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Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk scratchbuild - Finished at last!


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Phew!  It's never too late.  After 22 years sitting in the bottom of an old biscuit tin, the little nugget is finally complete.

 

Made from scratch, the materials are a splinter of beechwood for the fuselage (well seasoned by now I reckon), with styrene sheet for the wings, tail and skinning around the cockpit.  Other details are acrylic, brass and sterling silver where needed.  Paints are Mr Color lacquers, and decals are a mix of hand-cut and home printed.

 

Scale is 1/144.  But I swear I am actual size.  :penguin:

 

 

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Thanks for looking!  The build log is here if you would like to see how it came along.  :)

 

 

 

 

 

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Wow ... wow ... wonderful! A kit hard to come buy in any scale - so, very nice to see this scratch-built gem in 1/144. A worthy member for the club of golden agers!

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6 hours ago, Viking said:

That truly is amazing,and beautifully done. I assume you will be building a 1/144 Akron or Macon to hang it from ? :winkgrin:

 

Cheers

 

John

I second that! It would only be about 167cms × 28cms, should be easy for you after building that outstandingly beautiful model!

Hang them from your ceiling perhaps.:pilot:

 

DennisTheBear

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Beautiful Sparrohawk !

 

That is some excellent scratchbuilding. I think you past the watchmakers exams with flying colours  👍

 

Also my compliments regarding the rigging, with double strings and that in 1/144.

 

Thanks for showing !

 

With kind regards,

 

JohnHaa

 

 

 

 

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Thanks for the kind words everybody!  It feels good to have it finished at last and to see the littlest display case with my other builds.  :)

 

On ‎24‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 01:34, mack said:

Things must be different down there as in my hemisphere this level of detail is impossible on the minuscule 1/144 scale.

Chapeau bas monsieur!   

 

Nooooo!  While its true that 1/144 has an undeserved reputation due to the 40 year old Crown and Minicraft kits that still get re-released, things have definitely moved on since then.  For example, next time you are at your local hobby store, keep an eye out for some of the recent Super44 releases from Eduard/Platz.  You can check out the quality of the mouldings through the cellophane bag.  I encourage you to give one a try.  They are cheap, crisp, and eye-wateringly accurate.  They also hit all the pleasure centres of a modellers brain, as you can put them together quick and end up with a palm-sized little gem practically over the course of a single evening. ;) 
 

16 hours ago, JohnHaa said:

That is some excellent scratchbuilding. I think you past the watchmakers exams with flying colours  👍

 

Also my compliments regarding the rigging, with double strings and that in 1/144.

 

Thank you! I've just been admiring your own amazing scratchbuilding work. :)

 

The bracing wires are simpler than they look in 1/144.  I use nickel wire from Albion Alloys which is supplied in straight lengths.  Because each piece that I use only has a short span, the material doesn't sag in the middle like it would in larger scales. 

 

On ‎24‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 10:11, stevehnz said:

I've just had a wander through your WIP, hells bells, you don't half make things hard for yourself, I'd struggle with that in 1/72 let alone 1/144. Wonderful, delightful, beautiful modelling. :thumbsup:

Steve.

 

It's not that bad.  Some people go to much greater lengths than me.  Seriously, I dare not go to the beach anymore, lest gangs of burly 1/700 ship modellers all come over and kick sand in my face!

 

7 hours ago, kapam said:

That's amazing!

It's a wonder you haven't been asked where you got the giant match stick!

 

All the bloody time mate!  😅 

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