Dragonfly to Widgeon. Who knows?

[Graham Boak]

This kit, as I recall, had the same basic shell as the original release in the 50s but with added goodies.  Still underscale, as you've noticed.    I wonder whether it was based on underscale original plans in one of the modelling magazines of the time?  Memory suggests that the contemporary Frog one was larger - I'm tempted to say slightly overscale but this may be a false impression based on greater familiarity with the Airfix.

 

Finding an Airfix kit of this vintage without shape errors would be difficult.  They were seen as toys, and so only a little more than a vague resemblance was required.  Better to think of it as really rather good for its time.  Was it (the original) only the second Airfix aircraft after the Spitfire? 

[Terry1954]

I'm joining this build not too late i hope.

 

What an excellent choice of subject, but what a challenging kit to start from. I'm liking what i see so far of course, and I am not in any way doubting your ability to give us a slightly underscale 1/72 masterpiece (maybe they made it 1/76 to go with their trains?)

 

Will enjoy this one very much.

 

Terry

[Graham Boak]

Nice ides - could have had a Harold option for Thomas the Tank Engine.  However it predated the TV series, and the Airfix train sets, and also (I think!) the Airfix buying-out of the Kitmaster range of plastic kits of Locomotives and rolling stock.  These are still available as plastic kits from Dapol, I think, but modern railway modelling has made great leaps in  accuracy and detail in recent years, so maybe not.  Possibly the longest running plastic kits in fairly continuous production - beating even the Frog Gannet!

[perdu]

I HATE THIS VERSION OF THE SITE

 

I had to say that @Mike, it just dumped twenty minutes of written work and pictures without a by your leave...

 

I knew about the littleness of the Whirlwind from years ago Graham, might have been Mike McAvoy or Alan Hall brought it to my attention.

 

Since it is still a nice looking model when finished  it doesn't hurt to get on with it and I recall other Frog models as being a little bit beefier than the equivalent Airfixers, wasnt Frog's Sea Hawk significantly more of a fuselage when compared?

 

Still not a worry

 

Terry mate sorry, the masterpiece department is over there, there's lots of great contributors, we does journeyman stuff here tha knows.

 

Anyway, as I had found the Milliput and had free time on my hands I decided to put said couples together  (two hands, two sticks of Milliput) and get the show on the road.

 

The picture here shows the drawing with a pencil line where Airfix terminated the hull over the drawn line of thetrue shape, something had to be done.

 

I love a wet finger and playing with Milli with it.

 

Minds, keep them up here please...

 

Then up on top of the cabin

 

Reshape the back of the cockpit cover, the gearbox cooling vent cover was the real bug-bear.

 

Now its gone it isn't   

 

 

Now that can all go off to set nicely, probably...

 

Then I can work inside.

 

[Terry1954]

14 minutes ago, perdu said:

Terry mate sorry, the masterpiece department is over there,

 

I beg to differ sir, there are I agree many on here who produce masterpieces in their own way, each to his own I say and when we see you doing this sort of thing with the Welsh magic putty, we all know your own hand crafted masterpiece will follow over time.....

 

16 minutes ago, perdu said:

 

 

I love it when the Milliput comes out in a Bill build!

 

Terry

[Mike]

36 minutes ago, perdu said:

I had to say that @Mike, it just dumped twenty minutes of written work and pictures without a by your leave...

 

The internet in general is a fickle mistress, which is why I have never written a single review "live" on the site.  Generally if you have lost a post that you were about to make, there's a buffer that is kept so that when you re-open the posting window it should all be there (or most at the very least).  If you didn't try that you should next time, but seriously.  Consider creating your long posts in Word (other apps are available) and pasting it in when you're happy with it.

[Gondor44]

Just the one pack of Milliput?

 

Saw a vac-form Mk. 9 on a well known auction site earlier today, just in case anyone is interested.

 

Gondor

 

 

[perdu]

3 minutes ago, Gondor44 said:

Just the one pack of Milliput?

 

Saw a vac-form Mk. 9 on a well known auction site earlier today, just in case anyone is interested.

 

Gondor

 

 

3/16" off the end so far Gondor, we have a way to go yet. 

 

Last time I saw the Mk9 on a well known internet wotsit it was above my self imposed limit  I am going to be ok with Airfix, might start the search for another soon

 

@MikeI appreciate that Mike and I know it isn't BM's fault, but I had a little tizzy for a moment just then.

 

The do it in Word option is not a bad one but I usually just grab a few minutes on the go, I have usually been able to grab back lossy bits but not that time.

 

Nothing lost now except time I don't have to account for, but the other idea might be a future response, thanks for taking the time. 👍

[Gondor44]

55 minutes ago, Mike said:

 

The internet in general is a fickle mistress, which is why I have never written a single review "live" on the site.  Generally if you have lost a post that you were about to make, there's a buffer that is kept so that when you re-open the posting window it should all be there (or most at the very least).  If you didn't try that you should next time, but seriously.  Consider creating your long posts in Word (other apps are available) and pasting it in when you're happy with it.

 

I agree for long posts as Word, of the app of your choice will usually have the ability to check speiling for you if you occationally have difficulties with the ood word or two.

 

Gondor

[hendie]

1 hour ago, Terry1954 said:

I beg to differ sir,

 

as do I.

 

I'm at the limits of my dexterity on that 1/48 Scout.  How on earth you managed to achieve such a masterpiece in 1/72 is just bloomin amazing.

I Love this stage in your builds Bill - when the carnage starts and the milliput blobs start growing.  I'm probably not alone in thinking how is anyone going to rescue an aircraft shape out of that?  Yet you do, every time.

[perdu]

Flattery, oh how I love the scent of flattery.

 

What?

 

That is not FLATtery but the other flat word?

 

Ah got you, I digress again. 

 

I can tell you Alan the real shape wasn't far off before we Milliputted, so mostly resolved in the first pass of the Milliwand.

 

The idea is to get the back of the box vertical and with added roundness to get the lovely flying box shape right

 

So!

And

 

 

A second small mix will resolve the minor shape issues and allow the insides to be begun. I had thought about using Green putty instead of Milli, jury's out for now but the floor is being glued into the left fuselage half prior to getting on with the insides.

 

 

 

I know the upper cockpit rear looks a trifle unkempt, unruly so to speak, but when it gets the windows carved away and glazing input I think it will be rather nice.

 

If it isn't I still have loads of Milliput...

 

Adios amigos.

[Terry1954]

1 hour ago, perdu said:

If it isn't I still have loads of Milliput...

 

I have heard it said, although it may just be folklore, that there is a solid geological seam of Milliput which runs from Dolgellau eastwards, dipping slightly south, ending somewhere in the Midlands .............. it's true I'm sure it is!

 

Shaping up nicely there Bill.

 

Terry

[John_W]

Impressive work. From the amount of filler, you might have been better throwing the whole fuselage away and making it entirely from milliput...

[Dave Swindell]

1 hour ago, Terry1954 said:

 

I have heard it said, although it may just be folklore, that there is a solid geological seam of Milliput which runs from Dolgellau eastwards, dipping slightly south, ending somewhere in the Midlands .............. it's true I'm sure it is!

 

Shaping up nicely there Bill.

 

Terry

That solid geological seam is pretty useless to modellers, you need extracts of the A & B seams before they meet and get squished together.

These extracts are still malleable and can be moulded to shape after squishing together, but will then set solid as per the seam you refer to.

Unfortunately the location of these seams is a closely guarded secret of the Milliput Mining Corp, but they do sell off small samples of core sections conveniently packaged with one each from A and B seams at not unreasonable prices.

These do have a tendency to go off a year or two after being mined though.

[perdu]

Thanks Dave, I must admit I have heard of these 'Twin Peak Seams', 'tis said that a very rich seam of B surfaces quite near Kinver edge although as you mention these locations have been scrupulously guarded and the last person said to have grassed was later sanded and concreted.

 

Dodgy business indeed.

 

True confession time, absolutely nowt done since this morn.  Maybe I can fit in a sesh now...

[The Spadgent]

13 hours ago, perdu said:

with the insides.

 

 

What did you do?  😨
I know it will all come good in the end but when the knives and the yellow stuff come out. What did Max say in “Heart to Heart” ?   ….❤️❤️

“It was moyder” 😆      Show it no fear Bill, the little silver rascal.  Looking forward to more shenanigans. 
 

Johnny
 

[perdu]

Shenanigged out Johnny

 

 

A really nasty thing happened on the way to the...

 

Well anywhere really, rethinks in consideration.

 

Back to the Marines H-19?

 

Although it kinda worked I dont like this option at all.

 

Or consider faking the upper works windows with acetate?

 

 

When I did the all acetate bubble in the marines version as above I did make a couple of resin innards for us if I needed another way.

 

I think I need another way plan 1 is dead and or dying...

 

 

At least I do have a good example to follow en route...

 

 

No serious shape issues on THAT one.

[heloman1]

Bill, good work so far. Just a word of warning, yes the cabin sides are flat/vertical. The curves start aft of the u/c attachment point. However beware the red/blue cab posted above. It appears to be a Mk7, which had the lower portion of the fuselage changed. To accommodate the torpedo bay, the cabin floor was raised 4 inches, the height of the cabin door was also reduced. I think you were right to go the Milliput route, an easier option.

Another reference source worth obtaining is the Warpaint on the S-55/Whirlwind. It's a pity 4+ haven't done as they did with their Wessex volume.

 

Colin

[perdu]

You are right about the Mk7, she is the one displayed at IWM Duxford I think Colin.

 

The shape of the actual Whirlwind cabin rear is well displayed when photos of the prototype and early airframes are examined.

 

Like you I wish 4+ had taken the Whirly to their hearts, it would have given us a superb source of info if it was as well done as their Wessex or Gannet books.

 

I do have the Warpaint though, lovely book.

[perdu]

New resin roof buck curing...

 

 

For vacforming new clear roof, as before but refined.

[hendie]

I wish I had a good suggestion for you Bill.

I assume the fragility was due to only having half a bubble on top, and with it being cantilevered pretty much any force was going to dislodge it.

Could you ignore the bubble for now, and wait until you have the fuselage halves together, and cockpit interior built?  That way you would have the framework around the transmission deck in place to use as a solid base for adding the roofwork and canopy.  It might make adding the glasswork more arduous though.

Sorry, s'all I can think of at the moment. 

[perdu]

Basically in a nutshell as it were kind of thing ish that is the new plan. 

 

I am taking this as an opportunity to do the cockpit roof shell thingy in acetate again, like I did with the H-19 but hopefully with a top cover shape I can relate to better.

 

 

The bugbear is getting the thin joint better this time, we'll see.

[hendie]

Ah... taking the plunge again are we?

[The Spadgent]

God speed Bill Perdu. 💛. 

[perdu]

Taking the fifth on the plunge

 

maybe

 

But whatever I do might rely on this so please fold a digit over an adjacent one

 

Please

 

 

And laterally side on.

 

 

Or should that be literally?

 

Who knowses?

 

But eventually something might be convinced to sit in here.

 

 

 

The plan is to save the kit framework over the screen and build back from it once widowses are done. My problem last time was mostly in getting a good screen to roof join.

Maybe better done this way, we'll see.