Jump to content

1/72 Frog Sea Fury X


Recommended Posts

Transfers are now on '115' except for the serial number - they were a touch yellowed but i just removed as much of the backing as i could. I have racked my brains to see how I could make up the serial number 'TF951' out of the letters I have but to no avail. I am going to have to buy some decal paper and print them myself - another first. I'm going to re-number '116' as 'TF917', based on the fact that there seems to have definitely been a '114' 'TF915' and this would be two numbers on from that (see previous postings).

 

100_2220

 

Just having a few trials of sticking on the folding wing portions to the main wings on '115'. The tabs on the wings had to be trimmed back even further to clear the hinges which seem to be mounted on the line of the main spars - makes sense. I also had to cut and bend back a small section of the PE end surfaces fitted to the fuselage side of the wings, to let the tabs rotate in there slightly. Superglue is not really sticking as readily as I thought it would so I may resort to cement again.

 

While I was putting on the upper wing roundels, I found I had created the extra white backing in the wrong place on the port wing - you can see it in the previous photos. I hastily touched back in in black around the end of the roundel.

 

100_2222

 

Both '116' and '115' have been given a coat of Satin Cote on the 'upper' surfaces, left the undersides Matt.

100_2219

 

As predicted, I didn't get a clean cut of the windscreen off from the bubble part of the canopy. Masked up and painted just to see how it turns out. Also masked up and painted the other Sea Fury canopy from the Falcon set before cutting from the backing plastic and I'll see if I can cut off and separate that at the same time.

 

100_2218

 

Nearly there...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Last posting, then. The Falcon canopy that I cut to separate the windscreen from the hood didn't turn out well - too flexible to get a straight cut along the frame line. I then tried cutting the second canopy while still on the 'sheet' - this was better and I ended up fitting that to '115'. I found the vacform canopies a bit too flexible and flimsy to work with so not a great favourite of mine now. During all the fiddling about to align properly. the arrestor hook disappeared from the rear of the fuselage and I had to make another one from a handy brush bristle (same as wot was cut up for the exhaust outlets). Better not to zoom in on the photos.... The pilot will not fit in past the cockpit PE so I have posed him just climbing in as his aircraft warms up!

100_2247

 

Fitting the folding sections of the wings to the PE hinges was very fiddly and there are very shallow 'locators' on the cross-section on which they rest - I used a lump of blutac at the wing joins to try to hold things together while the cement dried - superglue has not worked for me at all with the PE pieces - excellent for gluing things to your fingers of course. The undercarriage got a bit of abuse during this process and I didn't see it in real life but the photos are showing that a leg prop has been dislocated - hopefully this will be the last repair. Lastly, the PE step up stirrup was glued in position just below the trailing edge of the port wing root and painted.

 

100_2246

 

At this point, I also got the aircraft serial numbers on - eventually ordered an Xtradecal sheet of FAA type numbers from Hannants and struggled putting on 2" numbers (approx 1.3mm high) singly - they kept moving and folding up. I then went for 4" numbers (letters 2mm high) but they don't look right.

 

Pulled all the numbers off and had another go at the 2", this time putting on one at a time, coating with decalfix and leaving to dry for perhaps an hour, then floating on the next and so on. The numbers had to be pushed into position using a combination of small paintbrush and point of the tweezers. Looks a lot better and I returned to '116' to do the same.

100_2260

 

 

100_2256100_2259

 

So here we are then - Frog Sea Furies finished and posed together, one in flight and the other on deck, pilot just climbing in with the wings about to be unfolded.

Both Mark X's, 807 Squadron NAS, based on HMS Theseus, codes TF951 '115' and TF917 '116'

100_2270

 

..and the final 'spinning prop' photo - Sea Fury X '115' runs up in preparation for a sortie while '116' zooms overhead in a climbing bank to starboard!

100_2275

 

A very enjoyable build with many 'new frontiers/first time' features for me. I'm glad they are finished (albeit '115' doesn't get into the Gallery) and it's time to move on to the Airfix Golden Years GB.

Edited by Ventora3300
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...