SUB-SAM Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 I'm building a 1/144 Sopwith Pup. This Valom kit requires some serious work to get to my standards so a few weeks of work to keep me busy. Starting with a Le Rhone 9c engine. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share Posted August 7, 2018 Major plastic surgery last night. Wings had recessed rib lines, these had to be filled with stretched sprue, ultra thin cemented then rubbed down to produce raised rib lines. Tedious work but essential. The fuselage cockpit opening was the wrong shape. I am building N6453 (HMS Furious) which has the wedge shaped opening. A real challenge fixing this shape! Also can be seen internal rib detail I put in the cockpit. Top wing has also been modified with the centre opening for upwards angled machine gun on N6453. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share Posted August 7, 2018 Cutting the tiny slots in the cowling is tricky business. Before anyone says the pair of rear ones are off centre, the pup has the rear pair of slots off to the right side slightly for ease of priming each cylinder before starting. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 Help help Heeeeeelp !! Congratulations !! One must use rifle scope to build such a model… Me, for instance ... Hat up, Sam ! Sincerely. Corsaircorp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted August 7, 2018 Share Posted August 7, 2018 Impressive work again at such a small scale 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 7, 2018 Author Share Posted August 7, 2018 I need to get some optivisor for my work. My eyes are good for 32 but I'm doing little operations practically blind then checking using the zoom on my phone. I can't actually make out any detail on the engine unless it's a few inches from my eye. I like the idea of detail going beyond the average person's eyesight so that no matter how close they look they can't see a lack of detail. Takes a hell of a lot more time to achieve that effect in larger scales. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 OMG, 72 scale puts me off for such a small aircraft and you are doing half that size! Bonkers but great work so far Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quietstorm7 Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 Amazing !, I struggle sometimes with bits on the 1/32 Swordfish I'm building, so cannot imagine how you work at that scale..... Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 That ia an outstanding piece of modelling. I usually model in God's Own Scale but this is truly remarkable. I admire anyone who can work in the braille scale. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackem01 Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 Well done that man. I couldn't even see it never mind build it!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 15, 2018 Author Share Posted August 15, 2018 (edited) I was going to get a load done on the aircraft today but a disaster with the very thin cowling saw it drying with a repair this evening. Instead I moulded another of my standard size base and created a HMS Furious deck top. I spent a few hours rubbing it down and starting again until it looked OK Edited August 15, 2018 by SUB-SAM 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 I've built the little Lewis Gun. It's meant to have a 'tray' under the magazine but after spending an hour trying to fold tiny bits of foil with needles I had to accept it the way it is. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azgaron Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Nice work so far! Håkan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marklo Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Amazing work. I'm currently trying to scratchbuild a pup in 1/48 and I'm finding that's just small enough, can't imagine what 1/144 would be like. (my Lewis gun and prop are coming from the good people at Roden via my spares box btw , but I have scratchbuilt the engine) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I just finished a Fokker Dr.1 in 1/72nd scale. That thing was small enough it kept falling out of my hand while i was building it. It still blows me away the detail you get in 1/144th ? Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 (edited) Scratch building many parts is the key to good detail in 1/144. In theory there are no physical limits and a 1/144 model could be as detailed as any larger model, although very special techniques are needed. The biggest issue is paint thickness. I use minimal coats and use washes/dies to single paint coats to reduce thickness. Anything like pre-shading is a no-no and I use a 'reverse dry-brushing' technique using thinned oil paints to achieve this. Kit manudacturers are limited by this scale which is why I wouldn't simply build these kits out of box, they are not bad kits just limited by the scale. Of the ww1 kits I've seen, Brengun is fantastic but only produces 3 types, please so some more! I've got their Voisin Las bomber and its beautifully cast resin and precise PE parts. Edited August 16, 2018 by SUB-SAM 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 Main parts glued together and now primed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 26, 2018 Author Share Posted August 26, 2018 Basic paint layers are down now. Colours are lighter than when finished as oil washes will darken the whole thing. This allows me to create shading and highlighting with as minimum paint thickness as possible (a problem for 1/144 scale) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 27, 2018 Author Share Posted August 27, 2018 Decals going on now. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 I now realise the colour might be wrong. I will now need to over spray with red dye to create PC-12 colour instead of green.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 28, 2018 Author Share Posted August 28, 2018 Miraculous colour change, which had to be done by hand as masking would have been even harder. I'll buff it down smooth tomorrow. Yes, I messed up but my rule is to always finish a build and make best you can, learn how to do repairs. I have no shelf of doom and you'll find no models in my bin. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 29, 2018 Author Share Posted August 29, 2018 (edited) It's not going well... Unless the RNAS covered their aircraft in rough leather... This project is heading downhill, a bit of a shame after all the work I put in earlier on but we must make mistakes in order to learn. Edited August 29, 2018 by SUB-SAM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUB-SAM Posted August 30, 2018 Author Share Posted August 30, 2018 The mistake I made was buffing a rough surface instead of sanding, so it just accentuated the bumps. This morning I have instead sanded, which has helped a lot. It has removed too much on the ribs but I can now touch that up. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorby Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 Considering that the photo is a dozen times larger than life - that looks excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murdo Posted August 30, 2018 Share Posted August 30, 2018 I really like building 1/144 (non airliner type planes) and your builds which I've just discovered are an absolute inspiration! I've been using Uschi thread but have just ordered some of the wire you mentioned to try it as rigging. I've built around 13 1/144 kits (including a rigged DH2) with varying degrees of success. An optivisor is a no-brainer for me at my age and I'm tempted by your idea of using pills to steady my hands. Superb work mate!!! Again: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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