1:32 Hawker Siddeley Andover E.Mk 3A - 3D Print

[Iain Ogilvie]

Then another parcel arrived from Ladislav @ LACI - and, one word - WOW!!

 

Here's what he sent me - all parts re-done to accurately represent the engines and cowls - as well as an accurate set of props and spinners - for the HS-780 Andover C.Mk 1 and E.Mk.3/3A.

 

I was really quite amazed.

 

Ladislav was mortified that we wanted to use the 748 engines as the basis for the larger and modified Dart cowlings/nacelles on the HS 780 Andover C.Mk.1 and E.Mk.3 - and immediately said he was off to create new designs.

 

And here are the results - and I'm hugely impressed with Ladislav's customer service. I was more than happy to take the 748 parts as a basis for modification - and accept they were blown up from the 1:144 designs. But here we have a full set for the 780 - with correct shapes - and with panel lines refined for the larger scale.

 

 

This ticks off one of the big boxes of things I wanted to deal with on the One Man Model kit - and it saves an awful lot of work!

 

A quick snap showing the rear cowl/nacelle differences - 748 at left, 780 at right.

 

 

If you haven't seen the LACI range of 3D printed detailed accessories, take a look here. Quality products!

 

Back soon...

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Some more images of the LACI parts.

 

Lower nacelles - now a single component - and with the revised profile on the front section.

 

New part top, 748 below:

 

 

Main cowling (closed version - 780 top, 748 below):

 

 

 

Note larger diameter at the front (780 left, 748 right):

 

 

Undercarriage doors:

 

 

And some prop blades - to go with some really nice HS780 spinners (prop units are different to the 748 - in shape and size):

 

 

Shapes all look very good! 

 

Ladislav also tweaked the shape of his parts to match the One Man Model wing more accurately.

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Back to the wing...

 

Port wing sections as provided by One Man Model:

 

 

Starboard inner section that I started modifying previously - here I've removed the upper rear section of the flaps:

 

 

Starboard wing outer section - aileron and flap removed carefully with a sharp scalpel and placed back in situ:

 

 

And removed:

 

 

And underneath view - when you think you've cut through everything needed to remove the section - you find there's more inner webbing from the print process.

 

Care and patience required!

 

I've also now done the same with the Port wing.

 

 

 

 

Iain

 

 

[Iain Ogilvie]

Upper surfaces of the joined inner and outer wing sections - leading edges filled with casting resin and brass rod:

 

 

And undersides. Casting resin has been used to fill and stabilise the area where the 3D printed cowlings/nacelles have been removed. This is essential if we are to preserve some strength in the wings - especially as some of this area will be cut back to form the wheel wells:

 

 

Here you can see casting resin used as a filler on some holes/joints. Ignore hatched area - I thought that needed removing, but doesn't... 

 

 

Note the numbered, and colour-coded port.starboard, flap actuator covers - these will be removed and bagged whilst I square everything off and box in the upper flap areas with styrene sheet.

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Fuselage progress - joining front/rear main fuselage shells.

 

I had some 1.2mm diameter brass rod to hand - close enough to the alignment holes in the printed parts - but these needed clearing through carefully with a drill bit in a pin vise.

 

 

These are cut to suitable lengths with a suitable side cutter and placed in situ:

 

 

There was a tiny amount of adjustment needed to ensure the fuselage sides - and the areas to be glazed - were perfectly aligned.

 

 

Sections were bonded on their mating faces with Plastic Weld, before carefully clamping in perfect alignment with G-clamps and spring clamps.

 

Then left for a week for everything to harden off...

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

After a week we had this: all square - perfectly aligned front rear on the outer surfaces - with a slight step underneath.

 

The step underneath is easy to clear - the important sections were upper wing roots/window areas/upper fuselage surfaces:

 

 

 

On the inside I've started to clean up some of the printed in detail - including an upper strip that aligns the top of the fuselage floor that I've decided to remove as part of the clean-up process, before I start any detailing...

 

 

Another step forward...

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Just to add - and I can't stress this enough - it's hugely important to ensure that everything is assembled square and true - 3D prints can warp a little after printing, especially large parts with relatively thin shells.

 

With the main front/rear fuselage sections bonded together it was time, today, to check that the two halves fitted together squarely - with a smooth/straight surface along the fuselage:

 

 

 

And, with that, another test fit of nose and tail - this is going to look pretty impressive when assembled, I think - just wish I could work faster! 

 

 

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Thinking through the main interior parts...

 

Toshihiko has done a brilliant job of re-creating the internal features of the Andover, but there are a few things I want to change, as well as wanting to clean up the print layer lines as neatly, and squarely, as possible.

 

 

 

After several good coats of 'looking at' I'd come to the conclusion that the easiest route will be to remove the vertical sections from the basic floor - which will be re-skinned itself...

 

The question was how could I do this as neatly as possible - with neat, thin, cuts that would be square and flush with the floor sections as printed.

 

Eureka moment when I came across these on Amazon: a Japanese Flush Cut Trim Hand Saw which, I think, should do the job nicely - and I can start on building up the interior.

 

 

 

I love finding new tools!

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

The new tool worked better than I'd hoped!

 

 

The foil is pretty thin - which is excellent, but it can twist and flex - so I applied pressure down onto the blade - using the printed floor as the cutting guide:

 

 

And this happened - exactly what I was after.

 

It's even separated the rudder pedal assemblies!

 

The internal sections can now be surface prepped and detailed prior to re-assembly to the floor - with some components moved to suit the E3A version I'm building...

 

 

The floor sections will have their surfaces sanded back - to be re-skinned with styrene sheet and surface detail.

 

With the two main sections of floor there's quite an area to work with!

 

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Then, fast forward to a couple of weeks ago...

 

Just before lock-down I contacted the RAF Cosford site of the RAF Museum to ask if I could access the Andover E3 they had on display - specifically the interior.

 

A polite email came back saying that, unfortunately, this wasn't possible - but they offered to take photos of specific areas I required. Lock-down came and with everything else going on I got sidetracked.

 

Then, two weeks ago - son Cameron is on holiday from school, so I suggested a 'boy's day out' up to Cosford to see what shots I could get of the Andover - without crossing the barrier.

 

I took a few hundred images - mostly of the Andover - but came away frustrated that there, in a museum, was a surviving airframe that held all the gaps in my research for the project, yet I couldn't get underneath/inside.

 

Get home - happened to be on Facebook, and saw a 'share' on the HS-748 Group of an RAF Museum 'Members' event the following Sunday - with 'over-the-barrier' and cockpit access to the Andover!!!

 

 

Pity the staff I talked to on the Wednesday didn't mention/know about the event - and I didn't see anything advertising it!?

 

Maybe, just maybe, some planets were in alignment...

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

And a few of the photos from the members' Evening - as smaller images - but will give a taste of how useful last weeks' photos will be to the build...

 

Cockpit:

 

 

 

Navigators/Flight Engineers Stations (layout unique to the E3A variant):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Galley:

 

 

Rear door - port-side - with para-drop lights:

 

 

Emergency door opposite:

 

 

General cabin view looking aft - pax seats fitted:

 

 

Back in a mo...

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Some more...

 

Port engine:

 

 

Starboard engine:

 

 

Port main undercarriage bay:

 

 

 

Nosegear bay:

 

 

Passenger emergencies card - I have both sides so that I can replicate in 1:32

 

 

And for those sitting at their desks reading this, the Emergency Exits...

 

Are here,

 

Here,

 

And here.

 

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

And last few for now - I'll post more when they are relevant to specific stages in the build.

 

Nose:

 

 

Upper fuselage (as clear as I could get in very poor light):

 

 

 

And that tailplane/fuselage interface - captured a few days earlier - with sunlight from the overhead skylights:

 

 

So, continuing the build...

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Work commenced on smoothing the interior surfaces, prior to detailing and paint:

 

 

Front/rear sections of the 3D Printed floor bonded together with Plastic Weld and the surfaces dressed off - these will be 'skinned' with styrene sheet prior to adding surface detail - some holes where the printed internal structures were removed...

 

 

 

Upper and lower 'cockpit structure' bonded together - shapes are pretty good - but all surface detail will be removed/replaced:

 

 

 

 

And loosely placed in position on the flightdeck floor:

 

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Another area that I've been able to progress with now I understand the routeing of the nose intake ducting, is the nose.

 

The outer/external part of the intake has been removed and will be replaced by a vacuum-formed one later in the build.

 

The opening in the nose where the trunking would be has been filled with Milliput epoxy putty - and an opening shaped wet with a cocktail stick - this will be refined later:

 

 

The nose was then filled with lead shot (the stuff I use is sold as diving weight material) - and filled with casting resin to form a meniscus slightly above the level of the nose component.

 

Once cured, this has all been dressed off a-la-vacform by circular sanding on wet 400 grit wet and dry paper, followed by 800 grit:

 

 

Same sanding process applied to the cockpit section - to ensure a surface that is true, and clean of paint etc..

 

 

Dry fitting looked good:

 

 

And bonded with Plastic Weld - *very* strong assembly:

 

 

Good that it's strong as I'm going to be doing some heavy re-shaping - especially at the sides...

 

I can almost hear those Rolls Royce Darts spooling up now! 

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

Wing tips filled underneath with Milliput Epoxy Putty - this will be re-profiled when I sand the wings back - but I need to box in the flap areas first:

 

 

 

Nose primered with automotive primer (in this case my usual Halfords brand):

 

 

 

Ready for *lots* of shaping to blend everything together and get some smooth curves - the need for this is very obvious when viewed from above.

 

Have fun!

 

Iain

[Iain Ogilvie]

If you're doing any major sanding with the ABS then 60 grit glass paper works brilliantly - a lot faster than wet and dry - and with more 'ooomph'/'authority' to smooth out high spots.

 

Followed up with 400 grit wet and dry and ready for more primer.

 

Nose shape almost there - have sanded through surface of the prints on either side - leaving holes to be filled - but I expected that - and an indication that the cross section where the two parts are bonded is now closer to the shape on the real aeroplane.

 

From this:

 

 

To this:

 

 

 

 

Still some finessing of high points/curve blends - but these are to be expected.

 

More when there's more, but hopefully of some use to other Andover builders (in any scale) - and anyone building a model from a 3D Printed set of parts...

 

Iain

[k5054nz]

This is endlessly fascinating, and the new cowls are superb! I have too much (positive!) to say and not enough words to convey them.

[stringbag]

Thoroughly enjoying this one Iain.

 

Chris.

[Winded Penguin]

Wonderful work

I'd buy a 1/48 or 1/32 kit version of the Andover, if I knew it was on the inventory of a mainstream supplier.

The work involved with yours is entertaining to watch, when someone with the appetite and capabilities is managing the project.

[Iain Ogilvie]

Thanks for the responses all - I've been waiting on research info for a couple of years - so having most of the photographic material I needed there was no excuse.

 

Let's see if I can keep the momentum going by doing a little each week....

 

The possibilities offered by 3D Design and Printing technology are really exciting IMHO.

 

Model on dudes! 

 

Iain

[k5054nz]

1/32 is a smidge big for me, for an Andover at least, but that does not at all lessen my enjoyment of this build. I realise I posted yesterday but I just wanted to make this clear - I'm thoroughly enjoying each update, seeing how you tackle the issues the kit throws up, and watching the terrific improvements you're implementing.

 

@Anthony in NZ: you know I need to see you get into yours once the Phantom's done

[Iain Ogilvie]

I'm really looking forward to Anthony diving in with his Andover - I blame him for this one Zac! 

 

Iain

[Anthony in NZ]

5 hours ago, Iain Ogilvie said:

I'm really looking forward to Anthony diving in with his Andover - I blame him for this one Zac! 

 

Iain

Hahahaha I’ll happily accept all blame for this one! 
Awesome work Iain, just slow down mate so I can get my Phantom out of the way…I can’t have you getting too far ahead of me lol

 

Cheers Anthony 

[Iain Ogilvie]

A little more progress on the shaping - slow, but really rewarding!

 

There'll be another coat of grey, followed by some high-build yellow filler primer to follow - but these show where the 'cheeks' have been sanded through the outer print layer - and the area subsequently filled with polyurethane casting resin:

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully make a start on the rear 'capping spars' for the wings this evening.

 

Iain