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Revell’s Big Camel


DMC

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I’ve decided to take a break from the Schneider Cup racers and build a kit..  When I enlisted in BM back in July ‘15, my first WiP was this tiny Revell  Camel.  I did quite a lot of work on the kit, took a lot of photos (no lost in the PhotoBucket debacles) and received some very flattering replies.  And then I broke the bottom wing in half.  That totally destroyed my Camel mojo and I moved on to another build, a U-2;in fact

While working on the little camel I collected a stack of reference material and Revell’s much bigger, 1/28th, kit.   And it will be the subject of this WiP.

 

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The only work I did on the kit was to start a laminated veneer replacement prop.   I had carved about half of it and then set it aside to work on another project.  So the first thing to do on this build is to finish carving the prop and see if I could match it up with the half I’d already done. I was not sure I could as my eyesight has gone downhill quite a bit since 2015 but it looks okay and I managed it with carving up my fingers in the process.   I’ve done a few other things on the kit and I’ll be posting photos, etc., over the weekend.  

 

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Thanks for dropping in.  All hints, suggestions and criticisms welcome.

 

Dennis

 

 

 

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16 hours ago, Work In Progress said:

I like the prop, it's a nice touch

Thank you, much appreciated.  The veneers are glued together with fish glue which doesn’t leave a layer.  The kit prop is pretty good.  A little oversized but the shape is okay.  

 

Dennis

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The propeller looks great!

 

I didn’t realise fish glue was still in active use - I’ve just had a quick google and I fear a YouTube video on how to make fish glue is in my near future!

 

Looking forward to seeing how you get on with this.

 

Regards,

Adrian

 

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3 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

I didn’t realise fish glue was still in active use

Still available on eBay and this isn’t a bad price.   I have a scant ounce left out of a 25 yarrow old bottle and use it very sparingly.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Canada-Fish-Glue-fluid-Carpenter-Wood-glue-glue-like-Bone-glue-but-Cold-glue/332130778698?hash=item4d54897e4a:g:WL4AAOSw4UtWRO0T

 

I’ll have to look it up and see how it’s made.  Can’t imagine i’ d be very popular at home if I tried cooking up a batch.

 

Cheers, Adrian, and thanks.

 

Dennis

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Wow! Just looked up this lit on Scalemates and discovered it was first issued in 1959.  Sixty years old and still selling.  For suc an old kit the detail are pretty good. Not up to WNW standards of course but not bad.  The wing rib effect is overdone and the cockpit needs a little work but I’m up for that so we’ll see how I get on over time.

 

One thing that needs correcting is pan just behind the bottom of the cowling.  Revell has it as a v-shaped notch but it should be concave and elongated so the exhaust has an easier out.  I’ve plunged a small insert that i’ll fit in after I close the fuselage up.

 

 

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Just doing a few of these easy little jobs while I mull over how to handle the more difficult ones.  The seat for instance.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis 

 

 

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4 minutes ago, DMC said:

Wow! Just looked up this lit on Scalemates and discovered it was first issued in 1959.  Sixty years old and still selling.  For suc an old kit the detail are pretty good. 

I recall finding the Camel, Fokker Dr1, Fokker DVII and SPAD in the late 60’s and thinking they were the business. However they all are products of their time. Having said that they can all be made into nice models and you can get all four for the price of a Wingnut kit so much modelling for the pennies. 
Plus they are fun builds and that’s what it’s all about. 
As Dennis is so ably demonstrating above they are capable of being turned into an impressive model in the hands of a modeller with good skills. 
Yours awaiting the next build instalment eagerly

 

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Love your work so far on this old favorite. (Nearly as old as me, so that's saying something! :blink:)

 

One major thing to be wary of, with this kit: if you peruse photos of the kit builds online, you'll see that most show the upper wing pretty seriously bowed downward at the wingtips. This isn't mere photo distortion: in many (most?) kits dating back to the original release, that heavy slab of wing is quite warped; it also seems that, way back when, the Revell designers either got the cabane struts too long, or the wing struts too short, resulting in that ever-present 'bow.' (As seen in photos, the real thing had little or no dihedral on the upper wing.)

 

On my last build (after gingerly 'straightening' the wing with hot water and a hair dryer) I took a little off from the cabane strut bottoms, until the wing could set straight. It makes a world of difference.

 

Good luck with your build, and I look forward to seeing your progress!

 

Cheers.

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48 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

Nothing wrong with being sixty.

Indeed, nothing at all.  In fact, I wouldn’t mind being 60........again.

 

Dennis

 

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1 hour ago, JohnT said:

Yours awaiting the next build instalment eagerl

Thank you, John, really appreciated.  Several options to choose from when adding extra detail.  I favour a 2F.1 with the Bentley and extended “hump”.  The hump would be easy to plunge mould and converting the kit rotary into a Bentley not to difficult as the crankcase is more like a Bentley’s than a Clerget anyway.   We’ll see.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

1 hour ago, thorfinn said:

One major thing to be wary of

Thanks for that, Thorfinn, looking at this box top photo of a built kit it seemed to me that the wing was sitting a little high.  I have the Wylam plans enlarged to scale and other reference material so will pay particular attention to the gap.

 

 

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Cheers

 

Dennis

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1 hour ago, DMC said:

I favour a 2F.1 with the Bentley and extended “hump”.  The hump would be easy to plunge mould and converting the kit rotary into a Bentley not to difficult as the crankcase is more like a Bentley’s than a Clerget anyway.   We’ll see.

 

Good idea- I like it 

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The Camel has two fuel tanks both located behind the seat: the main tank and the auxiliary tank.  The main tank can be seen, partly, but  the auxiliary tank is hidden from  view by a small plywood bulkhead.  Plunging the main tank was easy enough and I only need do the exposed front as the rest can’t be seen.  I won’t bother with the, unseen, auxiliary tank and save myself some time.

 

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Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

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Lovely work. WRT the seat it would have been a basket weave and in 1/24th it is large enough to be feasible to  weave one, but I’d use fine wire to get the effect say .25 mm. plenty of tutorials on the web.

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4 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great work so far Dennis,

Thanks,Chris.  Heck, get the kit out, open the box and have a look.  Might inspire you.

 

3 hours ago, Marklo said:

Lovely work.

Thanks, Marklo.   Yes, I am well familiar with blankety blank woven seat.  Very difficult to replicate even in 1/28th..  It will require some thought.  Nice ones are available in the smaller scales, however.

 

Thanks guys,

 

Dennis

 

 

 

 

http://www.johnsshawaviation.co.uk/wordpress/sopwith-camel-f1-2/sopwith-camel-reconstruction/sopwith-camel-seat/

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Fantastic work so far, Looking forward to watching your build come together, especially with my own 1/48 build of the F1. Camel. 

 

Have you decided on the paint scheme yet? or possibly sticking with the 139 Squadron art work you posted?

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31 minutes ago, Mikey-1980 said:

Fantastic work so far,

Many thanks for that.  Box art much too garish, I prefer a more business like look.  If I can get the kit rotary to resemble a Bentley I’ll probably convert to Naval Camel: lengthened hump, shortened top wing and smaller elevator etc. 

 

Cheers

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Tank blue-tacked in place.  Perhaps a bit big but it’ll do.  All those locator lugs have since been removed to make room for for the frameworks.  

 

Really enjoying this build.  Had the kit for years gathering dust on the shelf.  ‘Bout time I got on with it.  Browsing eBay for a deal on the Dr1.  Hmmm. 

 

Dennis 

 

 

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Revell got the general outline of the stabaliser/elevator okay but there is an airfoil shape to the 1:1 stabiliser whereas the kit one is flat.  I have the Wylam Camel plans and, although I understand there are mistakes and omissions, find them very helpful as far as general arrangements go.  Very detailed with everything measured to the quarter inch.  Can’t even imagine how long it took him to do them.

 

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Also, the rib tape effect is a bit overdone as are the rib tapes on the wings.  This overhead shot of Cully’s Camel clearly shows the tape, barley, with a row of stitching down the  centre.  I believe that style of stitching might be known as balloons stitching but maybe not.

 

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I’ve made up replacements using the balsa core and styrene skin method for the stabiliser and .a length of 030 sheet for the elevator.  Very thin stretched spru serves as the row of stitching and I thinking that if I mask the space between the “stitching “ and spray a good layer of primer on I can get a subtle tape effect.

 

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I had been leaning towards a 2F.1 conversion but finding out that Copper State Models had a 1/28th Clerget on offer I”m afraid I’m now leaning back towards an F.1.  

 

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Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

 

 

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9 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Great work on the tailplane

Thanks, Chris.  Regarding the seat: a basket weave seat in1/28 would be too much to hope for but I don’t think I’ll get on from CSM. I’ ll have to scratch one probably.   Yes, the engine looks very good.  Time to put an order in.

9 hours ago, alt-92 said:

Following this with interest

Excellent! Hope I don’t disappoint.  

 

9 hours ago, alt-92 said:

there's a 1975 Roy Brown boxing of this kit my late dad made on the bookshelf

Dusted with great care no doubt.

 

Cheers and thanks guys.

 

Dennis

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10 minutes ago, DMC said:

Thanks, Chris.  Regarding the seat: a basket weave seat in1/28 would be too much to hope for but I don’t think I’ll get on from CSM. I’ ll have to scratch one probably.   Yes, the engine looks very good.  Time to put an order in

You are right Dennis, I realised the Camel seat I had seen was for a 32nd model. Sorry fella. There is a Photo etch set though and different decals, do I might have to look at those myself as mine are missing.

All the best

Chris

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