David's Dithering Desk - Southern Edition

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DavidWomby
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David's Dithering Desk - Southern Edition

Post by DavidWomby »

I decided to start a thread here for the stuff I have in progress outside GBs.

At the moment there's not much going on. Actually, there's never much going on as I build at a glacial pace. So updates will probably be infrequent. I take more time researching a subject in my collection of books and old magazines and the internet than actually building anything.

Currently, I am trying to finish off the Mbox Mosquito as a B35 and the Frog Hornet as an F1. Here's the Mosquito, it's a DNF from the Twin Prop-Engined Bombers GB in early 2015. The original build thread is here: http://uamf.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=293&t=10907. It has a very precious Paragon canopy that was unique to late bombers - no side blisters but bulged side panels. It will also get Aeroclub's lovely paddle blade props and spinners.

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The Hornet has been underway for about a year too. Stuff done to the Hornet included - basic interior, tunneled out cannon troughs, added small splitters in radiators, added radiator exit vents underwing, altered fin to correct profile for F1 and reduced elevator span.

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Then it stalled as I couldn't live with the horrible Frog canopy but after being forced to plunge-mould radiators for my Seafires in the Edgar Brooks GB, I realised I could probably cope with moulding a canopy.

I made two moulds: one by cutting, widening and reshaping the Frog canopy and one by filling the horribly yellowed Hornet canopy in my unbuilt Skybirds kit with resin. I made a batch of canopies from each of these but the ones from the Skybirds kit were clearly the better fit. I am pretty happy with the result.

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Next for both of these De Havilland beauties is masking canopies and then painting (the Mossie needs repainting in a brighter silver than I used originally).

Then there's this one:

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I started it in 2007 and reached this stage in 2008 and waiting for me to summon up will to mask the paint job. The new flexible white Tamiya masking tape has me thinking I may be ready to have a go at this soon. I would also like to find a way to make the 'contra-rotating eddy damper' from something transparent but if necessary I can live with silver paint like Meddings did on one of the filming miniatures!!!!

The next update may be a while off................................

Thanks for looking.

David
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Re: David's Desk

Post by JamesPerrin »

Good work on the Hornet.

Stingray looks like it should be an easy win if you just need to get some flexible masking tape to get it painted.
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DavidWomby
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Re: David's Desk

Post by DavidWomby »

Thanks, James.

I have the white Tamiya tape to do Stingray - just need a tad more motivation :-).

David
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AndrewR
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Re: David's Desk

Post by AndrewR »

Nice Hornet. And Stingray, seriously cool.
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Re: David's Desk

Post by Asoka »

Oooh! a Stingray! ...love it!
...great work on Hornet canopy too!

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DavidWomby
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Re: David's Desk

Post by DavidWomby »

Thanks, gents.

Many, many years ago I collected my Lyons Maid iced lolly wrappers and scraped together 6/- from my weekly pocket money and sent away for this

Image.

of course, the model I am doing now isn't this one. My old Airfix Stingray was built in about an hour, un-painted and liberally covered with glue blobs and smears but gave many hours of pleasure before being tossed in the bin.

This one is issued by a company called Lee in the early 2000s and is the smaller one of a couple of moulds by Midori in Japan. Not very accurate in many respects but at least it is an injected model Stingray. I've done a lot to it to improve it. I'll try to dig up the pics I took along the way.

David
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Re: David's Desk

Post by skypirate »

Great to see your goings-on, David.
Love the DH twins. I built the Matchbox Mossie as a NF.XV (with Paragon conversion). It is a good basis for improvement.
I am ashamed to admit I traded in my FROG Hornet on one of the new-fangled Special Hobby jobs.

cheers,

David
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DavidWomby
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Re: David's Desk

Post by DavidWomby »

Thanks, David.

I like the Mbox Mossie. I built one recently as an NF36. I'm doing this one as B35 and I have one more in the stash that will be a PRU Blue PR34 with, I hope, 200 gallon tanks. You're right, they have good bones but benefit a lot from aftermarket bits. I have several bits and pieces from Aeroclub and Paragon that I am using.

David
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Re: David's Desk

Post by Stuart »

Great stuff David - they all look great. That canopy came out well.
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Re: David's Desk

Post by PGAS »

Very impressive work with plunge moulding the canopy. It came out really well. Always good to expand the skills you use. Nicely done.
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DavidWomby
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Re: David's Desk

Post by DavidWomby »

I told you I was slow! It's even worse now as I have 'nomojo'itis.

I did get the silver paint onto the Hornet today and Stingray has had some dimples filled and sanded.

Image

David
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DavidWomby
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Re: David's Desk

Post by DavidWomby »

The Hornet is finished and I am pretty happy with it. I have a huge sense of relief at finishing something. I'll post more pics in its own thread.

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I am off to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks tomorrow so I'll be silent for a bit.

David
PS - if anybody has some of these old Frog SkyBases they don't want, I'd love to buy/trade them.
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Re: David's Desk

Post by ShaunW »

Good to see the Hornet finished David and nicely done, the type is a great looking aircraft. I'm also a slow builder, in fact I'm slower than a slow thing that has gone into reverse :ha:
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DavidWomby
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Re: David's Desk

Post by DavidWomby »

Thanks, Shaun.

Can anybody come up with a brilliant idea for me on how to proceed on Stingray.

Stingray had a clear piece at the rear end that is variously called a 'RateMaster' or a 'Contra-rotating Eddy Damper' of all things (Derek Meddings and co. were very imaginative with technical sounding terminology). You can see it on this pic.

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On the filming miniature, this part was actually the top of a tap. Like this:

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Although a smaller filming miniature just used carved wood painted silver.

Here's the part I have in the kit I am building. It's solid grey plastic and too short (compare the damper and its fairing ahead of it to the scale plans)

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I can't find any tap handles that are even close in shape or fit. Not surprising really but I'd like a clear part here or, if that's not possible, at least one more the proportions of the plans. Because of the tapered and ridged shape, I can't think of a simple way to achieve either. Any suggestions, please?

David
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Re: David's Desk

Post by AndrewR »

Just a thought, but would an exhaust off an F-16 work?
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