**** DONE: 1/48 RAE SE.5a From WW1 to WW2 GB

[Vic Balshaw]

Username: Vic Balshaw
First name: Vic
Category: Judge – Non competing
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Roden Kit No 149

Extras: I would like to say OOB but this kit lends itself to a bit of added detail with the cockpit and the rigging. I'll be attempting to use Bob's Buckles with very fine aluminium tubing (0.3 or 0.4mm ID) and silver invisible thread for the rigging.

I propose to do this model for my 56 Squadron flight line. I have already got one SE.5a (B8491/'white G') in this line-up dedicated to Capt J T B McCudden VC, DSO Bar, MC Bar, MM which I have been wanting to duplicate for a number of years. This SE.5a was one of my very early builds with cotton thread for the rigging so I feel it's time to update it. Again, Capt McCudden SE.5a B4891/'white 6' as flown from Baizieux airfield, France in February 1918is my chosen subject which sports the a red spinner. This spinner was removed from a LVG-CV which McCuddens shot downed on 30 November 1917. Capt McCudden claimed 33 victories in this machine.

This is my original SE.5a built way back when last century.

These are the little itty bitty bits for the rigging. The twisty things are Bob' Buckles 1/48 scale and the shims were cut to 1.5mm from a strip of 0.6mm OD -0.4mm ID nickel silver tube from Albion Alloy.

And my initial attempt to see if the buckle and shim idea works. It took me a couple of hours to get that thread back trough the shim. This shim was only 0.3mm ID but believe me that extra 0.1mm on the internal diameter has made a whole heap of deference. The one in the pic above only to about 30 seconds to thread. I'm hoping it was not a fluke.

 

[Wurger]

 

[N4521U]

This is gonna be a bit exciting to watch.......

 

[Crimea_River]

I'll say. Always like the SE 5a.

 

[woody]

Another good one i will be watching and learning Vic.

 

[meatloaf109]

I will also! Got a few wires myself on the Curtiss, I was thinking of the old "drill and pull" method, but this looks interesting. How do you tighten the wires at the other end?

 

[Lucky13]

Gonna love this one! Got two different SE.5's from Roden! Great looking kits!

 

[Rogi]

hmmm...You've tempted me Vic to do a Russian Se.5a , can't wait to see how this beauty turns out

 

[T Bolt]

Looks like a real nice kit Vic

 

[A4K]

Very nice Vic!

Please tell me if you need a home for the spare prop too!

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Thanks for your comments guys. I did a bit of digging today and came up with these few photographs.

Captain James Thomas Byford McCudden. He joined 56 Squadron in August 15 1917 and took command of 'B' Flight. He was the squadron's most successful pilot, scoring fifty-two of his fifty-seven victories while with the squadron.

Capt McCudden in his SE.5a.

Three views of McCudden' SE.5a B4891/6 with the red spinner, the first showing Flt Sgt F. Clark and Sgt V.L. Reeves, second with the man himself, McCudden and the third just his SE.5a. McCudden claimed that the spinner gave him and extra 3mph speed. These pictures were possibly take as McCudden was about to leave 56 Squadron in March 1918.

Pictures taken from Alex Revell's book 'High in the Empty Blue - The History of 56 Squadron RFC/RAF 1916-1919.'

 

[Vic Balshaw]

I will also! Got a few wires myself on the Curtiss, I was thinking of the old "drill and pull" method, but this looks interesting. How do you tighten the wires at the other end?

Sorry Paul, forgot to answer your question. Truth is mate, it's a secret, so secret I've yet to work out how to do it, but I have a plan…………..

 

[meatloaf109]

A cunning plan?
I can wait.

 

[ccheese]

Oh boy... gotta watch this...

Charles

 

[vikingBerserker]

Awesome choice!

 

[Airframes]

This should be a really good one! Vic, what do you use to cut the tube, without crushing the ends?

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Many thanks for the comments guys and I made a little start on it today, but before posting this a little word of warning about the kit................Jan please take note.

The kit though good with plenty of choices is well moulded with just a hint of mould markings and flash but it is made of very soft plastic which on the major parts is not much of a problem but I have found that the delicate parts bend very easy and are easily broken.

I have never tried to replicate wood before so have decided to have a go with this kit. I'm going to use oil paints in an effort to duplicate wood grain.
My initial step was to pick out the main parts associated with wood and give them a coat of matt paint as a base.

Once dry this given a couple of coats of Future which I will leave fort 24 hours to cure.

The next step is to cover this with a brown, maybe burnt umber oil pain for the base and a lighter oil paint for the cockpit walls and instrument panel.

Foot note: My thanks to old Bill (N4521U) for a bit of help with sorting my pictures out through Corel.

 

[Vic Balshaw]

Terry, in answer to your question, cutting the tube is quite easy, it was getting them all to be 1.5mm long was more difficult.

For the benefit of you all, here is a pictorial demo of how it was done.

First up I set my callipers as near as possible to 1.5mm. Then taking the tube, but the end against one side of the callipers.

With the pipe still hard against the callipers, take a sharp craft knife and position it on the pipe up against the other side of the callipers. Holding the knife in position, remove the callipers and then lightly and slowly roll the pipe back and forth under the knife blade.

After a few passes the blade will cut through the pipe leaving a nice clean cut and a piece of pipe just the size you want.

 

[Wayne Little]

Excellent do it the same way, with a light sanding on the end to clean up...do you sometimes press a tad hard and have the odd one shoot off into space never to be seen again? 'nuff said I 'spose...

 

[rochie]

nice work Vic