Hello everyone. I’m new to the forum and thought I would show some of my builds. I have been building model cars for some time, but have only built 8 aircraft, so I am still learning the techniques. I have been looking around the forums and there certainly are some talented builders here. I have learned alot and hope to be able to contribute in the future.
My builds:
1:32 Academy Sopwith Camel
1:72 Academy F6F Hellcat
1:48 Eduard BF108 Taifun
I hope you enjoy the pictures and thanks for looking.
Great looking stuff! I remember one of the first kits I built was a revell sopwith camel 1/72 scale. The black and white drawings specified the color as “Olive Drab”. Being 8 or 10 I had no idea what that was! I had to walk around asking my family.
Anyway looks like you nailed it! nice work,
what did you use for the wires on your Camel, it looks like you have linkage at the ends, Nice touch
The rigging is monofilament fishing line, 0.005" diam., colored with a sharpie marker.
At most of the ends there is a brass tube (~1mm long, 0.6mmOD/0.4mm ID), that the line goes through, then goes around a mounting point, then goes back through the tube, and is CA’ed. The mounting points are either holes in the kit struts, or a loop of 0.5mm wire superglued into a hole in the plastic surface. I tried using 0.5mmOD/0.3mmID tube but could not always get the rigging line through it on the second pass. Its the smallest brass tubing I have ever seen. It came from Albion Metals through Sprue Bros.
There is a tutorial on this rigging technique on ww1aircraftmodels.com which is another awesome site.
For some years after turn of this century visited a hobby store next to SiSi’s Hong Kong Cafe in the (San) Lorenzo Manor Shopping Center on Hesperian Blvd in the San Francisco East Bay Area, no surprise its gone but they’d hosted an impressive number of scale models made by local hobbyists in several fully enclosed display cabinets center of the store.
One model repeatedly catching my eye was an artifully modified 1/72 Revell Airco DH.2, The God who’d made it used the thinnest metal thread for rigging I’d ever seen up till then, His skill attaching the rigging was beyond amazing, no glue build-up on any attachment point. The God painted on simulated multi-color rigging attachment anchors, do swear they’d looked like were printed on!
As fully expected I was highly intimidated by His craftmanship, I just don’t know if could even try to attempt to replicate what he’d done with that bear of a kit to build. If I do try to build another Revell DH.2 will have to use EZ Line thread, no way could I get away with using metal.
well may I say welcome kensar. all your models look great. I have yet to rig a biplane and your camels rigging looks awsom. can’t wait to what els you have up sleeve.
You may have only build 8 aircraft, but your skill is obvious. If you’re looking for a tip, the only one I can think to give is in regards to canopies. When you paint them, use the interior color first. On a plane like your Taifun, which has a large “greenhouse”, it would add another layer of realism to an already fantastic build.
I have the Wingnut Wings 1/32 Camel F.1 which, when I get around to building, I hope I’ll be able to do 1/2 as good a job as you’ve done with the Academy kit.
