greggles.w Posted July 29, 2022 Author Share Posted July 29, 2022 (edited) On 7/14/2022 at 4:48 PM, Paul J said: Fascinating amount of work going on here. There can't be much of the Sword kit being used. Except maybe the wings. Thanks Paul, yes those Sword kit wings, they will indeed be put to use! Bottom (left) & top (right) showing nice rhythm of raised fabric tape detail. I’m happy to use these largely as-is, with one minor modification: As Auster Mks progressed one upgrade that stuck was the adoption of wing fuel tanks. These metal tanks were housed between spars at the wing root, fitted from below, like so … Interestingly the kit upper wing has the requisite filler caps projecting. However the underside does not have the metal sheet cover panel that contrasted with the regular striped pattern of fabric tapes. As shown here on a AOP.6 Auster, the darker, smooth metal panel visible above the cockpit door … [the keen-eyed among you may think this one has already made it ‘down under’ .. but no, it’s a UK machine which recently suffered a mishap. I elected to rotate image to restore some dignity!] So carefully marked out a rectangle, then surface detail within rubbed off, before laminating a thinnest sheet of styrene, further thinned down after fixed in place. Corner hole for drain plug pre-drilled.. so wings underway … Edited July 29, 2022 by greggles.w 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted July 30, 2022 Author Share Posted July 30, 2022 (edited) ... more concerning wings, specifically, as 'X' marks the spot: At the four corners of that central X are the primary bolted connections where fuselage spaceframe meets the wing spars. So it holds the whole thing together, in full view of the all through the Perspex roof. The sword kit provides this framing in plastic & it looks the part, but it is inverse to real-life in that it is decorative & the vacform clear canopy actually does the job of tying everything together. As I'm substituting a different canopy, & as the Autocar framing geometry is different for that which sits behind the rear spar .. I arrive at scratch building again. As such I thought I might try to get my framing to do some work, assisting holding things together. I don't think it realistic to expect it to do all the work - the load will still be shared with the vacform canopy - but the more that ties things together the better methinks ... To this end, cardboard jig A to form front & back cross-members from brass rod & styrene ... ... then cardboard Jig B over which are bent two halves of the 'X'. The middle of the 'X' is slightly peaked, up into the vaulted Perspex roof, so this jig is upside down, with the central rectangle recessed slightly, the two 'V' shaped wires met down in there ... Jig B gained some flanking walls with guides for the reclining cross-members - so little of this Auster is perpendicular!! Front (foreground) & rear (background) cross-members joined in jig to their respective 'V' rod... The resulting subassemblies can be seen in background below, together with off-cuts from Jig B. The central part of B now built into cardboard Jig C, which again is upside down, so anhedral in jig will deliver dihedral wings when finished ... This Jig C allows me to setout & then progressively check excavations into the wing halves to house the framing extensions ... The cross-member frame depths are not far off full chord depth, so it was time consuming grunt-work to dig the trenches, yet one can't be too careful near completion as the remaining plastic skin got quite thin! Eventually done, halves joined & a shim in place to maintain the aerofoil ... Those holes look like some sort of dreadful root-canal surgery! They are intentionally oversize, as I intend using epoxy to embed the frames. So now I can bring them together. I set the framing in place & then slide each wing within the jig 'side rails' up & over the frame ends ... I do not expect a few 0.5mm rods to hold together what are essentially solid plastic wings, so I won't actually fix it all together until as late as possible - and in conjunction with the canopy. I can readily take them apart & bring back together again later as needed in the jig. This will let me put the fragile framing aside while I follow-through & clean up wing joins, perhaps prime & paint them in advance too. I'm running out of tasks which are not 'stinky' (bulk putty), 'noisy' (vac-forming) or 'sacrilegious' (using family oven for said vac-forming). Cold weather & shut house here make such activities more contentious. However, if I am to meet my goal of readiness for our club November show, I'm starting to think I can defer these activities not much longer ... Edited July 30, 2022 by greggles.w 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianwau Posted August 2, 2022 Share Posted August 2, 2022 That is fine work - and marvelous how you've thought through the engineering of it - especially given how visible all the framing is beneath the glass. I usually coincide the 'stinky', 'noisy', 'sacrilegious' activity for when the Minister of Finance is out - and evidence of activity can usually be offset with some judicious painting of door jambs, vacuuming of carpet, and the wafting of a lamb roast (unless that combo raises suspicions!) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted August 29, 2022 Author Share Posted August 29, 2022 On 8/2/2022 at 11:42 AM, ianwau said: That is fine work - and marvelous how you've thought through the engineering of it - especially given how visible all the framing is beneath the glass. I usually coincide the 'stinky', 'noisy', 'sacrilegious' activity for when the Minister of Finance is out - and evidence of activity can usually be offset with some judicious painting of door jambs, vacuuming of carpet, and the wafting of a lamb roast (unless that combo raises suspicions!) Well .. this seemingly unending, uncharacteristic wet weather here has kept such works on pause. I have had to action no less than three lamb-roasts I had on standby, following your advice, lest they pass use-by date. Oh well. So rather than counting raindrops, I have addressed another peripheral sub-assembly. This way at least when I do finally get the meaty bit of the fuselage fleshed out I will have some of these extra bits ready to attach. This time it's the auxiliary fuel tank which is slung under the belly. There would seem to have been several variations on the theme, some fabricated by Auster & others by third-parties in the UK & abroad. As a result there are differences such as filler spout to either port or starboard (like an aviation left / right hand drive?). However all have a conformal 'teardrop' side profile, stuck to the cabin floor like a limpet. The Auster in-house version was a more complex (surprise, surprise?) inverted shallow 'dome' with double-curves & pressed ribbing. Happily our machine had one of the aftermarket versions, with a simpler inverted 'arched' single-curve flat bottom. In researching this I was yet again grateful for the rich archive of photos associated with the Auster Enthusiasts F'book group page. They really are enthusiastic & they have been very helpful with my specific queries, but I can avoid harassing them directly by trawling through their photo library. I am an accidental beneficiary of their exchanges as owner / operator / restorers, as they seek missing parts, how-to's & what-the's?! Here as case-in-point are images posted of a fabricator working on a replacement auxiliary fuel tank, with the tired old original alongside as pattern. So helpful! So here we go laying the keel .. well, sort of, upside down. There's a slight kink in the plane that follows the fuselage belly, so the styrene sheet was scribed, creased & laid with that crease on the steel rule to hold the edge. The mild two-way curve to the side walls was executed with epoxy putty ... ... then a very thin styrene sheet rolled over & fixed into the curve, with a slight overhang either side like the real thing. On right you might see where I pre-pressed a heated blunt metal kitchen skewer from the back of the sheet to form the dimple at the low-point drain. Meanwhile little bits of rod & sheet brought together to form the teapot-like filler spout ... .. I failed to take a photo of one improvisation, one so oddball that I guess I thought it more likely to fail, but then it worked a treat! That filler cap started as a tiny scrap of sheet, onto which was stuck an Airscale brass PE instrument bevel - selected for inner diameter - then the rod 'plugged-in' to that socket. After that I sanded the plastic to a disc, sanding in to meet the brass ring as guide to final diameter. That brass is still there on the underside of the cap! And so here we are: filler spout, drain plug, & mounting straps added. Done! Awaiting prime & paint ... 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 Hello, here's an overdue update. Weather permitted, hatches un-battened, workspace ventilated, time for stink & boggery! That was the first .. slather? icing? Lots of fun, and no time for agonising, make quick work! A matter of minutes & it was set hard on tools & palette (old ice-cream container offcuts, luckily). In all I made three rounds: first as above; second after sanding revealed oversight gaps & airholes; and a final just for the vertical tail transition. That proved a very challenging sanding & shaping task, but I think it's approaching the right form ... Coarse grit sanding sticks to this point. I think I'll hit it with white primer to review & formulate tactics for the next rounds of finishing ... A whole new experience for me, this auto-filler. Many thanks for the comprehensive advice along the way @ianwau et al. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc2 Posted September 27, 2022 Share Posted September 27, 2022 Great job! The overhead views certainly show up the size difference! Would it be rude to call it a fat boy Auster?! I still have to try automotive filler on a model, although used plenty on 1:1 cars....... Malc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted September 27, 2022 Author Share Posted September 27, 2022 3 minutes ago, Malc2 said: The overhead views certainly show up the size difference! Would it be rude to call it a fat boy Auster?! .. ha! No I think that’s fair, although for all the bloating of the fuselage it still was cosy in the back seat for two .. er, men .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianwau Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 Looking great! You must have been worried after that first coat - looked like a failed cookie [a borrowed description once used to describe a Unicraft kit] - but she's scrubbed up well. You're probably onto it - but using 400/600/800 wet and dry (sanded wet) will take more off the putty than the brass, which should leave you a nice vaguely scalloped effect between the ribs. A grey primer (eg Tamiya or Mr.Surfacer rattlecan) will fill out fine imperfections. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted September 28, 2022 Share Posted September 28, 2022 Oooh, I'm liking you wire and card jiggery, it's working well. Sorry to hear you are 'air' locked, thankfully where I live on the South Coast of South Africa, most days throughout the year, I'm able to keep my doors open. Cold wet days through the winter are a pain if I want to use my airbrush. Good luck with meeting your deadline. Colin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 5, 2022 Author Share Posted October 5, 2022 I'm back .. with some work done down the back. The rudder. The J5P Autocar adopted a taller fin & rudder (as per bottom right below) as first adopted for the J1 Aiglet, an enlargement from the MkIII kit version (as per top right below): The surface detail on the Sword kit flying surfaces might seem a little heavy-handed for some, but I am not inclined to revisit that. Therefore I set that as benchmark for the raised fabric-tape detail to mimic. As it happens, while the dark colour of this machine's rudder (left below) downplays this texture, other colour schemes show the pronounced banding of the kit parts could arguably be appropriate after all (J1F Aiglet below right): So a sheet of thin styrene with a brass rudder 'mast' & laminate over that strips matching the width of banding on kit parts .. These strips (.75 wide x .25 thick) were then thinned down, again to match the kit precedent, while the extensions of those strips were fixed & snipped onto the fin ... In paying closer attention to this area now, I belated noticed a need for change to the elevators. As shown above, the kit has the earlier ground-adjustable trim tabs to both elevators. The Autocar by contrast had a single in-flight-adjustable trim tab - made of ply - to the port elevator only. Not such a difficult change to implement ... unless you've already fixed the tail planes in place! Back to the rudder, and a bit of styrene rod in a drill to 'lathe' a conical tail light fitting ... Cleaned up & with trim tab added, here it is done, with discarded kit part for comparison ... ... and taped in place, with those elevators addressed, port trim tab scribed ... And so that'll do for tail feathers ... 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 (edited) .. a little more, this time legs ... The Auster main undercarriage legs are a triumph of triangles. It took a little while to get my head around just how it works, and along the way I discovered the J5P Autocar had ever-so-slightly longer legs (1mm at 1/48) .. of course. In summary, each leg is a sub-assembly of paired, pyramidical steel tube framing (the red framing in image on left below) skinned in doped fabric, which stretches into a subtle concave curve below (as shown right image below) . The two leg subassemblies both pivot at the fuselage edge, while meeting under the belly centreline at a elastic bungy-cord suspension knuckle bobbin thingy. Very curious! Given as @Malc2 pointedly noted - this is a 'fat boy Auster' - with a hefty layering of what @ianwau pointedly noted as 'failed cookie' dough I've had concerns the kit undercarriage might not cope with the loading. So I've substituted some brass for the thin plastic rod. I rigged a jig to triangulate the triangles & once again was impressed to find the supplied plastic rods were a perfect fit, right down to the angles of the bevelled faces on each end. This made fabricating the brass substitutes quite easy, using those as templates. While the rod geometry was admirably accurate in the kit, the fabric faired legs are quite flat, missing the inner curve, so I rough bulked these out with tube offcuts, then puttied & sculpted ... The fat-boy baby seal has its fore-flippers! Only taped in place at present, but even with that tentative fixing they are clearly not troubled by the weight above ... Edited October 6, 2022 by greggles.w 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianwau Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 Beautiful precision work - really coming together now. Good to see some remnant parts from Sword donor serving their intended purpose, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 6, 2022 Author Share Posted October 6, 2022 7 minutes ago, ianwau said: Beautiful precision work - really coming together now. Good to see some remnant parts from Sword donor serving their intended purpose, Thanks Ian, & re the Sword kit you’ve reminded me … I have been intending to state clearly that the limited use of Sword kit parts should not be seen as a poor reflection on the kit. As I work my way around the airframe I am constantly cross-comparing the Autocar to MkIII, benchmarking changes needed. As part of this process I also then need just confirm that the kit MkIII matches the baseline reference drawing MkIII .. and every time it’s been spot on. From the overall dimensions like wingspan down to the details like fabric tape banding count & spacing etc. If one were looking to build a MkIII Auster I can say you’d have a very enjoyable straightforward time with the Sword kit & can be confident you’d arrive at a true likeness! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted October 6, 2022 Share Posted October 6, 2022 Looking good! Glad to see you are back on the case. Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianwau Posted October 9, 2022 Share Posted October 9, 2022 On 10/7/2022 at 8:26 AM, greggles.w said: If one were looking to build a MkIII Auster I can say you’d have a very enjoyable straightforward time with the Sword kit A good recommendation - the world needs more (built) Auster kits!! Actually, I'm keeping a sharp eye out for your ad on marketplace for "1 x Sword 1/48 MkIII Auster kit - missing only a few parts" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 11, 2022 Author Share Posted October 11, 2022 (edited) On 10/7/2022 at 10:10 AM, AdrianMF said: Looking good! Glad to see you are back on the case. Regards, Adrian Thanks Adrian, trying to keep in front by a nose … I had an opportunity to drag out the ‘old faithful’ vacuum & commandeer the kitchen. Here’s the first draw over the nose .. optimistically propped nose skyward, hoping for a one-piece outcome … Hmm, me thought. Some 'banyan' buttress webbing (as should reasonably be expected). The buck was lodged in there, and time was limited, so everything had to be put aside. My initial thought being that when I could get back to it, I'd cut the buck free & then need concentrate on an altered balsa plinth, perhaps higher, perhaps wider .. So several days later, in need of a non-stinky task, I started to trim back the excess to extract the buck. And to my pleasant surprise the plastic looked recoverable! Those webs had fused together, such that when trimmed flush they left only the most minor trace - less than when I get heavy handed with a sanding stick. So, with the buck still lodged inside (for strength in handling & for it’s still useful guide line work) first task was to ‘sharpen’ the protruding vents / scoops … The lower one shows the raw blobish shape as start .. the top one there has had the form sharpened with needle files. Next scribe the side panel lines, then glued on the kit cowl face .. .. all fine (if a little roughly finished!), other than the evident fact that I grossly overcompensated for plastic thickness! The timber buck had been nicely flush with the top of the grey cowl face, whereas now I have the step as seen on the ridge above. So clearly I took far too much off the timber. So needed to putty that. Here's status, with the cowl (+ buck still inside) temporarily cantilevered with double sided tape. Looking like an Autocar! Edited October 11, 2022 by greggles.w 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted October 11, 2022 Share Posted October 11, 2022 Nice going with the vac-former! I think cutting out then mixing and matching your parts to avoid the wrinkles is a good way forward, and you also can do other vac-forms in different orientations to move the wrinkles around. You could always try some thinner or thicker card too if you’re not happy with the allowances. The fuselage is looking splendid. Regards, Adrian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc2 Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 Filler fixes everything! Looks good, glad the vacform came out OK, I was wondering how it was going! Does the automotive filler affect the styrene in anyway? I was wondering why you used a different filler for the top of the nose. Malc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 13, 2022 Author Share Posted October 13, 2022 On 10/12/2022 at 5:26 PM, Malc2 said: Does the automotive filler affect the styrene in anyway? Hi & thanks Malc. This was a concern of mine before use. I can report it was quite benign - as Ian predicted - in two regards: - one, despite the riotous chemical stench, it didn’t dissolve either the sheet styrene nor the joints; & - two, during application it had a consistency something like toothpaste, which meant I didn’t need to use force to spread it over & in-between the styrene frame, so limiting the risk of breaking something. It did bond very well to the styrene. There’s a few areas where I subsequently sanded back the filler to such a thin layer it was a mere translucent film … but that film is solidly fixed in place. On 10/12/2022 at 5:26 PM, Malc2 said: I was wondering why you used a different filler for the top of the nose. Main reasons: - just a small area, whereas the auto filler is all ‘big’ - big tin, big tube, big quantity mixing - and so more suited to big tasks. - I was tinkering late at night, inside, so the odourless yellow Tamiya epoxy putty (quick type) was best. The intense stink of the auto filler had me applying it while wearing a full gas mask, outside, on a sunny day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc2 Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 Good to know, Thanks! M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted October 13, 2022 Share Posted October 13, 2022 Don't know how I missed this thread Greg but after your PM, I thought I'd hunt your build down. Fantastic work as usual, those jigs you build are also impressive and I think I'll need a jig of sorts to help me in my F6C build. Carry on good man. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianwau Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 A great outcome from the vacforming! Hope the buck frees up in due course - can always send in the trained termites if needs be. The dry fitted fuselage is looking sooo good - already looks just like a rear Auster! Have you decided what medium you will use for vacforming the transparencies? I've recently switched to 0.75mm PETG (from my usual 0.75mm Butyrate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 16, 2022 Share Posted October 16, 2022 There is no way in a squillion years I'd scratch one of these, a kit yes, maybe, but I do like what you're doing here. 👍 That undercart is a masterpiece of effective simplicity. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greggles.w Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 (edited) Flat out busy days in succession, little progress, but offset by receipt of a parcel in the post today - a custom timber plinth by Jim’s Bases in Queensland … Lovely recycled hardwood, made to my specs with intent to hold the airframe at in-flight attitude. Edited October 24, 2022 by greggles.w 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMB Posted November 25, 2022 Share Posted November 25, 2022 Good grief - building an Auster Autocar from an Auster III kit is far too much wiork for me. I take my hat off to you and can't wait to see it finished. I have built THREE Lincoln/Kadar 1/41st Auster J5 Autocar kits and have scratch built their interiors, but that's as far as I would go. Well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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