Mr T Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 This is another kit I have unearthed from the stash have been bought and the wings stuck together some forty years ago. The kit cost 39p according to the sticker. The Bristol 138 was built as a high altitude research plane, but also with an eye to the World Altitude Record that it gained twice in 1936 and June 1937when it reached an altitude of 53,937 ft. (16,220 metres). Of mainly wooden construction, it was powered by a twin supercharged Pegasus engine and a second airframe to be powered by a Kestrel engine was never completed. The kit is fairly basic, but has promise seems large for such a small engine. I have some Rising Sun decals with better coloured roundels and some stencils and I am using a Pegasus engine out of an old Matchbox kit (?) to replace the screw thread dowel kit part. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 Some work done on the Bristol 138 in the last couple of days. Raised panel lines, such as they are have, largely been replaced by with new scribed one and the engine out of the spares box has been sanded to fit the kit cowling. I looks much better and I will put up a photo when it has been painted etc. Work has started on the interior. I found a drawing of the cockpit from the Flight archive, which has given me something to work from. The cockpit is not going to be superdetailed as the canopy will be shut. The canopy is much better then the one on the Hotspur, being less marked and clearer, although still quite thick. a bit more attempt has been made to make the air intake a less empty. so far my overall impression of the 138 is that it looks like shape wise a bit like the unnatural spawn of a Typhooh and Blenheim/Beaufort. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 2 minutes ago, Mr T said: The cockpit is not going to be superdetailed Er, looks like superdetailing to me! Nice. Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 5, 2019 Author Share Posted August 5, 2019 I have missed out loads of stuff like the oxygen pipes and regulator and all the throttle handles etc. you get on Eduard etch and which are largely too tiny to handle unless you have a level of patience way beyond anything that I have. It always amuses me that Frog seats are all the same and bear no resemblance to anything pilots sat on. They remind me of the dining chairs that I used to see as a child in Hopewells an upmarket? furnishing store in Nottingham when my mum went in for a look around (Never bought anything as far I can recall as the stuff was always a bit pricey). Just looked now and the place is still there and still not cheap! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 Nice progress and looking forward to seeing this kit built Mr.T. I've recently picked up the same box, however my Novo canopy seems to have a blue tinge to it. I'm hoping it'll all look OK once built up however I am a little worried about it? I've also been trying to search for that same set of 'Rising Decals' decals, however they seem to be quite difficult to track down at the moment. Cheers and good luck.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventora3300 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 18 hours ago, Mr T said: Some work done on the Bristol 138 in the last couple of days. the engine out of the spares box has been sanded to fit the kit cowling. I looks much better and I will put up a photo when it has been painted etc. Great start - I was interested in how the engine was going to turn out - I saw a previous build which pointed out that the kit engine was a bit 'skinny' in relation to the real Pegasus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 6, 2019 Author Share Posted August 6, 2019 Skinny is a bit of understatement. The cylinders are very thin with no detail apart from machine screw like cooling fins and the crankcase looks like piece of shaped dowel. I have a memory that although Frog often provided separate engines, they all tended to be at a similar level of crudeness. Even some of the contemporary Airfix all in one efforts seemed to be a bit better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 17, 2019 Author Share Posted August 17, 2019 I have managed to move on a bit with this kit now the Hotspur is virtually finished. The fuselage is together and seems to need a bit of filler. On the photo, you cannot really see it as the filler an plastic are virtually the same colour. Dave, I am sorry to hear about the tinted canopy, I think QC at Novo was never brilliant. I can remember checking kits for sort shots etc as there seemed to be issues. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike romeo Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Nice job, so far. There was a Classic Plastic article a few years ago on building one of these; the kit scrubbed up well, as I recall. Looking forward to seeing further progress. Regards Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted August 17, 2019 Share Posted August 17, 2019 Great stuff @Mr T Looking forward to the next instalment cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 18, 2019 Author Share Posted August 18, 2019 Moved on with the 138 over the last day or so and the wings rudder and tailplane have been added. The wings and tail are not the best of fits and filler has been added with some plastic card fillets to fill a gap at the leading edge of the wing and fuselage join. no sure if that is due to my enthusiastic sanding down of the wing. The Spitfire (Sword Mk Vc kit in 504 Sqn markings finished earlier this year) is for scale and shows the 138 as a big aeroplane for a single Pegasus engine. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Nice comparison. I’ve got this kit and it’s amazing how large this model builds up when you consider how small a box it comes in. For that reason alone this is excellent value and a head turner for any modelling cabinet. She’s coming up nicely Mr. T and we are all glad to see you’ve recovered enough to get back to the modelling bench. Cheers and welcome back.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted August 19, 2019 Author Share Posted August 19, 2019 I was surprised by the size of the plane compared to the box size. A bit of a reverse to modern trends (although the GWH F15I box is pretty full) where sometimes there is a single sprue rattling around a big box 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted September 2, 2019 Author Share Posted September 2, 2019 More progress with the Bristol after a busy week or so. Canopy is on and masked and airframe primed and sanded etc.. Ready now for the topcoat of black, that I think will be Tamiya semi gloss as Tamiya paints seem to spray well with their own thinners from my previous limited experience. some scratchbuilding of small details has been necessary and the pipe4s fro the supercharger that are blobs on the side of the nose have been removed and will be replaced with some thick copper wire out of the inside of some TV coax aerial lead I found at my mums. The original pipes seem to be copper and so no painting required. wheels, engine and undercarriage legs also painted up ready. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 That looks so sweet and with those huge wings it's quite obvious why this thing didn't want to fly amongst the trees! The detail bits are subtle, however highly effective. I'm impressed by the all round quality of this kit and your modelling. This will turn out a cracker! Cheers.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinxman Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 That's a big old bird - it looks very neat indeed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted September 3, 2019 Author Share Posted September 3, 2019 Now has a coat of black on top, that will need to be re done in places as showed up a couple of imperfections that I had missed. Tamiya sprayed on really well, I pleased to say. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Progressing very nicely! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 Paint on and demasked. Some touching up will be required. Disappointed that the Tamiya Chrome Silver and the Vallejo White Aluminum turned out to be almost the same shade. Photos to follow as currently near Canterbury before getting on a ferry tomorrow for Calais and a few days in France and Belgium. Mrs T and I booked it on the spur of the moment this morning. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 Good for you - enjoy your break. After what you have been through lately you deserve one. Pete 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 12 hours ago, Mr T said: Getting on a ferry tomorrow for Calais and a few days in France and Belgium. Mrs T and I booked it on the spur of the moment this morning. You old romantic you ! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 20 minutes ago, JOCKNEY said: You old romantic you ! My wife goes to work this Monday and Tuesday, whilst I’ve got these days off... I reckon there’s something romantic about that too!! 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 23 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said: My wife goes to work this Monday and Tuesday, whilst I’ve got these days off... I reckon there’s something romantic about that too!! Ah yes, but have you found the list she left you to do before she left, that spare bedroom could do with a lick of paint etc ! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted September 7, 2019 Author Share Posted September 7, 2019 I am at home now most days and rarely need a list for any jobs. One thing about fending for myself from when I left home, none of the cooking etc is difficult, in fact I enjoy baking, preserve making etc. I am writing this from a hotel in the Ardennes and on my guard for unexpected armoured attacks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr T Posted September 13, 2019 Author Share Posted September 13, 2019 Back from a short holiday in the Ardennes and a funeral and work continues on the 138. Paint work is more or less finished, although I am not entirely happy with the metal panel around the nose. i really wanted a bit more contrast, but calling it sorted now. Masking was fun, I was trying to work how to get the curvy demarcation sorted then realised that i have a tool for the job in the shape of an OFLA circle cutter I bought from ED Models about 1988. That some wide masking tape and flexible Tamiya masking tape seem to have sort of worked. since the photo was taken several coats of gloss varnish have been added and decalling will start tonight. Feeling I am getting somewhere with this kit after 41 years 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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