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Dragonfly to Widgeon. Who knows?


perdu

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I'm hoping to maintain that 'light inside' look the clear junk gives me, but there is a long way to go on her yet Martian.

 

I got up early to do a little bit, strike while the mojo is awake, but then disaster of a sort struck.

 

My tripod hinges gave way, Lidl bargains are not always.

P1010113-2.jpg

 

There is no doubt we have all seen better plastic than that.

 

Yet another job to do huh...

 

I was going to show the state of the Dragonfly this morning, I have been trying fruitlessly to centralise the tail cone after glueing the halves and bulkheads in with no thought to tricycle landing gear-ising the finished model.

 

As it happened (Miggers) I had already taken one of the published drawings in obscure 'drawn to look at not work from' scales and reset the scale to1:72 which gave me an insight to the British Dragonfly's oddball bum housing and a chance to add it to an already tail-heavy assembly.

 

"Aha", thought I, "how about hacking a hole where it wont be seen and dropping dollops of Webley & Scott .22 airgun pellets in to the front with a wall behind them to keep them ahead of the mainwheels?"

 

I couldn't think of a way to do it otherwise, the floor of the cabin is way too shallow to allow any significant mass of lead in there, so.

 

I began hacking a gurt stonking hole under the fore tail.

 

Like this'n.

P1010104.jpg

 

A lot of  that heavy kit plastic can do with coming out of there so this is only a beginning, I gotta box to build.

 

Flat bottom, rounded corners.

 

P1010105.jpg

 

I am still searching for any pictures of the front of that box structure, wouldn't mind knowing what it has lurking inside either but a shot or twenty of the point it joins the curvy fuselage bottom would be nice...

A general view of the minimial drawings we are playing with here.

 

P1010106.jpg

 

At least it has dimensions, Mr Carauna didn't give me Whirlwind dimensions even.

 

Which might be why I am still in trouble with Whirly's clear bits.

 

The clear piece I painted up to test concepts has been consigned to history, fundamental errors in slope imported from the Warpaint drawings (No it wasnt the drawings that we were wrong it was my interpretation of the screen slope.

 

I took the front slope off  the drawings whilst being too dumb to realise I was following the wiper arm slope not the glass.

 

Oops!

 

Anyway, the test piece in her bedraggled state after some exploratory trimming.

P1010107-2.jpg

 

(Oh for a working tripod Ian)

 

The side windows are too slopy as Colin noted a day or two ago, induced by missing visual cues, and the entire thing was masked off, away from the model.

 

This gave me a misaligned front frame because I wanted perfect from a dodgy bit...

 

P1010111.jpg

 

Overall as a test piece I am quietly pleased but not with the idiot who cut out the masking tape.

 

Doh.

P1010112-2.jpg

Now I have identified the wrong screen slope this morning I hope to add fresh resin to the canopy bucks and reshape them for a definitive  moulding, should be on its way this weekend.

 

Plan A, add casting resin to moulds and let it set before repolishing them.

 

P1010109.jpg

 

Pour'n'fill next.

 

 

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Must get round to redoing those bucks but in the meantime I removed miles of excess width from the buck I was using to make my latest canopy lids.

 

Every mould I made was too wide for the canopy space, a fundamental flaw, being scared to take off excess.

 

I ended up taking nearly a sixteenth of an inch away, that must be nearly a millimotor of excess width, phew.

 

A moulding from before the  trimmings

P1010115.jpg

 

Can you see the oversize just to the starboard side of the moulding?

 

Ah yes I know you can see the oddball shape of my first nose moulding, it will be attended to

 

(Unless I can find a way to fudge it)

 

Oh no it won't, I will fix it when I finish the canopy buck.

 

Do remind me though please

 

So here is the old moulding

A bit blurry sorry

 

P1010116.jpg

 

Way too wide.

 

New version

 

This will trim down

 

P1010118.jpg

 

Please remind me to run a vacuum round inside the cabin too, it's a disgrace in there.

 

But there is a draw back...

 

Isnt there always?

 

PETg and heat for moulding brings almost guaranteed difficulties

 

P1010120.jpg

 

On the screen, can you see the damned things?

 

Yes bubbles in the PETg, dash it!

 

P1010121.jpg

 

Still, looking fillisofickly there is still work to do on the eyebrow window bulges too, off we go to that cold garage.

 

Onwards and    closer to the finish    and finding suitable wheels for the front legs...

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creeping forward though Bill.  Every update brings you that bit closer to freeing the Whirlwind out of all those disparate components.

Shape-wise it looks like you have nailed the canopy.  I for one am having difficulty seeing those rogue bubbles you mention.

I love that last shot - very Whirlwindesque 

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30 minutes ago, hendie said:

creeping forward though Bill.  Every update brings you that bit closer to freeing the Whirlwind out of all those disparate components.

 

Definitely progressing Bill; but jeepers you don’t like an easy modelling life do you :D 

 

When the Whirlwind is finally free to soar like an eagle creep around like an overloaded 1960’s helicopter I shall breath an almighty sigh of relief.  It’s very stressful following this one of yours you know :D

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Jeeez Louise !!! That was a hell of a catch up. Just as I think you’re getting to a clean and finished section of the build you go and stick on some more plasticy bits and get your Omnitool out. Blimey.  😳

Brilliant modeling as always Bill.

Thanks for getting the mojo flowing again. 😀

 

Johnny

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Thanks lads, I am almost scared to let you in on the next bit now...

 

 

 

The nose might be coming off again, I am still unhappy with the clarity of the mesh nose which means I might be casting a new moulding buck off it and making a better clearer section for the mesh front end.

 

Depends on experiments in the freeze chamber this morning.

 

I am happy with the canopy though Adrian, thanks.

 

It has the right forward slope for the sliding window shapes now.

 

Johnty mate all my stuff is a search to find the missing shape, if I am happy fine if not, the search goes on.

 

It is why it tends to take me years to do stuff that takes normal people days though.   :(

 

Time to begin draggin' that fly into shape too.

 

There are about fifteen .22 lead pellets in the front of the tail now, set against the bulkhead to swing the tail down in front of the rear wheels.

 

I havent begun to close the hole in the tail yet because caution and tales heard of glues causing problems inside such spaces meant I used the least reactive stuff I can think of to hold them in place, I packed them forward with Perfect Plastic Putty and at the moment I find it is still a little unhardened.

 

I should begin learning to paint my expensive Preiser bus passenger figures too, better begin with a primer coat methinks.

 

Hints and tips welcome...

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The cavity in the Dragonfly's bottom, now the home of a sizeable lead loading and held in place by a slowly drying out mass of PPP.

 

P1010127.jpg

 

The forward end of  the Whirly has been treated for latex bathing ready for the casting process..

 

Only as far back as the nosewheel legs though, I only want a vacforming buck for the front.

 

P1010128.jpg

 

That square-ish box seems to be some kind of radio altimeter unit, on the side of the box underneath Hendon's Mk10 a warning notice says the fibreglass panel on its bottom face is electrically wired into the connections inside.

 

It is in place on Whirlwinds of the era I am modelling so it has to get a ride to Borneo with me.

 

When I finish faffing about with the nose I can reinstate the thin strakes under the fuselage which Airfix put too high up the sides, ghostly strakes still show up on the moulded silver plastic.

 

Soon be time for greeblies, steps, vents and downright unfathomable things on the sides of the beastie.

 

🤔

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58 minutes ago, heloman1 said:

Sorry to have give you heartache Bill but I'm sure you would rather have the cockpit glazing look correct.

 

Colin

There is never a need to say sorry Colin yes I do ONLY want it to look right.

 

I think it looks near enough for government work now, find out when the nose comes out of the latex later.

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So it came to pass the nose got stuck in green...

P1010129.jpg

 

And taken out there's a hole.

 

P1010130.jpg

 

Which is near enough to the size I need for a moulding buck.

 

P1010131.jpg

 

Which can be modified to give me the newly reshaped buck.

P1010132.jpg

 

Which can now be reshaped using Limino Clear UV setting resin to make the easy pull shape from the mould.

 

Playtime later, think I will have a cuppa.

 

By  the way, the little green blob in pictures #1 and #2 was used to make a casting of that tiny wheel in the pictures, well  it was but the first attempt to extract a cast from it was not very successful.

 

See picture #3, that tiny mis-shapen blob on the mat.

 

Isn't a good wheel, better try again.

 

These wheels are destined to become Whirlwind nose wheels... I sincerely hope so anyroad.

 

:(

 

 

Ciao.

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Bill, You’re on a ‘journey’ here.  It’s making for riveting viewing and I’m sure you’ll end up in right place, even if there’s a few detours, dead ends, roadworks, traffic pile ups and breakdowns on route! :D

 

PS - it just occurred to me that maybe that’s also what it’s like taking the midget to Le Mans….

 

Edited by Fritag
added facetious remark…
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No I can't say it's like that taking the Midget to Le Mans, bringing her back has been interesting on a couple of occasions though.

 

This journey bit.

 

All driven by OCD and an absence of external pressure.

 

If I like to change it nobody suffers do they?

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Steady on Bill, you will end up casting more resin noses than i did canopy bucks for the viking!

 

Marvellous work and marvellous viewing from here, which right now is a coffee shop in Weymouth!

 

Terry

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3 hours ago, Fritag said:

It’s making for riveting viewing and I’m sure you’ll end up in right place, even if there’s a few detours, dead ends, roadworks, traffic pile ups and breakdowns on route! :D

 

I have to agree with my learned friend here Bill. Edge of the seat stuff.

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On 9/27/2021 at 9:02 AM, perdu said:

 

P1010034.jpg

 

 

 

First thing I have noticed, the rear cabin window needs moving forward about an eighth of an inch, we shall begin...

 

Bulkhead to draw and cut out and interior to be fitted out, then we'll have the Airwaves innards for the cockpit.

 

Deciding whether to glue or solder.

 

Ciao.

Those plans look excellent, I don't suppose that they show what happens underneath a Royal Navy HAS.9 that is fitted with a torpedo bay by any chance? I'm converting an Italeri S-55 using a resin nose.

 

Clive

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Sorry Clive they only have an underside of the HAR/HC10, the 9 isn't in there but can I advise searching the Duxford Whirlwind which is a torpedo version I believe.

 

I will have a search in my  photos to see if I've any useful shots for you.

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On 10/12/2021 at 09:25, Fritag said:

Bill, You’re on a ‘journey’ here.  It’s making for riveting viewing and I’m sure you’ll end up in right place, even if there’s a few detours, dead ends, roadworks, traffic pile ups and breakdowns on route! :D

PS - it just occurred to me that maybe that’s also what it’s like taking the midget to Le Mans….

 

Serves him right for not driving a Triumph. 🏎️

 

Righteous of Mars 👽

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12 hours ago, perdu said:

Sorry Clive they only have an underside of the HAR/HC10, the 9 isn't in there but can I advise searching the Duxford Whirlwind which is a torpedo version I believe.

 

I will have a search in my  photos to see if I've any useful shots for you.

Thanks but I think that the Duxford version has the original front end not the extended Whirlwind nose.


Clive

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Yes it is, however the piston and jet versions have the same fuselages.

I think it is the HAS4 or 5 for the piston version and the jet one is the HAS9.

The torpedo fuselage is the same.

Our friend @heloman1 could tell you, he was involved with producing the castings for the HAS9 I understand.

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