Vickers Swallow

[PR19_Kit]

I could have sworn I posted the start of this thread already, but it seems to have vanished. 

Anyway, the kit's an early prototype of Gannet Scale Models Vickers Swallow project in 1/144 scale, and I've been learning (the hard way.....) how to deal with this type of resin. Here's the original 'OOB' components, and you can see the extra support struts that are added during the 'moulding' process, although I think it's more a 'generating' process from what I understand.




Here's the Swallow's designer, Barnes Wallis no less, with a large model of his creation. It was to be a LARGE aircraft, RAF bomber or BOAC airliner size machine, that had variable sweep and variable pitch wings. There were to be no aft control surfaces at all and the aircraft would pitch and turn by changing the thrust and the incidence angle of the engine/wing assembly. Some pics show canard foreplanes, but they were not included in Mr. Wallis' original ideas.




Only wind tunnel models of the Swallow project were built, although a 'proof of concept' radio controlled aircraft called the Wild Goose was successfully tested which used the same control system. Needless to say the project was cancelled by the Government, something only too common in those days. And these days too..... 

The model's wings are designed to sweep, and I had a problem in getting that work right away as the holes for the wing pivots were too small, and I managed to snap the outer rings of the holes clean off.

Alistair, Mr. Gannet Scale Models, quickly got on the case and generated another pair of aft fuselage parts with larger holes for me, enabling me to continue, but first I started on the pivoting engines. There's a matched pair on each wing, one above and one below the wing, and of course they swivel to face the airstream and do so in pairs.

The model parts are arranged with a pin (Pin A) on the bottom of the upper engine pylon which passes through the wing and connects with a slot (Slot B) in the lower engine pylon. The hole in the wing (Hole C) needed to be drilled out to 1mm size for the pin to pass through, and the slot in the lower engine pylon needed to be widened to a similar size. You can see the 'before and after' slots in the pic.




I intend to use gel superglue on the pin and slot on the fond hope that I can get the engines to swivel, but you know what superglue's like.....

[Wardukw]

Ill be watching closely Kit as this is a very cool plane and with the fight your having putting it together will make it even better when you win that fight 

[Old Wombat]

I think you posted the parts image in another topic.


Ah, there it is!

Re: My stash just grew again. (2022)
« Reply #307 on: 01 March 2022, 21:32:20 »
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=50063.300

[PR19_Kit]

I think you posted the parts image in another topic.

Ah, there it is!

Re: My stash just grew again. (2022)
« Reply #307 on: 01 March 2022, 21:32:20 »
https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=50063.300

Yes, I found that one, but I posted the same pic in a specific build thread for the Swallow, and it's vanished as if it had never been.

Anyway, I've re-posted it now.

The 'cockpit' of the Swallow was retractable, but it looks pretty ugly when extended so mine will be modelled in the full down position. Alistair's moulded the whole cockpit in clear resin and I'll mask off the windows before any spraying. I needed to file both the cockpit moulding and the hole in which it fits before assembly, but now it's superglued in place, by dripping very fluid glue around the edges from underneath.

When it was fully cured I filed the inner side of each forward fuselage half to get a nice flat joint and glued them together using gel type superglue this time.

Here's the whole forward fuselage assembly, both top and bottom views. The slots in the underside are the landing gear bays, but the rear bays stretch back into the rear fuselage moulding too..





I don't have a Scale Reference Tamiya Paint Pot handy, nor a Scale Reference Cat either, but that whole forward fuselage is about 5.5" long.

That's about 140 mm for those Imperially challenged......... 

[Lost Cosmonauts]

Very nice progress indeed

[PR19_Kit]

Much embarrassment here. 

I've been working on the assumption that the wings of the Swallow kit are meant to swing, and to that end I've been messaging Alistair suggesting various changes in the moulds to make that easier.

Actually they're not, they're meant to be positionable and glued in place at the wing sweep angle you chose. BIG red face time.

I'll build this one with the wings fully out I think, if only because the wings are longer like that........... 

[Lost Cosmonauts]

Much embarrassment here. 

I've been working on the assumption that the wings of the Swallow kit are meant to swing, and to that end I've been messaging Alistair suggesting various changes in the moulds to make that easier.

Actually they're not, they're meant to be positionable and glued in place at the wing sweep angle you chose. BIG red face time.

I'll build this one with the wings fully out I think, if only because the wings are longer like that........... 

No need for embarrassment - I'd probably been unambitious in drawing it up assuming getting it to pivot freely would be too much hassle

Hopefully your fettling will see it swing and I'll be able to incorporate enough changes to make the basic print do the same

[Gondor]

Much embarrassment here. 

I've been working on the assumption that the wings of the Swallow kit are meant to swing, and to that end I've been messaging Alistair suggesting various changes in the moulds to make that easier.

Actually they're not, they're meant to be positionable and glued in place at the wing sweep angle you chose. BIG red face time.

I'll build this one with the wings fully out I think, if only because the wings are longer like that........... 

No need for embarrassment - I'd probably been unambitious in drawing it up assuming getting it to pivot freely would be too much hassle

Hopefully your fettling will see it swing and I'll be able to incorporate enough changes to make the basic print do the same

Maybe have a look at instruction sheets for models that have swing wings to get ideas for how to incorporate a mechanism into the fuselage that will work.

Gondor

[Wardukw]

If i need instructions for models i just hunt down a review from Scalemates..ya can down load em for free 
Mig 23..27 ..F14..their all simple swing wing designs in model form.

[Lost Cosmonauts]

Had a really good think about it but because the main wheel bays are really tight against the pivot point most of my plans using connecting rods or meshing gears were foiled. I was worried about the strength of internal rods versus the force required to overcome resin on resin friction as well as I've not done moving parts before

Open to any and all suggestions though

[PR19_Kit]

In 1/144 scale it wouldn't be very practical to install an F-14-alike mechanism to ensure the two wings stayed at similar angles on each side.

It's easier just to arrange the wings at a matching angle yourself, or will be when Alistair's sorted the clearances anyway. I'll stick with the 'wide apart' position on this first build.

Now for a 1/72 scale Swallow it'd be a different kettle of fish however...... 

[Lost Cosmonauts]

If i need instructions for models i just hunt down a review from Scalemates..ya can down load em for free 
Mig 23..27 ..F14..their all simple swing wing designs in model form.

Our esteemed builder has some nice pictures of the wing root and the innards of the pocket they sit in so with the next update you might better see what room there is to play with

The best thing I could come up with was either an arm with a fixed pin from one wing intersecting an arm with a slot on the other or a pin sliding forward and back constrained in a slot within the fuselage and passing through an arm with a slot from each wing. With the limited room inside the fuselage and slight texture of the print my worry was that it adds a lot of complication and ends up so fragile it soon breaks and knacks the resulting model

[Lost Cosmonauts]

In 1/144 scale it wouldn't be very practical to install an F-14-alike mechanism to ensure the two wings stayed at similar angles on each side.

It's easier just to arrange the wings at a matching angle yourself, or will be when Alistair's sorted the clearances anyway. I'll stick with the 'wide apart' position on this first build.

Now for a 1/72 scale Swallow it'd be a different kettle of fish however...... 

That is flinging chum into an already frenzied shark pool

[PR19_Kit]

In 1/144 scale it wouldn't be very practical to install an F-14-alike mechanism to ensure the two wings stayed at similar angles on each side.

It's easier just to arrange the wings at a matching angle yourself, or will be when Alistair's sorted the clearances anyway. I'll stick with the 'wide apart' position on this first build.

Now for a 1/72 scale Swallow it'd be a different kettle of fish however...... 

That is flinging chum into an already frenzied shark pool

Hehehe, I knew you'd like that idea. 

[PR19_Kit]

I've done some work on  the landing gear while waiting for the putty to dry off on the nose assembly.

All three gear assemblies are moulded in one piece each, that are then fitted into recesses in the underside of the fuselage, but at first they look NOTHING like you'd expect due to the support structures that have to be generated during the mould process.

This is what they looked like at first.



I very carefully cut and clipped away the support rods, and as the resin is pretty brittle I needed to be very careful too. Eventually they ended up like this, and will need a little filing and trimming prior to fitting into the fuselage.



They're VERY small, note the Scale Reference Scalpel alongside.....

(I dunno what's up with the Forum this evening, it's slower than if it was on a 1200/75 dial-up model, and looks VERY ancient too. )