Gladiator Debut

[Old Man]

 

 

I've an abiding interest in the Gloster Gladiator, and in China's pre-Communist history. These overlap, since the first time Gladiators were flown in combat was on the south coast of China early in 1938. They had been more or less smuggled in crated from Hong Kong, surreptitiously assembled in the environs of Canton, and dispersed into the provincial hinterland. In February, the 28th Squadron and 29th Squadron of the CNAF had between them about a dozen operational Gladiators at Nangxiong, deep in the interior of Guangdong Province. Japanese naval aviation off the coast at this time comprised the aircraft carried on two seaplane tenders, the Notoro and the Kagu Maru. On February 24, these sent a dozen Nakajima E8N Type 95 floatplanes to bomb the Nangxiong airfield. Their long flight in gave adequate warning, and all operational Gladiators were off the ground and high enough to engage when the Japanese arrived.

 

I've had an Airfix Gladiator earmarked a while for a Chinese example, and when I found there was a kit of the E8N, I liked the idea of doing a sort of 'dogfight double' build. It's proved possible to identify a plane from each side which took part in the initial clash: the Gladiator flown by the deputy commander of the 29th Squadron, and the E8N Type 95 flown by the leader of the Notoro's contingent.

 

 

I've started the project with the Type 95 floatplane, and not just the kit but the base. I don't like the 'dollied' look for floatplanes, and there's not much stand alone space on a tender. If it's on a sea base, it has to have a crew, they didn't lower these overside empty. And the crew shouldn't just sit there like lumps, either.

 

So the first thing I did was see if I actually could make a decent sea base. With some help from gentlemen who frequent the diorama forums here, I learned of a cheap and cheerful way to do it. This is layers of facial tissue, six or seven deep, soaked in diluted white glue. It becomes a sort of gel which can be pushed about to take and hold a shape. It's backed by a disk of styrofoam, but anything would do. A cavity for the float was cut out of the backing, and then 'surface' over it was cut away. The surface was colored with thinned coats of dark green, light brown, and dark blue. With the float pressed in place, a bit more 'surface' was added, and the whole thing given a final few glossy blue glaze coats, with some shading and highlights picked out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kit has a nice interior, and fit together well. Locator pits for struts need enhancement, I think. I've done the interior in the dark blue I understand to have been used pre-war by Nakajima, and have left out a few items figures will render extraneous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the kit at the 'starts to look like an aeroplane' stage, I've made a run at perching it atop the float set in the base. The kit's forward float struts seemed a bit long, fiddling with one I dropped it, and since I had to replace one, I did them all so they'd match. Their attachment to the float is permanent, the fuselage is held atop them at present only by white glue. The colors are home-brew, brush-painter's pre/post shading done with a school pencil. Color coats are artist's tube acylics cut thin with Future and water and a touch of dish detergent, each of several coats is gone over a while with a 5000 grit sponge-pad when dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm getting started now on the Gladiator. I'll be making use of the ExtraDecal Gladiator sheet markings in part. Having committed to a vignette arrangement for the Type 95, I'll be doing some more elaborate groundwork, and will finish the Gladiator with the hood and port panel open for a boarding pilot.

 

 

 

 

[Zephyr91]

Good progress so far.  I like the back story.  It's a subject I know very little about and I was intrigued by the role of the Gladiators.

 

Will follow with interest if you don't mind.

 

Rob

[Old Man]

15 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

Good progress so far.  I like the back story.  It's a subject I know very little about and I was intrigued by the role of the Gladiators.

 

Will follow with interest if you don't mind.

 

Rob

 

Thanks, Rob.

 

A lot about matters Chinese in those days make for a ripping yarn. I'm glad the tale caught your interest.

 

James

[Brandy]

Nice to see another OM build here. I had no idea China had Gladiators so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this works out.

 

Ian

[Old Man]

13 hours ago, Brandy said:

Nice to see another OM build here. I had no idea China had Gladiators so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this works out.

 

Ian

 

Thanks, Ian.

 

China had a bit of just about everything going: Curtiss Hawks, Fiats, Boeings, Bredas, German and Martin bombers, Dewoitine 510,  Polikarpovs of all sorts, even some Nakajima Type 91 Army Fighters, and that's hardly the whole list.

 

[Old Man]

Got the Gladiator into a shape resembling an aeroplane.

 

 

 

The kit practically falls together if you give mating surfaces a few swipes in advance with a sanding stick. The upper decking forward does not quite fir so easily, but wasn't a problem.

 

I'm about halfway through the painting. This is what it looks like after three thin coats, there will be at least two more. Between each coat, the pencil lines are renewed and the paint gone over with a 5000 grit pad.

[Old Man]

Painting is pretty much done on the Gladiator:

 

 

 

There will be one more glaze coat and some touchings up, then after decals it will get its matte coat. Then it will be on to motor and undercarriage. Upper wing is just resting on the cabanes, not attached.

 

I've started work on crew figures, the first being the passenger in the E8N. The original figure had to shortened, its pose altered a bit, and kitted out as an IJN aviator....

 

 

 

 

 

 

He will be standing in the rear cockpit, which has surprisingly little freeboard:

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the two together at the current state of play:

 

 

 

[RichieW]

I enjoy your projects OM. They are always different, highly informative with excellent old fashioned skills on show. That sea base looks wonderful. Ever fancied a Schneider Trophy project? I saw the Supermarine S6B in the Science Museum last week and was bowled over by it. 

 

Richie

[Old Man]

4 hours ago, RichieW said:

I enjoy your projects OM. They are always different, highly informative with excellent old fashioned skills on show. That sea base looks wonderful. Ever fancied a Schneider Trophy project? I saw the Supermarine S6B in the Science Museum last week and was bowled over by it. 

 

Richie

 

Thanks, Ritchie!

 

I do have a taste for the odd duck and the out of the way. This one hits on both counts.

 

I haven't had a civil type interest me enough, though the old Monomail teases at times. The Schneider is a curious thing, one wouldn't expect a float-plane race to produce such advances. This has got me interested in a couple more float-plane projects. I've got a Rufe kit, and a very good article in an old Air Enthusiast on the type: there's not much odder than a float-plane fighter in the Second World War. A good while ago I stalled out on scratch-building a pair of Flycatchers, one of which was to be a machine on floats operating against pirates off HMS Hermes on China Station at Hong Kong in the twenties. I still have the motors....

[RichieW]

5 minutes ago, Old Man said:

there's not much odder than a float-plane fighter in the Second World War.

Very curious indeed, I sense a research session coming on!

 

A shame the Flycatcher project stalled but I totally understand. Scratchbuilding can cause serious mojo deflation at times. I have seen some lovely scratchbuilds from you before. Perhaps the motors will find a use yet.

 

I also find civil types far less appealing for some unknown reason. Despite this I have developed a bit of an obsession with the Levasseur PL.8 Oiseau Blanc in which Nungesser and Coli perished. I doubt I will scratch build one as I can only find archive photographs and little else. 

 

Apologies for the thread drift, jut one of the effect of insomnia!

 

Richie

[Old Man]

52 minutes ago, RichieW said:

Very curious indeed, I sense a research session coming on!

 

A shame the Flycatcher project stalled but I totally understand. Scratchbuilding can cause serious mojo deflation at times. I have seen some lovely scratchbuilds from you before. Perhaps the motors will find a use yet.

 

I also find civil types far less appealing for some unknown reason. Despite this I have developed a bit of an obsession with the Levasseur PL.8 Oiseau Blanc in which Nungesser and Coli perished. I doubt I will scratch build one as I can only find archive photographs and little else. 

 

Apologies for the thread drift, jut one of the effect of insomnia!

 

Richie

 

 

Don't mimd drift at all, Ritchie. Still early here. I hunted up some pictures of the motors. scratch-built Jaguars. The coin, a US penny, is about 18mm diameter:

 

 

 

 

I dropped the Flycatcher project because I botched the turtle-back stringers badly. Don't think I'd make the same mistake on a second pass. The wings were pretty good, and I've still got them, too. Something of a pack-rat, where modeling is concerned, anyway. If I did revive the Hermes Flycatcher, the other motor might serve for a Wapiti Mk.VIII. A few were sold to a provincial air force in south China, it had the 'missing' fuselage bay restored and so has the same fuselage as a Wallace, and I do have a couple old Frog kits of the high altitude Wallace. They operated against the Long March in its early stages. Their motor was a Panther, but I doubt the difference would catch the eye in 1/72, and I doubt I could do another naked 14 cylinder radial....

 

James

 

 

[RichieW]

Wow James, those engines are just incredible. I only knew they were 1/72 because that is your chosen scale. I like the idea of a Wapiti  Mk. VIII. That would be another unusual one for your collection. I for one would never notice the difference between Panther and Jaguar radials in the one true scale.

 

Richie