CedB Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Navy Bird said: Did you notice that Tamiya moulded the splines in the propeller shaft? Why? So you can pose it with the prop lying close by? Who knows... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 On 24/01/2019 at 19:55, CedB said: So you can pose it with the prop lying close by? Who knows... Ah, silly me! Diorama builders of course. I should have thought of that, but I didn't. You did, so you win. Now, what should be your prize...hmm. Methinks I must, er, think about this. Meanwhile, I've discovered that the other side of the oil tank needs a hose connection. I punched out another one of those little doughnuts and put it in place. This will make a more solid receptacle for the coolant line. You can also see the connections in place at the top of the coolant tank. I also took the opportunity to remove the insulation from some electrical wire, and use very thin slices of it to provide connectors of sorts for several lines that run on the starboard side of the engine. Then I ran the rest of the coolant lines, hydraulic cables, oil lines, etc. that I felt were needed. Obviously, it's not all of them. As far as placement goes, I used photos of builds from a guy named "wolf" (on LSP), one by Diego Quinjana (I'm sure you know his work!), and photos of the real thing. I didn't have a plumbing diagram, so I had to squint and try to figure out where all these things should go. But, really, does it matter so much? As long as the "mood" of a Merlin is created, so the viewer remembers the lovely, rumbling sound upon take-off... So I think the Merlin sub-assembly is ready! The last things I added were the photoetch ignition harnesses which I augmented with some styrene rod to better represent the cable conduits. Remember, this is what we started with: And here she is now: The entire sub-assembly needs a coat of varnish to cover up the occasional smear of errant superglue, but that can happen any time. Of course, the exhaust pipes need to be added, and after having a look at the kit parts I sure am glad that I bought the resin exhausts from Quickboost. First, the opening of the kit exhaust is not very deep, and being an elongated slot, not easy to drill out. Second, the sprue attachment point is directly where the welding beads are on the real exhaust. Thankfully, the Quickboost exhaust stubs don't have these problems. By the way, it's a real pain to run all those silly wires. But I guess it looks OK. Cheers, Bill 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beard Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 There's only one word that I can use to describe that and it's 'splendid'. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 I think "Impressive" and "Outstanding" do fit pretty well too... Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamden Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Superb and stunning also come to mind! Fantastic Merlin there Bill you can almost hear it running! Roger 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 I... have no words Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 More wonders from Navy Bird - Bill you never disappoint! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 That’s a fine engine you have there! you asked for a pic of the top of a merlin, I have one of the front showing some of the pipe work but not much. Just having trouble getting things off Flickr at the mo Rob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 22 hours ago, Beard said: There's only one word that I can use to describe that and it's 'splendid'. 22 hours ago, giemme said: I think "Impressive" and "Outstanding" do fit pretty well too... 19 hours ago, Hamden said: Superb and stunning also come to mind! 19 hours ago, Stew Dapple said: I... have no words Thanks for the accolades guys - I have some words of my own though. Grueling. Labourious. Arduous. Exasperating. Obstreperous. Oh, yeah, fun too. 19 hours ago, CedB said: More wonders from Navy Bird - Bill you never disappoint! Ha! Ask my wife. 19 hours ago, rob85 said: That’s a fine engine you have there! you asked for a pic of the top of a merlin, I have one of the front showing some of the pipe work but not much. Just having trouble getting things off Flickr at the mo Thanks, Rob. I'd love to see a good photo of the top, although at this point I'm afraid that it will necessitate me doing more work on the engine! I don't know which took more time, the cockpit or the engine. But we're over the hump now, and there are no more big sub-assemblies. The radiators and landing won't require quite so much work. We may even be close to putting some paint on the old gal. Cheers, Bill 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Bill that is one sexy engine fella, great work. All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 Just caught up with this. That Merlin is a model in itself. Looking forward to the next instalment. Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenoz Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) And maybe this... http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/m/online/1579955.aspx Not really visible in detail, but an educated guess is possible Edited January 28, 2019 by Silenoz 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 Both Tamiya and Quickboost supply the exhausts individually, which means you have to be quite careful in attaching them to ensure a nice alignment. It's easier with the kit parts, as the tab on the exhaust fits nicely into the slot in the framework. However, the kit parts aren't very deep inside, the wall thickness is a bit too thick (although serviceable), and the prominent weld bead line is represented only by the mould parting line. The Quickboost parts are much better in those respects, but they have one issue that's a bit tricky. QB have cast the tab which is intended for the slot, but it is right where the part is attached to the casting block, and there is a lot of "resin flash" in that area. Consequently, after you remove the part, you have to work with your scalpel and file to "recover" the tab. If you're blind like me, it's fun. I painted the exhausts prior to removing them from the block. They were attached with a medium viscosity CA glue, mostly to give me some time to position them. I like how they came out. You need to attach these one at a time, and start with the back of the engine. I spent a lot of time tweaking the position of each to get a nice alignment, and I'm happy with what I got. Hopefully this shot shows it: Note the wall thickness on the resin parts - this is about half of the kit parts. For a bit of altered reality, I put a drop or two of flat black paint inside the exhausts to heighten the appearance of depth. Now I have to do the other side! Cheers, Bill 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickthebrief Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Lovely pipes Bill! They look fantastic - and beautifully aligned. As ever with your work, I'm really enjoying this build. Cheers, Nick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 Now those pics look like 1:1 scale! Excellent job! Ciao 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted January 31, 2019 Author Share Posted January 31, 2019 I used to build 1:32 all the time, but after running out of room to display the models, and being jealous of all the subjects represented in 1:72, I switched to the gentleman's scale. I remember building the Revell 1:32 Tomcat back in 1981 (do the math - yup, I really am that old), right when it first came out, and really going to town on it. I cut out and deployed the slats and flaps, cut out and raised the spoilers, cut open and detailed a couple of avionics bays, scratch-built the ejection seats, painted on the Pukin Dogs markings (no aftermarket decals at the time), etc. She won Best of Show at the only contest I ever took her to. Then a catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions ensued, and I vowed never to spend that much time and effort on a model again. But here I am...38 years later. Cheers, Bill 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickthebrief Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 I think the only 1:32 kit I've ever built, also many moons ago, is the Matchbox Tiger Moth - otherwise it's 1:48 for me. But when the Tamiya Spitfire kit came out the reviews were so positive and the plastic just looked so good, I nagged my other half into buying it for me. It has been in the stash ever since (wrong scale, didn't fly with the Royal Navy...) and I've never really had the urge to break it out and build it, but you could be on your way to changing that... Cheers, Nick. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted January 31, 2019 Share Posted January 31, 2019 7 hours ago, Navy Bird said: I like how they came out. Me too Bill, me too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 12 hours ago, Nickthebrief said: It has been in the stash ever since (wrong scale, didn't fly with the Royal Navy...) Air Britain’s Squadrons of the FAA says 778 and 798 Squadrons used them. Sorry, nothing I can do about the scale 😆 Trevor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev The Modeller Posted February 1, 2019 Share Posted February 1, 2019 Its just keeps getting better Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 On 2/1/2019 at 7:52 AM, Max Headroom said: Air Britain’s Squadrons of the FAA says 778 and 798 Squadrons used them. Sorry, nothing I can do about the scale 😆 Trevor Is this sufficient justification for me buying one...? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted February 2, 2019 Share Posted February 2, 2019 48 minutes ago, Ex-FAAWAFU said: Is this sufficient justification for me buying one...? I’ll find the serials for you tomorrow...... Trevor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 On 2/2/2019 at 6:02 PM, Ex-FAAWAFU said: Is this sufficient justification for me buying one...? As promised....... 778 Squadron NH582 (April 1944 to May 1945) 798 Squadron BS390 (December 1944 to February 1945) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-32-Tamiya-Supermarine-Spitfire-MK-IXc-Kit-ref-60319/273678797597?hash=item3fb8870b1d:g:H0gAAOSwb15cUeEf You’re welcome Trevor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navy Bird Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 Hi mates, I haven't forgotten this one, there has been some progress. First though, I realised that I forgot to show the port side of the engine after I added the exhausts. Doesn't look much different than the other side besides being a mirror image... The engine is temporarily in position for the photos - in fact, I don't think there is any reason why it needs to be glued in. The pegs on the back of the bulkhead slide into the poly-caps captured in the cockpit firewall, and boom! Bob's your uncle. The elevators are taped in position so they don't go flopping around during this portion of the build. They are connected to each other inside the fuselage just below the rudder, and although you can pose them, you can't take them out. I suspect there may be a wee bit of filler along the leading edge, and some sanding here and there, but overall it looks quite nice. There were several access covers that needed to be added to the top and bottom wing surfaces, and although some fit nicely, a couple will require a bit of PPP to fill a tiny gap. By the way, my mistake luck continued with the Barracuda resin - really weird. The large blister cannon covers were about 1.5mm too short, and were flat - they should conform with the airfoil shape of the top surface. They rocked fore and aft when placed in the wing. Yes, I could drop them in boiling water, bend them to the right shape, and fill the gap, but the heck with it. The kit parts are fine with me. The shape at the front of the blister is really not that different between the kit and Barracuda. Different, but not that much. (Cue those guys who will tell me that the kit is unbuildable due to the blister.) Being able to remove the engine for fuselage painting is a big pus - no way I want to mask around that! Let's see, if the flaps are up, then those little openings at the back of the wing are closed, correct? Or is it the other way around? I can never remember that stuff...my flaps will be up, so I think I should close them. Ta for now, Bill PS. I forgot to add the oxygen hose in the cockpit...doh! 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Nice work Bill 2 hours ago, Navy Bird said: Let's see, if the flaps are up, then those little openings at the back of the wing are closed, correct? From SAM Datafile for you: "This cover on the wing trailing edge is for the flap actuating linkage, which protrudes through the upper wing skin when the flaps are down" As one of my old colleagues would say "It's not very often you're wrong… and you were right again"! 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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