fubar57
General
Looks very nice Stu
1/72 Gloster F5/34 resin kit by Planet model
- Thread starter fastmongrel
- Start date
Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
- Thread starter
- #42
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Your not wrong there. Next time I need to do a silver finish I might try foil though I believe that's not a walk in the park.
Donivanp
Captain
Nice, Stu, nice!
Good work so far!
Admiral Beez
Captain
I just bought the same Gloster kit. Wasn't cheap, CAD $90 including shipping. My plan is to make it the FAA fighter it should have been. So, I'll be buying the decals for the Fairey Fulmar, adding a hook and cutting the wings to install a fold. This will be the trickiest part, since I can't have the folded height exceed the 16ft height or the 22 ft width of the Ark Royal or Illustrious class. So it's either fold up or back. Lastly I'll see if I can rotate the undercarriage like on the Curtiss P-36 and P-40 so it can be flat underneath.I have been after this kit for a while but it's been out of production. I noticed Special Hobby in Czechia had stock and banged in an order. Postage wasn't very expensive and it arrived in respectable time.
View attachment 619235
I have had nightmares with the last two resin kits but this looks very well cast and I can't see any flaws. The fuselage halves were slightly twisted but dunking them in warm water then holding them flat for a minute solved that.
View attachment 619236
The instructions for a resin kit are dazzlingly comprehensiveView attachment 619237View attachment 619238
There's a pair of vacform canopies which is always nice not that I have ever needed a spare
Last edited:
That sounds like a worthy what-if, Admiral, looking forward to seeing your resulting fleet fighter.
- Thread starter
- #47
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Good idea I thought of doing something similar when I started. I don't know if you have built a resin kit before but make sure you have a good quality razor saw to cut the resin. You can sometimes cut it with a scalpel or craft knife but the resin can be brittle. Put some masking tape over the cut line then cut through the tape to reduce any splintering. Also use the razor saw to cut through the sprue attachment blocks, if you try using nippers like you can on styrene kits you can end up with smaller parts shattering.
Have fun resin isn't as difficult to use as some claim it just needs slightly different techniques.
Admiral Beez
Captain
Thanks for the advice.. This will be my first time working with resin.
I have read the following elsewhere:
1) ALWAYS wear a ventilator mask and keep resin parts AND tools very wet whilst sawing because the dust behaves like asbestos and can causes mesothelioma. A filter mask won't keep dust out of your carpets/pets/family etc., so plenty water is the way to go, and wash/dispose of the residual sludge carefully after you're done.
2) Some resin is seriously tough, so you need a 'slimline but manly' saw rather than a too-thin one which will probably bend while you're working. Try to hold the block rather than the part it is attached to -the fine detail on resin bits can be as resilient as the average Pringle chip, and the pressure of holding them can mess it up real good.
With this in mind I'll restrict myself to a simple straight cut across the wing with a vertical, Seafury like fold.
Last edited:
Admiral Beez
Captain
The kit arrived today from Japan. I'll likely use my Dremel to saw off the wings just outside of the undercarriage before the leading edge landing light. I plan to install a hinge so I can show it both folded and spread. I'll be leaving the undercarriage design as is, I'll make a hash of if otherwise.
The decals and paint scheme will likely come from a pre-war Skua if I can find a set, though I definitely want a decal set that says "Royal Navy" on the side, which seems to be a wartime marking. I see Fulmar decals on eBay, but that's more a summer 1940 look and I want to give the FAA the all metal, single seat, monoplane, retractible undercarriage (to a fashion) fighter they needed to replace the Nimrod and Gladiator.
But I need to finish this project first, HMS Spartiate by Admiral Beez - Heller - 1/150 - kit-bashing the Heller Le Superbe So the Royal Navy will need to wait until autumn 2022 before they get their first radial powered single seat monoplane fighter. What should the FAA call this fighter? We need a maritime bird of prey. I like Gloster Gannet, Harrier, Goshawk and Osprey.
Last edited:
Good stuff Admiral, will be great to see your work on this.
Hm, yup, sounds good. A similar name thingy, like Gloster Goshawk sounds viable, but being your what-if it can be whatever you like.
Admiral Beez
Captain
Hmm…. Gloster Gonad it is then. Destined to fly escort over Rabaul for the Baltimore Whore, aka B-26.
Admiral Beez
Captain
I wonder if the F.5 had been ordered if Gloster would have modified the undercarriage to a flush design? I imagine the stock layout might have initially appealed to those in the FAA concerned about damaged aircraft belly landing. As for a later mod, I expect the easiest path would be to keep the fold back retraction but to rotate the wheels like on the P-36 or P-40. I wonder if Curtiss had an international patent?
The above Curtiss design seems like an easy modification of the below Gloster layout.
Mind you, the Miles Master had the same undercarriage of the P-36.
The above Curtiss design seems like an easy modification of the below Gloster layout.
Mind you, the Miles Master had the same undercarriage of the P-36.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #55
fastmongrel
1st Sergeant
Make sure your wearing a mask and doing it outdoors the Dremel will create a lot of dust that you don't want in your lungs. Or in the house.
Razor saw is your friend Zona and Tamiya do nice solid saws
Zona SA35/150 35-150 42tpi Razor Saw Amazon product ASIN B0006N736K
View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0006N736K/
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
The advantage to the Gloster gear layout is that the wheels protrude below the wing to give some protection to the underside on a belly landing. Also, the Curtiss method might reduce drag but it introduces complexity. It could sometimes do this.
Up to you, though, if you think the drag penalty might be too great.
Admiral Beez
Captain
Without a 3D printer I don't think I can provide P-36 like wheel rotation, so it's going to be a Mk I Gloster with folding wings. Future Mks will have smooth underwing surfaces and a Taurus.
Admiral Beez
Captain
Looks like a good source for decals.
spruebrothers.com
BLKD72016 1:72 Blackbird Models Decals - Fleet Air Arm Pt 1
spruebrothers.com
Admiral Beez
Captain
I do wonder if I'm creating a slug of a fighter by adding the weight of folding wings. Per Wikipedia the 850 GP Bristol Mercury powered F.5/34 prototype had a top speed of only 316 mph at 16,000 ft. I don't know if that's with armour and armament, but I hope so. A 1,050 hp Taurus swap will help get closer to 330 mph.
