JWM Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Hi, The title phrase "plastic butchery" was used n one comment to one of me recent work (D0 24 K), where some scratch work was applied. I like it! Here it will be more of it. What to do with a kit, about which you became sure hat you will never build it? The best use of it is as a donor of parts for a scratch work! There are some machines for which you do not have any hope that they might be ever released as injected short runs, not even thinking on modern mainstream kit. One of them are Bulgarian WW2 airplanes. More than 20 years ago did some scratch conversion of two The first was Avia B135 (from KP kit of Avia B35) followed then by PZL 43A from Heller Next I have made Kaproni Bulgarski KB 11 Fazan (Pheasant). This was a totally scratch work Now I want to construct three next Bulgarian constructions: 1. DAR 3 Garvan III (more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DAR_3) 2. Kaproni-Bulgarski KB 4 Chuchuliga II (Skylark II) 3. KaproniBulgarski KB 5 Chuchuliga III (Skylark III) The both KBs are further developments of Italian Caproni 113 trainer whereas DAR 3 is an original construction. 4. The fourth build will be something different - the Dutch Fokker C XI W . Lets start from Fokker. The model (resin) exists (by CMR) but is not available. The starting point was spare fuselage of radial variant of Fokker C X present in box of Kestrel driven one. It is a AZ kit The fuselage is similar (but not identical) in case of CXI W is a bit longer. The difference in length is clear here: But the position of lower wing versus canopy is the same. I looked through my abandoned kits and found a nice surprise: the donor of wings and tailplane could be a Polikarpov Po 2, which 3 kits I have in stash. I wanted to construct some variants but meanwhile ICM kit appeared and I bought five of them for conversions. The upper wing had a extended bu 2 mm chord but lower was just ok. I used wings from two bozes of Po-2. For both Kaproni-Bulgarski the main donor is Letov 328 by KP KB 4 has bigger wings then KB5 This time chord had to be reduced by about 2 mm. KB 4 is closer one Upper will go for KB4, lower for KB 5. The Whirlwind engine will come from PT13 Kaydet (Revell kit, which I converted to PT 17) And KB 5: The less advanced is DAR 3. The fuselage is a marriage of PZL P7 (back part) and rest from Il-2 Starting point After few days: To be continued Regards Jerzy-Wojtek 16 3
ArnoldAmbrose Posted January 19 Posted January 19 1 hour ago, JWM said: What to do with a kit, about which you became sure hat you will never build it? The best use of it is as a donor of parts for a scratch work! Hello, I do this with model ships. I like what you have done here. Regards, Jeff. 1
marvinneko Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Amazing... and a bunch going simultaneously! Wow. Great to see use of spares, and use of donor kit parts. Shows what can be done! 1
JWM Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 Gents, many thanks! This will progress slowly due to technology. I am using three kind of fillers. Two are based on evaporation of solvent: Humbrol for basic works and Tamiya for finishes. I am using also a resin filler (Milliput) but mostly for works on wings, where the solvent fillers are dangerous since they still losses their volume on time span of years and if you apply them as a construction material asymmetrically, for example oly on top side of wing, you can expect bounding of wings which damage whole your work in a time of few years... In general, for solvent filler, especially Humbrol, it is good to leave couple of days before next touch on model... Cheers J-W 4
Brandy Posted January 19 Posted January 19 This is DEFINITELY "plastic butchery" of the best kind! My kind of modelling! Ian 2
JWM Posted January 19 Author Posted January 19 Hi, Many thanks for support! I realized that what I have said in previous post was about mostly both Kaproni Bulgarski, where fuselage are to be done using a lot of putty. But in case of Fokker CXIW the amout of putty/filler will be small. For example below you may see that I use a lot of it for fin and rudder. The Wright Cyclone engine is a resin copy of DC2 by MPM. I cannot recognisz where the cowling and prop comes from - I mean from which model because directly theu come from my box with spare parts The fuselage has a cylindrical extension to the front. I have found some cylindrical part of good dimensions. BTW - I recognize it to be a cowling which I prepared as some 12 years old bo (, so more than 50 years ago) for my first failed attempt to do a PZL 43 from PZL 23, this time it was old Polish Ruch kit.... The floats will be done from the same Russian kit of Polikarpov Po 2 as the wings and tailplane. It required basically the extension So I cut the extension from third Po-2 kit (in each kit you have a single float for prototype of Po-2 on floats). We are talking about the Mir mode (Scalemets says tha tis is related to a Frog kite never issued... https://www.scalemates.com/pl/kits/kovozavody-prost-jov-polikarpov-po-2--1245102/timeline ) The size of floats is now ok, The nose must be a bit modified. There is some difference behind the step. I have to look at photos and decide if it need to be corrected. Regards J-W 7 3
MilneBay Posted January 19 Posted January 19 Great ideas - looking forward to seeing how they come out. 1
JWM Posted January 21 Author Posted January 21 Many thanks for support! I've made some progress with Fokker CXI W. I glued fuselage and made the extension in front: This required also doing some work inside To be continued Regards J-W 6 2
MOK61 Posted January 22 Posted January 22 Proper plastic butchery! I do like that phrase, although the results are more like the work of a master craftsman. Fascinating subjects too. Murray 1 1
JWM Posted January 23 Author Posted January 23 Many thanks! Snap shot from today evening. After next filler added following sanding. and prior to next sanding... Dar 3 Garvan KB 4 KB 5 To be continued Regards J-W 5 2
JWM Posted January 30 Author Posted January 30 Hi, Fokker C XI W. Some progress with engine. I painted and glued resin copy of MPM (from DC2) Wright Cyclone into a cowling (from what?- perhaps from B 18 Bolo?) and added a wooden (in 1;1, here plastic) prop of proper pinch and diameter (again - from drawer, I do not remember where it came from. For sure from some Czech short run kit, the sort of plastic and color define it). To the large opening in front of fuselage I glued a piece of plastic tube, to be able to have some gap or space between the cowling and the fuselage. Then I glued them together The propeller has a brass bearing. The shaft is made of 0.9 mm diameter nail inside a brass tube having outside 2 mm diameter . Meanwhile I prepared a new fin plus rudder and also glued it together with fuselage I also worked a bit on imside of cockpit. The MG is moved about 2.5 mm aft regarding the position in Fokker CX (by AZ) and also the opening looks differently from top... To be cont. Regards J-W 6 1
corsaircorp Posted January 31 Posted January 31 That's an imressive work Jerzy !! Congratulations !! May I take a seat ?? sincerely. CC 1
AdrianMF Posted January 31 Posted January 31 Terrific stuff! Can't not love an obscure Central European biplane or two of a certain age... Regards, Adrian 1 1
JWM Posted January 31 Author Posted January 31 (edited) Hi, Adrian and CC - many thanks! Inside of Fokker C XI W - I have made a back support of pilot seat: The re is also some progress with the others. DAR-3. I started to work on wings. First I cut out the outlay in 0.75 mm plastic sheet The shape of wing foil I will get by gluing some parts on them. The outer parts from two old PZL P7 kits (by Mastercraft or whatever - ZTS Plastyk, Mistercraft, PZW... - I bough them intentionally as donors for some scratching and for decals) There will be some Milliput as well applied here... Interesting, in a drawer I have found a vacu canopy which seems to be a good enough to play a role of Garvan canopy... It is likely one from PT 26 Cornell. I am not sure. So one problem solved... I cut the rear part of it as you might see above. There is also small progress with both Kaproni Bulgarski (I am writing this way, by K instead of C since original writing in Cyrillic is by K) KB 4 (sorry for fuzzy photo - a bit off focus) and KB 5 This photo show me the profile of rear of fuselage with flat bottom and only slightly rounded side walls... To be continued Regards J-W Edited January 31 by JWM 5
JWM Posted February 1 Author Posted February 1 The first aly of Milliput on wings of DAR 3 Garvan Do not worry,, I am going to sand it Cheers J-W 5 2
JWM Posted February 2 Author Posted February 2 Hi, Many thanks for likes! Regarding the basic shapes of fuselages of both Kaproni Bulgarski, so KB 4 and KB 5 I think it is OK now and I can go to details. KB4 In wingds of KB4 I have to cut out the longer ailerons - now it is like it was in original wing of Letov. You see the cutting line from reducing the chord , KB5 Here the lower wings are without ailerons and much smaller, what makes the KB5 an "one and half plane", not a true "biplane". To compensate lack of ailerons on lower wings those from upper wing have larger chord in middle of span, ao the trailing edge is not straight. I started to work this... With Fokker C XI W - I have made some sanding of wings. On left, for comparison, one can see the original wing of Polikarpov Po 2 old Russian kit which I used as a donor,,, Upper wing has an extended by 2 mm chord. Lower is by chance of the same chord. Regarding DAR3 I have a second round of filler/sanding To be continued Cheers J-W 5
marvinneko Posted February 3 Posted February 3 Amazing. Do you use an electric sander? Or start with a file? Inspiring modifications... I need to invest in some filler. 1
JWM Posted February 4 Author Posted February 4 On 2/3/2025 at 4:02 AM, marvinneko said: Amazing. Do you use an electric sander? Or start with a file? Inspiring modifications... I need to invest in some filler. Thanks! After years of fighting in dust in dry sanding I discovered a wet (water) sanding just with a different mesh sanding papers and a brick support (a piece of alu profile 2x2x10 cm.). Try, you will be surprided hoq fast sanding can be! You do not neen any mechanical tool to do this within few minutes only. The DAR 3 wings got a final sanding for basic shape I have looked on photos of DAR-3 and I realized, that the fuselage is more or less circular in sections near engine and then goes to be only curved at full length, so I will try to do this now... Regards J-W 3 1
JWM Posted February 20 Author Posted February 20 Hi, There are two schools. One tells that the lower wings and tailplane shound be glued together with fuselage before any surface detail will be done, because first the connection must be done without gaps etc. The second school tells that opposite - first details on separated elements then gluing them together. I am at least now from the first one, so I glued bottom wings with fuselages in three of the four: Fokker C XI W Kaproni Bulgarski KB4 and Kaproni Bulgarski KB 5 Dar 3 Garvan is a bit pausing... To be continued Regards J-W 6
TonyTiger91 Posted February 21 Posted February 21 Superb work as always J-W Years ago, I had a paperback book, maybe A4 size, about the history of Bulgarian aviation. This book was inspiring, but hardly any of the aircraft were available as kits and; I wanted to build all of the ones that you are building here. Now you are showing us how it can be done The original Caproni C113 was a very attractive aircraft, I was surprised that there wasnt a kit available in 1/72. Only Planet Models in 1/48, this was all I could find. I had hoped to find one in 1/72; to convert it to A KB; as you are now building here. This is amazing and inspirational work, thank you for sharing it with us. Will you be using a piece of a Gillette razor blade case in this build ? I’m always impressed by your lateral thinking, recycling and resourcefulness. The Bulgarians also aquired an Armstrong Whitworth, maybe an FB3… I can’t remember. ‘Ack’? However, once again I couldn’t find a kit of one. Also Salmson and Bleriot. Quite an advanced airforce, very early in modern aviation history. Good luck with the builds, I’m looking forward to following this thread Best regards TonyT 1
JWM Posted February 21 Author Posted February 21 Hi. Thank you for good words. Here is some data on Bulgarian AF https://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/bulgaria/af/types/dar.htm https://strategie.net.pl/viewtopic.php?t=9637 Regards J-W 1
Brandy Posted February 22 Posted February 22 @TonyTiger91 there is a 1:72 scale 3d printed kit of the A-W FK3 available from Hobartville Hobbies https://www.hobartvillehobbies.com.au/?shipping=true#2 Ian 1
JWM Posted March 2 Author Posted March 2 Hi Some work on Fokker C 11W. I started to construct the ribs structure on wings. So with 3 mm wide tape I masked the surfaces between the ribs. Then I smeared Tamiya putty over it: I sanded a bit it and then removed the masking tapes Then I gently sanded the wings with 600 grid paper under water We will see if result is on after applying some test paint. For Kaprons I will need a 4 mm tape, I just ordered. The drawing suggest no ribs visible in DAR3 but I have to check it on photos... To be continue Regards J-W 4
JWM Posted March 3 Author Posted March 3 I started to construct the floats strut maze The stabilizer/tail plane is added as well as leading edge solid part Regards J-W 3
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