Tim Reynaga Posted November 27, 2021 Author Share Posted November 27, 2021 Time to rig! The numerous control and support cables for early aircraft were famously complex, but the Martin-Handasyde was a monoplane, so the rigging on this bird was comparatively simple. I’ll be using EZ Line, a thin rubber band-like material originally developed for model railroaders. I started with the rudder and stabilizer control lines. Installation couldn’t be simpler: attach one end, gently stretch the line over to the other end, secure it with a dab of super glue, and trim. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 With the rudder and stabilizer control lines in place, the rigging on the underside to stabilize the spindly undercarriage was next. I don’t know if the original Inpact release had better instructions, but the instructions in the Lindberg reissue I’m working with here make no reference to the rigging whatsoever. The sheet shows the airframe construction sequence all right, but the only way you would know the aircraft had rigging at all was from the box art...! Anyway, I was able to find a number of surviving photographs of the airplane online for guidance. The grainy old photos weren’t absolutely clear, but the rig seemed pretty straightforward so I took my best shot at it. I’ve used EZ Line on ship models before, but this is my first experience using it on an airplane. On ships lines are often slack, drooped by gravity or curved by wind, so EZ line is useful for some but not for all of the rigging. On airplanes, though, the lines are almost always taut, so the stretchy EZ Line works beautifully for all of them. It is flat and so does require some care to prevent unrealistic twists, but compared with the sewing thread, fishing line, and wire I’ve used to rig planes in the past, this stuff is wonderful! 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billn53 Posted November 28, 2021 Share Posted November 28, 2021 Excellent job on this kit, and I've been following your progress closely as I have a couple of old Impact kits in my stash (their Avro Biplane, and a Life-Like Hobby Avro Triplane, which I believe was originally an Impact kit). Regarding EZ Line, I've used it and agree it is great for aircraft rigging, but I prefer the similar product from Uschi (Rig that Thing!) as it has s circular cross-section (instead of flat). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted November 28, 2021 Author Share Posted November 28, 2021 1 hour ago, billn53 said: Excellent job on this kit, and I've been following your progress closely as I have a couple of old Impact kits in my stash (their Avro Biplane, and a Life-Like Hobby Avro Triplane, which I believe was originally an Impact kit). Regarding EZ Line, I've used it and agree it is great for aircraft rigging, but I prefer the similar product from Uschi (Rig that Thing!) as it has s circular cross-section (instead of flat). Thanks! I recently discovered Uschi (Rig that Thing!) and I agree, it is even better than the flat EZ Line. I'm using the latter on this project just because I only have the very fine Uschi line and this thicker EZ Line looks better (and I'm too impatient to wait for the thicker Uschi line to arrive)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinChipmunkfan Posted November 29, 2021 Share Posted November 29, 2021 Yes excellent work on the model. The wheel spokes was well worth the time and patience and look terrific. The representation of the wing ribs was clever technique and really works. This kit is a real memory jogger. Colin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 The wing control lines were next. Like the original Wright Flyer, the 1911 Martin-Handasyde had no aileron control surfaces on the wings. Rather, lateral (roll) control was achieved through twisting the entire wing, or “wing warping.” I added the warp control lines for the forward and rear wing spars both above and below the wings. Centered on one fuselage and passing over four wing kingposts, these lines enabled the pilot to actually change the geometry of the wings to maneuver the plane. Wing warping as a means of flight control was effective, but it required a good deal of strength from the pilot as well as placing substantial stresses on the wood and fabric wings as they were repeatedly twisted back and forth during flight. This strain may have been responsible for the death of pilot D.G. Gilmour, who was killed in the Martin-Handasyde No. 3 when it suffered a mid-air structural failure on 17 February 1912. A well-known aviator famous for his aerobatic maneuvers, Gilmour was an accomplished pilot and quite familiar with this aircraft which he had flown for several months. Nevertheless, after taking off in perfect flying weather from Brooklands for a cross-country flight in the Martin-Handasyde, Gilmour's plane crashed in the Old Deer Park in London. Eyewitnesses reported that at about 400 feet the left wing had folded in mid-air and the aircraft immediately spun into the ground. Although the exact cause of the failure was never determined, post-crash examination of the wreckage showed that all the bracing and control wires were still intact. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Super work on the whole thing and the spokes make it look so much better. Very bold to cut off the rim and stick them straight on like that. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 5, 2021 Author Share Posted December 5, 2021 On 12/4/2021 at 4:45 AM, AdrianMF said: Super work on the whole thing and the spokes make it look so much better. Very bold to cut off the rim and stick them straight on like that. Regards, Adrian Thanks Adrian. It seemed worth the risk as those wheels are a bit of a focal point on the model! The control and bracing wires had numerous turnbuckles fitted on them to keep things tight. I happened to have on hand some North Star “tightening screws and eye bolts” for 1/350 scale ship rigging. Painted black and glued on top of the control lines, these ship parts serve nicely on aircraft too! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 Those turnbuckles look most excellent! A local modeler threads the rigging line through PE turnbuckles. They look quite good and can be slid along the line post-assembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 7, 2021 Author Share Posted December 7, 2021 11 hours ago, dnl42 said: Those turnbuckles look most excellent! A local modeler threads the rigging line through PE turnbuckles. They look quite good and can be slid along the line post-assembly. Thanks, but I've just been gluing them on top of the lines. They are so small the cheat is hard to detect! Unsure how the control lines attached to the model’s wingtips, I simply passed them over the grooves molded there. Tiny North Star eye bolts were added to suggest attachment points. I’ve also finished the base with some static grass and a few weed clumps. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 First class work! Impressed of Mars 👽 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 8, 2021 Author Share Posted December 8, 2021 21 hours ago, Martian said: First class work! Impressed of Mars 👽 Thanks Martian! With the rigging completed, I finally took the plunge and attached those delicate wheels to the undercarriage. My concerns about their strength proved unfounded - they support the weight of the model with no problems. 😁 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 9, 2021 Author Share Posted December 9, 2021 The engine and fuel cells were painted with Testors silver and copper enamels, but even though I wanted to depict a “clean” aircraft, they came out a bit too bright. A thin sloshing of Windsor & Newton Burnt Umber oil wash was an easy way to very slightly dirty them up and tone down the effect. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 10, 2021 Author Share Posted December 10, 2021 With assembly finished, I thought it would be fun to add a final accent to the plane. The Dutch company Reality in Scale makes a set of resin birds for dioramas which would be perfect. Since the Martin-Handasyde was a British aircraft and flew only in Britain, I wanted the bird to represent a species common there. I also wanted one with attractive coloring; *Parus Major*, better known as the Great tit, fit the bill. Now sporting my best rendition of Great tit markings, the little bird was attached to one of the Martin-Handasyde’s kingposts. Perched on this strange mechanical oddity, the professional aviator checks out the amateur. 10 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Learstang Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 (edited) Great job on the kit! I'm almost hesitant to point this out, but I believe your Great Tit (no giggling in the back...) has a few too many scales on its left foot*. Other than that small quibble, brilliant work! I keep thinking, though, that the pilot has his laptop open in front of him. Regards, Jason *Comparing it to scale drawings of the Great Tit (now what did I say about any giggling...) in 'Haversham and Heath's Great Book of British Ornithology' (W. Basingstoke: Devonshire Publishing House, Ltd., 1905). Edited December 10, 2021 by Learstang Additional comments added. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clive_t Posted December 10, 2021 Share Posted December 10, 2021 Cracking build, with a nice bit of humour thrown in 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Reynaga Posted December 11, 2021 Author Share Posted December 11, 2021 (edited) And done! Edited December 11, 2021 by Tim Reynaga 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 (edited) Bravo! Truly a most excellent result. What is that panel in front of the pilot? At first I wondered if you had the pilot sketching his (likely mocking) audience. But I see it's clearly not that. Oil barrier? IP? Edit: Never mind... I have a drawing claiming it's a shield. Edited December 11, 2021 by dnl42 Answered my own question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiet Mike Posted December 11, 2021 Share Posted December 11, 2021 I've loved seeing this build come together. What a fantastic result! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Absolutely super and well-observed build. Those old Inpact kits are a delight and you’ve done that one justice. Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray S Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 What a cracking result @Tim Reynaga. I have never tried one of the Inpact kits, but they look very interesting indeed, and hopefully in the fullness of time I will have a go at one. The whole setting for the display is a great idea, especially the birdie! Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrés S. Posted January 16, 2023 Share Posted January 16, 2023 I have come here after seeing the finished model. I can't stop admiring your work. The detail of the bird posed is simply great, as well as brilliantly painted. Finally, I love the work you have done. Cheers. Andrés. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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