Royal Aircraft Factory Fe2b in 1/144

[Andwil]

I am in awe of your skill, but beginning to doubt your sanity!  Fantastic micro surgery.

 

AW

[Murdo]

1 hour ago, Andwil said:

I am in awe of your skill, but beginning to doubt your sanity!  Fantastic micro surgery.

 

AW

 

Nowt wrong with his sanity but his skills are superb! 

[Putty Animal]

Thanks Murdo! ♥️

I often get told that I'm nuts when making these things, but I don't think that is the case.  I tend to associate that more with unpredictable or erratic behaviour.  Whereas this requires you to be a bit more single-minded and deliberate than anything else.

The other thing I am often told is that I have a bloody huge matchstick.  

 

I made the little dynamo thingy last night and attached it this evening.  It was made from black sprue and some Evergreen rod that was painted with Mr Color Brass.  The little prop blade is a very thin material which was painted silver and glued in place with PVA.  I used the clear cellophane panel from a packet of old Microscale decals.  This stuff is amazingly thin but quite workable considering how fine it is.

 

Gert beg match again:

 

 

 

I very nervously turned the Fee over to glue it in place.  Only a few more details to go now.  I need to do the raised landing lights near the wingtips next, but I have no idea how to make the tiny tear drop shape yet.  One detail I've decided to leave off for clarity is the reinforced canvas bags that hang down from the Lewis guns to catch the spent ammunition casings.  I feel like the model would look much better without them.  As at this scale it would be very hard to tell what they were, and they would look a bit "Drew Peacock" (if you know what I mean).   😉

 

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by Putty Animal

[pheonix]

Lost for words.... certainly not mad but what concentration and manipulative skills. You must also have some excellent tools and a very steady hand!

 

P

[RichieW]

Oh wow, a Rotherham pump in 1/144 scale, that has made me roar with laughter!  It's just extraordinary  what you are producing. I'm now shaking my head in shock and disbelief.

 

You haven't by any chance scratch built a 4ft match stick have you? 😂

 

Richie

[Putty Animal]

18 hours ago, pheonix said:

You must also have some excellent tools and a very steady hand!

Hi Phoenix, my tool kit is fairly basic.  The main ingredients are a set of digital calipers to establish measurements, and a ready supply of Swann Morton 10A scalpel blades to cleanly cut what I’ve measured.  I also use 6x reading glasses that I found on eBay.  Everything else is just sandpaper and tweezers.  As far as steady hands go: the trick is to rest one hand on the other so that they steady themselves.  
 

 

Edited September 22, 2021 by Putty Animal

[pheonix]

I too use a very basic toolkit - but not digital callipers (they are much too sophisticated for me! A good ol' fashioned pair of dividers and a rule are what I use). I use an eye loupe for very small work as I already wear glasses.

 

It is the steady hands which I envy - age does not make them any steadier I am afraid - I might have to ask if I could borrow yours at some time in the future!

 

P

[Putty Animal]

Oh boy.  I made the beastly little landing lights near the wing tips and added what I think may well be the last of the rigging to the top wing.  I do believe I am finally finished...  

 

More pics to follow and I'll put together an entry in the ready for inspection section.

 

[B_Bogus]

Just absolutely amazing! 

[Putty Animal]

Thank you!  I'm so glad it is done.  I think I felt myself level up as the last piece was glued into place.  

By coincidence: the second I posted the above message to say that the Fee was finished, I suddenly received the following notice..

 

 

[pheonix]

Absolutely brilliant - a real gem of a model. Very many congratulations on a unique achievement.

 

P

[ajmm]

Just wonderful. I am in complete awe. 

[RichieW]

Love it!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[AdrianMF]

Wowza. It looked amazing while you were making it, but that shot of the finished gem in your hand is positively surreal. Great stuff.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[Spitfire31]

Supernatural detailing and finesse…

 

Kind regards,

 

Joachim

[Quiet Mike]

What a thing of beauty you have created! Its a jewel of a build.

[Putty Animal]

Thank you everyone!  I'll have to rest my eyes for a while now as I work out what to try next.  Maybe it needs an Eindekker for a mate.

 

Here's a link to the RFI thread with more photos:

 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2021 by Putty Animal

[SafetyDad]

Astonishing work - really amazing!

Great job

 

SD

[2996 Victor]

Hi PA,

 

Just finished reading (and re-reading) your build thread.

 

I've already posted on your RFI, but can I just say again how wonderful this is! This little FE is a Fabergé Egg: it is absolutely exquisite. I can only admire your skill and ability to work so precisely in such a small scale.

 

Although I'll be sticking to 1/72 scale, what you've achieved here, and with your pair of Pfalzes and your S5, is inspiring (and there are a number of techniques that I hope to take away and put to good use - wing ribs being one of them). So much so that I'm determined to have a go at scratch building, although it'll be something relatively straightforward! I really fancy a Supermarine S4.....

 

You mentioned forming the FE's wings from acrylic. Do you obtain that in sheets of different thicknesses? How do you part off the wing blanks and what do you use to shape the aerofoil?

 

Looking forward to seeing your next build. An Eindekker sounds good - how about a Pfalz or an Austro-Hungarian Fokker?

 

Cheers,

Mark

 

[stalal]

Is this real!! I cant believe my eyes. What a wonderful creation. 

[Putty Animal]

On 27/09/2021 at 06:31, 2996 Victor said:

You mentioned forming the FE's wings from acrylic. Do you obtain that in sheets of different thicknesses? How do you part off the wing blanks and what do you use to shape the aerofoil?

 

Hi Victor, sorry for the late reply!

 

I make the wings from solid acrylic as it tends to stay nice and flat, plus you can get a razor-sharp trailing edge too.  I usually work in either 1mm or 1.5mm sheets at this scale.  Ebay is a good source, and A4 sized sheets can usually be bought quite cheaply.  They last a lifetime in 1/144 too

 

I score both sides of the sheet and snap off the piece that I need.  The underside of the wing is the first bit to be shaped.  I get an old metal ruler and file the end to the right curve, then use it as a scraper to do the lower surface.  It pays to start with a strip that is longer than you need.  Then trim it to length afterwards.  I usually double-side tape the acrylic strip to a flat surface, then position a straight edge next to it to act as a guide.  Then its just a matter of scraping the profile in.  One of the advantages of 1/144 is that this isn't so messy and requires less elbow work.

 

Once the underside profile is complete I gently remove the wing and stick it down again with the top surface pointing up.  Do this with the trailing edge slightly overhanging the edge of a block of timber or something.  Then get a nice big two handed file and shape the upper surface of the wing.  Try not to file towards the trailing edge too much.  This just makes a lot of swarf build up there.  Filing towards the leading edge is better and gives you a cleaner result.  

 

When the rear part of the upper wing is shaped you can the turn the wing around on the block and shape the front.  A bit of a sand afterwards will clean up the file marks afterwards.

Here's a shot of one pair of wings that were done this way.  It was probably an hour's work from start to finish. 

 

 

[2996 Victor]

Hi @Putty Animal,

 

many thanks for the post on how you form wings: that's exactly what I was looking for! I've bought a couple of thick pieces of acrylic from ebay to try rolling rigging wires like your method, so I can get some "wing material" from the same supplier.

 

I'm currently kitbashing a 1/72 Heller Nieuport Delage NiD622 into a NiD42S sesquiplane racer, and I had thought to modify the kit wings. But to be honest, it looks a bit of a faff and your acrylic wing method looks much the better option. I've got a couple of other scratchbuilds I'm eyeing up - whether I'll manage them is another thing entirely - and again I think your acrylic wing method would be ideal.

 

Thanks again - it's hugely appreciated!

 

With very best regards,

Mark

[Putty Animal]

Cheers, you're welcome!  One day if I can pluck up the courage I will take advantage of the clear acrylic wings and try painting the underlying spars and ribs before adding the topcoat

If you are buying materials it is worth keeping an eye out for the sheets of high impact styrene too.  If you are working in larger scales the sheets that are 2mm and above tend to stay flat after shaping.  It's much easier to work with than acrylic and can be shaped much more rapidly.

[2996 Victor]

On 08/10/2021 at 14:15, Putty Animal said:

Cheers, you're welcome!  One day if I can pluck up the courage I will take advantage of the clear acrylic wings and try painting the underlying spars and ribs before adding the topcoat

If you are buying materials it is worth keeping an eye out for the sheets of high impact styrene too.  If you are working in larger scales the sheets that are 2mm and above tend to stay flat after shaping.  It's much easier to work with than acrylic and can be shaped much more rapidly.

That's brilliant, thank you! I'll look out for the styrene too - I use a lot of rod and strip and thinner sheets, but hadn't thought of thicker sheets.

 

Have you decided on your next project yet?

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Putty Animal]

Hi Victor, here’s a link to the styrene sheet.  Probably work getting a few different sheets to give you the thickness you need if you are building in 72nd: Link

 

I haven’t quite worked out what to do next, but I’ve been keeping busy by trying my hand at some generic parts.  Idle hands and all that.  At the moment I’m making some LeRhone and Gnome Monosoupape engines that will probably come in handy at some point.  If I can mould them it would be a nice ready supply.  Here’s a test shot of one with a wash of colour so I can see how it looks.  Only 20 parts (or 19 rather... one bit has fallen off).   It’s not quite there yet but looks promising.