Supermarine Stalwart GR.I of RAF 205 Squadron, Ceylon, Summer 1945 (pics@p.6)

Dizzyfugu · May 24, 2015, 06:15:24 AM

Thank you. More progress, done in the course of yesterday's ESC.

As already mentioned, I came so far that the fuselage halves could be closed. I also puzzled together a crew that also populates the nose and tail turret - a total of seven figures.

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Getting the fuselage together was a major fight. The parts are warped and wavy, and the brittle material does not make things easier... Tried to use sheer force and tape in order to clamp evething together - note on the following pics the filler "clouds" all over the hull, giving an idea how uneven the whole thing is!

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Looks purposeful, doesn't it?

With the fuselage ready I started to implant the rest of the weapon stations: nose, tail and dorsal stand. The latter was the least problem, I just widened the existing opeing and added a "bar" inside on which the turret rests:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The nose was more tricky. Not only is the construction complicated and flimsy - mounting this thing onto the Be-6 nose (so that it fits tightly AND still moves) was a real challenge. Here's the turret in place:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Here's the bomb aimer opening I cut into the fuselage - but the turret turned out to be longer than calculated, so I had to fair it over again and find another solution (see below):

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Here, rough body work with 2C putty has already been done. In order to protect the turret I covered it with baking paper, secured with paper clips/clamps.
The stuff is very stable, thin, does not stick (neither to the parts nor any putty!) and can be easily removed.

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And this is what came out:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Next, the tail station. Again, a transplant from the Privateer, and less challenging than the delicate nose. But the turret's construction is also very tricky and complicated, and in this case the tail had to be widened in order to accept the Privateer's rear end. Good thing is that the Matchbox kit offers not only a turret holder that can be easily glued onto the Be-6 tail, there's also a "frame" that can be used as a jig for the necessary fuselage shape and width:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The foamed plastic is a convenient solution in order to block light and create a really tight bulkhead to the fuselage.

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

And, finally, the tail surfaces can be added:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

PR19_Kit · May 24, 2015, 07:07:42 AM

Yes, that works VERY well indeed!

Dizzyfugu · May 25, 2015, 01:26:51 AM

Well, after the nose turned out to become longer than expected I tried to solve the bom aimer station problem with this arrangement...

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Looks messy, and actually I had to drill out a new window opening. The clear piece is actually the former rear gunner station cover from the VEB kit.

And, eventually, behold the complete Stalwart with the wings in place:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Impressive, and huge... Still a lot of detail work to do, e. g. the final glazing parts, antennae, and especially the planned beaching gear. I also work on the problem of taking pictures of this beast, because its size is far beyond the limits of my normal beauty pic routines - I might have to order dedicated background posters for this one!

Stay tuned...

PR19_Kit · May 25, 2015, 03:51:32 AM

That certainly is BIG!

Where did the tail surfaces come from please Thomas? They look like Martin Mariner parts.

Dizzyfugu · May 25, 2015, 04:27:06 AM

All the basic airframe is OOB - the whole tail is original, as well as the wings. The Mariner similarity is obvious, though - at first I planned to install a large radome behind the cockpit, but I guess that would have looked too Mariner-ish? The ASW radomes for the wings were a welcome opion - lucky find.

BTW, more news from the project: hardpoints for the FIDO's, borrowed from an Italeri Ju 88...

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Two more stations will be added inside of the engines, but only these outer four points will be "populated".

Then the cockpit - in order to cover some gaps I added a sliding door and covered the rest of the rear bulkhead with paper tissue, drenched in white glue, which was also used for the canopy which is surprisingly transparent.

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Beaching gear also makes good progress - my memory of the X-20 dolly was right, and the parts look massive enough for this big floatplane.

Dizzyfugu · May 25, 2015, 06:07:34 AM

The improvised beaching gear...

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

A new rudder was fitted, and the tail dolly more or less built "around" this fragile piece, in order to protect it on land:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

The main legs were tricky - I wanted a removable solution, and a "solid" look. This is whatI came up with, created from an X-20 missile trolley frame and four tank(!) wheels:

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Looks a bit wobbly - the glue was not 100% dry on the wheels. But it works and the beast can actually stand on its three spindly legs! Looks frightening from the low perspective...

PR19_Kit · May 25, 2015, 07:24:35 AM

It's looking better and better!

Captain Canada · May 25, 2015, 09:31:04 AM

Great stuff. Thanks for all the updates ! What is the name of the brown stuff ?

scooter · May 25, 2015, 09:49:47 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on May 25, 2015, 06:07:34 AM

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Looks a bit wobbly - the glue was not 100% dry on the wheels. But it works and the beast can actually stand on its three spindly legs! Looks frightening from the low perspective...

Looks like a kaiju from this angle...

Dizzyfugu · May 26, 2015, 02:24:13 AM

Quote from: Captain Canada on May 25, 2015, 09:31:04 AM
Great stuff. Thanks for all the updates ! What is the name of the brown stuff ?

It's a nitrous compound filler/putty called "Presto Finish" - actually for car bodies. You get it here in Germany in DIY stores (in a tin) or at certain car part suppliers in tubes (which are more concenient for the modeler). I am a firm believer in it, as well as PR19_Kit. AFAIK hard to find outside of Germany, though.

Dizzyfugu · May 26, 2015, 02:26:31 AM

Quote from: scooter on May 25, 2015, 09:49:47 AM
Quote from: Dizzyfugu on May 25, 2015, 06:07:34 AM

Making of 1:72 Supermarine Stalwart GR.1 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Looks a bit wobbly - the glue was not 100% dry on the wheels. But it works and the beast can actually stand on its three spindly legs! Looks frightening from the low perspective...

Looks like a kaiju from this angle...

Thought so, too - has an alien and somewhat malevolent look... Not the worst thing, IMHO.

BTW: painting has started. It's so damn huge... $:-\$
But I am surprised how good the parts have been blended together, esp. the new engines. Pics to come soon (hopefully this evening).

zenrat · May 26, 2015, 03:02:14 AM

You'll have it finished by tomorrow then...

Dizzyfugu · May 26, 2015, 03:50:01 AM

Quote from: zenrat on May 26, 2015, 03:02:14 AM
You'll have it finished by tomorrow then...

Nah, that will take some more time... taking pics of this huge thing will be a true challenge, though.

Captain Canada · May 26, 2015, 05:05:47 AM

Thanks for the tip. I use this red stuff somebody talked about here years ago but it's super stinking and dries really dry.

I forgot to mention how much I like the new nose profile. The extra addition on the bottom gives it that mean and brutish look, and makes it a few percent more lumpy and bumpy, just the way I like them

nighthunter · May 26, 2015, 08:58:14 AM

Darn, missed this before painting commenced, lol. I was going to suggest a Pacific region scheme, ala Far East scheme circa Cold War. She looks diabolical, Dizzy, and very Cold War English, I'm sure the Soviet Sub Commanders would have shuddered in their boots at the thought of such an ASW aircraft hunting them.

"But Comrade Admiral, we need deeper diving submarines, the Stalwarts can hit us at our current crush depths!"