Busy scene today on the Jet Provost T.3 assembly line,the models will be used in the classroom role to train new vintage and classic jet pilots,yes they are all spoken for.
All materials are salvaged timber,the wings from old furniture and the fuselages from pine pallet wood,all materials for free.
Lots of carving to do but it is a start.
Barry.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/normal_20110706_6.JPG)
Nice project. Are those wings made from plywood?
Lou
No Lou they are beautifully close grained wood,I can see why you thought they were,the timber came from some very old cupboard unit.
Barry.
It looks like it would be hard to carve. Just an impression.
Lou
The next step towards carving this little lot has started,a quick sharpen up with my favourite chisel gets it ready for shaping the intakes carefully following the deep recess as it smooths out towards the wing fillet.
I decided to partially slot the wings to fuselage joint in order to make it easier to crank in the dihedral angle later,David Peace kindly pointed out that the Jet Provost prototypes were the only ones to have the leading edge additional inboard panel so I reworked my blanks by cutting across the inboard leading edge,lots of drawings and the Airfix kit show this incorrectly and thanks to Dave for alerting me before the model/s were too advanced.
Various tools are used including traditional spokeshaves,mini plane and a whittling knife from India,lots of patient checking and sanding to get the cross sections which are checked by sliding a rule across the contours,the shadow so produced allows adjustment either side of the fuselage,another method is to use a piece of string wrapped around the nose which is slid backwards and forwards to maintain the necessary shape,good old mark one eyeball and constant reference to photographs and sketches together with a feel for your subject,however there is an old adage 'You can take material off, but not put material on again' equally measure twice and cut once is another one to follow.
Barry.
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110707_1.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110707_2.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110707_3.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110707_5.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110707_8.jpg)
Would you provide us with the templates you used? Looks great.
Lou
A 1/144 T.5 in hand.
Certainly Lou,I will retrieve them from the workshop tomorrow and scan them for you,thats a good idea to share templates.
Thats a dinky little JP you have there.
Barry.
More work in shaping and tapering the wings today,next task is to incorporate the dihedral angle.
Barry.
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPWINGSSHAPED2.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPWINGSSHAPED1.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPTEMPLATES.jpg)
Some assembly work undertaken today on the Jet Provost T.3,the other two will follow the same sequence as model one,firstly here are the templates for you Lou,the full sized ones have just been added and are on the album page.
Barry.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/JP_TEMPLATES.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPASSY4.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPASSY2.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPASSY1.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPASSY3.jpg)
Looking great Barry. I like the Training Command colours.
Lou
Wings and tail assemblies have been added,after these pictures were taken the wingtip tanks and dorsal fins were fitted.
I have re-worked the canopy profile as the drawing was not quite right,happy with that now,it is good to look at your unfinished models for a few days like paintings to see if anything stands out as not quite right,then you can take action.
Next stage is the putty work and contouring certain areas then a really good final sanding.
Barry.
(http://smm.solidmodelmemories.net/Gallery/albums/userpics/10005/20110711_1.JPG)
Looks fantastic as usual Barry. Looking froward the the completed project.
Lou
A new self levelling filler primer made by Halfords is being tried out on these models,just like Lou with his red primer this is also messy to sand with yellow dust everywhere,but no pain no gain as they say and the initial results look promising,a bit more work with the putty knife and then on with the grey primer.
Barry.
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110715_1.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/20110715_4.jpg)
Great work Barry. Yes, grey primer is on my shopping list, but alas my allowance for this month is nearly gone.
Lou
Primer and paints have now increased in price here,a 250 mil can costs £7.50,paint is my most expensive item to buy and I get through hundreds of cans in a year especially primer.
Barry.
The cheap stuff is about 1/4 of the price you stated. The more expensive Duplicolour is about $7.50 CDN. Oh yah, plus 15% tax to boot.
Lou
Lou I think that there should be exemption from tax for use on solid models :o
Barry.
The Jet Provost T.3 went into the paintshop today to receive its red finish,as the rest is white the masking needed extra care,I used Tamiya tape,it is good quality and nice and narrow as well,the results will be seen tomorrow,if it is not right then it will be done all over again,there is no second chance with a white/red combination as the paint bleeds creating pink,to stop the bleed over you need to stop it with grey primer.
Barry.
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPRED1.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPRED2.jpg)
Coming on nicely Barry, do you do all your painting with rattle cans? , I use them for primer but use a hairy stick for top coats etc as I don't have an airbrush, I use the Humbrol grey primer spray but a lot of people use the Halfords cans, with mixed reviews. That mini plane looks a handy little tool.Regards Paul J.
Paul I have had good results with the Halfords rattle colours,the new formulae acrylic range are top notch quality with soft spray heads and full body colours ideal for our models,yes I use the colour range for my models besides the primers usually selecting the nearest match to what is needed.
I find them convenient with no cleaning out as per air brushes,yes they are fairly expensive but I offset this with the quality of finish achieved and I like using them,the old saying 'Dont spoil the ship for an halfpenny worth of tar' is so true when it comes to doing a nice paint job on our solids,it simply brings them to life.
But each to their own and what works for us all personally.
Besides the Halfords range there are other excellent ones on the market as well,I did try one range that stunk so badly for days and never used that brand again,I put the model at the bottom of the garden as the smell was so bad ! it lingered for days.
Barry.
Thanks for that Barry, I think I will give the Halfords a try, I don't fancy all the mixing and cleaning associated with airbrushing.Regards Paul J.
Airbrushes are too fiddly for me personally,I just want to grab a can of colour and get on with it,unless you have an ultrasonic cleaner they are very prone to blocking.
But some modellers use them all of the time with great success.
Barry.
Off with the masking tape,a few minor under creeps but nothing that cannot be fixed with a spotting in session and a 000 brush,the Jet Provost in its CFS red and white scheme,I will let this cure properly before handling it for the markings etc.
Barry.
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPPAINTED1.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPPAINTED2.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPPAINTED3.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPPAINTED6.jpg)
Barry, have you tried the "Frog Tape"?
Lou
No not yet Lou,I must try it out,I noticed it in the DIY store last week.
Barry.
That's looking great Barry, lovely paint job. I found this tape when I did a Google for frog tape, it promises no bleeding as well. Regards Paul J.https://www.amazon.co.uk/Precise-Indoor-Masking-Residue-Removal/dp/B0024NKD62/ref=sr_1_5?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1312230360&sr=1-5
I used Tamiya narrow masking tape,the edge you get from this is very good,in between filling I use cartridge paper and ordinary supermarket masking tape to keep the cost down,a good tip is to cut thin Bond writing paper into strips,rub some soap along the edge and stick it down,removal is easy just wet the paper and rub off the soap,use soap bars not the liquid variety.
Barry.
Jet Provost T.3 model number 2 is being finished in a scheme used at RAF Cranwell when they had an aerobatic team with this particular type,the scheme is most attractive being white on the upper surfaces and red underneath as seen from the ground,the peck line will be picked out in blue,lots of careful masking on this one but the end result will be well worth it.
Barry.
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/AEROBATICTEAMJPROVOST.jpg)
(http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x300/UDAZONE/JPMASKEDAEROBATICTEAM.jpg)
That is going to be fantastic Barry. I hear that if you use a wet basket coffee filter with Tamiya tape , you can achieve some good results. I use Tamiya tape also but have not added the wet filter. I hear a second trick is to cut the filter to the camouflage shape, it stick to the surface when wet and then remove it while the paint is still wet. It is suppose to give a nice clean line. (?)
Lou
I must give that a try Lou as it sounds interesting,another good masking tool is Bluetak,you just roll it out with a rolling pin or similar and cut the shapes that you want,spray then pull it off,it is also ideal for tricky masking areas like inside engine nacelles or over wheels,you just plug it into place,this beats the old technique of using wet tissue paper but you can still find a use for tissue pushed into holes and anything that needs protecting from overspray.
Speaking of masking I had difficulty masking leading edges neatly,on the Jet Provost I cheated a bit by bringing the demarcation line up a little so the overlap was hardly noticeable but you can still see all red from below looking up at the aircraft as the original display team scheme was intended to look from the ground,masking on the dead centreline is virtually impossible to do neatly and has caught me out on many occasions,by bringing it up a tad it seems to work better but this is a personal choice.
Being an artist myself creating illusions is all part of the technique of painting.
Barry.
Looking good Barry, no white showing in the underside picture. I use the thin Tamiya tape myself on plastic so I presume you still get a good line on wood. Lou, was the green tape you used on your Airtoon canopy the Frog tape?
One thing to watch out for with the Tamiya tape,the dispenser is useless as sometimes the tape gets twisted and wasted as you pull it out,just use the tape as any ordinary roll of masking tape,the clean edge on this tape is really good,little wonder that it is a popular item for Tamiya.
Barry.
I have wasted tape a couple of times with the dispenser, I think you're right I'll bin it. Glad to hear you get a clean edge. Do you rub the edge down to make sure it's sealed? Regards Paul J.
I use an eraser to rub down the edges Paul,seems to work fine and you can get into the corners with a pointed one.
Barry.
Paul J. Frog Tape cut on a glass sheet was used for the Hawk AirToons.
Lou
Thanks Lou.
I buy primer in large rattle cans from an auto body refinishing shop. It's Tetrasyl and is very much cheaper than Halfords. If you put some hot water in a jug and then leave the tin in the water for a few minutes until, when you shake it, it feels warm, the spray is much stronger and finer. Don't forget to wipe the can with a lump of kitchen tissue after getting it out of the water otherwise you'll imitate a soaked dog when you shake the can for mixing! Been there, done that....
Such a shame the Fascists have stopped us using cellulose. Wonderful stuff.
M