Steve's Models - Page 21

Sailor Steve · 11-04-13, 05:15 PM

Yesterday I applied a coat of paint. This is one of those that has to be painted before assembly. Usually I put on the bottom wing and paint the fuselage/wing as a unit. On the other hand this one doesn't have a bottom wing, so I guess that makes sense. Last night I put the wire wheels together. Today I drew the frame and rib lines with a brown Sharpie, did some sanding and put on the second coat of paint. A couple of hours to make sure it was totally dry before masking and painting the "metal" parts black. Actual assembly should go fairly quickly.

Sailor Steve · 11-04-13, 08:52 PM

Well, that rotary engine won't be spinning after all. All that work and it was working perfectly. I installed it to the fuselage and when I tried to put the cowling on it wouldn't fit. The engine was sticking out too far. The firewall was already solidly glued to the front of the body, and there's no way to take it off again. My only option was to take the wire-cutters and just cut it off, then remove the remains from the back of the engine and just glue the engine directly to the firewall. Now it fits fine, and the cowling is on. It's no big loss, but it would have been cool. Oh well...

Sailor Steve · 11-06-13, 04:12 PM

I ended up doing a lot of touch-up work yesterday. After applying decals and letting them dry I added a gloss coat that made the ink run. I had used a Sharpie to apply the black edging to the wing edges and fuselage corners, and they had to be redone. Then I realized I had forgotten to put the cute little 'M-S' logo on the nose. I took it into the kitchen and just ran some water on the tiny decal. Some decals soak for 30 seconds and then have to be soaked again because they just won't come off. This one came of just fine. After 5 seconds under running water. Came off by itself and fell into the sink. And down the drain. I looked through all my spare decal sheets for another one, with no luck. I looked online, but nobody seems to make them except the ones that come with the kits. I finally downloaded a good photo of the nameplate and used a good publishing program to reduce it to 1/16th inch across, then cut it out and glued it on. It's not as good as the decal, but it will do.

I was about to paint the wood panels on the sides of the nose when I decided to try the wood-grain decal sheet one of the suppliers had sent me for free. I don't know how it would look covering the whole side of a big two-seater, but in this case it looks very good.

Single-seat Morane-Saulnier 'L' - The world's first fighter aircraft.

Close-up of tail, showing manufacturer's mark.

Close-up of nose, showing wood panelling and Hotchkiss gun.

Cybermat47 · 11-06-13, 10:37 PM

Great job Steve!

Jimbuna · 11-07-13, 03:23 AM

She's a real beauty

Buddahaid · 11-10-13, 01:06 PM

I never asked but what was your revelation regarding painting the laminated props. I couldn't see the obvious.

Sailor Steve · 11-10-13, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buddahaid

I never asked but what was your revelation regarding painting the laminated props. I couldn't see the obvious.

Sorry. It must have gotten removed in all the jumble of deleted posts.

Sailor Steve · 11-10-13, 08:18 PM

I've put off saying anything about this one because I thought it would be done two days ago. Yet another very old model that needed rigging. I looked at it Thursday and realized the plastic tail boom have been broken and repaired more than once, so I decided to replace the entire thing with brass wire. I took the tailpiece off and started replacing booms and struts one by one. Then I had to break off because it was game night. Friday I got a drop of glue plus accelerator on my right ring finger. It was hot! I peeled the glue off and it took a layer of skin with it, right at the nerve level. OUCH! *#^@)#(!!! I started the rigging Friday night and it was more complicated than I anticipated. Then I realized I really wanted to add a fuel line from the gravity tank to the engine. Then they needed painting. Anyway, it's done.

The FE.2b was an outgrowth of Britain's need for a front-line fighter, and not having a synchronizer gear the only solution they could come up with was a two-seat pusher with the gunner in front. Even before the war Vickers had already developed their FB.5 'Gunbus', but it was fast becoming obsolete and was slow compared to the eindekkers. The FE.2 did good service for more than a year, and it was a 'Fee', as the pilots called it, that gave Richtofen his famous head wound.

So this is a very old model with a new boom section and rigging.

Cybermat47 · 11-10-13, 08:22 PM

Good job! I recently bombed three Eindeckers from Jasta 1 with the F.E.2b in Rise of Flight, it's a great plane.

Sailor Steve · 11-10-13, 08:39 PM

It is a great plane. Outclassed later, but in 1915 it was the main stopgap against the Fokker Scourge. I bought two of the kits way back when, intending to build a second one to represent how the plane looked later. I still have it, and I'll be getting to it fairly soon.

Sailor Steve · 11-11-13, 09:43 AM

Next up: The Sikorsky S.XVI. Igor Sikorsky was famous in WW1 for his 'Ilya Mourometz', the first large multi-engine strategic bomber, and he would be legendary for his later work with helicopters. He designed this two seat scout plane, which saw more use as a single-seat fighter. It was the first Russian fighter as well as the first Allied plane with a synchronizer for the gun. Unfortunately it was almost 20 mph slower than the Fokker E.III.

The kit is from Eastern Express, out of Russia.

Jimbuna · 11-11-13, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I've put off saying anything about this one because I thought it would be done two days ago. Yet another very old model that needed rigging. I looked at it Thursday and realized the plastic tail boom have been broken and repaired more than once, so I decided to replace the entire thing with brass wire. I took the tailpiece off and started replacing booms and struts one by one. Then I had to break off because it was game night. Friday I got a drop of glue plus accelerator on my right ring finger. It was hot! I peeled the glue off and it took a layer of skin with it, right at the nerve level. OUCH! *#^@)#(!!! I started the rigging Friday night and it was more complicated than I anticipated. Then I realized I really wanted to add a fuel line from the gravity tank to the engine. Then they needed painting. Anyway, it's done.

The FE.2b was an outgrowth of Britain's need for a front-line fighter, and not having a synchronizer gear the only solution they could come up with was a two-seat pusher with the gunner in front. Even before the war Vickers had already developed their FB.5 'Gunbus', but it was fast becoming obsolete and was slow compared to the eindekkers. The FE.2 did good service for more than a year, and it was a 'Fee', as the pilots called it, that gave Richtofen his famous head wound.

So this is a very old model with a new boom section and rigging.

She's a real beauty

Apologies I'm not on Skype tonight but the internet connection is a bit iffy.

Sailor Steve · 11-12-13, 06:23 PM

What looks like a simple straightforward kit is anything but. I don't know about other Eastern Express kits, but this one doesn't even begin to fit together well. Lots of putty and lots of sanding. Two coats of paint, and looking at the picture I see there is more work to go. On the other hand this is all there is that will need that treatment. Everything else is struts going in holes, so if it's not straight I'll have to drill new holes, but that's about it.

Sailor Steve · 11-13-13, 08:51 PM

More sanding, another coat of paint, landing gear, engine, gun and pilot installed.

Jimbuna · 11-14-13, 11:04 AM

Coming along nicely

11-04-13, 05:15 PM	#301
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Yesterday I applied a coat of paint. This is one of those that has to be painted before assembly. Usually I put on the bottom wing and paint the fuselage/wing as a unit. On the other hand this one doesn't have a bottom wing, so I guess that makes sense. Last night I put the wire wheels together. Today I drew the frame and rib lines with a brown Sharpie, did some sanding and put on the second coat of paint. A couple of hours to make sure it was totally dry before masking and painting the "metal" parts black. Actual assembly should go fairly quickly. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-04-13, 08:52 PM	#302
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Well, that rotary engine won't be spinning after all. All that work and it was working perfectly. I installed it to the fuselage and when I tried to put the cowling on it wouldn't fit. The engine was sticking out too far. The firewall was already solidly glued to the front of the body, and there's no way to take it off again. My only option was to take the wire-cutters and just cut it off, then remove the remains from the back of the engine and just glue the engine directly to the firewall. Now it fits fine, and the cowling is on. It's no big loss, but it would have been cool. Oh well... __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-06-13, 04:12 PM	#303
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	I ended up doing a lot of touch-up work yesterday. After applying decals and letting them dry I added a gloss coat that made the ink run. I had used a Sharpie to apply the black edging to the wing edges and fuselage corners, and they had to be redone. Then I realized I had forgotten to put the cute little 'M-S' logo on the nose. I took it into the kitchen and just ran some water on the tiny decal. Some decals soak for 30 seconds and then have to be soaked again because they just won't come off. This one came of just fine. After 5 seconds under running water. Came off by itself and fell into the sink. And down the drain. I looked through all my spare decal sheets for another one, with no luck. I looked online, but nobody seems to make them except the ones that come with the kits. I finally downloaded a good photo of the nameplate and used a good publishing program to reduce it to 1/16th inch across, then cut it out and glued it on. It's not as good as the decal, but it will do. I was about to paint the wood panels on the sides of the nose when I decided to try the wood-grain decal sheet one of the suppliers had sent me for free. I don't know how it would look covering the whole side of a big two-seater, but in this case it looks very good. Single-seat Morane-Saulnier 'L' - The world's first fighter aircraft. Close-up of tail, showing manufacturer's mark. Close-up of nose, showing wood panelling and Hotchkiss gun. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-06-13, 10:37 PM	#304
Cybermat47 Willing Webfooted Beast Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Australia Posts: 5,408 Downloads: 300 Uploads: 23	Great job Steve! __________________ Historical TWoS Gameplay Guide: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2572620 Historical FotRSU Gameplay Guide: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho....php?p=2713394

11-07-13, 03:23 AM	#305
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 191,142 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	She's a real beauty __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

11-10-13, 01:06 PM	#306
Buddahaid Shark above Space Chicken Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 9,333 Downloads: 162 Uploads: 0	I never asked but what was your revelation regarding painting the laminated props. I couldn't see the obvious. __________________ "However vast the darkness, we must provide our own light." Stanley Kubrick "Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming." David Bowie

11-10-13, 08:18 PM	#308
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	I've put off saying anything about this one because I thought it would be done two days ago. Yet another very old model that needed rigging. I looked at it Thursday and realized the plastic tail boom have been broken and repaired more than once, so I decided to replace the entire thing with brass wire. I took the tailpiece off and started replacing booms and struts one by one. Then I had to break off because it was game night. Friday I got a drop of glue plus accelerator on my right ring finger. It was hot! I peeled the glue off and it took a layer of skin with it, right at the nerve level. OUCH! *#^@)#(!!! I started the rigging Friday night and it was more complicated than I anticipated. Then I realized I really wanted to add a fuel line from the gravity tank to the engine. Then they needed painting. Anyway, it's done. The FE.2b was an outgrowth of Britain's need for a front-line fighter, and not having a synchronizer gear the only solution they could come up with was a two-seat pusher with the gunner in front. Even before the war Vickers had already developed their FB.5 'Gunbus', but it was fast becoming obsolete and was slow compared to the eindekkers. The FE.2 did good service for more than a year, and it was a 'Fee', as the pilots called it, that gave Richtofen his famous head wound. So this is a very old model with a new boom section and rigging. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-10-13, 08:22 PM	#309
Cybermat47 Willing Webfooted Beast Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Australia Posts: 5,408 Downloads: 300 Uploads: 23	Good job! I recently bombed three Eindeckers from Jasta 1 with the F.E.2b in Rise of Flight, it's a great plane. __________________ Historical TWoS Gameplay Guide: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=2572620 Historical FotRSU Gameplay Guide: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho....php?p=2713394

11-10-13, 08:39 PM	#310
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	It is a great plane. Outclassed later, but in 1915 it was the main stopgap against the Fokker Scourge. I bought two of the kits way back when, intending to build a second one to represent how the plane looked later. I still have it, and I'll be getting to it fairly soon. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-11-13, 09:43 AM	#311
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Next up: The Sikorsky S.XVI. Igor Sikorsky was famous in WW1 for his 'Ilya Mourometz', the first large multi-engine strategic bomber, and he would be legendary for his later work with helicopters. He designed this two seat scout plane, which saw more use as a single-seat fighter. It was the first Russian fighter as well as the first Allied plane with a synchronizer for the gun. Unfortunately it was almost 20 mph slower than the Fokker E.III. The kit is from Eastern Express, out of Russia. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-12-13, 06:23 PM	#313
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	What looks like a simple straightforward kit is anything but. I don't know about other Eastern Express kits, but this one doesn't even begin to fit together well. Lots of putty and lots of sanding. Two coats of paint, and looking at the picture I see there is more work to go. On the other hand this is all there is that will need that treatment. Everything else is struts going in holes, so if it's not straight I'll have to drill new holes, but that's about it. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-13-13, 08:51 PM	#314
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	More sanding, another coat of paint, landing gear, engine, gun and pilot installed. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

11-14-13, 11:04 AM	#315
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 191,142 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Coming along nicely __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!