tonyot Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 Oh WOW,..... just stumbled upon this build,.... yet another beautiful project by Peter,........ looking forward to following this now, Cheers Tony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Riot Posted July 19, 2021 Share Posted July 19, 2021 What an incredible build. More a small replica than a model. It’s going to look amazing when finished! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 This is great! Loved what you did with the wing fillets and the P38 and the aluminium tape. 👍 I can always get some good intellectual property theft from your posts. 🤔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 8, 2021 Author Share Posted August 8, 2021 Hi everyone On 7/19/2021 at 2:37 AM, CJP said: Really enjoying the progress on the Firefly - maybe someone on BM still has some contacts - I know NAVY870 has an ex RAN Griffon Firefly in his private collection so maybe he might be worth contacting for info. CJP Ah yes, Steve has already helped me out a bunch with pics of the Firefly in his care - in fact it is what this model is based on - I just need to get access to one to cover every inch and fill in some knowledge gaps rather than drive Steve mad from 10,000 miles away it's just a quick update even though it is partially one step backwards to get two steps forwards in parts.. I started by making up the rear cockpit sidewalls and starting to detail them with the gizmo's I can see in pics.. also the structural parts like ribs and a big angled beam that traverses each side.. ..these nestle under the rear decking.. ..also made up the basic floor & rear seat mount, with what I think are battery mount trays forward - as this is a target tug, I am not sure yet if the actual batteries were in it, but the trays certainly were.. ..painted up some of the stuff and made up some fuse / breaker boxes that live somewhere here on the sidewalls too.. ..there are a bunch of decals I am having made that have all the labels etc for the IP & gizmo's but they won't arrive until the end of August.. ..in the rear, the sidewalls are not fixed, they have spot CA to hold them in place while I shape the outsides to conform with the fuselage - I wanted to do the same at the front cockpit in adding removable walls so I can detail the interior without having to do keyhole surgery.. only problem was, when I added the sidewalls and was getting the aperture square, I noticed the entire upper fuselage between the cockpits was wee weed to one side, so nothing for it but to chop out all the skin and structure and start again.. ..it was this axis that was off - all the bulkheads were not in a line so new ones added.. you can also see where the forward fuselage where the IP sort of sits was off as well - the black lined template shows where the skin should be.. ..this was all redone & reskinned - much happier now.. ..canopy rails also let into the structure.. ..seat bulkhead is now right.. same with forward bulkhead.. ..I need to work out how best to do the cockpit now - I might chop out both fuselage sides, or I may cut out one so I can get inside - the rear sides will just break away.. .. a long way to go, but at least the basic airframe is in order now.. TTFN Peter 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonH Posted August 8, 2021 Share Posted August 8, 2021 Yet another beautiful build. I am really enjoying watching this all come together. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJP Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Beautiful work - I bet Navy870 is happy seeing a model of his Firefly materialise from your workshop 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darthspud Posted August 9, 2021 Share Posted August 9, 2021 Now that's museum quality (or better imho) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 15, 2021 Author Share Posted August 15, 2021 Hi everyone & thank you I have been busying myself with the Firefly - having sorted out the upper fuselage shape I could get back to trying to make the forward cockpit fuselage walls and do it in such a way I could still get inside to detail it.. I started by skinning the walls and the cockpit coaming at the front - I figured if I just built it all first I could figure out access after.. ..then I decided to just cut away the walls and front to have one cockpit skin 'pod' and then drew up some line drawings for the structure & components.. ..after skinning the inner walls with litho (after scribing key locations) I added the station ribs from plastic or litho... ..also developed the basic floor - it was higher than when I originally cut the fuselage way back when.. ..and the basic structure starts to come together - the gaps all close up when squeezed.. ..with the basic structure done, I wanted to get down some paint as otherwise it all becomes a bit difficult to cover all the nooks & crannies - in looking at the refs I have, the bird I am doing has a 'black' cockpit, but when seen here it is quite grey - I realise this is under flash photography, but it is still not black as you can see in the contrast between switch panels & structure.. ..I had been using a tamiya rattle can of Nato black as thats quite a good tonal black, but I thought it too dark, so I mixed some MRP super matt black and blue grey and shot that over everything after priming.. ..a quick scour with 0000 wire wool to lift some detail and they are done.. ..rear walls, floor & bulkhead.. upper rear bulkheads ..rear deck.. ..cockpit pod.. ..pilots seat bulkhead.. ..cockpit floor.. ..and I am happier with the colour now.. ..now all I need to do is make dozens of detail parts like this one - the throttle quadrant.. ..it's missing it's labelling, but the custom decals are due soon so I can get stuck into the IP and stuff I really enjoy TTFN Peter 24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 exquisite work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted August 16, 2021 Share Posted August 16, 2021 Very nice work. Looking good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 evening all I have been messing around with lots of little bits, but it's ok as it's all in the cockpit and I just lurve doing cockpits ..I took a look at the seat - I started this back in 2018 and used the base part as a basis for correction ..it's made of bakelite sort of stuff and needed the sides building out for these sort of 'wings' on the sides.. ..details, seams & rivets were added and the rear cushion made from milliput - the seams on this are lead wire and my sculpting skills are not very well developed ..then they were painted - lots of the tonal stuff seems lost in the picture.. ..also made the adjustment assembly & lower mount struts.. ..and it sort of goes here.. ..then made up PE bits for various consoles and fittings - many of these are in layers, much the same as the instrument panel.. ..after paint and decals I have a lot of work ahead still to do all the switches and knobs and make up the laminates plus glazing for those with dials.. ..speaking of instrument panels, I made this one from custome PE, custom airscale decals I tacked onto a trade order and lots of bits & bobs.. ..its as close as I can make it to the one in Steve Long's care in Oz.. ..yet to make the compass that goes in the compass stand.. ..long way to go yet, but it sort of goes here.. TTFN Peter 24 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Jesus. Have you got anything cr@p or even just a little bit rough to show us? It might give us mere mortals some hope! 😉 1 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basket Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 unbelievable ... as usual ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 That’s it. I’m taking up knitting 🧶 Seriously good modelling going on here. Trevor 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Exquisite is the word that springs to mind. 1 hour ago, airscale said: but it sort of goes here.. I bet it's within plus or minus 3 atoms. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBaron Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 2 hours ago, airscale said: lots of the tonal stuff seems lost in the picture.. Nevertheless enough tonality remains to show complete mastery over those material appearances Peter - you can almost smell that tanned leather from here... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJP Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Awesome neat work - I cant believe I'm looking at a model - hang on yes I can I've seen all your other builds here on BM CJP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airscale Posted September 10, 2021 Author Share Posted September 10, 2021 Thank you all when I left you last, I was working on all the little bobbins in the cockpit - switch panels, control boxes etc - most of these are PE faces, custom decals & toggle switches from wire, some of the bigger knobs & buttons are modified watch parts (cogs & shafts etc)... ..these are the front cockpit right hand side.. ..and fitted - the fuse panels in the lower half were first made up, then finely chopped coloured wire dropped onto blobs of CA - a bit like decorating a cake with hundreds & thousands.. ..same for the left.. ..here the knurled wheel was a modified 1/24 tailwheel (Fw190 i think) with ribs added.. ..rear right.. and rear left.. ..the rear bulkhead has quite a lot of complex work and it's own buoy and target towing control panel - the yellow thing in the middle is a pull cord to cut the towing cable.. ..when dry fitted in the airframe it starts to look like this.. ..then as we modellers like to do, we start to cover it all up.. ..here with the upper decking.. ..and when built up the cockpit starts to look a bit busier - in all areas there is still quite a lot of cabling & wiring to add.. ..and thats it for now - until next time.. TTFN Peter 23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancona Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Absolutely awestruck with what you are doing here, this is modelmaking pornography at its best, and I think I am addicted ! I will be following avidly, if you don't mind that is Cheers David 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 That’s just gobsmacking! 😲 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJP Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Breathtaking work - I look forward to every update on your Firefly CJP 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony C Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Modelling taken to an incredible level... I know it's a model, I know it's a model, I know it's a model etc, etc, etc Every single switch, lever, instrument and knob, looks like it works, that seat looks like the pilot literally just climbed out! Think I'm about to cry 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Parker Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Extraordinary, I don't know whether to be deeply inspired or just start crying softly into open kit boxes and let my big wet tears dribble onto the decals. Cheers, Gord 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 This isn’t modelling - this is engineering! Trevor the impressed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 It'll do. Until something better comes along. What? Oh, apparently that's been cancelled. Ah well, we'll have to make do then..... It's as good as any of the real cockpits I was in and out of for over forty years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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