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Chris and Mark's joint 1/32 Felixstowe build


Mark

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So... where have I been?

 

Well, let me first say that I LOVE this kit. It's beautiful, well molded, designed perfectly and is, all in all, a bit of a dream. There's been one or two small things that I'll point out when the time comes, but as far as I can see, there's nothing that a bit of skill can't sort out.

 

So, when I left my last update - I was talking about wood. Giggle. Well, now I've been getting it up. Giggle again.

 

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I've also been layering on the paint onto the side frames. There's a lot of detail here that will get picked out at various stages of painting, but this is where it is for the timebeing:

 

 

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I then assembled the front part of the interior. The wooden areas were varnished lightly with Mat Varnish from Alclad and the instrument faces were created by using 3 drops of Klear on each instrument face...

 

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More will follow shortly, just coping with a moment of computer generated issues!

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

Edited by Chris Jephcott
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So then... where was I, well I hope that my computer illiteracy is currently resolved and the images are now displaying.

 

First of all, I must apologise for the quality of the images. I normally try to take my build photos on white paper, so there's something to remove the background. However, in this case, I've used up all my white paper whilst doing wood coats. And lots of them there were too.

 

So this is where I was - with the front part of the interior assembled and varnished up. The end of instruction number 1. Wahoo! Progress!!!

 

30578601367_aa439f2c73_b.jpg

 

The next stage is to move onto the rest of the interior, with the early focal point being the fuel tanks. Now, I've seen some great fits in my time. But sadly these few pieces, no matter how cleverly designed cannot even being to qualify for this. The seams were huge around the ends. A google search for Felixstowe fuel tanks proved inconclusive, but I assumed that in reality, these tanks were just huge drums full of fuel. And there's 3 of them too. One that lies on the floor with floorboards running across it and two that stand up, proud.

 

I didn't take any photos of the actual gluing of these pieces because I was shocked. Let me just say that the seams on the standing up ones did not represent a problem. There was a minor loss of surface detail, but considering what will actually be visible when it's all sealed up, it's no biggie at all. The problem came at the ends of these two. To level this off, I used thick CA and then sanded it back. The end result, whilst not perfect, will be perfectly adequate for what is only going to be partially visible.

 

The main problem was on the laying down tank. The two pieces are molded to be symmetrical - but I could not get them to line up at all. It was off at both ends and the seam along the top was just horrific. With the floorboards going over the top, I chose to very minor work on this seam - after all, the floorboards will cover my sins. The ends again, set with a huge lip. This again was levelled using thick CA, sanded back and hoped for the best.

 

Paint wise,  the instructions call for XF-83 (Ocean Grey!). Now I couldn't fidn my secret stash of this, so I used Gunze RLM75 for the grey, then oversprayed with a lighter shade of grey. With this done, I then covered the tanks in GW Sepia Wash (my go to for everything!), let it dry and then applied a layer of Earth coloured pigment over the top. I then sprayed back over the top with RLM75 and a lighter grey... A final touch was a dab of Iron Oxide and Rust coloured pigments, and...

 

43702890740_a9c3423380_b.jpg

 

Hmmm. Tanky.

 

The rest of the fuselage builds up really quickly. Various details are added in various shades, with copper fuel pipes and black metal details (drybrushed in Vallejo Steel). The turnbuckles are painted in Gunze Gold, and then washed back with GW Earth to resemble a more bronze colour... and here we go. This is where I am tonight:

 

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So... What happens next?

 

Well, as you can see, the back ladder hasn't been varnished yet - and indeed, neither have the rear areas. These will all be covered in Gloss Varnish initially, and then I will Matte them up using Alclad Matt. I'll do the same technique on the rear instrument panel as on the main one - and use Klear for an instrument face.

 

The rear isn't glued on yet - it'll be set using CA and then straightened up as a couple of the beams look offset at the moment.

 

I've also got to add the Engineers Seat Belt in and the HGW Set arrived a couple of days ago.

 

Then, I've got to do the rear wall of the fuselage (you can see the part in question drying - it was an oversight when I did the rest of my woodwork!), add the magazines and ammunition and then attach the Lewis guns to the interior sides... yet again, no rush here, I was looking at maybe getting some either Metal or resin guns to replace the kit ones. But in reality, I'm not sure if I'll proceed with this line - the kit guns look perfectly adequate for my level (or lack of!) modelling!

 

But hopefully I'll get a couple of these steps done tomorrow... in reality, I'm off on holiday to Ibiza with my family on Thursday and I'm in no rush at this stage, so they'll get done when they get done.

 

So... where's Mark????????

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well there's not much to comment on so far really - work is continuing at a fair to sluggish pace. But that doesn't mean that I am not enjoying this kit at all. In fact, it's beautiful.

 

I've been on holiday to Ibiza for a week, but what I haven't said is that on October 16th, I was the second on scene at a fatal car accident on the A447, not far from Market Bosworth. I couldn't do anything to help the young girl sadly, who had suffered some pretty horrific head injuries, and when the emergency services turned up, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Even with my limited attempts at first aid, I hope the fact that I was there and holding her hand would have helped the family... needless to say I've been into Counselling and will continue to do so for the timebeing.

 

Anyway... what I have found is that the model making has been really helpful to me. A sort of mindfulness if you will. Something to take my mind off what has happened, and something positive to focus on. And this kit has been excellent for that. It's a learning curve, as with every WNW build, but there's more enjoyment for me personally if I push myself with my builds.

 

So... this is where I was before I went to Ibiza. The sides were painted, the main parts of the interior were assembled and the oil paints were drying up.

 

Felixstowe

 

 

 

So assembling the sides was the next challenge and the first real alignment test. Thankfully it passed it quite well, although subsequently, the little locating stud on the nose interior has come lose, but this is nothing that the assembly shouldn't correct when the interior is put in place.

 

Felixstowe

 

Felixstowe

 

Felixstowe

 

Now a word about the interior decorating... The instructions call for a bitumen gloss black finish (no problems!), a light wood fuselage side and a linen coloured back.

 

For my linen, this is how I achieve the colours:

 

First of all, I spray the area in Tamiya Deck Tan. Then, I use thin coats of both Gunze Sail and Randome to create a bit of variety in the paint panels. Then in the very corners of the panel in question, I dust on Humbrol Dark Earth Weathering powder, very lightly:

 

Felixstowe

 

Using a circular motion and a stiff (hehe) brush, I then rub the powders in, to add a bit of definition and dirt to the panels:

 

Felixstowe

 

Felixstowe

 

The final stage is to work it back a little bit again - using a thin coat of Gunze Sail. This then provides what I believe to be the right sort of depth and colour:

 

Felixstowe

 

 

So for the interior wood colour, I changed my mind. It was always my intention to use the HGW Wood Decals as these are very thin and with the tendency of WNW kits to develop fit issues at the smallest little bit of difference to the interior, I deemed this to be thinner than using oil paints. My original gambit was to use the Light Wood with an Orange background, as shown in the below photo:

 

Felixstowe

 

However, when this was completed, I wasn't happy with the overall colour and wanted something lighter. So out came another order for the Big H, and in came the HGW Wood Decals for Light wood with a white base. Now, I much prefer this colour. It's much more akin to the look that I was after:

 

Felixstowe

 

So this is what I have gone for. Please notice in the above picture, I had already started the internal rigging process, which is what I'll talk about now.

 

Anybody who has ever looked into the Felixstowe instructions will be confronted by this image of the internal rigging:

 

http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/productdetail?productid=3115&cat=4#

 

Wow. Where to begin on this...

 

What I would say is that I've made a few little observations on my behalf that might help anybody else tackling this kit...

 

1/ Do it progressively as you make your way through the build and do not wait until it's fully assembled before you attempt the rigging. You'll end up going off on a huge rant full of swearing and such like. Instead of waiting to the end, think about the assembly steps. As such, I opted to do the rigging before installing the base of the seats. And the rudder was the first rigging to be completed. Also, when it comes to rigging the control column, do it whilst it's outside of the assembly. The column fits into two holes that act as a rocker and give it movement - I used this to my advantage for rigging the lower elevator cable as this has to fit through a hole in the bulkhead - which if the controls are in a neutral position, would be impossible.

 

2/ The engine control instructions. They call for 4 cables to be installed in each location. There is no way that I was going to be able to achieve this, so I ended up merely using two cables in each location. It has the same effect and I am very sure that with the end product it won't be too visible. Especially in this scale!

 

3/ WNW very helpfully have provided rigging locations. Some of these are more accessible than others, so in certain cases, I ended up using a very similar location, but not using the actual holes.

 

The internal rigging was achieved using fishing line, that was painted black using a sharpie pen and whereas going through every step of this procedure would be very lengthy, suffice it to say that I got very good at a small dot of superglue and then using so Accelerator to tie it in quickly. There are times that you wish you have 4 hands for this, but with a bit of patience, it works. For the cables running to the pulley behind the pilots seat, I used EZ Line. This won't be visible anyway given what else needs to be installed, especially with the seats on top of this. Which is just as well, because it was a mess.

 

Anyway.. some photos:

 

Rigging the control column:

 

Felixstowe

 

 

Engine Cables and Rudder rigging:

 

Felixstowe

 

The finished product:

 

Felixstowe

 

Felixstowe

 

Felixstowe

 

Now... the next stages for this construction are (as much to job my memory as anything else - it'll be a few more days before I get another chance to have a go at it again - after Telford no doubt!)

 

- Trim and gloss coat the interior decals.

- Make and fit the Fuselage Lewis Guns

- Add structural rigging

- Paint and install the seat padding

- Make and install the HGW Seatbelts

- Dab of Klear on the Flight Engineers Instruments to replicate glass.

 

All in all, I'm still really enjoying this build though.

 

Thank you very much for reading!

 

Chris

 

 

Edited by Chris Jephcott
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Great stuff - especially the rigging tips.

 

I am now totally convinced that my Felixstowe can stay in the stash for the foreseeable future - it's enough fun watching this one progress 😁

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1 hour ago, Chris Jephcott said:

I've been on holiday to Ibiza for a week, but what I haven't said is that on October 16th, I was the second on scene at a fatal car accident on the A447, not far from Market Bosworth. I couldn't do anything to help the young girl sadly, who had suffered some pretty horrific head injuries, and when the emergency services turned up, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Even with my limited attempts at first aid, I hope the fact that I was there and holding her hand would have helped the family... needless to say I've been into Counselling and will continue to do so for the timebeing.

That sounds wrenching Chris, glad you're seeing someone about it. Good on you for staying with her. It might have seemed the most natural thing in the world to do, but not everyone would have done it, I assure you. 

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2 hours ago, Procopius said:

That sounds wrenching Chris, glad you're seeing someone about it. Good on you for staying with her. It might have seemed the most natural thing in the world to do, but not everyone would have done it, I assure you. 

 

Hi buddy, as I said to my Counsellor yesterday, that I just believe in doing what is right. And the right thing to do in such things and events is to stop and help - and never be afraid to do so either. Thank you very much for your very kind words. 

 

Chris

Edited by Chris Jephcott
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3 hours ago, Caerbannog said:

Very nice work. I wish there would be a nice 1:48 version of these. Thanks for the description how you replicated the wood.

Will follow with interest.

You’re very welcome indeed. It’s been a bit of a learning curve for me too, the wood I’ve painted in the past has been nothing compared to the amount that you have to do with this model kit!! 😂

 

And the drying time is long too. I’ve found I can work with the pieces about 3-4 days after paint application!

 

Chris

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I'm still here....

 

What stunning work that young whippersnapper has produced!

 

I'm not that far behind, well, probably about two pages on the instruction manual! But my plan is to kidnap him this weekend (Telford) tie him up and place him gently in the back of my hire car and drive to Aberdeen. I will then fly back to Manchester, hire another car and drive back to Telford as if nothing happened! I'll then return home to France and continue on mine, post pictures and after a week I'll let his wife know where he is. He'll then be playing catch up!

 

But seriously, wow! Lovely job my friend.

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Thank you very much for letting me know your plans Mark. What I would say is that you don’t know what I’ll slip into your curry before you get a chance to do that to me!!

 

And thanks for making the longest thread title in the history of BM too!

 

in all seriousness though, thank you very much for your comments!!

 

Chris

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Just a quick update today... 

 

I’ve very nearly finished the internals now - just need to dye the seatbelt on the 2nd pilots seat and do the guns.

 

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For the waist guns, I’ve been toying with the idea of using Gaspatch guns instead and Telford is an ideal opportunity to do this... however, for the waist positions I was looking at the Lewis guns - and all I could find was one grainy little photo of the actual aircraft:

 

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To my eyes, WNW have made the waist Lewis guns almost perfectly and so I will go with the kit for these positions. 

 

I will be using Gaspatch Lewis guns for the fore and aft positions... add to the shopping list for tomorrow!

 

All the best,

 

Chris

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Now where was I... It's been a busy week, although very little time has been spent on the bench. Instead, I've been running around like a blue-bottomed-baboon and getting nothing much done!

 

On the last update, I mentioned the guns and how I was going to use the kit guns for the waist positions. Well, this had been a great idea. Everything was all set up, and I picked up the assembled guns with their etch - ready to paint - when PING. Off went the etch. Into the infernal layer of that darned Carpet Monster. You know the one... the one I have to wear my Crocs to protect myself against as it's got sharp teeth. Blue language followed. Thankfully, this was the Friday before Telford. And Gaspatch were about to come to the rescue with their beautifully created RNAS Lewis Guns and Vane sights:

 

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So I did what any man would do, and bought them. And then added the Vane sights and a little mechanism that the WNW kits had, and painted them using Alclad and washes.

 

I probably won't fit them with glue until I've rigged the tailplane, quite simply because I suffer from the known condition of "fat fingers". One of the symptoms of "fat fingers" is the unique ability to always knock off guns, antennae, pitot heads, and other assorted bits of plastic that are fundamentally crucial!

 

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I then test fitted the fuselage and found a slight fit issue on the underside of the hull - so a bit of rough sanding was done in order to thin out the plastic... it doesn't look pretty, but it did work!:

 

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And then I glued the fuselage together and sanded the join on the spine. The tailplane is only dryfitted at this stage to give an idea as to how much work needed to actually be done on this join:

 

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It's now really starting to show it's size and I'm wondering if I've bitten off more than I can chew. Again!!

 

The next part to achieve was the roof of the read part of the fuselage. The instructions call for this to be painted in linen colours with wooden ribs and formers. I toyed with idea of removing the ejector pins on the roof, but whilst dry fitting, very rapidly came to the conclusion that in actual fact, none of them would be visible when the fuselage was assembled. So... I left them.

 

 

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Anyway... to achieve the linen effect, I used my usual method:

 

1/ Spray thinned Gunze Randome:

 

 

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2/ Spray Gunze Sail colour and Tamiya Deck Tan in a random pattern to provide a bit of definition:

 

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3/ I then begin a Humbrol powder "bath" of the formers and ribs using Dark Earth. All I do is make sure that the powder is randomly applied and that it sits in the corners of the relevant panels:

 

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4/ When this is complete, the excess powder is blown away using a dry blast from my airbrush and the remaining powder is worked into the panels using circular motions and a stiff brush:

 

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5/ At this point, I masked off the ribs and formers and used Tamiya Flat Earth to represent a basic wood colour:

 

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6/ Finally, using Games Workshop Earthshade Wash, I go over the panel lines to enhance definition and shade the corners:

 

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If I get away with my standby tomorrow, I will use a very thin coat of Randome on the panels just to re-highlight some of the definition of the linen. It won't be much, but just enough to cover the areas where the wash maybe a little bit too strong.

 

So that's where I'm up to. Next up is to put this all together. And then, it's looking like I'm getting close to the first major rigging event of this gig - the Tailplane.

 

Thank you very much for reading,

 

Chris

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Great build idea Chris and the wood grain effect you have achived are excellent. You're making good progress. Your mate's not in his garage drooling over his motorbike again, is he? Come on mark, catch-up time...

 

Colin

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5 hours ago, heloman1 said:

Great build idea Chris and the wood grain effect you have achived are excellent. You're making good progress. Your mate's not in his garage drooling over his motorbike again, is he? Come on mark, catch-up time...

 

Colin

 

Nothing would surprise me really... apart from him actually making a start on his kit! Mark... where are you?? Is it still in it’s box??

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  • 1 month later...

So Chris, party time over the festive season? Has your mate been arrested and is not allowed sharp instruments, model paints or camera/phone to plot his progress?

 

Colin

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Actually, I’ve come to the conclusion that Mark is not playing. I keep on nudging him but he just does nothing back! 

 

I’m making slow progress and will post an update soon. 

 

Basically what I have been doing recently is playing with the tail. I tried using the Aviattic decals in pc10 and linen but could not get the wrap around on to the underside of the tail sorted so have opted to use the linen on the underside and paint the pc10 on. 

 

I’ve also started painting the fuselage too! 

 

Small progress but time has been very very limited.

 

Mark... where are you??? Typical bloomin easyJet pilot. 

 

 

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Hope you don't mind if I follow along.  I'd love to have the WNW one also but unfortunately don't have the spare 3 feet of shelf space it would take to display it when completed.  :yikes:

I do have one of the 1/72 Roden ones in my stash but I'm afraid the only similarity between the WNW one and Roden would be the Felixstowe name.

 

By the way... lovely use of iMovie.  🎥 :clap:

 

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Hi Chris, Shame Mark can't/won't come to the party. the billing had the promise of a great double build. I know he has the skill , I've seen it in his bike build here on BM. Pity re the PC 10 decals, I don't know them but I'm sure the idea to use them is/was justified.

 

Shame on you Mark, if you happen to read this.

 

Colin

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What?? It's the 16th January 2019 already??

 

Right, I'm here, looking enviously on at the superb work that Chris has completed and very keen to get back to the workbench and crack on with mine.

 

There have been reasons for not getting as much done as I had hoped; reasons that are probably best not discussed on an open modelling forum, but let's just say that they are 'domestic' issues... ;)

 

Chris, the Aviattic decals presented me with no problems on the one time that I practiced with them on the SE.5a wing, I'll let you know when I eventually get around to using them again on this, or maybe something else. Not that I intend to start something else!!

 

Colin, I'm back up and running so updates should be coming through soon :)

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Good afternoon everybody!

 

Time flies doesn't it? It's been quite a while since I was last able to write an update on this build. It doesn't mean that it hasn't been progressing - just progressing a little bit more slowly than I had intended.

 

From the last update, I've been busy applying decals, sorting out the fuselage and working on a few of the smaller details - this work is by no means complete - but we're getting there. I've got to neaten up the edges of the walkways and paint on the black stripes running up to the cockpit. I've also started work on installing the elevators - which means re-enforcing the join by using brass rod. And the rudder will be installed soon too, there's a decent amount of work to do on this too - but the tailplane is pretty much finished now.

 

For the fuselage, I used Aviattic Aged Linen and Walnut wood decals - despite having a few small issues on these to start with, I found a great way of making them stick using a good covering of Microset and a hairdryer - and then the issue was sorted. I however, opted to paint the PC10 on the top surface for the simple reason that I could not work out how to "wrap around" the decals onto the undersurfaces and getting them to conform them to the shape of the tailplane! However... I think it looks ok as it is.

 

Anyway, I'll put these photos here and promise to try and do a bit more work from now onwards!! But we're getting there slowly but surely!

 

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Before weathering:

 

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After weathering:

 

46336501744_e6afc7f7aa_z.jpg

 

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Many thanks!

 

Chris

Edited by Chris Jephcott
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As usual, Chris pulls something very special out of the depths of his man-cave! Stunning work mate and I'm almost there with my own updates. :)

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