken for a larger scale - excellent. Good work on the exhausts too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 14, 2015 Author Share Posted January 14, 2015 Thanks for the comment. I was remembering earlier today at my first efforts to rig biplanes. I made holes with a needle heated over a candle flame and used black cotton from my Mum's sewing basket. There was no such thing as superglue in those days so the thread was tied off with a knot. Anyway... Top wing fixed in place. Rigging thread fixed to bottom wing & fuselage... Despite the mess of threads, there is a system...this should work out fine! Al 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomoshenko Posted January 14, 2015 Share Posted January 14, 2015 Nice work so far. You brought back my early rigging memories with your childhood reminiscences - oh the smell of molten plastic pierced by a red hot pin...and all that black cotton heh heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 (edited) I was probably a significant fire hazard... A little more progress last night and this morning...all of the rigging has been threaded into place: The next job is to tighten and secure the threads and then start to tidy up! Al Edited January 15, 2015 by Al Gunthwaite 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOAN Posted January 15, 2015 Share Posted January 15, 2015 Absolutely fantastic ! amazing skill. hard to believe this is 1/72. I love your PC10 ( PC12 ? ) and your paint work. great job ! olivier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 15, 2015 Author Share Posted January 15, 2015 Hi JOAN. Thanks for the kind comment. The base colour is very approximate! Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 The job last night was to tighten and fix the rigging thread. I used thin superglue with an accelerator to give an instant fix... Next is to ensure the rigging is anchored with a spot of thicker glue before I start to tidy up the top and underside of the wings where I have drawn the thread through: There's lots of touching up to do, install the centre section struts, properly paint the woodwork (wing struts, undercarriage and prop) and do the wheels. So there's a bit more to do yet. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'm nearly there (so much for this being done over the Christmas and New Year Break!) The whole thing has been tidied up. The central struts have been added together with the foster mount. I have highlighted the paintwork with a little light flesh in my Lifecolor dark green/terracotta mix and the whole thing has had a brushcoat of matt varnish with a little gloss varnish mixed in to take some of the flatness out. The wheels are practically ready to add. The final bits to do are to fit wheels and prop and add the Lewis gun and a windscreen. Al 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynamo11 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I like how this is just a quick model for a future project and it's still looking fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 (edited) That's about it! Wheels, prop and Lewis gun added (plus driver - which is what it was really all about!!) Better quality pics to follow... To recap: This is basically a Revell SE5a but with Roden exhausts, Vickers MG, Aldis sight, Lewis gin and foster mount and central struts. For its' age the Revell kit is much better than I expected. It appears to be reasonably accurate in outline. On the downside is the moulded on exhausts and the "fabric weave" on the main components (more later). The Vickers and Lewis guns are clumsy (and the Vickers looks way over scale). The struts are also chunky. For the most part this was brush painted using Lifecolor acrylics. The airframe and wings were given a wash with a Games Workshop brown wash and some highlights were added with pastel crayons. The airbrush came out to tone down the brightness of the roundels (before applying them). I have avoided using either white or black applied as a solid colour because in my view they don't give a scale appearance (hence why I wanted to tone down the white of the roundels). I also wanted to avoid using metallic paint but I couldn't get the appearance I wanted on the prop boss so I had to revert to some Humbrol gold emanel - but washed over with a black wash. The transfers were a mix of Revell (upper wing roundels) Roden (lower wing and fuselage roundels and rudder strips) and Pheon (squadron markings and codes). The Pheon transfers were superb. I wanted to save them for use on a later build but I should have used them instead if the Revell and Roden ones. The main parts were put together using normal tube cement. Small parts and rigging were fixed with cyano (thin and medium with an accelerator to give an instant fix). An old skool habit of mine is to assume that the rigging is one of the last jobs done. Because I anticipated difficulty rigging around the central struts, they were left off until the end of the build. However applying transfers before rigging caused headache when it came time to clean things up (fill holes on the upper wings etc). Because of the fabric weave, it would have meant that the filling and sanding would have left a very uneven finish. So in the future, so long as rigging doesn't pass through the area of markings, rigging will be done first. The reason for the build was to provide a chariot more my figure and because I knew he would fill the whole cockpit aperture there was no point in adding any interior details. Incidentally the figure is based on a photograph of Capt. Howard Kullberg of No.1 Sqn RAF in July 1918.. Overall an enjoyable quickish build and only my second aircraft build in upteen years. The next build is likely to be a detailed SE5a using the Roden kit, Part photoetch, Miniguns Vickers and Lewis guns and Pheon transfers - but that's for the future. Al Edited January 21, 2015 by Al Gunthwaite 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hi Better quality pics are now in "Ready for Inspection": http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234975077-se5a-revell-172/ Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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