Academy 1-32 Sopwith CAMEL --WIP-- FINISHED 4-29-17

gregbale - 

Bravo sir.....it looks great. I will be watching this one. 

I love how you built up your PE.  What a great job.

Toshi

Thanks, Hunter and Toshi! I know the kit leaves a lot to be desired---not sure how gung-ho I'll be to try to fix the grossly overdone wing-rib detail, for instance---but a nice 'pit is always a good place to start.

The Part etch set also has some nice external detail, like fuselage stitching and what looks like a nifty (and much-needed) tail skid, so it should be fun. Haven't decided on the scheme yet---I've got one good AM sheet, and a few other possibilities. Kit decals include mkgs. for Roy Brown's machine, but as Academy decals can be...er...problematic, that's not necessarily a front-runner. We'll see....

Some really delicate loking work there. Whats the seat made of, it loks like real wicker.

Bish

Some really delicate loking work there. Whats the seat made of, it loks like real wicker.

It's some of the very nice etch from the Part set...just given a wash and dry-brush.

Cheers

Marvelous, intricate work there.

Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know what that sort of lamp looking thing is on the IP?

1943Mike

Marvelous, intricate work there.

Just out of curiosity, do you happen to know what that sort of lamp looking thing is on the IP?

Thanks.

According to a marvelous period photo I found on the Cross and Cockade discussion site---which was sent home by a pilot at the front to his brother, actually numbering and 'calling out' the cockpit features---it is a 'pulsator to register oil feed to the engine.' It was probably easier to do it with a 'bubble' than a gauge, I suppose.

Last few shots before the fuselage is 'buttoned up,' showing control lines and instrument panel in place. (The photos show the Part single-thickness photo-etch gun-mount frame in front of the upper IP, but it's a little anemic-looking; I think I'll switch it out for one made of styrene rod.)

Kit engine is quite good, though alignment and cleanup of the cooling fins on the cylinders is always a challenge. The kit's included push-rod assembly part had the rods a bit oddly-shaped and flat, so I kept the hub and cut off the rods themselves, then drilled out and replaced with styrene rod sections.

The Part photoetch includes a nice ignition-wire harness---but since the kit engine doesn't have any spark-plugs, I drilled out the cylinder tops for the fittings, and will make the plugs themselves from styrene rod with a 'sleeve' of brass tubing around the middle to approximate the shape. Here's the 'set' of spark plugs before being cut into individual bits.

That's it for the present. I've started fuselage cleanup but nothing photo-worthy so far.

I think I've nailed down the scheme I'll be using, so I'll have to do a small custom decal job for some special markings---I've played with the artwork, but nothing printed yet.

I really love the office on this. You made it look just like I think it would back in the day. Nicely modeled!

Nice work.

Oh My Gosh !   I'm not into WWI stuff but this is incredable detail. I 'll be watching with great interest and learning all the way.  TY so much for posting your hard work here.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind words.

I had a fairly 'typical' moment of modeling frustration, assembling the fuselage, when the delicate control lines---which fit smoothly and easily the 30+ times I'd test-fitted and re-test-fitted, before---decided to buckle against some invisible protrusion when the fuselage was actually put together. I managed to reattach everything...from a 'distance' with my beloved cross-lock tweezers...but it's not quite as pretty as it was. (I'll spare myself the chagrin of providing photos.)

On a more positive note, the engine is painted and plumbed. I used what has become my 'standard' treatment for these old radials: Testors 'square bottle' steel for the main color, with a thin wash of the same brand's 'lime gold' to give that slightly yellow-metallic 'castor oil' sheen on top. Then when all that is well-dry, I follow with the usual acrylic washes of assorted black/gray/brown as the mood strikes. The p-e ignition harness isn't quite as 'taut' as it probably should be, but here's the end-result:

I went ahead and 'bit the bullet,' starting to sand down the way-too-pronounced ribs on the wings and control surfaces---lower wings done, no pics yet, but it's a significant improvement; I'll post 'before and after' shots (if I remember to photograph the top wing before I 'attack' it.)

The Part p-e set also includes parts for the inspection windows on the wings, meaning I should probably chisel those out and detail them accordingly. We'll see.

I printed my 'custom' decal, haven't sealed it yet, but it looks like it should do nicely.

Thanks to all who've taken the trouble to look in or comment.

Beautiful engine, Greg.

jeaton01

Beautiful engine, Greg.

Thank you, John.

Such nice work, that engine looks stunning.

BK

Thanks, Brandon.

Here are the 'before and after' pics of the wing ribs, probably the worst single feature of the kit in that they're not just overdone, but rather strange-looking. Well-doped wings of this era's planes are surprisingly smooth and featureless, but I confess that as a 'model' rather than a perfect-scale reproduction, some wing-rib detail 'looks' right. In any case, rather than attempt perfect facsimiles---I'm pretty sure the WNW kits will have that covered---I just decided to 'knock down' the molded kit detail a bit to leave an indication of the structure, and get on with the project. An hour's work, starting with 60-grit sandpaper and working smaller, and I achieved a level of 'softening' I could live with.

(Pics are obviously with bottom wing ribs 'knocked down,' top wing not yet done. Note also numerous mold-release 'dimples' that needed to be dealt with.)

I've started to do wood bits, as can be seen in above photos.

Greg, very nice work! Thanks for sharing. I'll be keeping up with you here. Looking forward to seeing how this comes out. I especially like the chair. Often thought of how I'd tackle one myself.

Added a nice subtle wood grain to the cockpit panels:

And decide to go ahead and chisel out the wing cable inspection ports and add pulleys. These will be covered by the Part photo-etch covers later on.

I also pulled out the machine guns and started test-fitting, and ran into an interesting 'issue.' Report is here. [Can't seem to get the link to work. URL is : http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_subjects/f/2/t/174576.aspx]

Onward and upward.

Guns, guns, guns...

I mentioned in a separate post the problem with the Academy kit machine guns. Though acceptably detailed, they're molded with great freaking lugs on top of the jackets---which turn out to be locating pins, since, I kid you not, the kit instructions clearly direct you to install the machine guns upside-down.

Needless to say, this wasn't going to happen.

The Part photo-etch set I'm using has very nice jackets and facings for the guns (including ring sights) as well as tiny roll-to-shape muzzle pieces that frankly didn't look as good as the kit's molded muzzles, so I cut those off and used them as well as the receiver portions of the guns. Et Voila!

I should note that I changed the positions of the cocking levers from that in the above photos to the more typical Camel installation angled downward. Here are the altered guns, painted and given a bit of dry-brushing for tone:

Painting and personal markings on the fuselage are pretty much done, with roundels setting even as I type. Wings are also painted, but awaiting texturing and weathering. Photos to follow.

Here are the pics.

Nearly-completed fuselage, in the markings of Flt. Sub-Lt. Harold F. 'Kiwi' Beamish, No. 3 Naval Sq., Furnes, Belgium, September 1918. All markings from kit (roundels) or spares (stripes and asstd. letters/nos.), except his personal marking of the iconic 'silver fern' emblem of his beloved New Zealand, which I made from a tweaked online image of...well, a silver fern.

And the installed guns. The 'Aldis sight' is probably a bit too short; I may fix it.

That's it for the present. I've decided on a new (and possibly foolish) rigging method that I've never used before, which I'll elaborate on shortly.

Thanks to all for looking in.

Sweet mercy! 

Outstanding! 

Kevin

Thanks, guys.

Sorry, i seem to have lost track with this one. Thanks for the info on the seat, can't believe that PE. Some lovely modelling here, good call on those wing ribs, they looked more like fences a horse would jump over.

Bish

Sorry, i seem to have lost track with this one. Thanks for the info on the seat, can't believe that PE. Some lovely modelling here, good call on those wing ribs, they looked more like fences a horse would jump over.

Thanks, Bish.

As nice as the Part parts relief looks in its 'raw' state, it still amazes me how it 'pops' to a more 3-D appearance with some judicious dry-brushing and a bit of wash for depth. Much easier than weaving one's own---which I've actually tried, having seen it done brilliantly online---though without quite as much success.

Cheers

Back on track after a short 'detour' for my mini-Greyhound Bus (which was basically to fill the gap while the oil-paint weathering on this one was getting nice and dry).

Lower wings to fuselage, gear struts and photo-etched tail skid on; she's beginning to actually look like a 'bird.'

Also, though nearly impossible to see in these photos, I added a small extension to the Aldis sight. Should have cabane struts on next to check upper wing fit and alignment, then main struts and rigging. Woohoo!

Holy cow, Greg. That is really impressive work all around! 

Thanks for sharing this build! :)

M. Brindos

Holy cow, Greg. That is really impressive work all around! 

Thanks for sharing this build! :)

Thanks, Mike. If I can manage to keep everything squared-up and even-keel---something that wasn't so easy on the last Camel I did, the Eduard 1/48 offering---she should come out 'a bit of alright,' as our UK friends might say.

I appreciate the kind words.

Looking good, Greg.