John's Two-in-One Build -- * DNF *

For either boxing of the new-tool Airfix Swordfish.
Runs 30 March to 30 April.
GBL is jRatz.
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JohnRatzenberger
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John's Two-in-One Build -- * DNF *

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

I am going to do, or at least attempt to do, both the wheeled and floatplane versions.

I will be using (some of) the Eduard Photoetch Set # 73432, shown here:

Image

Here is the link to the pdf instruction sheet.

I have 4 decal sets from Xtradecal:

Image

Image

and 2 from Model Alliance:

Image

From that I have picked two aircraft -- the float plane will be K6011/901 of 822 NAS 1938 on the Xrtradecal sheet 72144, silver & cerrux with a green top deck and a broad red strip on the upper wing -- the wheeled one will be L7648/X of 815 NAS Egypt 1942 from Wings & Waves #2, a rather worn bird with early camo partly repainted. I'll show pix of the schemes later. Both are sufficiently different and interesting.

What I have not determined yet is folded wings and/or in-flight ....
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by Sissel »

Wow there's some really really really tiny bits on that PE sheet. Good luck! :)
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

As usual with Eduard PE there are some really idiotic suggestions that I cut off kit fasteners and put on microscopic PE ones ... thus my use of the "(some of)" ....

I will say there are some interesting bits, so I think the set is overall quite good ... we'll see about fit as we go ...
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

Today I washed all my parts ... kit parts that is ....

Did some research (AKA looking at pix) also ... still not decided on wings open/folded yet ....
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by MDT »

I know that problem John! That PE set looks stunning and I'm looking forward to see what you pull off with it.
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

The Eduard PE is somewhat extensive, 6 pages of instructions. I complain, without success, that Eduard (nor most others) do not make their instruction sheets match the sequence of the kit and do not reference their steps to the kit steps. For a little piece of cockpit, it's OK, otherwise one has to plan ahead.

Over the years I've developed a simple method of cross-annotating the kit and PE instructions - doing this also helps me to see both the big and little pictures before I start.

Image

How I do it depends on the kit instruction numbering - in the case of Airfix, it's a step number inside a triangle, so I'll assign step numbers to the PE instructions using numbers inside a square.

Then I go through the PE sheet from the start and go find exactly where these parts are in the kit. The PE instructions get annotated with a triangle-# of the kit step, and the kit instructions get annotated with a square-# of the PE step.

Now I have to admit the Eduard PE for the Swordfish is pretty good - the instructions march along pretty much in step. I have done some of these where PE & kit steps were spread all over and in multiples. It can get pretty hairy.

You'll note all this is in black-white but that's because I have a color-code scheme as I'm working to keep trackof what I'm doing.
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

No pix, it's too late & all I got was blurs .... I'm going to try again tomorrow.

Today I:

1. Put an identifying "W" in the three fuselage pieces for the wheely one, and "F" in the ones for the Floaty one; hopefully won't cross hands now.

2. Opened holes in various parts to mount the floats.

3. Drilled numerous holes in fuselage, wings, stabs, etc for rigging and control wires; I think I have everything but float rigging covered. Airfix only provided about half the little rigging points.

4. Did the primer painting of the interior fabric.

5. Decided to not drill out the lower wings for ordnance. I'll leave the mount points there and use the Eduard PE if I want any mounts/ordnance.

Tomorrow is Interior Green in the fuselage halves and a couple of bigger pieces of interior, then I start assembly with PE. Or something like that ....
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splash
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by splash »

Good luck with all that PE

Regards Splash
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

It's not that nothing has happened, it's just too little to post right yet. Lost the entire day to a town meeting.

I'm having a bit of a productivity issue with two kits going, I just haven't gotten into a good rhythm yet ....
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by Sissel »

splash wrote:Good luck with all that PE
And he's gonna tackle all those tiny almost invisible bits too! :ha: :ha:
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by Sissel »

jRatz wrote:It's not that nothing has happened, it's just too little to post right yet. Lost the entire day to a town meeting.

I'm having a bit of a productivity issue with two kits going, I just haven't gotten into a good rhythm yet ....
You will find it, I'm sure. ;-)
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splash
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by splash »

You lost an entire day :shock: and there is me complaining that the clocks went forward in the UK and I only lost an hour :ha: :ha: :ha:

Regards Splash
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by jssel »

I love those 1-2 hours meetings that stretch to all day. Don't they realize we have painting drying in the airbrush?

Let's go John 26 days and counting. Oh, thats right, you're the Boss on this one. :ha:
Besting 60 years of mediocre building of average kits in the stand off scale
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by JohnRatzenberger »

It's been a while. I'm building two at once and so have double work -- and I'm doing photo-etch which just doubles it again. Nonetheless, I'm close to having the cockpit done and I'll be able to move better from then on.

And here we are starting the cockpit assembly …. I have been checking the Eduard PE against some cockpit photos just to confirm their presentation and in some cases to better understand where the items should go.

Image

You can see a full set of IP & radio faces, a new floorplate, and seat belts, among other things.

Image

Once I get both sides, the seat assembly, and the radio set in, there is a lot of work to be done to the detail on the deck. You might notice an extra hole where the gun goes. Airfix has represented that with a canvas cover while I think, and have photos, the cover might have been taken off showing a tray underneath -- the Eduard PE has this arrangement and I'm modifying mine to match ….

Yes, those are sandbags on my bench, it's the 2-pounder vignette project, way behind ....
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Re: John's Two-in-One Build

Post by splash »

That PE looks fantastic.

Regards Splash
My work bench is starting to look like Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
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