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Two Scratch-Built Fairey Flycatchers In 1/72 (link to WIP thread added)


Old Man

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I just noticed this is starting up, and hope to join in with a brace of Flycatchers I am scratch-building in 1/72. One will be from HMS Hermes at Hong Kong, on floats, and one from HMS Courageous in the Mediterranean, on wheels. I have begun them, but as all I have done so far is most of a pair of scratch-built Jaguar motors, I feel certain I am in under the 'less than 25% complete' standard. Here are some pictures of the two motors in their present state:

 

f0ca3bec-3449-4566-bf8c-da1796815aa2_zps

 

(a U.S. penny is about 18mm in diameter)

 

IMG_9048_zpshggssrrh.jpg

 

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Steps to this state can be found in this thread (scroll down, it is combined with another project)....

 

 

Edited by Old Man
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Great start with the engines.

Will be following with interest as the Flycatcher is one of my favourite aircraft. Discovered it when first reading up about HMS Furious, one of the ships my Grandfather served on. Was the only ship he had a picture of at home.

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Thank you very much, Gentlemen. I've had a soft spot for this little beastie since back when I first had the Putnam book of Naval aircraft. I know there is a resin kit in 1/72 out there, but I like scratch-building, and had been thinking to do a Flycatcher for a long time. What ticked it over was the MMP number on the type, with photographs of Flycatchers on the China Station in the late twenties.

 

At any rate, work is begun in earnest on the fuselages. While straightforward in general, the Flycatcher fuselage is not simply shaped. It is almost as if the designer had been instructed to see to it as little as possible was square to the line of flight, and to choose, whenever faced with the choice, the oddest of internal proportions available. It took some thought to figure out how to start.

 

The bottom of the rear fuselage is where I began. It is a piece of 1.5mm sheet, cut to the guide of a template trimmed from a copy of my Grainger drawing. It is sanded to some curve in section, and tapered down for and aft in profile.

 

IMG_9132_zps5yv1hyyp.jpg

 

Next a stern-post of 1mm square rod was attached at the very end, and sides of 0.5mm sheet attached. These were a bit high, and over-long...

 

IMG_9138_zpsfgmjg1sp.jpg

 

They were trimmed down to proper height, and cut off on the line where the fabric covering meets the metal panels at the cockpit. Some spacers were put in for safe handling. The cockpit floor (and attachment point for the lower wings) was added. It is of 1mm sheet, and cut a bit over-size.

 

IMG_9140_zps98rm5h1y.jpg

 

Rear portion of the cockpit sides were then added, made of 0.5mm sheet. The nearest fuselage shows these, and the floor, all trimmed down to size, the furthest shows them in their raw state.

 

IMG_9141_zpsshcurszp.jpg

 

At this point, the rear turtle-deck application was begun. First a sheet of 0.5mm sheet was put over the top. Then the front former (and backing of the seat) was attached; it is a piece of 1mm sheet, square to the bottom piece.  I added a bit of color for the inside of the fabric, which might be seen looking straight down into the cockpit, and black tube (0.6mm rod) where appropriate.

 

IMG_9143_zpsu6w3czef.jpg

 

I got a bit ahead of the photographing here. A triangular 'spine' of 2mm sheet was put in down the center from the cockpit rear to the stern-post, The turtle-back of the Flycatcher is unusually deep, working out to 7mm at its highest point in scale. My usual method is to just put in a solid piece of plastic and sand to shape, but this is too much for any single thickness, or even horizontal laminate. I thought to use long, triangular 'planks' of 2mm sheet (two on either side of the spine), but when I got the first ones on, the gap between them and the spine was so narrow I just started filling it in with shims and trimming them down. At the point of this photograph, the turtle-back is only roughly shaped.

 

I went a little more regularly on the second. I stood planks of 3mm sheet alongside the spine, then put pieces of 2mm sheet alongside these....

 

IMG_9147_zpsz3rtjsug.jpg

 

Here are both fuselages with the turtle-backs shaped and smoothed.

 

IMG_9150_zpswnlg1tde.jpg

 

Next step will be further extension of the cockpit sides, and interior work....

 

 

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Took a serious run at constructing the bottom and sides of the rest of the nose, and putting in cockpit elements this past weekend.

 

The bottom of the nose is a fairly complicated shape, going from flat to well-rounded while slanting a bit upwards, and its rearmost portion is involved visibly in the cockpit interior. After some thought, I decided the best way was to use some 3mm sheet scrap I had left from doing the second turtleback; the piece had twisted a bit when broken on its score-line, and the angle was pretty close to that it ought to have for mating with the existing fuselage assemblies.

 

IMG_9152_zpsefxjxbsr.jpg

 

So I laid out the measures for two nose bottoms, and set to work: it's a lot easier to cut plastic out of an interior area when the piece you ant is still part of a larger piece (in fact, that's true for a lot of shaping and trimming of small parts).

 

IMG_9153_zpsjqin4bvl.jpg

 

Here is one with the interior removal done, before it is removed from the 3mm piece with a razor saw. The flat bit is a continuation of the cockpit floor, and I tried to match the interior dimensions of the existing assemblies.

 

IMG_9156_zps9axkkuym.jpg

 

Here the first piece has been cut off, and marked for sanding to proper section.

 

IMG_9158_zpsujcujvka.jpg

 

I sanded away a bit too much on the matig surfac, and didn't get the interior match quite right either on the tis first go, so I filled in on the sides with thin shims, and 'capped' with a bit of 1mm sheet. I wound up having to shim the port side as well. The second one went much better, though the 'cap' struck me as a good idea and I repeated that on the second one even though the interiors on it matched up pretty well.

 

IMG_9160_zpsumfcaghf.jpg

 

Here are both pieces attached to the existing fuselage assemblies, and blended in with sanding and here and there a bit of CA gel for filler.

 

IMG_9161_zpsma17ctct.jpg

 

Here are the sides attached; as before, oversize pieces of 0.5mm sheet are attached and trimmed down. In this instance the 'panel line' does not co-incide with the seam, but follows where 'round meets flt' on the bottom piece, and will have to be scribed in....

 

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Here is the interior, with the structural tubing in....

 

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First interior component was the pilot's 'perch'.. This was attached by a complex web of tubing, none of which would likely be visible from the cockpit opening, so I simply cobbled together a quick pillar and base. The seats are constructed from four pieces each of 0.5mm sheet (seat, back, and sides), tinnefd down from the outside and given a 'bead' of CA gel on the edges. The foot-guides are strips of corrugate sheet, the 'stirrups' on the pedals are split 'o' bits shaved off 2.4mm tube.

 

IMG_9170_zpsutifcwsm.jpg

 

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Here are some component bits put in; ammunition box and feeds (more to brace the sides for future work than because they will be much seen, a throttle and a 'crank thingie' and a holstered flare gun....

 

IMG_9175_zpszbj8srni.jpg

 

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The throttle quadrant was made by cutting a 'V' into one end of a 2mm x 0.25mm strip, then trimming out the 'V', then putting in a curve in th end of th same strip with a half-round needle file, trimming it off, gluing it to the 'V', then rather carefully doing a bit of finish sanding to shape and thickness. Bits of 0.25mm round rod were added, and given 'knobs' of CA gel.

 

Here is the 'pilot's perch' painted and installed....

 

IMG_9178_zpsrsprxtzj.jpg

 

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Seat belts are strips of foil from Ferrero Rocher candy, with has a nice bit of texture, with extra bits of 34ga beading wire.

 

Here is how things stand now, with cross-wise structural tubing in at the front, and sundry other bits in place....

 

IMG_9186_zpst2t2sxrz.jpg

 

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'Wheel' at starboard is tail-place incidence control, silver bit in the center of forward framing is the wing camber control crank, bit of wood at the starboard front will be topped with the compass.

 

Next step will be putting in front of the fuel tank (up against the cross-tubing in front), the instrument panel, and topping up the nose....

 

 

 

 

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Hello, this is great, and thanks for giving the ideas for scratch building! It seems to be a good idea breaking these projects down into smaller sections like you have with the fuselage. I have to admit I would never have thought about doing things this way!

 

Look forward to seeing more progress,

 

Ray

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Glad you like it, Ray.

 

Something it took me a few builds to get through my head is that it's not a matter of making a set of pieces to assemble like a kit, but rather that you are putting together a model, and a good way to do that is to have one piece building onto another...

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6 hours ago, Col. said:

This has become a masterclass in scratch-building for me B)

 

Thank you, Sir.

 

I'll have more next week, This weekend I'm working on spoke-wheels for another scratch-build project, a Glenn Martin 'Flyer' used in Mexico in 1913.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have gotten stuck into a couple of other projects, one of which I will be posting up here in this group build. But I have made more progress here.

 

The upper portion of the nose in front of the cockpit is now in place.

 

This was done on each with three piece of mm sheet, one for each side and a top piece, beveled to lower itself into the gap. These were placed so there would be plenty of plastic in hand when sanding down to section....

 

IMG_9232_zpswsy44kws.jpg

 

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Here are both sanded down to final shape, in profile and section....

 

IMG_9297_zpsh6hxsomd.jpg

 

Next step will be to do the instrument panels, and a few other last minute bits, then put on the cockpit decking....

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Instrument panels are now finished and installed.

 

IMG_9349_zpsqd4095he.jpg

 

These follow pretty closely the official drawing reproduced in the MMP Flycatcher monograph. Instrument bezels are from 34 ga wire, coiled, cut, and flattened in a smooth-jawed pliers. 'Placards' are foil stuck on with Future, painted black, and scraped a bit with a toothpick. The slanting bit in the center I believe is a fuel gauge of glass, it is a bit of thin rod painted a bit amber, the little curve at the center is similar, a spirit level serving as a bank indicator. Instrument bezels were filled first with black paint, then given a lick of white with a toothpick point, and filled several times with Future.

 

Here are a few more pictures, a kind of farewell to the interior, before the cockpit decking is contrived; the opening on this is actually pretty small, and I wonder how much of this will be visible once that is settled....

 

IMG_9351_zps19frgrqt.jpg

 

IMG_9353_zpsgm10xjja.jpg

 

IMG_9354_zps0uwyatui.jpg

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This really is very enjoyable :)

 

The instrument panels are, once again, tiny works of art. The use of wire in creating those tiny, tiny dials :o:worthy: 

 

You must have a very steady hand. There's no way I could do this, even with an optivisor, my hands wobble too much :(.

 

It's very nice just to be able to watch someone else doing such lovely modelling.

 

Great stuff

TonyT

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On 7/17/2017 at 4:54 PM, TonyTiger66 said:

This really is very enjoyable :)

 

The instrument panels are, once again, tiny works of art. The use of wire in creating those tiny, tiny dials :o:worthy: 

 

You must have a very steady hand. There's no way I could do this, even with an optivisor, my hands wobble too much :(.

 

It's very nice just to be able to watch someone else doing such lovely modelling.

 

Great stuff

TonyT

 

 

I appreciate your kind words, Sir.

 

Don't sell yourself short. I drop a good many of the rings, and when one is out of position, and that's not uncommon either, I pop it off and try again.

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Great work on this Sir.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how you do the wings, as I always find them to be too awkward and end up only using 1 sheet of plastic card, and it does not look right.

 

Ray

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On 7/20/2017 at 2:25 PM, Ray S said:

Great work on this Sir.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how you do the wings, as I always find them to be too awkward and end up only using 1 sheet of plastic card, and it does not look right.

 

Ray

 

Have got a start on the wings this weekend, Sir. It is one of those 'laborious but not hard' things....

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58 minutes ago, Old Man said:

 

Have got a start on the wings this weekend, Sir. It is one of those 'laborious but not hard' things....

I'll be interested to see that.  It might help me with dealing with the enormous rib tapes on the flying surfaces of my Airfix 0/400 and DH4

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23 minutes ago, JosephLalor said:

I'll be interested to see that.  It might help me with dealing with the enormous rib tapes on the flying surfaces of my Airfix 0/400 and DH4

 

Not familiar with that kit, Sir, but this might be of help....

 

 

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Further progress on the Gentlemen. Cockpit decking and opening is complete, and I have begun on the wings.

Usually for cockpit decking I simply bend and fit a piece of thin sheet, then once it is fastened and dressed, pierce it and trim out the opening. The 'dog-leg' of the Flycacher in this area, with the front higher than the rear and the decking rising from the front to the opening, makes this unsuitable, and required a more complicated piece by piece approach.

 

IMG_9357_zpshyh1k9sg.jpg

 

The lower sides of the decking were relatively straightforward. I scored off a piece of 0.5mm sheet a long strip 4mm wide, and pieces of this were cut and trimmed to fit, bent to a bit of a curve, and their interor surfaces painted before assembly. The upper longeron sidewall detail, and edges of the intrument panel, supplied secure mating surfaces while concealing the seam.

 

IMG_9360_zpst2qvoaxr.jpg

 

Here are the forward deckings put in. This was necessarily a trial and error process. the piece of plastic to the left of the fuselage are the bits employed in 'sighting in'. I began with some of the extra 4mm strip, bending and trimming a piece till a reasonable approximate fit was achieved. When flattened back out, these gave a good guide to length and angles. The fuselage on the top required a further fitting step. Finally a thin strip was put in at the rear.

 

IMG_9361_zps7btionyb.jpg

 

Here is one fuselage with the cockpit opening trimmed to its basic length, and one still in raw state marked for trimming.

 

IMG_9364_zpslfr7abwk.jpg

 

The final bit was adding the doors. I trimmed a little too far down into the lower sides and had to restore with bits of 1mm x 0.5mm strip. The doors are pieces of 3mm strip, trimmed down a bit. The semi-circular notch in front is put in with a knife and a half-round needle file.

 

 

IMG_9369_zps2h17jlp6.jpg

 

Here are the fuselage blanks with the motors tacked into place.

 

IMG_9370_zpsmeydvdat.jpg

 

Final step on the fuselage blanks was closing over the nose with a frnt-plate of 1mm sheet (painted dark grey on its interior surface). These were pierced where the Grainger drawing indicated the motor should be centered, and a bit of 1mm rod fixed to the rear of the motors.

 

The next step in the fuselages will be adding surface detail, but I have put that aside for now and moved on to the wings.

 

IMG_9372_zpss5pidwaa.jpg

 

I used a cut-out from a copy of the drawing for  a template to outline the shapes of the two lower wings on 1.5mm sheet.

 

IMG_9375_zpsacrnd7ot.jpg

 


When these were cut out, for reference I scored in a center line for span and chord on each. The two pieces were joined with double-face tape for final shaping as a unit.

 

IMG_9376_zpsozcdjrch.jpg

 

 

To mark the highest point of the airfoil curve on the upper surfaces, I drew in a line (about a third of the way back from the leading edge) as a guide to sanding. I did the upper surfaces of both while they were still joined, so the 'interior' surface will become the lower surfaces.

 

IMG_9378_zpsuott9q92.jpg

 

Wings at this stage just don't photograph very well, but you ought to be able to see that the curves have been sanded in (heavy grit 'salon board' sanding sticks were used) on both wings.

 

 

The wings were then separated, and the concave camber of the undersurfaces put in. Most of this was done with 220 grit sandpaper stuck with double-face tape on two bottles, one a big old empty ibruprophen bottle about four inches or so in diameter, the other an empty CA 'kicker' bottle about one inch in diameter.

 

IMG_9380_zpsmmvwmvum.jpg

 

Hopefully it will be apparent that the wing on right shows the concavity of the undersurface camber.

 

Next step will be the upper wings. Process will be basically similar, but with some extras, as there is dihedral to the upper wings....

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On 7/25/2017 at 3:53 PM, Hewy said:

Just looked through this thread, missed the start, great modelling skills old man, really like what you've done so far 

Glynn

 

Thank you, Sir. This is one I've had in mind to do for a long time.

 

 

3 hours ago, Ray S said:

Ah ha, I begin to see where I was going wrong. Thanks for showing us this way. Great idea about tacking the two together too.

 

Ray

 

What wing is it your wanting to do, Sir? Techniques vary. This is a fairly thick wing, which has some, but not a great deal, of concavity to its undersurface. It's a fairly common sort for the interwar period. For a wing with more camber, sometimes I will score and bend, and count on the sanding to smooth out the angles. A thin wing with lots of camber (very common in the early days), can simply be bent by hand and sanded. More modern wings are often convex on both surfaces.

 

Some people use techniques involving heat: I know what they do, but do not do it myself. Basically, you contrive to bend the wing piece, douse it in very hot water, and then quench it in very cold water.

 

Another technique I have seen give good results, but do not employ myself, bends a thin sheet over a curved former, then laminates a second thin sheet to it with a liquid solvent glue. This when done correctly dries to a single strong piece which holds the curve the thin sheets were softened to by the solvent that welded them together.

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