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1/18 Curtiss P40C


airscale

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Hey Peter,

 

A thought concerning rendering heat stress from exhaust gases...I wonder if a butane torch "painted" across the litho skins behind the stacks can simulate thermal stains about the exhaust stacks?  Nothing like the real thing to simulate the real thing eh?

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First, thanks so much for sharing this. What a treat to watch this progress from ideas into reality.

 

Second... my mind is blown seeing what is possible in your hands. This kind of work, mastery level that it is, helps nudge me to go back and redo my utterly amateur, hamfisted efforts on a first kit just to take another kick at it and develop some monkey level skills :) 

 

Following this reminds me of visiting galleries and trying to soak in the art and its craftsmanship.

 

Or maybe the scene in 2001 where the apes learn from the monolith 😜 

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evening folks :)

 

Thank you for your kind words - very much appreciated :)

 

So, P40 progress...

 

..it was time to try skinning the undercarriage fairings - these are the attractive bulges at the leading edge - made of three parts, they may look nice but were probably among the most challenging metalwork I have ever done..

 

Rk38qD.jpg

 

..first up was getting a nice smooth surface and blending in any existing skinning as the surface must be absolutely smooth or any undulations will transfer to the surface..

 

..so a spot of filler here & there, a quick prime to check..

 

Edu6Ng.jpg

 

..in order to get the panel shape, the outline needs to be set out in tape so that the border can be seen as the litho is burnished onto it.. to do this, I punched a couple of tape discs so I could set them out equally..

 

vcMCjQ.jpg

 

..soon had them both laid out...

 

gKXMg9.jpg

 

..it's asking a lot of the metal to conform to these double curvatures so I started to make the middle panel first - usual tools, hardwood blocks and a ball pein hammer to start beating to shape..

 

eTX7hA.jpg

 

after beating & fixing, the other panels were added both sides - no pics, but by this point the panels are down and need finishing - some creasing was inevitable and I am hoping they sand out..

 

VKGbcu.jpg

 

 

..then the panels were sanded, polished, wire woolled etc, there are still some scratches and creases visible here and there but this is as good as I can get it..

 

4jFKQ9.jpg

 

Rj1qSS.jpg

 

 

pKpeNj.jpg

 

 

..I also skinned the fairing behind the cowl flaps - more details need adding, but again more compound curves....

 

z3wqKq.jpg

 

..more skin panels were added at the lower wing root, fastnings along the fairings and the lower area is coming together..

 

ZDItdj.jpg

 

y1j0hn.jpg

 

2nCwbT.jpg

 

 

MWuSuW.jpg

 

t7M2qr.jpg

 

..upper wing fairings next..

 

TTFN

 

Peter

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Have just started trying to learn how to skin with litho on my Mirage III and am learning just how difficult these compound curves are. 
 

Extremely difficult. I’m very impressed with what you have managed here.
 

What thickness of lithoplate are you using?

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afternoon all :)

 

thanks for your kind comments

 

I managed to get the wing fillets done - I have shown skinning many times so today is just the work as it stands :)

 

gNfR43.jpg

 

 

ZxROYW.jpg

 

 

MNZ5fC.jpg

 

mTIx8z.jpg

 

 

7RSuAh.jpg

 

 

q3wdIP.jpg

 

nLfgwD.jpg

 

..also got most of the undersides done..

 

qN0onK.jpg

 

DDFyBv.jpg

 

S3Zj8Y.jpg

 

..not sure what i will do next - maybe the windshield & upper cockpit skinning, maybe the rear glazing, maybe the control surfaces.... still lots to go

 

TTFN

Peter

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thanks chaps :)

 

Had a day off today and with Mrs airscale out & about, I got to start another part - I settled on the rudder as it makes a change from skinning..

 

..started by creating a drawing from the plans with profiles & rib sections - although the GA drawing for the ribs is really washed out so I couldn't make much of it out

 

..this was stuck to brass sheet with Pritt Stick- I like brass as it keeps its shape when working and gets a really nice sharp trailing edge

 

..you can see on the drawing there is a torque rod right the way through the lower leading edge which also needs to be factored in..

 

T4vynA.jpg

 

..it's easy to cut out the shape with a dremel & slitting disc cutting down into a sheet of balsa..

 

D4gJIP.jpg

 

..all of the rib positions etc were transferred from the drawing to the blank

 

..you can also see the trim tab has been largely cut out, but not removed, and the little hole at the top where a big rudder horn connects from the fin..

 

HuJ4pE.jpg

 

..the torque tube was added by soldering in a tube (with brass end caps to stop the tube flooding) and then cutting out the gaps afterwards..

 

LAL2Ph.jpg

 

..the known rib sizes and profiles I could determine were added from brass sheet..

 

RqIaPl.jpg

 

..all the structure was added from plastic stock and a blob of P38 filler.. the trim tab must be done too so it can just be broken away later with exactly the right profile..

 

bFnEki.jpg

 

..the structure is then shaped with a sander and files until the profiles are hit..

 

D6RVtv.jpg

 

..a shot of primer helps get a good feel for how it is shaping up..

 

B74KKs.jpg

 

T4gz5q.jpg

 

Qyzqng.jpg

 

tzSRvM.jpg

 

..next up, skinning it with thin plastic sheet, scored with a biro at the rib positions to get a light catenary effect

 

TTFN

Peter

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thank you chaps :)

 

 

..to conclude the obvious cliffhangar that was making the rudder core, but saving the skinning - I did that today...

 

..first the drawing was amended to show where the rib score lines were and the visible rivet heads under the fabric - this was then stuck to thin plastic card - I guess it's 0.10 or 0.15 slaters or plastruct..

 

cWAXvv.jpg

 

..these black lines were then run over with a biro and the rivets a pin in a pin vise..

 

..the leading edges were rolled around a tube to make them curve and enough fat left on them to roll around it..

 

xLpuJR.jpg

 

 

..then a thin layer of evo stick contact cement on all surfaces - no blobs or it melts the thin plastic..

 

FdlAzB.jpg

 

..and the skin is laid down & trimmed at the centreline to meet the other side..

 

EbtGAl.jpg

 

..i plunge moulded the bottom cap as this is metal and added the rivets, then the edges were sanded & blended..

 

8ZCiVn.jpg

 

..the subtle effect of the scoring on the reverse side to make it look like fabric can be seen here.. no need for fabric effect as when the real ones are doped and painted these surfaces are generally smooth..

 

qWPTNP.jpg

 

xtNiGJ.jpg

 

..I have some decal sheet on order and will do all the rib tapes & edges with that - it needs to be able to take a lot of masking tape though for the red and white stripes so we will see how it holds up..

 

TTFN

Peter

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It is amazing work. Absolutely phenomenal craftsmanship.

 

You are going to leave the plane in its natural finish, right? It seems like a real shame to cover the beautiful metalwork with a coat of paint.

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thank you all - very kind

 

 

 

On 2/7/2023 at 6:36 PM, SprueMan said:

You are going to leave the plane in its natural finish, right? It seems like a real shame to cover the beautiful metalwork with a coat of paint.

 

 

Oh yes it will be NMF, I have yet to paint one of my models which kinda limits the ones I can make so i guess the next one will be...

 

 

On 2/7/2023 at 9:28 PM, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

Im always Blown away by your work. I have to ask if you have ever considered something like a P-47, F4U Corsair, or maybe a Tempest II or Sea Fury ? 

 

I have considered all of those and am thinking about whats next now - the biggest problem is drawings - I would do a Sea Fury in a heartbeat, but I have been quoted £4k to get the drawings!

 

I use Aircorps library as they have access to all drawings of certain aircraft for a small monthly fee, but there I am limited to F6F, F8F, P47, F4U, F4F, P63 & P39 and i have done two american birds on the bounce now so fancy something different

 

 

so, pressing on, I made the elevators the same way as the rudder and then added all the rib tapes with solid decal - this is about my least favourite job in modelling - it truly sucks...

 

still, got it done and after many washes with micro sol & micro set I was happy the adhesion was as good as I could get it... in some places like where the trim tabs are, there wwas a bit of creasing, and some bubbles, and it took about 3 days to work through all this and get it all fully dry..

 

LUAbS5.jpg

 

R8elVw.jpg

 

..after priming, the rudder was painted with MRP insignia white and progressively masked to match a scaled version of a photo of the original aircraft.. the masking was all fine, just took a lot of care and 'de-tacked' the tamiya tape by sticking it to the palm of my hand first, also all edges were cut with a fresh scalpel blade..

 

XDHCSB.jpg

 

V0JjrJ.jpg

 

..all the mounts & torque tubes were made, plainted & added..

 

5j182R.jpg

 

..same process for the elevators, but these were just shot with alclad...

 

lbxQ73.jpg

 

fKVw97.jpg

 

..and mocked up on the model..

 

IcLdhR.jpg

 

WAGDVt.jpg

 

rl8y96.jpg

 

..not sure whats up next, will have to be a surprise :)

 

 

TTFN

Peter

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evening ladies :)

 

On 2/16/2023 at 5:09 PM, Zephyr91 said:

Just out of interest, how much do you think the finished model will weigh?

 

regards

 

Rob

 

Hi Rob - it gets pretty heavy, I would say a kilo or more...

 

 

next up are the flaps...these were designed in PE a long time ago, so it was time to assemble them..

 

..lots and lots of folding..

 

FHnhuE.jpg

 

..about half the ribs adeed..

 

TMmOW6.jpg

 

..and then completed - each had the cap strip added which I have to say was about the most horrible modelling experience i have had for a while..

 

QpSKZ9.jpg

 

GH7LnA.jpg

 

..then the skins were made - there are 1,800 rivets in both - I know because I drew the layout and counted the objects..

 

E42tw2.jpg

 

painted and with torque tubes & fittings added..

 

ieqVnT.jpg

 

4u79lb.jpg

 

hhPil9.jpg

 

so thats them done... and while there is still a great deal to do before this is complete, my eye has been wandering like a drunk at a wedding to what I might do next..I have a couple of parameters I think - 1) i need drawings, it's like my little drug..2) It needs to fit in my expensive show cabinet @ 55cm square...

 

happened upon this scheme when the Planes of fame F8F took it's first flight - a bare metal Bearcat..

 

ttBXss.jpg

 

..it's got me thinking..:)

 

i wanted to do a Sea Fury, but no drawings and its too big, so this might keep me happy for a while longer

 

TTFN
Peter

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