Revell’s Big Camel

[DMC]

Details details: CSM do a  Vicker in 1/28.  Around £20 for two. TL: Maybe, but first I thought I’d see what I could do with the kit ones.  Left: just a disc and a stub of tube for the muzzle.  Meh!  Better, although not a good angle,  muzzle drilled out and disc drilled  out. Ring sight will be problematic.  Much of the breech will be hidden from view.

 

TR:  Practicing cut-outs on a spare “hump before I do the best one.

 

BL:  Reworked the IP and added foot rests. 

 

BR: Fuselage framework is a tight fit but is easily removed for detailing and painting. Some modellers prefer to build up the framework directly on the fuselage half, paint and them cement the halves together.

 

 

Modern Camel replicas have the fuel tanks painted or coated for longevity.  Evidently, back in the day, warplanes weren’t expected to last very long so cosmetic or preservation work was deemed unnecessary.  Perhaps this captured, note the Maltese cross, Camel proved too much for the German pilot.  A good shot of the NMF tank, however.

 

 

Advice, suggestions and corrections welcome.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

[rob Lyttle]

Good indication of the basket work chair as well, there. 

[DMC]

Ahhh, just plodding on with some small stuff.  Easy to find pics, etc., on the Vickers but the magazines for the Camel are a little harder.  I think I’m pretty close here but need a little more length. The chutes are another matter and I won’t bother wit the bits hidden by the hump. The intake tube is quite prominent in the Camel cockpit so couldn’t get away with leaving it out. Camel pilots made different modifications to the hump in order to ease clearing a jammed gun.  Indeed, some had the fitters cut much of the hump away leaving the entire breech expose. I’ve not decided yet on how i’ll treat the hump.  

 

I had intended to leave the inspection panel alone even thought the shape and size were wrong but eventually gave to my inner OCD self and shaped a new panel which I will duplicate in brass to use as a pattern for scribing new ones.  The air intakes were a bit high so i’ve relocated them also. 

 

 

 

 

Stumbled over this last week. Good work, pity it was never completed.

 

https://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?/topic/71424-captain-roy-browns-camel/

 

The scratch built wicker seat in this one is quite something, and in 1/32 scale even .  Divine intervention?

 

https://danceswithwolvezs.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/hobbycraft-132-sopwith-camel-f1/

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

[DMC]

Finally found a good clear photo of the magazines for the Vickers.  

 

 

Only the very tops that direct the cartridges into the breeches are normally seen but some pilots had the hump opened up to provide access to the breeches.  TL and TR: However, as they rest on the air intake rack they also provide placement of the guns in the correct position.  BL: Decided to remove the rear part of the kit hump ad vacuum form a new one.  Not sure yet if I’ll do the hump  as factory delivered or one of the several pilot modified versions.  BR:  The kit rotary is halfway to being a Bentley BR 1 as the crankcase is faceted for the cylinders whereas the Clerget is perfectly round.  The Bentley’s cylinders have bolts holding them to the crankcase while the Clerget uses a clamp setup. I’ve done two of the bolts as an experiment and think I migh, over time, eventually do the rest.  The pushrods will need replacing also as the kit ones are about 1 1/2” scale diameter. The styrene ring is a spacer and the kit rods are guides. 

 

 

 Bentley  equipped Camels had two types of cowling, the original Clerget one and an enlarged version for better cooling. The one in this WNW photo is the enlarged version.

 

 

The teardrop cutouts in this photo puzzled me at first but I can only guess that they exist to provide gun adjustment.  Advice on this matter appreciated.

 

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by DMC
Corrections

[Marklo]

Lovely build so far, inspiring me to get a few sopwiths going (the snark is back on the bench and the triplane close behind)

 

Of course the other option  for the camels hump would be unarmed with no cutouts in the hump, my Sopwith fighters book has an image of one like this in the cover, they were used as trainers.

 

And yes if you read the likes of ’no parachute’ planes from that era were extremely disposable, one account has a BE2c not even surviving the ferrying flight to France ( but the squadron celebrating the early demise Of the same) another has the author getting shot down twice in the same day when flying ground attack in camels later in the war ( hence the development of the salamander)

Edited February 13, 2020 by Marklo

[Mikey-1980]

Stunning scratch building here. makes my piddly effort look like childs work...haha!

 

 

[DMC]

17 hours ago, Marklo said:

Lovely build so far, inspiring me to get a few sopwiths going

Thanks, Marklo. By all means let’s have another Sopworth, or two.  W W1 biplanes are in short supply on BM.  Probably because of the rigging requirement. Keeps me away from them anyhow.

 

5 hours ago, Mikey-1980 said:

Stunning scratch building here. makes my piddly effort look like childs work...ha

Thanks, Mikel.  “Child’s work”, not at all.  I’ve enjoyed following your thread. Looking forward to seeing how you get on with the rest of it.  

 

Cheers goys

 

Dennis

 

[Mikey-1980]

Cheers @DMC trying my best

[DMC]

Slow going but a little progress made. TL: what I used to make the Camel’s IP. Various instruments copied on photo paper.  Hard to find them small enough. Gold gel pen for the brass bezels and an assortment of small punches.  CSM make a set for the Camel in 1/28 but as the panel would be hard to see I thought i’d see how my efforts turned out first before investing a tenner.  TR: not bad, I think it’ll do as in BL:  not much of it will be seen because of the gun breeches and crash pads. BR: the guns had slots in them to mount the Aldis sight but didn’t think I’d be using it so I filled them in.  A small mess resulted has I couldn’t get the grooves right.  What I could have done was sawed them off and rotated them 180.  No slots and a cleaner job of it as the grooves are much neater.   Live and learn.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by DMC

[Mikey-1980]

Control panel is coming along well!

 

Fantastic work

[DMC]

12 minutes ago, Mikey-1980 said:

Control panel is coming along well!

Thanks for that, Miley. Just noticed the watch face is missing.  Good luck finding that!

 

Dennis

 

[Mikey-1980]

haha!

 

I would suspect the carpet monster has devoured that then?

[rob Lyttle]

4 hours ago, DMC said:

the guns had slots in them to mount the Aldi’s sight

Aldi were selling gunsight equipment back then?? 

Probably "middle aisle", when it's gone it's gone 

[DMC]

Aldis sight, that is..  Blame the auto correction.

 

Dennis 

[DMC]

Fuselage framework just about done.  Throttle controls and a few other things needed.  The dreaded wicker seat, and belt, will have to wait.  Perhaps some AM supplier will take pity on 1/28 modellers, although I can’t see that happening.  Or, I might look into having one printed.  We’ll see.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis 

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Cracking work Dennis this looks absolutely amazing fella.  I had a stroke of luck last weekend. I took my son to a model railway exhibition and there was a trader selling off a load of models very cheaply. I was looking through one of the boxes and luckily had hold of,  a couple of kits as some guy bought all the boxes of kits while I was looking, the kits I had were the 1/28 Camel with bits missing and a complete Revell 1/39 Wright Flyer. They were both £1 each and I now have the struts that were missing from mine, well chuffed. 

 

Keep up the good work

All the best

Chris

[DMC]

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Cracking work Dennis

Thanks, Chris.  Sounds as though you had an Interesting, and profitable, day out.  I myself am on the lookout for another 1/28 Camel . A light coloured one.  I’ve it in mind to convert it to a 2F.1 that flew on the Tondern raid.  The one with the blue and white checkered cowl.  Much to do on this one first.

 

(Never miss anything to do with “Steam” on tv.  I am old enough to remember steam.”

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[DMC]

When I first started this build I had it in mind to convert from the kit F.1 to a 2F.1, or ships Camel..  This would have required a little work on the “Clerget” to concert it to a Bentley.  As it already had a Bentley crankcase the only changes required would have been the addition of cylinder head bolts and thinner, much thinner, pushrods. Not too difficult.  However, when I discovered tha CSM did a 1/28 Clerget thoughts of a conversion where put on hold and I ordered one of the CSM Clergets (nice) and proceeded to build the model as an F.1.

 

But then, thinking about this conversion a couple of days ago, and not being able to resist experimenting,I got sidetracked from the F.1  into experimenting with a couple of things that would do for a 2F.1.

 

Early Bentley equipped 2F.1s used Clerget cowlings until it was decided, apparently in the interest of better cooling, to enlarge the cowling somewhat.  How to do that the then?  I could used a filler to enlarge the kit cowlin but instead decided to try vacuum forming a new one .  TL: The F.1 kit cowling served as the basis for the larger Bentley one.  I lined the inside of the cowl with cling film and filled it with polymer clay. I cut a plug out with a homemade punch and baked the ring and plug for about ten minutes. I added a thin layer of clay on the ring to smooth out the creases left by the cling film and baked it again.  TR:  the plug will be sunk into the ring a little to help define the opening.  BL: the ring will be lightly fixed to the spindle, chucked in a drill and smoothed out with a file, etc.  BR: after adding more clay, not done yet, to enlarge the ring somewhat it gets baked again, smoothed out and then used as a mould to form a new one. Fingers crossed.

 

 

The change to a Bentley cowling also requires an extended “hump”. I carved a balsa mould following photos and illustrations out of books, etc.  Looks as though the first try might work okay.

 

 

 

 

I could probably have tarted up the kit prop and used it but I like carving them so I fish glued the few remaining scraps of veneer together and started another along the lines of the one I’ve done for the F.1.  I usually do one side first and if that looks ok I carry on with the other side using the first side as a guide.  Still a little thick I think an will need thinning down a bit.

 

 

No doubt this will need editing as my vision ain’t what it used to be and predictive spelling has messed me up before.  First I’ll just get it posted and then it’s back to the F.1.

 

Thanks for looking in.

 

Dennis

 

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Wow Dennis amazing work I am in awe of you scratch builders. This is going to be one amazing model.

 

Keep up the good work

All the best

Chris

[DMC]

8 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Wow

Thanks for the “wow” Chris.  Not sure how amazing but i’m pleased wit the results so far.

 

Cheers, and thanks again.

 

Dennis

[bigbadbadge]

14 hours ago, DMC said:

Thanks for the “wow” Chris.  Not sure how amazing but i’m pleased wit the results so far.

 

Cheers, and thanks again.

 

Dennis

It definitely deserves a big Wow Dennis.

[AlCZ]

Wo - hooo - great ! But - isn´t a WnW in 1/32 scale better choice ? When i saw a lot of work on this really ancient (a 60th years old ?) kit... But Camel is my favourite airplane from Great War... 

[DMC]

4 hours ago, AlCZ said:

isn´t a WnW in 1/32 scale better choice ?

Well, ALCZ, as far as accuracy and detail go — yes!  But I’ve had this old kit for years..... not 60, however.  It’s just big enough for me to add a little scratch work without straining my eyes too much and, if I recall, I paid less than a tenner for it.  WNW kits are, what, five or six times that.  For me: no contest.

 

Got the cowlin vacuum formed.  Added a thin skin of Sculpey “Firm” to the mould to flesh it out a little, baked it and then chucked it in the drill to file and polish lt.  I vacced it using .040 styrene and am rather surprised it turned out as well as it did.  My first efforts usually don’t.  According to Wylam, the cowl opening for a Bentley is some three inches smaller in diameter than the F1 so I’ll work that in.  

 

 

Looks like a Bentley cowl to me.  Just that little bit bulkier.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

Dennis

[DMC]

Have a seat then.  Just how to go about dealing with the seat kept nagging away at me even while working on other stuff so decided to just get on with lt.   My eyesight has deteriorated somewhat over the last several months so any brass work, fine soldering and weaving would have been a bit of a stretch so ruled that out. Then I remembered a seat I had made for the “little Camel” a few years back using clay.

Also that, somewhere, I had a bit of aluminium mesh that might do for the backing.  I ran the clay through a pasta machine on the #2 setting, embossed it with the collar from a craft knife and baked it in curved and flat shapes..  

 

Left to right:  kit seat, first attempt,  one on the way and one that will do.  Won’t see much of the seat anyway looking down on it buried in  the fuselage and half covered with a seatbelt..  many hours on this, glad  it’s out of the way.

 

Thanks for dropping in.

 

Dennis

 

 

[bigbadbadge]

Hi Dennis again another Wow. The cowling looks great, but the seat is fantastic well done sir.  I hope you won't get into too much trouble for using the pasta machine though with the boss!!!

 

Keep up the great work

All the best

Chris