A Revell big build of sorts. (F4U-1A Corsair, Spitfire MK2 and a BF109 G-10)

[ewing9593]

Good evening all,

 

Was dragged to the shops yesterday evening and stuck my nose into hobbycraft. Quite a lot of Revell kits were on offer so I snapped up some aircraft as it feels like forever since I built one last. 

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to cracking on with these over the next couple of week seeing as the cold weather is upon us. Hope to have a few of you onboard.

Cheers,

Steven

[Pete in Lincs]

I get left at home nowadays. Thank heaven for ebay.

[ewing9593]

17 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

I get left at home nowadays. Thank heaven for ebay.

I'm working towards that goal. Fingers crossed I make it soon

[Pete in Lincs]

First move, screw up the bagging at the supermarket, I got barred from Morrisions!

[ewing9593]

2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

First move, screw up the bagging at the supermarket, I got barred from Morrisions!

I do most of the food shops solo, so I don't think that will be an option. Nevermind!

And without further ado, a progress report of sorts. First on the bench is the BF109.

 

 

 

Not the most part intensive kit in the world, but a fairly sized model for a fiver so I can not grumble.

 

First order of business was throwing together the cockpit, again, the detail in the model is by no means breath taking and I'm not exactly reinventing the wheel but it has been nice to be cracking on with an aircraft. After all, these are the types of kits I first started out with, so it's as much a nostalgia trip as anything else.

 

I doubt this model is going to take very long to complete, but I am trying my best to take my time to put together a respectable finish on it. WIll be cracking on with the body of the aircraft this evening I think.

 

Cheers guys,

Steven

[jean]

Hi Steven,

 

this is a great kit! It is simple, but it hasn't collected many wrinkles over the year.

It is actually the  only 1/48 WW2 fighter kit I ever built, and if I see one again, I would snap it up.

 

Have fun!

Looking forward to see what you achieve with this beauty.

JR

[ewing9593]

13 minutes ago, jean said:

Hi Steven,

 

this is a great kit! It is simple, but it hasn't collected many wrinkles over the year.

It is actually the  only 1/48 WW2 fighter kit I ever built, and if I see one again, I would snap it up.

 

Have fun!

Looking forward to see what you achieve with this beauty.

JR

Thanks Jean, get yourself to your nearest Hobbycraft for a bargain. I really couldn't knock a £5 price tag. 

I could agree with you more, super simply but it is a breeze to build and does seem to go together really nicely.

 

Look forward to showing you what I come up with!

Steven

[jean]

Hi Steven,

 

I am sure you'll enjoy the build.

As to my nearest hobby shop, for starter there are no bargains, and it is a small 1100 km from home... in Johannesburg. So I do not go there very often.

I deal with them by email and they send the goodies half way, to where we go shopping in South Africa. But no 109 G-10 on their shelves!

 

Enjoy being close to your LHS!!!

Cheers

JR

[ewing9593]

2 hours ago, jean said:

Hi Steven,

 

I am sure you'll enjoy the build.

As to my nearest hobby shop, for starter there are no bargains, and it is a small 1100 km from home... in Johannesburg. So I do not go there very often.

I deal with them by email and they send the goodies half way, to where we go shopping in South Africa. But no 109 G-10 on their shelves!

 

Enjoy being close to your LHS!!!

Cheers

JR

Jean,

 

You'll have to excuse my ignorance, I just presumed you were based in the UK without looking or paying too much attention. It does have it's blessings indeed, I would much prefer to use a small independent store and there are a few not far from me, but the convenience of the big high street shops on the door makes it easy to pop in and grab a bargain.

 

Now, onto the progress from the rest of the evening (the other half is working overseas so I have plenty of time to crack on without interruptions etc) 

 

 

Wings and body of the aircraft went together really nicely. I must admit that the vast majority of aircraft I've built in the passed have been 1/72 Airfix and although they will always have a place in my heart, I have found that when gluing the bodies and wing sections together you got really annoying gaps along the joining points etc. Didn't seem to come across any such problems with this build. 

 

 

The body and wing sections did seem to dry a lot faster so I did stick them together to get the majority of the plane finished. Onto the wheels and propeller tomorrow hopefully if all is well and then this little baby will be finished, I think I am going to opt for a stationary on the airfield look. I do intend to paint these aircraft at some point however I have no current paint supplies as such and my painting skills leave a lot to be desired. I get much more enjoyment from constructing the kit than painting.

 

Thanks for looking guys,

Steven

[ewing9593]

Progress, progress, progress. Spent the early evening snipping and cleaning up the wheels and all detail to the underside of the plane. 

 

 

 

Coming together nicely, once the wheels dry I'll finish of the propeller and the details to the top side of the aircraft and we have the finished product this evening before I go away tomorrow as planned.

 

Thanks for looking guys,

Steven

[ewing9593]

Finished in the nick of time, really was an enjoyable build and all the parts (minus one wheel) when together really smoothly and they were really easy to clean up. 

 

 

I won't be back on the bench until Monday/Tuesday time so until then, happy modelling all! I'll start the spitfire next week.

 

Thanks for looking all,

Steven

 

[AdrianMF]

Looks like a really nice model - I’m not familiar with Revell 1/48 at all. Good luck with the painting when you get there!

 

Regards,

Adrian

[ewing9593]

On 28/11/2019 at 08:42, AdrianMF said:

Looks like a really nice model - I’m not familiar with Revell 1/48 at all. Good luck with the painting when you get there!

 

Regards,

Adrian

Adrian, wasn't familiar with them myself until I purchased these kits. Really nice to put together, basic but enjoyable. Perfect for my skill level.

 

Appreciate your kind words, hopefully get some painting equipment around Christmas time so I can't attempt to do these aircraft justice.

Back to the bench one day this week to begin working on the spitfire hopefully.

 

Cheers,

Steven

[ewing9593]

Two holidays in rather quick succession (bad planning on my part) means next to know work has been done lately. However, I returned back from a trip to Malta this afternoon (truly superb, I highly recommend) and of course got plenty of inspiration to at least start attacking the spitfire. This was also helped by the fact that the January issue of Flypast happened to be a Malta special so it was a double whammy really.

 

Cracked open the kit at the first chance I got after unpacking etc. 

 

 

 

As with the first kit, not a million and one parts so not looking like to complicated a build. However, again, all parts seem to be of a fair nice standard and rather clean looking.

 

So onto the first order of business which was the controls and seating. Nothing mind blowing but all parts fitted together really cleanly and I am pleased to be back working away. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping in guys, I hope to have more progress soon.

Steven

 

Edited December 15, 2019 by ewing9593

[ewing9593]

Day off means a lot more progress than usual. Body, wings and wheels all constructed and pieced together. I must admit, this model didn't seem to fit together as seamlessly as the first and will require some filling for sure. 

 

 

I can most definitely say I struggle to attach the wheels in a fashion which looks straight to me. If anyone has any pointers on firming up the attachment of wheels to model aircraft it would be really appreciated. 

 

Once it's all dry, cockpit attached and then onto the corsair!

 

Cheers for looking guys,

Steven

[alt-92]

I see the 1:48 Revell Mk.II has the same cantankerous behaviour as it's 1:72 counterpart.
Same wing root issue & trailing edge problems. 
Is it the camera perspective, or is the fuselage slightly twisted? Perhaps it's just the tailplanes needing some adjustment.

 

As far as the gear goes, according to the airfix instructions from Scalemates, they're slightly angled forward viewed from the side and not quite straight-edge from the front. Looking at how other manufacturers handle their instructions sometimes can give you a good idea how to fit some parts in their correct orientation.

Or you could dive into the rabbit hole and use the search here to research the exact degrees of all the angles - my guess is you're mostly modelling because it's fun though, so maybe that's going a bit too far

[rob Lyttle]

7 hours ago, ewing9593 said:

and then onto the corsair!

Yayy! 

I'm working on one of these, and trying to get it done with a few mods and improvements. Good fun! 

I had a quick look around our local branch of hobbycraft, but nothing for a fiver! 

You must've been there on the right day 

[ewing9593]

14 hours ago, alt-92 said:

I see the 1:48 Revell Mk.II has the same cantankerous behaviour as it's 1:72 counterpart.
Same wing root issue & trailing edge problems. 
Is it the camera perspective, or is the fuselage slightly twisted? Perhaps it's just the tailplanes needing some adjustment.

 

As far as the gear goes, according to the airfix instructions from Scalemates, they're slightly angled forward viewed from the side and not quite straight-edge from the front. Looking at how other manufacturers handle their instructions sometimes can give you a good idea how to fit some parts in their correct orientation.

Or you could dive into the rabbit hole and use the search here to research the exact degrees of all the angles - my guess is you're mostly modelling because it's fun though, so maybe that's going a bit too far

Aye, it was a bit of a pain, first Revell kit went together very smoothly. This one, not so much. Disappointing but I suppose if it only cost me £5 I'm not to grumble too much. I must admit I haven't thought of researching the builds properly I just crack on with what's in front of me. I got a little bit stuck on this one with it's awkwardness so it's definitely something I'll try to do on future builds. 

 

11 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Yayy! 

I'm working on one of these, and trying to get it done with a few mods and improvements. Good fun! 

I had a quick look around our local branch of hobbycraft, but nothing for a fiver! 

You must've been there on the right day 

Rob, no mods for me I'm afraid but I'll try my best with what I have. I look forward to seeing your progress also! I am looking forward to build a model aircraft in this scale though as it's something I've never tackled before. The kit looks great, I've had the sprues out of the box a few times to have a good nosey at all the parts etc. 

 

In regards to Hobbycraft. It must of been the right day as you say. There was a small table in the middle of the modelling section of my local branch with these kits piled on. A couple of ships, couple of cars and a rocket all heavily reduced. There was probably four or five of each kit so I must of timed it to perfection.

[rob Lyttle]

Re the F4U-1A, I'd recommend one addition, not a mod as such but as an aid to assembly. The wing top joint to the fuselage is very vague and tends to be gappy. 

I suggest adding a strip of stock styrene on to the wing root like this... 

..... so that it protrudes into the fuselage. 

I've removed the flaps on that example but I think it will work all the way back. 

If you zoom on this.... 

.... you can see the white of my extension strip showing. That would be a gaping void into the fuselage without the add-on. 👍

[ewing9593]

On 18/12/2019 at 15:04, rob Lyttle said:

Re the F4U-1A, I'd recommend one addition, not a mod as such but as an aid to assembly. The wing top joint to the fuselage is very vague and tends to be gappy. 

I suggest adding a strip of stock styrene on to the wing root like this... 

..... so that it protrudes into the fuselage. 

I've removed the flaps on that example but I think it will work all the way back. 

If you zoom on this.... 

.... you can see the white of my extension strip showing. That would be a gaping void into the fuselage without the add-on. 👍

Really appreciate the photographs. I will certainly try my best. Thanks for the tip!

[ewing9593]

Good evening and a Happy Christmas to all of the Brit Modeller members. 

 

Festivities, family commitments and work related nonsense have gotten in the way of any modelling that could take place over the last week or so. Funnily enough, the only hobby related item I've been able to crack on with is the purchasing of more models (I see how you all end up with stashes, mines grown by four this morning).

 

Work on the Corsair has started this morning and out of the three models I'm definitely the most excited about this one. I've never built an aircraft in 1/32 scale before so I'm thoroughly enjoying it. The parts alone are good for me as I have to admit I'm not the most delicate of modellers, I struggle with fiddly parts. This should be a very relaxing build. Anyway, onto the photographs of what we've started with. 

 

Attached is a layout of all the parts fresh out of the box, not a million and one parts and everything is of a good size for me. 

 

 

I made my start with the cockpit which comes in four parts. All cleaned up and on display for you below.

 

 

And you can see the assembled below.

 

 

I was pretty confident when I cleaned him up that the pilot wouldn't slow together the best and I was right. But overall it's a nice clean looking cockpit. Onto the rest of the plane!

 

Thanks for taking a peak guys. Happy holidays and happy modelling!

Steven

 

 

 

Edited December 28, 2019 by ewing9593

[rob Lyttle]

👍

Wings folded or straight? or still to decide? 

For the straight wing you may want to rejig the build sequence for a good flush joint esp on the top surface. 

 

Yea, I never used to have a stash of kits. I just bought one and built, then went scouting for the next one. 

Now I'm snowed under 🤔

[ewing9593]

13 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

👍

Wings folded or straight? or still to decide? 

For the straight wing you may want to rejig the build sequence for a good flush joint esp on the top surface. 

 

Yea, I never used to have a stash of kits. I just bought one and built, then went scouting for the next one. 

Now I'm snowed under 🤔

I must admit I'm still to decide. I normally build straight wing but now the opportunity presents itself I might tackle folded for a change. 

Out of curiosity how should I rejig the build order if I opt for straight? 

 

I did chuckle as I was walking out of hovercraft. I was meant to buy paint supplies so I can finish these off properly but I guess I've put the painting off once again seeing as I consider my skills to be appalling and rather enjoy just building from the box.

[rob Lyttle]

4 hours ago, ewing9593 said:

how should I rejig the build order if I opt for straight? 

I came across the popular advice that you get the top wing joint nicely flush as the priority. 

I used plastic Reinforcement strips... 

 

So get the important joint done while there is still access inside.... 

 

 

I ended up building the entire wings assembly and then fitting up into the fuselage 

You can see my wing roots extended there, and a piece curved and added to the back of the fuselage part. That was really useful too for alignment and fitting.. 

[ewing9593]

18 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

I came across the popular advice that you get the top wing joint nicely flush as the priority. 

I used plastic Reinforcement strips... 

 

So get the important joint done while there is still access inside.... 

 

 

I ended up building the entire wings assembly and then fitting up into the fuselage 

You can see my wing roots extended there, and a piece curved and added to the back of the fuselage part. That was really useful too for alignment and fitting.. 

Thanks for this mate. Fingers crossed I can pull it all off when the time comes. I will definitely be using these photographs as a reference point. I must admit I'm still looking at doing the wings folded up so we shall see what happens.

 

 

Another question I have for all the members out there. Can anyone recommend a starter paint set for painting up aircraft? I'm going to have to pop some paint onto them at somepoint. 

 

Thanks all,

Steven