Oh No, I'm Out Of Spats!

[Brian da Basher]

Ok so there's not a whole lot of spatted model kits out there. Trust me, I keep an eye out for these things and sometimes they're as rare as a sober person in the crowd on Monday Night Football.

Maybe you've got a kit in the stash and think, "Gee I wonder how this would look with spats?"

What can you do? The solution is easy. Make your own! The following is a basic tutorial on how to scratch-build your own spats.

I've found there's three basic ways to make your own spats and I'll go from the easiest method to the most difficult:

1. Use old drop-tanks or bombs (minus the fins).

2. Use a length of sprue and side panels.

3. Cut four spat-shapes out of sheet plastic and glue them around a wheel.

I'll cover each method individually in detail.

Stay tuned, there's pictures too!

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Method #1: Using an old drop-tank or bomb without the fins.

This one's pretty easy but the results can look very realistic. Simply glue your drop-tank together and then take a wheel of the right size and cut it in half and glue it to the bottom near the front end of the drop-tank or bomb. You can use struts or spare horizontal stabs to attach your new spats to the wings or airframe. One thing to keep in mind is to find a wheel of good proportion. You want to make sure there's enough room left in the spat to fit the other half of the wheel. Here's a couple examples of drop-tank spatted models I've built recently.

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Method #2: Using a length of sprue and two side panels.

This one is easier than it looks, but the results are fairly convincing. Start with two lengths of sprue of the same size. You may want to put a little bend in them near the top where they're going to attach to the wing. Then cut four side panels from sheet plastic to fit the sprue lengths. A somewhat square shape with a curved bottom is good shape. Glue the front of each side panel to the sides of the sprues and then put glue on the inside of the rear of the side panels and then clamp them together. Next, find a wheel that will fit inside the opening at the bottom and glue it in place. If you're a frugal modeller like me, you can even make do with half a wheel. Once the glue is dry, you can use a thin layer of putty or correction fluid to blend in the ridge where the side panels are glued to the sprue. Attach them to the wings of your aircraft, and you've got spats!

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Method #3: Using four spat shapes glued around half a wheel.

This method is a bit more complex than the other two, but it has helped me scratch-build the spats I've been most pleased with. First, make a spat-shaped template. This step is crucial because you're going to use the template to cut four identical spat shapes and it's important they match up. A very simple way to draw a spat shape is to first draw a circle and then draw two slanting straight lines from the top and bottom of your circle that meet in a point at the end. Draw this spat shape on a piece of cardboard from an old model box or on a bread clip and cut the shape out. Then trace your shape four times on to thin sheet plastic and carefully cut out your spat shapes. Then find a wheel of the right size and cut it in half. Glue two spat shapes around each side of a half-wheel and then clamp the front and back together. Once the glue dries, you can fill in any gaps with putty. A tip is to use this method with the thinnest wheels in your spares box. Wheels from W.W. I aircraft seem to work best. You'll want to paint most of the inner sides of your new spats before you glue them to the landing gear struts or fairings, but remember to leave a small bit unpainted where you'll be attaching them.

Brian da Basher

[cthulhu77]

Inspiring!!!!

[Brian da Basher]

Method #4: Mold them out of putty - don't try this at home!

This method is simple but I don't reccomend it. Find two wheels still attached to a nice long piece of sprue and then squirt a big blob of putty around each of them. Try to mold the blobs into a spat shape before it sets then leave them to cure for a day or two or a week or three. The reason you want your wheels still on the sprue is so you have something to hold them up to keep the wet putty from touching anything while it dries. It's possible that the putty will end out eating your poor plastic wheels, but if it doesn't, once it cures, you can then carve and sand it to refine the spat shape. Once you get a shape you're happy with, brush either CA or correction fluid all over your spat prior to painting. This will help smooth it out and fill in any imperfections. I've used this method a couple of times in the past but gave it up once I discovered better ways to make my own spats.

Brian da Basher

[Daryl J.]

Wow!   Perhaps I should just cry "Uncle!"       Those look good!


Daryl J.

[The Rat]

Brian, one of these days we need to have a whip 'round and get you a state-of-the-art digicam, your work deserves more!    

[Thorvic]

Out of Spats ?  - Not anymore    

[Brian da Basher]

Out of Spats ?  - Not anymore  

Awesome! Many thanks!

Brian da Basher

[Brian da Basher]

Method #5: Buy them!

Well sometimes it can seem like a lot to scratchbuild your own spats. Goodness knows I only do it out of sheer necessity. If you'd prefer to purchase them, Aeroclub offers a nice 1/72 scale selection:

V023 1/72 PERCIVAL MEW GULL SPATTED U/C LEGS & WHEELS      
V056 1/72 MILES MAGISTER SPATTED U/C LEGS                                  
V125 1/72 HAWKER FURY SPATTED MAIN-WHEEL UNITS                
V124 1/72 GAUNTLET SPATTED U/C UNITS                                  

They're all priced at £1.02, shipping extra, which is a bit over $2 U.S.

You can also order them through a U.S. distributor called Roll Models. I've got some on the way, and I'll be sure to let you guys know what they're like.

Brian da Basher

[Andrew Gorman]

My patent method is to make spats out of two plastic spoon bowls.  Teaspoons can work for big 1/32 spats, and the little ones from samples at the ice cream parlor work well for smaller ones.  That's what I'll be using!
Andrew

[Brian da Basher]

I've been on the lookout for spoons small enough to use in 1/72 and haven't had any luck. If I ever find some small spoons I'll be sure to give your method a try! It seems like the easiest way to go.

Brian da Basher

[Allan]

Thanks Brian for that masterly tutorial

Method number 4 sounds like a real killer

The spoon idea has a lot of promise

Allan in Canberra

[nev]

Oh No, I'm Out Of Spats!

6 words I never thought I'd hear strung together in that order!