Viking Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 Amodel Comet 4C - Adding improvements 1:144 An interesting discussion on this kit started up in the Civil Airliners forum about various ways that it might be improved, possibly by cross kitting the Airfix fuselage with the Amodel wing. In brief, the Amodel wing is better detailed but its fuselage is a little short and possible skinny, whilst the Airfix fuselage is much better in length and cross section. Anyway, I joined in the discussion and found myself chopping the Amodel kit about to seek improving it. The work is now going further than I initially thought, so really needs to be separated out and posted here as a 'Work in Progress thread. First up, the fuselage needed cutting into 3 in order to add 5mm extensions fore and aft of the wing. Rolled sections of plasticard were glued inside the fuselage to extend it, followed by 'planking the exterior to fill the recess. Airfix fuselage on top for length comparison. Amodel half secured to Airfix half with elastic bands, showing that it is slightly thinner, but now the correct length. Wings are 14mm too short in span for a 4C, so tip extensions added. More on this later. The distance from tank to wingtip looked wrong, it should not be that long. Member Chris 'Stringbag' very kindly lent me his resin Authentic Airlines kit to compare against. Authentic Airliners have a reputation for producing highly accurate kits, so comparing their wing with my modification confirmed that I had got it wrong. The extension should have been inboard of the tank, So, I cut down the tip extensions, realising that it would have been better to have left them alone! A long pause overnight while I pondered what to do, leave it 'as is' or be brave and cut the wings off! I decided to have a go at cutting them off and inserting inboard extensions. (Sea Comet anyone a 'Comet 4-Sea' Har har. I'll blame the glue fumes going to my head 🤣) I cut substantial plasticard tongues for inside the wings. I added several shims in top them There was a bit of flexing, so some brass wire reinforcements seem sensible. I laid them over Chis's Amodel wing to telescope them out to the correct distance, ran some cyano along the brass wires and Tamiya extra thin on the plastic tongues., A pleasant surprise was that the trailing edges now didn't line up. This was good because the wing chord on the inner trailing edges was too short anyway. Plasticard strips were the perfect solution. On the leading edge I put some substantial blocks as It will need reshaping later to match the profile of the rest of the leading edge. Finally, the gap needs skinning. I cut pieces to fill in, rolling them gently over a knife handle to curve them to match the wing surface. And here we are. Wings extended to the correct span with the pinion tanks in the right place. It all needs to be left for a few days to harden up, and the skimmed with Milliput. Then the work of sanding it back to blend in to the rest of the wing can begin. It's been a lot of fun to work out these solutions, and the thread on the civil forum has been really interesting with some good info from Skippiebg and the Tommohawk kid in particular. In fact it shows the best of internet forums, with friendly and helpful discussion all round. Thanks for looking, I hope this turns out ok when it gets paint on it! John 22 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippiebg Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) I'm getting some popcorn... (John @Viking, I have some Comet 4C drawings basically cadged off the old Aeromodeller effort and done up by myself. Drop me a PM with your email addy and they are yours.) Peter Edited June 20, 2020 by skippiebg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 A Classic Comet! I am very glad that you posted this here. I hardly ever look at other areas of BM, given the limited nature of my lifespan, and had missed many good things that never get posted in the more visited and up-front sections of WIP and RFI. Serious work going on there. P/S: May I call you "John the Ripper"? 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stringbag Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 4 hours ago, Viking said: (Sea Comet anyone a 'Comet 4-Sea' Har har. I'll blame the glue fumes going to my head 🤣) It's been a lot of fun to work out these solutions, and the thread on the civil forum has been really interesting with some good info from Skippiebg and the Tommohawk kid in particular. In fact it shows the best of internet forums, with friendly and helpful discussion all round. Thanks for looking, I hope this turns out ok when it gets paint on it! John "Sea Comet anyone a 'Comet 4-Sea' Har har." You're really not coping well with this lockdown at all John. I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Great improvement on the wings by the way but you have to do something with that nose profile. I am referring to the Comet in case there is any misunderstanding. Chris. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Alpha Yankee Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Nice to see these corrections have not been to difficult John. I am enjoying your approach to the engineering work to make everything solid. I'm pulling up a seat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Nice work, John. Are you planning a Dan machine? As an ex-Dan man who used to get around on these aircraft I’m always pleased to see one in modelled form. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dstream Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Very nice work. Once sanded, the span extension will be perfectly disguised. Following your build, daniele 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomohawk Kid Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 I have a similiar WiP but my Comet will be an Olympic 4B, some details on the aforemention thread here: Tommo. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Wow! Some serious cutting and chopping here. How did you manage to overcome the waves of nausea that accompanied your chopping up the wings like that? Looks good now. What a path to follow, though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Poultney Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Oooo I like the look of this project! I'll give this a follow 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomohawk Kid Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) I have been pootling away with my Welsh Models Olympic 4B. I'm far from happy with it (details in the Airliner thread) Anyway here goes: Tommo. Edited June 25, 2020 by The Tomohawk Kid 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjaweijfopi4j48 Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCI Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 awesome, i like modelers who dont hesitate to really dig into detail and do things necessary to make a project what it should be, a perfect replica. 👌 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger350Pilot Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Wow. This is really really nice. And a great WIP. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share Posted June 29, 2020 On 20/06/2020 at 22:46, Moa said: May I call you "John the Ripper"? Certainly, I've been called much, much worse! On 21/06/2020 at 09:43, RidgeRunner said: Nice work, John. Are you planning a Dan machine? As an ex-Dan man who used to get around on these aircraft I’m always pleased to see one in modelled form. I did do a Dan Air 4C a couple of years ago based on the Airfix kit. I did it 'in flight' to show the beautiful lines of the Comet. Pictures are here. This one will be an RAF machine, I am formulating a cunning plan! On 21/06/2020 at 00:37, stringbag said: Great improvement on the wings by the way but you have to do something with that nose profile. Got to agree with you there Chris, I've had a go at it. Looks a bit rough in this photo! I decided to reduce the 'crown' on top, to make it slope down towards the glazing a little more. I think the kit has too much of an abrupt change from constant section fuselage to sloping down. The drawings I obtained from Skippiebg were a great help in determining this. I also think the tip of the nose is too pointy, so I filled it out with milliput and blended it in to produce a fatter, blunter shape. To secure the milliput I razor sawed a cross into the nose tip to give it something to grab on to. Better? but you can see that the plastic is getting thin, I think I'll stop here. As for the wings, I have them all blended in. the starboard wing 'dished' slightly, hence the uneven line of filler. See if you can follow my train of thought here. Given that the Authentic Airliners resin kit has wonderfully accurate wings. I used them as a pattern for mine. By placing one above my kit wings...... .... I can look from above an see that mine match so closely that only a bit of wing tank is visible..... ......and placing it underneath shows the same very close match. I'm happy with that, but I'd also say that the intake area is a shade undersized compared to the AA wing. The funny thing is, I thought that this would be a simple build as there are so few parts to assemble. I still have a few bits and bobs to fit, like little wing fences, and the fuel dump pipes. and then I can shoot a coat of primer over it, and see what horrors might be revealed! Thanks for looking John 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted June 29, 2020 Author Share Posted June 29, 2020 On 25/06/2020 at 20:41, The Tomohawk Kid said: I have been pootling away with my Welsh Models Olympic 4B. I'm far from happy with it (details in the Airliner thread) Anyway here goes: Tommo. I reckon that's not looking at all bad Tommo, the nose seems a lot better that the Amodel one, and the fuselage looks to have a much better diameter. I love that Olympic scheme too! Cheers John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomohawk Kid Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Viking said: Certainly, I've been called much, much worse! I did do a Dan Air 4C a couple of years ago based on the Airfix kit. I did it 'in flight' to show the beautiful lines of the Comet. Pictures are here. This one will be an RAF machine, I am formulating a cunning plan! Got to agree with you there Chris, I've had a go at it. Looks a bit rough in this photo! I decided to reduce the 'crown' on top, to make it slope down towards the glazing a little more. I think the kit has too much of an abrupt change from constant section fuselage to sloping down. The drawings I obtained from Skippiebg were a great help in determining this. I also think the tip of the nose is too pointy, so I filled it out with milliput and blended it in to produce a fatter, blunter shape. To secure the milliput I razor sawed a cross into the nose tip to give it something to grab on to. Better? but you can see that the plastic is getting thin, I think I'll stop here. As for the wings, I have them all blended in. the starboard wing 'dished' slightly, hence the uneven line of filler. See if you can follow my train of thought here. Given that the Authentic Airliners resin kit has wonderfully accurate wings. I used them as a pattern for mine. By placing one above my kit wings...... .... I can look from above an see that mine match so closely that only a bit of wing tank is visible..... ......and placing it underneath shows the same very close match. I'm happy with that, but I'd also say that the intake area is a shade undersized compared to the AA wing. The funny thing is, I thought that this would be a simple build as there are so few parts to assemble. I still have a few bits and bobs to fit, like little wing fences, and the fuel dump pipes. and then I can shoot a coat of primer over it, and see what horrors might be revealed! Thanks for looking John Looking good and impressive whittling, particularly the wing comparison with the AA one, which is no mean achievement to get it that close. Tommo. Edited June 29, 2020 by The Tomohawk Kid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomohawk Kid Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Viking said: I reckon that's not looking at all bad Tommo, the nose seems a lot better that the Amodel one, and the fuselage looks to have a much better diameter. I love that Olympic scheme too! Cheers John Unfortunately, there are too many elements I can't live with - so I have therefore decided to rewind the build and correct them. I agree Comet was born to grace the Olympic and BEA 'red square' liveries. Tommo. Edited June 29, 2020 by The Tomohawk Kid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Bradshaw Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 On 6/25/2020 at 8:41 PM, The Tomohawk Kid said: I have been pootling away with my Welsh Models Olympic 4B. I'm far from happy with it (details in the Airliner thread) Anyway here goes: Tommo. Lovely work Tommo - I also have this kit coming to me one day, as I love Olympic Airways aircraft! Derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme H Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Only just found this, now following some serious work going on here, industrial scale fixing up, I might consider getting the Authentic airliners Comet though, seems a little less work in corrections 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tomohawk Kid Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, Graeme H said: Only just found this, now following some serious work going on here, industrial scale fixing up, I might consider getting the Authentic airliners Comet though, seems a little less work in corrections The AA Comet(s) is currently out of production. You might benefit from a read of this first, before you dip for it - should it become available again. Tommo. Edited June 30, 2020 by The Tomohawk Kid 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheyJammedKenny! Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Nice progress on this--most impressive how the wing matches up well against Authentic Airliners' example, which I consider the gold standard. I admire your work on getting the cockpit contours to look just-so--that's the part of the Comet (and Caravelle) that makes the airframe so distinctive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Bradshaw Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 Fantastic correction work John, she is really looking like a Comet should do now! Regards Derek 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
general melchett Posted June 30, 2020 Share Posted June 30, 2020 Great work John, a big improvement on what's in the box, strange that Amodel got it wrong as their research is usually pretty sound. Looking at all this butchery gets me in the mood for attacking the Mach 2 lurking at the back of the naughty cupboard. A lot of work but to ease matters I'll be 3D printing new outer wings and a few 'things' to build a BEA 4B, (just taken stock options on Milliput and sanding sticks!) Must agree about the AA kits being a joy, (building their Trident 3B for a magazine). Look forward to progress... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viking Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 Thanks chaps, work is progressing although I must admit that weariness is begging to set in. There always seems to be filling and sanding to do, especially as I have another build alongside that is also requiring more of the same! I've got its legs on now,they were really fiddly to do. I'm glad I did them now though, as trying to do them after painting would undoubtedly resulted in mucking up the paintwork. The axles on the main gear were so thin that I replaced them with some thicker plastic rod. Also on now are the wingtip fuel vents, the little wing fences, a tail bumper, and replacement nose gear doors to replace the thicker kit items. Luckily I didn't get the 'sink plunger' moulding flaw in the centre of my lower wing that others have reported. At last! First coat of Halfords grey primer sprayed on. I can now see how it is beginning to look. I'm quite pleased, there is very little remedial work needed. The nose shape is of most interest, I'm reasonably happy with it. Thanks for looking, John 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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