1:72 CMR Blackburn Firebrand TF Mk.V

[phantom61]

Simply... Bravissimo...

 

👏👏👏

[Navy Bird]

35 minutes ago, Tailspin Turtle said:

It’s desired as a result of torque, P-factor, and prop wash swirl at low speed, all acting to roll or yaw the airplane to the right in this case, because the prop is turning counterclockwise looking forward. Many big single-engine airplanes have a fin angled to one side although generally it is to the left because the propeller is turning the other way on most of them. It’s really notable on the AD Skyraider vertical fin but so unknown that even though the old Airfix 1/72 kit has it, at least one modeler went to the trouble to delete it. Also see https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2017/08/relying-on-museum-pieces-for-accuracy.html

 

Great explanation, thanks! Although I only know p-factor from statistics, and I'm guessing this is something different.

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

PS. Sounds like something I'd do, correcting something that should be there!

[Tailspin Turtle]

On 5/8/2020 at 5:36 PM, Navy Bird said:

 

Great explanation, thanks! Although I only know p-factor from statistics, and I'm guessing this is something different.

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

PS. Sounds like something I'd do, correcting something that should be there!

P (for propeller factor) Factor: As the angle of attack of the airplane increases, the down-going propeller blade is also at a higher angle of attack than the up-going blade, and therefore developing more thrust,  which turns the airplane into the down-going blade unless corrected with rudder. It’s why twin engine airplanes with propellers that turn the same way have a “critical engine”: if it fails, the result is the need for more rudder required to keep the airplane straight in single-engine flight at the same airspeed than if the other engine fails. (Best you Google the terms for pictures). Engine torque at full power in a Cessna 150 isn’t very impressive; if I remember correctly, it’s not even like someone is in the other seat or not. P-Factor, on the other hand, is apparent (propeller turning clockwise) when you pull the nose up and it starts swinging to the left. And then the airplane begins rolling to the left because the right wing is producing more lift. Pull up quickly and high enough without adding right rudder and I guarantee a stall and spin.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Tailspin Turtle
C-150 propeller turns clockwise when viewed from the back

[Navy Bird]

Excellent explanation @Tailspin Turtle - and in a language even I can understand.   

 

Speaking of propellers, I decided to start working on the blades today, and I noticed what I thought at first might be casting flaws but on closer inspection I'm not sure. The tip of each blade has an off-center "bite" taken out of it, and they are all identical, which leads me to believe that this was planned by CMR (if not, their mistakes are very consistent):

 

 

Being propeller-deficient, as displayed by my lack of knowledge about the p-factor, I have never seen anything like this before. I don't want to fix something that is supposed to be there! You gals and guys know anything about this?

 

I can't find any photos that show this.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Terry1954]

There are some good photographs of actual blade tips at the start of this thread Bill......

 

 

The tips don't appear to be "conventional" but also are not like those you have in the kit.

 

HTH

 

Terry

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Never seen anything like that before ? To get a bubble perfectly aligned at the end of each tip would be nigh on the impossible. They kinda make me think of scimitar blades but only just at the tip ?  Usually scimitar blades usually bend in the middle third somewhere, but never at the tip.  

[Navy Bird]

Thanks guys. I think the bites have to go.

 

 

 

 

That said, the propeller tip is an interesting shape.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Navy Bird]

Yeah, casting bubbles for sure. Here is a photo of the resin parts from an on-line review:

 

 

I'll do my best to make mine look like that.

 

Cheers,

Bill

[Tailspin Turtle]

3 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

Excellent explanation @Tailspin Turtle - and in a language even I can understand.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

Unfortunately, there was a typo, which I’ve fixed...

[Navy Bird]

I flapperized the old gal when she wasn't looking:

 

 

Hopefully I've got this right, as there is not much information in the instructions on how to mount these. I found some information on-line that stated the angle of the flap, relative to the top of the wing, was only 29 degrees at full deployment. So they don't hang down too much. I only have a couple of photos that show the flaps lowered, and there seems to be some "daylight" visible between the wing and the flaps. In any event, it looks cool. If I've screwed this up, please tell me now!! 

 

Getting dangerously close to shining her up so we can stick on some stickers.  

 

Cheers,

Bill

[giemme]

Bill, it looks as though you are adding as many sticking out bits as you can before starting to dangerously handle the model to pose decals, weather, finish... and this drives me nuts! I'm figuring myself doing the same and knocking off the odd bits any 5 minutes, with a subsequent call of various names....

 

Yes, I'm envious of your general tidiness  Old gal looking sweet

 

Ciao

 

 

[CedB]

15 hours ago, Navy Bird said:

In any event, it looks cool.

Certainly does Bill, good job!  

[Brandy]

Very nice Bill, looking great!

Hope you and yours are keeping well!

 

Ian

[Navy Bird]

On 13/05/2020 at 15:26, giemme said:

<snip> ...before starting to dangerously handle the model to pose decals, weather, finish... and this drives me nuts! <snip>

 

No need to worry. I have it all under control - just like Our Leader said about the coronavirus a few months ago.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

[giemme]

30 minutes ago, Navy Bird said:

 

No need to worry. I have it all under control - just like Our Leader said about the coronavirus a few months ago.   

 

Cheers,

Bill

I reacted with a smiley face, but a sad one should also go with that  

 

Ciao

[Navy Bird]

Does this seem like it's taking a long time? Must be the number of parts in the box, can't be the decrepit, lazy old man with his fingers glued together...  

 

I forgot to add these braces to the rear of the cockpit bulkhead - CMR have you scratch build these. I wonder why? They have some other resin parts that are significantly smaller than these guys. Weird.

 

 

There is a photoetch canopy sliding rail to be added, and also a shade for over the top of the headrest. At least that's what I think it is. I've added a few more items to the underside, like the main gear tyres/wheels, the pylon for the torpedo, and some very tiny exhausts of some kind.

 

 

First thing first, the tyres are extremely well detailed, especially for God's own scale. CMR give you two pylons for the torpedo, one for takeoff/landing/on the ground, and the other for in-flight. In the former case, the angle of the pylon/torpedo has to be changed for ground clearance at the aft end of the torpedo, and in the latter case, the angle changes to make the torpedo aligned with the airflow. Not sure you can see them well, but there are photoetch sway braces on the pylon.

 

The small exhausts on each side of the pylon are resin, and let me tell you they weren't the easiest to remove from the casing block. Somehow I removed them without breaking them.

 

And, to make @giemme cringe again, I added this teeny tiny photoetch lasso to the arresting hook housing.

 

 

I have some more detail painting to do in that area soon. I think I'm going to do some very light weathering with my favourite H95 Smoke Grey, which I thin down dramatically so it is very transparent, then I slowly add shading to the model. Maybe then I'll shine and sticker her up.

 

Oh, the black rectangle you see on the underside of the horizontal tail is a photoetch base for one of the IFF antennae. There is another one up by the torpedo pylon. The head of the torpedo can be either yellow or red (the body is black) - so what's the difference? Type of explosive? I thought blue was inert.

 

I also entirely forgot about the codes that have to go over the gear doors. I figured out a way to cut them correctly - I scanned the decal sheet so I could print it out at actual size, then I scanned the placement instructions and scaled that to 1:72 scale. Once I had everything at the right size, I cut out the gear doors from the instruction sheet and I'll use those for my template to cut the decals. I tested this idea by seeing if the pieces I cut from the instructions fit on the actual gear doors, and all looks good.

 

 

Cheers,

Bill

[giemme]

1 hour ago, Navy Bird said:

And, to make @giemme cringe again, I added this teeny tiny photoetch lasso to the arresting hook housing.

. .

 

All looking great, though

 

Ciao

 

[CJP]

Looking really good Bill

[Martian]

This is looking absolutely beautiful Bill!

 

Martian 👽

[Cookenbacher]

I concur with Giorgio, the photoetch has my head spinning - that's spectacular Bill.

[Sabrejet]

Inspiring: might have to buy one of these.

[Ex-FAAWAFU]

The lasso is the holdback for tail-down catapulting, I think

[CedB]

More gorgeous work Bill  

 

Nice technique for the gear door decals too - clever.

[Hamden]

 

What they ALL said!

 

 Stay safe             Roger

[Navy Bird]

I need a quick answer - would the Firebrand in June 1947 (carrier trials) have dull or bright roundels? The decals that came with the kit are really bright blue and red, too much I think. (I don't like them.) However, I have a set of the correct size and type of roundels from a Sea Fury sheet, and they look to be in the wartime dull colours. I think they would look much better, but I don't know when they stopped using those - help!

 

Cheers,

Bill

 

EDIT: I think I may know the answer. The colour photos of the Firebrand in Temperate Sea Scheme show Type C1 on the fuselage (with yellow ring) and Type C on the top of the wings. I think these are in Dull Blue and Dull Red - did C and C1 ever have bright red and blue ID colours? Post war Type D were used on the later Firebrands (EDSG over Sky). Am I nuts, or is this thinking on the right track? (I suppose I can be both!)  

 

ANOTHER EDIT: I found a reference to the changeover from Dull to Bright colours happening in June 1947 - right when my plane is undergoing carrier trials! I'm really starting to believe the colours on my model should be the dull ones. Ah, what the heck, let's just do it!