AdrianMF Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 Out of sheer perversity, I sanded down the bumps from the oven shelf from todays worst reject and fitted it to the other reject: I’m definitely NOT going to do three... Thanks for looking, Adrian 5 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Johnson said: Presumably they will need quite a bit of internal bracing? They will, although 1mm vacformed plastic is stronger than I expected. Luckily I kept a tracing of all the bulkheads in the master, so they should fit nicely, except for where I sanded past the black edges. 50 minutes ago, DMC said: We are also I’ve been surprised how much more difficult it gets as you scale up! With canopies you can get away with a large amount of slapdashery, but not at this size. Regards, Adrian 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 That looks great Adrian, I have spent good money on commercially produced Vacform kits in the past that did not fit as well as your fuselage halves do! The circular windows should be fairly easy to cut out, but the rectangular ones could be a pain - or are you just going to paint them on? I suppose it depends how much interior detail you are going to put in given that there is only just over 2 weeks left. Looking forward to seeing this finished, as I suspect you are too. Pete 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 7, 2019 Author Share Posted December 7, 2019 10 minutes ago, PeterB said: Looking forward to seeing this finished, as I suspect you are too. It actually feels like two builds: (1) make an Empire fuselage and learn how to vacform big stuff; and (2) build a flying boat from a selection of injection and vacform parts. I'm looking forward to some fun with the interior (I have to add some bulkheads for strength anyway), and the windows will be opened up, I don't think it will get finished by the 22nd December but I will carry on here until then, and move it to the main WIP section after the end. I'm hoping for a 2020 finish, I just don't want to say when! Regards, Adrian 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted December 7, 2019 Share Posted December 7, 2019 Very impressive work Adrian. IMHO, I'd live with 2mm height discrepancy and get building. Stuart 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 4 hours ago, Courageous said: 2mm height discrepancy What 2mm? Where?? Given that this will go in a sea base I think I can ignore the difference because a big chunk of it will be under the waterline. Regards, Adrian Regards, Adrian 4 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Sneaky. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Fantastic work Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Great work Adrian, this is going to be a fantastic build. Keep up the good work All the best Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Adrian, yours vacu form looks great really! I am watching your build with great interest, since I have similar plans about my Airfix Sunderland, although when I see how many effort you had to do I think I will rather choose more direct scratch work (plastic surgery....) on a basis of Sunderland fusalage...- and plasctic plates... Regarding @PeterB remark on windows in big vacu models 20 hours ago, PeterB said: I have spent good money on commercially produced Vacform kits in the past that did not fit as well as your fuselage halves do! The circular windows should be fairly easy to cut out, but the rectangular ones could be a pain - or are you just going to paint them on? I suppose it depends how much interior detail you are going to put in given that there is only just over 2 weeks left. Looking forward to seeing this finished, as I suspect you are too. There is also possibility of cutting a bit bigger rectagulars and gleue clear plastic plates, only masking windows on them. I did like that in my Combat Models 1/72 vacu Clipper (as maybe you remember) This technique gives advatage that neighbouring windows have the same surface orientation, so they reflects light in the same way. If you glue windows one by one it is difficult to get. the final effect was OK I think Good to add curtains behind windows. I think Short has cloth curtains in more comfortable compartments But no curtains at all with rounded smaler windows I do hope above photos are really from Empire, as were desribed... Cheers J-W 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 J-W, I might well steal your idea for the squarish windows, because they are in groups and the fuselage side is pretty flat around them - thanks. The portholes are candidates for a clear glue film I think That Clipper looks amazing, doubly so when you know it started life as some bumps in plastic. I don’t think the colour picture is an Empire (is it a Sandringham?), but the other two are, showing the promenade deck and smoking compartment. I’m sure there will be lively debate about the colours and patterns on the curtains! * If you are serious about building an Empire, I should have some spare patterns and parts at the end of this build... Regards, Adrian * no there won’t - it’s neither VVS nor Luft46 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWM Posted December 8, 2019 Share Posted December 8, 2019 Adrian, thank you! Indeed the curtains are in strips, so hard to tell. Maybe some drawing from epoch will solve (or at least suggest) solution. The scheme I want to do is that one (so far) It is Short S-30, so I have to study diffences in engines I think only Regards J-W 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 8, 2019 Author Share Posted December 8, 2019 Smaller diameter engine cowlings because it was a sleeve valve Perseus, not a tappet valve Pegasus. The power was lower but so was the drag. Regards, Adrian 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 Started on the bulkheads and glazing: Thanks for looking, Adrian 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Cripes, that was a busy few pages, fascinating too. I do like the way this is coming along. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Yet more nice work going on here, well done. There's a rather nice seaplane tender build here, in case that gives you any ideas... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 9, 2019 Author Share Posted December 9, 2019 29 minutes ago, TonyW said: seaplane tender Ooh! You are a mind reader. I have some photos of an RAF launch from the Hendon Museum kicking around too... Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 I had a good friend who flew for Imperial on the flying boats. I only wish he were still around for me to ask. He ended up as the flight engineer on the inaugural DH Comet flight to J'burg and trained all the Comet crews. Wonderful man, sadly missed! (Alan Johnson was his name of anyone wants to know). Ian 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 10, 2019 Author Share Posted December 10, 2019 1 hour ago, limeypilot said: flew for Imperial A very different era, I imagine! Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted December 13, 2019 Share Posted December 13, 2019 I don't usually look over here in the group builds but glad I did this evening when I found this thread. Amazing scratch building here Adrian, I'm most impressed. Will follow this going forward. Terry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 Well, no surprises I suppose but I’m not going to finish in time! I will be carrying on in WIP. I actually got my first hour to myself for a long time today (after Christmas preparations, which I expected, and clearing the blocked drain outside the kitchen, which I did not). So I made myself another fuselage, just to see if I’m improving: Either I got lucky or I am improving! I used groundnut oil on the moulds, which didn’t stick or get damaged. I used lots of staples and tape on the plastic - it needs both. I had it up in the oven at 125c (ours runs a bit hot) and grilled it for the last 30 seconds. So this is my new best fuselage. Thanks for the GB and all the interest and support, and I promise to choose something sensible for the next FB and FP GB! Thanks for looking, Adrian 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Hi Adrian, Another impressive fuselage. You're going to have to add some wings! I shall continue to watch and follow with interest. A project as complex as yours couldn't be rushed. Hopefully a peaceful Christmas for you! Best wishes, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomprobert Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 I’m glad to hear/see that this project will be continuing in the WIP section for us to follow - I’m enjoying this immensely. The fuselages you’ve produced so far would be a huge improvement on what some manufacturers sell as ‘kits’... mentioning no specific brand of course but one that rhymes with ‘wombat’ springs to mind 😉 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincenzo64 Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 I follow this WIP from the beginning ...... Bravo, the fuselage is very beautiful! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMC Posted December 22, 2019 Share Posted December 22, 2019 Empire el forno: take one large sheet of styrene, baste with groundnut oil and grill at 125c for 30 seconds. Ta da, nothing to it. Dennis 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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