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1/18 Spitfire Mk. XIVe - Race #80


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Peter,

Forgive me if I help point others to your fine work...

Rob G,

Here is a link to Peter's Sea Fury: http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/1387-hobbycraft-sea-fury-hawker-company-demonstrator-g-akry/

Again, all apologies to our fine host(s) at Britmodeller for linking to an external site. It in no way diminishes your fine content, it just so happens to be where I found Peter's Sea Fury when I went searching for it. (And that was out of withdrawl for lack of feeding my Tigercat fettish -- Peter's other GREAT project in the making!)

Cheers!

PR

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evening folks :) - thank you very much guys for your kind words

I loved doing that Sea Fury - still one of my favourite aircraft - I would like to do a bigger and better one one day :)

daily blog update - I Iove being on a roll - and knew I needed a kick in the pants to get going so glad I started this venture :)

umm - there is a big hole in my aeroplane...

WIP101_zpsns6xsmi8.jpg

..I cut the cockpit away with a slitting tool in a dremel for a nice clean cut - the fuselage & wings are still very rigid so no worries about compromising strength..

the first thing I wanted to do was check the PE against the inner dimensions - in places the walls of this 'kit' are pretty thick fiberglass, plusI designed the PE from the Monforton book so thought they may not match...

started with the seat bulkhead (Frame 11) and the Instrument panel..

WIP102_zpsj734mdck.jpg

..thankfully both fitted really well - I thinned the walls of the 'pod' but was pretty careful as the glass mat gives the shape strength and I worried if I went too hard it would just crumble in my hands..

no issues though and it turned out ok.. certainly good enough for government work...

WIP103_zps10jpzyjg.jpg

WIP104_zpsflc1qzjz.jpg

..with frame 11 off the fret I started to fiddle about with some assembly to make a change from the hackathon I have been on... the frame starts with a main part and a rivet outline...

WIP107_zps4sr9mcds.jpg

..with a strip of card added around the inner circumference to give depth and some brackets or fishplates found on the real thing..

WIP106_zpseeuxno26.jpg

made up the seat mountings from brass stock and more PE parts - there are a couple of seat quick release latches that figure on the horizontal cross brace so included them.. now I have figured out my dremel workstation I also drilled all the parts to bolt together...

WIP108_zpsfczu6kqb.jpg

..and the two main sub-assemblies start to come together..

WIP109_zpsvz8bkcay.jpg

..and dry fitted,,

WIP110_zpshyywnyqk.jpg

..couldn't resist trying it with the seat..

WIP111_zps7oygqdjs.jpg

..much more to do, but this is turning out to be a very rewarding build - just hope it stays that way..

TTFN
Peter

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Peter,

You know what I love about your work? Each sub-assembly is a kit in and of itself! A feast for the eyes and imagination!

Question: Did you post the Sea Fury on BM? I recall it being on HS but found it via LSM. (I hate linking to external sites when it may be found here as well). Not that it matters; just thinking of our fine hosts at BM...

PR

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thanks chaps :)

just the rear fuel tank today.. balsa core sheathed in litho..

..the top can't be seen to I didn't try too hard to finish it :ninja:

WIP112_zpsvzt5hmfv.jpg

WIP113_zps0kwci67a.jpg

..it's quite a feature as with no armour plate it is what fills the void behind the seat..

I had to remake the crossmember too as I found it is round on the late Spits..

WIP114_zpsdktxihn9.jpg

WIP115_zpstdk7zcou.jpg

back soon :coolio:

TTFN
Peter

PS - The Sea Fury is here on BM Rich, but I was most way through it when I started posting it so the link on LSP is the best one. I am sure Mike won't mind..

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It's just incredibly humbling reading these posts, I look at some of my rough and ready attempts at scratch building and compared to the incredible work shown here it's like comparing baby's first scribble with the Mona Lisa...

Just a question, how are you getting the little embossed rivet detail on the metal bits and also are those bolt heads actual micro bolts?

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As always Peter, your workmanship is stunning and sublime. Coming from an engineering background I love seeing all your brass work and scratchbuilding coming to life.

Just one question, if I may, where do you find all the scale drawings and plans from? I ask, as when I seem to want some for my, very basic,builds I never seem to be able to find any.

Are they included in reference books?

Keep up the astounding work.

Matt

Edited by S5 modeller
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You are a genius Peter !

Every instalment you post is a work of art your engineering skills are superb can't wait to the next post loving this !!

Guy

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evening folks :)

Peter, I believe I have the drawing for the intake- could you PM me your e-mail and I'll try to get it scanned today.

bob

Hi Bob - thanks for sending those through - I have taken another 3 month trial in Rhino 3D software and am trying to model it from those drawings - hopefully more on that next time.. thanks again though - really helpful

Just a question, how are you getting the little embossed rivet detail on the metal bits and also are those bolt heads actual micro bolts?

so there are a couple of tricks at play here - one I had strips with rivet heads made in the PE set I had made, so the tiny ones around the periphery of the fuel tank for example are from there. Others are real micro rivets or bolts available from Scale Hardware - amazing high quality micro engineering..

Just one question, if I may, where do you find all the scale drawings and plans from? I ask, as when I seem to want some for my, very basic,builds I never seem to be able to find any.
Are they included in reference books?


Matt

thanks Matt - it's not always easy, but in this case I have the Monforton book so every part is documented & detailed in perfect drawings - I have never built a model with so much available and accessible documentation like that, it's hugely beneficial. In the absence of something like that then it is days on the internet following every trail that has pics - look especially for restorations asyou can find lots of useful stuff. Lastly there are the great folks on the forums - Bob just helped me with the cowl air intake with some drawings from Hendon, on Hyperscale Chris Cowx put me in touch with the guy who maintains TZ138 today who is sending me engineering drawings etc. Plans are harder and rarely to be trusted, but again google will always turn something up..

...so, what's been going on in Spitfireland for the last few days...

I pretty much finished up Frame 11 - this is the main bulkhead the seat mounts to..

I started with the seat mounts themselves at the bottom of the bulkhead, these are just folded & punched plates with holes in that the seat assembly sit in just like the real one...

on the upper crossmember the triagular widgetty things are the upper seat mounts and a sprung pin locates the whole thing each side..

WIP118_zpszacduayl.jpg

and with the seat in place..

WIP119_zpslzontdeb.jpg

..next the rollover/headrest - these were laminated from PE parts and some card to make two of them. Then between them there are some parts to space them apart - it took me a while to figure out the best way to do it as I wanted the bolts to go through both...

the one on the left has been cut about a bit at the bottom so it slides over the frame 11 bulkhead for a seamless fit..

WIP116_zpsams4etn0.jpg

WIP117_zpsxhqs3vxk.jpg

..and fixed in place on the bulkhead..

WIP120_zpslysyeysk.jpg

..a dry fit of all the frame 11 parts..

WIP121_zps75buqh2q.jpg

WIP122_zpso4lmqyf3.jpg

..next, I need a cockpit to put it in, so cut some sheet to fit the cockpit 'pod' I hacked out of the airframe and rolled it to give it some shape..

WIP123_zpsd4e3z7fg.jpg

..I will basically build on this and fit it when complete - then slide the pod into place (in theory..)

WIP124_zpsvznittfy.jpg

..I built a card jig to hold it in shape and protect the fragile sheet and marked out key structural elements - this is the canvas for a few weeks work...

WIP125_zpspuma6ltb.jpg

hope you are having fun :)

TTFN

Peter

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I honestly can't fathom the zen-like levels of patience needed to thread multitudes of 0.5mm bolts through thin metal sheets but you clearly have it in droves...

Looking forward to the next updates.

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I honestly can't fathom the zen-like levels of patience needed to thread multitudes of 0.5mm bolts through thin metal sheets but you clearly have it in droves...

It isn't so much that which amazes me- though seeing the results... wow. Rather what really amazes me is that he shows us something like the frame and seat in place, with a teaser of what he's tackling next, and then comes back a couple of days later with another incredibly intricate section DONE, and looking astonishing. Then he does the same again, and again. Even sometimes including, "well, that didn't go at all well, here's the disaster, so I scratched my head for a moment and tried again and here's the successful jewel."

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I was following the Tigercat but new to this Spit thread - awesome, awesome work. There aren't really sufficient superlatives. Or expletives for that matter.

Thank you for showing us the build process - a truly riveting (pun intended) and highly entertaining read.

Cheers,

Angus

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Brilliant !!!

Guy

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