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Swedish Gladiator Mk.1


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After the badly researched (kit-wise) false start to an attempt at a Hurricane, this should be my entry for the GB. Decals have been ordered depicting a Gladiator Mk.1 “10” Fighter wing F8 2nd Div.  I should be ok for a kit this time, I have the Airfix Gladiator Mk.1 and the HobbyBoss easy assembly job. Which to go for. The HobbyBoss looks very easy and doesn’t seem too bad detail wise, the Airfix kit looks good and has indents for the wiring and a decent wiring diagram.

I’ll mull that over a glass or two of something this evening and then commit tomorrow - box and sprue shots to follow once the white smoke appears from Casa Avereda.

Edited by Avereda
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Mulled over things a little longer than I expected but in the end plumped for the Airfix kit. Ive got two boxings of the Airfix kit, I’ve had a bad run of canopy cracking recently so the more spares available the better.

 

Box, sprues and instructions (including rigging diagram). The decals look pretty good to me but I’ll be using an aftermarket sheet for the Swedish markings.

 

 

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Up and running, these newer Airfix kits slot together pretty nicely don’t they. The cabana struts are a bit squint (possibly because I trod on one of the parts), it looks like they can persuaded into place though.

 

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Edited by Avereda
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  • 3 weeks later...

I’ve had a bit of spare time over the last couple of days so this has moved on a little. This would have been a complete update but since the photos I’ve snapped off one the cabane struts - should be recoverable though.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Beard said:

I'll tag along, if I may, as there's a few of these in the stash and I need to get some tips on rigging.

Welcome aboard. I have a plan for the rigging whether or not it will survive reality we shall see.

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Yesterday’s progress, mainly painting the engine parts and some dry fitting. Another cabane strut has been broken.

 

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And a word of warning, remember to hold the pot of paint before you stick the electric paint stirrer in - this seemed a good point to stop for the day.

 

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I got paint over my hand like that once; only it was bright red. I thought I'd cleaned it off but I missed between fingers on the back of the hand.

Went into a shop later and a woman went into a frenzy of first-aider - she thought I'd gashed my hand!

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On 4/22/2018 at 10:10 PM, Black Knight said:

I got paint over my hand like that once; only it was bright red. I thought I'd cleaned it off but I missed between fingers on the back of the hand.

Went into a shop later and a woman went into a frenzy of first-aider - she thought I'd gashed my hand!

I did toy with the idea of adding some more and trying to convince Mrs Ave that Iwas turning into a Marvel villain ‘Mr Hobby Burnt Ironman’ or something similar 

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On 4/30/2018 at 2:14 AM, Black Knight said:

Anyhoo.....hows this coming along?

We've only got two weeks left

Thats right, only 2 weeks!

Well it’s going kind of alright. It won’t make the gallery but I think it may get finished in the fullness of time. I’m managed a few hours alfresco modelling this afternoon.

 

The first issue was with the the cowling and collector ring and cowling - quite a lot of which should not be painted before assembly. Delicate glueing got me nowhere.

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Great globs of Contacta helped resolve things to a point, in the ensuing excitement (possible caused by a mix of toxic fumes and sunshine) I decided to chuck the wings together. The somewhat messy state of play is shown below. So, I’ll miss another GB deadline but I have good news from Casa Avereda - at the beginning of July I go part-time at work which means GBs ending beyond the point may be finishable.

 

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On 5/7/2018 at 7:59 PM, Black Knight said:

You're starting to win over this.

The worst parts are done; that engine cowling and getting the top wing on

It'll be easy-peasy from here on

Trust me, nothing’s easy-peasy in this house. The final end of GB position shown below. I think I’ll redo the lighter colour, it should be a bit bluer to match the Swedish colour - the current colour is bluer than the photo shows but not enough. The top dark green is still to be done and the cowling is on the verge of collapse again. The main thing is to get it finished and rigged so I’ll plug on outside of the GB.

 

One other thing, I forgot to let the primer dry properly so there may be trouble ahead

 

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With some trepidation last night,  I masked up for the top colour.

 

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For once my concern was unfounded, I sprayed the green this morning and the mask came off without a mark. The cowling and cooling ring are still a worry but it’s just about ready for varnish an decals - after which there will be rigging.

 

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@Beard - some thoughts on the rigging. If you’re going to drill the holes fully through then it’s best to do this before you assemble the fuselage and wings. I used and broke many 0.3mm drills during this process and eventually used 0.4mm drills. I think 0.4mm holes are too large at this scale really but we’ll see how it turns out. I’ve got two options to complete the rigging, Uschi thread which is very fine and probably correct scale or knitting in thread which is a bit thicker but might fill the holes better.

Edited by Avereda
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On 5/24/2018 at 2:15 AM, Black Knight said:

Coming on nicely now

If only, I’ve hit a major problem. I clear coated with a couple of coats of Humbrol Clear and this morning thought I’d start with the decals. As this build is all about the “10” that seemed a logical place to start, however...the new bottle of Decalfix I bought seems to have an issue with Humbrol Clear and this happened...

 

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Yup, the Decalfix just eat away the clear coat, paint and a good deal of the primer, in fact this may be the most efficient acrylic remover I’ve come across. Has anyone else had this kind of reaction? In the ensuing panic the decal took a bit of a battering as well.

 

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I’ll need to check but the problem may also be with the Mr Hobby Aqueous paint.

 

EDIT: Aha, it is indeed the Mr Hobby paint, I need to find another decal solution.

 

 

Edited by Avereda
Discovery of problem
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Mr Mark Softer/Setter purchased and some inspiration absorbed from the Salisbury show meant another crack at the decals was in order. Port side decals applied, I’ll leave them overnight and see how they conform.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

First attempt at rigging, not entirely successful. I can get the Uschi thread through the holes ok but fixing them is another matter. I tried dribbling CA on but ended up dribbling it everywhere. I’ll sand down and have a rethink.

 

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53 minutes ago, Avereda said:

By the way I used thin CA which sort of got everywhere - would a thicker grade of CA have been more sensible?

I have been using a 'Gel' superglue on kits recently which doesn't run, just sits there in a blob. It does however settle after a while so maybe the trick is to get a really small spot on the end of a pin or very sharp cocktail stick and dot it in position with very steady hands. Then be patient and let it settle into the hole in question while the thread is under tension.

I have also used PVA type wood glue which sticks threads well, flows into holes and has the advantage of being wipable/removeable with a damp cloth (or bud), while still wet of course.

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I use this;

A glue loop -

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Its just some copper wire twisted round a small drill, then part of the circle loop cut away. Its mounted on an old paint brush handle

I use Rocket Super Glue, 5 to 10 seconds setting. With nylon line it sets in about 2 or 3 seconds.

I glue the line thru one hole, when that is set I pull the line thru the other hole, pull it tight, then apply a drop of superglue with the loop right to the line at the hole. The drop of superglue usually fills the hole and it sets in just a few seconds

 

Before this I put a small amount of superglue into a small container, like this, a bit of foil over bluetac and a dent made in it - then I just dip the loop into it

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Every so often the loop needs cleaning so it gets put into a lighter flame to burn off the set super glue - then its ready to go again

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I've been using this for years. It's a sewing needle that has had the eye cut off until there is just a small vee left. It has been filed and sanded to open the vee just a little.

 

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Chris

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