1:72 Airfix Bristol Bulldog
Discussion
72twink said:
I see the Bulldog lives on as it’s down for December re-release - good news for all those inspired by your build!
Yes, although I wonder if the moulds are worn, and if so if they’re repaired/upgraded? Mines a very early moulding, and has pretty good detail. It’s also a harder plastic than current Airfix kits, which I prefer to work with.I’ve been experimenting with polished metal finishes for the forward fuselage. One of the latest “amazing, must-have, easy to use” systems is Xtreme metal from AK Interactive. I saw some reviews, so got the black base and polished aluminium. I did a test on an ancient Matchbox Mosquito nacelle. Tried it on bare plastic and Tamiya primed surfaces. I didn’t find it particularly easy to apply, and it didn’t look much like a polished surface to me. I then put some bare metal foil next to it, and applied some Klear, MicroSol and a spare decal:
No contest; for me, if you want bare metal, use real bare metal.
No contest; for me, if you want bare metal, use real bare metal.
Next experiment is refining the bombs supplied in the kit:
I opted to bin them becasue they are so crude, so I put them aside and filled the bomb rack holes under the port wing. Then I thought I’d see what they should look like, and found what I think is the right bomb in the WW2 Equipment Data website. I eventually decided to model the bomb in CAD, using the original diagrams as a guide within Fusion 360:
A few details to add, and then it will be a good test for a resin 3D printer. If it can print this (at 8 mm overall length), it can print anything...
I opted to bin them becasue they are so crude, so I put them aside and filled the bomb rack holes under the port wing. Then I thought I’d see what they should look like, and found what I think is the right bomb in the WW2 Equipment Data website. I eventually decided to model the bomb in CAD, using the original diagrams as a guide within Fusion 360:
A few details to add, and then it will be a good test for a resin 3D printer. If it can print this (at 8 mm overall length), it can print anything...
The sanded wing ribs didn’t look right - as if the ribs were about 200 mm wide. I thought I’d experiment with one of Harry Woodman’s favourite techniques - “skinning”, as featured in his classic plastic modelling book:
I had some 0.1 mm Tamiya Pla Paper left over from my home made Tornado canopy, and a spare Airfix Gladiator upper wing:
First job is to draw around the outline and pencil in the rib positions:
Then lightly go over the lines with a ball-point pen. The tape is there to try and get a consistent edge to the riblets:
You’re left with a fairly realistic looking wing skin:
...which is epoxied to the sanded, flat wing, with the edges being attached with poly cement:
The excess paper edges are then sanded away and blended to the periphery of the wing. The result doesn’t look bad for a first attempt:
Still undecided. It’s a risky process. I might experiment further with 0.6 mm strips of Tamiya tape overcoated with Mr. Surfacer instead.
I had some 0.1 mm Tamiya Pla Paper left over from my home made Tornado canopy, and a spare Airfix Gladiator upper wing:
First job is to draw around the outline and pencil in the rib positions:
Then lightly go over the lines with a ball-point pen. The tape is there to try and get a consistent edge to the riblets:
You’re left with a fairly realistic looking wing skin:
...which is epoxied to the sanded, flat wing, with the edges being attached with poly cement:
The excess paper edges are then sanded away and blended to the periphery of the wing. The result doesn’t look bad for a first attempt:
Still undecided. It’s a risky process. I might experiment further with 0.6 mm strips of Tamiya tape overcoated with Mr. Surfacer instead.
Decided to try the skinning on the ‘real’ wing - nothing ventured nothing gained. If it turns out badly in the end, I’ll buy another kit and try something else.
Marking out:
After flatting the tips (still work to be done there - it’s impossible to get the plastic to conform to a compound curve), and a coat of Vallejo primer:
Now for the bottom wing...
Marking out:
After flatting the tips (still work to be done there - it’s impossible to get the plastic to conform to a compound curve), and a coat of Vallejo primer:
Now for the bottom wing...
Re-riveted and scribed the upper wing fuel tanks:
Couldn’t face skinning the wing undersides, so I’m giving another technique a try; representing the wing rib cap protrusions with 0.6 mm Kabuki tape. I’ve sealed it with Klear, and will give it a couple of coats of primer when it’s all in place:
The printed 20lb bombs turned out OK for a first attempt, but I think a bit more optimisation of the settings is needed. I painted them just to get a benchmark. Way better than the originals even as they are:
Couldn’t face skinning the wing undersides, so I’m giving another technique a try; representing the wing rib cap protrusions with 0.6 mm Kabuki tape. I’ve sealed it with Klear, and will give it a couple of coats of primer when it’s all in place:
The printed 20lb bombs turned out OK for a first attempt, but I think a bit more optimisation of the settings is needed. I painted them just to get a benchmark. Way better than the originals even as they are:
Neonblau said:
What tool is that you're using in the wing picture? That looks really useful for a couple of projects I have in mind.
It's an RB riveting tool, in a standard blade holder:http://www.radubstore.com/index.php?main_page=inde...
Got a bit bogged down with all my current projects being a pain in the arse. To get to this stage has taken wayyy longer than it should; the wing skinning didn’t work out, because there was no neat way of doing the underside of the upper wing and retaining the fuel tanks. Also disappointed to find no decals are included for the fin flashes, so required masking and painting. First time I got the stripes the wrong width, second time I got the read and blue mixed up. Sigh....
It’s going to one of those where the result doesn’t justify the effort, but there we go.
It’s going to one of those where the result doesn’t justify the effort, but there we go.
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