Courageous Posted July 16, 2018 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Not my scale but I can't help but admire the 'mentalness' of this build. Lots of skill to work on something so small, hats off to you sir. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 12, 2018 Author Share Posted August 12, 2018 (edited) Crikey, it's been a month or so since I last touched this. I've been a bit otherwise engaged, and fairly well travelled - work in the UK including assisting on a trade stand at Farnborough: (That's not me in the army gear; I'm the one taking the picture!), a week in the Netherlands then most of a week in Norway having 'fun' in a flight simulator. Still, I've managed to visit the Dutch War and Resistance museum at Overloon (which is simply superb), Nijmegen: ..the incredibly poignant military cemetery at Ysselsteyn (if you are not familiar, look it up): ...and the Sola air museum near Stavanger: Anyway, here are the Bison parts that I've made so far: The grey paint on the fuselage is there to highlight any further filling/sanding requirements, which are minimal. Unfortunately I've managed to push part of the port window loose, but it's not a major problem. I've also noticed that the wheel centres are of slightly different diameters, so one will have to be replaced. I have a suspicion that service aircraft had different wheel centres anyway, so a reference check is needed. A quick trim of the lower wings has allowed me to get this far: Maybe there'll be some more progress in the next couple of days - fingers crossed. Jon Edited August 17, 2018 by Jonners 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Looks great- (both the model and the travel) 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 The fin and rudder are on. The wings are very thin and the butt joint to the fuselage is consequently very weak. I'll probably add the wing-to-fuselage short struts next, to see if they add a little bit of strength. Unfortunately the undercarriage struts attach to the wings rather than the fuselage, so that doesn't help. Hmm. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted August 13, 2018 Share Posted August 13, 2018 Only a suggestion but could you insert a small piece of brass strip into the wings and fuselage to strengthen the joint? P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 13, 2018 Author Share Posted August 13, 2018 I had considered some form of pinning, Phoenix, but the wings are only about 20 thou thick (I think), so they don't really have sufficient thickness. I managed to snap both of them off without really trying, but I've re-glued them more securely by applying cement to both the wings and the fuselage and waiting a few seconds for the plastic to soften before joining them. The joints seem to be stronger so far, so fingers crossed. Jon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 14, 2018 Author Share Posted August 14, 2018 I've managed to add some 'detail' (loose term - if this was a radio-controlled model it would probably be referred to as 'sports scale) to the nose to suggest intakes, exhausts etc. I still need to add an exhaust pipe above the stubs on the starboard side, though: I've realised that the rims of the window apertures are showing white, so I will probably have to remove the windows so that I can make the rims black, as they should be: I think the next task, though, should be a light grey primer coat to get a clearer picture of how I'm progressing. In the meantime, here's a quick pic to give a sense of size: Jon 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 Onto some basic 'struttery'. I'm keeping it simple by using stretched sprue, although that means that it is quite a weak structure. The streamlined shape to some of the struts will be added later, asduming that it already works. I drilled holes through both top and bottom wings, secured the sprue rods into the bottom wing then slid the top wing into position. You can see the extreme precision and technical complexity of my jig: If it works, it will be a miracle... I'm hoping that I will be able to replicate the streamlining on the outer struts by using very thin folded card, in this case from a folder of stamps: Whether or not the sprue struts have sufficient rigidity to allow me to add the card without causing damage is another matter! Nothing ventured etc, but it will have to wait until the struts have set. Jon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Great to see this restarted as I have enjoyed what's being done here. Have you decided on a scheme?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 3 hours ago, mackem01 said: Great to see this restarted as I have enjoyed what's being done here. Have you decided on a scheme?? Not yet, Mackem. In spite of my title it's really turned out to best represent a Bison II, so it will end up with an operational scheme. Something with a carrier band would look the part, but it might end up being a plain silver finish for simplicity. I haven't even checked to see if I have suitable decals! (I suspect not...) If you think it sounds like I'm cuffing it, you won't be far wrong! Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 First class jig there - clearly a modeller in the same mould as me! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 8 minutes ago, pheonix said: First class jig there - clearly a modeller in the same mould as me! P 🙂 Well, one wing is above the other so it must have worked. Let's ignore that the fuselage is slightly banana-shaped and leans slightly to the right relative to the wings, and that the upper wing doesn't want to line up with the lower, and that the nose primer finish is lumpy, and that my first attempt at a streamlined strut looks a bit rubbish, and...and... Apart from that, it's okay! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Looks alright to me mate! 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 Only a few minor problems which I for one frequently encounter when building my own biplanes. Nothing that a bit of fiddling will not sort out....! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 A bit of fiddling, you say! Hmmm... Anyway, the folded-card-round-the-stretched-sprue-strut idea didn't really work, as I found that I couldn't close up the two edges of card at the back of the sprue strut in this tiny scale. So, after a surprisingly small amount of headscratching, I decided on another strategy: cut away the thin sprue 'strut', re-drill the wings and replace the sprue with thicker plastic rod. In theory this rod can then be scraped down to a streamlined strut shape and size while retaining reasonably strong connections between the wings. I only managed to replace one sprue strut with rod before I had to go to work, so I'll have a crack at it when I can and see if my strategy bears fruit. Wait, out. Jon 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 Blimey! I knew this would be a slow process, but this is getting ridiculous! Undercarriage and nearly all the wing struts in place. The wing struts on the original were of aerodynamic section with different struts having different chord lengths, but I've wimped out and largely kept to circukar-section rod made from stretched sprue: The tyres will be added after painting: I'd better finish this soon, before it starts to fossilise... Jon 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Looking really good Jon. There is always a compromise with small scale biplanes between 100% accuracy and the structural strength necessary to keep the model in one piece and I reckon you have it just right. AW 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandsaw Steve Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 23 hours ago, Andwil said: There is always a compromise with small scale biplanes between 100% accuracy and the structural strength Yep -agree with that, and as Andwill says I think you have got the balance right, especially for such a small-scale model. 👍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted September 4, 2018 Author Share Posted September 4, 2018 Okay, now I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with this. Grey primer coat applied (Halfords finest): There are some slight dimples to sort out where the struts protruded through the upper wing, and the primer on the lower wing upper surface looks a bit flaky in this pic. Once it's dried I'll sort it. Underside, with tailskid assembly from pieces of stretched sprue: Jon 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 On 8/17/2018 at 10:39 PM, Jonners said: I decided on another strategy: cut away the thin sprue 'strut', re-drill the wings and replace the sprue with thicker plastic rod. Good plan, but it's far easier with rectangular section instead of circular section rod! Then a nick in the end and add a piece of brass wire to pin it into the wing. That's how I do mine anyway. Ian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 On 02/09/2018 at 22:04, Jonners said: I'd better finish this soon, before it starts to fossilise... I ought to finish some of my builds before I start to fossilise! Oops, too late! Martian 👽 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Strength vs accuracy is a problem with small parts in any scale: I think that your compromise with the struts is very good. If this seems you be taking you a long time then some of my builds must be fossils from the pre-Cambrian! P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 Superb!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted September 6, 2018 Author Share Posted September 6, 2018 Righto, that's enough 'detail'. My eyes ache and I'm in danger of losing interest! Time to get some paint onto it. (Ah yes, time. That's an interesting concept. Anybody know where I could find some?) Jon 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted September 6, 2018 Author Share Posted September 6, 2018 BTW, if anyone can tell me what the surface of a late-1920s Fleet Air Arm carrier flight deck looked like, it would be much appreciated! Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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