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Fairey IIIF the First - RAF Mk.IVM/A - Kora 1/72


Patrik

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18 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Now I feel like I’m the Kota marketing man...  The top exhausts cutout in the real photo is just above, but next to, that top panel line. The top exhausts cutout on the kit is just below, but still next to, the panel line. The black/olive border sweeps down be at least an exhaust cutout width below that panel line, so I think your exhausts will still be in the dark colour.

 

(Dammit, I will have to get one myself and see...)

 

Apology Adrian, I should have made it clearer, where the black border will be. Below the picture modified with yellow line where the masking tape will go.

By the way, one is not enough!

 

nose2.jpg

 

And this is where we are now. Patrik happy, rest of you forewarned and left with choice.

 

20210228-DSC-0052.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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Progress to show.

I have built quite a few shortruns, and I am still pleasantly surprised, how straight-forward the kit is. It is still shortrun, of course, you must not become careless, putty is needed, but otherwise no real issues.

 

20210307-DSC-0058.jpg

 

Some time ago I posted lament on "name five things you do not like on shortrun kits", which I dare paraphrasing now:

1. The fuselage halves are of different plastic thickness - nope.

2. The panel lines do not fit along the fuselage halves joint ... nope.

3. Interior parts do not fit in the interior ... well, to be fair, some of the bulkheads needed trimming and there was the issue of the small instrument panel back sides, so ... to a marginal extent, yes.

4. Cockpit openings are potato shaped ... nope.

5. Symmetric parts are all but symmetric ... sorry, what?

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Lovely build Patrik. I've just taken delivery of a couple of these, with another and a Fairey Seal on order too.

 

Following along, making plenty of notes!

 

Edge

 

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On 3/10/2021 at 3:06 PM, Edge said:

Following along, making plenty of notes!

 

Trying to leave detailed notes for my next build here😀.

 

The various bits ready to be painted. From left to right, I replaced the fuselage gun with Mini World gun barrel, improved the flare brackets, replaced the central section struts and scratchbuild the Fairey gun mount from wire. Not because the last two items were that bad, but because I was sure I could do better. Do not be afraid, I will shorten the axial part of the gun mount after painting. And I also replaced the tail struts. The original ones were bit on the massive side, which could have been corrected easily, but they were - especially the rear ones - shorter than needed. Most probably my fault, because I placed the tail a bit higher.

 

20210313-DSC-0070.jpg

 

Though the next photo is rather unfair to Kora, the GasPatch Lewis gun is real improvement.

 

20210313-DSC-0063.jpg

 

I added the missing rudder mount guard. The PE parts are very thin, which is perfect for the fuselage panels, but less so for the control horns which tend to bend under slightest pressure.

 

20210313-DSC-0081.jpg

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On 3/7/2021 at 7:18 PM, Patrik said:

Some time ago I posted lament on "name five things you do not like on shortrun kits", which I dare paraphrasing now:

1. The fuselage halves are of different plastic thickness - nope.

Could be even worse - two halves are of different length by 2 mm (Boeing 307 by Maquette! )

 

Very nice work, I have already bought the Greek float one and surely will  go on one day. I am taking lesson and will follow your improvements - namely the exhaust problem.

Regards

J-W

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is where we stand now. If nothing goes wrong, completion shortly after Easter will be completely feasible.

 

20210328-DSC-0111.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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That's looking fantastic already.
Btw Patrik have you meanwhile finished the Swedish AZ Hawker Hart ?
I was looking out for that but might have missed it.

Regards,
Martin

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28 minutes ago, occa said:

Btw Patrik have you meanwhile finished the Swedish AZ Hawker Hart ?
I was looking out for that but might have missed it.

Yes I have, have a look here:

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235088710-hart-swedish-style-172-azmodel

 

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I was supposed to be showing you more progress today, and all went by plan, until I f-worded up rather massively yesterday in the evening. By application of undue force, when attaching the upper wing, I unwillingly increased the upper wing stagger from 0 to 30 degrees, which dislocated the interplane struts (considered to be fixed, 24 hours after gluing them) from their upper wing attachment points. It also revealed that Revell Contacta was most probably not the ideal strut attachment media, so after necessary salvage operations, thick C/A glue will be involved in next try. The photo was taken right before the accident.

 

20210402-DSC-0122.jpg

 

 

Edited by Patrik
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That looks like a VERY helpful and handy gadget!! 

I'm a bit of a novice with the biplane types and I find the process "challenging" 😬 Having said that, it was the weedy undercarriage and axles on my Eduard Pfalz D.III that failed and not the wings /struts assembly. I was pleasantly surprised how steady that was once everything was in place. Not so the undercarriage! A scratch aluminium tube replacement is in place now. 

The Fairey is looking good. I'll follow along if I may and see if I can pick up a few tips on the way 😎

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On 4/2/2021 at 4:58 PM, rob Lyttle said:

That looks like a VERY helpful and handy gadget!! 

Comes from here https://www.vertigo-miniatures.com/vertigo/eshop/15-1-JIGS. My third biplane jig. The first (plywood) one had lasted quite a few years, but in the end, with too many small parts irreparably broken, went to the stove. The second one was a mistake, replaced - after short service - with the recent one, which I find quite useful indeed.

 

This is what I supposed to be presenting two days ago. Delay caused half by the accident described above, half by far too ambitious planing of mine.

 

20210404-DSC-0126.jpg

 

The rather futuristic looking slat lever mechanisms had to be shortened in the upper part in order to fit correctly.

 

20210404-DSC-0135.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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The completion is nigh. I hope to see you in RFI next weekend.

I decided not to use the roundels from the kit. They are fine, correct size and colours, but from some testing it seems like the white base is very slightly off register and it would be therefore real pain to get rid of the white rim. So I am going to use Xtradecal roundels from my stash instead.

 

20210411-DSC-0168.jpg

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Unfortunately, I encountered problem with the kit decals, which I am going to try solving with Kora. So the completion must be postponed for a while, I am sorry to say,

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The decals in my kit had been damaged, which I did not find out before I started using them. Kora reaction was exemplary, complaint accepted. Unfortunately, the first two boxings have been sold out completely, including eventual replacement decals.☹️ Reissue is in progress, but will take a few weeks to come. Therefore, the project is stalled pending arrival of new decals. Means, I will concentrate fully on the Yugoslav Fury build from now on.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Could not resist and made one farewell picture, before placing the kit into medium-term-hopefully-dust-free-storage, waiting for the decals. By the way, this has been the first uncompleted kit I had to store so since the restart of my modelling career 21 years ago. I do not like things unfinished...

 

20210502-DSC-0250.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...

Replacement decals arrived a week ago already, but I did not re-start the Fairey immediately, because I was at that time in the dirtiest phase of the Yugoslav Fury build and wanted to finish the sanding first. However, since today I have been back on track, heading for completion next week.

 

20210530-DSC-0047.jpg

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  • 1 year later...

Patrik, I just found your post while looking for reviews of this exact kit. Lots of important information on what to look out for, I plan to do the IIIF flown in the 1934 Centenary Air Race G-AABY serial # F 1129 crewed by Flt Off C.D. Davies (pilot) and Lt Cdr C.N. Hill (navigator). It was retired from the race before finishing but still made it to Australia under its own power. Now I have to find someone who can do up a set of decals for me.

 

https://www.prints-online.com/image/164/10635126/10635126_600_600_7287_0_fit_0_11970e7096e346932984eb71ffaa88e1.jpg

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3 hours ago, Grumpy61 said:

Patrik, I just found your post while looking for reviews of this exact kit. Lots of important information on what to look out for, I plan to do the IIIF flown in the 1934 Centenary Air Race G-AABY serial # F 1129 crewed by Flt Off C.D. Davies (pilot) and Lt Cdr C.N. Hill (navigator). It was retired from the race before finishing but still made it to Australia under its own power. Now I have to find someone who can do up a set of decals for me.

Very interesting project.

Please notice that G-AABY was a three-seater, with the rather unusual three-cockpit-openings arrangement. You need to obtain one of the early versions' boxing of the Kora kit. Either 72127 Mk.I or 72128 Mk.II. Both of them provide the corresponding cockpit decking. And do not be afraid, they both provide both the early and late fin/rudder version.

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14 hours ago, Patrik said:

Very interesting project.

Please notice that G-AABY was a three-seater, with the rather unusual three-cockpit-openings arrangement. You need to obtain one of the early versions' boxing of the Kora kit. Either 72127 Mk.I or 72128 Mk.II. Both of them provide the corresponding cockpit decking. And do not be afraid, they both provide both the early and late fin/rudder version.

 

Thank you sir for the heads up. I had planned on either 72120 or 72121 as they also have the three see configuation and from what I can see in the illustrations, the same landing gear struts as G-AABY. You can also see in the photo that the gun bulge has been covered by what appears to be a piece of polished aluminum. The third seat has also been covered by what I think is probably white canvas. Although I don't have confirmation, I believe the IIIF was from a batch used by the Australian navy.

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