Group Build: Biplane - barnstormer to fighter

[Rockin' Rob]

Haha... Feeling smug as I get the cockpit to fit and the clam to shut.

Only,
the radio somehow stayed behind!

View attachment 197167
There is a fuselage in there somewhere!

Clamps like those in the picture and Irwin clamps? Aren't they just the greatest thing?

 

[Edbert]

There is a fuselage in there somewhere!

We beleive you. Photographic evidence contradict what you say, but you're a good dude anyway.

 

[Ron2]

They cannot be overrated. Other companies make them and are as good. It is the technology or genre that is just incredible. I'd say laser-cut Tamiya tape is "up there" too as total game changers.

I'm still working up my courage to use the latter, the 3D decals are 10-year old proof, but I'm a 12-year old and skeered of painting stencils.

What is Tamiya laser cut tape?

 

[Ron2]

Haha... Feeling smug as I get the cockpit to fit and the clam to shut.

Only,
the radio somehow stayed behind!

View attachment 197167
There is a fuselage in there somewhere!

Why do you guys use clamps? Am I missing something? Let me rephrase what am I missing? I usually use my super grip to hold them a 30-90 secs and call it good.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

Why do you guys use clamps? Am I missing something? Let me rephrase what am I missing? I usually use my super grip to hold them a 30-90 secs and call it good.

If it's bent or warped a tiny bit? Usually if I dry fit and it's perfect I will glue it up and then just leave it alone for a minute or two. But sometimes you if you have just a little bit of stress on the piece? Clamps help. And then just let it dry because I've taken parts off the clamp and then an hour later looked at it and it's separated

 

[BarleyBop]

super grip

...new handle and Avatar suggestion for you:

Jed.

As in, Jed Clamp-it!

 

[Edbert]

What is Tamiya laser cut tape?

https://www.1manarmy.be/

 

[Edbert]

This is the point of no return. Well, maybe possible but not likely.

Okay, the above pictrures allow a retreat. Some masks cut, some big white circles painted. But the next step (below) is blue, and from that the recovery is dire!

 

[Edbert]

...and done...

(forcing myself to wait ~24h for the blue to fully dry or cure before putting the red dot in the middle)

 

[kevin]

Pretty cool, never seen those masks or tape before.

 

[Ron2]

...new handle and Avatar suggestion for you:

Jed.

View attachment 197175

As in, Jed Clamp-it!

That made me LOL.

 

[Ron2]

https://www.1manarmy.be/

That is exactly where I have wanted to end up - I would love to ditch decals and paint everything.

 

[Rockin' Rob]

That is exactly where I have wanted to end up - I would love to ditch decals and paint everything.

Take your time. Don't rush. You'll piss yourself off if you pull up some paint

 

[Rockin' Rob]

I finally, FINALLY got to the point where I can primer my whole wing. What a wondrous thing. I'm glad this thing's going to be flying up in the corner because my Lord, the wing is big

 

[Bear43]

This kit is going to take me a while. The amount of flash is staggering. It cleans up easily but there's just so much of it. Two evenings of work and I have the engine cowl together and cleaned up, gun barrels added to the back firewall and ejector pin marks filled in.

 

[Bob T]

This kit is going to take me a while. The amount of flash is staggering. It cleans up easily but there's just so much of it.

My Staggerwing kit is a Roden, and it was the same.

 

[BarleyBop]

This kit

Staggerwing kit

Mine too - Roden all... Taking my time.

I might add that the IP fit is anyone's guess as there are no locator pins or marks apart from the 'ribbing' referenced in the instructions: I had to trim mine so that it would fit above the inboard machine guns.

And adding the exhaust stubs after placing the engine within the cowling does solve a lot of headaches.

I was surprised that a few online builds mentioned issues with the cowling not being circular, a bit ovoid... I didn't have that issue. I did have to lightly sand the cylinder heads so the engine would slip in more easily.
Just the thickness of the paint on heads added to the paint inside cowling is enough to give problems. Lots of dry fitting!

 

[Bear43]

My cowling came out nice and round as well, had no issues with that at all. Thanks on the tip for the exhaust stubs.

 

[Holz44]

Hey Guys. I'm not in this group build but did come across a unique color scheme for a Stearman that I have NEVER seen. Apparently with limited radio equipment and techniques during primary pilot training and "flocks" of students in Stearmans flying around training fields, when the weather was going to turn nasty, they would send up these colored planes to give everyone a "visual" warning that weather was deteriorating and to return to base. Makes sense. Similar to the wildly colored "assembly ships" (B-24s) used to assemble hundreds of bombers over England prior to heading out over the Channel towards the Continent.
Can anyone suggest a good Stearman kit in 1/48?? I may have to have this scheme in my collection. Cheers

Seems to be a medium blue and Insignia white??????

 

[Tommergun]

Fascinating. I've never heard that before about "weather" Stearmans.

 

[Edbert]

I always hope for the best but brace for the worst, makes coming out somewhere in between more palatable. In the end, my experiment came out like a "Spaghetti Western" aka the Good the Bad and the Ugly. All of these pics are just after pulling up the tape, so no touch-ups yet.

Good

Bad

Ugly

But when I remember how bad the stickers looked, I'm fine with doing the repairs I'm about to embark on.

 

[Pantherman]

I always hope for the best but brace for the worst, makes coming out somewhere in between more palatable. In the end, my experiment came out like a "Spaghetti Western" aka the Good the Bad and the Ugly. All of these pics are just after pulling up the tape, so no touch-ups yet.

Good
View attachment 197316

Bad
View attachment 197317
Ugly
View attachment 197318

But when I remember how bad the stickers looked, I'm fine with doing the repairs I'm about to embark on.

I like it. Pantherman

 

[Tommergun]

I'm impressed you even tried it. A little clean up and those will look great!

 

[BarleyBop]

...speaking of flash...

... It's actually bigger than the part!

 

[Bear43]

Yep.....

 

[Rockin' Rob]

Wow that's pretty bad. Honestly? How can QC release that? That's terrible

 

[Ron2]

Take your time. Don't rush. You'll piss yourself off if you pull up some paint

I've only had that happen once and I don't recall the circumstances. Ive found I can mask paint I've painted that day and not have issues. I'm guessing that's a combo of using lacquer paint and our weather. I also don't leave the tape on very long when I do that. Slap it on, paint it and get it off. Doing multiple thin layers also helps I'm sure.

 

[Bear43]

Wow that's pretty bad. Honestly? How can QC release that? That's terrible

From what I've been reading, it's normal with Roden kits.

 

[BarleyBop]

Yep.....

... Well, at least we can't say RODEN isn't consistent!

Next step for the Gloster Sea Gladiator fuselage and wings is to try and integrate a set of hatches and latches from AIMS.

I'll just show the process for one.

• Scrape off the plastic details to fit the PE. (all new to me).
• Cleaned the PE up with alcohol,
• Lightly(?) annealed it with my mini torch.
• Because the PE is flat, the hatches need to be lightly scored on the back to produce the ribbing effect of the fuselage.

not scraped yet...

cleaned and annealed

scored from behind

view from the front, ready to be test fitted once the fuselage detail is removed

 

[Bear43]

It may be a lot of effort but it sure looks a lot nicer.