Inspired by A2A Piper Cherokee
- Thread starter heywooood
- Start date
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
Thank you, Daveroo
I have just finished laying up the wings. I will infill the lower wing and then shape, sand and fill it until it is as ready for paint as the fuselage/main assembly is.
Once that is done I can attach the lower wing and fair it into the bottom of the fuselage using the plan instruction of adding stringers and then infilling until a smooth and continuous shape is achieved.
At that point I plan to paint the main assembly, then complete the elevator and rudder, paint and apply them to the model.
The upper wing will be done as a separate and complete model unto itself..there is a ton of detail to add to the upper wing after all. Then I can paint it and attach it after the windscreens are installed to the fuselage.
I still need to have decals made (or make them myself) but there is plenty of time for that.
I have just finished laying up the wings. I will infill the lower wing and then shape, sand and fill it until it is as ready for paint as the fuselage/main assembly is.
Once that is done I can attach the lower wing and fair it into the bottom of the fuselage using the plan instruction of adding stringers and then infilling until a smooth and continuous shape is achieved.
At that point I plan to paint the main assembly, then complete the elevator and rudder, paint and apply them to the model.
The upper wing will be done as a separate and complete model unto itself..there is a ton of detail to add to the upper wing after all. Then I can paint it and attach it after the windscreens are installed to the fuselage.
I still need to have decals made (or make them myself) but there is plenty of time for that.
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
small update..not much to report as this process is labor intensive. The lower wing has been framed, infilled, and now shaped. The process continues with more filling and sanding to remove the stringer and former lines.
After that comes the sealing stage with multiple coats of Gesso and medium to fine grade sanding to prep for paint. Once that is done the lower wing will be attached to the fuselage and faired in with a balsa belly pan.
the plan is to paint the fuselage and lower wing assembly (after fitting the cabane struts to make certain of a good, loose fit, so that when the time comes they will just drop into the bottom wing with a bit of wiggle room to set the proper incidence and depth. This way the upper wing can be attached squarely with minimal alterations. So the entire aircraft assembly (sans upper wing) will be completely assembled and painted - then the upper wing will be completely assembled and painted - and then the upper wing will be attached to the model.
I have ordered the decals from Bedlam Creations and hopefully they will be here before the final assembly. If not it's ok - I have a ton of work to do on this project yet
After that comes the sealing stage with multiple coats of Gesso and medium to fine grade sanding to prep for paint. Once that is done the lower wing will be attached to the fuselage and faired in with a balsa belly pan.
the plan is to paint the fuselage and lower wing assembly (after fitting the cabane struts to make certain of a good, loose fit, so that when the time comes they will just drop into the bottom wing with a bit of wiggle room to set the proper incidence and depth. This way the upper wing can be attached squarely with minimal alterations. So the entire aircraft assembly (sans upper wing) will be completely assembled and painted - then the upper wing will be completely assembled and painted - and then the upper wing will be attached to the model.
I have ordered the decals from Bedlam Creations and hopefully they will be here before the final assembly. If not it's ok - I have a ton of work to do on this project yet
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
a little more progress..here the lower wing is attached and sealed. The belly pan is also complete and has been sealed.
the pilot and passenger..
I had the oil cooler scoop too far aft - had to fill that opening and cut a new hole in the fuselage a bit more forward, closer to the engine
nothing like making extra work for yourself on a project that is already task laden
the pilot and passenger..
I had the oil cooler scoop too far aft - had to fill that opening and cut a new hole in the fuselage a bit more forward, closer to the engine
nothing like making extra work for yourself on a project that is already task laden
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
like all of the Guillow models that use plastic augmentation, those parts and their configuration are less than ideal. The main gear upper fairings for instance, are way too thick and obviously misshapen.
Add to it that they are no fun to work with as far as how they are joined together or how durable they are(n't) and you have a significant drawback to just using sheet or block balsa and carving your own parts.
Next time (if there is one) I am going to set aside all of the kit plastic and just fabricate my own fairings for the Stearman..
That said - the tail cone and vertical fin components aren't bad as far as their shape and assembly are concerned - but balsa would be more durable.
Add to it that they are no fun to work with as far as how they are joined together or how durable they are(n't) and you have a significant drawback to just using sheet or block balsa and carving your own parts.
Next time (if there is one) I am going to set aside all of the kit plastic and just fabricate my own fairings for the Stearman..
That said - the tail cone and vertical fin components aren't bad as far as their shape and assembly are concerned - but balsa would be more durable.
wombat666
Administrator
The patience of a long distance runner.
Coming along nicely.
Your comment about the plastic parts struck a chord with me, way back (and I mean WAY BACK!) when I built several Monogram 'scale' models they included 'plastic' components.
Early injection moulding was rudimentary to put it kindly.
But at least one had to build the model, unlike today's 'shake and bake' kits.
Coming along nicely.
Your comment about the plastic parts struck a chord with me, way back (and I mean WAY BACK!) when I built several Monogram 'scale' models they included 'plastic' components.
Early injection moulding was rudimentary to put it kindly.
But at least one had to build the model, unlike today's 'shake and bake' kits.
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
One of the main reasons I have moved into this realm exactly. The plastic kits, especially the very incredibly evolved Tamiya and similar are so finely engineered and masterfully mass produced that there is no longer much personal effort required.
The reason I do this at all is that it affords unusual opportunities for imagination, artistry, ingenuity, and meditation. The big plastic kit mfgs have removed almost ALL of that from the realm of the builder and taken it for themselves.
In addition, the subject matter is no longer dynamic - simply put, they only create models of 'popular' subjects. I would much rather build a 1/24th scale balsa DH2C or 1/12th scale Super Solution than another plastic Mustang or ME109 and the balsa subject matter can go anywhere depending on one's level of competence or interest. There are scale model plans for literally ANY subject, and far more complete kits for more varieties of aircraft in balsa than in plastic if you include available 'out of production' material.
The reason I do this at all is that it affords unusual opportunities for imagination, artistry, ingenuity, and meditation. The big plastic kit mfgs have removed almost ALL of that from the realm of the builder and taken it for themselves.
In addition, the subject matter is no longer dynamic - simply put, they only create models of 'popular' subjects. I would much rather build a 1/24th scale balsa DH2C or 1/12th scale Super Solution than another plastic Mustang or ME109 and the balsa subject matter can go anywhere depending on one's level of competence or interest. There are scale model plans for literally ANY subject, and far more complete kits for more varieties of aircraft in balsa than in plastic if you include available 'out of production' material.
wombat666
Administrator
I've had the dubious pleasure over a few decades of being drafted into the judging team at what was originally the IPMS Australia championships which several of us finally turned into the Australia Model Expo.
The styrene still abounds but the categories now include paper models, balsa, resin, white metal or combinations of all, in short the 'modelling' now covers anything imaginable.
A couple of us old lags who have been to the Model Engineer Exhibition (at Wembley in my case) are feeling a little pleased with this, (perhaps 'smug'?) as the venue was moved to a far more professional location as well.
Living where we do now is very handy as most of the current generation of Expo Committee can't find me or think I'm dead!!!!
Haven't been to the Nationals for three or four years.
The styrene still abounds but the categories now include paper models, balsa, resin, white metal or combinations of all, in short the 'modelling' now covers anything imaginable.
A couple of us old lags who have been to the Model Engineer Exhibition (at Wembley in my case) are feeling a little pleased with this, (perhaps 'smug'?) as the venue was moved to a far more professional location as well.
Living where we do now is very handy as most of the current generation of Expo Committee can't find me or think I'm dead!!!!
Haven't been to the Nationals for three or four years.
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
I have never attended an Expo, or any other kind of model meet..although I have visited the IPMS Websites and viewed tons of galleries and contest entries over the years.
I would never intentionally disparage any form of scale model building. I only meant to convey thatfor me, plastic model kits are too confining. It’s good to see the shows are now open to the other disciplines of paper, balsa and so on. That can only serve to grow or at least maintain broader interest.
I would never intentionally disparage any form of scale model building. I only meant to convey thatfor me, plastic model kits are too confining. It’s good to see the shows are now open to the other disciplines of paper, balsa and so on. That can only serve to grow or at least maintain broader interest.
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
Speaking of paper models..have you seen this guy?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wi...g-a-boeing-777-out-of-paper/amp?source=images
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wi...g-a-boeing-777-out-of-paper/amp?source=images
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
small update: I went ahead and painted the forward fuselage/exhaust collection ring fairing in the polished alum. just to see how it would look compared to bare metal foil...Since the entire nose of the airplane will be masked off it seemed like an ok step to take.
Daveroo
Members +
you are welcome,and its meant.your work is amazing.i belong to alot of 1/25-1/24 scale model truck sites,and they show off "professional" builds,ones that have been paid for,with horrible masking for paint and other things that drives me crasy...im not saying im much better,but atleast i dont have sloppy masking lines and even worse hand painted lines..like window trim...you make everything nice and straight on your paint and your actual work is always straight and "right" to the eyes.
heywooood
Mayor Emeritus of Taco City
Well I very much appreciate your words of encouragement - thank you.
I have enjoyed working with scale models for a very long time...and aviation is a passion for me.
I see the earlier airplanes more as musical instruments than as machines, because they were made of wood and fabric, balanced, their flying wires 'tuned' and so on - and because the pilots who flew them
had to essentially perform as an equal part of the equation. The aircraft had to be 'played' constantly to get the flyer where he wanted to go safely.
In fact, most of the earliest aircraft were built in factories and by hands that built and worked on pianos and other instruments.
The Stearman was on the cusp of the transition to heavier, metal construction elements and the bigger more reliable power plants but is still a holdover to the earlier days.
I always try to get my models to reflect as well as possible, all of the key aspects of the full sized aircraft.
This model differs from that in one key aspect - it has no visible ribs or 'stringers' due to the infill method of construction and purists may not forgive that..
I could have attempted to simulate that look but in the end I decided that would look too...simulated.
I'm hoping that, once it is complete, this model will be accepted as it is. I want it to last a while and the tissue covering just doesn't hold up over time. The mylar covering tends to distort and pull the
balsa when it is tightened with heat, and quite frankly, I just wanted to see what a smooth Stearman would look like. Hopefully we'll see.
I have enjoyed working with scale models for a very long time...and aviation is a passion for me.
I see the earlier airplanes more as musical instruments than as machines, because they were made of wood and fabric, balanced, their flying wires 'tuned' and so on - and because the pilots who flew them
had to essentially perform as an equal part of the equation. The aircraft had to be 'played' constantly to get the flyer where he wanted to go safely.
In fact, most of the earliest aircraft were built in factories and by hands that built and worked on pianos and other instruments.
The Stearman was on the cusp of the transition to heavier, metal construction elements and the bigger more reliable power plants but is still a holdover to the earlier days.
I always try to get my models to reflect as well as possible, all of the key aspects of the full sized aircraft.
This model differs from that in one key aspect - it has no visible ribs or 'stringers' due to the infill method of construction and purists may not forgive that..
I could have attempted to simulate that look but in the end I decided that would look too...simulated.
I'm hoping that, once it is complete, this model will be accepted as it is. I want it to last a while and the tissue covering just doesn't hold up over time. The mylar covering tends to distort and pull the
balsa when it is tightened with heat, and quite frankly, I just wanted to see what a smooth Stearman would look like. Hopefully we'll see.
wombat666
Administrator
Coming along very nicely!
At least the rigging is fairly straight forward, I assume you can use straight wire (I like brass myself) in this scale?
One of the more useful materials I found for 1:48 and smaller scales came from my Mother's sewing basket, 'Shirring Elastic'!
It was also a source of 'Hat Elastic' for a variety of fluid lines in my scratch built cars and a type of elastic stripping that was flat and made of of (IIRC!) six sound sections that could be separated into individual strands.
Perfect for plug leads and similar small lines.
And then I discovered Kevlar 'tubes' available in multiple diameters.........
We modellers are regular scroungers if we notice something with 'possibilities'!
At least the rigging is fairly straight forward, I assume you can use straight wire (I like brass myself) in this scale?
One of the more useful materials I found for 1:48 and smaller scales came from my Mother's sewing basket, 'Shirring Elastic'!
It was also a source of 'Hat Elastic' for a variety of fluid lines in my scratch built cars and a type of elastic stripping that was flat and made of of (IIRC!) six sound sections that could be separated into individual strands.
Perfect for plug leads and similar small lines.
And then I discovered Kevlar 'tubes' available in multiple diameters.........
We modellers are regular scroungers if we notice something with 'possibilities'!