Arc's Little Supermarine Channel MkI

[Arcwelder]

I like to be ludicrously over-ambitious, so here's a companion build to the Stranraer. It's, uh, quite a lot smaller.

Bags of fun stuff in beautifully cast resin (I assume it's well-cast.. certainly looks lovely to my untutored eye)



Considerably more detail on the interior than the Stranraer



Such a pretty hull



This will be the scheme I'll go for (choice of two British and one Norwegian markings)



And the "Instructions"





For those who don't know, the Channel is what became of the AD flying boat, developed towards the end of WWI. Supermarine bought a bunch of them back from the Admiralty after the Armistice and made civilian aircraft of them. They had a lot of interesting adventures across the Beardmore-powered MkI and the Puma-powered MKII, ending up in Chile, Japan, Sweden, Norway and helping a movie star catch an ocean liner in Bermuda.

Fun times, right?

[K5083]

Wow! Terrific subject.

August

[Arcwelder]

Wow! Terrific subject.

August

I've almost certainly bitten off far more than I can chew here, but the pressure of being in a GB will hopefully keep me working as the college year starts and other things clamour for attention!

[Arcwelder]

Usual practice when building an unfamilar kit is to search out other builds on the webz. I can't find any build log, just completed photos of Nic Aronica's award-winning build at IPMS Farnborough. That has a "colossal" error (that said, I'm tempted to make the same error, because it looks great). According to historical documents, as cited in a "heated" discussion on Seawings, early Supermarine seaplanes had mahogany doped fabric on their hulls rather than a natural wood finish. A natural wood finish on the hull would look really nice, though, so I might damn the rivet-counting torpedoes and go with it.

[VickersVandal]

Aaaaaaaaaaawesome!!

So you're worried about having time to build it but you are contemplating wood effect? You're a madman!

I'll be watching this one with great interest

[Arcwelder]

So you're worried about having time to build it but you are contemplating wood effect? You're a madman!

There's no denying that!

the wood effect, if I do it, will be of the quick & easy drybrush method rather than waiting the rest of my natural life for artist's oils to dry!

[TobyC]

Now that looks fun. Great choice. Not a resin fan myself but I'll watch this develop with interest.

[VickersVandal]

So you're worried about having time to build it but you are contemplating wood effect? You're a madman!

There's no denying that!

the wood effect, if I do it, will be of the quick & easy drybrush method rather than waiting the rest of my natural life for artist's oils to dry!

Yes, that's probably the only way to survive it. FWIW, I usually get away with sealing in the oil paint after a day or so with some coats of spray varnish to circumvent drying time. So far, no adverse effects have come of it.

[Arcwelder]

Out of interest, how much do you thin your oils for this, and with what?

[VickersVandal]

Very little, and if I ever do it's with turpentine.
Mind you, I have mostly done wood effects on props, struts, cockpit flooring and other detail parts and never a whole fuselage yet, so for that I would need to refine my technique further I have no doubt.
For cockpits especially I need to use the cheat of sealing it in with varnish, otherwise I'd never get the fuselage closed up.

[Arcwelder]

Thanks. Think I might do some tests. Liquin has been recommended to assist with the drying.

[DH-Drover]

I only ever thin with Liquin. I have been using oil paints for figures, art and some models for over fifty years and have had no problems. Also there are some new oil paints on the market that dry in 24hrs.

Dai
Semper ubi pura sub ubi

[Arcwelder]

Thanks Dai.
Experimentation is the key here, I think. Obviously in 1/72 I only need the suggestion of grain but, as VV alludes to, it's the whole fuselage rather than detail parts so I'll need it to look its best.

[Arcwelder]

This one will be proceeding at a far gentler pace than those big chunks of styrene that make up the Stranraer..

Cleaning up the big parts.. the flash (is that the right word for resin?) comes off with a puff of breath and a couple of careful cuts. It's far more delicate than the Taube's was.



Rib detail is very subtle and delicate



The hull fits together seamlessly, even without cleaning up the underside. Which is good, as there's fine detail up there that wouldn't survive even a light sanding.



Decals.. hey, if anyone needs Norwegian rudder decals for a 1920s FB, PM me. Beat the rush!



My, how you've grown over the years, Supermarine aircraft!



Parts are off for a nice bath, now. Moar soon.

[VickersVandal]

That is an outstanding fit on the fuselage. Choroszy know their stuff.

I don't know how you'll get any modelling done now what with all the time you'll spend answering enquiries about those tail decals!