Supermarine Walrus - finished

[Robert Stuart]

I really - REALLY - shouldn't be doing this.

It isn't as if there wasn't enough in my current build list, ignoring the work on the shelf and that Dennis reminded me (and others) that I've signed up for the next month's Film/Scifi group build ...

 

So, wisely, I never signed up for this GB.  Been dithering whether to build a Corsair here, a Walrus, or let the build go by.

A Corsair?  It sounds rather esoteric, but would be eligable ...

 

OK, in the spirit of hope over experience ... one Airfix Walrus, in 1/48 scale - the silver wings version.

 

There are plenty reviews of the plastic online, mostly of the camouflaged boxing.   The markings here include one pre-war Royal Navy type, an Irish Air Corps version and, post-war, a French Aeronavale machine.

 

 

 

[jrlx]

Hi Robert!

 

Welcome to the GB! Great choice of entry. Have you already decided which scheme you'll be building?

 

Good luck!

 

Jaime

 

 

[greggles.w]

5 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

I really - REALLY - shouldn't be doing this.

Great opener!!  ... and glad you’re mucking in regardless.  A little silver dope & the ‘shouldn’ts’ will fade away.

[Robert Stuart]

Thanks @jrlx, @greggles.w

 

Ummm, I'm thinking I'll use the Irish decals.

[bigbadbadge]

Cracking choice of model, will watch with interest. Good luck with your build.

All the best

Chris

[Robert Stuart]

Thanks for the good wishes Chris

 

 

Most of our plastic model aircraft start with the cockpit?

That is what Airfix suggest in their instructions, so ... I started with the lower wings and propellor

 

 

The propellor is simple enough, two pairs of blades bolted glued together.  There is a spinner that should be added

 

Airfix's instructiuons suggest the Irish Walrus should carry bombs or depth charges.   I have my doubts, so have covered the lower wing bomb bays and attachment points.

Not sure what I've done wrong, but I've found the fit of Airfix's bomb bay covers is not the best.

 

 

I've now retrned to Airfix's stage 1, and covered most of theit first nine stages - the lower hull and walk-way together with the support bracket for thet pilot's seat.

 

 

 

 

[jrlx]

Good start, Robert. The kit looks well detailed.

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

[JOCKNEY]

I believe the Airfix Walrus is a really nice kit, so I am delighted you have brought this one to the GB.

Good luck with the build

cheers Pat

[greggles.w]

Wow, this is no shop-front mannequin, the detail is more anatomical dissection model!

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

 

On 9/10/2019 at 2:57 AM, Robert Stuart said:

Been dithering whether to build a Corsair here, a Walrus, or let the build go by.

A Corsair?  It sounds rather esoteric, but would be eligable ...

Would that be one of these Corsairs then ?

 

Quoted from wiki. "O3U-1 = 87 built, incorporating Grumman amphibious float"

Edited September 12, 2019 by Corsairfoxfouruncle

[Robert Stuart]

Thanks guys.  The kit is beautiful, very 'Airfix'.

The detail does mean there are lots of ejector pins, though most will be hidden when the model is finished.  I think I'd've preferred it if Airfix had offered seperate inner framing

 

 

 

 

 

 

23 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Would that be one of these Corsairs then ?

 

Denis, it's the last one at the top - the O3U-3.

[Robert Stuart]

I've just received some seat belts for the Walrus, but the placement instructions are, at best, illogical.

 

Question:

Did Walrus crew use seat belts?  Landing on choppy water would be uncomfortable enough without added human projectiles, but ... I can see no indication of the belts in photos or my (admittely limited) manual references.

[bigbadbadge]

Great start so far, I have one of these too and have had to restrain myself from starting it . It will take me a while to build though and wouldn't finish in time for the GB deadline. I will happily watch this one.

Also re the Corsairs, I was looking for one a while ago, the third one (going left to right) with the Spatted undercarriage as there is a pic in Scale Aircraft modelling magazine from yonks ago showing one that the RAF used to evaluate . I understand Esoteric models did a kit but could never lay my hands on one.  Maybe one day.

All the best

Chris

[Robert Stuart]

Thanks @bigbadbadge.  I have hopes that this will be a quick(ish) build - unless I get bogged down in detail ... like the seat harness.

 

Your Corsair?  The spatted version is an option with Esoteric's O3U-3 kit.  I have seen copies appear on ebay from time to time

{edit} Also called a Corsair Two {/edit}

 

Here's a scan of the plastic ...

 

You can see the spats just below the wheels at the bottom.  My copy of the kit has a white metal engine (and other w/m parts) and what looks like Contrail struts.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

7 minutes ago, Robert Stuart said:

Thanks @bigbadbadge.  I have hopes that this will be a quick(ish) build - unless I get bogged down in detail ... like the seat harness.

 

Your Corsair?  The spatted version is an option with Esoteric's O3U-3 kit.  I have seen copies appear on ebay from time to time

{edit} Also called a Corsair Two {/edit}

 

Here's a scan of the plastic ...

 

You can see the spats just below the wheels at the bottom.  My copy of the kit has a white metal engine (and other w/m parts) and what looks like Contrail struts.

Hmmmm🧐... I think i may just have to find one. It would be my first ever vac form build. However I'm a huge Vought fan so need it someday to finish my collection. 

[bigbadbadge]

6 hours ago, Robert Stuart said:

Thanks @bigbadbadge.  I have hopes that this will be a quick(ish) build - unless I get bogged down in detail ... like the seat harness.

 

Your Corsair?  The spatted version is an option with Esoteric's O3U-3 kit.  I have seen copies appear on ebay from time to time

{edit} Also called a Corsair Two {/edit}

 

Here's a scan of the plastic ...

 

You can see the spats just below the wheels at the bottom.  My copy of the kit has a white metal engine (and other w/m parts) and what looks like Contrail struts.

Thanks for the image and info Robert, yes going to definitely track one down. It does look good in the picture in the Magazine. I will have to try and locate that too.

All the best

Chris

[Robert Stuart]

10 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Hmmmm🧐... I think i may just have to find one. It would be my first ever vac form build. However I'm a huge Vought fan so need it someday to finish my collection. 

A Vought fan? With a handle like Corsair F4U? 

 

3 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Thanks for the image and info Robert, yes going to definitely track one down. It does look good in the picture in the Magazine. I will have to try and locate that too.

All the best

Chris

Do Chris, I hope you'll enjoy it.

 

Both,  vacform isn't as frighetening as it looks ... at least not with a good base kit, and there are enough built examples of this one around to suggest it is buildable.

FWIW, There are some good scratch builds running in this GB, and Jockney has placed a marker for a Contrail (VacForm) build - so plenty of experts in this field to offer help and advice.

 

[Robert Stuart]

While wrapping up the D-Day GB (and getting side-tracked into filam and fantasy) I've allowed this to slide a little ...

 

I have another excuse.  I've a notion to build this with a base, but the base would mean the aircraft was powered up, which in turn would mean it needs a crew.

 

Powered up?  I mean the engine is running, which in turn means the propellor is turning ... so I ordered these disks

 

There is a protective film on these, so they should be clearer than this photo shows.  Two pairs, because I'm debating whether to show the blur on the propellor blades.

 

Aircrew

Airfix dont supply aircrew in the kit.  Images of late 1930's / 1940 Irish Air Corp crew are a bit thin on the web, I found five, three in formal uniform with flying caps, two in (what looks like) Sidcote suits.    1/48 scale figures of aircrew on board an aircraft are hard enough, but add to that I wanted them to wear Sidcote suits, finding suitable aircrew figures was impossible.   There is a pre-war Czech pilot in resin who might have been suitable, but he's in resin, which would be difficult to adapt - and expensive to mess up.

 

I wound up buying these fellows

 

They don't look like aircrew - of any nation - but they are wearing overalls, which could be scraped and padded to suit ... what's more, there is a selection of poses from which to start.

 

[Robert Stuart]

Some progress to report, I've done some work inside the hull, started work with the crew and (part) glued the wings ...

 

The 'crew' (Tamiya Tank Crew) sprue

 

Which yeilded these three ...

 

From back to front, the radio operator, navigator and pilot. The radio operator was the simplest so far - he was a standing figure, who's pelvis was split before adding his torso.  The navigator had two kneeling legs (from different figures), his knees had to be trimmed - the left may be repaired.  The pilot was a bent over figure, I've bent his knees so his feet match the rudder pedals.

All of them have had their heads re-positioned, pockets trimmed off their overalls, and need more work (the crew is currently 'armless).

 

From the outside, the pilot and navigator will be visible - as seen in this view

 

The wings, as I say are started ...

 

I am also thinking about a base, here is a hint ...

 

 

This base is, just, too small, or I'd used it - but you should get the idea.

 

[Robert Stuart]

Rescued from near the bottom of page three, but ... not forgotten.

I had a few bad starts on the base - hope I'm getting there now ...

A square(ish) piece of thin insulation foam

 

The 'rigging lines' are there to measure the space, with foam beams to give wave crests.

 

Cover in a thin sheet of model scenery foam

 

Except that wouldn't glue down the way I wanted. So I cut the sheet into strips, which were still a pain, but at least they did glue down.

 

Seen here with stuff for the next stage - plaster bangage, and a water spray.

I find the bandage is much easier to control when sprayed with water than soaking in a bowl.

 

I gave it a plaster bandage first (no photo), before framing the base in plaster ...

 

At this stage the bandage is easy to cut - it will become much harder when the plaster sets off.

 

 

 

And the general idea ...

 

 

I've run out of bandage, but hope I wont need to cover ALL of that foam.

The base wants a few hours before I dust off and clean up the rough points.  It wont be fully hard for a few days, but is much stiffer now than when I started.

 

[jrlx]

Good to see this one come alive again and complete with a diorama

 

Very interested to see it progressing. I find dioramas fascinating but haven't ventured to do one yet.

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

[AdrianMF]

Looking forward to seeing the base. The aeroplane is coming along nicely too and I like the crew.

 

Regards,

Adrian

[CliffB]

This is great to watch Robert 

 

Cliff

[Robert Stuart]

Thanks guys - this (Royal Navy) training film is part of my inspiration for the diorama 

 

 

The Sea Otter(?) 'landing' is especially interesting.

That link focuses on the end of that video - re-wind and watch the whole video, it is worth it

 

[Robert Stuart]

The base has been a struggle, but I think I'm getting there ... photos follow, but not all stages, sorry

 

After making the base from foam and plaster bandage, I gave it a covering of acrylic gel and paper kitchen towel.
This mix was covered in a sheet of plastic while the gel set.

 

Removing the plastic sheet I had this ....

Lots of random waves - which would have been great - except the edges of the plaster bandage dominate the scene.

There was another problem, not seen here ... I'd forgotten that kitchen towel is two-ply.   As soon as I started working on the bandage ridges, the whole surface started to lift.
OK, clean that lot off, and try another mix - this time with molding (sic) paste brushed and stippled on to hide the worst of the bandage issue ...

 

Not quite there yet, but a combination of sanding and more gel left me ready to paint the surface.  Which showed that I still had bandage issues ... so, using an old credit card, I  scaped on yet more gel in to fill the edges.

 

That sea looks brown here (it's burnt sienna under phthalocyanine blue (phthalo blue) - the white gel dries clear.

A few hours later, with some drying still to do ...


The darker spots here show how the blue/brown combination tend to a chromatic black.  The white spots are clear ge - just not dry yet.
If it stops raining for long enough, I'll spray more blue today.