Biplane Wing Advice For a Relative Newbie

[Paul Thompson]

2 minutes ago, melvyn hiscock said:

Hey Paul, getting them to glaze over is my ‘middle of the night, oh dear the steroids have kicked in, might as well waffle in Britmodeller’ department. 
 

Juxt don’t get me started on the guitars side of my life.....

It's a deal. In return, I won't mention flutes........

 

Paul.

[melvyn hiscock]

10 minutes ago, Paul Thompson said:

It's a deal. In return, I won't mention flutes........

 

Paul.

Do you know John Hackett? The only flautist I know and great friend for forty years

[Paul Thompson]

Just now, melvyn hiscock said:

Do you know John Hackett? The only flautist I know and great friend for forty years

No. The only Hackett I know is actually a tune (Owen Hackett's jig, Irish or Northumbrian depending on who you ask).

 

Paul.

[ipaul321]

Wow that Camel looks fabulous.

 

Never used Mr. Surafcer before and it seems to be mentioned a graet deal. Is it worth using & why?

 

nb as for guitars...I'm known to dabble myself. Is there some kind of relationship between modelling & guitar or other music? Something to do with stringing & rigging perhaps?

[melvyn hiscock]

Thanks, it still needs some tidying up and some weathering. 

 

I had a few problems with paint pulling off after being masked. I was ok using rattle can primer, either Halfords or Humbrol, but rattle cans can be hard to control and are not ideal for small parts, and you get a lot of overspray. 
 

I was told of a primer that was excellent and airbrushable so I bought some, and that peeled off too and was worse than useless.
 

Mr Surfacer is a filler/primer coming in various grades. Most primers fill too, but this is variable depending in the grade. I just use the one the local shop had in stock (600 I think) and i thin before use.  I also let it harden overnight before any spraying as I have had some pull off.  I’ve just used it on my stripey albatross, left it overnight before spraying the white and then had minimal problems with the masking. Basically, it is the primer I’ve had least problems with!

 

As for the guitars, there were a lot of years in the business. I’ve made aeroplanes and guitars and now I make models. 

[melvyn hiscock]

On 3/13/2020 at 9:35 AM, melvyn hiscock said:

. 

 

There is some good research out there. You can do much worse than read ‘Saggittarius Rising’ Cecil Lewis, there are a few other contemporary books (one is excellent and I cannot for the life me remember it, I’ll have to phone a friend).

 

I finally got around to calling the friend! 
 

The book I was referring to ‘Winged Victory’ by Victor Yeates which is an excellent read and, of course, I should have mentioned ‘No Parachute’ by Arthur Gould Lee.

 

Meanwhile I rigged by WNW Albatros. That used up some of my isolation time!

 

 

And a Hobbycraft SPAD arrived this morning......

 

if you can find this book I would recommend it.

Edited March 20, 2020 by melvyn hiscock

[Smithy]

10 minutes ago, melvyn hiscock said:

I finally got around to calling the friend! 
 

The book I was referring to ‘Winged Victory’ by Victor Yeates which is an excellent read and, of course, I should have mentioned ‘No Parachute’ by Arthur Gould Lee.

 

Meanwhile I rigged by WNW Albatros. That used up some of my isolation time!

 

 

And a Hobbycraft SPAD arrived this morning......

 

if you can find this book I would recommend it.

 

"Winged Victory" was so highly regarded for its accuracy and realism that copies of the book were being sold amongst RAF members at the start of WWII for £5, a hefty amount for a book in those days.

 

And I agree entirely it's a tremendous read and probably the best at detailing the mental and emotional affects of combat flying in the last year of WWI.

 

I also agree with your plug for "High in the Empty Blue" on the previous page. I'd go so far as to say that it's one of the best squadron histories written from any conflict. It is the result of 3 decades of research, quite incredible. Alex also happens to be a lovely fellow and very willing to help others.

[melvyn hiscock]

Alex is also a jazz musician and so I have rarely managed a short phone call with him as we end up telling muso stories. You are right, a lovely bloke

[europapete]

I have all those books, great reads. I started reading High in the empty blue a short while ago on my lunch breaks at work. One thing I noticed from the photos is the bulged cockpit on 56's SE5's appear to be on most or all the squadrons a/c, not just McCuddens' as per hobby kit lore. Regards, Pete in RI.  ps, I think my book stash is larger than my kit stash, anyone else suffer from this?

[Paul Thompson]

19 minutes ago, europapete said:

I have all those books, great reads. I started reading High in the empty blue a short while ago on my lunch breaks at work. One thing I noticed from the photos is the bulged cockpit on 56's SE5's appear to be on most or all the squadrons a/c, not just McCuddens' as per hobby kit lore. Regards, Pete in RI.  ps, I think my book stash is larger than my kit stash, anyone else suffer from this?

That prompted me to check, and if I'm allowed to add in a few decades of aviation and modelling magazines the answer is a resounding yes. And yet the kit stash is still unfeasibly large. I have a very understanding wife.

 

Paul.

[europapete]

Lol, yep, me too. She actually buys me WNW's kits for christmas, a totally wonderful partner. 

[ipaul321]

Thanks I’ve wondered sbout Mr Surfacer a long time!

very reassuring I’m not alone at smuggling kits into the house. What else  can a chap do duri g a virus lock down?

 

[europapete]

smuggle? nah, We all carry in plain (plane?) sight. And don't forget the bags n boxes of paint, glue, aftermarket, etc, etc, . Just make sure you vacuum the house, clean out the garage/shed, do the laundry, dishes, and bring her a glass of wine after. 

[Smithy]

6 hours ago, europapete said:

ps, I think my book stash is larger than my kit stash, anyone else suffer from this?

 

Yes and by a very substantial margin!

 

7 hours ago, melvyn hiscock said:

Alex is also a jazz musician and so I have rarely managed a short phone call with him as we end up telling muso stories. You are right, a lovely bloke

 

I knew he was something of a dab hand with the clarinet although I've only spoken to him about 56 and 60 Sqns. If you don't have it already his recent biography of McCudden is absolutely fantastic too.

[ipaul321]

Aren't we great us modellers?

 

A beer, a WW1 model & a dabble with a musical instrument.

 

Nirvana.

 

(ps don't tell too many we have life sussed)

[SeaBea23]

Beautiful photographs of the Reawin. I live in Petersfield and always enjoy seeing it around the South Downs and Popham. Just getting back into modelling with a few shakedown builds after many years.

All the best Chris 

[melvyn hiscock]

1 hour ago, SeaBea23 said:

Beautiful photographs of the Reawin. I live in Petersfield and always enjoy seeing it around the South Downs and Popham. Just getting back into modelling with a few shakedown builds after many years.

All the best Chris 

Thanks, sadly no longer mine and I can’t fly anymore. I had a lot of fun in that aeroplane. I’d kill to fly it again but with no medical and lots of chemo, it ain’t going to happen.

[SeaBea23]

Sorry you are going through a difficult time, stay strong. 

Good looking Camel. I am picking up all sorts of useful info from this thread,

I have a Roden DR1 I want to get started on.

[melvyn hiscock]

Thanks Seabe, as a local you may not know just how good Queen Alexandra Hospital is. They are keeping me alive.

 

The rigging on the Dr1 is about as simple as it gets.

 

These might help

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any use? There are more

 

Regards

 

Melvyn

 

Now back to catching up with 'Killing Eve'. This house arrest, whoops I mean voluntary isolation, is not all bad!

 

[melvyn hiscock]

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a few more to be going on with. If there is anything specific anyone needs I *might* have some more details, but I don’t have access to the Dr1 anymore.

 

i have some DVII details too.

[ipaul321]

Dear Melvyn,

 

Thank you so much for these images. You are really very kind & these pics are of fantastic quality teaching me a bit about photography as well as WW1 aircraft.

 

If you have a moment anything similar on the DVII would be great as I am embarking on a Microaces model soon on this type.

 

I am very conscious of your health issues. Please stay well. You are very much in my prayers.

 

Paul

[SeaBea23]

Hi Melvyn

 

Thanks for posting the DR1 details, very useful. Is the aircraft still in the UK? 

I am well aware of the wonderful work of the people at QA, I had extensive treatment for Prostate cancer a few years ago.

 

All the best

 

Chris

[melvyn hiscock]

47 minutes ago, ipaul321 said:

Dear Melvyn,

 

Thank you so much for these images. You are really very kind & these pics are of fantastic quality teaching me a bit about photography as well as WW1 aircraft.

 

If you have a moment anything similar on the DVII would be great as I am embarking on a Microaces model soon on this type.

 

I am very conscious of your health issues. Please stay well. You are very much in my prayers.

 

Paul

Paul, I have a little on the DVII and I’ll post as a new thread.

 

thanks for the prayers, I am not a religious man and there would have been a time when I would have though it a waste of time, but positive energy is positive energy and I am grateful for all that gets put out there. My very good friend Kevin turned his life around with Buddhism and has been trying to get me to meditate, but it is too noisy in my head. He and I were discussing modelling the other day and he rightly said that if I can turn my brain off to drill 9 x 0.3mm holes in a 6mm circle of plastic to put in spark plug wires in a 1/32 le Rhone that will never get seen on my camel, then what was I doing if it wasn’t meditation of some kind, and dash me backwards if the bounder wasn’t right!

 

Melvyn

[melvyn hiscock]

26 minutes ago, SeaBea23 said:

Hi Melvyn

 

Thanks for posting the DR1 details, very useful. Is the aircraft still in the UK? 

I am well aware of the wonderful work of the people at QA, I had extensive treatment for Prostate cancer a few years ago.

 

All the best

 

Chris

Chris,

 

It is my pleasure. The whole point of the Memorial Flight is to preserve not only the hardware, for example our SPAD, Sopwith Strutter and Morane AI are original aeroplanes, but the information about those aeroplanes and the skills needed to produce, maintain and operate those aeroplanes and others of the era, in the most authentic way possible.  If people want to go and build steel tube Sopwith Pups powered by a 220 Continental then all well and good, but please do not pretend it teaches you anything about aviation in World War One. We have found, from practical experience, that a rotary engined Dr1 and one powered by one of those new-fangled engines that stay still, are completely different beasts.

 

The Dr1 was never in the UK but in France but is now in Austria with Eberhard Fritsch who built it, originally for a Warner scarab, and I have not heard much about it in recent years. We flew it initially with a 160 Le Rhône (a development of the 110/120) and later with a 130 Clerget, as Jacobs had in WW1.

 

i know I’ve posted this before but....