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Airfix Short Sunderland to Empire


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Rear planing surfaces done, Starboard front surface done: 

75-AB1-CCC-F387-4950-ACDC-68-F7222-A8-AC

 

On 29/10/2019 at 17:24, limeypilot said:

what happened to the Sunderland

 

Here you go. Tail surfaces, slightly cut down:

3-AC18-EEC-F592-47-EF-91-AC-AEE3511-E1-D

 

The wings and floats will also be making an appearance, but not much else!

 

This picture also shows the temporary card template that I have tacked on to show me where the chine is. The filler squeezes up behind that so and helps to start the fuselage side too.

 

I'm learning: getting closer to the final shape when putting the filler on, reducing sanding; and being prepared to do two coats of filler, the second thin coat being easier to manage.

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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Very interesting topic! Your approach is "ab initio"... I am thinking some years already on converting Sunderland to Empire but so far I was considering use of  heavily surgered Sunderland fuselage (one horizontal cut and few vertical cuts). I have to re-think on this perhaps, but anyway I will look with great interest on your build! Fascinating!

Regards

J-W

 

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Well a cheeky filling session before work this morning:

E56670-A3-2981-4-E6-E-B02-C-3-CEC6-D8-CF

I held a piece of 15 thou plastic card against the filler hard up against the bulkheads while it was drying. It peeled off cleanly, leaving me with very little sanding to do. It has also captured the transition between the vertical sides and sloped nose perfectly. The only downside is that I didn’t have a free hand to drink my tea with!

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

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12 hours ago, JWM said:

heavily surgered Sunderland fuselage

I did have a look at the fuselage, and in particular the front planing surfaces, but in the end I thought it would be easier to have complete control over the shape rather than try to fit things that don't really fit back together. The Sunderland fuselage is much more rounded than the Empire, which is quite boxy.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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6 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

I did have a look at the fuselage, and in particular the front planing surfaces, but in the end I thought it would be easier to have complete control over the shape rather than try to fit things that don't really fit back together. The Sunderland fuselage is much more rounded than the Empire, which is quite boxy.

 

This is true. So better avoid something in a half way between Empire and Sutherland like Empland or Sutherire :)

J-W

 

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Hi Adrian,

 

Looking good - do you have to do much work on the wings - I guess the engines will be different? Sorry if you have covered this already!

 

Pete

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Great work! Nice to see an ‘additive’ process in contrast to ‘subtractive’ methods elsewhere in this group.

 

I’ve speculated on such a method before .. I wondered how one would know if sanding had gone too far .. thought maybe red or black marker on the outer edge of each bulkhead .. then you could see if you’d got too enthusiastic with the sanding.  But you don’t seem to have had the issue?

 

The outcome looks very true to form to me, the complex under-surfaces in particular.

 

Excellent Adrian!

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Blimey! Where did that Empire suddenly spawn from??

 

This is getting me thinking about trying this technique for an obscure project of my own that I've been contemplating. I have the plans, the references and a tin of P38, but also other stalled projects and household redecorating glaring accusingly at me!  

 

Keep at it, Adrian; this is good stuff and makes a refreshing change from fully-plastic builds.

 

Jon

 

 

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By heck, Adrian, this is moving along at a pace.  How many have you done using this method?  Impressive!

 

Dennis

 

Edited by DMC
Correction
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Hi Adrian,

 

I'm really impressed by your meticulous work! It's taking shape beautifully!

 

I may have to reclassify it as scratch build project :)

 

Cheers

 

Jaime

 

 

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18 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

looking like a winner

Thanks Dennis! I'm hoping for a finisher...

 

18 hours ago, PeterB said:

much work on the wings

The wings are pretty much the same but are mounted slightly further out with less sweepback than the Sunderland. I will be putting some card at the tips, filling the whole thing and re-scribing like I did on the Frog Oxford in the Trainers GB earlier this year to get the right aileron and flap lines, and I think the nacelles need thinning out a bit. The cowlings and propellers are pretty crude by modern standards so I will be making my own. The tail surfaces only needed a bit of trimming, so they are done bar a bit of detailing.

 

17 hours ago, pheonix said:

this method

I've never been too good at carving anything substantial out of wood, and I have "history" with car filler, so it works for me.

 

11 hours ago, greggles.w said:

maybe red or black marker on the outer edge of each bulkhead

Exactly what I am doing with a sharpie. In the pictures you can see the black edges looming through the filler as I get close, then you can see the white where I am actually sanding into the bulkhead. Because of my hand-eye inaccuracies, I treat each bulkhead as a suggestion rather than gospel - the main thing being to get a smooth line down the fuselage and a good average.

 

10 hours ago, Jonners said:

trying this technique

Go for it! But keep your hobby room door closed because of the smell or the whole household will be after your blood!

 

10 hours ago, DMC said:

How many have you done using this method?

Strictly speaking, only the Fairey Long Range Monoplane (see "shelf of shame" in my signature) but I used to do a lot of figures and horses from plastic padding when was a lad, so I'm used to the smell.

 

4 hours ago, jrlx said:

reclassify it as scratch

Well a Sunderland to Empire is like a Lancaster to a York, so it's a conversion really, just with a jolly big fuselage bit...

 

And here's progress to this afternoon, thanks to appalling weather in London:

21-CCA60-B-DA25-4-C81-A14-C-F891-BC73-F0

 

But sadly I am told that shopping can be done in any weather, so there I have to park it!

 

Thanks for looking,

Adrian

 

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