Hi all. Found my way over here from my usual armour stomping ground. Decided to make a go of a Wingnut Wings Camel 2F.1 which I received as a prize over the weekend. Haven't built anything with wings for a long time, so go easy on me and I hope I don't embarrass myself!!!

The kit...



The build....

Decided to skip a few pages and kick off with the 150hp BR.1 (Bentley Rotary 1) engine which was the preferred powerplant of the Royal Navy.
A mere 16 parts for this 9 cylinder engine....



Just needs some ignition wiring....



Fit is pretty good though needs minor tweeking in a couple of places. Styrene is quite soft so care is required on thinner parts (snapped a push rod removing from the sprue)...



After a base coat of Tamiya flat aluminium....



.... bright silver and gun metal was added to appropriate parts, a manufacturers placard (decal) was added followed by various wahes and stains....



Back to the start. The cockpit frames have some annoying pin marks. Not sure what will be seen at the finish but filling them anyway to eliminate any suprises later on....



Gary

Great job on the engine Gary. I haven't seen one of these built so I will follow along.

cheers
Michael

Likewise, given the project I'm currently working on, I'm keeping an eye on this build. Great start, looking forward to progress reports.

Cheers, D

Thanks guys. Will post some progrtess shots over the weekend. Unlike my armour builds, am having to paint parts first before I can start assembly and as I am using oils for wood grain it's slow progress waiting for them to dry.... All good fun though

Gary

As promised....



Wood effect is essentially done with Vallejo Iraqi Sand base coat followed with Tamiya Clear Gloss. Once dry, I used either Burnt Umber (for dark wood) or Raw Sienna (light wood) by applying a blob onto kitchen paper for a while to draw out the most of the oil and then applying to the necessary part. A broad brush is then dragged over the paint to create the grain effect. I have a stock of poils but really need to strat using acrylics so I don't need to wait so long for them to dry!!!

The control cables are EZ Line I bought direct from Wingnut Wings here in NZ. I drilled small holes to thread the lines through to make it easier to fit. The rudder bar received the same treatment - requires a very small drill bit and a steady hand, but worth the effort.

Very impressed with the instrument decals - minimal carrier film makes application easy. I used Micro Kristal Klear to replicate the dial glasses

Gary

Gary, I thin oils with lacquer thinner, in small multi-dish plastic pallet, and they will dry much faster. You can also spray them with Testors Dullcoat or an equivaletnt lacquer based flat finish, and they will dry even faster. Finally, depending on which brand of oils you use, Japan Drier will speed the process.
VR, Russ

Gary - Very nice work ! Tell me - coming over from the armor ( armour ? ) side don't you wish the Camel had tracks to be built up of separate links , pads , guide teeth etc. - to the tune of 500 pieces or so ?
Cheers- Richard

Very nice work. The woodgrain really looks effective!

Nice work, Gary! You should join the Canvas Falcons IV Campaign.

Did you just go ahead and cut the cabine struts off? I have discovered in my build that they are very fragile and have broken off three during construction of my BR.1 kit, which is a problem as the cabines are the real weight bearers. How do you plan to re-attach them?

Michael

Michael
Instructions have you remove the struts at the beginning (they are inverted inwards) and are replaced with new ones later on.

Russ
I've learnt to be patient

Richard
I have a new Miniart T54 build runn8ng along side so that satisfies the parts count needs!

Gary

Oh, right, I forgot you're doing the Ship's Camel. Different wing.

Never mind.

Michael

Anyone who has built a WnW Camel may have noticed the ansence of a seat from the framework. That is because I cut the original seat base out in preperation for one of these...



No contest really....



Careful cutting from casting base is require due to the fragile nature, but well worth the effort as it's a big part of what will be seen in the cockpit...





I like this seat cushion out of the two the best....



Needs a little minor flash removed before I can paint.

Gary

Cockpit 99% complete (gun cocking handles still to be fitted)...









Handles fitted and assembly fixed to fuselage half...



Gary

Quite a bit of progress with this update...

Fuselage halves are together - nice tight fit...





Cockpit is enclosed along with forward upper cover. Lower wings are a nice snug fit - rear horizontal surfaces need careful alignment...





Undercarriage is strraightforward but, again, careful alignment is required while cement cures...





Upper wing is assembgled along with upper and lower alierons...



Yes, the gap is there on the real thing!!!!



Struts fit perfectly - no cement here at this stage....



Upper wings dry fitted....





Lewis gun.



End of barrel is solid so found it easier to replace with a pice of brass tube rather than drilling out muzzle....



Wheels, engine etc all dry fitted....













Pitot tubes replaced with brass tubing....



Gary

Time to add some colour. Used Tamiya paints acording to the instruction's colour charts for a Sopwith 2F.1 Camel N6602, HMS Furious, April 1918...









Gary

Cripes, your not mucking about here. rapid progress. It's looking great.

cheers
Michael

Thanks Michael. And there was me thinking I was progressing slowly!!!

Decals add a nice bit of colour....





Gary

Very nice work there, Gary! Looking good. Are you going to paint over the roundels too?

Michael

A minor point about your Bentley assembly ... and the humor of the moment....

the Bentley was a n oil spewing spinning lawn mower motor like a lawn tractor, except for eight more cylinders. It threw oil...

I hope you put a fan of stain darkening the bottom of the lower wing and fuselage.

Outstanding interior build.

Captn Tommy

Hi Gary

Great build - and like the others have said, really speedy progress!

Tom's point about the oil stains ties in exactly with what I've just been reading in the new Windsock guide to building the WNW Camels and Ray Rimell has applied some really heavy staining.

All the best

Rowan

Thanks guys.
The instructions actually mention that the port undercarraige side was usually skaked in caster oil from the engine. I do intend some heavy-ish weathering as this is a ship based aircraft exposed to the elements of the Atlantic/North Sea.

Gary

On the stains for the engine... I have found for the fabric covering of the my WWI aircraft, I have used ground pencil lead (Graphite) using a fine sand paper to create a pile and then put on with a soft 1/4 or 1/2 inch soft art brush (or a Makeup brush the same size (Walmart Or equivalent art or makeup dep't).

It adheres wonderfully to flat paint and looks the part. Practice on scrap, you will find, you can feather the edges realistically.

enjoy
Captn Tommy

By the way the same technique works for colored pencil but you have to go lighter with the sand paper to get the proper particles.

experiment is the trick. this makes good dirt for 1/72 trucks and tanks.

Captn Tommy