Schnellzee's Seagull

[John Howling Mouse]

Sure, let's start with something easy for my first vacform:

A 1:48 biplane complete with floats and rigging!

Some kind of Curtis(s) Seagull.  I don't recall the aircraft type/model number and the kit's downstairs.  It's a "Wings" kit, if that helps.

Parts took about 45 minutes to do the rough cut-outs.  I have NO idea how to actually separate the final wing shapes from their raised mold portions which had supported their dihedral.   Not like any vacform wings I've ever seen.

Help!!!!    

[Brian da Basher]

Looking good, Mr Howling Mouse! Is it my imagination or does this one just scream to be a T-tail?

Brian da Basher

[Andrew Gorman]

RE: wing separation, I had the same problem with the Supermarine 224.  I just treated the inside of the dihedral boxes like the outside wing borders- ran a sharpie line along the inside joint, and cut from the INSIDE, then sanded the parts down.  It worked for me- Zac had to deal with the same thing, and probably did it a different way.
Andrew

[Leigh]

Oh yeah Baz way to get yourself out of the modelling doldrum by doing something easy like a VACFORM!!!!
BIPLANE  

Well i've been in the same boat and I've signed up for this madness too.I'll race ya? Of course mines got no rigging, or cockpit, or wheels  

[John Howling Mouse]

Looking good, Mr Howling Mouse! Is it my imagination or does this one just scream to be a T-tail?

Brian da Basher

I was thinking SPATS, actually!

And, Andrew: many thanks for the tip.  I'll give that a try this a.m.

Leigh: you're on, mate!

[John Howling Mouse]

Well, I marked the cut line from the inside of the wings but actually cutting there would have removed far more of the wing's shape than I was supposed to.  Likely has to do with whether the vacforming was done using a female vs. male mold pattern.  The plastic's thickness could be another factor.

So, I had to resort to using nibbler, sprue-cutters and knives to remove the irregular-shaped mold build-up.

Half an hour to get just the rudimentary rough cut of one wing.  And I've got three more to go-----guys, this is gettin' ree-dik-o-lus!!!

[K5054NZ]

Don't worry your little head, Baz, you're doing just fine.

Andy - in actuality, I did mine exactly in the same way! Great minds think alike.............and so do we !

[John Howling Mouse]

Don't worry your little head, Baz, you're doing just fine.

CURSE a-you, Banzai-Yates!  This vacforming BS is madness, I tells ya.
Sheer madness (as opposed to the opaque kind).  

Oh, and I have a rather "large" head, thank you very much.  

Bulbous, in fact.  

Especially when I'm verklempt...as in trying to prep a stupid vacform in 33 C weather.  

I hate vacform models.

Okay, back to the dungeon for more torture.

It's coming along rather well...    

[Brian da Basher]

I'm glad to hear it's coming along Mr Howling Mouse. You and Zac have done much better than I did. I simply cut the wings, etc. out with scissors and spent the better part of the next evening sanding away as much excess as I could.

Spats?!!! I am thrilled Man-Ho! I can't wait to see how this one turns out!

I love spats!  

Brian da Basher

P.S. Another spat making technique I've discovered is using a spare drop tank. Trace out a blanking plate to shape and glue it to the open side. Then cut a wheel in half and glue it to the bottom. You can use left-over sprue for the legs. Seems to work well. You'll see the results soon once I finish my in-progress "Shorts Stilletto" bashed from part of a float, the engine from an He-112 and spare parts.

[John Howling Mouse]

Holy snarkers but the vac-form canopy on this bird was CLEARLY made for some other kit entirely!  It's far too wide and completely the wrong shape (too squarish and blunt) for the fuselage.

The slightly tapered strip of yellow tape you see is the clear canopy plastic that I *think* I need to remove in order to get the canopy even remotely matching the cockpit aperature lines.  So, there will be a "new" frame running down the length of the canopy when the two, narrower cut pieces come together.

In theory...



Test fit (one side at a time only as it is currently impossible to get both to sit on the canopy sills):

[John Howling Mouse]

Believe me that there was plenty of sweating and gritting teeth while these two cuts were made!



Test fit of the two halves in the Gronk Meathooks ™:

[Brian da Basher]

Go, Baz, Go!

Go Big Gronk™ Meathooks too!

Brian da Basher

[John Howling Mouse]

Thanks.  

You know, I got all the sub-assemblies glued together.  I've even cut away the elevators to droop them.  And I cleaned up and primered all the "white metal" (let me guess: "LEAD"?) parts and suddenly realized: there are really no instructions whatsoever for assembling this little prick.

Other than trying to kitbash and fit a two-seat cockpit with instrument panel into the fuselage, I honestly have no idea how to proceed.  And how does one build a biplane, anyhow?

It's not like the upper wing will happily float in mid-air while I try to figure out how to attach it to the fuselage and its lower wing counterpart.

Then there are the floats  (I'm saving the optional metal spats for some kind of jet fighter).

Man, am I ever in deep on this one!!  

[Brian da Basher]

No struts for the wings, Mr Howling Mouse? Try cutting some toothpicks to size and attaching them with CA. I've used this technique many times (most notably on my 1/144 Curtiss flying boat) and the great part is a box of 100 toothpicks is only $1 and you can make mistakes without worrying about it.

I can't wait for the next update!

Brian da Basher

P.S. If I were you, I'd cut and attach the cabanes first and then do the interplane struts. It might easier to attach the cabanes to the fuselage so you can better eye-ball the length of the interplane struts.

[Runway ? ...]

Go for it dude! If it looks right it probably is.
Here's me looking at a vacform mil doobery with a wobbly line of windows and thinking it should be filed under "B" and then seeing that you've got to rig that when you've worked out where the wings fit.

Ah well, I'm off to stretch some airfix tank tracks

Err .. I'll go away now .