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PZW-72 RWD-8, or the Christmas at the inlaws modeling challenge


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My dear Britmodellers

Having built the RWD-5 and RWD-6, both posted here at BM, I decided to follow suit with the RWD-8, another ungainly but ultimately charming Polish effort:

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This old but still reasonably good kit was gifted to me by my good friend Sønke Schulz, an Evil Genius that has a lair in a Volkano, in the country of Volkania, of which you may haven't heard before.

Here is his note, from his very hand:

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Such magnanimous gesture deserved an equally flamboyant build, so I decided to get the box with me in our holidays trip to visit the inlaws, and start the build there.

How can that be done -you may rhetorically ask yourself- in the midst of scores of relatives, pets, libations, and people speaking unintelligible languages (they are from Yorkshire and Ireland)?

Well, to start with, I first acquired a Yorkshire cap, in order to ingratiate myself with the majority of the inlaws (and hopefully with some members of the BM distinguished audience):

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Foreseeing this event, I had also purchased a Part after-market set of photo-etched parts, and two sets of Yahu instrument panels:

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As said, the kit is still holding:

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I made a box with the basic needs just to start the model, that is, to separate the parts and clean them, check the fit, and glue the bits that could be glued together without having to paint.

For a mold this old, there is surprisingly no flash whatsoever, and hardly any noticeably mold lines.

The detail is fair, if profoundly (never that well said) marked on the wings, which will require some subduing.

Researching the history of this kit I found that replacement resin parts had been issued more than once, to correct some shortcomings on accuracy.

I looked around but the parts are not easily available at this time, nor I am completely convinced that I want them.

There is a surprisingly wide range of decorations that this little parasol monoplane can wear, and the kit provides a few of which I still have to check accuracy.

In any case, will see how much of this can be done as my Third World relatives mill around preparing (and eating, mind you!) British food, which is kind of an oxymoron.

Will try to keep this diary in exile from my building board.

Alea jacta est.

 

Edited by Moa
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Best of luck with the in-laws.  If you were to call in here we are going to have a crown roast tonight.  The butcher that made the roast wants me to put it on my head, a crown for a king he said.  I don't know what is worse modellers or butchers.  He also wants a photograph with it on my head?????????????????????????????

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year Moa.  The kits looks nice, too.

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The parts have been separated and cleaned up. The tiny ones were cautiously left on the sprues:

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There is not much that I could glue together I found out, but notice the two additional nose parts, nose tip and chin, that are a brilliant solution to avoid to seams right where is really a pain to fix them, a clue many manufacturers could take from this old kit:

31509868817_956ac4abbc_c.jpg

 

 

 

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It would perhaps be useful to add that besides the old kit and the updates/upgrade flying surfaces set mentioned above, there is a new kit of it, released by IBG.

Not sure if this kit is easy to get, though.

While some aspects of it (for what I can see online, so take this with a pinch of salt) are an improvement (wing surface), some seem not to be the case, for example the cabane struts have cross braces molded in, whilst photos show very thin cross wires, barely visible in some images. Other small details seem less refined too. In any case, I don't have one of those kits in my hand to further comment on it.

The replacement wing set (there are  other replacement parts) seems to be useful to properly depict a subtle change in dihedral and shape when the wing is seen head-on, plus apparently correct a rib count. The kits' wings do not reflect that.

In any case, since I have at two of these old kits, I may risk reshape the wing by performing some scoring and cracking and filling and sanding.

The good thing is that there is a lot of photographic material readily available on the Net.

It would be the modeler's decision to determine how far to go regarding details and addenda.

I can see some nice modeling efforts on the Net, and even after-market decals.

 

Keen eyes may have noticed that the vertical stabilizer is missing from this gifted kit (easily fabricated anyway), and that's because Sønke's assistant -Igor- from time to time will munch a piece of plastic from a kit. You can't get good help nowadays 😉

 

I see these old kits abundantly offered in the second hand market, and truly in some ways they are better than more contemporary ones.

 

 

 

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12 hours ago, pinky coffeeboat said:

To go with your flat cap you need a whippet

 

Careful Jeff, you'll cause MoA to have a coronary!!! ((he likes dogs as much as he likes rivets...)

 

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11 minutes ago, Moa said:

And I am at the inlaws now in company of guess what...

 

No need to guess what that may be, you already posted a picture above of that good-looking bulldog! :)

 

Cheers,

ReallyWonderfulDog-8

 

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6 minutes ago, Christos said:

No need to guess what that may be, you already posted a picture above of that good-looking bulldog! :)

 

Cheers,

ReallyWonderfulDog-8

 

Arghhhh ! my photo was contaminated by a dog and I didn't realize it!

The distress is so deep I will have to suspend this build until I am back to dog-free territory.

 

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ahhhh.....the inlaws...they're almost human...(at least those of mine)

 

BTW, a very nice plane that RWD, I've got a 1/48 kit wich I started some years ago, intending to build her as a SCW subject, and is still lurking into a box, somewhere in my stash.....

As usual, yours will turn out into  master piece...

Edited by Artie
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20 hours ago, Moa said:

Dogs are arguably the main cause people don't model enough.

I agree.  We have 2 Bull Arabs,  the greatest time consumers.  Off to the park a 0600hrs every day, except Christmas day we all had a sleep in, although Billy and Mandy would have liked to have gone to the park.

Both rescue dogs, Mandy was dumped and she had spent most of her first year on a chain.  She is now 3.  We have had them for 2 years.  They are inside dogs because we are afraid someone will steal them for dog fighting.  Some humans are evil.

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The wing strut supports -that were a tad prominent- are removed, in order to apply putty overall to subdue the exaggerated rib detail:

IMG_1432+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

The cabane and horizontal tail struts are mere chunks of rectangular plastic and should be replaced. The handles are a nice touch, but I will make new ones from thin wire. The items on top of the photo are the external horns for the control cables, and are quite reasonable:

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A liberal amount of putty is applied to subdue the surface detail on the flying surfaces. The cockpit pan is being assembled:

IMG_1434+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

 

Edited by Moa
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7 hours ago, Courageous said:

That last image looks rather drastic, will be interesting so see what detail will be left.

 

Stuart

Fear not, dear Stuart.

The putty (which is of the water-soluble type) is sanded first with a flat stick and then with sanding sponge, to allow for the restitution of some subtle scalloping.

Besides, the paint absorption index will greatly vary between the bare plastic and the porous putty, producing a natural decalage in the hues:

IMG_1441+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

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1 hour ago, GrzeM said:

To be honest, your internal structure is a bit oversimplified.

Yes, what you point out is correct. I have all those references.

That being said, as usual, very little of that interior is to be seen once the model is completed.

I rather spend time and effort on other areas, which sorely need it, much more than what you point out.

But you know what they say: when you do yours, you can go to town and make the model to your own eyes content.

Edited by Moa
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As explained above, this gifted kit was missing the vertical tail. Looking around I found a third kit that I didn't remember I had, but instead of cannibalizing that kit I took the part to use as a pattern for a new one made of sheet and stick:

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 The new vertical tail in progress, lacking engraved separation of fin from rudder, plus horns:

IMG_1446+%25281280x960%2529.jpg

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26 minutes ago, Courageous said:

Care to explain how you added the subdued detail ribbing on the tail?

 

Stuart

It has been seen and explained so many times that by modelers that have some experience (i.e. go beyond of assembling parts) that I thought it would have been superfluous.

But of course: you trace two mirrored sides of (in this case) the vertical tail on the surface of styrene sheet of the proper thickness (.010, 015, 020, etc.) and then score the ribs with a ball pen on cardboard or several sheets of paper. Then you add some structure as needed in the form of styrene sticks of proper size on one side, wait until set, then you glue on the other side sandwiching the structure. The "repousée" (relief) effect goes outwards, of course. A variation is to "butterfly" the surfaces, that is to make a drawing on the sheet where the sides are united by the leading edge, then you just simply fold over, of course only in the case that the leading edge is a straight line.

This is something that can't really -beyond this simple explanation- be transferred as a skill automatically, you have to practice and adapt the technique to your own purposes, scale, size, outline, particular preferences (in this case for example fin and rudder separated, or hinge line engraved, etc.)

 

 

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