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Richard M

XN923's build will be reported here.
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Best
Rich
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"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die."

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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

I'll be doing the P-40, converted to P-36 - Peebeep has very kindly provided the article and it doesn't look too involved, so I'll begin to tackle that soon...

jssel · Posted: Thu 05 Feb 2009 15:56 pm Post subject:

I do believe that this will be well worth watching.
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Jeff S

Just Build it!

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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

I was looking at doing a Dutch example, but while researching found pics of an absolutely gorgeous Chinese version of the fixed-Gear Hawk 75H which I may not be able to resist. Time to break the foil out I think...

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Here it is:

http://www.airwar.ru/image/idop/fww2/hawk75/hawk75-3.jpg

I know the principle of the build is to stick as closely as possible to Alan Hall's conversion, but this will be additional conversion, not a shortcut. And there's some flexibility in the build, for example in the cowling (he says find a radial cowling from another kit, he used a Halifax, but any will do as long as it can be shaped - I'm thinking of the Heller Curtiss SBC-4 as donor at the moment, given that the SBC-4 and the Hawk 75H both used the Wright R-1820).

Heinkel51 · Posted: Wed 11 Feb 2009 01:32 am Post subject:

I have an old Revell P-36 in the spares box do you want the cowling? If that is permited?

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Hi Peter, thanks for your very kind offer, but it seems a little like cheating so I'll decline if that's OK. Quite honestly, robbing a Heller SBC seems like sailing a little close to the wind, but as it's from a different kit and will need some reshaping I consider that qualifies.

Brews · Posted: Wed 11 Feb 2009 15:36 pm Post subject:

One of the most important contributions that Allan W. Hall made to our hobby was his persistent reinforcement of the quality of resourcefulness. Look around, see what you have that will work, and use it. There is no such thing as cheating. However, in the future, there may not be the offer of a part that fills the bill as nicely, and you may want to make your own part. Do you have the confidence in your own skills to do that, or will you give up? I suggest that you have taken the correct option

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“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Winston Churchill

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Brews · Posted: Wed 11 Feb 2009 18:57 pm Post subject:

I think foil might be difficult on this one, but do what you think is best for you. I would, at the most, use foil on some flat wing panels, and Alclad or similar for the rest.
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“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Winston Churchill

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

I suspect you are right about the foil. I practised at the weekend with the cowling panels of a Fairey Firefly IIM which has given me some confidence to tackle it - *

*The panel on the top with the 'grain' going the wrong way and the corner folded back will mercifully be covered by the anti glare panel. Whew!

Still, with lots of compound curvature and tight bends, it could quickly turn into a nightmare

Brews · Posted: Wed 11 Feb 2009 20:55 pm Post subject:

That's a Firefly? It looks much like a Hawker Fury to my untrained eyes.
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“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Winston Churchill

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

The original Firefly (MkII, 'M' for metal - predecessors had a wooden structure) was a competitor to the Hawker Hornet (later developed as Fury) and was slightly faster though handling wasn't quite as good. The Firefly then won a competition to supply the Belgian Air Force with a day fighter and that was the origin of the Belgian arm of Fairey as a factory was set up to produce them there. A number were still in service in 1940 when Germany invaded.

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Right, time I actually did something about this. I had been caught in a sort of 'feedback loop' over various bits of the conversion mainly involving the fact that you have to hack the forward end of the cockpit about after you've joined the fuselage halves.

Anyway, a bit of work on the interior, as per the terms of the build using only bits of scrap, strip and spares...

XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Have been working on the fixed undercarriage. These are from severely hacked about drop tanks from a PM Model Sea Fury - see before and after:

The top section will utilise the skis from a PM Model Fokker DXXI

TimJ · Posted: Thu 14 May 2009 15:31 pm Post subject:

Nice bit of improvisation.
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Sgt.Squarehead · Posted: Thu 14 May 2009 15:43 pm Post subject:

I knew PM models parts had some sort of purpose.....Very creative work!

All the best
Sgt.S
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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Bit more work here. I am now up to..... step 1.

Fuselage halves joined, nose removed, balsa plug added to underside and cockpit front. Old-school modelling. I did the same to the wheel wells as this is a fixed-cart bird

hewman100 · Posted: Wed 20 May 2009 10:43 am Post subject:

She's coming along well.

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XN923 · Bronze Star Joined: 16 May 2008 Posts: 1176

Starting to look a bit more like a Hawk 75 now...

I've had a slight setback with the canopy. The conversion instructions call up you to separate the front from the back and modify the front to represent the more 'upright' version of the P-36. Unfortunately while doing this I managed to break it into two pieces, with the split diagonally across the middle of the windshield. Options are to try and find a not-too-dissimilar version from the spares box, or to glue the whole canopy back together and use it to plunge form a new one.

Anyway, here's the current status. The balsa/dope/talc process rewards patients but I like it, and I think it has a lot of value in itself and not just as an old-school curiosity. It allows more precision than building up with, say, milliput and is a lot easier to work with.