DeHavilland Rapide

Who makes the kit, Don?

Hi,

Can't wait to see your build.  The Rapide is such an "interesting" lookin plane

Pat

I'm wondering if it's the Veeday kit that I have.

I o ly ever have built the little Heller kit but it was a nice model. I did once find and build a little resin kit of a very similar Italian aircraft. In fact I used a Heller kit for some of the parts like wheels and props.

I’ve seen a 1/48 vac kit but this doesn’t appear to be that one.

fotofrank

Who makes the kit, Don?

 

Oh, sorry.  It is an Airfix kit.  So far seems like a nice kit.

Got the interior inside the starboard fuselage half.

Decals drawn, hope to print them today.

The stripes and reg number, and airline name were from scratch, in layer above original image.  The images down below were cleaned up from original drawing from google image search.

sharkbait

Strangely enough, in a box down in the basement, I have all the tech drawings to install floats on one. Cheers.

 

Interesting!  I have never seen a picture of one on floats, even when I did a google image search.

DeHavilland  of Canada used EDO floats made by Fairchild of Canada under license.  I had the first photo of a Dragon Rapide on floats below and found some others.  I think the text on the nose of the second is The Globe Mail.  I don't think any UK Rapides were on floats.  My best guess is the floats were Xa 5400 EDO floats as on Bellanca Skyrocket or Wb 5030 as on Stinson SR-9F Reliant. 

One forum had a post saying that these registrations were float equipped: CF-AVD, CF-AYE, CF-BBH, CF-BND, CF-BNG, CX-ABI, SE-BTA, Peruvian AF 438.

The aircraft is listed in early IDF order. I think one got shot down.

Hey Don ;

 You dastardly Chap ! Now you've got me wanting another model I really don't have room for ! 

Thanks, John.  It is still a pretty bird even sitting on floats!

Tankerbuilder- you should have room for this one- the Rapide is not a big aircraft.  The fuselage at 1:72 scale is less than six inches long.

BTW, I realized I had screwed up the decals- had two left sides!  Plus the red was too dark.  Had to redo it yesterday, got them printed.  They have to dry a day, then another day for the overcoating.  Plus, I discovered the upper wing is the wrong color- need to mask off the fuselage and spray the upper wing light gray!

Got the Rapide all painted now.

I intend to apply the decals before I glue the lower wing and nacelles to the rest.  I think doing the fuselage stripe will be easier than struggling along in the gap between the two wings.

Having more trouble with the decals.  When I sealed them they ran/bled like crazy.  Either Testors has changed the chemistry of their glosscoat, or Epson has changed the chemistry of their inks. I have never had trouble before with that combo.  I suspect the Glosscoat, as it now takes longer to dry than it used to.

Almost done!  I broke off an exhaust stack and lost it- have to make a replacement, and there are a few bad spots in paint near rigging termination points, but the gray color is a custom mix that I will have to mix up again.  But those spots are on bottom and don't show very much.  Here are a couple of grab shots.  Busy weekend ahead, maybe get some better shots middle of next week.

Hi,

That turned out great.  The Rapide is such an interesting looking plane and your build looks exceptional.

Pat

Great looking ship Don! I had one years ago but never built it---

Andy

Well done. Don.  More pictures!

Cool little bird!  Nice livery too

Interesting build article in the January 2018 issue of Airfix Model World.   During the 1950s there were several Rapides used by an air advertising company in London which used them as flying billboards.  The build includes a simulation of the underwing neon tubes advertising the musical 'Kiss Me Kate'.  Several other ads are also available from Tasman Products.    Fluorescent powder paint lights the tubes.  The build describes how the modeler improved the replacement windows and painted to highlight the stitching of the fabric skin.  

When I first came to Florida in the summer 1973, I went to a fly-in at a little grass strip, out near Zellwood, I think. Almost the very first airplane I saw that day was a Rapide! It was in the pattern coming in for a landing. I remember it being gray with red accents. Such a beauty. I think it was owned by Kermit Weeks.

Beautiful build, Don.

Hey Don ;

 That is very pretty for an unusual bird .

Don Stauffer

Almost done!  I broke off an exhaust stack and lost it- have to make a replacement, and there are a few bad spots in paint near rigging termination points, but the gray color is a custom mix that I will have to mix up again.  But those spots are on bottom and don't show very much.  Here are a couple of grab shots.  Busy weekend ahead, maybe get some better shots middle of next week.

 

 

Awesome work, Don!!