fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 A model from 2014, five years ago: I extricated from the closet this one made from a kit that a fellow modeler sent me time ago (Thanks, Keith!) It is an Airframe kit I believe made in Canada, date unknown, but long time ago. The plastic is very thin and flimsy. For what I can tell, the kit came with decals (now absent) but no wheels, prop, or spinner. Of course not even a trace of cockpit detail, or even an interior drawing. The engineering is indifferent, especially regarding how to match the wings and fuselage. The instructions are quite general, and a "note" advising to cut the carrier film off the wing decals with an Xacto after applying them to the model -painted aluminum/silver, mind you- left me in a state of wonder. The kit does come with a 4-view, that appeared on -and is credited to- Aeroplane Monthly. When the kit got in my hands, there was no clear canopy, but I assume one was there before. This fellow modeler had already started to cut out the parts, and was perhaps a bit enthusiastic sanding the fuselage halves, so I had to devise some remediation. There are limits to the improvements you can perform on a kit, especially one of this nature, but I aimed to obtain the most decent possible model with what I had. Prop and wheels were quickly found among the spares and aftermarket parts, but the spinner that the manufacturer -oh, so very optimistically- tells you to get somewhere, was a different story. Metal tubes are inserted in the wing leading edge to simulate the air intakes: The fuselage halves are glued, leaving the necessary gap to restore proper width -they were a bit oversanded by the previous owner-. Some backing structure is in place to receive the fillers later on: The gaps are filled-in with styrene sheet cut to size: and at the bottom: The stab halves in place, a tricky fit. The seams are blended with Tamiya putty: The exhausts follow: The not so good kit engineering determined that the wheel well internal wall be left inconcluse in the mold, so a supplement had to be fashioned: Wings are attached to the fuselage and small triangular fillets added: 49 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invidia Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 that looks great, looks fast!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 You're a diamond for posting this Moa. Will be good reference with the rest of the reference you supplied. She looks beautiful, love the lines. Stuart 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cngaero Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 That's a powerful looking beastie. Beautifully modelled and finished as usual. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeaton01 Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Lovely. One of my favorite airplanes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 40 minutes ago, cngaero said: That's a powerful looking beastie. Beautifully modelled and finished as usual. 10 minutes ago, jeaton01 said: Lovely. One of my favorite airplanes. Thanks Chris and John This one deserves an injected or (good, please!) resin kit. The lines are so graceful, even when the bulk is evident. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyskooter Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 That is a very nice model of a beautiful aircraft. Just one suggestion. The front end of the cowling has four square bulges to cover the.forward section of the Napier Sabre engine. These are quite noticeable in contemporary photographs but difficult to reproduce on a model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonners Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Interesting construction concept with that longitudinal vertical former. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 38 minutes ago, Jonners said: Interesting construction concept with that longitudinal vertical former. It is a sort of signature mark of that line of kits. Sometimes they work. others the fit is not good and are unusable. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 That looks rather conventional for you Moa! Still a first class model though, even if the quality of the kit left rather a lot to be desired. P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, pheonix said: That looks rather conventional for you Moa! Still a first class model though, even if the quality of the kit left rather a lot to be desired. P I must admit that, P. But there is a little story behind it: I was corresponding with the late Gordon Stevens (RarePlanes) and had told him that I had been given the kit, and he was extremely excited to see it built, since he seemingly really loved the type. I built it for his pleasure. My intention was to send it to him, but although satisfied myself with the model, I didn't think it was the first class replica he deserved, so I decided to wait for a better kit, that as far as I am aware never came to be, meanwhile unfortunately Gordon passed away. I wouldn't have touched the Merlin effort, nor the Dujin kit. Both well below standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 4 hours ago, skyskooter said: That is a very nice model of a beautiful aircraft. Just one suggestion. The front end of the cowling has four square bulges to cover the.forward section of the Napier Sabre engine. These are quite noticeable in contemporary photographs but difficult to reproduce on a model. If you had looked carefully at the images, you would have seen that those bumps are there, but the metal reflective finish sort of obscures them: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyskooter Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 You are right. I had’nt seen that. By the way you could have left the canopy off. It was left off for its first and only flight to aid the pilot’s exit in the event of an emergency. Just as well as it turned out. Is there any cockpit detail? I have never seen a photo of the interior and suspect that none exists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 19 minutes ago, skyskooter said: By the way you could have left the canopy off. It would have greatly detracted from the beautiful lines of the plane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 22 minutes ago, skyskooter said: Is there any cockpit detail? I have never seen a photo of the interior and suspect that none exists. No photos that I am aware of; there is an Aeroplane Monthly drawing, and another, more sparse, in Flight Magazine. You can see the model's cockpit detail (generic) if you look at the photos above, you seem to have missed it, again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyskooter Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I must go to Specsavers. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzby061 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Lovely. An odd mixture of sleek & chunky. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 1 hour ago, Buzby061 said: Lovely. An odd mixture of sleek & chunky. Pete Indeed, Pete, well put. Cheers 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Aero Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 The drawings for the Heston.Napier first appeared in Aeromodeller August 1943. Skysport Engineering were thinking at one time of building a flying replica but sadly it came to nought. John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Russell Posted March 30, 2019 Share Posted March 30, 2019 On 3/27/2019 at 8:15 AM, Moa said: This one deserves an injected or (good, please!) resin kit. Very nice model - according to my references there was an injection kit produced by Merlin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 On 3/29/2019 at 9:27 PM, Ed Russell said: Very nice model - according to my references there was an injection kit produced by Merlin. Interesting, Ed but that wouldn't be a proper kit, being Merlin, more like plastic protoplasm. cheers 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 Ooooh that nice little thing !! Well done Moa !! I hired a crocodile which appear to be an alligator for the Martian tower's party and I no longer find it... May be under the couch... Buzy CC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted September 25, 2020 Author Share Posted September 25, 2020 1 hour ago, corsaircorp said: Ooooh that nice little thing !! Well done Moa !! I hired a crocodile which appear to be an alligator for the Martian tower's party and I no longer find it... May be under the couch... Buzy CC Thanks CC. I don't quite follow the crocodile part. But all Martian-related things are puzzling anyway. Cheers 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsaircorp Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 2 hours ago, Moa said: Thanks CC. I don't quite follow the crocodile part. But all Martian-related things are puzzling anyway. Cheers Come on and join the jolly band of BM'ers at Martian towers... See Canberra thread... CC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted September 25, 2020 Share Posted September 25, 2020 And just what is wrong with sticking together perfectly formed bits of Tamiya plastic to get a realistic result? Masochism at its finest; your version of the hair shirt and crawling over gravel on hands and knees as befits a modelling monk I presume? Did the makers of the black and white 'Flash Gordon' and their ilk draw inspiration from the real aircraft around them, or did the aircraft manufacturers copy the futuristic design of the sci-fi spaceships of their time? Incredible. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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