Al Gunthwaite Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) It's a long, long time since I actually built an aircraft kit, but I need a pre-WW11 FAA aircraft for a project... So, after much deliberation the Airfix Gladiator is going to be built straight out of the box and painted in a pre-war FAA finish. The only thing I intend to add is a bit of rigging and I need to decide whether I can paint some of the markings or whether to make my own tranfers - but that's a little way down the line. The idea is that this is going to be a quick build. So pics on progress soon. Al Edited April 19, 2009 by Al Gunthwaite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 (edited) Progress so far - The kit... The fuselage assembled... A little bit of filler!! Anchors for rigging... I thought this might a good idea to try to get neat rigging. Holes have been drilled and 5amp fusewire has been glued in to provide a post on which to anchor the rigging thread. Ready to prime...the wire for rigging has been trimmed back to just a short post. I've just primed the whole thing with Halfords grey primer. The next job is to paint the interior!! Al Edited April 19, 2009 by Al Gunthwaite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 'Interior' painted... Next job is to fix the canopy and do a little filling around it. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Rogers Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Looking good Al, have you used that method with rigging before? Doesn't look like you've left yourself a lot of wire to attach your rigging too. I've never rigged a model in my life, just curious to see how you get on with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Hi Doug I've not used this method for rigging before - in truth I think it's about 30 years since I last built a biplane. The theory is that it will be easier and neater to stick the rigging thread to a post as opposed to try to stick it into a hole. The advantage of 5amp fusewire is that it can be bent easily to the direction of the rigging wire - so in theory it should be neat. Anyway, there's a bit to go yet before rigging. More pics on progress soon. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 The fuselage has masked and sprayed yellow for the fuselage band. While that's all been going on I've sorted some transfers out on the PC and printed them onto clear transfer paper (with loads of spares and using slightly different colours)... Whilst the yellow paint is hardening I've got a bit to do on the engine and cowling and the wheels Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Rogers Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 (edited) Those decals look neat Al, got to try and do some of those myself for an F21 Spitfire. Keep the pics coming, she's looking good. Edited April 22, 2009 by Doug Rogers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p-26luvr Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 It's a long, long time since I actually built an aircraft kit, but I need a pre-WW11 FAA aircraft for a project...So, after much deliberation the Airfix Gladiator is going to be built straight out of the box and painted in a pre-war FAA finish. The only thing I intend to add is a bit of rigging and I need to decide whether I can paint some of the markings or whether to make my own tranfers - but that's a little way down the line. The idea is that this is going to be a quick build. So pics on progress soon. Al Great job so far- I will be looking forward to the finished model. It reminds me of one my first Airfix kits from the early 1960s down in Boston, Mass. The Airfix kits were cheap & a lot of fun to build. THANKS for the post. Carl T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 I'm looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Will you be adding the arrestor hook? Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 (edited) It's all looking a bit of a mess at the moment...the yellow paint for the fuselage band, sprayed from a rattle can was far too thick, so it's all going to have to be rubbed down to be resprayed (I have found out my old airbrush last used about 12 years ago). There's also now some uncertainty about the markings for the top wing - Wings & Waves: The Fleet Air Arm 1919-1939 shows N5519 with blue diamonds (as does the Warpaint book on the Gladiator). However Fleet Air Arm Camouflage and Markings states that the diamond pattern was yellow. There's a photo of N5527 in the Fleet Air Arm Camouflage and Markings book which shows the upper wing markings and they are a distinctly different shade to the blue of the roundels. The caption to the photo notes that the diamond pattern appears black because the photo uses orthochromic film. So, among my jobs tomorrow is to reprint the markings onto transfer paper with the upper wing diamond pattern in yellow rather than blue. Martin - the plan was just to use bits in the kit and to do a straightforward build out of the box but with a pre-war FAA paint-job. I think there are too many other alterations I could should/make if I departed from that approach. When this is done maybe I'll get around to building a fully detailed Heller/Pavla Gladiator Al Edited April 26, 2009 by Al Gunthwaite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 Slow progess on a supposedly quick build... All the yellow paint on the fuselage has been removed - with a knife it was that thick! It's all been sanded down and re-primed (with Halfords Grey Primer). I'm now trying to get the old airbrush functioning properly to spray the wings and fuselage silver. The yellow fuselage band will be applied as a transfer. I've just found out that Xtradecal produce transfers for the aeroplane I'm modelling in 1/48th scale (but not 1/72) - it has the diamond pattern on the top wing in yellow. More photo's soon Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted April 30, 2009 Author Share Posted April 30, 2009 My idea of a quick build using rattle-can paint has been abandonded. The old airbrush has been brought out of retirement and much time has been spent cleaning it and trying to get it to function properly - result is that it works, but somewhat erratically. My old compressor has asthma. Anyway, using my rag-tag of equipment the result is a bit better than what I originally thought (I anticipated rubbing down and starting again). The silver has been sprayed onto the fabric areas: The next job is to try to seal this with some Klear (which I've not used before - despite being prompted to panic buying two bottles yesterday) and then apply the transfers (when they've been reprinted). One bit of the kit which I'm unhappy with is the engine cowling. It's too small and the bumps over the rocker covers for the engine cylinder heads are way too small, the molding is out of alignment and when the mold-line is cleaned up they're not worth retaining. I'm inclined to change it for a cut down cowling from an Airfix Blenheim (the Blenheim cowling is on the right below): This will compromise the out-of-the-box approach I wanted to adopt - but at least it would be 100% Airfix Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted April 30, 2009 Share Posted April 30, 2009 I'd change the cowling if I were you. Its so distinctive on the Gladiator it will stick out like a sore thumb if its wrong. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted May 3, 2009 Author Share Posted May 3, 2009 More progress... I had problems with my printers with the clear transfer paper - the quality of the image was terrible and the ink didn't seem to want to adhere to the paper. Problem solved with some new paper from: Crafty Computer Paper. I used the laserjet paper (which gives sharper images than my inkjet - which is photo quality). I'm intrigued about their dry print transfer paper (which I only noted after I had ordered a pack of inkjet and laser paper). Anyway, transfers have been printed, applied and coated with Kleer: The roundels are from the Modeldecal set of pre-war roundels. Next job is to get the paintbrushes out. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted May 5, 2009 Author Share Posted May 5, 2009 The paintbrush has been out... Metal panals on the fuselage have been brush painted in Lifecolour 'silver grey' with a little bit of white added to highlight. The impressions of guns on the fuselage have been painted in grey and highlighted in a lighter grey. The masking from the canopy has been removed and parts of the canopy have been outlined in a dark grey. The tailfin was painted black together with the leading edge of the tailplanes. I wasn't happy with the yellow fuselage band - it was more of a brown. So, I masked off the fuselage and sparyed a couple of light coats of matt yellow enamal paint. I had spare 'G6A' transfers to reapply. In taking the masking tape off the fuselage I pulled part of one of the fuselage roundels off. That had to be replaced. Everything then had a coat of Kleer. Ready to assemble the top wing to the fuselage and lower wing... What a job assembling the top wing! The struts in the kit are far too chunky. After wrestling with it (and trying to avoid making a mess) I eventually trimmed the struts to length and fixed them with superglue. There are some gaps at the top and bottom of the struts which require filling. When that job's done I can start rigging. So my quick build is coming on slowly!! Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted May 10, 2009 Author Share Posted May 10, 2009 (edited) It's finally rigged... My cunning plan to make life easier by making wire posts to cement the rigging thread to was hopeless. It's probably taken me twice as long. really tried my patience and it's not as neat as I was hoping. Anyway rigging has been done with Aeroclub elasticated thread, coloured with a grey felt tip pen before being applied. It's stuck on using superglue with an accelerator (which, when it all comes together is brilliant). There's quite a bit of tidying up, touching up paint and painting details to do before the final assembly - cowling; exhausts; propeller; main wheels and tail wheel. I'm nearly done but (to quote an up and coming Leeds band - Eureka Machines) I hope the light at the end of the tunnel is not the light of an oncoming train. Al Edited May 10, 2009 by Al Gunthwaite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timraven1992 Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 Lookin good so far mate Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p-26luvr Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 It's finally rigged... My cunning plan to make life easier by making wire posts to cement the rigging thread to was hopeless. It's probably taken me twice as long. really tried my patience and it's not as neat as I was hoping. Anyway rigging has been done with Aeroclub elasticated thread, coloured with a grey felt tip pen before being applied. It's stuck on using superglue with an accelerator (which, when it all comes together is brilliant). There's quite a bit of tidying up, touching up paint and painting details to do before the final assembly - cowling; exhausts; propeller; main wheels and tail wheel. I'm nearly done but (to quote an up and coming Leeds band - Eureka Machines) I hope the light at the end of the tunnel is not the light of an oncoming train. Al A very neat job of rigging. I am waiting to see the finished model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Gunthwaite Posted May 16, 2009 Author Share Posted May 16, 2009 It's basically done...it's going on a diorama base so there will be a bit of touching up then and the aerial wires will be added. I've done two engine cowlings (with engines and props): The assembly on the right is the cowling from the kit - way too small in my view. The bumps over the cylinder heads of the engine were so indistinct and poorly molded that I sanded them off and created transfers to apply to represent them. The assembly on the left is the engine and cowling from the Airfix Blenheim. It needed cutting down to remove the cooling flaps at the back of the cowling and some new exhaust pipes needed to be made from plastic rod to fit the Gladiator. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Nicely done Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martian Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Turned out great; especially considering the poor material you had to begin with. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Silk purse out of a sow's ear... well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FalkeEins Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 ..nice ..but I still can't fathom why anyone would even want to spend so much time & effort on such a crap kit ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 For fun? That's what I did it for! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius at Home Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 ..nice ..but I still can't fathom why anyone would even want to spend so much time & effort on such a crap kit ! I guess the crappiness of a kit is in inverse proportion to the skill of the builder... Darius PS - very nice work indeed Al - good to see some fun modelling!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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