Group Build: Biplane - barnstormer to fighter

[Bear43]

I cracked open the box and was surprised to find decals and schemes for 9 aircraft. Due to parts variations I needed to pick a scheme to start. I'm going to do a Gladiator Mk 1 in Belgian livery. I looked it up and upper surfaces color is a 50/50 mix of Dark Green and Dark Earth as specified by the Belgians in their order for 22 Mk 1's. Undersides are aluminum in color.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

Cockpit getting there

 

[BarleyBop]

Gladiator Mk 1 in Belgian livery.

Nice! My Sea Gladiator will be one of the three – Faith, Hope and Charity – holding their own in Malta against the Italian raids.

 

[BarleyBop]

getting there

Wow, that looks really complex!

 

[Rockin' Rob]

Kind of, but not really. Can you believe three people fit in there? Course A lot of times I imagine there was only two cuz that was a heavy torpedo. You want to do complex? Get a ZM kit or a m e n g saraph helicopter

 

[Bob T]

How many of you have read the book, "Iron Men with Wooden Wings"?

Iron Men with Wooden Wings

First time I read it was when I was about 12 or so....I was building WW1 planes at the time and loved it. Read it many times after.

 

[BarleyBop]

people fit in there?

Really? Somebody got to risk life and limb on a piano stool?

 

[Ron2]

Working on these leather seats. Engine is completed. Had to clean up interior. I was going to try some extra detail but this plane is too small for me to do that. Tried to scratch the cockpit floor out of wood because there is no detail to simulate a wood floor on the plastic. This wood is too thick though. I may stop at one more store to see if I can find a thinner laminate otherwise I'll just stick with oob. Not much but it's also the first.

 

[BarleyBop]

leather seats

Looking good!
And great job on the radial.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

I have to paint the cowl before the engine can be installed

 

[BarleyBop]

the engine

Nice!
I think I subconsciously kicked off this GB just to enjoy all these radial engines!

 

[Rockin' Rob]

I was watching a video earlier of a guy giving a walk around a fairy swordfish. I said cool, now I can find out what the interior of the cockpit looks like and what colors I can paint it! I kept watching for for a long time and hoping he would get to the cockpit and he finally gets to the cockpit and he was talking and I heard that this model is the MK1 which had the black cockpit. Oh geez, I turned it off. I'll just make stuff up if I have to

 

[Rockin' Rob]

I do like building these big radio engines especially the double wasp

 

[Ron2]

Nice!
I think I subconsciously kicked off this GB just to enjoy all these radial engines!

I do like the radial engines!

 

[Pantherman]

Yeah I've cut off "flash" on a couple of builds only to find out…

Been there.......time and time again. Pantherman

 

[BarleyBop]

have read the book,

No... But I'll look out for it!

 

[Bear43]

Ron, 1 thing you can do to simulate wood grain is to use artist oil paint thinned with mineral spirits. It takes a bit of practice but it can simulate wood grain quite nicely and it's easybto remove with mineral spirits if you don't like it. Here's a couple examples:

 

[Edbert]

Glad I took that cellphone shot (posted on page 8) before I continued assembly.

Because it is really hard to see inside now, and about to get harder when I block out what light is available.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

That looks real good! You are right though. I looked at a couple things and said why did I even bother painting that?

 

[Bear43]

....why did I even bother painting that?

Because like most of us, you would know it wasn't done and it would eat at you. It doesn't matter that no one else would know, it would put near kill you if you didn't detail the crap out of it.

 

[Tommergun]

Took a quick break and snuck out to the garage to throw some primer on this.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

Because like most of us, you would know it wasn't done and it would eat at you. It doesn't matter that no one else would know, it would put near kill you if you didn't detail the crap out of it.

You're right. On the build I'm doing it calls to paint the fuel cell and oil holders red. You'll never ever ever see it. But I'll know it. And I have an almost empty can of Italian red out back. I even painted the straps. You'll never ever see it once you put the fuselages together but don't that look purty?

 

[Edbert]

I've got the week off, formally calling it a staycation, but secretly it is a preview of retirement life

Moving forward with the instructions I see the extended charging lever on the MG is shown being installed with the handle down. But the photographic evidence shows it reaching upwards. Hmmm.

Then I see the text (highlighted in yellow) and said out loud "thank you Wingnuts!"

You can see that PE part 4 is a 1-peice item, but it was so thin that my acid bath ate through it enough to make it fall off just from gravity. Just as well, I did not see that surviving through all the masking painting and rigging that is yet to come. So I'll glue it on near the end.

I decided since I had put the lacquer away to paint the handle silver since I had it on the brush already and maybe it will be visible just maybe.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

I love those instructions. In color even! That's on the par with Zoukei-mura. Rock on! Enjoy your vacation

 

[kevin]

I've been working on the paint and stickers for the fuselage before the wings get in the way on this little bird.

 

[Tommergun]

I've been working on the paint and stickers for the fuselage before the wings get in the way on this little bird.View attachment 195060
View attachment 195061

Looking good!

 

[Rockin' Rob]

Oh man! I forgot this was in here. The possibilities!

 

[Pantherman]

I've been working on the paint and stickers for the fuselage before the wings get in the way on this little bird.View attachment 195060
View attachment 195061

Now that is looking cool, love it. Pantherman

 

[Edbert]

I've been working on the paint and stickers for the fuselage before the wings get in the way on this little bird.

I like how you've let the underneath layers show through, this was seen often with famous pilots, particularly on German planes.

 

[Tommergun]

I'm also starting on this one tonight, because these old-mold 1/72 kits I'm building won't take long.
I'll be building to the box art.