DMC Posted October 7, 2019 Author Share Posted October 7, 2019 3 hours ago, pheonix said: think that I posted the completed dio in RFI Wow! Missed it first time around and I can see why you missed the deadline, a lot of work in that. Amazing craftsmanship and detai. Dennis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted October 7, 2019 Share Posted October 7, 2019 4 hours ago, DMC said: Amazing craftsmanship and detail. Very nice indeed. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 12, 2019 Author Share Posted October 12, 2019 Okay, a little more work done on the diorama base. I’ll be using plaster to build up the shoreline and seabed. To give it a base to grip I’ll epoxy this kitchen grid/mesh mat to the base. I can build it up layer by layer until I get the look I want....whatever that is. That clear piece on the grid is an untrimmed vac moulding of the forward hull (aft not done yet). The idea being to bring the water right up to the fuselage without fixing it permanently to the base. Haven’t seen it done this so not sure how it will work. This YouTube vid is the one where I first heard about using ClearFix for the water. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=water+for+dioramas&&view=detail&mid=E4DF40E96DC51BED2647E4DF40E96DC51BED2647&&FORM=VRDGAR Thanks for looking in. Dennis 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 15, 2019 Author Share Posted October 15, 2019 Third time lucky......maybe. This time I thought I’d try applying the rib tapes a little more systematically rather than one after the other and hope it all comes out right. With 21 tapes to a side I needed the correct spacing from one tape to the next. After working that out, I cut strips of styrene for 1, 2, 3 and 4 tape spacing and used these strips to mark out the location of each tape. Every space the same on both wings. This time, rather than .010 strips, I cut the tapes from my last, hoarded, square of .005 styrene. I use Tamiya Extra Thin which dried quickly but gave me a few seconds to shift a tape if need be. I only did a couple of sections and the took a break to avoid inhaling the cement fumes. And, shame shame, I’ll not be doing underneath the wings as they won’t show once the model is on the diorama. Thanks for looking in. Dennis 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Those ribs look good with a nice even spacing. Will you sand them gently to take the edges off? P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 This is a truly inspiring build, something to return to for tips and ideas for years to come. Keep up the good work Dennis. Cheers Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrlx Posted October 15, 2019 Share Posted October 15, 2019 Impressive work on the wing ribs! Cheers Jaime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 16, 2019 Author Share Posted October 16, 2019 13 hours ago, pheonix said: Those ribs look good with a nice even spacing. Will you sand them gently to take the edges off? Thanks, Phoenix, difficult to get wrong when the same spacers are used for each section. I have sanded them, carefully, down a little but with .005 I have to be very careful. 10 hours ago, JOCKNEY said: This is a truly inspiring build Thanks, Pat, if I ever need a mojo boost I’ll come back and read your reply again. Much appreciated. 9 hours ago, jrlx said: Impressive work on the wing ribs "Thanks Jaime. Cheers guys and thanks again Dennis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 Rib tapes finely done and dihedral set and epoxied. Tricky bit of scalpel work getting a good wing to fuselage fit. Taking it a sliver at a time. Plunged an inset to cover the wing and cockpit. The head rest has a sort of flare around it. Probably made to be removable to get at something inside the hull. I vacuum formed it out of.020 to get good definition. After everything is joined together.... It should look something like this. Thanks for looking in. Dennis 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Good work Dennis. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 That is looking very good indeed. Fine scratch building. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share Posted October 19, 2019 On 10/17/2019 at 10:20 PM, Courageous said: Good work Dennis. Thanks, Stuart. On 10/17/2019 at 11:24 PM, pheonix said: That is looking very good indeed. Fine scratch building. Thanks, Phoenix, getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share Posted October 20, 2019 Cutting out the ailerons from a wing that probably used up ten hours of my life to make was a real nerve shredder. Luckily, it all went ok and I could get on with making those unusual hinges. Haven’t seen them on any other airplane and contemporary photos of the M.33 aren’t that sharp so I had to, ahem, wing it. Two on top of each wing and one on the bottom. I won’t be doing the bottom hinge as it wouldn’t show and it’ll save me a little time. Thanks for looking in (TFLI?) Dennis 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 Not bothering with the bottom hinge is a sensible way forward - sometimes life is just too short. P 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Looking just right Dennis, in form & detail .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 22, 2019 Author Share Posted October 22, 2019 Wing tip floats: unusual shape and impossible to carve out of small blocks of styrene.......for me anyway. Each float has three pieces, top, middle and bottom—or hull. Really quite easy to do by plunge moulding and I can mould as many, all identical, as I need. These floats are the last things I have to make before I can do a little painting. I’ll hold off assembling everything until I get the diorama ready to receive the model. I’m beginning to think I might actually finish this one Thanks for looking in Dennis 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 22, 2019 Author Share Posted October 22, 2019 8 hours ago, greggles.w said: Looking just right Dennis, in form & detail .. Thanks Greg, as usual very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Those are some of the most complex looking wing floats that I have seen. Plunge moulding was the obvious method to make them - they look good. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 You make this plunge molding malarkey look too easy. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 23, 2019 Author Share Posted October 23, 2019 14 hours ago, pheonix said: Plunge moulding was the obvious method to make them - they look good. P Thanks Pheonix, you are right, no other way. 9 hours ago, Courageous said: You make this plunge molding malarkey look too easy. Malarkey you say, MALARKEY! Insolvent whelp😅. Actually, Stuart, as you know, it’s just like many other things: practice practice. I’ll bet I’ve done 100 or more. The more I did the easier it became. Dennis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 27, 2019 Author Share Posted October 27, 2019 More on the floats: I decided to fill the floats with Milliput so the strut wires would have a secure base to anchor into. A little sanding to smooth the mating surfaces and then cementing the halves to the middle piece. I used a bit more Milliput on the aft end to fill the step and contour it in. The struts were cut to length and superglued in place. The diagonal brace is cut from a length of strut material (Contrai?) that I found squirrels away with some old Evergreen packets I had. Besides the struts, there are four bracing rods for each float. They’ll be amongst the last thing to go on the model. Trail fitting the nacelle: getting the struts the correct length so that the nacelle sat level took a bit of doing. Established the length of the front struts first and drilled the mounting holes in the fuselage. Then it was just trail and error fitting of the rear ones, a snip at a time, until the nacelle looked level. A diagonal strut that fits between the verticals will be added later. I managed to fit the prop inti the spinner without screwing things up so took a lengthy break and started breathing again. The nacell looks pretty big to me but I was very careful when making it and stayed within the outlines on the plan I was using. Thing is, it is big and this one will have to do as I’m not up to making another one. No, not at all. Thanks for looking in. Dennis 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 5 hours ago, DMC said: Thing is, it is big I tend to agree. I'd be more concerned about the prop size as it looks like its pretty close to or about to hit the hull. But as you say, you can't make another now. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 27, 2019 Author Share Posted October 27, 2019 Well spotted, Stuart. Prop is definitely to long, but the shape is correct, and does just clip the hull. It’ll be trimmed of course. Everything else measures up to the plans, however. This is the only photo I’ve been able to find of #7, my intended colour scheme. A quite darkish red with, apparently, a silver nacelle and struts. There were two M.33s entered in the race that year and neither did very well. The other one was all silver but I like the contrast so I’m going with #7. Seven was the last of the boat hulled Macchis, the next five were all float planes. Dennis 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheonix Posted October 28, 2019 Share Posted October 28, 2019 Looking at the photo and your model I do not think that the engine nacelle is too big: it really was a whopper on the real machine! It looks excellent on your model BTW. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted October 29, 2019 Author Share Posted October 29, 2019 15 hours ago, pheonix said: It looks excellent on your model BTW Thanks, Phoenix, I’m getting used to it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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