DH.88 Comet

[stevehnz]

I'm impressed with what you're achieving here, great inspiration for a 1/72 one sometime.

Steve.

[Bengalensis]

21 hours ago, stevehnz said:

I'm impressed with what you're achieving here, great inspiration for a 1/72 one sometime.

Steve.

Thanks a lot Steve!

I*m following a build of the recent Clear Prop 1/72 kit, and it seems both an easier build and possibly more detailed than this. And still Ukrainian 👍

[Bengalensis]

The engine covers were easily removed and then the glue joints were taken care of. It takes time and work, but in the end the parts can be made to work.

 

 

The engine covers still fits well. The right side will be split vertically, but I’m going to wait until I have (hopefully) made the engines fit.

 

 

I have also started work on the engines.

 

[Courageous]

Lovely work.

 

Stuart

[Bengalensis]

Thanks a lot @Courageous

 

Not much progress to show, especially not for the time invested. The cylinders are assembled from two halves each with the required cleaning up afterwards. Then they must be trimmed to make the valve covers and valve train details to fit at all. And the holes in the crankcase had to be opened up to accept them.

 

 

The cylinders were glued with ordinary styrene glue to allow time to adjust their alignment. The valve covers (rocker covers) – yes annoyingly only ten supplied – are cleaned up. Never mind, on the covered engine two missing in middle won’t be seen, I hope...

 

[Malc2]

Love it!

(Well - apart from the missing valve covers obvs! This encouraged me to have a look at the instructions on Scalemates😁).

M.

[Bengalensis]

The instructions wants you to make the push rod tubes from “pulled sprue” of 0,5 mm diameter cut to 6 mm length. I found it easier to use 0,5 mm diameter Evergreen rod. Then came the less easy work of bending the photo etched parts and drilling out the holes to actually accept 0,5 mm rods, not to mention assembling all those parts into something that is straight and level. Again, after some trimming and faffing, that’s actually possible. I’m still trying to ignore the two missing rocker covers... It will be OK once the engine covers at that side are firmly glued in place...

 

[Milan Mynar]

The engines look nice.

[Bengalensis]

Another weekend with far too little modelling done. But I’ve been out buying some replacement tools and then I have thinned down the wheel fairings to a better look. They are as thick as before at the centre/bottom but gradually thinned down towards the edges.

 

 

The engines have no possibility to fit inside the engine covers as the engine covers are far too thick. I have thinned down the inside of the left one as much as I dare, but I still think it will be difficult. The exhausts need cutting down as well to have a chance to go inside.

 

 

This is probably as far as I can assemble the engines before painting. Maybe even this is too far.

 

 

This is what I will paint, I think. The photo etched throttle linkage (I think it is) will only be visible on the right side opened engine, so I’m only using one. There are also photo etched parts for the ignition wiring looms, but I think I may try to create them with thin lead wire instead. I also have to thin down the right side engine cover before I split it in two halves.

 

[Malc2]

That looks great!

M.

[Bengalensis]

I have now spent what seems like far too much time grinding out the inside of both engine covers to make the engines fit inside. A sharp rotating file in the Dremel, slow speed and a light but steady hand, and time… The covers are now very very thin...

 

 

I then made a test fit with the engines temporarily fitted with the carrier frames and mated to the airframe, and I then had to thin the engine covers a little more here and there. The covers are now ridiculously thin and I think the engines may actually fit without too much trouble later… I think… I then cut the right side cover in halves and finished the edges and the surface.

 

 

This kit really takes a bit of work, but I’m still enjoying it.

[Bengalensis]

The last parts to prepare (or so I thought) were the propellers. Quite a bit of flash and mould lines, but after some involved cleaning up and assembly I have these parts ready for paint.

 

 

Then I remembered the balance weights for the rudder and the elevators, and there is also still the fact that two rocker covers are not provided for in the kit, and even more annoyingly that’s not completely invisible, as I had hoped, when looking from underneath and behind up into the rear opening of the fully closed engine cover… It actually would have been better to leave cylinders #2 and #3 empty instead of #3 and #4 like I did. So it had to happen; I have just drawn a copy of the rocker cover and the balance weights in my 3D cad, and the printer is now working...

[Bengalensis]

Fresh out of the printer, after washing, yesterday evening.

 

 

Time to rectify the annoying issue.

 

 

I should have done this right from the start.

 

 

Here are the new counter weights loosely dry fitted. At least this will be better.

 

 

As I was preparing to paint I studied photos and discovered that I shouldn’t have cut down the exhausts as much as I did, instead I should have cut new openings in the engine covers… so I reworked this, at least to some extent.

 

 

Enough has to be enough sometimes and I have now sprayed some paint.

 

[Courageous]

Good steady work, nice to see paint going on. Looking forward to seeing your engine work.

 

Stuart

[klubman01]

More excellent work, and, it seems, some great progress.  Really enjoying watching this one come together.

Trevor

[Milan Mynar]

It is a really excellent modeling work.

[Malc2]

More greatnosity.

M.

[Bengalensis]

@Courageous @klubman01 @Milan Mynar @Malc2 Thanks a lot gentlemen, glad you like the work.

 

Once again less weekend progress than it should be, but still progress. Friday afternoon saw some masking done for a second spraying session.

 

 

And after spraying even some detail painting was done.

 

 

A little more painted saturday morning and a thin gloss coat sprayed before some washing.

 

 

Painted parts ready for further work.

 

 

Some small decals applied today. The Dunlop decals for the wheels caused some concern. It can be seen in several reference photos from 1934 that the tyres did often have highlighted Dunlop logos, although not to this stark contrast, and the decals in the kit are about two times too large. I applied them anyway, although it had perhaps been better not to.

 

 

To tone down the white Dunlop text I used the same “tire black”, thinned it down a lot and misted light airbrush coats until things started to look more plausible. This is after a flat varnish have been sprayed on the tyres and the engines. Still not sure. And the landing gear has been reverted to all black again, more like 1934 photos...

 

 

I was going to glue the canopy in place, but realised I had not painted the fuselage surfaces underneath, so that was done and needs drying.

 

 

Ignition wiring. I cut six pieces of 0,2 mm lead wire and started work. I soon realised that this approach wouldn’t lead to any realistic improvements. So I started messing with one of the ill fitting, at least so it seems, photo etched parts to see what could be done with some twisting and bending not shown in the instructions. Maybe with some liberally brush painted enamel?

 

 

I’ll give it a try… The straight bottom “pipe” should probably get a different colour.

 

 

As the finished model will have one of the engine covers lifted off I think it needs some sort of display base. I’m not looking for anything like a diorama, just a simple base. Will this round black piece with the top surface covered in “model railway grass” be suitable?

 

[Courageous]

Some nice clean paint work, looking great. Question if I may, you've painted the rear of the blades black, is this something that's mentioned in the instructions or photos as it's not normally a view captured in photos? As for the base with grass, why not, I put my racers on vignette like bases, a mix of all grass, hard standing or a mix of both and usually add a figure for scale.

 

Stuart

[klubman01]

Those toned down Dunlop tyre markings look just right to me.  The engines are coming on nicely - good luck with the magneto harnesses!  And I think your circular grass base should be ideal.

Trevor

[Bengalensis]

11 hours ago, Courageous said:

Some nice clean paint work, looking great. Question if I may, you've painted the rear of the blades black, is this something that's mentioned in the instructions or photos as it's not normally a view captured in photos? As for the base with grass, why not, I put my racers on vignette like bases, a mix of all grass, hard standing or a mix of both and usually add a figure for scale.

 

Stuart

Thanks a lot Stuart! Yes, the rear of the propeller blades were black, but it can indeed be difficult to see in many reference photos if they aren’t taken from the right angle or the blade is in shadow. The instructions also has a note about it, good catch by Mikro Mir. Here are two examples:

 

 

 

11 hours ago, klubman01 said:

Those toned down Dunlop tyre markings look just right to me.  The engines are coming on nicely - good luck with the magneto harnesses!  And I think your circular grass base should be ideal.

Trevor

Thanks a lot Trevor!

I’ll probably need all the luck I can get with those harnesses...

[Bengalensis]

This is far from a work of precision, but the magneto harnesses are done using the PE kit parts, and some small bits of 0,2 mm lead wire to make some excuses for connections to reach the top of the magnetos. Actually I think this may be close to how Mikro Mir might had planned the PE parts to be bent, even if the instructions don’t show so. I probably should have annealed the brass parts first, it could possibly have made life a little easier.

 

[Bengalensis]

The engines have had the carburettor and air intake parts and the carrier frames fitted, and now have to be ready to install to the air frame itself. This has become much more involved than I expected...

 

 

The canopy was finally glued earlier today.

 

 

Tonight I applied the masks that came with the kit. They fitted very well and seems to stick down well to the surfaces. How well they will work we’ll see, this paint job will take some days to finish before they can be removed.

 

 

A thin coat of black was then sprayed to colour the inside of the frames.

 

[Courageous]

Engines are looking fabulous. Never been to happy about the vinyl canopy masks, hope all goes well.

 

Stuart

[klubman01]

The engines have turned out very nicely indeed.  I hope that they are suitably visible once installed.

Trevor