Vulcanicity Posted June 16, 2019 Author Share Posted June 16, 2019 Thanks everyone! Reading all the comments about my patience made me realise I've really tested all your patience with this WIP thread which has been sporadic at best. Thanks to everyone for their comments, suggestions and encouragement - it's been very much appreciated! This is the last post from me before RFI - a cool two years after I started! For those of you who are of an impatient bent, there's a teaser photo of the completed models at the end of the post. For those interested in the last few details - read on rather than skipping to the last two photos! Having prepared the eight bomb bay doors for the Heyford and dusted off the 500lb-sized 250 pounders I assembled earlier, it was time to get painting. I hate painting ordnance - it's really fiddly and I can never seem to get a nice smooth finish on tiny bombs, especially yellow-buff ones. And as for those little yellow and green bands, well. This was the best I managed. Not perfect but they each have one good side...honest! Following a thread I started in the Interwar section, and various WW2 colour photos, I attempted to mix the buff-yellow shade which is apparently standard for both the interwar bombs and the early WW2 bombs (I always though that the latter were yellower than the former, but you live and learn) Luckily, the 500-pounders are such a snug fit in the bomb bay cells that you can only see the one good side of each one. Here we are with the doors on (not an easy job) and the bombs installed. I'm glad I made the effort with the ribs (last year! last year!) - you can just see them and the doped fabric roof to the bays through the little gaps. A couple of photos back you will have also noticed some 4 1/2 inch reconnaissance flares. These are part of the standard 500-pounder loadout for the Heyford according to the AP. The kit does actually provide them but they're on a level with the rest of the supplied bombs - vague, blobby cylinders with little or no detail. Luckily I remembered that many moons ago I built the Airfix Swordfish as a Taranto machine, fitting only one of the eight supplied flares (perhaps this was a particular Taranto loadout? I can't remember). Anyhow, found five of the seven leftovers in my spares box and decided to fit four to the Heyford. With some difficulty I built the incredibly fiddly and fragile Marabu photoetch Light Series Bomb Carriers and standard bomb racks (in fact, see the last post!), then drilled out some wing holes, and Bomb's Bob's your uncle. The Heyford's props gave me some pause for thought. Revell suggest two-tone natural wood and grey for the Mk. I and II, and plain wood for the Mk. III. This seems to be borne out by photos, but most surviving photos of the Heyford are very poor quality and it's very hard to tell what colour a glossy prop actually was. It's possible that they were all natural wood or all doped - it's certainly hard to imagine why they might stop doping them on the Mk. III (maybe a better lacquer was introduced?). However I think there's a demarcation near the hub in several photos of the earlier marks, plus I prefer the two-tone effect, so that's what I went for. I'm fairly sure that Revell's suggestion of grey hub section and natural wood outer blades is erroneous; as far as I understand wooden props were often doped on their outer sections to protect the blades (rather than the hubs) from stone chips and dirt. So I reversed the suggestion and painted them like this. Nobody could stop me, after all. The wood effect was hard work and I am out of practice - the last I did was for a 2F1 Camel quite a few years ago. But with this little area and most of it covered in grey I think I got away with it. You'll also notice I attached the glazing to the Heyford's nose. The bomb-aimer's windows (out of shot) caused me a bit of grief as they weren't a great fit - but we got there in the end. You might remember last time that I took a saw to the Stranraer's canopy. Well, here's why. Way back in the beginning two summers ago I modified this portion of the hull to remove the cargo door and reinstate the sliding canopy window recess, and here is the finished arrangement, with a window made of acetate and posed mostly slid back in the recess. It's partly hidden by the painted and installed door - but you can at least glimpse that scratchbuilt cockpit, if you give yourself a cricked neck. The Stranraer's engines were not easy to attach while still allowing the props to turn. There's quite a big hole in the front of the nacelles, and the diameter of the crankcase core of the resin Pegasii is not much bigger than the hole - so there's very little surface area to which one has to apply superglue (resin-plastic joint), and the glue has to be very close to the free-turning prop shaft (yes, I am a small child inside). After an attempt which left one of the props seized, I attached a large square bit of plasticard to the back of the engines first, then fitted the prop shafts with retaining nuts drilled thorough this, then used a small amount of much more manageable poly cement to actually attach the engines with the much larger square surface area. Here is the end product, with non-seized props! After another unsuccessful superglue episode trying to attach my home-made glazing for the landing lights (much fogging), I resorted to PVA. Hopefully the inferior strength won't matter in this fairly protected location. More annoying is the slight frosting caused by the varnish around the edge of the walkway decals - I've since drybrushed some silver carefully over the clear sections. Having painted my handmade Scarff rings and the Miniart guns black and gently added some drybrushed weathering, the very last job was to attach them. I'm particularly pleased with how they've come out. So rather unexpectedly, that's that! I'll do an RFI next week as soon as it stops raining and I can get some decent natural light in my modelling room... I'm going to have a break from biplanes, ancient kits, excessive scratchbuilding and WIP threads, and soothe my aching head by building a Tamiya kit I think! 35 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbudde Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Both look really great. Marvellous. Love the finish on these old childhood memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Beautiful models, both of them! Impressed of Mars 👽 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Both utterly lovely. Thankyou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LorenSharp Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Excellent job on both aircraft Vulcanicity. I'm alway at awe when some one strings a biplane and it looks real! mine when I've tried it.... not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fritag Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Exquisite Phil. Mighty impressive construction and beautiful finishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrik Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Excellent job. In fact two of them. With your thoroughness I can fully understand the two years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Of course you know that now I'll have to crap-can the two kits in my stash. I'll never be able to build them anywhere near what you have turned out. Us humble styrene butchers bow down to your great skills. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 Superb Phil - all the effort has been well rewarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted June 16, 2019 Share Posted June 16, 2019 What a gorgeous pair! (steady, Ced) A fascinating thread of research as well as the building. Thanks, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDCS87 Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Fantastic work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenCJ Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Inspirational modeling. 50000 likes Stephen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putty Animal Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Such a fantastic result. Oh I do wish I had a Heyford half the size! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob85 Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Beautifully finished! They both look excellent Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJJunis Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Absolutely outstanding! All the Best! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted June 17, 2019 Share Posted June 17, 2019 Quite wonderful, a couple of gems. I really should go back to the start & follow this through again, the early parts are somewhat hazy. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulcanicity Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 Many thanks for all the kind words everyone - it really means a lot after all that effort! The weather parted slightly in Vulcanicity towers this afternoon, so I've managed to get the RFI threads done. Heyford Stranraer Enjoy! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
825 Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Excellent just quite excellent. Great jobs on these classic kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Beautiful work, they have both turned out to be exceptional models. Heading over to the RFI now! What's next? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shalako Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 10 minutes ago, limeypilot said: What's next? Ian A Matchbox Do 18 would be nice. With the engines exposed!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 What a gorgeous pair of models, you have really done them justice and should be very proud of your efforts. I have enjoyed your thread and have found it particularly informative, thank you. Great, no amazing work. I have bookmarked this as I will use it for when I build mine although that is a long way off yet as I will never be able to get near the quality of these beautiful models myself. Thanks for sharing. All the best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Very ineresting "opus magnum" thread. It bacame calssical for all who want to build those two, including me. I am sure I will be coming back to see it again , even If I will go with some simplification, of course more then "some" ! I am using CD box corrugated sides a bit differently - I am just pressing some alu foil in this and then put resin layer on back side of alu foil. This allows to replicate it infinitive times using single box with CD inside not destroyed... Regards J-W 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Massimo Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 you got the best from these dinosaurs and the result is outstanding!!! Chapeau!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 Just caught up with these, better late than never, outstanding Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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