My First Whiff

Mossie · October 02, 2006, 02:43:23 PM

I've been working on this a little while now. On another forum, I remember someone posting some pics of a P-38 Air Racer whiff they'd banged together for this site (see here). I liked the idea, thought I'd give something similar a go.

When I joined the Airfix Classic Club, one of the kits they sent me was a 1/48 Bf-109F4. I wasn't interested in it as an oob, you can get a hell of a lot better kits of that subject, but I thought it might make an interesting addition to the Reno circuit.

It was mainly an exercise in seeing how my skills were coming on after a fifteen year break from modelling. I clipped the wings (& tail), used some left other tips from a Spit kit. I faired off the cockpit sills to make them higherI removed the MG mounting for a cleaner nose, replaced the intakes with those from a Spit to make it look like it might be packing a Griffon & I hoped to find a contra prop, although to no avail. I took the decision to clip the rear fuselage so it'd have a smaller turning moment for racing, although I created myself a lot of work for not much change in the look & a major investment in Milliput! Final thing was fashioned a replacement canopy from Miliput & I intended to heat form a new one. It didn't work, I realise I'd have to vac-form it but I don't have access to a machine.

Trouble is, I've now kind of lost direction with it & I'm not sure how to carry on. I could live without a contraprop, but I'd got my heart set on that new canopy, I knew what it should look like. Now I'm not even sure it should be an air racer. I don't want to lose complete interest in it, so I want to do something with it! I haven't got much in the spares box to add to it though.

Anyone got any ideas??? I'm sure I can rely on you lot to come up with something suitably crazy!

Cheers!

Simon.

John Howling Mouse · October 02, 2006, 05:27:43 PM

Floatplane?

rallymodeller · October 02, 2006, 06:17:47 PM

Keep going with the racing plane! You could go with a 5-blade prop from a later Spit mark, and smash-form the canopy.

Shasper · October 02, 2006, 07:55:39 PM

What Tovaritch Rally said!

Shas B)

The Rat · October 02, 2006, 08:00:05 PM

Fly low...

Fly fast...

Turn left!

Race it!

Brian da Basher · October 02, 2006, 08:41:31 PM

If you're not up to smash-u-forming a canopy, you could just paint the canopy a`la our friend Tophe.

You could morph it into a tank-buster by making big horkin' guns (BHG™) from the sprue.

Oh and you could make spats from the drop tanks. Spats increase the coolness factor of any aircraft by 1000%.

Did I mention that I love spats?

Brian da Basher

Mossie · October 03, 2006, 01:19:00 PM

Cheers for the help guys, you've kind of convinced me to stay with the racer, I'll pick up an Aeroclub 5-blade prop.

Oh yeah, whats smash-forming?!? Never heard the term before, am I right in guessing you'd cut up parts of several canopies to form another?

Spats'll have to weight I'm afraid BdB, would cause some serious drag on a racer!

In advance, I'm thinking about a colour scheme. Yellow diamonds on a black background was my favourite idea, but after drawing it out on a profile, It didn't look quite right. Any ideas?

Simon.

rallymodeller · October 03, 2006, 03:44:10 PM

QuoteCheers for the help guys, you've kind of convinced me to stay with the racer, I'll pick up an Aeroclub 5-blade prop.

Oh yeah, whats smash-forming?!? Never heard the term before, am I right in guessing you'd cut up parts of several canopies to form another?

Spats'll have to weight I'm afraid BdB, would cause some serious drag on a racer!

In advance, I'm thinking about a colour scheme. Yellow diamonds on a black background was my favourite idea, but after drawing it out on a profile, It didn't look quite right. Any ideas?

Simon.

Smash-forming: Take the canopy form you already have and some clear butyrate. Mount the canopy form on a rod or stick on the bottom. Heat the butyrate in a frame until it starts to sag, then "snash" the canopy form through it. Sort of a "poor-man's" vacforming. That's the basic idea, there are better references elsewhere on the web.

As far as livery goes, how about a Jagermeister-sponsored racer, like the old Alfa 155's that raced in the DTM?

Mossie · October 04, 2006, 02:42:42 AM

Cheers Rally, I'll try my hand at smash forming, see how it goes!

I like the idea of that Jagermeister scheme, simple, but striking! A motor racing livery would look good, I've always liked the Martini liveries, but getting it to work might prove difficult, especially with all those lines to mask!

Also, with Jagermeister, is the German link to the 109. The idea's not far off perfect Rally!

Simon.

rallymodeller · October 04, 2006, 01:48:00 PM

QuoteCheers Rally, I'll try my hand at smash forming, see how it goes!

I like the idea of that Jagermeister scheme, simple, but striking! A motor racing livery would look good, I've always liked the Martini liveries, but getting it to work might prove difficult, especially with all those lines to mask!

Also, with Jagermeister, is the German link to the 109. The idea's not far off perfect Rally!

Simon.

Best part of that scheme (apart from it being shocking orange) is that the same shceme has been in use on racing cars since the late Sixties.

Actually I was thinking of doing a racing Ta-152 in that livery, but seeing as you're so much further ahead than me (don't even have a Ta-152 kit yet) I urge you to take it! There are other German companies I can use. I just happen to have an old Mercedes CLK-GTR eecal sheet. After all, it has a D-B engine...

Okay, post hijack over.

John Howling Mouse · October 04, 2006, 06:19:41 PM

QuoteSimon.

Smash-forming: Take the canopy form you already have and some clear butyrate. Mount the canopy form on a rod or stick on the bottom. Heat the butyrate in a frame until it starts to sag, then "snash" the canopy form through it. Sort of a "poor-man's" vacforming. That's the basic idea, there are better references elsewhere on the web.

[/quote]
There is also some supposedly fit-for-purpose thermal plastic out there for "pull-forming." Saw it in an FSM or some other modelling mag once. Supposedly holds up without tearing better than most clear plastics.

If it doesn't work, feel free to send me the pattern and I'll do a few up for you.

JHM

BlackOps · October 05, 2006, 08:21:40 PM

Mossie, I think it's looking pretty good, I also like the Jagermeister idea. Keep us posted on how the canopy works out, that's something I haven't tried yet but have been curious about.

Mossie · October 06, 2006, 05:08:10 PM

Thanks guys! Rally, please don't let me take the Jagermeister scheme off you! The rate I build (this has been on & off since early on in the year) you'll probably beat me to it!!! Maybe we can do a kind of joint build, aircraft for some kind of German version of Reno??? I was thinking of either this 80's Warsteiner or more modern Halleroder scheme:

What do you think? Do you know where I can get decals for them, or if not these, any other DTM scheme?

JHM, thanks again for the offer of the vacforming, I will take you up on that offer if things don't go well!

Black Ops, I'll keep you all posted as soon as I get round to it! I was hoping to get around to this at the weekend, but I've got a Rugby League National League One Playoff Grand Final (try saying that in one breath) to go to. Come on Rovers!

rallymodeller · October 06, 2006, 05:37:55 PM

Unless you are doing a BMW-reengined one, go with the silver version of the Warsteiner scheme. The white/blue/red scheme is actually that of BMW M-Sport. Each of the DTM M3's that wore that had a different secondary sponsor. I like the Halleroder scheme!

You could also go with some other German non-alcoholic liveries -- like the West McLaren/Mercedes F1, which is a cigarette company (and the decals for that are available from Studio 27 through HLJ) I actually think your best bet for any of those are to go through HLJ, specifically the Racing Cars section. Here is the link to the Studio 27 decals HLJ has: LINK.

Incidentally, for anyone else wanting to do a racing plane (specifially talking to the Canadians out there) there was once this Ford Sierra Cosworth British Touring Car:

While we're at it -- why not a GB based on this? The idea: Do a WWII fighter plane in the colours of a modern racing sponsor. The hitch: the sponsor has to match the nationality of he plane (like a Martini -sponsored Macchi MC-202,, or a Benson and Hedges Sea Fury) Give us all some practice on doing glossy shcemes...

gooberliberation · October 12, 2006, 01:12:37 AM

QuoteWhile we're at it -- why not a GB based on this? The idea: Do a WWII fighter plane in the colours of a modern racing sponsor. The hitch: the sponsor has to match the nationality of he plane (like a Martini -sponsored Macchi MC-202,, or a Benson and Hedges Sea Fury) Give us all some practice on doing glossy shcemes...

Are there any WW2 Soviet planes that come in transparent styrene?

Think... Stolichnaya Yak-9 as clear as a vodka bottle