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Smeller 1/72 Morane Saulnier MS.230 Aeronáutica Militar Portuguesa


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Unfortunately, this build seems to have got slightly out of hand, doesn't it?

 

I think it's fair to say that it had less chance of making the GB closing date than frozen rain in the 'ot place. But this has been compounded by my decision in the last couple of days to try my hand at photo-etching artwork! Why? Well, I was blathering on about the instrument panels some way back, and what with the cockpit panel and other bits and bobs within the two cockpits such as the throttle quadrants, compii ;) external instruments, dexion-like bracketry and other mundungus, I thought to myself, "Here's an opportunity to do it proper-like". I'm also highly tempted to use the Smer wing moulding instead of the original Heller one that I've sanded to within an inch of its life.....I was also scratching my bald pate trying to think of a way of representing the corrugated surface-mounted radiators on the NiD-42S's wings, and etched brass would do the trick.

 

So there we are! If my efforts with the etch artwork are successful, I will of course post the results in this thread! :)

 

Thanks for looking in and cheers for now.

 

Mark

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I'd be interested in knowing how photo etch is done.  I really don't know and haven't bothered to look it up either! ;) 

 

Too bad about not making the GB date, but as I said in the other post -- it will be worth it in the end.

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6 hours ago, opus999 said:

I'd be interested in knowing how photo etch is done.  I really don't know and haven't bothered to look it up either! ;) 

 

Too bad about not making the GB date, but as I said in the other post -- it will be worth it in the end.

Hi Opus,

 

yes - this is another instance of me biting off more than I can chew :D If only I'd build something OOB, I might have a chance of finishing it!!! But having gone *a bit* overboard on this and the NiD 42S, I'd rather the builds take a bit longer and me be moderately pleased with the outcome. Its also a useful sop to my conscience and a good excuse for further procrastination :D 

 

My concern about PE is that its used over much to represent things that would be better made from other materials - its inherent "flatness" can be a disadvantage. However, used sensibly, I think it can be a useful method for enhancing details. If you're interested in the process, have a look at this website - their PDF guides are quite informative.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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7 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

this is another instance of me biting off more than I can chew

Have you *seen* my Bearcats? 🤣

 

Seriously, though, thanks for the link.  So, you plan to draw something up and send it to them, then?  That would be pretty neat.  It looks like their turnaround time isn't bad, either.  I'm curious to see how this turns out.

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25 minutes ago, opus999 said:

Have you *seen* my Bearcats? 🤣

Fair point.....! :) 

 

25 minutes ago, opus999 said:

Seriously, though, thanks for the link.  So, you plan to draw something up and send it to them, then?  That would be pretty neat.  It looks like their turnaround time isn't bad, either.  I'm curious to see how this turns out.

I'm thinking of "having a go" - I'm fairly proficient with 2D AutoCAD drawing, so that aspect isn't (shouldn't be!) a problem. I think filling a sheet might be an issue, at least in a reasonably short space of time, but we'll see! I've started doing a few prelim hand sketches of the MS.230's cockpit details that I could include, and there's a fair bit. And there are always other projects in the pipeline (Matchbox Boeing P-12E, Hawker Fury and AW Siskin) and I think the scope for details is quite exciting. Watch it all fizzle out like a damp squib :rofl:

 

Cheers,

Mark

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  • 2 weeks later...
Just now, AliGauld said:

Stunning stuff there Mark.

Words have almost failed me.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

Thank you, Alistair, that's incredibly kind of you and high praise indeed!

 

It's a nice little kit, and I'm enjoying adding to it. I just hope I'm able to keep up with the details in the rest of the build as it unfolds :)

 

Cheers,

Mark

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  • 2996 Victor changed the title to Smeller 1/72 Morane Saulnier MS.230 Aeronáutica Militar Portuguesa

No real progress, per se, although I thought I'd try preparing the Smer wing to see if I made a better fist of it than with the Heller original. So I glued it together with my usual CA at strategic points method. So far, so good. Bizarrely, Messrs Smer seem to have beefed up the trailing edge of the wing halves somewhat, so a very thick trailing edge results. No matter, sanding would sort that out.

An hour later and happy me .

 

"But", thought I, "there seems to be a slight twist in the wing. Hmm. I'll tape it to a rigid aluminium ruler and use the 'ot water treatment." And that's what I did. Except that the water was far too hot and the whole thing turned into a hilarious wobbly mess :rofl2: The stupid part of this sorry tale is that, as regular readers of my inane ramblings will know, I have previous for this sort of thing and obviously haven't learned from the error of my ways. Ho hum.

More soon, hopefully!

Cheers,
Mark

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1 hour ago, opus999 said:

Uh-oh.... hope you can get that sorted out OK.  I haven't tried the hot water trick yet, though I've read about it several times just this month now.

It was beyond salvage - I wish I'd taken a photo as it really was hilarious :D

 

I've got the original Heller wing which is straight but over-sanded it in places, but I might stump up for another Smer boxing as they're fairly cheap....

 

Cheers,

Mark

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Reminds me of the time my dear old dad tried to make a delicate adjustment to the fit of his false teeth by popping them into the oven for a couple of minutes to soften them. Needless to say, he forgot they were in there until they had melted beyond all possible hope of repair. Since he did this the week before Christmas, it was turkey soup and puréed sprouts for him that year.  So you see Mark, things could be worse and I’m sure you’ll have fixed everything up admirably by the end of the build!

 

Craig. 

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16 hours ago, Dandie Dinmont said:

So you see Mark, things could be worse and I’m sure you’ll have fixed everything up admirably by the end of the build!

Thanks, Craig, that's hugely appreciated! Everything will be alright in the end, and if everything isn't alright then its not yet the end!

 

Cheers,

Mark

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19 hours ago, Dandie Dinmont said:

Reminds me of the time my dear old dad tried to make a delicate adjustment to the fit of his false teeth by popping them into the oven for a couple of minutes to soften them. Needless to say, he forgot they were in there until they had melted beyond all possible hope of repair. Since he did this the week before Christmas, it was turkey soup and puréed sprouts for him that year.  So you see Mark, things could be worse and I’m sure you’ll have fixed everything up admirably by the end of the build!

 

Craig. 

My Dad managed to sneeze his right down the toilet just before Christmas as well.

It happened just as he was flushing. Oops.

Lentil soup for him.

2 hours ago, 2996 Victor said:

Thanks, Craig, that's hugely appreciated! Everything will be alright in the end, and if everything isn't alright then its not yet the end!

 

Cheers,

Mark

The positive waves are just flowing out, Moriarty

I like this.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

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Not 100% sure of this, but from what I recall, the Portuguese Moranes were the 233 Variant with a 5 cylinder engine instead of a 7. I'll see if I can find anything to confirm this.

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12 hours ago, Tweener said:

Not 100% sure of this, but from what I recall, the Portuguese Moranes were the 233 Variant with a 5 cylinder engine instead of a 7. I'll see if I can find anything to confirm this.

Thanks, Tweener, the majority of Portuguese Moranes were indeed the MS.223 type with Gnome-Rhone 5Ba or 5Bc 5-cylinder engines. Six were built in France and 16 in Portugal. However, there was also one MS.230 with 9-cylinder Salmson 9AB engine and this is my subject, largely because it looks nicer! 

 

Cheers,

Mark

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On 11/30/2021 at 3:10 AM, 2996 Victor said:

Thanks, Tweener, the majority of Portuguese Moranes were indeed the MS.223 type with Gnome-Rhone 5Ba or 5Bc 5-cylinder engines. Six were built in France and 16 in Portugal. However, there was also one MS.230 with 9-cylinder Salmson 9AB engine and this is my subject, largely because it looks nicer! 

 

Cheers,

Mark

The other day I was thinking about building a Portuguese Morane and ignoring the engine issues - now I know that I can!

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