Frank083 Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 7 hours ago, Tony C said: Sorry for my late reply, no its not the little panels on the outer wings! If you look at the picture above from earlier in the thread, where the blue tape is, on the trailing edge of the wing, you can just see a small raised block. There is one on each wing, which I believe Airfix intended to represent the flap mechanism door, when the flaps are in the open position. It is this that should be removed, on both wings and also on both the Mk.46/47 and Mk.22/24 kits. Ignore my earlier comment about the door hinging from the side as I have just seen a picture of a Mk.Vb Trop that shows the door hinged on the leading edge so I guess that both front and side hinged doors were used. Hope this makes sense... Agreed with Tony on this & yes, this picture is coming from my thread & it’s already trimmed to represent something more accurate! 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 Gear wells done, just need to be painted. Just thin blank styrene, thin styrene for ribbins, a half round notched around the gear peg to look like the rotating shaft, and the wing fold bulkheads repurposed as background for something busy to look at up in there. And stretched spru for piping. I'll paint them up tomorrow morning. And in the meantime I've refining the nose. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Really impressive work! 1/48 is not my preferred scale, but you've inspired me to order the Special Hobby Seafire in 1/72. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 6, 2018 Author Share Posted July 6, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, billn53 said: Really impressive work! 1/48 is not my preferred scale, but you've inspired me to order the Special Hobby Seafire in 1/72. Thank you very much! Have fun with it. My gear bays are all done and painted up. They'll be set aside until after the nose is finally done and the wings can finally start going on. And through the gear openings. Edited July 6, 2018 by Thom216 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank083 Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Very nice progress! Are you gonna represent it with folded wings? Frank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 Thanks. It's progressing a lot smoother now, though with the amount of sanding I'm doing with the rocker covers I really wish that resin drop-in had worked! But, after enough applications of Mr D Putty and sanding with sanding pads the transition is really smoothing out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted July 7, 2018 Share Posted July 7, 2018 Hi Thom this looks very nice indeed. You have done some cracking work. I would like to start a 32nd scale one soon and will watch with interest. Keep up the good work. All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 (edited) 8 hours ago, Frank083 said: Very nice progress! Are you gonna represent it with folded wings? Frank Not on this one. This one will have her wings stretched out. The next one, with the exposed engine will have folded wings. And I may do this one over again after a while, hopefully doing only half the number of mistakes as this one!😀 Edited July 7, 2018 by Thom216 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 7, 2018 Author Share Posted July 7, 2018 1 hour ago, bigbadbadge said: Hi Thom this looks very nice indeed. You have done some cracking work. I would like to start a 32nd scale one soon and will watch with interest. Keep up the good work. All the best Chris Thanks! I'd love to see that build! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 So a decision has been made. This build will be wearing its boxes livery of 180 rather than 178. I will carry it through to completion simply because I have done so much work on it already, and I think I will jump right into another Seafire build right after this one, hopefully will less than half the mistakes!😅 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 Okay, I believe I am finished getting the cowl on and straightened in. A little sanding to do on the finish, but I shall be moving on from here. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 I took a detour this morning to the gear and belly ID lights. There was PE for scissor links. There is also a rod secured to the side of the leg and I replicated this with stretched spru. I don't know what it's for. It's a little long at the bottom but that'll be easy to trim up. Sorry for the blurry image. And the belly ID(?) lights. Clear colors with silver on the back. I had also drilled a hole in the back of each to represent the bulbs. I'm also going to do the brake lines, but the pic I have has the lines secured to the gear door rather than the leg, so that will wait until the gear are almost all together. Thanks for watching! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 As a P.S. during all the work the tiny compass under the IP fell out... I don't see any way of getting it back in without surgery and thankfully it is hard to see that it is missing. Just have to be careful that anyone flying this doesn't follow Flight 19. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 13, 2018 Author Share Posted July 13, 2018 A momentus day!! I started gluing the wings on! 😁 I glued it at the back first to make sure that was even and then moved to the front. The gaps along the back edge will be glued up and smoothed in last. Then I'll test fit the upper halves and apply stryene shims to any gaps before gluing them down. Hopefully doing it this way will negate any need for sanding after the wings are glued together. And more goodies showed up. In one bag, the new resin exhaust. Round this time, as I haven't found any pics of a Seafire Fr.47 with the 'fishtail' exhausts that came with the badly fitting cowl. And last but not least, the props! Oooh boy! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Nice work, and progressing nicely! Those exhausts and blades looks nice! Håkan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 The prop blades make a huge difference - somewhere on my 46 thread there’s a ‘before & after’ comparison shot, and the originals look puny. Coming along beautifuliy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 Thank you much! Can't wait to get to the point to start using them. A quick UP with the wing seam fit. The panel are not glued in place yet, but just checking to see where it is. Port has a good fit at the shoulder, but gaps at the back. Starboard is opposite. Some styrene shims will be glued along those gaps and sanded until I get a flush fit before gluing them down permanently. Thanks for watchin! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 Back with an update! As you can seeing the pic, there is a slight gap in the bottom wing near the back. That's with the bottom of the part even with the fuselage. Not too bad, and certainly better placed than trying to sand out a step near the lower camera port. I applied putty to those and will sand them out. With that hardening, I went to the wing seams, using styrene to build up the edges where gaps appeared, and then sanding them out to close said gap as much as possible. Kind of unsightly from this angle, but that will be hidden and the edges sanded to match the wing curve. You can just make out the white stryene along the mating surface. Test-fitting showed a mostly closed gap. After it's dry I'll smear on some Mr Dissolved Putty. And the wings starting to go on! There is a slight stop along the leading edge of the wing that'll need to be sanded out, but I'm glad to be moving ahead now! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 18, 2018 Author Share Posted July 18, 2018 (edited) Aaargh!!! What is it with me and vacform canopies? They're ruined before I can get my meat-fingers on them! The first one I bought had a slight crease in the bubble. Not terrible but noticable and unusable. Now the Rob-Taurus I bought from 1001 Modelkits has come in and it is even worse! Look at this. They shipped it to me in an envelope. An envelope... Not a study lil box, but folded paper! I tell you, I can ruin these things myself without them helping... On the bright side, I had ordered a third for the next Seafire build, this one from Sprue Brothers. So that will now go to this one, and I'll be getting a replacement from 1001 or a refund to buy another from the Brothers. We'll see how that turns out... Edited July 18, 2018 by Thom216 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank083 Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 3 hours ago, Thom216 said: Aaargh!!! What is it with me and vacform canopies? They're ruined before I can get my meat-fingers on them! The first one I bought had a slight crease in the bubble. Not terrible but noticable and unusable. Now the Rob-Taurus I bought from 1001 Modelkits has come in and it is even worse! Look at this. They shipped it to me in an envelope. An envelope... Not a study lil box, but folded paper! I tell you, I can ruin these things myself without them helping... On the bright side, I had ordered a third for the next Seafire build, this one from Sprue Brothers. So that will now go to this one, and I'll be getting a replacement from 1001 or a refund to buy another from the Brothers. We'll see how that turns out... Very bad luck with the canopy! It’s Truly a shame & unprofessionnal that they put such fragile item in envelope! I ordered mine from Spue Brothers & it came in cardboard box! You can sleep quietly, they know how to deal this! Frank 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 Thanks for the good news about Sprue Brothers! Still moving along, but no pics yet. I tested the fit of the outer wings and the top is just beauty! The bottom though, is gappy! Clearly it was not meant to be built in the lowered position. On the plus side it looks like a consistent gap all the way along a gentle curve. I wonder if it would have been best to use the .46 lower wing with the .47 upper panels... Not that I'm willing to go through the trouble to change that now. I'll try it on the next build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) Good new upon getting home from work. Two packages in the box, one the new cowl/exhaust for my other Seafire and the canopy from Sprue Brothers! Two day delivery time from SB! Holy! Look at that! Shiny and perfect. And now I have two bad canopies to practice on! For the resin cowl, I checked it against another Seafire that'll eventually get the engine set and it lines up perfectly. Edited July 19, 2018 by Thom216 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Looks nice! Not packed in just envelope I guess! Håkan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted July 19, 2018 Share Posted July 19, 2018 Hi Thom Looking good. That cowlings panel looks the biz. Great perseverance fella. Glad you're getting the canopies sorted too what a shame they didn’t protect them properly in the first place. Progressing well now withthe wings too. I built one of these and long time ago and seem to remember the outer wings being a bit of a so and so. It sounds like a good idea to use the 46 lower wings too. All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom216 Posted July 19, 2018 Author Share Posted July 19, 2018 (edited) Thank you Azgaron and BigBad! Making my way through this plastic jungle. The canopy from Sprue Brothers did come in a nice solid box. Also got word that 1001 has already dispatched a replacement canopy, so that's good to know it's on the way. As for the wings, yes they are a little 'so so.' Here are some pics of the shims going into the wing sections. The fit is starting to settle in there and hopefully it won't need too much clean up. And now this is turning into a dual build!! I was thinking of doing it anyway, so I figured since the resin cowl has come in and I have more colored PE, I'm going to start on 178. I'll keep going with 180, and I'll work it so they will be painted at the same time. And I will definitely use the lessons from 180 to help 178 along! First up was trimming off the old cowl after ensuring that the new resin is a sure fit - unlike the last time... There is a slight gap at the back, where the panel lines don't quite match up, but that's only a small wart. A little extra taken off the fuselage and some shimming at the back of the resin should tighten that right up. Then there is the question of the wings. As stated above, the Fr.47 wings in their folded configuration require a long shim between the lower halves if the wings are to be down. I pulled the 46 wings out and tested them with the 47 top sections and I'm liking that a whole lot better! From the top you can't tell much difference. But the bottom was the problem, and as you can see here, using a mix of the wings leaves only a small gap at the extreme edge. That will be a cinch to fix with a little styrene filler, rather than trying to do one in the center of the wing panels, especially where the task is further complicated by the airfoil shape. The only thing I had to do was snip off the locating pins, as they don't mate up. And look at that fuselage seam! It's not pressed all tight together, but it is looking sharp! (I hope that stays that way...) So, now that the plate is even fuller (what am I thinking!) goodnight!😅 Edited July 19, 2018 by Thom216 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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