Chris and Mark's joint 1/32 Felixstowe build

[Viking]

Great work Chris, thanks for all the detailed explanations on doing the wood and fabric areas.

I also have this kit in the stash, and get it out...put it back...get it out and so on. One day I'll actually start it.

 

Cheers

 

John

[Chris Jephcott]

Hi John,

 

Thank you very much! It’s my pleasure, I take a lot of advice and guidance from your inspirational builds, so don’t be surprised if I use some of your techniques!!

 

In truth, I still keep on doing the same too. Picking up the open box, looking at the sprues, and putting it back and walking off to do something different!!! 😂

 

I think Mark does the same too though... shhhh!!

 

Chris

[Chris Jephcott]

I genuinely cannot believe that it's been just under a month since my last update! Time flies by, and shows no sign of letting up at all... but I've been quite lucky in the fact that my wife has had a few cake orders to complete, so it's given me a bit of extra space to do more work on the Felixstowe, and I fear that tonight, it's high time for a bumper update!!

 

Just because I haven't posted on here doesn't mean though that things have slowed up - in fact quite the opposite. Good progress has been made on the build and I remain very happy with the way that this kit is going!! A brief recap as to where I was at the end of the last post first of all...

 

I had just started work on the tailplane and decided to paint it rather than use the Aviattic Decals for the PC10.

 

 

The final touches of this were to add rib tapes onto the painted surfaces, and to use pigments to weather it down a bit and make it look less stark. First of all was to paint the tail in various shades of Olive Green - including RLM80, RAF Dark Green, Olive Green, and any other shade of green that fitted the bill!

 

 

I then sprayed the ribtapes on in Nato Green, and then muted the difference back using pigments. I used a green powder and flat earth - this photo shows on tailplane done and the other unfinished to show the difference between the before/after:

 

 

And when finished:

 

 

I also opted to paint the rudder as opposed to using the kit decals - I thought it would be a better looking effect if I did this. It was painted in various shades of red, white and blue:

 

 

I also painted the elevators in the same way - although varied the colour slightly in order to add a slight visual difference - this was subsequently muted back a little bit when on the build:

 

 

So, with this done, it was time to get busy with the rigging... and my next post will give a little bit of a run down of how I do rigging!

 

Thanks for reading - next post coming very very soon!

 

Chris

[Chris Jephcott]

Chris's Brief Rigging Tutorial.

 

I must say that I am not an expert at rigging. In genuine fact, I don't think I'm very good at all. So quite why it is that I decided to tackle a Felixstowe, I have no idea! It must go down with one of the strangest model making decisions that you can make?

 

Well no. Not really. I have rigged biplanes before - in many scales. Using many different techniques - but in 1/32 Scale, rigging takes on an entirely new dimension. It needs to be structural, functional, and I am firmly in favour of making it as straight forward as possible. So I took a photo of my tools that I will use for this initial rigging of the tail section:

 

 

So the main points are that I use medium CA and Chameleon coloured fishing line - shaded with a black Sharpie pen to make it look more realistic. I also am using Bobs buckles for the eyelets and tubes too, these are both opened packs that I have used in the past, so the packages look rather tired already!

 

Using the pin vice, I drill out the rigging locations on the build. WNW are very good and provide guide holes for you to use - these holes just need a little bit of enlargement. Here, the holes have been drilled out on the underside of the tailplane:

 

 

A proper study of the provided rigging diagram does pay wonders too - and WNW again provide very detailed diagrams which do sometimes need a bit of translation into 3D:

 

 

I also then take the eyelets, and then cut them down so that the eyelet itself sits slightly proud of the wing surface. Using a sharp applicator, I apply the thick CA to the dug out hole and simply drop the trimmed eyelet into the hole. It's not the clearest in this photo sadly, but take my word on it, it's there. The aim is to just have enough to hook the fishing line through - so it's a little tricky to photo accurately!

 

 

Next, I cut a length of fishing line that is significantly larger than the required length and feed through one brass tube onto the line:

 

 

Starting with the inner rigging, I then feed the line through the eyelet - making sure that there's enough length pulled through:

 

 

Then I feed this end through the brass tube:

 

 

I then pull the the line tight and that is one end of the rigging line!

 

 

Now then, with one end successfully completed - it's time to do the other end - which is the most telling part of it and adds the strength whilst completing the line. So it's the same process again. I thread a tube onto the line, then feed the other end through the eyelet, before passing the other end through the brass tube:

 

 

Pull the line tight, using the loose end and hey presto! The line is in place!!!

 

Then a quick dab of superglue at the end of the brass tubes, whilst pulling the lines apart. This then allows the lines to settle down and sets them up perfectly for trimming down:

 

 

Then, using a pair of old sprue cutters, I snip the loose ends as close to the brass tube as I possibly can do - and with any end that is remaining, dab a small spot of superglue and push it together. This then hides the loose end and bleeds it nicely into the turnbuckle/rigging line:

 

 

Then repeat...

 

 

And eventually, you end up here!!!

 

 

I really hope that this helps and is informative to anybody who might be interested in WNW kits but is scared by the rigging!! It's only a rough guide, but it works perfectly for me and I find it quite therapeutic!!

 

Chris

[Chris Jephcott]

So... my third and final installment for tonight - to where the build is now! This will be the shortest of the updates because the majority has been covered above!!

 

At this point, the fuselage looks like this:

 

 

But first of all, the fuselage is gloss varnished in order for various paint touch ups to be undertaken:

 

 

 

I completed the tail rigging:

 

 

And then used Matt Varnish on the majority of the fuselage, aside from the wood as I want that to have a highly varnished finish:

 

 

 

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For the tail rigging, I know it's not strictly accurate, but I used the brass tube on the dividers - it gave me the possibility to adjust the tension in the rigging lines very easily - so it's a bit of artistic licence!

 

 

Anyway, so there we go... on to the wings and engines!!

 

 

 

Thank you very much for reading and I really appreciate you comments!

 

Chris

[Sabrejet]

Good work! I can vouch for the Bob's Buckles items on WNW kits, but I used Uschi van der Rosten's easy-rig line, which is a lot more forgiving.

[Chris Jephcott]

Hi Sabrejet - thank you very much! 

 

I have some Uschi rigging material too - the only thing is that I have heard horror stories of “sagging wings” if you use elastic line! That said, I intend to use it for the ailerons and any other non-structural rigging!

 

Chris

[Alan P]

The sheer quality of this build is inspirational, Chris!

 

Can't wait to see what Mark brings to the table...😜

 

Al

[Chris Jephcott]

Thank you very much Al! It’s the most enjoyable kit I’ve made in a long long time. 

 

Mark? Where is he? It’s a twin build with only one of us doing it!!!

 

Joking aside, I’m sure Mark will sometime join in... looking back at the photos, we started this back in October! Where has time gone??? Although he egged me into doing this alongside him and said we’d be in this together!!! 😡😂

 

 

[Alan P]

I recall you two were talking about it at Telford, you've certainly stepped up!

 

My memory might be a bit shaky, I was still in shock clutching the HpH Tigercat I'd just bought...😂

Edited March 5, 2019 by Alan P

[Silenoz]

nice construction so far, and that is an understatement... also thx for the rigging tutorial

[Chris Jephcott]

Al, have you started that Tigercat yet?? The look on your face was the same as I suspect I had when the HK Models Lancaster turned up at my house!! 

[Chris Jephcott]

28 minutes ago, Silenoz said:

nice construction so far, and that is an understatement... also thx for the rigging tutorial

 

Hi Silenoz, Thank you very much! I hope I can continue in the same way... 

 

And you’re very welcome! Rigging should not be feared and is actually quite good fun!! 

[Mark]

Guys, guys... I am here, but just back from a week's skiing in The Alps, I have a few days back in the UK and then I'm back at home for a while. So, guess what?! I'll be following Chris's fantastic tutorials on how it should be done! In fact, I'm not too far behind in reality, but need to get the photos taken and a write up done for where I'm at right now. At least my beaching trolley is finished!

 

Seriously superb work by Chris though, my hat is well and truly doffed...

[Mark]

On 3/5/2019 at 1:39 PM, Chris Jephcott said:

Al, have you started that Tigercat yet?? The look on your face was the same as I suspect I had when the HK Models Lancaster turned up at my house!! 

 

Yes, 'That' look! The same one that I will have when the WnW Lancaster shows up... And the 0/400...