Ken,
I've enjoyed your Oscar build photos on the gallery. Using bamboo is a good idea. I've always used pins or wire, or sometimes toothpicks, but I was always nervous making the wood thinner than that. Bamboo seems like it would be stronger than a toothpick, and a package of bamboo skewers would last a long time.
Garet
Thanks Garet and Lou. I will do a step-by-step here. Hopefully the pics are not too big to use on the forum. Large pics are good because you can actually see something but they slow things down. I guess at least one large scale pic walkthrough will be good to have on the board for those beginnning the hobby. Actually, the Oscar was my first attempt at a solid on my own, the other being the kit from Propellor Models. A lot of lessons learned went into this model. I want to get an efficient process for models this size so I can crank out all my favorites.
Ken Pugh
The Oscar, Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, was my choice for the Japanese Cookup. It is 1/72 scale. The paint scheme was a colorful one I found on the internet but I don't know any details about the original. I will provide the link to the photos and you can click on them yourself as you follow along. Just click on the pic link and it will open in a separate window you can refer to as you read the post. They appear to be too big to include in the post.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar22.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-342 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-342)
The model is made of basswood and completely hand-painted. I have an airbrush and can use it, but it gets to be aggravating pulling it out and cleaning up afterwards. I enjoy just hand-painting the models.
I get all my drawings from the internet and scale them to size with Paintshop Pro. I usually print out several copies and a couple of copies on cardstock to use as templates throughout the project.
The sub-assemblies are cut out and you can see from this pic that the fuselage is already draw onto the wood.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar01.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-465 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-465)
I like to make my fuselage of two pieces vice just one. The advantages are that you always have an accurate centerline no matter how much carving you do and you can draw the template on the inside as well. This one is drawn in red but I have refined that to drawing around the template in black ink, then drawing inside the black line with red ink. As I am carving/filing/sanding, if I see a black line, I am close to the template size. When I see red, it's time to stop because I have reached the exact size. You will notice two small holes where I will put dowels to key the pieces together. Now that I have a drill press, I would drill out the holes while the pieces are on the wood, prior to cutting them out on the scroll saw and with the template on the wood. This will drill holes through the template that can be matched up when locating the template inside the two pieces of wood and drawing my colored lines.
You will also notice that if I put the rudder down as shown, the grain is running fore/aft inside of top/bottom, which is not good for that particular piece.
In the next photo you can see the pieces cut out and the fuselage in two pieces with the pins installed.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar03.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-464 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-464)
You can also see that I noticed how dumb I was and cut a new rudder with the grain in the proper direction. That's the great thing about scratchbuilding, if you mess up a part, chuck it in the trash and make a new one.
Now we cut out the fuselage on the scroll saw. You can also use a bandsaw or cut it out by hand, depending on your personal taste. I left a little connected on the top and bottom but you don't really need to do that. When I was thinking over how to make these models, I wondered how you hold them together when you cut out the other surface as you will see later. I realized when I tried it that the cut is so good you can just hold them together. Another thing to do is to glue them with glue stick. It holds well enough to finish the cuts and pops right off. If it holds to strongly, loosen the glue with alcohol. So with this pic the side is cut out and now the top needs to be done.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar04.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-463 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-463)
As you can see from this pic I orginally intended to use a small slot for the wing. I later modified this to cutting out the whole wing section. I thought this would provide a stronger wing.
As you can see from the next pic I put the template on the top of the fuselage and drew around it in red ink. I also glued it down lightly with glue stick though I did not dust it off well, so it barely stuck to the wood. No worries, it still did the job.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar05.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-462 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-462)
You can also see I need a better saw blade. This is the blade that came with the saw and it mangles the basswood. I need a finer blade for this wood, though this blade works nicely with poplar, which I use a lot now.
The fuselage is now properly shaped. I have a set of Two Cherries carving knives that work really well. Good steel in the blades. The set I bought was for chip carving. I tried it for a while then decided it wasn't for me. These knives now are my favorites for airplane carving. Once I learned to properly hone them I realized how dull a new X-Acto blade was. When I grab a new blade I hone it and it works much better. I also hone the blades as they get dull and rarely use new blades.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar06.JPG)
Always carve, file, then sand, in that order. With proper carving and filing, sandpaper is usually only needed to clean up the surface of the wood.
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-461 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-461)
The top looks good.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar07.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-470 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-470)
The curves of the fuselage are now carved. Once this was done, I carved in the canopy.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar08.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-469 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-469)
Now what to do about the wing. I have marked the leading and trailing edge of the wing because I just don't like the slot idea. As you can see from the pic, my carving chisels are Ramelson brand. This is an American company and the chisels are pretty good. The steel is not the quality of German or Swiss steel, but it is plenty good enough for the job. These chisels are very much cheaper than their Swiss cousins.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar10.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-468 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-468)
From here I will carve out the entire wing saddle area and fit the wing up to the fuselage. With a low-wing plane, this is all you have to do. With a mid-wing plane, you need a piece to go under the wing. This is not difficult to achieve. When working with wood, glue on a piece larger than what you need then carve down to the proper shape.
Time to build a wing. I cut it out then carved it to size and carved in the airfoil. Once the surface looked right, I used a fine saw and made a cut down the centerline on top and bottom. This cut goes part way through and leaves some wood in the middle of the wing. You can then bend the wing up to the dihedral needed. If you need more dihedral, deepen/widen the cut in the top. If it tries to crack/split on the bottom, deepen the bottom cut. Once you have the dihedral angle you desire, glue the wing. Glue the top and bottom cuts. Gluing the bottom cut strengthens the joint area and does a little filling. When the glue is dry, fill the bottom joint and sand smooth.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar11.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-467 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-467)
Shape the wing saddle until the wing fits nicely to the fuselage. Don't worry about a perfect fit throughout. You are mainly concerned with how it fits at the sides of the fuselage. Inside the fuselage the dihedral messes things up. Not a problem. Make sure the wing is perpendicular to the fuselage and the angle of attack is right. Once you have this done, don't glue the wing to the fuselage until you no longer need to take it apart.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar14.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-466 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-466)
I did not plan to put in an engine because you just can't see it with the spinner and prop disk. You can, however, see the transmission housing. I hollowed out the nose for the transmission housing and also shaped the intakes above the nose cowling. You can also see the complete set of Ramelson carving chisels.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar15.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-475 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-475)
The wooden contraption to the right is my hook. A great tool to build for yourself if you are going to carve anything. You can see Garet's hook in his Ascender album.
Time for more glue. I glued together the fuselage then glued on the wing after the fuselage had dried overnight. Clamp everything up and let it dry overnight. Water based glues can separate some if you don't clamp it properly. I leave it clamped until it dries, that way I don't mess things up. Of course, I messed up something before I came to that conclusion.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar17.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-474 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-474)
Now we need wing fillets. Some wings have no fillets (Hellcat), some wings only have fillets along the top, and some, like the Oscar, have fillets that extend past the trailing edge of the wing. All you have to do is add some wood along the bottom of the fillet. If you have a bottom view on your plans you can easily determine the shape of the wing fillet. Whatever filler you like to use will work fine in building fillets. Of course, if you don't paint the model and want a natural wood finish, you have to make the fillets out of wood. Then again, all your joints need to be better as well.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar18.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-473 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-473)
You can also see from this pic that I filled in the gaps all over the model and have also installed the tail pieces.
There she is. The Oscar has some beautiful lines, similar to the Spitfire. She's a fine airplane, but the Wildcat knocked the snot out of the Oscar. That just goes to show, during WWII there were some pretty fighters and then there were some stone-cold killer fighters. Grumman and Vought made assasins.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar19.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-472 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-472)
I use simple vinyl spackling for a filler in small models like this. Once all is smooth enough, I cover the plane with Minwax Sanding Sealer. This strengthens the surface of the spackle. With a coat of sanding sealer you can then sand the surface smooth as you like. You can also see that I painted the interior of the nose.
Now we need some surface detail. There is an engine scoop on the bottom of the nose made of basswood. The humps on the top cover the machine guns and those are also basswood. Again, I just glued on some wood that was close in size but a little larger, then carved down to shape. If you try to make these parts off the plane, it gets difficult. Much simpler to glue on wood then shape. Kind of like playing with clay. Slap on more then remove what you don't want to keep.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar20.JPG)
The pitot tube on the wing is a piece of brass tubing.
The antenna mast and exhaust pipes are made from bamboo. Whatever wood you make that small mast out of is probably going to be fragile. Bamboo is a grass, not wood. It is very strong and fairly easy to shape. You can get a pack of skewers for a dollar and you have plenty of bamboo for projects. Bamboo was widely used in the old days before plastic models. It files, sands, and carves just like wood. The exhaust pipes were very tiny but easy to make. I filed down the bamboo until it was fairly square and flat. I glued this on with CA glue then further filed and sanded to get it good and thin. I carved in grooves to show the individual pipes. For the exhaust openings I just used a pin to make a hole. The entire part is so small the pin hole mimics the exhaust pipe.
The tail wheel was carved from basswood and wire was bent to form the tail gear.
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-471 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-471)
The display stand is just a piece of pine. To make the label, I printed several font sizes on a piece of card stock. I love my card stock, really handy stuff. Cut out the one that fits and spray lightly with Krylon Crystal Clear to seal the paper. The base was stained and the label glued on. When I applied the varnish the stain streaked onto the label. In the future I will varnish the base before glueing on the label, then varnish everything again.
I have found the Minwax Polycrylic water-based finish to be some really good stuff. I used it to seal the fiberglass on the monster Hellcat I'm building. Testing so far shows no yellowing but I will try it some more to make sure. No nasty smells to rot out your brain cells.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/normal_oscar21.JPG)
http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-476 (http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-476)
The model is attached to the base with a piece of brass rod.
Well, that's it. That's how I built the Oscar. I think it took me 40 hours from start of plan printing to completed model. I think I can trim some more time off that.
Outstanding job on the build article, Ken! That's our first one at this new forum.
Garet
Ken, great Oscar. I especially like your almost step by step building procedures. The clarity could be helpful to people starting out but a little afraid to try.
As you may recall, I started out to build every WWII airplane, and I am within 36 aircraft of that goal. I mention this because in doing research for the Japanese airplanes I discovered no less than 86 different examples. Although they tend to be colorful, you must admit that the National ensignia is one of the easiest.
Ted (teddon61) Billings
Ken, I was surprised to read that the Oscar was your first from scratch attempt at a subject like this, surprised and impressed.
In essence we use the same methods, but it took me sometime to get where I am with it.
I generally work in one fortyeighth scale, which has its problems. The Larger scale you work in the more detail that must be applied
and the more display room they require.
A method of detail that I use with my planes is burning in the panel lines, I use the Coleman Detailer for this purpose. Not only do the lines become apparent, but they are easy to paint with a fine brush.
Are you planning a theme with your planes; such The Battle of Midway or other historical events? Or is your interests more eclectic?
Either way I'm sure you're having a ball
Ted Billings
I have decided to build most of my solids in 1/72 scale. This scale can be built quickly and would be good for having all the planes I love so much. I also want to build one detailed plane a year in a larger scale. At present, that is a 1/16 scale Hellcat for my pastor. Otherwise, I would build a 1/32 WWI plane. I have no theme in mind other than there are so many planes I would love to have a model of. There are a few other Japanese planes I would like to build from that era.
I have thought of trying the detail burning routine. I have a burner I got for the woodburning hobby but I don't think I will use it for that, just like the knives I bought for chip carving are no longer used for that purpose, but for modeling. I like for my detail to be subtle and close to scale and I think burning will help with that, I just have to start a project to try it on.
Whenever I don't know exactly how to do something, I build it in my mind over and over again until an idea that will work comes to me, which is why I am not as prolific as I would like to be. Of course, problems and failures are the greatest teachers. As my experience grows, I will get quicker as I don't have to think about the process. I really enjoy using ideas and techniques from other disciplines in my modeling. Many plastic builders are convinced scratch modeling is hard because they think they have to use plastic. Many wood modelers don't jump on metal as much as they could. Most modelers grab that XActo knife when there are pocket knives with good steel that can be sharpened far keener than an XActo.
Modeling is an enjoyable journey that so many miss out on for whatever reason or excuse they choose to use.
Ken Pugh
Ken Great build and a very nice article. Everyone should read it!
Another great source of bamboo is place mats. They are super cheap and have many flatish and rectangularish strips. Again one mat will last a lifetime. I use bamboo for tons of things and for those reasons you mentioned. On the Sunderland I'm working on I have used it for the float struts.
I picked up a cheap woodburning tool from Micheals and love it. I didn't get the one which you can mount an exacto blade in, and I have regretted it as I'm sure that I'd use it most of all. What I like is that you can plot out, sketch etc all the panel lines onto the raw wood before painting, so after the fact everything is there to follow, again just as Ted mentioned.
Great build and a very generous tutorial,
Thanks,
Kenny H
Ken, I took the liberty of placing a photo of your finished Oscar to the Japanese cook-up folder on the Gallery.