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Gauntlet in Hornet’s Livery – 1/72 kitbash - completed


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Gauntlet on its own two feet.

 

20220904-DSC-0137.jpg

 

Found better reference for the details on the starboard side of the nose, so they've been corrected.

 

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And I have no excuse anymore and have to start with the engine. Looks rather empty from the backside.

 

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So I first found this on the internet ...

 

Mercury-VIS.jpg

 

... and this in my spare parts box ...

 

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... and my future is doomed.

By the way, the advert picture from the internet might help @galgos dispel his doubts on the position of the main exhaust pipes in his Gauntlet build.

Edited by Patrik
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Based on another excellent photo posted by Max in his thread

I decided to correct some of the panel lines and add a few more details from beneath. I don't have the heart (or rather, the balls) to replace the metal panel behind the wing with fabric rendition in this stage of the build, so I am going to leave it as it is.

 

20220910-DSC-0154.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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1 minute ago, Patrik said:

Based on another excellent photo posted by Max in his thread

 don't have the heart (or rather, the balls) to replace the metal panel behind the wing with fabric rendition in this stage of the build, so I will leave it as it is.

 

You could skin the area with a square of 5 thou card, ribs embossed from the inside with an empty biro, and fair it into the existing fuselage stringers with a water soluble filler, clean up with fingers and a damp cotton bud, no sanding, little trauma.

Paul.

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1 hour ago, Paul Thompson said:

 

You could skin the area with a square of 5 thou card, ribs embossed from the inside with an empty biro, and fair it into the existing fuselage stringers with a water soluble filler, clean up with fingers and a damp cotton bud, no sanding, little trauma.

Paul.

Thanks a lot for the hint, Paul. I would certainly do that, if I knew about the photo earlier in my build. Now, I would have to redo far too much. This is the first picture of a Gauntlet I know of that shows the belly in such a detail. I must confess I have seen the same on the Finnish warplane, but it looked too much like a recent modification to my taste. Mea culpa, but I will survive.😉

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4 minutes ago, Patrik said:

Thanks a lot for the hint, Paul. I would certainly do that, if I knew about the photo earlier in my build. Now, I would have to redo far too much. This is the first picture of a Gauntlet I know of that shows the belly in such a detail. I must confess I have seen the same on the Finnish warplane, but it looked too much like a recent modification to my taste. Mea culpa, but I will survive.😉

I confess it's the sort of problem I usually solve by never, ever picking the model up again once it's in the cabinet.

 

Paul.

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3 hours ago, Paul Thompson said:

 

You could skin the area with a square of 5 thou card, ribs embossed from the inside with an empty biro, and fair it into the existing fuselage stringers with a water soluble filler, clean up with fingers and a damp cotton bud, no sanding, little trauma.

Paul.

The first problem is finding a source of 5 thou card Paul!  Any links/recommendations?

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2 hours ago, galgos said:

The first problem is finding a source of 5 thou card Paul!  Any links/recommendations?

Last time I stocked up I got iut from Wonderland Models, which is just across the river from me.  At the moment they seem to stock Evergreen, and the thickness is given in mm, but if you click on the picture it gives both impreial and metric. The one thing I stil measure in imperial units is plastic card - early training and all that. Whatever, this link should take you to the 5 thou stuff. Much more expensive than when I last got some, One sick squid less a penny for 3 sheets, then poastage on top.  https://www.wonderlandmodels.com/evergreen-plastic-sheet-0005/ 

 

I've not looked any further but there must be other places still sell it.

 

Paul.

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There are not many things in modelling I hate more than drilling an oval hole. However, drilling eight such belongs to hot candidates. The PE parts come from a generic Eduard fret, their size in real life is 1.5 x 1 mm.

 

20220916-DSC-0173.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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  • 4 weeks later...

Even with the fight almost over, I am still not sure that the decision in favor of the metal Aeroclub engine assembly was the right one. I had one or two false starts, both on the exhaust pipes and the exhaust stubs, before I found reasonable solution, though in both cases quite a laborious one. Now I must turn my attention to the cowling exterior, but then, I think, I can finally start painting. Below the individual parts and then rear view of the test assembly.

 

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20221009-DSC-0188.jpg

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Thank you! Work and social obligations did not allow more than completing the white metal cowling details, painting it with flat aluminium to reveal eventual blemishes (you can't really tell on the bare metal surface), and correcting the few I found. Next week is going to be even worse, no modelling for me at least until Saturday☹️.

 

20221016-DSC-0204.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Knew it would be a bother, and indeed, it was. I apologize for repeating myself, but I love scratchbuilding, especially if it is just one part. I do accept scratchbuilding two identical parts, more often than not you cannot avoid symmetry when building airplanes. However, doing eight such, that puts me in the same league as Sisyphus. The whole set of the extended interplane struts illustrated below.

 

20221030-DSC-0215.jpg

 

However, this also means I can finally start with the next step. The complete assembly, ready to be painted.

 

20221030-DSC-0218.jpg

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you!

Partly (still just) temporary installation of the sighting equipment in order to get the geometry right. I am not going to fix the windshield (meaning unfortunately the Aldis sight either) before the upper wing is on and painted. Too many chances for damaging the transparent part.

 

20221119-DSC-0242.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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The plan for this evening was erecting the upper wing. It was a good plan and it went quite well right up the moment, when I needed to apply the gentlest of pressures to both wings in order to force the four inner interplane struts into the corresponding holes in the lower wings. Which ended up in seven out of the eight interplane struts broken in the extension, the sighting assembly from the previous post gone and biplane Gauntlet upgraded to monoplane again. I knew it was a wise decision not to fix the windshield.

Next try is going to end up better. I am sure about that. Moreover, it allows me to correct the reason, which necessitated the said gentlest of pressures. The inner struts should be about 1 mm longer than the outer ones. That’s what they call learning the hard way.😉

 

Edited by Patrik
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Thanks for your sympathy, guys!

Working on the next try and using the inevitable technological breaks for completing other critical assemblies. Like the engine below.

 

20221125-DSC-0244.jpg

Edited by Patrik
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Right before short vacation managed adding the upper wing. This time, though not without some fight, thank heavens, without undue accident as well.

 

20221129-DSC-0246.jpg

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Used three different enamel paints on the Gauntlet. The front part is Tamiya XF-16 Flat Aluminium, two coats were fine. The glossy parts around the cockpit, guns and below the fin are Tamiya XF-11 Chrome Silver, here one coat was enough. And the fabric parts of the airframe, empennage (and later wings as well) are Revell 90 Silver. Used to be two coats, however a few years ago, Revell evidently changed the formula and it is three coats now. On the other hand, it is much easier to overcoat now, as the new layers do not dissolve the previous ones as easily as before the change.

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This is a fascinating build and coming together beautifully. There’s something very interesting about these old inter-war biplanes, I may have to try some.

 

I’m intrigued how you’ve added squadron colours on the tailfin already, will you mask that to paint the wings and rudder?

 

I see a few builds on BM where kits have decals added before it’s all been stuck together, or even painted in this case, and it always looks so very professional! I firmly leave all decals to the very end, can’t do it any other way or they’d come off on handling/get paint over them/rip. 

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