Wez Posted June 27, 2018 Share Posted June 27, 2018 Adam, This thread and Jerzy's (JWM), are making me feel ever so humble, it's great to see modelling like this being done, something I used to attempt but lacked the skills to carry it through to completion. I can't begin to tell you how many kits I have in my stash in such an uncompleted state where I've bitten off more than I can chew! Keep up the great work, this is inspiring stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 (edited) On 6/27/2018 at 8:38 AM, Wez said: This thread and Jerzy's (JWM), are making me feel ever so humble, it's great to see modelling like this being done, something I used to attempt but lacked the skills to carry it through to completion. I can't begin to tell you how many kits I have in my stash in such an uncompleted state where I've bitten off more than I can chew! Wez, many thanks for warm words - do not worry - go ahead with want you want to build! There is no other way to be experienced than by gathering experience For example me - i never done any own vac forming. I feel will have to try it once... Adam, I never build radial engine this way. I like it. I was doing scrach cylinders by tapping /Edit: screw on a/ plastic rod (this was of course spiral, but with wraping around it is also spiral). But then I realized that having a lot models in stash there is a high probability that the engine you need is in some box, so only what is to do it to make a resin copy of it! Cheers J-W Edited June 30, 2018 by JWM added "screw on a " 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 Now that's some interesting scratchbuilding ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 On 6/27/2018 at 4:38 PM, Wez said: Adam, This thread and Jerzy's (JWM), are making me feel ever so humble, it's great to see modelling like this being done, something I used to attempt but lacked the skills to carry it through to completion. I can't begin to tell you how many kits I have in my stash in such an uncompleted state where I've bitten off more than I can chew! Keep up the great work, this is inspiring stuff. Thanks for the kind words Wez. I have no idea how many unfinished projects I have either! I won't count them because I really don't want to know the number. My big problem is the way I approach model building is very time consuming, so my attention invariably wanders onto something else before I finish whatever I'm working on. Possibly participating in a group build (this is my first one) will help, by having a fixed completion date. Time will tell. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 On 6/29/2018 at 4:40 AM, JWM said: Wez, many thanks for warm words - do not worry - go ahead with want you want to build! There is no other way to be experienced than by gathering experience For example me - i never done any own vac forming. I feel will have to try it once... Adam, I never build radial engine this way. I like it. I was doing scrach cylinders by tapping plastic rod (this was of course spiral, but with wraping around it is also spiral). But then I realized that having a lot models in stash there is a high probability that the engine you need is in some box, so only what is to do it to make a resin copy of it! Cheers J-W I also want to give vac-forming a try! I have a copy of Fine Scale Modeller that I bought when it was the current issue more than 30 years ago that has an excellent article about making a vac-forming machine from a bread-baking pan. I actually assembled all the materials I needed for this just a couple of months ago, but made the mistake of getting a steel bread pan, rather than an aluminium one, and I couldn't drill holes in it! My stash of 1:72 kits is very small these days, because I lost most of them when my basement was flooded a few years ago. I only just returned to 1:72 aircraft this year, and decided to concentrate solely on Matchbox kits with only very limited after-market parts (mainly vac-form canopies, and whatever Aeroclub parts I can find), because this is the kind of modelling I like to do. But when I finish the Mercury, I will be using it as a master for resin casting. Same with the ACES ejection seat I made for my A-10. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted June 30, 2018 Author Share Posted June 30, 2018 I've added the pushrods now, and a few other details, and I'm starting to feel like it's working out just as I had hoped. Here's the year only just half over and already I've scratchbuilt two 1:72 ejection seats and a radial engine. All firsts! For all the work I've done on this model so far, it occurred to me that I haven't actually glued any of the kit parts together yet! 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 That's looking a bit smart, impressive work. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandboof Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 Awesome scratch building Martin H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted June 30, 2018 Share Posted June 30, 2018 I agree..excellent scratch work, especially the cockpit with all the details. Seeing you build the engine tells me one thing: "I could do that because now I have seen how it is done." I cannot tell you how often I say that to myself on this forum. Thank you for the fine tutorials! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 On 6/30/2018 at 11:21 PM, John D.C. Masters said: I agree..excellent scratch work, especially the cockpit with all the details. Seeing you build the engine tells me one thing: "I could do that because now I have seen how it is done." I cannot tell you how often I say that to myself on this forum. Thank you for the fine tutorials! I'm really happy to hear that John. Give it a shot. It's something I've been thinking about for quite a while, and when I finally got around to actually doing, it turned out to be less difficult than I had anticipated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 2, 2018 Author Share Posted July 2, 2018 So with the addition of the bell housing and some cylinder head detail the Mercury is finished. No, it's not perfect, but I have to say I'm pretty happy with the result. Unfortunately, my silicon has reached the end of it's shelf life, so no resin version til I get some more. In the meantime, I really need to get to work on painting the cockpit. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 2, 2018 Share Posted July 2, 2018 Wow! Yup, that sums my thoughts up rather well TBH. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 8, 2018 Author Share Posted July 8, 2018 Cockpit is now painted. And I've started work on the rhinoplasty. Severed the front, and beefed up what remains with thick plastic card, ready for reshaping. That's all for now. Cheers, Adam 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 Wow, the painted cockpit looks great. Also love the wood finish on the rear panel, very realistic 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 12, 2018 Author Share Posted July 12, 2018 It's taken a few days to get the nose done because I used plenty of liquid cement to glue the plastic card reinforcement inside the nose. That was intentional. Use plenty of glue and the plastic will soften and liquify, filling any gaps, so no need for any filler. The downside is, it takes time to harden again. So here is the reshaped nose, which clearly shows why I needed the plastic card inside. It's really looking different from a Kestrel-engined Fury now. After that, I scribed the panel lines and added a few details. I'm working on the wings, tailplane and fin now, which will be the subject of the next update. Cheers, Adam 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 That looks blooming brilliant. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 12, 2018 Share Posted July 12, 2018 4 hours ago, stevehnz said: That looks blooming brilliant. Steve. Couldn't agree more! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 14, 2018 Author Share Posted July 14, 2018 (edited) You've probably noticed by now that I'm one of those modellers who tries pretty hard to make a detailed and realistic-looking replica. I appreciate that not everyone approaches the hobby the same way, and that's one of the nice things about it - each of us gets to make our own choice of what kind of models we build. If your approach is different, that's great - keep doing what you enjoy. But if your approach is similar to mine, let me encourage you to do this, if nothing else. To me one of the things that really spoils the illusion of realism we're trying to create is control surfaces that don't look like a separate part from the wing. tailplane or whatever they're attached to. My feeling is it's nearly always worth the effort to remove and reposition ailerons, elevators, rudders (and usually flaps as well). Depending on the complexity of the subject and the way the kit manufacturer has made the parts, this can be a fairly simple job, or it can be a lot of work. On a small biplane like the Fury, it's usually pretty straightforward, especially since on this example, at least, the plastic was quite soft. The only tools I need for the surgery were a ruler and a hobby knife. You can make a worthwhile improvement to the kit just by cutting off and repositioning the control surfaces, but that ignores the hinges that are often visible, and are part of the main surface rather than the control surface you've just removed. So new hinges should be added to the main surface and corresponding notches or slots cut out of the control surface, shown here with the Fury's wing and ailerons. This is also the best time to add any control actuator horns. Cut a slot in the leading edge of the control surface and glue a piece of thin plastic card. After it's had plenty of time to set, cut off the excess, leaving the desired shape of the actuator horn, By making them this way, you avoid the problem of them breaking off at some time in the future. One of the interesting features of the Fury was the variable incidence tailplane, which had to have a wedge of clear space above and below in order to operate. So I removed a little of the tail end of the fuselage and the lower edge of the fin in order to replicate this detail. And look! It's starting to resemble an aeroplane of some sort. In the next episode: struts. That's all for now. Cheers, Adam Edited July 14, 2018 by Possibly Apocryphal 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanjuro Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 I really like this kind of modelling. And thanks for showing the details! Always good to learn new things. Looking forward to the next steps. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Squarehead Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Really impressed with the work you've done here. I'm starting to feel the urge to take notes, I've never managed to finish a biplane to my satisfaction.....Has to be done at some point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 It's sometime hard to believe how some relatively simple jobs can go a long way to increase realism. Moving the control surfaces is one of these jobs. Love the way the hinges look, also makes for a much more realistic effect P.S. moving the control surfaces adds realism as long as the modeller keeps in mind how they work... I once saw a beautiful Spitfire model where the modeller had moved both ailerons down... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Adam, Nice work on the rhinoplasty and the control surfaces, very effective. I've nicked your GB banner BTW 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 (edited) 13 hours ago, Giorgio N said: P.S. moving the control surfaces adds realism as long as the modeller keeps in mind how they work... I once saw a beautiful Spitfire model where the modeller had moved both ailerons down... Made the same mistake myself (probably more than once) years ago. All part of the learning process. That having been said, Its worth pointing out that many aircraft, especially jets have controls that work in unconventional ways. Sometimes some research is necessary to find out what works in unison and what works differentially. Also, some aircraft have controls that are always in a certain position when the aircraft is stationary. For example, the Breguet Br.14 WW I bomber had flaps the full span of the lower wing that were always in the lowered position when the aircraft was on the ground. They were controlled by elastic cords that pulled them down when the airspeed approached landing speed, and only aligned with the rest of the wing when the airspeed was high enough for the slipstream effect to overcome the tension of the cords. Edited July 17, 2018 by Possibly Apocryphal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 11 hours ago, Wez said: Adam, Nice work on the rhinoplasty and the control surfaces, very effective. I've nicked your GB banner BTW Not my banner, I nicked it too. Sanjuro posted it in the GB banners post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Possibly Apocryphal Posted July 17, 2018 Author Share Posted July 17, 2018 So, struts. Unusually for Matchbox the cabane struts are poorly molded, with a clear step from one half to the other. Maybe this is a consequence of the fact that my Fury was made in China. Not sure, I don't have a UK produced one to compare it to. Nevertheless, I made the decision to replace the kit struts with scratchbuilt ones. And then it all went horribly wrong... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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