Although most USN ID models were 1/72 scale, some of the larger aircraft were done in 1/144. Jeremy and I will make a 1/144 scale version.
Lou
Patterns http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=977&fullsize=1
Plan http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pid=976&fullsize=1
Your a busy man Lou! After the novice airplane builds are you interested in doing the same with a waterline ship model?
Peter
Yes, after these three group builds.
Lou
Lou, thank you very much. I really appreciate you willingness to provide guidance. If we need to wait until you are done with the other two builds, I'm happy to do that.
I will review the tools that I have. I think I have everything I need to build this.
Jeremy
That will make into a neat little model subject.
Barry.
Jeremey, what do you have for tools and wood.
Lou
You'r in great demand Lou, I think your tutorials will have to be renamed Loutorials. Regards Paul J.
Or how about 'Vatourials' ! great material by any name.
Barry.
Lou,
I printed the plans and they size out ok.
Tools I have:
- Backsaw
- Coping Saw
- Razor Saw
- Xacto #11 knives
- Xacto woodcarving knife
- Sanding blocks and sand paper
- Chisel (needs sharpening)
- Dremel
- Microlathe (inherited from Dad, don't know how to use it)
- Rasp
- Woodburner
Other misc. tools that I'm not sure are relevant.
Wood I have
- Construction grade pine (2x4's)
- Basswood
- Dowels of various sizes
[
Jeremy
Thank you Jeremy. Have you printed the plan yet. Note that all measurements given will have to be halved for 1/144 scale. I will be the first to admit I have messed up many, many time before getting the right dimensions. I have the plan ready and think I have enough basswood to do this project. I purchased an 8 foot plank over 20 years ago and am down to the little bits and pieces. My current medium is clear pine.
Lou
Lou, I printed the rescaled plan you emailed me.
J
Hey Lou,
When you have some time can you email me the plan as well. After the Hampden maybe I'll putter along behind you guys.
Peter
Peter, done.
Lou
Thanks Lou
Peter
First thing is making the templates. I make more whenever I need them. I have also selected the pieces of wood that I will use. In this case it is all basswood. The templates are glued to cereal box cardboard and once dries I will cut them out using scissors and a hobby knife. I prefer using a hobby knife and a metal ruler to cut the straight parts such as the trailing edge of the wing.
Lou
Jeremy, the pieces of wood need not be exact as we will re-size them during the build. Post a photo once you have done your templates and selected your wood.
Lou
Lou, I glued and cutout the templates this afternoon. I took the picture before I saw your note about the wood. Do you want a picture of the basswood as well?
I measured the wingspan again. It comes out to 8 inches (a tick above 7.93). I think I can live with that.
Jeremy
Wait, I think I understand...you want me to go ahead and use the templates to make rough cuts of the wood? I'm sorry if I'm a tad slow on the uptake here.
So I've discovered a problem. The piece of basswood I wanted to use is not quite thick enough (couple cm's) for the body. This isn't a big deal, except that I live in the boondocks an hour from Hobby Lobby or those big box home improvement stores and I'm not sure whether the local hardware store carries basswood (I'll check tomorrow). Can I glue/laminate tw pieces of basswood together to make it thick enough? Couldn't I hide the seam with wood filler? Or does the body need to be a single piece in order to carve it?
Couldn't sleep so I cut out the parts. I'm finding basswood easier to carve than to cut and so I tried to minimalize the cuts and then shape the parts with a carving knife. I cut out two pieces for the body in case its okay to laminate them together and carve them.
I took pictures and will post them later.
Hi,
Lou and Barry are the experts. But I laminated two pieces together for my Hamden fuselage and three pices for the engine nacelles. It worked fine.
Peter
Laminating wood is fine everyone,sometimes you just need that extra bit of width etc and we cannot waste good timber,I am answering this for Lou on his behalf as I know we are all on different world clock timescales and if it helps you carry on then thats done the trick.
This is going to be a super little model of the DC-3.
Barry.
Most of my models have laminated parts, as like you a decent supply of wood is not readily at hand. When gluing, take care to line up the grain as best as possible to eliminate problems when carving. Make a block of your pieces. The fuselage block should be 3/4 X 13/16 X 5 1/2 inches. This will leave a bit for sanding. The tail fin should be 2 1/2 X 1 X 3/32. When finished the fin and rear stab will be 1/16 in thick. The finished wing will end up being 3/16. I will post photos tomorrow as I have commitments this afternoon and this evening.
Lou
Photos of last night's work. I was going to work on it tonight, but it didn't happen. I did laminate the two fuselage blocks together tonight and am letting it dry overnight.
Lou, I'll be going out of town tomorrow afternoon and will return Saturday. When I get back, I'll measure the blocks and make adjustments.
Jeremy
That is great Jeremy. I have started the blocks as per the attached photo. I can't for the life of me find my stabilizer template so I will have to make another.
Photo 1
The fuselage block is sanded square on the bench coarse sandpaper sheet. I will do this for each part to establish a base line.
Photo 2
Measuring the template against the block. It is going to be mighty close but the template outline just barely fits the wooden block
Photo 3
Can't find the stab template. Will print another.
Lou
Just as a point of clarification, Lou. It doesn't look like you are drawing a pencil outline of the template onto the wood. Is that correct?
Yes, for these tutorial. I also do templates where I don't glue then to cardboard but glue them directly to the blocks of wood. See some of our other projects for examples.
Lou
I usually wait until the piece of wood used for the part is flat and to the correct thickness, then I will make the outlines. The pieces you see in the photo are all wavy on one side as they are left over from another project and not to the correct size yet. My favorite tool is the chisel as it gives good control of the amount of wood you shave off. Once I get close to the desired thickness, the template will be used to drawing the part.
Lou
In cutting out the vertical fin care must be taken to the forward fin extension as it is fairly fragile until glued to the fuselage. Note that the cut is down and away from the direction of the grain. Cutting upwards in this case would probably crack the wood. Since my horizontal stab template is not complete we will move on to the fuselage on the next post.
Lou
The fuselage template is used to draw the outline on the block. Note in the second photo that my block is not cut straight and that the template cannot be drawn on both sides. It is preferred that the template is drawn on both sides if at all possible.
Lou
Take care to properly mark the slot for the horizontal tail plane. Mark it on both sides. This a good reason to have a square block at this point so you can measure distances and copy the image from one side to the next when you cannot use the templates.
Lou
Next secure the block in a vice or hold on to it carefully and cut the slot. I used a coping saw and then a hacksaw to widen the slot. Care must be taken with the coping saw as it will want to wander so work slow.
Once the slot id close to the size required, use a small file or sandpaper to finish off. The stab should be snug but not overly stiff in the slot. This will avoid cracking the aft fuselage. We perform this task now when the wood is thick and less likely to crack.
Lou
You may use a hobby knife or a chisel to cutout the outline of the rear fuselage as seen from the side. Work slowly taking a bit of wood at a time.
Lou
The front of the fuselage is a bit harder as we want to preserve the step window shape. I remove the majority of the wood with my chisel and then move to the hobby knife.
Lou
Once shaped to the side view profile, mark the center line on the fuselage. To draw the nose outline to have to hold the template horizontal and eye down the side to get the proper outline. I use a mechanical pencil with a long lead and then work on the lines freehand. The tail is fairly easy as it is possible of placing the template directly on the wood.
Lou
Using my favorite tool, the fuselage top profile is shaped to the drawn image. Once the majority of the wood is removed, the fuselage is sanded using the bench sandpaper sheet. As basswood is quite soft, a coarse piece of sandpaper will cut the materiel rather quickly so be careful when sanding with low grit paper.
Lou
As a confirmation of the correct outline, you may cutout the top view and use the outer outline to place against the model. This "female" template should be tight against the fuselage otherwise we have removed too much materiel.
Lou
I had to laminate the wing block to get the proper cord depth. These glue joints must be left to dry at least overnight. I use white carpenter glue but have tried many others in the past. If doing so in future, always line up the grain of the wood to be parallel to each other.
Lou
The trailing edge was sanded smooth and straight before adding the outline of the wing. Once things were dry I cut close to the outline and sanded the rest on my bench sandpaper.
Lou
As basswood is rather soft and so easy to sand especially when it is as thin as this, care must be taken not to remove too much wood. So, a few swipes and check, swipe and check will avoid heartaches. Note the direction of the sanding operation is represented by the arrows.
Lou
Trimming the tips can be done using a shape knife as we are cutting at a steep angle. Always cut so that if the knife slips, the split will occur going away from the part. Again I cut close to the line and then finish with the sanding block.
Lou
Time for a progress report. The stab is merely placed in the slot and the vertical fin is held by a straight pin from the bottom up. Up to this point everything is in block form.
Lou
PS the main wing edges have yet to be sanded.
Tonight I chiseled a little too much from the fuselage block. I tried to fix it by laminating a thin piece of basswood to the block, but may have instead created a big, gloopy mess. Will know more in the morning
In the light of day, the fuselage block looks OK. I struggled with the chisel last night. I wasn't able to get the wing as smooth as I wanted and I still have a significant amount of sanding to do. The fuselage block was easier once I put it into my vice, but I chiseled a tad too much. Will post pictures when I have a chance.
Lou, I have a piece of basswood that is 1/16 inch thick. I'm going to use it for the fin and stabilizer unless you feel that for practice and learning purposes I should thin out the pieces I had already cut out.
Jeremy
Jeremy
Adding slabs of wood to fix errors is entirely acceptable and common, at least on my models. Check out the early photos in my thread on the P-80A I restored a couple of years ago.
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/SMF/index.php?topic=700.0
Carry on!
Mark
Adding pieces is a way of life for modellers as Mark mentioned. Check out the Hampden nacelles. Using a pre-processed piece of wood is great if you have the piece on hand. I am always on the look out for thin pieces such paint stir sticks from your local hardware/paint store. Canadain Tire even had basswood sticks with straight grain at just over 1/8 inch thick. They make ideal pieces for wings on smaller 1/144 scale models. Check out the Small Gem build on my board. I also use re-cycled baseboards for the majority of my 1/350 scale ships.
Lou
Quote from: lastvautour on November 12, 2013, 04:58:45 PM
Adding pieces is a way of life for modellers as Mark mentioned. Check out the Hampden nacelles. Using a pre-processed piece of wood is great if you have the piece on hand. I am always on the look out for thin pieces such paint stir sticks from your local hardware/paint store. Canadain Tire even had basswood sticks with straight grain at just over 1/8 inch thick. They make ideal pieces for wings on smaller 1/144 scale models. Check out the Small Gem build on my board. I also use re-cycled baseboards for the majority of my 1/350 scale ships.
Lou
Thanks for the advice Mark and Lou. I took pictures this afternoon of last night's work, but am currently at the office and will have to post later. I have the right thickness for for the fuselage block, but need to chisel off some of the height. I am a bit wide on the wing.
Before proceeding any further, I think the next order of business will be to build a bench hook and see if that makes it easier for me to use the chisel.
Indeed, bench hooks are an essential tool nobody should be without. I struggled for years until I saw one done on the site.
Lou
I should probably wait to post until I have something to show...but dude...that bench hook makes chiseling ALOT easier.
Congratulations Jeremy! I think your the first person to use the word "dude" on SMM! I agree the bench hook makes life easier. I thinking of making a longer one for larger models in the future.
Peter
Making the horizontal tail plane requires to thin the wood down to approx. 2mm. Cut out the shape leaving the trailing edge scallops alone for now. Mark the center line of the edge face and sand to shape as per the photo. I preferred holding the stab half way over the bench paper sheet for this. Keep checking frequently as you go along.
Lou
PS ignore the photo title. A moment of senility.
I somehow did not get a photo of rounding off the leading and trailing edges. Here is the stab inserted to the rear fuselage. Note the shape of the stab. The leading edge is just rounded off using fine sand paper and the trailing edge is sanded from about the center point of the stab to the trailing edge using a gentle slope.
Lou
Progress has been slow...between work, small kids and a wife in school, I've only been able to snatch a few hours hear and there.
Pictures in this post were taken November 12 of work done late at night on Nov. 11. I attempted to chisel the wings and fuselage without the benefit of a bench hook. Things ended up pretty rough. I had chiseled too much off the size of the fuselage and so laminated a thin (1/16 inch) piece to make it a bit wider. This experienced convinced me to build a bench hook, which I did a few days later and had an easier time with it.
The bench hook is a quick and dirty build from wood I had laying around. Someday, I'd like to build something larger and a bit nice, but for now, it does the job.
On November 16, I smoothed out the sides with 150 grit sandpaper and the chisel/bench hook. The fuselage isn't perfect, but I thought I could proceed. The wing was rather chewed up. The plan is to smooth it out to under 3/16 inch and then laminate a 1/16 inch piece of basswood to bring it back to the right thickness. I could always carve out a completely new wing, but I'm trying to be careful with the amount of wood I am using, since I don't have an easy source of basswood. For now, I've put the wing aside to focus on the fuselage.
The last bit of work took place Nov. 20 and 21.
I traced the outline of the templates with a mechanical pencil onto the wood. It's a close fit and one side is rougher than I want it to be...but I figure that paint and wood filler will help hide some of my mistakes and I should give myself some grace considering that this is the first solid scale model I've ever built.
At this point, using a chisel to create a smooth surface has been the most challenging aspect of the build and an area where I can use more practice.
I put the fuselage into my vice and cut out the slot for the stabilizer with a coping saw and a miniature flat hobby file. I do have an old hacksaw that I inherited which will need a new blade and I should go ahead and get one before my next model. I had some issues with the cut and part of it on one side is not as straight as I would like. I did test fit a 1/16 piece of basswood and it does fit. :)
Using a chisel and my wood carving hobby knife, I have shaped the two ends. The last picture is the current status.
Lou, I've been reducing these pictures to 500px wide. If you'd like the pictures to be a bit bigger, let me know.
Jeremy
The bench hook is fine. Mine are also scrap wood that was of no use for carving. The fuselage block is looking good. I recommend a sheet of 80 grit sandpaper for use on your bench. Tack in the corners to hold it in place. I bent mine over the end and used pins to hold it down. Place your wing and sand at an angle to get it to the proper thickness.
I am currently uploading a few videos on shaping the wing but they will not be ready until tomorrow.
Lou
PS Disregard the fuselage as I just want to show you the sheet of sandpaper.
Next we round off the fuselage to shape. Look at the attached drawing of the cross section. This is the Mosquito but the principle is the same. Take you cross section at its widest and make off the triangular section as shown. Run lines down the length of the fuselage as per the attached photo.
Lou
Remove the triangular shape created by the lines.
Lou
Now subdivide the flat area created and the area between the center line of the fuselage and the edge of the new flat area. From now on we are working strictly with the top of the fuselage only.
Lou
Note that the two new lines form a triangular shape. I used a blue marker to illustrate the material to be removed.
Lou
I prefer the chisel most of the time. Remove the marked area and do so on both sides.
Lou
Now do the same using the bottom edge of the flat area draw a line approx. 2mm below the peak. Using the line already drawn in the center of the flat area, remove the triangular shape formed.
Lou
Yes the chisel is a very versatile tool provided you keep them really keen.
Barry.
Now take your sanding block and using medium sandpaper round off the fuselage top. Leave the rear and front fuselage alone for now.
Lou
This is what we should have now.
Lou
Place lines at the rear fuselage dividing the sections as shown. Carefully remove the triangular shapes and sand using the block or sheet method. You can take the cross section template to compare the shape. Note that we have yet to do the bottom fuselage. That will be done after we mate the wing to the fuselage.
Lou
Once the top fuselage is an approximation of what you want, continue on the cockpit window area. Cut out the nose section template and use it to outline the forward base of the cockpit windows. Next cut out the windshield from the template and draw out the top of the windshield pattern.
Lou
Continue by applying the side template to the fuselage and mark the lower corner of the windshield. Next lining up with the base of the windshield line cut vertically from the center of the outer edge. The vertical cut should line up with the two arrow points. The second set of photo shows what you should end up with. Repeat for the other side. At time this will not line up properly so take your time and a bit of trimming here and there will sort things out. The characteristic windshield makes the model. I am uploading a video of making the windshield and will post as soon as it is ready.
Lou
Windshield Video
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/th_DouglasDC-3CockpitWindows_zpsbb3c1cf9.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/DouglasDC-3CockpitWindows_zpsbb3c1cf9.mp4)
Lou
After having cut down the windshield, mark lines on either side of the top and bottom corners of the nose piece. Remove the wood to roughly form the nose cone. Sanding will be done later.
Lou
Good window explanation tutorial Lou,those vital cuts explained as you work both ways both downwards against the grain and then with the grain on the nose,it takes time to build up the confidence in areas like that.
Barry.
Now we will move n to the wings. Once the wood is flat, draw the template and cut it out. Once that is done, mark the area we want to remove to make the wing taper. Do so for both front and back. Using your chisel, slowly shave the areas we want to remove to get that taper. The tip should be approx. 1mm thick at this point.
Lou
Airfoil shape of the DC-3 is relatively simple. Click on image for video instructions.
Lou
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/th_DC-3WingAirfoil_zps14a02eab.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/DC-3WingAirfoil_zps14a02eab.mp4)
Excellent explanatory video of wing shaping Lou,you show great dexterity with the humble chisel.
Barry.
Shaping the bottom wing with sandpaper and wooden block.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/th_DC-3WingBottomAirfoil_zps9c6fdd27.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/DC-3WingBottomAirfoil_zps9c6fdd27.mp4)
Lou
Once the wing has taken shape, we ready ourselves for fitting of the nacelles. I prefer to mark from one side and then flip the template over and do the lines over again. I will take the medium lines to cut the part out.
Lou
Cutting away the nacelle slot begins with a cut to the center of the nacelle area. Using a hobby knife remove the wood from the nacelle area.
Lou
I used a 7/16 dowel to make the nacelles or it can be done from scratch. Cut out the pattern and mark the nacelle shape. I waited until the shape was carved before cutting the front face of the nacelle. This allowed for errors in cutting the shape.
Lou
Once the top profile is done, test fit to the wing. The fit should be snug. The parts are just placed for show.
Lou
Placing the template for the side view of the nacelle, draw the shape of the nacelle's top and bottom. Cut slowly to avoid taking too much away. This is my second set of nacelles (so far).
Lou
Frequently check the side profile so it fits the thickness of the wing. Next draw a line 1/16 inch from the edge of the face and 1/6 inch from the edge of the cowl side. This will give you a guide in beveling the front edge of the nacelle.
Lou
I think this is a much better way of making nacelles than the slipper method whereby you have to cut the wing shape in the nacelle itself,many wartime kits and plans used that tricky and sometimes unworkable method,Lous way also lends itself to better adjustment as well.
Barry.
This method is part of the WWII ID model plan for the DC-3. I think that there were several hands involved in making up the plans and none communicated to each other, hence such a variety of way to build and assemble these models. Regardless, there are no rules saying one method cannot be used on another model. My preferred method is to build the dihedral into the wing at time of carving and notch both the fuselage and wing to mate the pieces. For these tutorials I try to stay in line with the plans as much as possible. Once one method is mastered, the novice can pick and choose which way to proceed.
At this point I have glued the nacelles. To ensure they aligned with each other I placed small skewers on a flat surface, place the wing on top and placed the nacelles on the flat surface. That gave me the proper height of the nacelle in relation to the wing and also aligned the center line of the nacelle with the flat bottom of the wing. Pictures to follow.
Lou
Gluing and puttying were separated by a day and photographed to demonstrate the method used to align the nacelles. The front edges of the nacelles were rounded off with sandpaper.
Lou
The fuselage saddle area was carved using the hobby knife. I removed to much materiel and had to add some putty to fill the void. So now the four major assemblies are just about ready for final fit and then glue. Items such as scoops, carburetor intakes and wheels will be added after putty and sanding of the major assemblies.
Lou
I recently saw a picture in an old aviation magazine that shows a table full of these models awaiting delivery to the U.S.Navy,in fact it was several tables crammed with models that the college had built,this is the first evidence that I have seen of actual models that have been built on the scheme.
Barry.
The bottom of the leading edge area inside the nacelles is marked for rounding off. You may use a hobby knife or just sandpaper as the basswood is easy to sand. Don't be shy with the glue as you glue the fuselage to the wing.
Lou
Keep checking that the fuselage is centered on the two nacelles regardless of the marks on the wing. Clamp with elastic bands or a wood clamp to ensure nothing moves during he curing of the glue.
Lou
The cut out areas on the tail feathers that are next to the fuselage are done using sandpaper and a round dowel or paint brush handle. Run the paper back and forth round the dowel to ensure it lays down to the handle/dowel surface. A few GENTLE strokes will give good results. The WWII ID plans do not show the rudder as being done in this fashion, however picture show it as a prominent feature of the Dak.
Lou
Lou the strange rudder and elevator cut outs on the DC-3 are to compensate in the asymetric mode,Mr Douglas got everything just right on the venerable Dak.
Barry.
I glued two triangles 1mm thick. They are slightly oversize for the filets, but they will be sanded down to shape when dry.
Lou
Way to go Lou,these little trianguler fillets work well.
Barry.
The video has a few still shots with no voice over. This describes the method I use to do small filets.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/th_DC-3MainWingfilets_zps3caa9333.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v435/Vautour/DC-3MainWingfilets_zps3caa9333.mp4)
Lou
Assembling the tail feathers is fairly simple. Ensure the wings are aligned. Sanding the slot a bit here and there will allow you to straighten out the tail plane. Wipe off the excess glue as it will want to pull the stab during the drying phase.
Lou
Once dry, apply a small amount of putty or filler to fill any gaps between the parts. Once dry, carefully sand the excess away leaving a smooth transition between parts. I have failed to include that a small piece of scrap wood is glued to the tail end to make the cone. The grain of the cone is front to rear and sanded to shape once dry.
Lou
Although not part of the WWII ID, I have elected to place undercarriage on my Dak to fit in with the other United Nations aircraft in my collection. As my printer is not cooperating lately, I purchased CanMilAir decal # 334 http://www.canmilair.com/products.asp?cat=130&pg=7
The undercarriage is made up of two slices of 3/8 dowel and the structure is bamboo sticks from a place mat. I will post close up photo shortly.
Lou
'ID Undercarriage plus' a new category Lou,as a young lad when I got hold of any recognition models they were given similar undercarriages so that touch and go landings could be made on my model airfield.
You have got the sit of the old Gooney bird just right,it looks very effective.
Barry.
Very nice build Lou, I think the DC-3 is a real aeroplane in every sense, and still working hard today. Best regards Paul J.
We have just lost our locally based Dakota to a company in Germany who are going to use it for pleasure flying,here in the UK there have been restrictions on such use ever since the CAA stipulated armour plate front crew door and escape chutes for them,these are fine for modern airliners but not Dakotas that have wheels that protude so a wheels up landing you can easily jump to the ground,also the heavy expensive crew doors would lower the number of passengers to be carried making things unviable.
However plans are afoot to bring the Dak back for such purposes after lengthy negotiations with the airworthiness authorities,its all such a silly idea in the first place to compare old airliners with modern metal tubes.
Long live the venerable Douglas DC-3.
Barry.
High jack a Dak? I hope he/she is in no hurry to get anywhere. There must be a grandfather clause there somewhere. Regardless, progress is being made. White rattle can primer rather than grey as the entire airplane will be semi-gloss white.
Lou
The undercarriage is simply .75mm bamboo sticks for the vertical struts and .75mm half round for the actuating mechanism. If you do not have materiel that is the proper size, use bamboo BBQ skewers and sand down to size. The parts are glued on to the wheel. The half round parts are bent to shape after the glue has completely dried. In this case I used super glue.
The tail wheel is a 1mm slice of 1/8 dowel. The strut is a piece of scrap sanded to a wedge shape. The strut starts 3mm wide, 10mm long and 2mm at the thick end of the wedge. At the pointy end of the wedge use a 1mm saw blade or sandpaper folded over to make a slot to accept the tail wheel. Glue the wheel into place and let dry. Now carefully shave or sand the strut so that there is only approx. .25mm material on either side of the wheel. With a hobby knife or sandpaper reduce the thickness of the strut above the wheel to approx. 1mm. Compare the side view to the drawing on the plan page
Lou
I think this goes to show that undercarriages need not be daunting subjects if tackled in a similar way to this,for my tail wheels I use tiny auto seals that you can get in pound/dime stores enough seals in a big box to make many wheels,I either plug the centre with wooden dowel or even two part auto filler pushed in to create its own rim and the tyre never comes off,for WW1 biplane wheels use buttons and fill the extra holes then make a disc of domed wood that epoxies onto the button.
Barry.
Thank you Barry. For you novices and novices to be, don't be afraid to experiment. Buttons, grommet/seals or dowel slices are all option available when making wheels and I am sure there are more ideas out there. My intention is to make a reasonable facsimile. I know it is not perfect and I don't consider myself a serious builder. That would take the fun out of it and I would never finish anything.
Lou
A picture is = 1000 words so here's 2000 words on the DC-3 tail wheel assembly. The shape of the strut is outlines on the wedge. Using a larger piece gives you something to hand on to while carving and sanding. Once done you can cut off what you need.
Lou
Two photos of the tail wheel in place. Painting will be a delicate operation.
Lou
Application of Krylon gloss white. The trick is to get sort of a semi gloss so go easy on the coat of paint. The CanMilAir decals have been received and now cabin and cockpit windows must be printed. The scoop are extras not part of the plans. They are made with scrap wood.
Lou
Lou is this the first ever Bonaventure deck landing of a DC-3 ? you have some good pilots in your air force.
Barry.
I have posted to my other group to see if anyone ever heard of landing a Dak on a carrier. I know the Americans landed a Herc but a Dak would have trouble with the take off.
Regardless, progress is being made as well as messes. I screwed the deicer boots when the paint got under the tape. They have been removed and reapplied. One word to all, tape and freshly applied decals are not friendly to each other.
Lou
I have since found out that USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) launched some USN R4Ds with JATOs. It does not mention it, but I assume they were loaded at dock side as they also show some C-45s on deck as well.
Lou
Lou,
In 2014 SMM Completed Solid Model Builds, my spitfire and mustang are at a 1:50 scale not a 1:72 scale.
P.S I would have posted this in 2014 SMM Completed Solid Model Builds but it would not let me.
Biggles.
I will make adjustments. I have the admin key to posting photos.
Lou
The deicer boots are all painted on as well as the antiglare panel. It would have made it easier if you paint the panel first and then add the window decal. Live and learn. Once the panel is dry I will tackle the decals from CanMilAir. They look great. I have started carving plugs for the prop blade as I wish to have the engines turn off in the hangar.!!!! At 1/144 they are fairly small but doable.
Lou
Those de-icer boots make a big difference Lou,a good tip for the future is to use artists acrylic tube paint black,it looks just like rubber when dry and being impasto does not creep under the masking tape making it a pleasure to use.
Barry.
Roll out 31 Jan 2014.
Lou
CanMilAir decals worked out very well. I made and added the doors decals.
Lou
looks great Lou!
Biggles
That looks stunning Lou,the DC-3 has served the United Nations well landing on un-prepared airstrips,very nice scheme and decals.
Barry.
Thank you both. I remember seeing the DC-3 flying over our village. Early in my military career I recall trying to relieve myself in the lavatory(small closet) on a rough flight to Gander Newfoundland. Bad idea.
Lou
Jeremy, have not heard from you in a while. How is your DC-3 coming along?
Lou
Looks great Lou, looks great on Flikr as well with the others in your new hangar. Regards Paul J.
Thank you Paul.
Lou
Quote from: lastvautour on February 02, 2014, 09:29:16 PM
Jeremy, have not heard from you in a while. How is your DC-3 coming along?
Lou
Lou,
I'm really sorry that I dropped off for a while. I just went through a high stress work-related crisis that took all my time and energy and benched all of my projects. I'm a number of steps behind and I will need to pick it up again.
You've done a really fantastic job.
Jeremy
Thank you Jeremy. I hope you are able to return to your DC-3 soon.
Lou
Nothing worse than that Jeremy,I hope that everything works out for you and you can return to building again.
Barry.