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Modelcraft/Frog Blackburn Shark - Finished


AdrianMF

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Nice work Adrian. I do love the inter-war aircraft, they're either extremely graceful and pretty or pig ugly- not much in between, but this us one of the good lookers!

Ian

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Thank you all for the encouragement!

Chris, I will certainly post it on the Frog forum, along with my Swordfish and some others.

Martin, I picked up my copy of the book (somewhat loved!) for a song on EBay.

Duxford is sold out this weekend, so I will be making some progress on this instead :-(

Regards,

Adrian

Edited by AdrianMF
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Hello again,

I have indeed been inching forward, with a slight diversion to build an Italeri SE5A (here).

So the big problem is how to get the centre section in place. Before I cut off the self-aligning tabs provided by Frog, I used them to make some brass struts of the right length for the front of the centre section. Now that I have simple holes and bent wire, I can measure the distance between the two folding points with a piece of bent wire:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_wing_set_zpsripicz

I can then use that as a jig in the centre section to get the right spacing at the back:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_centre_position_zp

While that was drying, I continued with the engine. I have extended the propeller shaft with a pin and some brass tubing, with some aluminium tube to turn in. I've also drilled a large hole in the back of the engine because my original hole was misaligned. I can wedge and glue the aluminium tube in place to get a true running propeller.

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_propeller_extensio

I've painted the distinctive push rods on the front of the engine - a bit different to Frog's rendering!

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_engine_zpsng6dl0cu

And I couldn't resist plugging it all together to see what it will look like:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_its_alive_zpslpqjk

It doesn't look too bad, although I chose wings folded to hide a multitude of misalignments...

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

Edited by AdrianMF
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Looks amazing Adrian! I have a couple of these hidden away - one of which is in a most fetching shade of vivid blue plastic. Watching with interest.

Incidentally, did you know that when the kit was released it was considered by many at Lines brothers to have been over-engineered with too many parts...

A real classic!

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Thanks chaps...

Incidentally, did you know that when the kit was released it was considered by many at Lines brothers to have been over-engineered with too many parts...

I read that in the Frog book by Richard Lines and Leif Heilstrom - both the Shark and the Swordfish are difficult to re-pack in the box, they have so many parts! The Shark was also one of the first Frog Penguin kits produced in 1936, alongside the Gladiator and Fury.

Regards,

Adrian

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Thanks chaps...

I read that in the Frog book by Richard Lines and Leif Heilstrom - both the Shark and the Swordfish are difficult to re-pack in the box, they have so many parts! The Shark was also one of the first Frog Penguin kits produced in 1936, alongside the Gladiator and Fury.

Regards,

Adrian

Not so sure about the Shark re repacking, but maybe the Eastern Express box is bigger than the original Frog box, I know the Swordfish is a real act to get the lid back onto.

Steve.

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Hello again,

The kit decals looked pretty good but on closer inspection they were not to be. The roundels (whose blue rings looked a bit narrow) turned out to be far too big for the wings:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_decals_zpsejdkm4rd

The aircraft number was far too small:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_numbers_zpsvpnslvo

The nearest I had to hand was some Letraset 7mm Helvetica. The FAA font is very square and quite narrow. I have some Woodland Scenics White "Condensed Gothic" in a variety of sizes - this is closer but has no numbers! A quick scour of Hannants told me that nothing else would get significantly closer (not that I was going to wait, anyway), so I was off with my Xtradecal/Modeldecal inter-war roundels, the Letraset, the kit serial numbers and some spares for the "W/T" stencils.

So all ready to be glued together:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_pre_assemble_left_

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_pre_assemble_right

And before I stuck it together, just a tantalising glimpse of how it could have been if I had thought it through when I started three years ago. Next time, I promise!

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_unfolded_glimpse_z

I did the rigging from stretched sprue, coloured silver with a permanent marker. I tightened the stretched sprue after the glue had dried by bringing a heated screwdriver blade close to (but not touching!!) the wire. After a bit of wafting the blade around, the wire suddenly tightens. Marvellous but a bit worrying. So I've added all the bits and bobs, and I'm calling it done:

Modelcraft_Frog_Shark_front_port_zpsakog

More pictures in RFI.

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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