Hawker Siddeley P.1121

[Gondor]

Very little done so far today. The second internal plate has been fitted and filler has been applied to the external surface to neaten things up. I have also stuck the cockpit combing to the instrument panel using super-glue. The holes, they were actually dimples, for locating the undercarriage legs in the undercarriage bay have been drilled out and I have looked at the nose leg and thought about building one out of plastic as the fork for the nose wheel is not looking very strong. The control column has been added to the cockpit so once I get the time and weather I will probably end up priming most of this white metal so I can paint it Black.

Maybe I should change the music I am listening to while I model, Rolling Stones perhaps?

Pictures of various parts to follow.

Gondor

[Gondor]

As promised .... pictures!





The top picture is a general view of the white metal parts that I may use. I say may because if you look at the lower picture you will see how fragile the fork for the nose wheel looks and how fragile I think the joint between the two parts will be if they are glued together.

Gondor

[kitnut617]

I have seen pics of the model's u/c bay a few times now (from various other builds) which have the legs as you have them Alastair, but it always seems to me to be the wrong way around.  Various detail drawing of how the u/c fold away, show that the wheels end up sort of flat and parallel with the ground (but really wrapped around the engine housing)

http://prototypes.free.fr/p1127/image/p1121_03.jpg

but it doesn't seem possible with the way the u/c legs are ----    It would seem to me that the leg hinge should be at the other end of the bay piece, so that as they retract into the bay the leg lies in the narrow slots. It can't see the wheels going into there if it's like the photo.

[Gondor]

I agree kitnut617, the thing is that undercarriage fits into the most incredible and unlikely spaces. Models, especially ones build by small model companies, have to simplify things. It is entirely feasible that the wheels will fin inside the gap at the other end of the main undercarriage bay, however the way the space behind where the doors to that area has been shaped does not correspond to what I can make out with the drawings I have been supplied by Overscan. If I manage to build the "B" version of the P.1121 I could have a go at correcting the error, however that would take a lot of time and effort which I may not have. There is nothing to stop there being a cam or two that would rotate and turn various parts of the undercarriage so that it fit's through what is a relatively small opening.

Gondor

[kitnut617]

It's a pity someone can't go a get some decent photos, the thing still exists

[kitnut617]

Found my pdf file of the drawings I have, it seems it's the right way around, still trying to figure out how the wheels slide into that narrow slot.

Is this the same one you have Alastair ?

[PR19_Kit]

Do they go in almost vertically, like a Mig-21?

I think it's in the RAF Museum's reserve collection at RAF Hendon, or it was at one time anyway But trying to get in there is like gaining access to Fort Knox!

[Gondor]

kitnut617, what I have is very similar and could be based on what you have shown there. It looks as if you have a few more annotations about such things as ram air intakes which I don't have on the drawings I have been given.

Kit I was thinking that we have no way of knowing exactly how they would have gone in, nothing about rotation of the undercarriage legs to allow the wheels to enter the bay can be ruled out. I am also reasonably sure that Fort Knox is easier to get into.

Gondor

[Gondor]

The nose leg has now been fitted together after I realised that the yoke for the wheel could be inverted and I found out that it looked better that way up so out came the super-glue



So this will need primed in the near future. The rest of the white metal has been primed excepting the wheels which are almost useless and more suited in width to a WWII bomber so they are being replaced.

Gondor

[Gondor]

Nothing done since I managed to prime the white metal parts over the weekend. The next thing I need to do is to start painting the parts that go into the interior but as I am not too keen on painting cockpits I keep putting it off 

Gondor

[NARSES2]

Strangely I enjoy painting cockpits, I find it quite relaxing. It doesn't even bother me when you put them in the fuselage and they disappear never to be seen again 

[Gondor]

I have done a little painting of the cockpits and a few other areas over the last couple of nights, not going to get much done tonight either as I will be revising for a job interview tomorrow.

Gondor

[Gondor]

A couple of pictures to show how far I have got with painting the interior of the aircraft.





Obviously I still have lots to do but I am getting there slowly

Gondor

[Captain Canada]

Gorgeous machine. I really enjoy watching the progress of this one. And thanks for the pics and insight Robert. Too bad they wouldn`t put the real thing back together !

[Gondor]

So I have been looking at drawings for the main undercarriage knowing that it was not positioned vertically which means I have to get the angle right on both sides. The result of looking at drawings was an angle of 79¹/₂^o from the horizontal or 10 ¹/₂^o from the vertical, take your pick.

So lets make a template I thought, should be easy enough with drawings, the physical item, a micrometer, a ruler, pencil and some card.



Looks great    only problem is that the undercarriage leg is angled to the rear when it should be angled forwards 

Template MK II





Much better  although with the leg splaying outwards the template is not exactly vertical but it is close enough and I dare any JMN to prove that the final result is wrong.

I am going to have to make a second template for the other main undercarriage leg as I have no wish to make two batches of araldite which I aim to glue the legs into place. I will need the filling ability and the slower setting time of the araldite so that I can fix the templates into place after the glue has been applied to the legs and the legs put roughly in place in the bay.

Once they are are the correct angle and the glue has set I will start painting the undercarriage bays and legs, not just of the main bay but the nose wheel bay as well.

Gondor