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1/72 Sopwith Snipe, Flt. Lt. West, 19 Squadron RAF, RAF Duxford, December 1924...


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Now that the LVG is finished I can work a bit on this biplane some more.  I have added the inner set of the interplane struts and concocted a gun sight which, I am pretty sure, was not on the WW1 version of the aircraft.

 

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-John

 

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20 minutes ago, bigbadbadge said:

Looking good John , great to see  the struts and upper wing on .

Thanks Chris.  Memories of trying to do this when I was but a young fella...lots of Testors glue and wobbly wings....These days much easier with CA and adult patience!

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Great work, John! I always forget the early twenties aircraft, with late WW1 machines in alu' dope.

Not quite sure why, but I hadn't realised that the Snipe was a two bay biplane - always thought it was single like the Camel!

Looking forward to seeing your next instalment.

Cheers,

Mark

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7 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Great work, John! I always forget the early twenties aircraft, with late WW1 machines in alu' dope.

Thanks Mark.  Yes...I am fond of these 'transitional years'....the early jet age has a similar appeal, transforming from prop to jet, etc...fascinating designs.  The 1920s and early 30s feel the same in this way.  

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I have added some decals.  the wing roundels will go on after the rigging.

 

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I will continue the blue stripes on the cowling with some paint.

 

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I think this is the last aircraft 19 Sq. flew before they adopted the blue/white Battenberg.   They used the Gloster Grebe after this and the only profile I have seen of their Grebe has the checkerboards...

 

--John

 

 

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This must be incredibly delicate in 1/72. Definitely requires adult patience to get the wings aligned. I recall stamping on a 1/72 scale Camel as a 7 year old because the wings stressed me so much. It's looking terrific with the decals on, looking forward to seeing the rigging. Zen master patience probably needed for that step. I'd put my money on you doing it brilliantly.

 

Richie

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2 hours ago, RichieW said:

This must be incredibly delicate in 1/72. Definitely requires adult patience to get the wings aligned. I recall stamping on a 1/72 scale Camel as a 7 year old because the wings stressed me so much. It's looking terrific with the decals on, looking forward to seeing the rigging. Zen master patience probably needed for that step. I'd put my money on you doing it brilliantly.

Thanks Ritchie.  Actually the wing alignment is dead easy.  First off, don't do it all at once.  Just attach the inner sets of struts first.  Then after an overnight drying, glue the top wing on.  It is really quite secure at that point.  Fit the outer four struts, let dry.  Then fit the cabane struts.  With a double-bay biplane it is sturdy as a rock.  Don't step on it, obviously! 😆

 

Rigging is simple too.  It just takes time.  

 

2 hours ago, bigbadbadge said:

Looking forward to the rigging fella. 

 

Me too!  

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Liking the squadron markings! The decals seem to have settled really nicely and are conforming well to their surfaces.

 

Interesting about your sequence for fitting the struts and upper wing, leaving the cabane until last.

 

For rigging, do you use the the "through hole" method or the "cut to length" method?

 

Cheers,

Mark

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34 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said:

For rigging, do you use the the "through hole" method or the "cut to length" method?

 

I drill the holes, use 0.2mm monofilament fishing line and very sharp cocktail sticks to apply teeny little amounts of CA.  Hemostats to pull tight, wing jig...

This is my most recent, the Ardpol LVG C.II in the 'Anything But Injection' GB...

 

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34 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said:

nteresting about your sequence for fitting the struts and upper wing, leaving the cabane until last.

Cabanes are always last.  In the odd case where they are too short or too small they can be more easily adjusted or replaced and will be less noticeable.  The interplane struts are always more sturdy and stable.

 

35 minutes ago, 2996 Victor said:

The decals seem to have settled really nicely and are conforming well to their surfaces.

Thanks!  I was worried a bit.  The Cartograph decals have a plastic-like feel to them.  They behaved.

 

 

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32 minutes ago, John Masters said:

Cabanes are always last.  In the odd case where they are too short or too small they can be more easily adjusted or replaced and will be less noticeable.  The interplane struts are always more sturdy and stable.

Thanks, that makes perfect sense! I've got a few biplanes to do at some point, so any advice is good news!

 

33 minutes ago, John Masters said:

I drill the holes, use 0.2mm monofilament fishing line and very sharp cocktail sticks to apply teeny little amounts of CA.

I recently bought some monofilament fishing line in readiness, 0.12mm I think! Cocktail sticks to apply sounds good.

 

35 minutes ago, John Masters said:

Hemostats

Sorry - what are those?

 

Cheers,

Mark

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  • 1 month later...

First side rigged.  Easy-peasy.  

 

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I'm feeling good about this.  So I'll continue...

 

Mostly rigged.  I'll use stretched sprue for the 'X' braces and the tailplane cables.

 

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To trim off the excess monofilament, always use a fresh blade...

 

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Fully rigged, touched-up, wheels on, prop, etc...being a clean, peace-time aircraft, there won't be a lot of dirt on this one.  I'll give a little dust on the wheels and some drip from the motor.  Last four roundels go on later tonight.

 

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--John

 

 

 

 

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Nice work on the rigging!

You have an interesting approach to fitting the struts. I always add the cabanes first, as do most biplane modelers I know of. I find it far easier to bend the outer struts slightly and slip them into place once the wing is set in its final position with the cabane struts.

Just goes to show that there is no "right" way, only what suits you best!

 

Ian

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8 minutes ago, Brandy said:

Just goes to show that there is no "right" way, only what suits you best!

 

I agree!

17 minutes ago, RichieW said:

Excellent work John, I really like that rigging technique. 

 

Thanks Ritchie.

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