PaulBradley's Taranto Raider ***FINISHED***

[PaulBradley]

Still not sure exactly which Taranto raider I'll be doing yet, but that's not important yet; I can build the model firt and decide later.

I'll be using an original Frog kit. The obligatory box art and sprue shots:







The fabric effect on the wings is a little overdone so that will be knocked back a little, while the rest of the airframe has fine raised panel line that I'll re-scribe. Interior detail is lacking, so I'll add some basic structure based on the Tamiya 1/48 kit I have in the stash. For a Taranto kite, I'll need to recreate the extra fuel tank that was carried in place of one of the three crew members. As I haven't decide which specific machine I'll be modelling, I don't yet know what stores I'll be hanging under it. I'm hoping to start this one later today.

[Dirkpitt289]

Pontoons..... Hummm Are you going to use those????

[PaulBradley]

No - the Taranto radiers launched from a carrier.

Ah, now I see where you are going with this! I may have other plans for them, but I'll think about it.

[PaulBradley]

Sure.

Oh, you want details...?

Yesterday, I sanded down the panel lines on the fuselage and re-scribed the important ones, then gave the wings a coat of primer - I'll give them another coat today in preparation for sanding down tomorrow, in an effort to lessen the overdone ribbing on them.

As soon as I'm done here, I'll also start on tarting up the cockpits.

[dknights]

I didn't realize the Frog kit came with floats.

[PaulBradley]

Indeed, and a lovely pair of floats they are too, as the Bishop said to the actress.

[Martin R]

I'll be using an original Frog kit.

Looks like a much crisper moulding than my FROGspawn one.

regards,

[PaulBradley]

It must have been a very early pressing.

To the model. I added a basic interior with some plastic card, rod and strip, plus some odds and sods from my spares box:



...and painted up:



...and closed up:



Where it stands tonight:

[jssel]

Really good work Paul.

[PaulBradley]

Cheers!

[Dirkpitt289]

Nice work paul

[bluesteel]

That fuel tank really gives it something extra, excellent work.

But I'm not sure I'd want to be a crew member flying low around Taranto with a large exposed tank of Av Gas slap bang in their midst

[bluesteel]

It would be like flying in a DH 4, Julian, only at least you have an intercom.

True, and not as eye wateringly risky as the WWI Roland Walfisch where the pilot sat on top of the tank! (see Migrants build...)

[JamesPerrin]

Question. Is it better to fill between ribs and keep the peaks (ribs) or sand and reduce the sharpness of the peaks? Applicable to any fabric wing structure.

[JohnRatzenberger]

I sand down, and quite heavily in 1/72. If you work carefully the ribs will flatten into a gentle curve across to the next rib and, in this scale will not look flattened at all. In 1:1, a fabric wing looks "flat" with more emphsais provided by rib tapes than by "sag" between ribs. I do not believe building up looks good at all, because it tends to thicken the airfoil, whenin fact, as MJ points out, the ribs are probably too big anyway. I doubt any but the best kits have an airfoil resembling reality, and the underside should be sanded down even more.

IMHO, FWIW ...