Jump to content

Esoteric 1/72 Blackburn Dart


Patrik

Recommended Posts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Made some basic work on the wings in order to conclude the unequal span issue. Leading edges are more or less in their final shapes, trailing edges are waiting for the hopefully magical tool (described above) to arrive in my post.

 

However, I still have to answer some questions from the January 28th post by John. So, here we go:

 

I suspect that the drawings you show are by Harry Woodman. Yes

 

Does either wing fit the plan? The lower wing is pretty much acceptable, especially taking into account what we are comparing it with. The original drawings by Harry Woodman had been probably scaled down, then printed in the magazine, scanned and scaled up by me (I had to upscale the drawings in 1/72 using the scale bar provided). All this with a lot of potential distortions involved along the way (says the surveyor in me).

 

If my knowledge of the Dart is correct then the kit outer wing panels should be identical in shape, including aileron position, and size, with the exception of the Bat like folding wing fillets. If this is so then the top centre section leading edge width plus the two tip differences (port and stbd) in the plan view, should equal the width of the lower centre section leading edge. And here we have the problem which I tried to visualize for you below. None of the wingtips is 100% correct, but the error is much more prominent on the upper wing and cares for the missing millimeters. Both final ribs are "hanging" in the rear. They should both end on the aileron hinge line. So I decided to modify the upper wing tips accordingly. I think I can live with the lower wing.

 

20190302-DSC-0041.jpg

Edited by Patrik
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wood scraper arrived yesterday. I eagerly started testing it right after dinner and after an hour and half of pure joy the heavy work on both wigs was over. What an excellent tool! If I had died yesterday, I would have died grinning happily.

Many thanks for the tip again, Troy, I highly recommend the tool to anyone with the same task ahead.

Patrik 

  • Like 2
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The bad weather today allowed me study the construction techniques of the Blackburn company in great detail. I even unintentionally confirmed the sturdiness of the setup, when the whole assembly felt from the workbench down on the floor with zero damage. The engine section has not been completed yet.

 

20190310-DSC-0048.jpg

 

Additionally, the missing cockpit parts that I will add after the painting.

 

20190310-DSC-0051.jpg

Edited by Patrik
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Finally completed the interior structure. First I thought it would end up like this.

 

20190324-DSC-0055.jpg

 

But then I thought again and now I feel it looks confusing enough to be convincing when installed inside the fuselage.

 

20190324-DSC-0056.jpg

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

The fuselage glued together. And then filled - sanded - re-scribed - repeat. The plastic is quite soft, contributing significantly to the "repeat" part of the job. I used the cabinet scraper to make the curved slot for the horizontal part of the empennage. I have to say I like the tool more and more.

And the Dart has wings. Not an easy job at all, as the wing roots have quite a complicated shape, which did not fit the fuselage and the hoped-for incidence angle at all.

 

20190508-DSC-0077.jpg

 

 

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good progress over the weekend.

 

20190512-DSC-0102.jpg

 

Whereas the big photo shows the oil cooler already in place, here it is still on its "sprue". I had discarded the vac part early in the build, because I thought it was too rough, only to find out later my scrape-yard could not provide the desired profile for the first time in many years. So I had to scratch build the profile first and then scratch build the oil cooler out of the scratch-build profile.

 

20190512-DSC-0084.jpg

 

The upper surface of the horizontal fin featured asymmetrically placed slot to help the modeller to fit the vertical fin with correct incidence angle. And the vertical fin had an appropriate plug. I cut off the vertical fin from the rudder first, in order to allow for the incidence angle to be applied just to the fin. But then, when I test fitted the assembly, I found that using the slot would have put the rudder hinge line in completely wrong angle, So I filled in the slot with a square cut from a plastic sheet, modified the fin by inserting pieces of plastic in a way shown approximately by the yellow lines in the picture below and this did the trick.

 

20190512-DSC-0037.jpg

Edited by Patrik
  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/27/2019 at 10:42 AM, Courageous said:

Go for it Patrik, you know you want to. :wicked:

 

Stuart

How to fix your short upper wing in five easy steps. Thanks for helping me find the Courage, Stuart.

 

Step 1 -  Monday.

 

20190518-DSC-0105.jpg

 

Step 2 - Tuesday.

 

20190518-DSC-0108.jpg

 

Step 3 - later the same day.

 

20190518-DSC-0110.jpg

 

Step 4 - Friday, because the guys would have been lost on the football pitch without me on Wednesday, and the Ice-hockey World Championship match between Czechia and Latvia on Thursday was more exciting than expected.

 

20190518-DSC-0114.jpg

 

Step 5 - Saturday. Now I have to reconstruct the ribs and do rest of the works on the wing. This will take some time, I am afraid.

 

20190518-DSC-0120.jpg

Edited by Patrik
  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Patrik said:

Thanks for helping me find the Courage, Stuart.

You're welcome and what an excellent job you have done too. Next step is rib reconstruction, will be interesting to see your technique.

 

Stuart

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, guys. Speaking of noses. The only thing, I managed today, was finally fixing the engine position (in all previous photos it was just freely nesting in the internal structure) and adding some cowling struts. The reason was mainly because we, you know, my wife and I, together, you know, decided our flower garden needs some serious reconstruction. And as the weather was quite fine this weekend after some two weeks or so... I think you understand, what I am talking about.

 

20190519-DSC-0122.jpg

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The split axle undercarriage was a work of (and I humbly admit it probably still is a job for) rather disturbed mind. The Dart was evidently build for nothing else but sturdiness.

I found that keeping the cross axle in place more or less until the last moment had been very beneficial for keeping the right geometry of the whole assembly.

 

20190602-DSC-0125.jpg

 

20190602-DSC-0134.jpg

 

20190602-DSC-0137.jpg

 

20190602-DSC-0140.jpg

Edited by Patrik
  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The tail skid required careful study of the photographic references, unfortunately none of the scale drawings was 100 % clear in this area. Additionally, below the propeller after a lot of re-shaping. Compare with the original lump of metal in the first post of this thread. In the end the propeller and the wheels will be the only white metal kit parts used. I have not definitely decided about the torpedo and its trolley yet.

 

20190609-DSC-0144.jpg

 

20190609-DSC-0151.jpg

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only just caught up with this build  and it looks very good as usual. I have the kit, but whether it gets built is another story. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good progress, and I'm very impressed with the tail skid. I have to fashion one for my 1/72 Gamecock. Doing it to scale means it will be delicate, so I may use brass wire in the make up.

 

Terry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Counsel sought. Found the photo below of N.9538/83, the sister ship to N.9536/86 (that I am going to build) 460 Flight HMS Eagle, on the web. Apparently from the very same period as the subject of my build. It seems to me that 460 Flight must have been at that time through some propaganda series of photographs, the airplanes look probably too neat and too alike for the photos to be from regular service.

 

After some doctoring (the picture is of quite low resolution) it is clear that the fleet number 83 was repeated under the lower wings. Not unknown for Darts, however, most usually the base of the numerals was towards the trailing edges on both wings and here the numerals 83 were rotated. I guess it is safe to assume that the number on the starboard wing was 180 deg rotated compared to the port wing – as it was the case e.g. with some Fairey IIIFs from the same period, or with the serial numbers on the RAF airplanes. I also guess it is safe to assume that the same applies for N.9536/86.

 

Then there is the number 6 under the port upper wing. It seems it was not repeated under the starboard wing. But it is complete mystery to me, what the number could mean. I can think of:

a. some sign of the advent of the three digit system - not too probable, because the torpedo flights had not been part of the three digit system from the start in the early thirties, though the leading number 6 would more or less fit into the system later on,

b. the number of the airplanes in the flight (which was indeed 6).

Can one safely assume the number 6 was repeated also under the port wings of the other airplanes in the flight? Some ideas/comments on both issues above? More photos from 460 Flight available somewhere? John Aero, my usual saviour?

 

blackburn-dart-n9538-83pm.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would think that you are correct that the 6 is the number within the flight marking.  It is likely under the starboard wing also, but it would be hidden by 2 of the struts in the photo you show. So the other aircraft would be presumably numbered 1-5.

Quite often they also had 'aircraft within flight' markings on the top surface of top wing also, which could be in the form of a signal flag design, spanwise stripes or bands. But these were not standardised and usually at the discretion of the flight commander, so you really need all round photos to be sure.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...