Great camo job Andy..!
<> **** DONE: 1/48 Fairey Swordfish MkII - WW1 / WW2 over Water.
- Thread starter Crimea_River
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Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Very nice job on mixing the colours there andy.
I don't know that much about FAA aircraft or colour schemes, but the lower wing might have been finished in the 'shadow shading' scheme, as used on, for example, Gladiators. But this was an early war scheme, and I haven't noticed it on the Swordfish in most pics.
I think I' go with what you have, and use the same colours.
I don't know that much about FAA aircraft or colour schemes, but the lower wing might have been finished in the 'shadow shading' scheme, as used on, for example, Gladiators. But this was an early war scheme, and I haven't noticed it on the Swordfish in most pics.
I think I' go with what you have, and use the same colours.
Looks great Andy
- Thread starter
- #164
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks everyone. I will move on with the colours as they are.
- Thread starter
- #165
Crimea_River
Marshal
I spent several hours this afternoon assembling the port wings and rigging. The first order of business was to tackle the buckling issue with the outer strut x-bracing. I didn't take pictures of the port side before I addressed this but the same issue occurs on the starboard side as demonstrated by this dry assembly:
The solution is to free the PE connections at the bottom, cut off the forks there as well as the nob on the tab on th ebottom of the sruts to allow free up and down movement of the PE part. It's also necessary to file the tab thinner so that the PE is not pinched so tightly in the slot in the wing.
After fiddling with the port side this way, a dry fit shows that the braces remain straight.
So here's how I made sure I started on the right foot. I took out my granite tile, which I use as a true, flat surface, and clamped the fuselage and dry-fitted upper wing center section. Nothing is glued here yet and the alignment of the fuselage and center section was checked by measuring the distance of equivalent right and left points against the tile with my vernier, seen at left in the background. Once I was happy that the fuselage and center section with sitting flat and parallel with the tile, I tightly dry-fitted the wings and made sure that the lower wing remained flat against the tile (it had no dihedral at all) and made sure that there was no gap showing at the joints. Being happy with the fit and alignment, I then dabbed thin CA glue into the attachment points of the struts and allowed it to set. The wings were then removed and the Tamiya Extra Thin cement was run into all remaining joints. I then set the assembly aside for an hour or so to harden up.
I then started adding the PE rigging piece by piece. I originally took some progress pics but, in the interest of space, I simply posted the finished product below. Now I did anticipate, based on several recorded observations, that I would have to deal with rigging that was too long but I actually found that the lateral bracing fit reasonably well. It's important to insert the straight ends first and to increase or decrease the depth to the point where the other end fits exactly into the slot provided. I found that the straight ends, though meant to be inserted straight into the opened slots, had to be bent somewhat, otherwise they emerged from the slot at the wrong angle and induced a bow in the rigging. Through trial and error in adjusting that bend point, I was able to finsd the sweet spot where the rigging remained straight and, as soon as I had a proper fit, I dabbed a bit of thin CA at each end to fix the wires in place.
Here's the finished product:
I did have trouble with the forward wires going form the top to the intermediate point and strut on the lower wing. These wires are actually provided as a single piece of PE which made this a pain to work with. What's more, the damned thing slit on me where the two wires connect to together making it extremely awkward to get them installed. I lost the tab so the ends on the top wing ar just held wiht a blob of CA. The inner strut X bracing was definitely a bit too long and I had to snip maybe .5 mm off each end to avoid the dreaded buckle.
I'm not sure what you call it but the horizontal rod that sits in the saddle of the lateral braces was made of styrene rod as I didn't like that the PE part provided had to be folded and ended up being flat. I'm amazed that it came out close to parallel with the wings and pointing straight ahead!
So, it's one side down and one to go. The next wing, being folded, will need a different approach to ensuring alignment. I'll think about that before launching into that side. In the meantime, thanks for following and for the great comments.
The solution is to free the PE connections at the bottom, cut off the forks there as well as the nob on the tab on th ebottom of the sruts to allow free up and down movement of the PE part. It's also necessary to file the tab thinner so that the PE is not pinched so tightly in the slot in the wing.
After fiddling with the port side this way, a dry fit shows that the braces remain straight.
So here's how I made sure I started on the right foot. I took out my granite tile, which I use as a true, flat surface, and clamped the fuselage and dry-fitted upper wing center section. Nothing is glued here yet and the alignment of the fuselage and center section was checked by measuring the distance of equivalent right and left points against the tile with my vernier, seen at left in the background. Once I was happy that the fuselage and center section with sitting flat and parallel with the tile, I tightly dry-fitted the wings and made sure that the lower wing remained flat against the tile (it had no dihedral at all) and made sure that there was no gap showing at the joints. Being happy with the fit and alignment, I then dabbed thin CA glue into the attachment points of the struts and allowed it to set. The wings were then removed and the Tamiya Extra Thin cement was run into all remaining joints. I then set the assembly aside for an hour or so to harden up.
I then started adding the PE rigging piece by piece. I originally took some progress pics but, in the interest of space, I simply posted the finished product below. Now I did anticipate, based on several recorded observations, that I would have to deal with rigging that was too long but I actually found that the lateral bracing fit reasonably well. It's important to insert the straight ends first and to increase or decrease the depth to the point where the other end fits exactly into the slot provided. I found that the straight ends, though meant to be inserted straight into the opened slots, had to be bent somewhat, otherwise they emerged from the slot at the wrong angle and induced a bow in the rigging. Through trial and error in adjusting that bend point, I was able to finsd the sweet spot where the rigging remained straight and, as soon as I had a proper fit, I dabbed a bit of thin CA at each end to fix the wires in place.
Here's the finished product:
I did have trouble with the forward wires going form the top to the intermediate point and strut on the lower wing. These wires are actually provided as a single piece of PE which made this a pain to work with. What's more, the damned thing slit on me where the two wires connect to together making it extremely awkward to get them installed. I lost the tab so the ends on the top wing ar just held wiht a blob of CA. The inner strut X bracing was definitely a bit too long and I had to snip maybe .5 mm off each end to avoid the dreaded buckle.
I'm not sure what you call it but the horizontal rod that sits in the saddle of the lateral braces was made of styrene rod as I didn't like that the PE part provided had to be folded and ended up being flat. I'm amazed that it came out close to parallel with the wings and pointing straight ahead!
So, it's one side down and one to go. The next wing, being folded, will need a different approach to ensuring alignment. I'll think about that before launching into that side. In the meantime, thanks for following and for the great comments.
Michael Stolting
Airman
Andy,
Your attention to detail, dry fitting, measuring, and general proficiency for building model kits is paying off in spades! Many, many kudos!
In addition you're giving me a tutorial on what I need to look for when I get around to my redo. Thank you!!
I believe you'll find the one extended wing will now fit without too much bother. The folded one shouldn't be any problem at all. I imagine you already have tested the fit of the "spar" that slips into the extended wing for its proper tension (not too tight or too loose).
Thanks again Andy for giving me some hope for mine!
Mike
P.S. If I don't acknowledge remarks or questions for a few days it's because I'm doing some hiking with my brother and a friend in Death Valley. I do have my laptop with me (I'm using it to type and send this missive) but I'll be too involved with processing images in the next few days to view how you're coming along. when I get home, however, I'll be very, very curious as to how your stringbag is turning out.
Your attention to detail, dry fitting, measuring, and general proficiency for building model kits is paying off in spades! Many, many kudos!
In addition you're giving me a tutorial on what I need to look for when I get around to my redo. Thank you!!
I believe you'll find the one extended wing will now fit without too much bother. The folded one shouldn't be any problem at all. I imagine you already have tested the fit of the "spar" that slips into the extended wing for its proper tension (not too tight or too loose).
Thanks again Andy for giving me some hope for mine!
Mike
P.S. If I don't acknowledge remarks or questions for a few days it's because I'm doing some hiking with my brother and a friend in Death Valley. I do have my laptop with me (I'm using it to type and send this missive) but I'll be too involved with processing images in the next few days to view how you're coming along. when I get home, however, I'll be very, very curious as to how your stringbag is turning out.
turbo
Staff Sergeant
Whoa, fiddly work Andy, nice job 
That turned out great..!
Robert Porter
Senior Master Sergeant
Honestly I have never built a biplane with rigging because I am sure I would smash it out of frustration. Great to watch someone else though! Great job!
- Thread starter
- #171
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks all, appreciated.
So here's a question. I've always struggled with the colour that should be used on the surfaces under leading edge slats. Any thoughts/facts/suggestions?
So here's a question. I've always struggled with the colour that should be used on the surfaces under leading edge slats. Any thoughts/facts/suggestions?
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Excellent job on the rigging Andy.
From what I've seen, the colour beneath the slats appears to be the same as the upper surface camouflage colours, although it could possibly be the Cockpit Grey Green.
From what I've seen, the colour beneath the slats appears to be the same as the upper surface camouflage colours, although it could possibly be the Cockpit Grey Green.
- Thread starter
- #173
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks Terry. I should have checked the reference I posted above before asking. It clearly shows the camo under the slat!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
So now you'll get it right .... surely ?
- Thread starter
- #176
Crimea_River
Marshal
Roger, Victor.
Robert Porter
Senior Master Sergeant
Yes he will, but don't call him Shirley...
fubar57
General
Great fixes on the rigging Andy
- Thread starter
- #179
Crimea_River
Marshal
Thanks Geo.
I had the arrogance to assume that I would be able to paint the lower wing center section with the large struts in place. NOT. Major PITA. Anyone building this model, do NOT install those struts until the very end after everything is painted and paint them beforehand.
I had the arrogance to assume that I would be able to paint the lower wing center section with the large struts in place. NOT. Major PITA. Anyone building this model, do NOT install those struts until the very end after everything is painted and paint them beforehand.
Learning curves are always good..
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