CDW

Really a great idea lining up all those guns on a stick for assembly. That has to help at least in some small way to keep the alignment of parts consistent from one gun to the next as you can get a visual picture of how they line up.

Don't be intimidated by that airbrush. You are going to love it, I guarantee. The one you've chosen has the nice lock on the back to regulate how much paint will come out. All you have to do is squeeze the trigger for air and get comfortable with how far back you'll want to spray from the target. Also, you'll need to become comfortable with the paint reduction and what works best for you. Much of the time, I spray Vallejo Air paints straight from the bottle, but sometimes I may need to reduce it a bit depending on the color pigment. Some seems thicker than others. 

You are going to really benefit from the ease of cleaning that H&S brush offers. It is top of the line.

I am not rich, but not really constrained so much by the cost of a kit. Much more constrained by the realization I have far more to build and finish than lifetime remaining to finish it all. Lots of nice kits on my shelves gathering dust. Never the less, if a big temptation comes along, I will succumb to the emotion.   

Congrats on those guns. Those look ultra tedious to do and I know how dedicated and determined you must be to get them all done. Quite a challenge to be sure, and the results are super.

Seeing all these incredibly small assemblies reminds me of a joke my Dad once told me about the little boy whose father sent him to the pharmacy to buy some moth balls. Once he got there he could not exactly recall what it was his father sent him to buy, so he told the clerk he needed to buy some mosquito eyelashes. The clerk laughed at him and said, "now young man, you must know mosquitoes do not have eyelashes." Embarrassed, the boy went home empty handed, feeling rather betrayed and stupid.

When Dad saw him return, he asked, "did you bring home those moth balls?" The boy replied, "Dad, you know good and well moths don't have balls any more than mosquitoes have eyelashes." 

That's what we are working on here, moth balls and mosquito eyelashes. 

This is looking very good, Carl. Convincing recreation of the turrets. 

The thing is with tweezers I find that if any CA gets on them they have to be polished back as CA builds up in layers making them useless.

Exactly this. I constantly clean the tips of my tweezers of any stray droplet of CA as it will cause problems for sure.

I tried those Foster Grant glasses at Walgreens and quickly put them down after learning they were selling for around $35. A quick check with Ebay and I found the same Foster Grant glasses for less than half ($16) and free shipping. So be sure to check Ebay if you want to save yourself some $$.

Those are a huge improvement over the kit part. I can only imagine how small they must be.

Don't know if any of you use this product for a gloss acrylic clear cote, but it is fantastic and very economical. It has changed names a few times over many years but it is commonly known as "Future", it's old trade name.

It is applied with an airbrush, does not yellow over time (AFAIK), and dries crystal clear. I often dip clear plastic canopies and windscreens into it for a crystal clear finish that makes any slight scratches disappear like magic.

Anyway, I first apply this over my base painted item, after it dries apply my washes and shading, then last apply a flat clear cote to seal it all in.

Getting ready to add a gloss clear cote before shading and adding a wash.

The 20's look real nice Greg. 6 of them is a manageable number.

I am building over 40, 20mm guns for my project right now and it is a daunting task. I do 6 at a time, then take a break.  

Just found your build log, Carl. Am going to follow with great interest. I love these Japanese warships.

Daddyrabbit and his brothers

It's going to weigh between 20 and 25 pounds all up

After the model was covered with dope and dry, I prepped the painted the entire model using sprayed on epoxy paint. The graphics were done free hand and do not represent any actual aircraft i am aware of. The 1:1 Fleet Biplanes were rather dull and bland in the way they were finished/painted. I wanted my model to stand out and be as easy to see while in the air as possible.

I put the finishing of the model on hold after my brother passed away last year. I am resolved to finishing and flying it this coming year. Not very much remaining to do at all. 

As you can see, it is rather large, taking up almost the entire width of a driveway. 

It should fly nice and slow, and be very aerobatic.

After all the framework is covered with polyester, it is then covered with multiple brushed on coats of Nitrate Dope. I purchase Nitrate Dope from Aircraft Spruce, a company that carries all sorts of home made/experimental/light aircraft products. It is the identical product used on full sized aircraft. It is highly volatile and gives off a lot of smelly fumes. Very much a product to only be used in very well ventilated areas or even outdoors if weather conditions permit. This clear dope also fills the weave in the fabric making it fuel proof and further serves to tighten the fabric.

When finished this way, the model becomes very strong indeed. 

Once everything fits and is square/aligned, then it's time to cover the framework.

Frames are prepared by sanding and applying a product called Balsarite. This product is brushed on over the entire framework and is a heat activated adhesive. This adhesive serves to hold the covering material in place and adhere it to the framework.

The covering material I used in this application is called Koverall, sold by Sig Models. Koverall is a lightweight polyester fabric identical to that used on full scale home made and other light aircraft. It is first cut to fit then ironed onto the framework. The heat of the iron serves to activate the adhesive previously applied to the framework and it shrinks the polyester fabric to a drum-tight condition.

Once the model is framed up, then the (sometimes) tedious task of making certain the wings and stabilizers are all square is done. You must do some tweaks here and there to get everything lined up and the appropriate degree of incidence in the wings. With biplanes, this task is harder because there are two wings and it's just the nature of the cabane wires/struts that fasten the top wing to require adjustment to fit.

This jumps ahead a bit, but here is the finished look of all the cylinders fitted into place on the cowling.

Next, I have to find a way to recreate the radial engine cylinders that protrude outside of the cowling. I decided to use basswood to represent the cooling fins of the engine cylinders. So, I used my handy-dandy Olfa Cutter to cut a gazillion circles of various sizes for the cooling fins and spacers. A dowel fits through the center of the fins and holds it all together. Next, the various other pieces are carved from balsa blocks. Once I am satisfied with the first, prototype cylinder, I recess the cowl and fit the cylinder to it. 

Now, this same process must be repeated for the remaining cylinders.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Saito 1.80 engine that will be used to power my model. Behind it in the background is a scale drawing of the actual radial engine cylinders in the 1:1 real aircraft. Remarkably, the Saito engine is very similar in size and profile to the real engine.

The Saito engine will fit where the cylinder faces down when mounted on the plane.

For the cowling to be viable, it must be durable and fuel proof. Otherwise, it will become fuel and oil soaked, easily dented and broken. To firm up the deal, I use fiberglass cloth and resin over the entire cowling.

Now comes construction of the cowling. it's a rather humble beginning with some huge chunks of balsa, but gets more interesting as shaping and construction moves on. Remember and look the first pictures in this post. The real aircraft had a radial engine whose cylinders protrude outside of the cowl. Will need to find a way to fashion some dummy cylinders to make this have a scale look and appearance.

To insure a proper fit, the cowl is test fitted to the fuselage along the way and shaped accordingly. Lots and lots of filing and sanding goes into this. 

Once the fuselage gets framed up, the cabane wires and landing gear wires must be bent and built. Steel wire binds the joints then silver solder seals the deal. Both the cabane wires and landing gear are removeable.

This thing is starting to become rather large for my modest building room/area. I could move out to my 3-car garage, but it is not climate controlled and not very friendly to wooden models nor my body. The limits of my willingness to endure the drastic Florida heat and humidity will eventually force me to strongly consider insulating and air conditioning my garage. 

Here, the fuselage sides, horizontal stabilizer and rudder are being framed up. Main construction components are balsa, spruce, and aircraft grade plywood.

The fuselage sides and very light weight but extremely strong.