Jump to content

DH.83 Fox Moth (1/72 Aeropoxy)


Recommended Posts

I would like to enter with this please

Fox-Moth_zps2627b3d5.jpg

The kit provides decal options for three aircraft:

  • the Canadian machine shown on the box art (complete with ski option)
  • a British silver/red aircraft
  • a blue and silver Yugoslav version

Fox-Moth-Decals_zpsa1p8sj6c.jpg

I'll be doing UN-SAK, as part of a collection of aircraft operated by the Yugoslav airline Aeroput that I'm building for a friend.

I have built just one Aeropoxy resin kit previously, this Spartan Cruiser which (as it happens) is also part of the Aeroput collection. I found it a pleasure to build and I'm hoping that this will be the same :) .

More details to follow (could be a lateish start I'm afraid).

Cheers

Cliff

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking forward to seeing this built. I went to the Moth Rally last year and took these two of a Fox Moth which might be of use to you for some of the underside details;

DSCF7584.JPG

DSCF7585.JPG

Good luck with it.

Steve

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will be watching this

I have loved the Fox Moth for a long, long time

Every night i pray to the god of plastic /or resin to please produce a 1/48 or dare i say ....1/32 kit for me ....sad eh ?

Cheers mate

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the interest guys :)

Steve, those photos are great! I particularly appreciate them as I once did an Aeroclub Fox Moth as that particular aircraft. You'll recognise the registration from the Aeropoxy decal sheet, presumably a previous incarnation.

Cheers

Cliff

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad you could make it Cliff, and have you brought along something really lovely!!!

That is a lovely looking, if a bit unusual looking plane, though a resin, 1/72nd, and bi-plane.......you are a brave man!

I like the colour scheme, though the float-plane version also looks amazing!

Well good luck with the build, you're a brave man, I do hope it's an enjoyable build and look forward to seeing her completed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Rich,

The Fox Moth maybe looks slightly unusual because it was born of an improvisation.

Apparantly its designer, Arthur Hagg, wanted a way to get his family to the coast for their favourite pastime of sailing. So he took the nose, tail and wings from a Tiger Moth and added them to an expanded, four-seater fuselage. What started as a personal project, turned out to be a great commercial success :)

Cheers

Cliff

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Thanks for the prod Steve.

Unfortunately I've done absolutely zero modelling in recent weeks (usual 'excuses').

However, it really is time that I started the little Fox Moth :)

Here's parts count

P1090279_zpsnljroizn.jpg

Missing from the photo are the two floats, which I have already donated to a friend for one of his projects.

In addition to the resin parts, Aeropoxy also provide you with two vac-formed canopies (plus a resin male mould to allow you to form some more for yourself if things go badly wrong!), some clear acetate sheet for the cabin windows and even a small piece of self-adhesive metal foil for the window framing. The best bit though, is a CD-ROM which contains 193 (yes 193!), PDF pages of period photos/magazine articles plus present day walk-round photos etc.

As you can see, I've started to clean up some of the parts (principally the seats) and things are looking good so far. At first sight the mouldings do appear slightly 'soft', but they clean up very nicely. The flying surfaces (particularly the tailplane), do look a little thick though and it would be very tempting to perhaps cross-kit with those from the Airfix Tiger Moth. In the spirit of this GB though, I shall be using the kit parts.....

Cheers

Cliff

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't want to prod too hard......

The resin parts look very nice,you shouldn't have much trouble with them. Will you be rigging it? That's a big reason why I don't do biplanes but I did an An-2 a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it.

I've not done much over the last couple of weeks either but I find it's good to have a break at times.

Steve

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

sThe resiny bits look nicely mould in the photo, so hopefully they won't give you too much trouble.

Gee I wish all manufactures gave you a CD-ROM like that!!!!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys.

Steve, yes I will be rigging it (using stretched sprue) - for me, one ofthe most enjoyable bits of building biplanes!

Rich, the CD-ROM is certainly great and while some of the material I've seen before on the net, most is new to me.

Dave, now that I'm reading one of the period articles on the CD-ROM, it describes the Fox Moth wings being standard Tiger ones, but with slightly less sweep-back. The tailplane was apparantly from the Gipsy Moth though. I don't have the knowledge to comment on the accuracy or significance of this information though!

I've been doing a bit of work on the cabin windows this morning, firstly to get the shape and size a little sharper and secondly to create the distinctive bow in the cabin doors, which provides extra elbow room for the passengers. This latter feature is missing from the kit (and if my memory serves be correctly was missing from the Aeroclub kit too - is that right Dave?). I've made the mods using a combination of plastic strip, CA glue and Mr Dissolved Putty.

P1090286_zpshn83hhip.jpg

In the photo, the top part is 'before' and bottom one is 'after'. The bow in the door extends into the glazing too, but as yet I have no idea how I will achieve that.... :shrug:

Cheers

Cliff

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

The Moth Rally is on again in two weeks time, if there's a Fox there and I can get any close-up pics, is there anything that would be of help to you?

With the bow in the glazing you could try some clear plastic sheet gently heated with a hair dryer whilst being pulled around something curved. It should hold the shape once cooled.

Steve

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the photo offer Steve.

Truth be told though, I think I've made all the decisions now about how things will look on my Fox Moth (for better or for worse!). I do hope that you have a great day at the Moth Rally though :) .

I've been nibbling away slowly at my model and finally managed to get everything fitted into the fuselage today.

P1090314_zpsd5kexhad.jpg

P1090313_zpsw0spdpau.jpg

As you can see, to keep things simple I've gone for a grey interior with brown leather seats throughout. I have no idea though what the interior colours actually were on the Aeroput machine. Interestingly, the white disc in the centre of the IP decal represents the porthole through which the pilot could communicate with his/her passengers.

Also visible in the photos are the plastic card fillets that I had to add to the fuselage edges in order to get the correct width for the cabin. Not too much of a job to do and helped greatly by the 1/72 scale plans provided in the kit.

After some experimentation, I've decided to glaze the cabin windows using Clear-fix which I see as the lesser of several evils! We shall see later :devil: .

More to follow soon

Cliff

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No problem about the photos. With a bit of luck the weather for the Moth rally will be better than last year as it rained until lunchtime.

Looks like you are doing well with this. Once the fuselage is closed up it will all come together quickly.

Steve

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A little more progress today - I've joined the fuselage halves and fitted the canopy.

Two vacformed canopies are provided, which are moulded to include the solid spine behind the glazing. Here you can see one cut out, with the unused one behind it.

P1090315_zps23cb9yap.jpg

A resin 'plug' is also provided (I'm assuming to allow you to mould additional canopies if you need to), but this also proved useful when trimming the acetate.

I also hit on the idea of cutting it in half and gluing the rear bit into the canopy. This strengthens the canopy, but also makes it much easier to fit. I had to file down the fuselage to accept the base of the solid plug, but once that was done it was easy glue the plug (and hence canopy), in place using CA.

P1090319_zpszdy0yk7r.jpg

I've blended the bottom of the clear part into the fuselage surface using slightly diluted Krystal Klear, while for the spine I've used Mr. Dissolved Putty. It seems to have turned out much better than I could have hoped (for a change)!

Cheers

Cliff

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Dave, now that I'm reading one of the period articles on the CD-ROM, it describes the Fox Moth wings being standard Tiger ones, but with slightly less sweep-back. The tailplane was apparantly from the Gipsy Moth though. I don't have the knowledge to comment on the accuracy or significance of this information though!

Cliff

I've read the same, but I don't think you could just take the wings off a Tiger and fit them to a Fox. Wouldn't the different sweepback angle cause problems? I used the new Airfix Tiger wings on an Aeroclub vacform, but inserted a piece at the root and reshaped to set the sweepback.

There's some pictures at http://s1083.photobucket.com/user/ww1steve/library/GACRU%20FOX%20MOTH?sort=3&page=1 I would have put the build in this GB but it doesn't meet rule 2

Steve

Edited by ww1steve
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
×
×
  • Create New...