Scratchbuilding a 1/32 1927 Ford AT-4 Trimotor

[niart17]

Man, this thing is turning out GREAT! Between you and Pig and Timmy! and other great builders here, I'm learning a TON of stuff. Keep em coming for us mere mortals.

I have one idea for the wicker that might work. Have you thought about running a small bead of thick CA adhesive over the strands and letting it dry giving it a rounded profile? I know that would take FOREVER to cover all of the seat but I've seen it done on smaller mesh antanea and it really gave it a nice 3-d surface to paint on. Other than that, the wash/drybrush suggestion above seems like a good idea as well.

Bill

[Skyking]

Hi mark

I was concerned these chairs would come out very 'flat' being PE parts,

that was my fear also Mark, and is what prompted me to try this. The "inside" of the chair that would be against the passenger's body is fairly smooth, so that'll be fine, but the outside definitely needed some help. I've since added a few more bits to it and dabbed some Mr. Surfacer and they are looking pretty good. It's only taken me about 2 hours for this one, maybe I can knock it down to 1 hour per seat for the rest..lol.

Hey Guy, glad you stopped by

Short of painting every strand of "wicker", I think I'd experiment by first painting the structure with your chosen finished shade (or one shade lighter) like some sort of tan. I'd wash the assembly with a dark brown ink so that the inner edges of each opening was left darker then I'd dry brush a lighter (buff or similar perhaps?) colour from the top down to highlight the upper edges of the openings where the light would catch it.......

And that's kind of the way I am leaning toward. If I can give the illusion of the strands overlapping each other through effective shadow painting I think it'll be effective. Of course if I was a real Steely Eyed Missile Man Modeler like you are I would have actually wove wicker seats like you did with your Camel...lol.

Prop Duster, Bill, thanks for your comments and suggestions. One poster at another site suggested spraying with Krylon or Rustoleum from a can and lay it on fairly thick to soften the edges. That's another possibility. I just have to make sure I practice on something else because I have no extra seats in case I screw one up..lol.

Cheers

Mike

[Boman]

Wow, those seats really take the prize! Amazing!

[Old Man]

Great to see this beautiful build progressing further, Sir!

Regarding the seats, I am afraid my inclination would be to paint each line, but you probably would not have to trace each 'strand'. A fairly thick enamel paint, in some straw color or other, ought to do the trick. Laying on white glue with a toothpick might work well, too. Sort of like building up a cockpit coaming in small scale.

[Youngtiger1]

I'm just speechless... Awesome skills!!!

[Skyking]

Well it's been a while since I've done anything on this. Summer time is usually my woodworking and home improvement time, so most of the last 4 months has been spent converting this:

Original Cave

To this:

New and Improved Certified Estrogen Free Zone Mancave.

I built the custom cabinets for my display cases, along with built in units in the wall. I installed a suspended ceiling around the outter perimeter, with a raised ceiling in the center with halo lighting around the edge. I installed 3 inch LED Can Lights around the ceiling, plus all the display cases have built in lighting done so that the light illuminates the edge of the glass shelves in the display cases. I have yet to install the mirrored backs and glass shelves, then hang the doors and I can start moving in. New drywall, true raised panel wainscotting made from 3/4 MDF and all the trim is Phillipine mahogany. I've also got it prewired for Home Theater, A/V and Wireless Internet, so that when the wife and kids are watching their girly shows upstairs, I can be down here watching what I want for a change.

OK to keep this post On Topic, let's get back to the Trimotor.

Last installment showed the wicker seats being made, and one of the semi-final results. When I did a test install into the fuselage, something didn't look "quite right". They were too high in relation to the window sills for the passenger windows. I used the Cleveland plans for my dimensions for the seat artwork, and a quick double check showed they were right on the money. The problem is, the aircraft I am replicating as seats that are much shorter than standard issue Ford seats. So now I was in a quandary, and had two choices. Leave them alone and be done with it, or fix them. I hemmed and hawed about it for the better part of two months. If I ruin them trying to fix them, I am screwed because it's the only ones I have. Finally I sat down one evening and looked them over and was able to devise a plan. Looking at the seat pictures of the real airplane, I noticed that they were short under the seat, and mine had a lot of material there to work with. If I remove some from below the seat cushion, that will get me pretty much right on the money.

A quick initial measurement showed them to be about 1 1/4 inches in height, and to get them to the right height I need to remove about 1/4 inch.

I removed everything below this line, and cut free the section under the front of the seat cushion and moved it up and re-soldered it in place.

A Wicker Junkyard. All the PE I removed along with some of the solder edging I installed.

Here's the first finished seat. I have to add a little more piping on it to add some additional dimension, but they came out pretty good. I will trim back the seat cushions just before painting them so they fit within the seat.

I needed to remove 1/4 of inch to get them to sit right. Compared to the picture above, It's just about right. The legs are a bit longer than they need to be as they will sit into holes in the floor. That will bring the top of the seat in line with the window sill, just as it should be.

The acid test. Just about right on the money. Once the legs are poked into the holes in the floor they will be just at the right height. I'm glad now (that it's over and I didn't screw them up..lol) that I did it. It would have bugged me if I just left them alone, and it just shows once again that if you aren't happy with something, redo it. You will be much happier and the second time around will usually look better than the first too.

Once I get these finished I can start adding the rest of the cabin goodies, button up the fuselage and begin assembling it so it can be skinned with more aluminum. My wood shop is now closed for the winter (no heat) so it's back to modeling time now, plus I have a nice new Mancave I can relax in.

Thanks for stopping by. As always comments and suggestions welcome.

Cheers

Mike

[ssculptor]

Hiya BOC

*Right click Save AS* It's worth a lot BOC. I was wondering what the inner landing gear attachment looked like. You just answered it for me. Thanks much!

Before I can do an cladding, I have to have an airframe to put it on. Last night I began creating some very high quality saw dust and shavings, and at the end I hope to have a high quality master to vacuform my fuselage halves from. Here's a brief step by step on how I whack out a master.

This is where it starts. A 5 x 5 x 19 inch hunk of Renshape. Somewhere in there is a Fuselage. It's my job to find it.

First thing I do is rough cut the blank to general dimensions of width, hieght and length,leaving about 1/4 inch extra all the way around. I use my table saw for this, cutting a little more than halfway through on the first pass, flipping it over and parting it on the second. Normally I would have a featherboard and ripstop in place for safety, but this stuff cuts like a hot knife through butter. I used a piece of scrap and tried to force a kickback, and all it did was cut a wider kerf.

This is the results. The block on the right will be the Fuselage, the scrap on the left will become another project some day.

Here the laying out is started. I made extra copies of my drawings for the single purpose of cutting them apart to use as patterns. Here I have the side view stuck on with two sided tape. I have reference lines squared off and drawn on the block to have a constant starting point. Because my drawings did not have a top view, I had to map them out by hand. I drew a centerline down the top, from front to rear. I then measure off the bulkhead stations from my drawings and marked those points on the line. I then measured the widths of the bulkhead from the plans, and drew them with a square at each bulkhead station. After I connected them with lines to mark the outside, and presto.. my top profile.

Off to the bandsaw. I cut off the bottom first, keeping my blade just a smidge away from my pattern. I'll final sand the profile on my bench sander. I keep the bottom cutoff for the next step...

..the shaping of the sides. I no longer have a flat bottom to keep my cut square, so I reattached my bottom cutoff with a single screw from the bottom. This insures that my side cuts will remain square. Back to the bandsaw, same technique... keeping the blade just a hair from my lines.

Semi finished rough cut. I removed the bottom cutoff, put the side cutoff with my pattern back on, then cut the forward top profile. After I dressed up the sides, bottom and top on my disk sander, sanding right to the pattern and my lines on the top. My master is now to final dimension. All I have to do is shape the corners, windscreen and nose area.

First step is to lay out my wing location, based on my constant reference point, which is now the very front firewall bulkhead for the front engine. It's easier to mark it out and cut it now, while my sides are still flat, then after when I radius the top of the fuselage. My wing center section will pass through the fuselage, so that my wing will be one piece from tip to tip. Also marked out is the "ridge" where the top radius begins. I will lay a piece of tape along this to protect the sides, and use a sanding block to round over the top, sanding to the line.

A quick initial hole on the drill press with a 1/2 inch Forstner bit, then some more bandsaw work and the cutout is open. The opening does not have to be exact at this point, as I want to be able to adjust for alignment in the jigs to be built later. Once the fuselage is vacuformed, I will cut up the master in the interior areas, and epoxy the wing center section to it, fill the joint with epoxy and then clad it with the aluminum. I've also shaped the windscreen areas and rounded off the nose to the profiles indicated on the bulkhead plans, using pencil lines drawn on as guides.

OK all you eagle eyed steely nerved people, take a look at this head on view and tell me if you notice anything out of sorts, or not quite "right". After 4 hours of work to get this far, my eyes were beginning to cross and I couldn't see straight. Now is the time to fix things before I get too much further.

The next step will be to sand the radius on the aft portion of the master and mark out the cabin windows, do some filling and sanding of a couple of minor boo boo's, and I can set this aside and start the wings.

Thanks for following along. As always I'm open to suggestions or ideas on how to make things easier.

Cheers

Mike

Yup.

That is how we used to make models back in the 1940's before plastic kits reared their ugly heads.

The other method is the stick and tissue type where we build up the model with stringers over formers.

I've made many a model both ways and I prefer the stick and tissue.

But both methods are very satisfying.

When you are finished you feel you have really done something.

Stephen

[Skyking]

Egad I can't believe it's been almost 9 months since I did anything with this turkey. Now that I've gotten the need to finish a couple of models out of my system, I can resume work on this project that has languished a bit. I got the seats under control, now on to my next headache, the cabin side windows. It would be really easy to make one or two and have them turn out OK, but in this case I need to make 7 that are consistent in shape, size and alignment. I fiddled around with plastic strip and sheet stock, but it was impossible to keep the window framing consistent from one window to the next. I finally hit upon an idea, and after planning ahead and thinking it out, I came up wit this solution and it worked like a charm.

It starts with a 3/4 inch thick hunk of MDF that I cut to a hair over the width of the window. I used my PE window trim panel for the template, drew it out, then cut it to width and sanded the round corners with a sanding block. I made this buck the exact width of each window. The next step was to take .032" brass strip, anneal it so it bends easy, and form it around the buck as you see here.

After removal from the buck I have the basic shape. Pencil lines drawn on the buck served as a guide to where to trim the "legs" off for each window. These were then cleaned, fluxed and then...

...soldered to my PE window trim panel. I made the window frame just a hair larger all the way around. This will give a lip for the window glass to sit against without it being a perfect fit and to compensate for any variations in glass size.

The completed left side window frames and trim panel, all soldered and ready for glass.

It doesn't look like much but what you see here is 5 days of cutting and forming and soldering brass sheet and bars along with the photoetch I had made. The door is a PE brass blank with PE trim, and I did the window framing the same way I made the main cabin windows, with 3/32 x 1/32 brass bar formed over a wood buck then soldered in place. After that I cut corrugated aluminum for the door top and bottom and epoxied that in place, then sweat soldered the outside window trim and door trim over that, sandwiching it all together. The door frame is PE with 1/16" brass square stock bent to shape and soldered all the way around. The intent is to have a functional cabin door, held closed and in the open positions with magnets similar to what Tamiya uses on their Spitfire cowlings. Next will be to paint the frames Dark Blue for the outside and simulated wood for the window frames, cut the glass and install it, then proceed with the interior.

In case some of you have not seen this turkey, here it is in the assembly jig I am starting. Everything is temporarily taped into position, but it gives an idea of the size of the model. With a 28" inch wingspan and an 18" overall length it's not huge, but it's no slouch either.

Thanks for stopping by. More updates when the interior is going together.

Cheers

Mike

[geedubelyer]

Hi Mike,

Good to see you back.

Very creative solution to your window frame problems.

I'll set my calender for the next update ;)

Just ribbing you my friend. It's a treat to see more work on your big Ford and the shot of her on the jig shows how just how much progress you've made.

Can't wait to see further work on the interior.

Cheers.

[Liberator24]

Please tell me you are bringing this beauty to the 2012 NATS!!!! Holy crap, she's beautiful!

-Jim

[Liberator24]

I was also gonna reply about the new mancave, but I can't seem to find the exact words in Google......

Holy SH...........comes to mind, but I just want something more explosive!

-Jim

[MattC]

Fabulous work Mike, the fix for the window frames is inspired, how are you going to hold the glazing in? I presume the glazing is going to be acetate or similar?

This is rivetting to watch (sorry about that), and I'm obscenely jealous of your modelling room, I have to make do with a small desk in the corner of the room!

Matt

[KRI76]

Hej Mike, do you want to spend sometime in Sweden? I'd be glad to have you stay at my place for a while...you know my hose could use your magic touch!!!

I don't know what to be mostly impressed of: your incredible Ford plane or your just as incredible home-improvement!!!

/Kristian

[TXCajun]

Excellent work on the TriMotor and the shop as well! You are indeed a craftsman extraordinaire!

[Skyking]

Hiya Guy Thanks for stopping by. I'll try to keep the updates more frequent so your calander doesn't get stuck...lol.

Hi Jim, thank you. Yes it's doubtful if I will have it done in time for Ohama, but Orlando is a definate as we have friends in Orlando we will be renting their house from for the week of the Nats, so you should see it there. Thanks for the comments on the mancave. It's my home within a home.

Hi Matt. I will be using .010 clear styrene for the windows, dipped in Future. They will rest on the inside of the frames. There's a tiny lip all the way around the outside trim panel that will hold them in place. I will also have some slid open. Thanks you for the comments regarding the model and my room.

Hi Kristian. Sweden in July sounds great, but not sure December through March. :) I know you'd have no issues convincing my wife either.

Thank you TX. I appreciate the comments.

Now on to today's regularly scheduled update...

Now that the hard stuff is done ( I hope) I can move on to fabricating all the interior bits, and hope I end up with something that looks like this:

The first thing I had to make was the wall and ceiling coverings, which are a printed hardboard trimmed with aluminum strips on the real aircraft. After playing around with some painting software, I found the best solution was to mask of a bit of the above image and save it as a smaller image. I kept copy and pasting it all together until I had a matted mural the size I needed. Then some magic tools in Photoshop blended it all together into what you see here. These were printed out in color and sized roughly to the size of my wall and ceiling panels. I made a total of four, even though I only need three, but odds are good I'm going to mess one up along the way.

Some photo spray adhesive on the backside and they bonded well with my Renshape wall panels.

These were then set in place in the fuselage, the window frames inserted from the outside and with a new sharp #11 blade, I trimmed to the frames for a neat fit. It's difficult to tell from the pictures but the effect is really good and I'm quite happy with the results.

Next step was to install the door. I had the frame and door built up from an earlier post. Now it was time to stick it all together. I had PE hinges made that I formed together with a length of .010 piano wire for the hinge pin. These were sweat soldered into place on the door and door frame, and yes Virginia, they do open and close, although I'm not sure how robust they are and won't stress them by opening and closing them too many times.

Here it is in the open position. When I display the model it will be flat up against the side of the fuselage so I had to make sure the window on the door lines up with the window in the fuselage.

From the front. I'm happy with the way things are lining up. 50% preparation and 50% luck works every time. Next up will be to add all the aluminum strips, the polished aluminum structure covers, seats and other odds and ends. Then I can button this thing up for good and begin assembly.

Stay tuned.

Cheers

Mike

[Skyking]

Moving right along with trimming the interior, it's time to add all the fiddly bits and trim it out. Again for reference here's a shot of the actual bird:

And the following will show how close I come to replicating it.

I carpeted the floor with some left over Royal Blue velour from a cabinet job I did earlier this spring. It was much easier to use the self adhesive sheets than to sprinkle flocking material.

Next to make was the polished aluminum covers that go over the bulkheads in the cabin. There's two big honkers right in the middle, and two smaller ones in the next station forward. I began by scribing two circles on a sheet of 1/8" RenShape. I then divided it into quarters and measured the outside dimensions and cut them out with a new #11 blade so they looked like....

...these guys. After sanding them smooth I "plasticized" them with thin CA so that it makes the RenShape stiffer and a better base for the foil to adhere to.

A quick trial fit and they look pretty close to the prototype in dimensions. I didn't have actual drawings or dimensions, so I did it the old fashioned way... by scaling it to other objects, in this case the windows, and giving it the ol' calibrated eyeball technique. Close enough for my requirements.

And here they are all blinged out and covered in foil. They look pretty good and really snazzy up the interior. Next to make will be all the aluminum strips you see that trim everything out. I'll make them from .005 or .010 plastic strip and paint them aluminum. They are not polished on the actual aircraft so it'll save me some foiling work. I'll post some shots when that is completed.

Thanks for following along, as always questions comments and critiques welcome.

Cheers

Mike

[geedubelyer]

BAAH...LIIING

It looks like you just about nailed that interior Mike

The combination of textures and colours is superb.

Man, I'd love to see this gem in the flesh.

Keep up the good work.

[Skyking]

Hiya Guy thanks for stopping in. I appreciate the comments. Here's some more flash for you so don your Ray-Ban's and have a look. :)

Spent the last couple of days trimming out the interior walls with polished aluminum trim strips. I used the aluminum tape, embossed the rivets then cut them into 1/16" wide strips and applied directly to the wall panels. The real aircraft's aren't polished, but I wanted the contrast and I think the effect looks pretty good. I also test fit the seat rails and seats in place. I have to ain't the cushions and add the seat belts yet, then I'll install them. Next area will be the mail handling/baggage area in front of the cabin and behind the cockpit. Nothing more than a couple of shelves is all it is so it shouldn't take long.

I was a bit concerned how much of this will actually be visible, so I stuck the right fuselage half on to see, and sure enough, as I feared... not much. :-/

It's better with the door open, but adding that big honking wing overhead will further hide it from view. I was going to spend some more time with the seats, but at this point I think they will look fine.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Mike

[chukw]

Pretty much amazing, Mike! How much will be visible- Oh, pooh! Think of how it would look if it weren't there- like a big toy! It's the details that separate a real model like this from a mahogany desk ornament- and that get my respect. ;D

Cheers, buddy!

chuk

[Barneydhc82]

Mike: I've been looking for your postings for some time, wondering whatever happened to the masterpiece! Now I know..the mancave of all mancaves and some fabulous work on the Ford

Barney

[Mike S.]

This is a wonderful project that you are working on. You'll have one hell of a nice model when completed.

[HOLMES]

This is a wonderful project that you are working on. You'll have one hell of a nice model when completed.

I agree..