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Supermarine Stranraer K7297 209 Sqn - RIP Ian Kennedy


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46 minutes ago, Quiet Mike said:

 

Thanks Trivic, I've already got that Mushroom Press book, it's well worth it! Same goes for the Walrus book that also pops up on this link. (I think I may spend more on books than I do on plastic)
I didn't have the Profile booklet on the Walrus though, I've just downloaded it and printed it off here at work, thanks for the heads up on this resource.

Thanks for the feedback chaps. I have spent a little time adding some silver to the undersides of the hull and floats. The aluminium dope finish on the wing undersides is next I think. Progress has ground to a halt as I'm working on the 1/1 scale kit in the shed outside. Like a fool, I don't like crawling around on a cold concrete floor in bad weather, and put off maintenaince jobs until it warms up. Of course then I can't think of anywhere worse than sweating away under a rusty Kombi in a heatwave! Anyway, I've swapped a scalpel and glue for an angle grinder and a welder. It's a lot noisier, and a lot more dangerous. A slip with a grinder makes me shudder 😬 

 

Rust never sleeps. Most of this is the original 1959 metal.
 

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Kombi chassis repairs by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Kombi chassis repairs by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Chassis repairs by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Chassis repairs by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Chassis repairs by Mike, on Flickr

 

 

I also had an unsignificant birthday last week, and got a good haul. The 1/24 2CV was from my work colleagues, they know me well 😉

 

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Wow! The road rats have been chewing at that! Repairs look good.

 

 

Chris

 

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I’m glad you found some useful books on that site. There are a bunch of the Profile books there too. The titles that people have entered in that database aren’t always reflective of the whole title of the book so sometimes you have to get a bit creative with the search terms and go 15-20 pages into the search results to find the book you’re looking for. But there are tons of books of related to aviation and modelling. I won’t say how many books I’ve downloaded myself …

 

Good luck with your 1:1 scale work and am looking forward to when you get back to your 1:72 scale Stranny. 

I’m glad you found some useful books on that site. There are a bunch of the Profile books there too. The titles that people have entered in that database aren’t always reflective of the whole title of the book so sometimes you have to get a bit creative with the search terms and go 15-20 pages into the search results to find the book you’re looking for. But there are tons of books of related to aviation and modelling. I won’t say how many books I’ve downloaded myself …

 

Good luck with your 1:1 scale work and am looking forward to when you get back to your 1:72 scale Stranny. 
 

 

Vic

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Well, I'm glad that's done!  (About 1/5 of the welding that needs doing on the kombi)  The welding is 'agricultural' at best, not pretty, but hopefully not going to drop off either.

 

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Plug welding the centre section in by Mike, on Flickr

 

Anyway, next job on the list for this weekend on the kombi is a dual circuit and servo brake upgrade, something that makes tackling the wings and rigging on the Stranraer seem easy by comparison! And on that subject, which is the reason for this thread after all, has anyone good recommendations for a decent jig? I've made my own in the past, for the Gladiator, but now I wonder if a purpose made one would be a wise investment. I have several more biplanes in the stash, way more than monoplanes. I'm leaning towards the Vertigo stable at the moment.

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  • Quiet Mike changed the title to Supermarine Stranraer K7297 209 Sqn - jig recommendations?

Nice job on the bus, is the service a kt or are you using one off a bay window?

Not sure I can recommend a particular Jig, I used a wooden one that you buy as a laser cut kit and assemble, which isn't too bad, Aeroclub did a good one but they are probably hard to come by now I imagine.

This is a link to the type I have but I got the larger one to cover up to 32nd scale Models.

 

https://www.modellingtools.co.uk/aircraft-jig--biplane--small-9991-p.asp

 

Hope this helps

Chris

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I did see that one Chris. It's basically the same as the vertigo offering but in plywood. In fact they seemed to be the only two currently available. I just wonder if there are other options out there that don't come up on google searches. The £30ish investment seems prudent as I currently have 5 other biplanes in the stash.

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I didn't get with the jig from Mig Jimenez. It looks like it will be amazing but the reality it that it is pretty flimsy and fiddly to use. Biplane wing mounting and rigging is fiddly enough already!

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Mike, if you Google ‘Commando Comics Reported Missing’ you’ll see some cracking artwork of a Stranny attacking a U-Boat. Enjoying your build a lot. I’m having to re-rig the Stranraer I built 20 years ago as the lycra thread I used is now turning to dust ! My wife is from Belfast and we’ve regularly travelled on the ferry from Stranraer (Loch Ryan) to Belfast over the years.  Loch Ryan is where 240 Squadron operated from at the start if WW2, traces of the base are still there if you know where to look and was the inspiration for building mine all those years ago. Keep going !

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Thanks @Capri3, just ordered one off eBay. A new one on me, I look forward to reading that!

 

Work on the Stranraer is currently going through a rough patch. The silver paint I'm using for the metal undersides wont cure? I must be how I've thinned it. I've tried twice now with similar results - I pick it up a day or two later and it's still soft and comes off on my fingers. Vallejo acrylic air metallics thinned with Ultimate airbrush thinners, and a bit of flow improver. I need to do a few tests on a paint mule again I think.

 

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Problems with the aluminium paint by Mike, on Flickr

 

And just for Chris 😉 Roughly mounted the flux capacitor today. Now I need to just 'plumb it in', which is mildly terrifying!

 

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Dual circuit and servo upgrade by Mike, on Flickr

 

On 6/18/2021 at 10:45 PM, bigbadbadge said:

Looks interesting Mike and will keep you busy for a while!!!

Are you adding or have you got a disc conversion like CSP jobbie?

 

 

No, stock drums all round. Discs are overrated. People get these wagons having never driven an old car before, and think the brakes are crap. They are convinced more modern discs are the way forward. They aren't. Well set up stock drums will work just as well. Well set up drums and a servo are what you need to make an old VW stop more like a modern car.

 

13 hours ago, RichieW said:

I didn't get with the jig from Mig Jimenez. It looks like it will be amazing but the reality it that it is pretty flimsy and fiddly to use. Biplane wing mounting and rigging is fiddly enough already!

 

 Thanks for the feedback Richie. Yes, I hope I'm not expecting too much from a jig! Another mildly terrifying job for me 😉
 

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Sorry to hear about the paint issue fella.   I have had similar with some enamels too. After leaving for a few days,  I tried a second coat and it seemed to cure, but never got on with acrylics so don't know how they would behave.  

Ooooo shiney,  great work.  Ahh no discs , I get it, I put discs on my bug after increasing engine size and some mild tuning . Good luck with the plumbing fella

 

Chris

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If I may suggest, you should not thin the Vallejo acrylic metals at all.  Just dust them over a gloss black surface, a couple passes over each area, cover, let dry 48 hours, and apply another coat.  This is what I've been using on my Valetta, and it's worked out fine so far (knock on wood).  I let it dry about four weeks before overcoating it with Alclad Gloss Coat (lacquer).

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Another great flying boat thread! Some lovely work Mike, I liked the interior and your work on the panel lines and rivets is very good. And your riveting tool is great/inspired! I am gong to see what defunct timepieces are around.

Sorry about your paint issues, hope it's OK now. Natural metal finishes are always a bit tricky. Have you considered experimenting with Alclad 2 finishes?

And welding too! Looks a sight better than my 'bodge it' welding that holds the floor into my 1944 jeep.

 

Cheers,

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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow, it's been a month since I last posted! I have tinkered with the Stranraer a little tonight, but modelling time has been very sparse of late.

This morning started badly, with me leaving late for my first cycle jumble since the 'before times', and much anticipated. For the social side rather than actually buying anything. I love mooching through boxes of junk but am quite happy if I come home empty handed. The weapon of choice for the trip was a hundred year old racing bike, which decided to blow it's rear tyre spectacularly at the dizzy speed of 8 mph, 5.5 miles from home.

 

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Tyre blowout by Mike, on Flickr

 

 

With no back up I had a long walk home in cycle shoes and 30˚ heat. I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep cool and to cheer myself up scheduled in some model bench time when the temps dropped. I've finally made enough meagre progress to warrant a photo! Here's me doing my best to hide all the pre shade under several coats of dark earth.

 

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Dark Earth going on the Stranraer by Mike, on Flickr

 

I'm mostly using the camouflage instructions from the kit, as the photo I'm basing my build from only shows a relatively small section. All the silver undersides are done now I think. This went better after I followed @TheyJammedKenny! advice and spayed pretty much neat. Thanks!

Well, a couple of hours in a month? It's going to be a long build ...

 

And these are a few of the distractions. (other than repairing 1/1 scale VW transporters)

 

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Stuarts Farm Campsite by Mike, on Flickr

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Stuarts Farm Campsite by Mike, on Flickr

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Stuarts Farm Campsite by Mike, on Flickr

 

Making WW1 musette bags (French army bread bags repurposed as cycling bags postwar)

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1892 musette construction by Mike, on Flickr

 

And learning Blender at work

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Blender donut (the sprinkles are too small!) by Mike, on Flickr

 

 


 

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I've got some location photography on my job list at the moment, which after the recent dodgy spell we are keen to bang out with the fine weather. Unfortunately I struggle in the heat! Early starts and knocking off at lunchtime the order of the day, but today I took a break after seeing the temps. I wrapped up yesterdays shoot with a thumping head so will carry on tomorrow when hopefully the temps are dropping a few degrees 🥵  (being a mediocre photographer means I get to blame the weather for my lack of skills, it's either too sunny and the afternoon light is way too harsh, or it's cloudy and the subject looks flat and dull ... 😳 )

 

After a few light chores to keep my wife happy (she doesn't have the luxury of bunking off work) I spent a few hours slapping some paint on. It was an enjoyable afternoon and evening. I made a few gaffs, mainly down to impatience after so much inactivity on this build. The photos are hurried phone snaps that are hiding a multitude of sins! Of course I start with the easiest to mask, the flat wings. My method falls apart when complicated shapes like fuselages are involved, we'll see how that goes tomorrow if I get some time in.

 

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Starting to put the 1938 RAF camouflage on by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Starting to put the 1938 RAF camouflage on by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Starting to put the 1938 RAF camouflage on by Mike, on Flickr

 

 

I'm still not entirely sure how this thing is going to go together (wings and rigging). Will cross that bridge when I get to it ... Still pondering getting a jig though.

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Looks very good Mike, photos are fine. Despite being a keen (amateur) photographer with a decent digital SLR, I find myself using the camera on my phone all the time, for many situations it just does such a fantastic job.

Good luck with the rigging!

Cheers,

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Work on the engines has not started yet, but the cowlings bothered me. As well as reshaping them very slightly, I also cut away the back.

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Cutting the back of the cowling back by Mike, on Flickr

 

Next up was getting the Dark Green on. The fuselage was masked with Tamiya tape, as I couldn't get paper masks to sit properly.

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Fuselage masked and painted by Mike, on Flickr

 

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Fuselage masked and painted by Mike, on Flickr

 

Floats and fingerprints

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Fuselage masked and painted by Mike, on Flickr

 

Really liking the look of the 1938 Munich Crisis Temperate Camouflage on this kit, especially with the silver undersides.

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Fuselage masked and painted by Mike, on Flickr

 

Which reminds me, I must take @Vulcanicity up on his very kind offer of the top wing roundels ...

 

The wing jig will have to wait, as I've spent my pocket money this month on bicycle bits.

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  • Quiet Mike changed the title to Supermarine Stranraer K7297 209 Sqn - camouflage going on
7 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Looking good Mike, re the Jig it might be  worth making one out of stout card or if you have any lego, out of that as very handy for a jig too. 

Chris

 

I think you're right Chris, I'll look out for a suitable piece of card, and fire the hot glue gun up again. I just remember my jig I made for the Gladiator was not up to par. Maybe I'll raid the Lego box instead this time and give that a try 🤔

Unfortunately the Velocity jig works out about the same price as a new pair of brick red tyres for my 100 year old racing bike 🙄

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