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On Heather's Workbench - Alpha and Omega: the progression from Avro Tutor to Miles Master


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I have to say, after a bit of scraping and sanding, the fuselage looks rather nice. Even the engraved panel lines lined up across the join.

 

AZ Tutor

 

My attention turned to wings, specifically how to attach them. I really don’t think a butt joint will work. I mean, can you see where the wing is meant to attach? I can, barely. There’s meant to be a tiny amount of dihedral on the lower wings, but no idea how much. There may be a clue later in the destructions. So, I’m having to do some careful measuring jiggerypokery in order to drill holes in both fuselage and wings to fit brass wire pins. 
 

Sheesh.
 

The tail feathers are equally vague. It’s making me irrationally cross, and this is supposed to be a relaxing and fun hobby. I think it’s time to put it all back in the box for a bit.

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Back to the Master for this weekend's session.

 

Pavla Master

 

I availed myself of an @AdrianMF style list. Whether it'll do any good remains to be seen. My usual method of working is to follow instructions, get sidetracked, forget something important and then move on and hope nobody notices. :giggle:

 

Pavla Master

 

The Pavla kit provides for the propeller in self-assembly form. I'm not a fan of this method, and not owning the rather expensive (for the amount of use it'll get) aluminium jig that's available, I really wasn't looking forward to attempting to make it up. I decided, therefore, after hacking the vacuum-formed canopy from its carrier and not mangling it too seriously, to dive into my Bits Box to see what I could find. A surprising number of spare props turned up, mostly from scrapped models. One of those scrapped models just happened to be the Pegasus Master I built many years ago. I'd never been happy with it, and it had been built early in my short-run kit career. I have an odd feeling that kit prop was also substituted for something from an old Spitfire kit. Anyway, cutting a long story a bit shorter, I'd salvaged that prop in the Bits Box. Lo! It lives again - and I don't even need to paint it! :yahoo:

 

While furtling in the spares department, some exhaust ejectors also turned up. The resin ones had been bothering me, like how was I supposed to ensure they aligned neatly for a start. I shan't worry about it now, because suitable injection moulded ones turned up. 

 

Pavla Master

 

Overall, joining the fuselage parts had worked out fairly well. The seams all needed attention, of course, but it wasn't at all bad. The fin and rudder, though, were a bit thick. I decided to go for broke and get the SIHRC in action. For those not au fait with @perdu's acronym, it stands for Six Inch Half Round Coarse, and refers to a large file more suitable for heavy engineering than fine modelmaking. Be that as it may, and having taken the precaution of snapping this image so I may be able to reinstate the trim tab and sundry details, I set to with the SIHRC. Having studied various photos, it's not at all obvious I will need to reinstate the ribs under the rudder's fabric covering.

 

I had set myself a goal of at least trying to install the wing assembly into the fuselage this weekend. It seemed achievable - when I started! 

 

Pavla Master

 

One of my least favourite pastimes is thinning the trailing edges of kit model wings. I never seem to get it right. I spend ages carefully filing, sanding, scraping, accruing piles of styrene swarf, and seem to reach a point where the edges never seem to get any thinner. You can see my weapons of choice here, including my SIHRC. It's a great way to remove large amounts of material fairly swiftly, as well as ruining manicures. The undercarriage pans also needed work, since of course they interfered with fitting the upper wing halves. Why wouldn't they? At one point, I thought I was going to file away the entire flat top of the pans, since it would be replaced by the inside of the upper wing anyway, but I managed to leave the thinnest of films.

 

Happy with the trailing edges for once, time to get gluing!

 

Pavla Master

 

It was painfully obvious, during the thinning exercises, that the wing parts were fairly warped in places. Helping clothes pegs with stronger spring clips is a tip I learned from one our fellow BMers. Forgive me if I don't recall who it might be. The spring clips usually fail to grip the shiny plastic and ping off into awkward and dusty places under the bench, while the clothes pegs do grip, thanks to rubbery jaws, but haven't enough strength to overcome the wayward plastic. 

 

Pavla Master

 

Getting the trailing edge by the gull wing crank to meet up required my vice (my lack of appendages required it as a third hand), scrap wood and a G-clamp. It's about this time one begins to consider one's life choices again.

 

Pavla Master

 

Having wrestled the wing parts together into something approaching the right shape, I needed to cut the slot for the landing lights. It's supposed to be asymmetrical, with the upper edge further to the leading edge. As I intended to glue clear sprue in, I levelled the top and bottom edges. Then I found the sprue I had just wasn't big enough to fill the gap in one hit. I fiddled about a bit, wondered about laminating two pieces together, or whether that fancy UV-activated superglue would fill the gap and polish nicely. Suffice to say, I've left that problem to fester a while, but I did glue some sprue into the wingtip navigation lights. 

 

I might find it in me to tidy up the wingtip lights, if the glue has hardened nicely. After that, I think it's time to chuck it all back in the box for another week. By the way, did Dora Wings ever get round to producing the 1/72nd scale Master they promised?

 

:tmi:

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You don't need expensive metal tools, as cheap (as in no additional cost) examples are provided with Quickboost prop sets, for example for Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf.109.  Which would provide you with alternative handed props.

 

Jus for a quick check, does the Kestrel go the same way round as the Merlin?  and what diameter should it be?  No, Dora have not produced a Master 1 in 1/72.  Nor have AZ - though that wasn't a Mk.1 anyway.  Pegasus did - probably easier than Pavla if even less available these days.

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29 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

Jus for a quick check, does the Kestrel go the same way round as the Merlin?  and what diameter should it be?


I just checked. Happily, the prop I have (and previously used on the now defunct Pegasus build) does match the rotation seen in photos. As to diameter, no idea. It seems about right compared to the Pavla blades. I’ll be happy with it, anyway. :like:

 

31 minutes ago, Graham Boak said:

You don't need expensive metal tools


I’m a great believer in buying the best I can afford when it comes to most tools. The thing is, the number of models which I have needing the prop to be assembled is down in the very low single figures, perhaps now even close to zero. Most manufacturers are kind and provide a single piece prop these days. 

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This looks like Pavla at its worst - I'm sorry it's turning into such a chore. If it's any consolation, the Pegasus kit was no better. If the Pavla kit is symmetrical, then it's the clear winner!

 

The Tutor looks challenging but very nicely done.

 

Regards,

Adrian

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25 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

This looks like Pavla at its worst -

No their Blackburn Roc was even worse than this looks.

 

Martian 👽

25 minutes ago, AdrianMF said:

 

 

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I do have previous with Pavla. Remember I made something resembling an Airspeed Oxford some time back. It was quite a journey, but ended up well enough. I hope this build will follow the same path. If it looks like a Master MkI when I’m done mangling it, I shall be pleased.

 

That won’t stop me seeking a better kit, though. I wonder why Dora haven’t proceeded with the smaller scale version of their 1/48th kit?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Cor! Nearly a month since I last posted here.

 

I have to admit both models are currently resident on the Shelf of Doom. The will to tackle the silly problems with what ought to have been fairly straightforward builds just isn’t there presently. You may have noticed I’ve been mucking about doing other little projects. I will return to the trainers soon, I hope.

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I forced myself to look at one of these blighters. I chose the Tutor.

 

The butt joints are annoying, doubly so when the joining surfaces on the fuselage are barely defined. There’s also a small dihedral on the lower wings, matched by the upper ones. It needs patience and care to get things so they align in all the different planes and are not completely out of whack anywhere. Getting the lower wings in place, then, will be key to ensuring all the flying surfaces and fuselage are square and true. Ish.

 

AZ Tutor

 

I had already decided to pin things together. I thought I’d be clever and use thin wall brass tube through the fuselage. Brass wire could be passed right through and into the wing roots, helping things to align. Yeah, well, it sort of worked. No worse than just sticking the wire straight into a drilled hole.

 

AZ Tutor

 

In a desperate attempt to work out the dihedral angle, I resorted to drawing a line as square as I could on the handy front view line drawing in the instructions. Of course it’s not the right scale for the kit parts. Why would it be? I decided angles were much too much like jommetry, and measured the gap from bottom wing tip to the alignment line. More or less 2mm, and as I’m reliably informed by my smarter other half angles are angles no matter the scale. The kit parts are actually only a teensy bit bigger than the drawing, so I went with it. 
 

AZ Tutor

 

I found some lolly sticks which happened to be more or less 2mm thick. If I could hold the fuselage square, the wings should sit at the right angle and - importantly - remain symmetrical. Cue much faffing about.

 

AZ Tutor

 

A while later I got to here. The tail plane parts have also been pinned. The horizontal stabilisers are a single part, but with no alignment to centre it on the fuselage. The fin and rudder are also vague. I shall leave things so the CA can set properly, then see if the wings need a tweak. Then some filler will be required. 
 

As sometimes happens, I have gone off piste and built things out of sequence. The undercarriage should have been fitted before the wings. Like that wouldn’t  have been a world of hurt, with butt joins all over the shop and thin plastic parts just waiting for an excuse to snap. With lower wings on, I’ll have some chance of getting the wheels aligned and square. I hope. I suspect some further brass pinning will be needed, too.

 

I’m really not enjoying this build, and not just because it’s a biplane. In fact, while being distracted by tiny bombs and false hangar fronts this past few weeks, I came perilously close to being hijacked by a Hampden and a pair of Wellingtons. I don’t need more part-started kits littering the place. I’ve got enough of that in the day job!

 

More soon, I hope.

 

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I sympathize. My AZmodel Hurricane has similar issues to those you've noted. Its vertical stab isn't even straight. I thought I was nuts (and I may still be) but reading your thread has certainly helped a lot. 

 

Beaming good wishes to you over the Atlantic. Can't touch my build right now so sending you my patience.

Edited by marvinneko
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A chap over on "All Scale Modeller" built a "Pavla" Miles Martinet last year.

It seems that his opinion of Pavla kits is similar to one's own Madam,he also mentions brutally hard plastic and dubious fit of parts.

 

One would imagine he's sympathize with one's good self.

 

It's rather high time that a mainsteam manufacturer made some quality kits of these somewhat neglected but important Miles

aeroplanes,a good Master and it's derivatives would be most welcome one would think.

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9 hours ago, marvinneko said:

I sympathize. My AZmodel Hurricane has similar issues to those you've noted.


I have built the AZ Hurricane. I believe the moulds originated with Sword. I admit to ending up with some spares from an elderly Airfix Hurricane because the AZ bits just weren’t up to the job.

 

2 hours ago, Dave Swindell said:

That rather depends on what you mean by straight - the fin on the Hurricane is offset to port by 1.5 degrees to counteract propeller torque

 

Good point. I’m not sure the Tutor suffered such issues, but the moulding for the fin and rudder was quite thin and very wavy!

 

2 hours ago, AdrianMF said:

Good to see this back on the bench!


Cheers, Adrian. It very nearly got flight tested into the nearest bin earlier, but I have decided to persevere. 
 

1 hour ago, Dave Wilko said:

a good Master and it's derivatives would be most welcome one would think.


Damn straight. :like:

 

46 minutes ago, roginoz said:

......and a Marathon !


I think I prefer a Mars Bar, if I’m honest. :laugh:

 

AZ Tutor


I set a simple goal for today. Fit the undercarriage struts. Sounds simple, but there are literally no location marks for any of it, save the main oleo strut on the side of the nose - and that’s vague at best. Before I even got this far, the port wing fell off as I was tidying the PPP. 
 

I took this as a hint, and cleaned up and refined the mating surfaces before trying again. By this stage, I have no idea whether the dihedral is still about right. All I can say is, with both landing gear legs in place the wings are about the same height off the bench.

 

AZ Tutor


From underneath. All I know is the vee-strut locates somewhere along the centreline, with the front somewhere just abaft of a panel line at the nose. I’m not convinced the angles are right, but this is where things end up. Another pair of hands would be very useful while juggling things in space until they align.

 

AZ Tutor

 

The tailplane came adrift as well. I threw it petulantly across the bench to be dealt with anon. The other main leg parts went on with not much of a struggle. I think they’re aligned with each other. Oh, for some pegs, dimples or slots!

 

AZ Tutor

 

Up on her lallies*. Nanti bona. Compared against the piece of board, things appear pretty level. It’s the best I’m going to get. The tail wheel will be installed much later to avoid loss or damage.
 

I suppose I must consider interplane struts. The jury is very much out on whether the injection-moulded examples will be worth the effort of cleaning up, and whether things should be attached to the upper wing first. Some kind of ad hoc cardboard and string jig needs to be assembled before I get too carried away.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Polari. A theatreland and gay slang of the early 20th century. "Lallies" means legs; "nanti" means not, no or nothing; "bona" means good. I enjoy Round The Horne a bit too much, I think.

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32 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

I think I prefer a Mars Bar

Stop snickering at the back!

 

32 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

with both landing gear legs in place the wings are about the same height off the bench.

Works for me. "About". This is why I never take head-on WWI RFI pictures!

 

Keep pounding!

 

Regards,

Adrian

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2 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

The other main leg parts went on with not much of a struggle. I think they’re aligned with each other. Oh, for some pegs, dimples or slots!

Welcome to my world!

I don't recommend fixing the struts to the upper wing first. I add tiny brass pins to mine and drill locating holes. The upper wing is fitted to the cabinet struts first, then the wing struts added one at a time. If they're thin enough they'll bend just enough to snick them into place.

Alternatively, if you need to add struts to one wing first, then make up a little jig from clear plastic sheet (basically a copy of the upper wing) with the strut locations drilled so you can fit the struts to the lower wing and line them up with your clear jig to set properly. Top wing should then drop into place nicely.

 

Ian

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Let’s do this! Carpe the heck out of this diem, or something.

 

AZ Tutor

 

I went round all the holes for the various struts. Some needed to be drilled out because of mismoulds, some needed drilling out because they weren’t even there, and the remainder were enlarged. I wanted holes a bit bigger than they needed to be to allow for wriggle room. I spent a while carefully extracting the outer wing N-shaped interplanes and cleaning them up so they looked respectable. I figured fitting these to the lower wings would set the various angles for the upper one. Here, I used some scrap card I had cut out some time ago, which just happened to be a right-angle. The struts appear to be perpendicular to the ground, so slightly angled to the wing dihedral. This mashup sort of worked.

 

AZ Tutor

 

A while later, long enough for the liquid cement to grab, but not enough for it to set solid, I grappled the upper wing and main assembly to get one set of struts with glue applied. Carefully, inverting the shebang to lay it on the bench upper wing downside up, I wiggled both sets of strut locations into their holes in the top wing. Everything was still a bit floppy, but the liquid cement allowed some wriggle time. Carefully turning everything over again, the scrap alignment triangles were replaced to try to help the struts remain vertical. It will all be left alone to let things harden properly. It may need a drop of CA all round each strut location just to make it as rigid as possible.

 

The cabane struts will be fun, although the aileron actuation rods will be a simple bend into place. As for rigging, well, let’s worry about that once painting is done.

 

I promised myself I’d find a decent biplane construction jig. The stash contains a baker's dozen more of these pesky things. I know I could make something, but I get stuck trying to work out heights and widths and angles. Of course, now I decide to acquire one, they’re like rocking horse poop. Any pointers to decent jigs out there would be appreciated.

 

 

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1 hour ago, Heather Kay said:

The cabane struts will be fun, although the aileron actuation rods will be a simple bend into place.


Aah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Ha-hah-hah! :cry:

 

I'm so funny. The cabane struts barely touched anything, and some still don’t. CA will have to act as filler and joiner there. The actuation rods were about 1.5mm too short, so I’ve had to scratch some new ones. Despite my best efforts, the upper wing may be a scooch off centre when I’m finished.

 

Well, it is a biplane. I rarely have luck with biplanes.

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I think your card triangles did the job perfectly well. Having "N" struts should be made mandatory for all biplanes! I only build small biplanes, and I find it's just as easy to knock up a custom card jig (or chop around with the last one) as it would be to fiddle about with dozens of thumbscrews. But that's just me being a tightwad!

 

Regards,

Adrian 

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You want photos? Okay, you get photos. I make no apology for the state of this.

 

AZ Tutor

 

AZ Tutor

 

While the engine, cowling and exhaust are intended to butt join on the stub of the nose - which I am not enamoured of but content to do - I plan to drill a hole in the stub to stick a stick into. This will make it easier to handle for painting. Lots of yellow to go on underneath. I will airbrush that. The camo, though, will be easier to brush paint in my usual fashion. Happily, the chosen scheme doesn’t appear to have shadow shading on the lower wings. 

Before that, some PE stuff, and I have to make the tailplane struts. Maybe next weekend. Maybe not. 
 

It’s not a particularly complex kit, doesn’t have many parts, but still throws all kinds of gaiety at the builder. What’s depressing is how many of the remaining biplanes in the stash are from short run makers. What joys do they have in store for me, one wonders. We do this for fun, don’t we?

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Just now, Brandy said:

I hope you pre drilled them for the rigging....


Of course I haven’t! :laugh:
 

I’m going with the "stick the string in a spot of superglue" method. It worked for a Gladiator rebuild, and I think the Tutor rig is not quite so complicated. 

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