Macchi M.39 Speedbird: radiators

[DMC]

 

Okay, moulded the cowling top with its lumps and bumps separately from the fuselage but am thinking maybe I shouldn't have.  Some images I've looked at have the valve cover bulge blending in to fuselage, others have a rectangular opening just under the bulge with the exhaust pipes, 12 to a side, protruding.  I favour the rectangular opening with the pipes sticking out.  

 

Cowl top trail fittings on the left and a spare on the right.  

 

The bottom photo is of the first plunge of the starboard fuselage half.  Better than I expected and if the port half turns out as good I can proceed with some sort of rudimentary interior.  The cockpit opening is quite small and it seems these planes had only the minimum of necessary instruments, and, I think, a rudder bar.  

 

I had an idea that I might be able to use the very thin wooden wrapping that some cigars have to line the visible cockpit interior with.  Turns out these, expensive, cigars are not sold individually but by the box.  Not worth buying an entire box of Havana cigars for a few scraps of wood so I'll just fake it with paint.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AdrianMF]

Very nice plunge moulding!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[rob Lyttle]

1 hour ago, DMC said:

ot worth buying an entire box of Havana cigars for a few scraps of wood

I think you may be right!!

It would still be way out of scale, I think.

Can't assist with the cowlings/ exhaust stubs arrangements on the M39, and bear in mind these little Specials underwent continuous development and mods in their short careers, so there could be more than one solution.

Lovely bit of moulding.

[Bandsaw Steve]

Wow! It never would have even crossed my mind to try plunge moulding a part that large but clearly it’s worked. That opens up all sorts of possibilities for future uses of plunging. 👍

[DMC]

6 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Very nice plunge moulding!

 

Regards,

Adrian

Thanks, Adrian, very much appreciated.

 

Dennis

5 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Lovely bit of moulding

Thanks, Rob.

 

Dennis

4 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

That opens up all sorts of possibilities

Endless possibilities. Thanks, Steve

 

Dennis

 

 

[Azgaron]

Nice work so far!

 

Håkan

 

[DMC]

7 hours ago, Azgaron said:

Nice work so far!

 

Håkan

 

 

Many thanks, Hakan, always nice to hear from you.

 

Dennis

 

[DMC]

 

After carving and plunging the first fuselage mould I realized I should have left a bit of "shoulder" on the upper front so the valve cover piece would fit snuggly.  The gap was too wide to fill without making a mess so I carved another complete fuselage mould leaving that little extra bit.  Second half of the top photo shows only a subtle difference between the moulds.  I could have tried splicing into the first mould but didn't want to risk botching it up least I need it later for something.

 

Second photo shows the new fuselage shell and the improved fit of the upper cowl piece.  I've been sweating how the fuselage halves were going to turn out by plunge them as there is little margin for error when fitting the halves together but I think these will do nicely.

 

I've been reading up and looking at photos of the Gloster Vl racer and I think that it might have been the best looking one of them all.  Next project?  Also back in 2013 a BM member posted photos of his 1/24 model in RFI.  Stunning. I'll see if I can find it again.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis

 

A

 

 

[Bandsaw Steve]

Very impressive! 👏 

[roadrunner]

Great job !

[rob Lyttle]

5 hours ago, DMC said:

the Gloster Vl racer and I think that it might have been the best looking one of them al

It's the Napier Lion W shape that does it.

So stylish in the shapes it produces!

Mitchell's S5 has the same thing going on.

[Courageous]

What they said.

 

Stuart

[DMC]

7 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

Very impressive! 👏 

 

7 hours ago, roadrunner said:

Great job !

 

23 minutes ago, Courageous said:

What they said.

 

Stuart

 

Thanks guys, really appreciate it.

 

Dennis 

[DMC]

Although the cockpit opening is quite small enough of the interior can be seen to warrant a few details.  Derek James in his book on the Schneider racers states that the M.39 had 17 formers and 4 longerons for the monocoque rear half of the fuselage.  I only need to show two formers and the longerons, or stingers, between them.  Using .030 styrene and the fuselage templates, I traced the shapes on the styrene and cut them out using the nail clippers.  I punched out the centre of the former toremove some of the excess and then filed and sanded the former to fit inside the cockpit area.  After trimming it down to remove the rest of the excess I cemented half of the former to the inside of the fuselage shell.  The join will be hidden by the instrument panel and the floorboard, the rear former by the seat. Only need to add the throttle, a few dials and the rudder bar.  

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis 

 

Well, I’ll have to change my plans for the cockpit a little as I lucked out and came across these photos of the only extant example of an M.39.  Excellent, really pleased. 

 

http://www.cmpr.it/Macchi M.39/macchi__m.htm

 

Dennis

 

Edited August 15, 2018 by DMC
Additional info

[matti64]

Good method of clipping  round to  get the profile.  I use carving chisels as it's so  quick and easy too

 

[DMC]

1 hour ago, matti64 said:

Good method of clipping  round to  get the profile.  I use carving chisels as it's so  quick and easy too

 

Thanks, whatever works is the way to go.

 

Hey Caerbannog, while searching for Macchi photos stumbled onto one of an MC.72 you were working on for a BM group build. You were experimenting with aluminium tape for the radiators.  Looked pretty good.  Meant to bookmark it but it got away from me.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

 

[DMC]

Made up a spinner using the usual plunge moulding method.  The M.39 spinner was very sharply pointed and it's impossible to get such a sharp point by plunge moulding.  I used a length of styrene rod through a disc and then through the moulded spinner. Filing down the spinner without the rod would thin out the point enough to open it up.  I'll use my trusty Tamiya drill as a lath and finish turning the spinner down tomorrow after the cement has set.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis 

 

 

[DMC]

The M.39 was fitted with two kinds of props, wood or aluminium.  Both had a diameter of 2.33m.  It seems that the two trainers were equipped with the wooden props but the actual racers were equipped with Reed forged aluminium props made to Castoldi's and Fiats specification.  I whittled a wooden one out of a block of veneers that I had made up a few years ago for another project.  For the Reed prop I used a technique that Harry Woodman describes in his book.  I used .020 styrene for the blades and piece of sprue for the axel, or holder. The blocks on the jig are adjustable so I can line up the prop blades correctly.  This one turned out okay but I will probably make another for a spare.  Pretty simple process, realy.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis

 

[DMC]

 

 

I stumbled across a set of pretty good photos of the M.39 recently.  Someone was obviously given access to get very close to the one in the museum in Italy.  Good shots of the cockpit interior and seat gave me a pretty good idea of the layout.  I plunge moulded the seat base out of.020 styrene.  No idea what the seat belts should look like so I'll just have to wing it (sorry).  

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis

 

[Courageous]

Some good work there Dennis, love the scratch prop.

 

Stuart

[Bandsaw Steve]

Very good. Some techniques I have not seen before. 👍

[rob Lyttle]

7 hours ago, DMC said:

For the Reed prop I used a technique that Harry Woodman describes in his book

Thanks for that! It's brilliant...!

I'll try it sometime.

 

I don't suppose Mr Woodman came up with a method for 3 blades or more?

Still, that is neat....

[DMC]

12 hours ago, Courageous said:

Some good work there Dennis, love the scratch prop.

 

Stuart

Thanks for that, Stuart

 

9 hours ago, Bandsaw Steve said:

Very good. Some techniques I have not seen before. 👍

Thanks, Steve.  All in Harry Woodman’s book.

 

9 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Thanks for that! It's brilliant...!

I'll try it sometime.

 

I don't suppose Mr Woodman came up with a method for 3 blades or more?

Still, that is neat....

Thanks, Rob.  Technique is the same for three or four blades, or as many as you want.  However, a slotted block will be required for each blade added to keep the twist in the blade while the cement sets.

 

Thanks guys.

 

Dennis 

[DMC]

 

Well, it's a cockpit of sorts anyway.  Vallejo orange/brown for the wood, aluminium for the seat.  Each IP 'instrument' has a dab of Krystal Klear applied from the back and just a bit of black applied.  Not the best angle for the photo, actually looks pretty good.  Need seat belts and maybe a rudder bar.  Using a broach to enlarge undersized holes gets me a slight bezel effect.  The unpainted IP is for a (future) Macchi M.67.  The float moulds for the M.39 are easily adapted to the M.67.

 

Thanks for your interest.

 

Dennis

 

[greggles.w]

You’re powering ahead & this looks great! Very well done!

 

15 hours ago, DMC said:

for a (future) Macchi M.67

 

Hurrah! It may have proven to be a bit of a dud on race day, but it’s such an impressive & beautiful machine nevertheless.  I have one in resin awaiting commencement. The Macchis are my favourite of the Schneider racers .. but I’ve not launched into them yet, awaiting a bit more practice & a confirmation of a strategy for those radiators.

 

It seems I’ll certainly learn something from this build.

 

Good stuff.