It Floats and Flies

More pics

Here are the floats still need some clean up on the seams yet

Fuselage since the Albatros had a wooden fuselage I had to paint the inside Testors wood then dry brushed it with Tamiya XF-10 brown. I will also do the same for the out side when it is time to paint.

Cockpit seat sits to low I might fix it later.

Fuselage joined as you can see I have some filling to do not the best fit but not the worst.

Got all the parts cut out and cleaned up on the Bv. 238.  I taped it together to check for fit problems.  I think when people ask me what type of kit this is once I'm done, I'll say "putty".  Anyway, a couple of shots of the test fit:

From the test fit, there are a lot of fit issues.  One wingtip will need to be reconstructed (the top part is too small in length but too large in width), the engine nacelles will need lots of work, and the tail will need some reconstructive surgery.  Plus the fuselage will require some serious bracing and squaring up (you can see in the pictures how the top of the fuselage bows downward).  I'll also need to build a spar out of wood.  My usual trick of using a straight steel rod or piece of metal here won't work since the wings have too much dihedral.  Ahh, the joys of vac kits.

I've also figured out that I need to find a supply of leftover Bf. 109 engines - the engines on the Bv. 238  are a variant of those on the 109, and I really don't want to scratchbuild exhausts and propellers for all 6 engines.  Anyone got any ideas or any source of real cheap 1/72 scale 109 kits?

Bruce

Looks good David, just ordered mine today, cant wait to start it!

Nice work Bruce, that thing is a monster

lerxst1031 wrote:

Only the fuselage is molded clear, which makes the window installation easy!    I'm a little concerned about the seam on the windscreen though; there's a small gap between the windows, but it's a small one...

I wonder if maybe using some white glue to fill that gap might work - you could dab it on and then use a wet q-tip to even it out.  I've use that trick a couple of times before - I just have to remember not to wash that part of the model in water before I get it painted (oh no, didn't learn that one from experience at all).

Bruce

Looking goot bwr 1 going to be a nice looking aircraft once done.

Aurora-7 your build is looking good too.

Not much to update, filled in the seams so now I dont have any thing to work on today. Expect for building the wings.

Here's my progress: (sorry there's nly one pic, my internet is really slow, and it takes forever to upload to photobucket)  It's the Tamiya 1:48 A6M2-N "rufe". I just got this far last night.

Looks good Jaypack

More pics

got most of the fuselage sanded still needs some more yet.

here are the floats they were fun to aline.

shows were I had to drill holes to get the struts to fit in same for the wings also.

bwr1-  Awesome pics.  The BVv 238 is one of my favorite aircraft (it's big and rare- what's not to love?), and it's only been recently that I realized there was a kit for it.  I totally get it when you say your kit is made of putty.  My H-4 is the same exact way.

Two more things- the cheapest I've seen a Bf 109 kit is about $4.50 for the Airfix version, and the Academy version is about $8.00.  (Of course, shipping will bump both those prices up)  Second, even though this makes no difference now, I heard that Wings Models is set to release an improved vacuform kit of the Bv 238 with resin details, including the engines, in the summer of 2007.  I'm going to wait for that one.

Other than that, keep up the good work!

FrogFoot- Very nice nice progress.  Keep up the good work.

I only have an update I already posted in other Forums on this website.  I took a few comparison pics of a mostly complete H-4 mockup with a same scale B-17, and of a foot long ruler.  Enjoy!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/LHprs/compare1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/LHprs/compare2.jpg

The only major update for the forseeable future is a whole bunch of sanding.  Stay tuned! 

Lucien Harpress wrote:

bwr1-  Awesome pics.  The BVv 238 is one of my favorite aircraft (it's big and rare- what's not to love?), and it's only been recently that I realized there was a kit for it.  I totally get it when you say your kit is made of putty.  My H-4 is the same exact way. Two more things- the cheapest I've seen a Bf 109 kit is about $4.50 for the Airfix version, and the Academy version is about $8.00.  (Of course, shipping will bump both those prices up)  Second, even though this makes no difference now, I heard that Wings Models is set to release an improved vacuform kit of the Bv 238 with resin details, including the engines, in the summer of 2007.  I'm going to wait for that one. Other than that, keep up the good work!

Thanks!

And thanks for the info - I'll look into the Bf 109 kits.  Trouble is I need 6 kits.  I spent some time tonight cleaning up one of the nacelles, opening up the intakes and exhaust ports.  I may try to build a set of exhausts (6 - one side of the nacelle) to see how much effort it would be to make 12 sets (that's 72 total cylinders to deal with).  I found some good reference photos to work from.

Wings Models has a lot of interesting kits on their schedule, but I think the whole schedule slipped quite a bit when the owner suffered a ranching accident last year.  But if my building this kit leads to a better one being released, I'll take one for the team.  Won't be the first time.  I finished the Nimrod vac kit a couple of years ago, and now there's an injection molded one coming out.

Big is good.  I was working on an An-22 but put that aside to work on the Bv 238 and the An-225.  I also have an An-8 on the bench that's far enough along that I want to finish it rather than set it aside, so it's sucking up a fair amount of my time right now too.  That kit is also made of putty (three different kinds - I used it as a putty testbed, as well as using superglue and Mr. Surfacer on it)

Bruce

Aurora-7 wrote:

Dave, at your rate your gonna be done well before summer. Plenty of time to do another 'floater'

 I think I will start another one, once this one is done. The Rufe may get built yet or I will order up the late version of the Albatros this week.

Here is the fuselage painted with Testors Wood then dry brushed with Tamiya XF-10 Brown

Need to glue the engine in now and the guns and a few other parts.

Thanks Fred.

I am going to try to mix the doped color for the wings today, so I dont have to wait four days to get a bottle. Might as well paint the floats today also, pics later.

Here is the Albatros with the wings on now and floats

Messed up on the paint on the tail as you can see in the first pic, but lucky for me a decal covers that spot.

Tomorrow I will gloss coat the Albatros and decal Monday.

Aurora-7 wrote:

Look at this fictional floatplane fighter: http://www.scaleworkshop.com/workshop/monsoontm_1.htm

Aurora-7 wrote:

Fred, where'd you get that P-38 on floats? That'd be great to see done up as a model. Maybe for next year we should do a "What if it could Float and Fly" build.

Float Plane

One of the most unique aircraft designs during the war was with P-38 floatplane. It never came to fruition as an operational aircraft, and never was tested. This design called for a P-38 to be fit onto large floats while its regular landing gear was retracted. These floats would then be filled with fuel allowing the aircraft to be ferried across the pacific. Early in the war, the American aircraft presence in the Pacific was woefully inadequate. Bases still were using outdated aircraft such as the Brewster Buffalo, which were no match against Japanese fighters. There were heavy bombers such as the B-17, but they were not effective against moving shipping targets in the ocean. Though the Battle of Midway was a decisive victory, the aircraft being used were mismatched. The victory would be attributed to knowledge of Japanese codes, perfect timing, courage of the pilots, and plain luck. General Arnold knew that the American forces needed a boost in available, modern aircraft to fight the Japanese. By December 1942, P-38s were being used in operations in Buna and other locations in the southwest Pacific.

As with problems getting the aircraft to the field of battle in Europe, many were questioning how to get adequate numbers of aircraft to bases in the Pacific. The floatplane design in theory would allow P-38s to be able to fly extreme distances until it needed to refuel. This idea also called for the P-38s to make landings in protected waterways, where they would be refueled and resume their flight to their new base of operations. Once the P-38 was within range of the home base, explosive charges would remove the floats, and the aircraft would then land normally. One problem that needed to be addressed was the tail section. The tail would pose problems during takeoff and landing on the water. One way to address this problem was to raise the entire tail section. Wind tunnel tests revealed minimal performance loss. However, since the Battle of Midway put the Japanese on the defensive, it would not be dangerous to ship the new P-38s to Australia, where they would be ferried to their bases of operations. This idea never got off the drawing board, but a P-38 was tested with a raised tail. Kelly Johnson was interested to see how it would be affected by compressibility. No substantial results were obtained, and no further raised tailed P-38s were tested.

Hi all is it ok to do a model that is in another build? I am doing a PBY-5-A in RAF coastal command livery for the Battle of the Atlantic GB

and as for the P-38 floater heres some pics of one they actually built the F4F Wildcatfish

neat lookin lil bird huh?

If it's not too late, I'd like to jump in with a Matchbox D0-18 too...

            greg

Okay so I am way over committed on GB's this year.  But for about the past year I have p**sed and moaned about not having a personal connection to any of my builds.  You know like my uncle or grandfather flew this or drove that.

Well this build will solve that for me.  I want to jump on in with the Sword 1/72 Goose.  Registration number N781.  Flown by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game out of the Ketichican/Petersburg Area.  Warden Officer Ken Gilpin (my friend ad fishing/hunting buddy) is my inspiration.

I will post a photo this evening of the actual plane as well as give a breif description of the modifications done to this bird.