Harvard II - Airfix 1/72

[keefr22]

17 minutes ago, CedB said:

Any ideas how to cut this so that it fits please?

 

 

Simple answer - haven't a clue! 

 

I'll be interested to see how you do it though, as I might have to do the same one day (although I have the Academy rather than Airfix kit, so it 'might' fit better!)

 

Keith

 

Edit - I might be tempted to cut the windscreen off and use the Airfix one...(or use the Airfix screen as a template to cut the bottom off the vac. one!)

[Spookytooth]

Awkward one that Ced.

Maybe a card template or similar.

 

Good luck mate.

 

Simon.

 

[tomprobert]

1 hour ago, CedB said:

Any ideas how to cut this so that it fits please?

 

Welcome to the dark art of vacforms!

 

You’ve got two options: The first is to get a round file and file away the bottom centre point of the front of the windscreen, as this will enable you to replicate the curve of the fuselage. Test fit regularly as you go: remember it’s always easier to remove plastic than try and add it back so go slowly 😉

 

Option 2: Make a masking tape template if the original kit part and use that as a guide - use very sharp small scissors (the nail type) for these sort of jobs and always measure thrice and cut once. 

 

Actually, there’s a third option: a combination of both 1 and 2...

 

As you’ve helpfully got a spare, there is some room for error but as long as you’re slow, careful and do plenty of test fitting, I reckon you won’t need the second... 

 

Tom

[CedB]

1 hour ago, keefr22 said:

…use the Airfix screen as a template to cut the bottom off the vac. one!

Brilliant! Thanks Keith  

 

Thanks Simon and Tom for your advice too, really appreciated  

 

The vac form fits nicely over the top of the kit part (is that a good thing?):

 

 

…so I carefully cut it to match:

 

 

The fuselage is flat on the top so I cut up the sides and then joined the cuts across the front. Seems to have done the job, and the vac form canopy fits over the Pavla frame and rear i/p:

 

 

…unlike the kit part:

 

 

Needs a bit of tidying but I think I'm happy.

Onwards!

[Paul J]

It looks like you will need to cut away some of the fairing of upper fuselage behind the back seat to get the curve of the rear most portion of the clear part. Check your pics of the real one... you'll see what I mean. For the windscreen there might be a feint line for the shape on the moulding... IT should be just like the original kit part  more or less but thats the shape you want to achieve.

[keefr22]

Nice work Ced!

 

K

[Biggles87]

Wait for me, I know this was intended to be quick but really!

Going back to the first shot the pilots on board I have a question. " Who has control? "

That canopy looked like it was on backwards whichever way you placed it.

Carry on.

 

John

PS Talking of slow deliveries, I've now been waiting over two weeks for my Sabre book so I went back to ' my orders ' on Amazon yesterday and it said delivery by12th April. Strewth, it must be comping across the Channel on the back of a turtle rather than by rowing boat as I'd first thought.

Edited April 6, 2019 by Biggles87

[CedB]

15 hours ago, Paul J said:

It looks like you will need to cut away some of the fairing of upper fuselage behind the back seat to get the curve of the rear most portion of the clear part. Check your pics of the real one... you'll see what I mean. For the windscreen there might be a feint line for the shape on the moulding... IT should be just like the original kit part  more or less but thats the shape you want to achieve.

Thanks Paul, great tips  

12 hours ago, keefr22 said:

Nice work Ced!

 

K

Thanks Keith, especially for the 'template' idea  

4 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

Wait for me, I know this was intended to be quick but really!

Going back to the first shot the pilots on board I have a question. " Who has control? "

That canopy looked like it was on backwards whichever way you placed it.

Carry on.

 

John

PS Talking of slow deliveries, I've now been waiting over two weeks for my Sabre book so I went back to ' my orders ' on Amazon yesterday and it said delivery by12th April. Strewth, it must be comping across the Channel on the back of a turtle rather than by rowing boat as I'd first thought.

Hi John and welcome  

Who has control? Who knows… won't get political but for goodness sake

 

I think I've decided to brush paint this one to a ) use up some Humbrol pots and b ) resolve my dithering with how to mask the canopy. The rattle can will go back in the 'stash'.

 

The exhaust was very carefully cut from the block and brushed with 'old rust' and, when that was dry, thinned AK steel paste until the rust showed through:

 

 

 

The u/c supports have been removed:

 

 

 

With some fettling the wings went on nicely:

 

 

Out tonight and then tomorrow morning it's 'The Wine Arts Trail' so I don't expect to be very capable in the afternoon.

I may get something done this afternoon.

[giemme]

Interesting method on the exhaust, I normally go the other way round.

 

This thing has wings already!

 

Great job, Ced

Please hurry the primer/painting stage, that yellow plastic is really disturbing  

 

Ciao

[Biggles87]

Haven't you been wearing sunglasses reading this thread, I have.

An hour after posting about slow deliveries the post lady arrived with a big package for me.  I knew it would work.

 

John

[Spookytooth]

Bravo on the canopy Ced.

hat Yellow is a bit loud though.

No wonder @giemme wearing his sun glasses. LOL.

 

Simon.

[zebra]

Looking good Ced. Great work on the canopy - I never seem to get on well with vacform canopies.

 

A recent story to share, with all this talk of the donkey post: a couple of months ago I ordered something from Amazon Australia. It was being shipped from a warehouse 38km away. 2 days they said. Donkey speed, but the donkey would have been a bit tired after doing 19km a day. But it must have been absolutely knackered by the time it got here - according to the tracking, it missed a turn and kept going all the way to Welshpool, Western Australia, so when it got here 10 days later it had done a 6500km detour. Poor donkey, I hope it hitched a lift across the desert!

[CedB]

19 hours ago, giemme said:

Interesting method on the exhaust, I normally go the other way round.

 

This thing has wings already!

 

Great job, Ced

Please hurry the primer/painting stage, that yellow plastic is really disturbing  

 

Ciao

"I normally go the other way round."? Ooer

Usually I'd agree but, with the AK paste, I thought it safer to put wax on the paint rather than vice versa. Seemed to work OK.

Just for you Giorgio I've started painting over the yellow (se below)

19 hours ago, Biggles87 said:

Haven't you been wearing sunglasses reading this thread, I have.

An hour after posting about slow deliveries the post lady arrived with a big package for me.  I knew it would work.

 

John

Please to hear the package arrived John  You won't need the sunglasses for much longer.

19 hours ago, Spookytooth said:

Bravo on the canopy Ced.

hat Yellow is a bit loud though.

No wonder @giemme wearing his sun glasses. LOL.

 

Simon.

Thanks Simon  

9 hours ago, zebra said:

Looking good Ced. Great work on the canopy - I never seem to get on well with vacform canopies.

 

A recent story to share, with all this talk of the donkey post: a couple of months ago I ordered something from Amazon Australia. It was being shipped from a warehouse 38km away. 2 days they said. Donkey speed, but the donkey would have been a bit tired after doing 19km a day. But it must have been absolutely knackered by the time it got here - according to the tracking, it missed a turn and kept going all the way to Welshpool, Western Australia, so when it got here 10 days later it had done a 6500km detour. Poor donkey, I hope it hitched a lift across the desert!

Thanks zebra  Stew told me a tip with vac form - use a new scalpel blade and repeatedly stroke it gently around the outline you want; takes time but avoids those embarrassing 'veering off' accidents. 

Weird Donkey story too - I guess there's a lot of room to get lost in Aus…

 

A bit done yesterday afternoon. I've started brushing the Humbrol 24 and I like the way it's sort of 'weathering itself':

 

 

I like the way this paint comes out 'a bit dirty'.

I've also painted some Filmoplast for the canopy framing:

 

 

Fingers crossed.

 

I suppose I should do something about the ident lights on the underside? They're quite big on some reference shots, but were they 'original'? Do they go (from the front) red, green, amber?

Also, what are the 'holes' in the flaps? Are they original? You can see them here. Might need a transfer for those.

[giemme]

That looks a propre yellow, Ced!

 

Ciao

[stevehnz]

7 hours ago, CedB said:

Also, what are the 'holes' in the flaps? Are they original?

No, using Google translate, they are a mod from it's days as a camera ship during C-130 dropping trials, I think with the RAF.

Steve.

Edited April 7, 2019 by stevehnz

[Spookytooth]

Perhaps those holes were to lighten the aircraft?

 

The Yellow looks cool, no so harsh.

 

 

Simon.

[CedB]

On 07/04/2019 at 10:32, giemme said:

That looks a propre yellow, Ced!

 

Ciao

Thanks Giorgio - less harsh on the eyes eh?  

On 07/04/2019 at 12:39, stevehnz said:

No, using Google translate, they are a mod from it's days as a camera ship during C-130 dropping trials, I think with the RAF.

Steve.

Thanks Steve - no holes, yay!  

On 07/04/2019 at 13:51, Spookytooth said:

Perhaps those holes were to lighten the aircraft?

 

The Yellow looks cool, no so harsh.

 

 

Simon.

Thanks Simon  

 

Day off yesterday but I did finish the yellow:

 

 

…and started the framing:

 

 

The vac form had a coat of Aqua Gloss first. Those bits appear to be narrower on the reference shot, other bits are a bit wider and there are two opening windows for the pilot.

More later.

[stevehnz]

Looking good Ced, my example of this is suddenly seeming like a better option after seeing this build & @Paul J's one. I was doing some musing about the one with the holey flaps & got a vision of a Harvard in full on dive a bit like a Dauntless dive bomber, tracking a load just chucked out the back of a Herc while a camera man in the back filmed the behavior of parachutes etc. Goodness knows what actually happened but that was my thought. You just carry on without the holes, it's looking just swell without them

Steve.

[CedB]

6 minutes ago, stevehnz said:

I was doing some musing about the one with the holey flaps & got a vision of a Harvard in full on dive a bit like a Dauntless dive bomber, tracking a load just chucked out the back of a Herc while a camera man in the back filmed the behavior of parachutes etc. Goodness knows what actually happened but that was my thought.

Did you mean this Steve?

 

Looks like one for @TheBaron

Full story here!

[Paul J]

Not seen those perforated flaps on a Harvard before!!! Very much like a Dauntless! Does it still have them?? 

Nice to see the progress so far. I thought about doing the framing similar to yours but using the light grey . However am sticking to striped decals.

[stevehnz]

15 minutes ago, CedB said:

Full story here!

thanks Ced, thats blooming interesting, I was closer to fact than I thought I might be, so was the pilot of KF183.

Steve.

[giemme]

38 minutes ago, CedB said:

less harsh on the eyes eh?  

Defnitely! Looks good now  

 

Ciao

[Biggles87]

Seconded ( here we go again? )

 

John

[CedB]

2 hours ago, Paul J said:

Not seen those perforated flaps on a Harvard before!!! Very much like a Dauntless! Does it still have them?? 

Nice to see the progress so far. I thought about doing the framing similar to yours but using the light grey . However am sticking to striped decals.

Thanks Paul  Looking forward to seeing how the decals go.

From what I can see FT375 has gone through a series of mods. The holey flaps seem to have been fitted with a small aerial 'blade' behind the cockpit, later replaced with a larger one when the '50' insignia were added. My model is of the, er, cleaner scheme…

2 hours ago, stevehnz said:

thanks Ced, thats blooming interesting, I was closer to fact than I thought I might be, so was the pilot of KF183.

Steve.

You're welcome Steve.

2 hours ago, giemme said:

Defnitely! Looks good now  

 

Ciao

18 minutes ago, Biggles87 said:

Seconded ( here we go again? )

 

John

Thanks Giorgio and John  

 

 

Canopy framing completed this morning. Here it is before burnishing and showing those nice tiny scissors I rescued after my small op:

 

 

I've stuck it on now and it's drying. My first time using Bill's favourite 560 canopy glue:

 

 

I need to touch up the canopy and blend it in later. I did find the flexibility of the vac form a pain - it's not quite straight and the frames highlight the dents bits. Grrrr.

 

Then it's gloss coat and transfers.

Then fit the exhaust, wheels and landing light covers.

 

Nearly there.

[Spookytooth]

Thirded Ced.

Looks calmer now.

 

Simon.