Xirurg Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) Gloster Gladiator Mk.I from Airfix, Belgian Air Force, 1938. My last build of 2020. My first biplane build. Used EZ Line for struts. I know they are supposed to be silver or at least grey however EZ Line doesn't make that color and I didn't want to wait to get another product as I wanted to finish it in 2020. Plastic sprue was not an option as I can't make it that thin. I didn't try to paint EZ Line - I thought that wouldn't look good. Tamiya Acrylic paints. I don't like how Aluminium turned out - too grainy, I should work more on that one. Used Matt Olive Drab as per instructions as top color - doesn't look exactly as in the manual however close to Belgian Air Force Gladiators built by fellow modellers. Happy New Year everyone! Edited January 2, 2021 by Xirurg Fixed images 37 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Oh, the old "spacer.png" problem again X 8. Google? 😉 Happy New Year to you too, and please select another image site for your pics! Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Lovely job mate, what a little beauty Cheers, Stew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adey m Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Lovely Gladiator, and your rigging looks superb from here. regards, adey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearsightedjohn Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Beautiful job on this excellent recent kit from Airfix. I built one of these a few years ago and totally screwed it up trying to rig it with EZ-line. I made the mistake of trying to bond the line directly to the wings/ fuselage using CA which made a terrible mess. I have learned since then that rigging goes much smoother for me if I tie the line to bonded eyelets (such as Bob’s Buckles). I totally agree with your comment related to the “grainy” appearance of Tamiya acrylic aluminum (XF-16?), particularly on smaller scale subjects. I’ve used it on 1/32 aircraft and the graininess on a silver doped WWI aircraft doesn’t look quite as bad to my eye. On 1/48 or 1/72 aircraft, I either use a rattle can lacquer like Tamiya AS-12 bare metal or TS-17 aluminum for non-polished NMF or doped silver or an Alclad metalizer over black gloss enamel or lacquer for polished NMF. The grainy XF-16 works great for cast engine blocks on any scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swralph Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 That's a beauty.😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xirurg Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Spitfire31 said: Oh, the old "spacer.png" problem again X 8. Google? That's strange - I can see images on a computer but not on my phone. And I'm not using Google, hosting images on my own site. How about this one? Edited January 2, 2021 by Xirurg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xirurg Posted January 2, 2021 Author Share Posted January 2, 2021 @Spitfire31 Images should be ok now. Thanks for pointing that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Images are fine now, looks great, rigging looks lovely, great work. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Very nice Gladiator! Not a scheme seen modeled very often, but very attractive. Nice rigging, too! Happy New Year to you and yours- stay safe in 2021! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Nice one! I agree with the Tamiya graininess. I just started using an airbrush and sprayed some old Tamiya XF-16 ( 28ml. bottle ) on a paint mule and it looked great. But on my 1/72 Airfix Hurricane, I used a new 14ml. bottle of XF-16 and it is a bit more grainy. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitfire31 Posted January 3, 2021 Share Posted January 3, 2021 Good thing that you managed to fix the pics – would've been a great pity to miss such a beautiful Gladiator. Impressive and inspiring modelling! Kind regards, Joachim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastimic Posted February 1, 2021 Share Posted February 1, 2021 How did you attach your rigging? I am working on one and am new to the rigging game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xirurg Posted February 1, 2021 Author Share Posted February 1, 2021 @Plastimic I used super glue that I applied with sharpened toothpick. Tried to keep amount of glue to a minimum. I applied to a model first, then attach one side of ez-line. Then cut ez-line shorter that I need and attach the other end same way - little drop of super glue, then ez-line. It stretches very well so no need to worry about exact length. I thought dried glue would be more visible but it turned out ok, better than I'd expected. For struts that have 3 touch points (like ones on the tail) I used one line - glued 2 end points first, then stretched and glued the middle. For that one I used dull knife to keep contact point smaller and not to make a mess. I hope I've answered your question. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackson Duvalier Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 Excellent first-time rigging, Xirurg. The simple task of fitting aerials give me fits. If I ever try a biplane I hope it turns out so well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweener Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Always good to see a Gladiator, truly one of the most beautiful interwar types IMO, and even better to see international schemes! Hopefully more are on the way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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