Jb65rams Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 As my first planned build is the Hall’s Bulldog Air Racer, I need something for it to race. So my second entry is another Williams Brothers 1/32 racer, the Laird Super Solution. From the Williams Brothers website “Designed by Matty Laird in 1931, it was designed to minimize all frontal area to reduce drag and obtain the maximum possible speed. Rolled our of the factory just 5 days before the Bendix cross country race- from Burbank,California to Cleveland, Ohio. The plane had some initial stability issues, but they were corrected overnight. Jimmy Doolittle took the plane and flew from Lansing, Illinois to Burbank for the Bendix race! Immediately, he was off for the race to Cleveland, which he won with an average speed of 223mph, but he immediately refueled and went on to Newark, New Jersey to set a new coast to coast record! And then, he refueled, and flew back to Cleveland to enter the Thompson Trophy Race-a total of 2882 miles! Alas, the trip was too much for the engine, and after an early lead, he had to drop out in lap 7.” 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Welcome with another classic kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 It wouldn't be a race if there was only one entrant This is certainly a colourful one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Pretty. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted October 22, 2022 Author Share Posted October 22, 2022 With paint drying on my Hall’s Bulldog, I made a start on this, starting with some cleanup. There is a fair bit of flash to removed. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted October 23, 2022 Share Posted October 23, 2022 Good to see this one underway JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted October 24, 2022 Author Share Posted October 24, 2022 Fuselage halves cleaned up and joined together. I haven’t forgotten to install the cockpit, during dry fitting discovered I could fit it through the cockpit opening, a lot easier than trying to fix it to be half and close the fuselage around it. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted November 3, 2022 Author Share Posted November 3, 2022 It’s beginning to look like an aircraft now. Used a bit of brass tubing as the strut between the legs, a bit over scale, should look ok when painted 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 Upper wing at struts installed. It was about this time things started to go wrong. I discovered I had used the wrong parts in assembling the engine and as a result it was too large to fit into the cowling (diameter 5mm to large). I started to disassemble the engine only to loose a cyli”nder to the carpet monster! Then discovered I only had half the alternative bits I required, the rest having been tidied up! And now probably in a land fill somewhere in Yorkshire. Current thinking is to see if I can find an aftermarket replacement, (will pay a visit to the Neomega stand at SMW next weekend), if not will try to scratch build the missing bits. 2 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Sorry to hear this, nothing in the spares pile or another kit ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody37 Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 sorry to hear, I can imagine the colourful language! Hope you manage to get it sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 Is it the wasp engine for this aircraft? If so I can help as I have been donated a spare from a very kind BMer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted November 15, 2022 Share Posted November 15, 2022 Great choice. What a fabulously outrageous bipe. Happy modelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted November 15, 2022 Author Share Posted November 15, 2022 @bigbadbadge Yes a Wasp Junior engine. Thanks for the offer, I think I am ok, picked up a 1/48 Wasp engine in Telford, looks like it should fit. In the meantime I has been doing some painting. Brush painting, building it up with a number of thin coats. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted November 15, 2022 Share Posted November 15, 2022 No worries, painting is coming on well and looking good. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Glad to hear you're sorted with a suitable replacement engine JB and the paintwork looks to be coming on well. Yellow isn't the best of colours to work with but that's not holding you back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted December 21, 2022 Author Share Posted December 21, 2022 HThis racer has been in the pits for a while. Work has now resumed. Started with the rigging, used some brass rod I had, a bit over scale but I am happy with the way it looks. Relatively new to rigging so just trying out different techniques. Then moved on to decals. These proved to be a bit of a headache. Didn’t want to release from the backing paper until I used hot water. Also had a tendency to fragment. However once I got the decal on the kit they settled down really well. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corsairfoxfouruncle Posted December 21, 2022 Share Posted December 21, 2022 Looking good so far. Just a bit to go now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc2 Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 The green is a good match to the decals. Why did you paint over the cockpit canopy? Malc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted December 22, 2022 Author Share Posted December 22, 2022 7 hours ago, Malc2 said: The green is a good match to the decals. Why did you paint over the cockpit canopy? Malc. Doh!. That’s a very good question. Should have read the instructions and looked more closely at reference photos. Question is do I try to correct it or leave it as it is. One to think about in the New Year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malc2 Posted December 22, 2022 Share Posted December 22, 2022 Oops! You could try masking over the paint you want to keep and use an IPA soaked cotton bud to wipe off the areas that should be clear? IPA will not harm the clear plastic. Try on a scrap painted piece first to see how the paint reacts to IPA. Malc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 After re-rigging the plane made a bib for freedom from the bench, I took the decision to leave the canopy as is. If I am honest, these two Williams Brothers builds sapped the mojo. Glad i can put them on the shelf and forget about them. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Col. Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 While the results look good it's unfortunate they've taken a toll on your modelling mojo JB. Nice work and hopefully you've a revitalising project on your workbench next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jb65rams Posted January 30, 2023 Author Share Posted January 30, 2023 On 29/01/2023 at 09:14, Col. said: While the results look good it's unfortunate they've taken a toll on your modelling mojo JB. Nice work and hopefully you've a revitalising project on your workbench next. Started Tamiya’s new comet tank. A joy to build. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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