Jump to content

Supermarine Walrus - finished


Recommended Posts

Thanks guys

Managed to dodge the rain enough to add a bit of phthalo blue, followed by titanium white + phthalo green, which then needed a shot of different (same brand, more transparent) phthalo green.

FB-walrus-0032.jpg

 

Beginning to hope these colours will work.

The brown is more prominent here than in RL, and there is a patch which will need special attention.  Maybe tomorrow?  The forecast suggests it will be a bit cold for acrylic painting (peaking at 7C), but for non-archival work, we should get away with it.

Those raggy edges are not too much of a worry for me - I've seen some lovely ship dioramas where the sea appears to pour off the base.  This, my first attempt at a sea diorama, wont be up to that standard, but I'm learning.

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/30/2019 at 8:33 PM, Robert Stuart said:

re-wind and watch the whole video, it is worth it

It certainly is! What an amazing film. Complicated task getting an aircraft into the air off a ship, must have been fun in rough weather at night.

 

Does the Walrus have a co-pilot? I was thinking about what looks like a bullet hole through the right hand windshield.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks @Johnson :)

 

1 hour ago, Johnson said:

Does the Walrus have a co-pilot? I was thinking about what looks like a bullet hole through the right hand windshield.

Visible at about 15:36 in the video?  Certainly looks like a bullet hole.

Co-pilot? There is what I would call a dickie seat attached to the starboard side wall that could be let down (seat back on the roof, at least in the Airfix version).

From the Mushroom book, the manual describes how to move the control column to that position.  It wouldn't be full control as the engine controls are on the aircraft's port side.

 

I can't imagine the arrangement would be popular - several films show the crew using the cockpit roof to enter the Walrus; that seat would block access to their operational stations.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/12/2019 at 20:37, Torbjorn said:

Beautiful colours!

 

On 14/12/2019 at 00:39, jrlx said:

Looking good! I agree the colours are beautiful!

 

Thanks guys.  The colours are - or were stunning.

I felt I had to tone them down a bit, to be more representative of British waters - I hope you do't mind too much.

I also added texture layers of clear acrylic gel

FB-walrus-0036.jpg

 

Which looked rough and rocky when the gel was wet.

 

It calmed down a bit as the gel dried

FB-walrus-0037.jpg

Here I've also added some 'Hi-Loft Polyester' - stuffing for cuddly toys - to try and simulate foam.

 

At this stage, I thought I'd better start adding foam for the landing aeroplane, and started to study the video I linked earlier (there's no substitite for doing your research early and properly).
This lead to a change in the Walrus' final position, and a start on moulding the landing spray.

 

FB-walrus-0038.jpg

 

FB-walrus-0039.jpg

 

These images show a brush and bamboo skewer holding stickey tape down to form an arc of spray.  Not sure yet if it ill work?

 

 

A landing aircraft? With no crew  I had crew before ...

 

OK, they've boarded the aeroplane,

 

FB-walrus-0042.jpg

 

The pilot has had a bit of a battle here, and cacked his right elbow. (I think the only limb he hasn't broken in this build is his left arm)

Give the glues a few hours drying, and I'll plaster that elbow with Milliput.

The navigator clearly forgot to stow his map, and is desperatly holding it down.

The map is a severly reduced copy of a modern aviation map, folded to show the South West corner of Ireland - but it was the only relevant map I could find.

 


 

  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 16/12/2019 at 21:55, AdrianMF said:

That sea base looks great and the posing looks very animated. Certainly not "Archie with his hands on his lap"!

 

I'd forgotten quite how bad some crew figures can look, until your comment :)

 

On 16/12/2019 at 22:16, Johnson said:

Looks absolutely great, especially the navigator holding the map.

Thanks, yes, I feel he adds a little humanity to the piece.

The landing wake has been extended

FB-walrus-0045.jpg

 

And balanced

 

FB-walrus-0046.jpg

 

Snips holding the tail down while the gel dries, so the acrylic wont block the Walrus sitting on the base later.

 

Closing up the Walrus's hull was a bit of a problem.  Airfix's tollerances here are just that bit too perfect.  Some clamps would have helped, but I don't have any to hand.

FB-walrus-0049.jpg

I had to come back later and fill with Milliput

 

 

Rudder is painted, and decalling started - seen here with the major engine parts

FB-walrus-0047.jpg

 

Meanwhile, I had to extend the trough for the tail wheel.

FB-walrus-0048.jpg

 

Acrylic over this expanded polysyrene foam is easy(ish) to cut, just a little tough.

 

Decalling continues, with national markings and a start to warning marks.

FB-walrus-0051.jpg

Starboard lower wing had a wandering footprint (the engine pod is dry-fitted here).

That same footprint has been brought under control (though a touch of varnish might help keep it in check)

FB-walrus-0052.jpg

 

That engine, with propellor
FB-walrus-0050.jpg

 

Hope to get more done tonight - my personal deadline for this is looming fast

 

  • Like 10
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank-you Jaime

 

Ok, and on with the rigging.  I'm using EZ-line for the first time, and am frustrated with it.

 

Partly that's because I'm using super-glue, and could not find any accelerator for it (zapper?).

The EZ-line is a bit flexible when dry.  It becomes very soft when dipped in glue, which makes threadding it in holes ... less than easy.

 

Engine pod

FB-walrus-0053.jpg

The pod was rigged off the model, which was an 'interesting' learning experience.

I did find that if I coud drill a hole through a component, the line could be threaded for it's entire run before gluing the far end.

When that was set, pulling the line back gently, I could add tension as I was gluing the through hole end.  The loose, outside, thread could then be cut off.

 

 

The top wing on, dry fitted at this stage, but a useful test, to see if the model was balanced.

FB-walrus-0054.jpg

 

Some of the controls have become displaced - rudder, port upper and starboad lower ailerons.

 

Upper wings glued on, together with port lower wing (together with the wing's rigging lines).

FB-walrus-0057.jpg

At the moment, the starboard lower wing is dry fitted as is the float.

 

Flotation test

FB-walrus-0056.jpg

Or, a test of the floats.  This is the first time I've been able to see that the floats really are clear of the 'water' - and so don't need their own wakes or sea spray!  :phew:

 

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

After a rather blue session - with plenty of breaks to recover my patience, I'm calling the rigging done.

Spoiler

strong language was used

 

The rigging lines seemed to want to stick to anything - fingers, tweezers, scalple - anything that is except the correct part of the model.

 

I've left the radio wires loose to relieve the strain on finer plastic parts

FB-walrus-0061.jpg

(Yes here is a foot print missing here - both that one, and its mirror decided to go walk-about.  One I recaptured, the other I'll have to replace.)

 

Also installed is the engine, now with spinner

FB-walrus-0063.jpg

 

A bit blurry, but the tail's radio post

FB-walrus-0062.jpg

 

These were incredibly long on the Walrus.  While shown on their rigging digram, Airfix don't include the post in their kit - I used one of Airfix's the tail-plane strut keepers to supply the plastic, and a drawing in the Mushroom book for size.

 

 

 

Not seen here, but the tail wheel is on.  This means I can work on the spray kicked up by this part.

 

This image is from last night

FB-walrus-0058.jpg

You can, just, see some pastic film, used to protect the model from the clear acrylic gel I used when sticking the 'foam'.  Under the hull, and reaching the rear hatch.

 

With a bit of trimming this morning ...

FB-walrus-0059.jpg

 

FB-walrus-0060.jpg

 

 

 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank-you Martin

 

 

OK, I'm declaring this done.  Lots of twitching I could do, but ...

 

Final steps were - replace that missing foot print on the top wing

FB-walrus-0064.jpg

 

And add the landing light cover.

FB-walrus-0071.jpg

 

 

I've posted shots in the gallery.

FB-walrus-0068.jpg

 

FB-walrus-0069.jpg

 

 

FB-walrus-0067.jpg

 

FB-walrus-0070.jpg

 

 

FB-walrus-0071.jpg

 

FB-walrus-0073.jpg

 

 

 

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...