Revell 1/32 Sea Venom FAW 22 (28/12/16 Now in living colour)

[ScanmanDan]

Latest butterfly/distraction is the venerable Revell Sea Venom. I have a love hate relationship with these older kits. I like em cause they are often of unusual types not kitted anywhere else but they can be a royal pain to build. They usually fit well in most places but then throw up the worst gaps in weird places. Have good outlines but the huge yawning gaps in detail.

The plan is to build an in flight,mostly OOB kit in Australian markings, concentrating on the fit and finish. I am trying out using some aluminium tape to add some details but we'll have to see how it goes.

Progress so far;

The kits parts fit mostly with only the odd niggle here and there. I did use some styrene tube to fill in the cannon tubes as I didn't like their shape and thought them a bit too big, ( now they are probably a bit too small ;( )

But the real pants kicker is the total lack of detail under the pen nib at the tail where the arrestor hook is stowed. Spent a fair bit of time and epoxy putty and tube to rough something in. More work to do to get rid of those seams. Putty, sand. prime and repeat.

Not very accurate but better than nothing. I will rebuild the hook in brass tube, nothing fancy as I just want better not 'this is taking forever and I not having any fun'

I look forward to getting the wings and booms sorted as she will look kack if they aren't on straight.

lots of pictures from the internet to look over and decide just how much detail is enough without slipping into AWS territory.

Thanks for looking in.

Edited December 28, 2016 by ScanmanDan

[71chally]

Nice work so far, good luck with your build.

I remember building a couple of the original Matchbox versions years ago, and having to use a small chisel on some of the harder plastic!

Great looking kit when completed though.

[phildagreek]

Looks good!

[Martian]

Looking forward to seeing this coming together.

Martin

[TheBaron]

Looking good so far. Will be watching with interest.

Tony

[ScanmanDan]

71chally - Thanks! I find that the white Revell plastic is a very glossy and a touch hard to scribe. Due to the kits molds being a gazillion years old the whole thing is getting a good rub down with sanding papers to level everything out. Once that's done the old girl fits together pretty well just lots of dry fitting. I am worried about getting the wings on straight and true at the wing fold and alining the twin booms. But there is no rush and I'm having fun :D

Martin & Tony - Thank you for the kind comments and encouragement.

Oh, and here's a shot of the seats I bashed for this kit a few years ago when I first got this kit. I will have to mess the cushions up now that I have decided to put pilots in .

Dan

Edited April 30, 2016 by ScanmanDan

[Martian]

Nice seats, it almost seems a shame to cover up all that work you have done on them.

Martin

[John_W]

Very nice. I built the Matchbox boxing many years ago. Handbrushing white over three colours of plastic wasn't fun.

[ScanmanDan]

Or should I say one wing on.

Spent the whole weekend bashing the one wing into shape. I had to set up the forge, get out the anvil and bash the ever loving out of the five main wing pieces to get them to fit. Each time I would adjust one area that would throughout another. In the end the joint isn't too far off with just a little bit more fettling and a tidy of the scribing I should be good to go. Lots of sand, dry fit, adjust and repeat. In the end there's not much putty just a few thin strips of styrene card around the intake. I don't know how I'd manage without super glue, accelerator and Tamiya rattle can primer .

Pics;

I need to get started on the other wing and begin to think about how I'm going to do the twin booms.

Martin - I thought about making some resin copies but I think it will be too much hassle. So out with the Dremel!

John - Thanks - There is a certain joy in just building for fun that you have when you first start out. Before you start beating yourself up over every little detail. That three coats of white would have been a nightmare, remember when you first started to use rattle cans to paint and you went WOW now that's painting.

Thanks for dropping in for a look.

Dan

[NAVY870]

Wish I could do one OOB!

Good start.

[Grey Beema]

This is starting to nail together nicely. Good luck with the build.

[Martian]

Ah! I see, undercarriage up hence the need for pilots. Silly me! Nice work.

Martin

[ScanmanDan]

Progress:

 

Christmas break means I have some time to build

 

 

 

Lots of sanding and fettling but I have got the second wing on and the tip tanks mostly sorted.  I have left the tanks separate to make painting easier but need to work on getting a better and more robust/seamless join with the wingtips.

 

I have started cleaning up the booms and looking into some more details to add, like the RATO attachment points  I have been messing about with some brass rod/square tube to make the tail hook, more on that when I have something tangible.

 

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Christmas. 

 

Dan

[Martian]

I like how this one is shaping up!

 

Martian

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

Me too.  You can never have too much de Havilland

[Bandsaw Steve]

It actually looks pretty cool as is...just finish it in 'Rogue 1' colours and stick it in the sci-fi section. 😜

[ScanmanDan]

Thanks guys for the encouragement glad you folks like her so far.

 

The Sea Venom is such a great 50's style shape

 

Progress;

 

The booms and tails plane is roughed in and bless me if the darn thing doesn't fit!!!

 

 

 

 

I am so happy that the booms went together so well.  I'm going to do some more detail scribing and some little additions ( those tail bumpers for one) but the whole assembly sets nice and square/straight.

 

Like everything on the kit all the parts got a nice rub down with some 240 grit followed by 400 grit to levee a nice level satin finish, The parts come with a really highly polished finish with some ripples and ridges which sand back nicely.

 

Thanks for dropping by for a look.

 

Dan

[Bandsaw Steve]

Looking good. Keep going😊

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

 

Slow work on the tail booms.  I now have to do it all again on the other one.  At least I have figured out how I'm going to do it.

 

 

The kit is very plain and I thought I'd add just the big stuff, scribing and some little greebies, oh and enlarging the tail bumper.  I am pretty happy with how the reinforcing panel came out as I thought I'd stuffed the kit when I first put it on.  But a bit of sanding and putty work bashed it into shape.  My newest putty friend is to thin Tamiya grey putty with Tamiya lacquer thinners and applying thinnish layers of putty with a paintbrush.  It dries pretty quickly and you can work it a bit with the brush to smooth out the finish leaving less sanding to do after it dries.  Just don't forget to clean your applicator brush or you end up with another stick.  

 

Thanks for dropping in for a look.

 

Dan 

[ScanmanDan]

Progress;

 

I have put off working out how I was going to add pilots to this build as I wasn't too keen on the figures provided with the kit.  In the end I said to heck with it and cast up some copies of my modified bang seat and started hacking and scratching away at the kits pilots.  After about four hours of work all I have to show is this meagre little dude.  At least he fits inside the cockpit and will fill up the tub with something a bit humanoid

 

 

 

I'll do a little more cleaning up and then add some paint to see what I'll get but while serviceable he's not my best effort.  I'm not going to stress too much about it but I would have liked for him to come out better.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dan

[ScanmanDan]

 

 

 

Progress;

 

 

 

 

 

Still roughing in some of the colours but I think he is shaping up okay,  Not too bad for a days work with the paint brush.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dan

[TheBaron]

43 minutes ago, ScanmanDan said:

Not too bad for a days work with the paint brush.

Indeed not Dan, that is coming along in fine fashion. Your painting  technique gives an enviable sense of depth to the subject. 

Tony