Kostucha Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) Hello folks! While I'm taking a break from one build, I wanted to pull out a kit that I've been looking forward to for some time. Rodens 1/72 Sopwith Camel: I would like to take this kit, and have some fun in making it to match our good ole Canadian Ace, William George Barkers B6313. I chose this kit as there had been many modifications made to his kite since first flying it - from paint schemes, to engine cowels, along with modifications to the top wing. This Roden kit gives you pretty much all the options available with previous Camels all in one (including 2 different cowels, 3 engines, 2 different styles of weaponry, bombs, upper forward fuselage pieces... etc. This would have been the kit which would have given me most flexibility as at the time I wasn't 100% sure at which point of the war I was going to depict his Camel: I finally settled on this shot of his Camel: Its his Camel near the very end of the war - the most changes done to it. Some of the obvious things are the cut out on top of the wing for visibility, other minor things (visually) are the change in direction of the heart and arrow on the tail, the hand painted stipes (there's A LOT of argument whether the were B&W stripes, or white over the dark green paint underneath). I'm going with the dark green between the hand painted white stripes, and rather than the wood up near the cockpit, it's painted over in a semi-gloss black. I'm still having a hard time finding whether he had the updated engine or not put on his Camel. IF this was done, the refit would have been done by the time this picture was taken. Either way - 4 openings in the cowel. For me, this is going to be unique in that I seriously cannot remember when (or even if) I last worked on a 1/72 kit - let alone something tiny like this.. doesn't take up nearly as much space on the work bench as the 1/48 Fort does. Anywho, onto the work - Rodens cockpit was fairly good, but I didn't like what I was looking at: So, I shaved down the details, and started playin with some plastic: Edited February 9, 2011 by Kostucha Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 As for the seat - it was fairly blan. So, using the seat I made an impression on a thin piece of balsa wood (this section will double as both the "seat bottom" as well as the mount for all the brass formers: Next 3/4 inch pieces the thinnest brass rod I had were cut, with 1/4 inch being pushed into the balsa: Using the thin copper wire from a toys burnt out electric motor: I started to make the seat by weaving it between brass formers: Is it an exact scale replica? Heck no. But I figure this is closer to the real woven seat than the kit seat: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 I then started to work on the rest of the cockpit, building up some of the wooden pieces, the two tanks behind the seat, rudder pedals, an a tiny little throttle quadrand (all except for the wooden pieces were kit parts): Well folks, that's it for me for tonight. Thanks again for letting me participate in your Group Build! Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) I then started to work on the rest of the cockpit, building up some of the wooden pieces, the two tanks behind the seat, rudder pedals, an a tiny little throttle quadrand (all except for the wooden pieces were kit parts): Well folks, that's it for me for tonight. Thanks again for letting me participate in your Group Build! Cheers! Mark. Wow Mark, I can only imagine how small that is to work with. Amazing work on that wicker seat. Edited January 23, 2011 by Charlie Cheetah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Quiddy Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I really like the look of the wicker seat. Good luck with the build. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thank you guys! This one I think is going to be quick and fun. Especially as I'll be brush painting the large majority of it, including those stripes on the fuselage. What I'm not looking forward to completely is making all the rigging... Cheers, Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Neo Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Wow Mark that seat is insane Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Thank you very much Neo! I hope I have as much luck with the rest of the kit as I did with the seat... Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Really love the woven seat... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Spit1A Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 Like everyone else is saying, that seat is fantastic! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 How are you doing with this ...Hope it is going good... ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Thank you very much! So far it's a little here and a little there. This one will be completed soon I hope. I had to get away from the unfortunate distraction of building in order to write an exam and take care of a few very pressing matters at work, but now that I'm back to building, before working on the Fort tonight, I'll be finishing up a few things with the lower end of the fuselage, etc. I'll hopefully be able to show off some pictures tonight. Till then! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Well, now that my friggin laptop is cooperating, here's an update. Work went on with the instrument panel and upper fuselage pieces. Heres the parts stock: What I did with them: And some shots of the fuselage completed. Thankfully some of the detail from the interior will still be seen: Hoping that soon I'll have the lower portion of the exterior of the fuselage painted, and then work on assembling everything can continue. Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Wow, if this is what you call 'fun and quick', I hate to see laborious and difficult... Looking nice so far! ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 (edited) Hahaha, thanks Alf! I decided I'd finish this one off before carrying on with work on LMM. I'd rather have the work bench dedicated to one thing only at a time right now. I'm thinking tonight I'll paint up the main parts - top wing, bottom wing/fuselage, and horizontal stab. Maybe even the wood on the struts. Plan is to paint the fuselage, then the black, then the silver, but at some point paint the white stripes too, and add depth to the paint job by painting it light (so rather than Sand and the Brownish Green, it'll be Olive Drab for the green and Aircraft Grey (with a slight bit of sand added), then using chalk pastels, add the proper darker colour, as well as the effect of ribbing/material). My only conundrum is whether or not there were black stripes between the white lines (as almost EVER model and profile shows) or if it was like his Snipe where there was just the fuselage green between the stripes. I in fact may decide to go with the black. We'll see. I've found a few other pictures, and as nerdy as it sounds, there is a much more noticeable difference between the b&w pictures gray pixels between the stripes than there is on known black colours up further on the fuselage. They match fairly close with the actual brown/green right forward of it... I've learned to stear clear of any profile shots - as they've either got this aircraft depicted wrong (wood on the side, and not black as the actual image shows), they show the wrong type of cut out on the upper wing (something else I need to do), and I'll focus more on that later, or the wrong shape of the devil on the front MG. Somedays I grow sick and tired of researching things... one day I'll just grab a camera, find a friggin plane, snap pictures going all the way around and inside, run home and build that very one. Stinkin research... Anywho, combine that riddle, with how I'm going to get the rigging done right, and we've got a fun filled night. More to some soon! Mark. Edited February 7, 2011 by Kostucha Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 With the wing, the later model of Barkers Camel had the top portion cut out for visibility. Though some shots show a rounded frame of the trailing edge, the reference picture I'm using shows it without, so that's what I decided to go with: And a shot of everything painted with the main colours: And the lower piece after some pastel work, with the untouched top wing there for contrast: That's it for tonight - long day tomorrow ahead of me. Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 beautiful work Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Very nice so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 Thank you very much. I've grown a new love for these tiny 1/72 biplanes. Maybe I'll go on a rant of them at some point - I've got the Eduard 1/72 Nieuport Ni 17 (2 kits in one) that I want to do Bishops mount with. Only problem is the decals - though I'm sure it wont be too hard to have the tail codes done up. I plan on doing it as per what the B&W picture of him standing with it shows... or rather, what isn't shown - No "C 5" or maple leaf shown. So, should be fairly easy to do. I'll try it out after this one - looking through it, and comparing the two kits (this Roden Sopwith Camel vs. the Eduard Nieuport), the Eduard kit is leaps and bounds ahead, in ever single aspect expect for engine detail - Rodens got that one beat upright. After that, maybe the 1/72 Tiger Moth, which I would do with the enlarged plexiglass covering closed as the cockpit there is bare bones. As much as I enjoy the work I can do and fun I can have with the cockpits, I'm not even going to attempt a full scratch built tigermoth cockpit... it's a friggin ugly plane anyway. Somewhat typically Canadian... (speaking with respects to the level of "ugly" to begin with when it comes to the dainty little moth, but then add the oversized pumpkin head with that clear canopy, and ya, it takes on a whole new level). There were some amazingly gorgeous aircraft during the years between the wars, so who knows, maybe that... maybe the 1/48 Swordfish... or maybe... just maybe... I'll make a jet for the first time in a... well... ever, I think. Oh, the possibilities... but before I digress too much, the reason for the delay is my son is just not doing 100%. Between work during the day, and then dealing with the sick little poop factory, well, models have been yet again put on hold. Soon though... soon. Cheers, Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AX 365 Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Mark, Outstanding work so far. I have to echo ALF's comment. If this is fun and quick... You've certainly added a good amount of detail. That 'wicker' seat is the bee's knees. Keep it up. I look forward to your updates. I hope the little man is feeling better. No fun being sick, no matter what your age. Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 11, 2011 Author Share Posted February 11, 2011 Thanks! The little man is doing well today, MUCH better. I meant to post up last night that I'm at a stand still - I want to paint the white stripes, with my airbrush... with... my... airbrush... I swear I put that thing here somewhere... (my pump is AWOL right now... so, nuts!). After an exhausting search yesterday afternoon, I gave up. Until I find it, I wont be putting any white stripes on, unless I find an extra bit of white decal paper, and then I'll just cut the stripes appropriately. I'm worried I may have misplaced it in the move... but that doesn't make any sense. I'm sure it's still in one of the 3 or 4 boxes left to unpack. Anywho, I did have some fun though - managed to actually jump the gun a bit and get some work on Bishops Nieuport done up! I'm posting as we speak! Cheers! Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
neca12 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 This is just perfect. And that seat, I'm gonna steal your idea for mine Re8 in airfix gb. Thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thank you! And no worries about the idea! I hope it works out for you. If you can find even thinner copper wire, you're in luck! Cheers, Mark. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Barneydhc82 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Mark: You make a few nasty comments about the Tiger Moth and its pumpkin head canopy...but unless you have flown one in the winter here in the Great White North, you really should keep your thoughts to yourself. I've owned and flown a Tiger Moth and without that canopy, there would not have been the vast numbers of pilots trained during WW2 because all of them would have been frozen before Lesson Plan 1 was completed. Many types of aircraft had to be modified for use during the winter months just to get the job done...and some times the Canadianization of a Brit aircraft turned out looking like my ex-wife but it was functional when needed. Barney Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Mark I am SO pleased that you have fallen for the biplanes..I expect GREAT things then.. Your Soppy Camel is coming along just fine and dandy.. Keep up the excellent work.. HOLMES ;) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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