Beyond The Sprues
Current and Finished Projects => Physical Models => Aero-space => Topic started by: Old Wombat on October 13, 2020, 10:11:28 AM
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Finally, after 4 years of having the kits sitting in the stash, I'm going to be trying to bash a Boomerang & a Fw.190 into (a version of) apophenia's Sea Wallaby.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Inspiration/i-MgW3szT/0/2a5b8da8/L/CAC%20CA14A%20Sea%20Wallaby-L.jpg)(https://photos.smugmug.com/Inspiration/i-jfFvHGF/0/9534a716/L/CAC%20CA14A2%20Sea%20Wallaby-L.jpg)
http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=4422.0 (http://beyondthesprues.com/Forum/index.php?topic=4422.0) & pg's 43 & 44 of his general thread.
Blood Sacrifice to the Modelling Gods has been made (I stabbed myself in the hand 5 minutes into this, removing an extraction pin stub from inside the wing of the SH Boomerang, about 1cm wide by 1.5cm deep ... This should suffice to gain their blessings ... Maybe.) & the build has commenced.
You'd think after 4 years I'd have some sort of plan, but I don't. I haven't had the parts off the sprues to face up to each other until last night, so I'm making it up as I go along. The plane is going to be slightly larger than the profile & be fitted with an Aries R-2800 radial. The centre section of the wings & cockpit are going to be pretty-much all Boomerang, with the outer wings being Fw,190 & the nose & rear fuselage being a blend of the two.
Hopefully it works &, hopefully, I'll get it finished in time.
Where I'm at right now:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-MNvR62n/0/d3159d37/XL/DSCN7700-XL.jpg)
= Note the Sacrificial Hobby Knife just below the Fw.190 fuselage. ;) =
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Oh Yeah !!
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Working on the cockpit .... Oh, the joys of limited-run kits & the lack of positive parts placement! :-\
The other thing is the completely random positioning of the parts on the sprues & the lack of numbering on the sprues, & constantly referring to the sprue lay-out in the instructions. :-X
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Did you start with wing root? It looks like it'll be a good fit.
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:smiley:
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Did you start with wing root? It looks like it'll be a good fit.
Yep, wing root first.
I'll reserve judgement on the fit until later, Frank. A test fit with the glued-up wing root & the CA-12 fuselage showed a 1mm gap on either side, but that may be because of the rubber band warping the fuselage a bit without the cockpit structures to hold it in shape.
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Curious kit bash, interesting to see how the parts line up.
Blood sacrifice to the gods of plastic may assist ;D ;D ;D
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Curious kit bash, interesting to see how the parts line up.
Probably not well, but, I guess that's why it's called "kit-bashing"! C:-)
Blood sacrifice to the gods of plastic may assist ;D ;D ;D
One can but hope! :icon_alabanza: :icon_meditation:
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I will light a candle in front of the Sacred Box of the Unknown Components :icon_meditation: :uuu: :uuu:
May the farce be with you :D
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Oh yeah! Looking forward to this :smiley: :smiley:
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Thanks for the inspiration, mate! :icon_alabanza:
Real Life & lots of fiddly bits (one of which has shot off to satiate the Carpet/Lino Monster) are slowing this down dreadfully! :o
Still, progress is progressing! I'll put up pic's of the cockpit, when I've finished it. :smiley:
After that will come the joining of the halves, followed by extensive plastic surgery. ;)
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Pics will be help grasping what is happening !
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Just to keep things ticking over while I'm painting & building the cockpit: :smiley:
Outer wings attached to inner wings;
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-LMxXTS5/0/2694bfb8/X2/DSCN7701-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-GmmN7bL/0/a66013a7/X2/DSCN7702-X2.jpg)
Still a lot of PSR to do on them & the observant will have noticed that I forgot to fit the Recognition Lights (aft of the starboard main gear well). I'll need to either use my long thin forceps to fit them in place or wimp out & use some Clear Fix. However, given the amount of PSR to come, this may be a good thing.
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Working so far.
Although, every time I come into this thread I have an earworm bawdy ditty about a bloke call Wallaby Bob.
High School boy humour.
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Working so far.
Although, every time I come into this thread I have an earworm bawdy ditty about a bloke call Wallaby Bob.
High School boy humour.
Thanks, BT! :smiley:
Don't know the ditty in question but you may have inadvertently named this beastie. ;)
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Hrm. I will have to go look up the original - bound to be an interesting back story to this one. It sure looks right - good luck with the build!
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Thanks, Doc! :smiley:
Had to cut 15mm from the length of the fuselage. How I had it was w-a-y too long but this has allowed me to fix something that I seem to recall being a fault with the Fw.190, the too narrow tail-end of the fuselage which, from memory, had a tendency to tear off very easily with even relatively minor damage.
The CA-14 Sea Wallaby is going to be slightly chunkier at the rear end but not hugely so.
Needs a couple more rounds of PSR, then I'll put up a photo.
I need to get back onto the cockpit, too, as I need to get it on the plane so I can cut off the nose, fit the engine mounts, built & fit the new engine, & build the new nose around it.
(I will be trying to include the Fw.190's cooling fan in the design.)
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This is turning into some serious surgery! Looking forward to to pics :smiley:
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This is turning into some serious surgery! Looking forward to to pics :smiley:
Pic's not too far away. :smiley:
I'm up to PSR round 5 ... or is it 6? ... on the tail unit at the moment. :-X
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OK, some photo's of this PSR Queen;
The tail section is as done as I'm going to bother with. As you can see, it's still slightly rough (worse in pic's than in person) & all the detail is gone, so I'll need to recreate some.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-5q2P8v5/0/f3cda290/XL/DSCN7703-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-ZXgx7ZH/0/2385dfa5/XL/DSCN7704-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-BKPFKGR/0/9de23f43/XL/DSCN7705-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-bH94Hjq/0/fe18c397/XL/DSCN7706-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-qvsBwnn/0/74a70395/XL/DSCN7707-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-mRGvjFH/0/1c6bbe26/XL/DSCN7708-XL.jpg)
Remember, it's just the tail section we're looking at, here, the wings have just had their first putty applied.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-2ZtVfbF/0/a2add703/XL/DSCN7709-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-Qm7JfTW/0/f9eb0fe0/XL/DSCN7710-XL.jpg)
Thanks for watching! :smiley:
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What PSR ? Looks like freshly moulded plastic to me
Great work
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Jeez, that was fast! :icon_surprised:
Thanks, BT! :smiley:
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'PSR Queen' or not, she's gonna be a looker :smiley:
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Thanks, apophenia! :smiley:
If everything goes to plan, I think you may be right regarding her looks - but, then, you did create the inspiration! ;)
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It's looking good and the tail looks fine - remember that perfect is the enemy of good. It looks good enough. he wings would have been my main concern and they look really good.
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Thanks, Frank! :D
The wings are into their 2nd round of PSR - putty is on & drying. ;)
The biggest problem with the wings, apart from where the Fw.190's main gear wells were, is some deformation caused by excessive use of liquid styrene to fix the reinforcing rods for the join in place.
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If everything goes to plan, I think you may be right regarding her looks - but, then, you did create the inspiration! ;)
"Yeah, but it's what you do with it." ;)
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Cockpit ... I was ready to throw this against the wall at one point.
The instructions are weak on location of parts, there are (again & obviously) no locating pins, parts placement is (as designed) poor & they don't actually fit into the space provided. I, quite literally, had to pull the cockpit apart, find the best photo's of Boomerangs undergoing restoration that I could (none of them had a decent image of the left side of the cockpit from the inside/right, so that is half-guesswork) & rebuild it based on the photo's. There are no transfers/decals for any of the instrument panels & most of the colour call-outs for the control levers are either questionable or outright wrong. I didn't bother fixing up the incorrect lever colours but I cut up the Fw.190 cockpit control panels decals into individual instruments & used them to populate the Boomerang panels as best I could.
The seat harness is a pre-painted Eduard (I think?) PE set - the kit comes with a very similar, but unpainted, PE harness.
Here are the photo's of the salvaged item; the inside walls of the fuselage show where parts were removed & moved into the cockpit , where they were meant to be, but they're, luckily, pretty much unseen once the sides are together.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-RcrCf7s/0/511b2864/XL/DSCN7711-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-63GRPkn/0/d74fba1f/XL/DSCN7713-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-7JC8NVR/0/4217cb60/XL/DSCN7716-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-jmQr9RS/0/a6319d3e/XL/DSCN7715-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-nzS5VZD/0/4e1dae4d/XL/DSCN7717-XL.jpg)
End result isn't disgusting but not as good as I'd have liked. Now I just have to insert some clear parts & fit the cockpit into the centre fuselage section as I put it together.
Yay! :icon_crap:
Thanks for following along! :smiley:
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The cockpit looks good - realistically well used without being over-weathered.
Why is it that cockpits rarely fit well? Especially in Eastern European kits?
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Thanks, Frank! :D
Don't ask me! I've just come to the conclusion that, when I build the other Boomerang in the stash as a RW example, I'm pretty much going to have to build a fair chunk of the cockpit from scratch! :o
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Mmmm shaping up nicely :smiley:
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Must be a thing with Boomerang Kits. I am sure I have read that some of the 1/48 kits have the same issue with the gubbins not fitting the actual fuselage mouldings.
Still, this is looking nice
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@ BT: This is the Special Hobby's 1/48 Boomerang. I haven't looked at the Tasman Models version, though I seem to remember you need to supply certain parts from other sources for that one.
Thanks, heaps, guys! :icon_alabanza:
Next steps taken. Pic's for your perusal:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-3g6FtvF/0/b7434fe1/X2/DSCN7718-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-nJ4X7JX/0/886d486c/X2/DSCN7723-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-VcMmX5h/0/61f76e92/X2/DSCN7721-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-Vg2Tkcz/0/52bec2ce/X2/DSCN7722-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-hJ4qXJP/0/953db247/XL/DSCN7724-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-W2bhJhJ/0/e4a60594/XL/DSCN7725-XL.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-F9BbQSp/0/7567f27a/XL/DSCN7726-XL.jpg)
Much more work to be done, yet, but, while I wait for putty to dry during the PSR sessions, I can start putting the engine together.
Once again: Thanks for watching! :smiley:
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Watching.. I am bloody intrigued !!
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You & me, both, mate! ;D
I'm flying by the seat of my pants, here, using apophenia's profile as inspiration for each move. :o
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I’m loving the wing brace/reinforcement between the two wings. That gap on the fuselage side looks daunting. Are you going to use Aves exclusively or Aves over some styrene reinforcement?
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That is one really awkward joint, good luck with that one !
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Hull gap was filled with;
1. Liquid styrene,
2. Aves Apoxy Sculpt,
3. Tamiya white putty, &
4. Perfect Plastic Putty.
That was done last night, some time before 0300hrs, my time.
Then, tonight whilst I was having dinner, the model fell from the desk onto the floor & cracked not the fuselage join but the (I thought) much stronger tail join, which I filled with CA glue.
I blame Frank for the latter, the plane obviously decided to test itself!
Anyway, I shot a coat of primer over it & there are still a few rough patches but here are the progress shots ... well ... because:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-dpwXcPg/0/222e2a7b/X2/DSCN7727-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-GQGkqZS/0/a3311791/X2/DSCN7728-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-bFkFVbh/0/718052ab/X2/DSCN7730-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-g5HsdnZ/0/bdcf1899/X2/DSCN7732-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-NC2rKPW/0/5657c97b/X2/DSCN7733-X2.jpg)
Thanks for your continued support! :icon_alabanza:
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The fuselage fix looks flawless!
CA glue is evil. I only use it in small amounts or mixed with talcum powder.
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... the model fell from the desk onto the floor...
Are you a cat owner? ::)
Evil felines aside, the fuselage fill looks amazing! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
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Thanks heaps, gents! :icon_alabanza:
Not going to blame my cat (or the dogs) because I'm sure it was a simple case of carelessness on my part, with the build being less than securely placed on a stable surcace
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Figuring and doing with white plastic is good "how to" example. :smiley: Melding of the two types will only be detected by a subject matter expert. It would go undetected by me. :smiley:
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Thank you, Bill! :icon_alabanza:
Hopefully it stays strong. ;)
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PSR WIN !
Mog
>^-.-^<
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PSR WIN !
Absolutely!
... Not going to blame my cat (or the dogs) because I'm sure it was a simple case of carelessness on my part...
See, that's just what your cat wants you to believe!
Watch him/her carefully. Is the felid looking calm? Grooming itself? Snoozing? All sure signs that 'Snoogums' is the real culprit here >:D
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So true!! Our cats have mastered the art of looking innocent after they've done something.
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Guys, I know how precarious the balance was. ;D
I'm not going to blame the cat for my own stupidity. If one can't own up to making stupid errors, they're probably the only kind one makes! ;)
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Fantastic kitbashing skills! :smiley:
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Damn fine work 8)
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...If one can't own up to making stupid errors, they're probably the only kind one makes! ;)
;D ;D
Of course, this still leaves a minor mystery. Poor placement may well explain the model's death-wish. But we still don't know what else the cat was up to at the time... ::)
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What she was doing was sitting on her feeding bench (if we don't feed her up high the dogs swipe her food) trying to figure out a way of leaving without being harassed by four (well, three out of four) dogs.
What she was thinking may be explained by the indecipherable scratches I found this morning on the garage wall, around an equally scratched plan of a wheeled device upon which several smaller wheels, each bearing several sets of large cat-like claws, were mounted. Near this was a scratched cartoon of four cowering dogs.
The scratchings had been erased by the time I got home from work. ;)
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After a week of not touching this build (or any build for that matter) due to RW interference, I've started to build two resin radial engines;
1. The original Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-1830_Twin_Wasp) from the CA-13 Boomerang kit; &
2. The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-2800_Double_Wasp) that I'm putting in this build.
With the R-2800 pumping out a 75% increase in power over the R-1830, I'm expecting the CA-14 Sea Wallaby to move! :D
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75% power increase ... this is going to be a real beast :o
... a wheeled device upon which several smaller wheels, each bearing several sets of large cat-like claws, were mounted. Near this was a scratched cartoon of four cowering dogs...
The felid is a whiffer! Cool :smiley:
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I have an engine! :D
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-H3vbqvV/0/14f26936/X2/DSCN7736-X2.jpg)
The upper, most completed engine (it won't be fully complete until I've finished the engine mount bulkhead & figured out the exhaust lay-out), is the P&W R-2800 Double Wasp going into the Sea Wallaby, the other is the P&W R-1830 Twin Wasp that came with the Boomerang. The unpainted disc of resin is a spacer I'll need to add to create room behind the engine for the exhaust system.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-xnZDGpF/0/01a020dc/X2/DSCN7740-X2.jpg)
Not much of a size difference from that angle. ;)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-QcHpbK3/0/d9ed709e/X2/DSCN7737-X2.jpg)
Now we're talkin'! :smiley:
All that work & this is pretty close to what will be visible; :-\
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-dPZcNwV/0/67d3edab/X2/DSCN7742-X2.jpg)
Hopefully, there'll be a little more visible through the main u/c wheel wells & the cowl flaps. ::)
Thanks, All! :smiley:
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Of course there is always, the every inspection hatch open and fully armed option to go with ;D
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I've got no hope of finishing this before the 30th of November deadline as is, force that on me & we're looking at years! :o
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... we're looking at years! ...
No probs. We're patient (and armed with popcorn!). That Double Wasp looks a jewel - pity to cover all that detail up ;)
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I think enough is going to be visible without being so visible as to display all the short-cuts & flaws (they're there, just not visible at a distance). ;)
Plus, I want to get this finished by the 14th of December! :smiley:
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After spending most of the last week stuffing about trying to put a whole bunch of stuff in behind the engine I've scrapped most of it, covered over the inside of the wheel wells & moved onto trying to get the front of the Sea Wallaby finished.
At least I have a fair idea of what I'm doing there, I have yet to start work on the V-frame & hook. :icon_crap:
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A quick & dirty mock-up shot of, very roughly, where I'm at & a comparison with an aircraft with the same engine & a similar role.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-FPMmR57/0/69fcc377/X2/DSCN7744-X2.jpg)
Thanks for watching! :smiley:
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I never realized the Hellcat was that...beefy, compared to the FW 190. ( I know The Sea Wallaby isn't dimensionally identical, but it looks pretty close.) Keep at it, colleague - it's getting there.
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Interesting comparison.
I would think the Arrestor gear will be a doddle after all that engine work, unless you intend to faff around and make it functional or something
Looking very nice.. eagerly awaiting the painting bit
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Thanks guys, still plugging away at it over here. :smiley:
The Hellcat isn't that much smaller than the Beaufighter, Doc. It's actually a big plane!
I would think the Arrestor gear will be a doddle after all that engine work, unless you intend to faff around and make it functional or something
You're absolutely correct, BT, the arrestor gear shouldn't be too hard, I've already done a similar version for the Sea Beau. It's the fart-arsing around making the 18 copper wire exhaust pipes that's the issue*. :-\
*: Then there's going to be all the PSR, once I've got everything together. :o
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Seeing the comparison between Sea Wallaby and Hellcat reaffirms what an achievement it is to squeeze that honker of an engine into a Fw! The dreaded PSR Pixies be damned ... full speed ahead >:(
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Yes, it's a tight squeeze but I look at it as a slim-line cowl.
Half way on the exhaust pipes. I find I can get three done, then I have to take a break because of the build up of frustration & anger at how difficult it can be to get a few bits of copper wire to do what you want. :icon_twisted:
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Looks quite graceful against the Hellcat and yes, copper wire is a pig to work with.!
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Engine build is over the top with such fine bright work. :smiley: Airframe looking "normal"
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Thank you, gents! :smiley:
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... then I have to take a break because of the build up of frustration & anger at how difficult it can be to get a few bits of copper wire to do what you want...
"Anger management! ..." And, remember, once the job is complete, a hammer can be taken all those copper wire left-overs and cast-offs. Revenge is pounding 'em until they squeak! >:D
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Real Life has been interfering with Whif Life & I've fallen far enough behind that I'm more than certain that this won't be finished by the 14th.
However, I'll keep plugging away & put up images of what I have at cut-off. They just won't be in the "Finished" thread.
Tonight I got the engine & cowling glued on but there's a fair whack of PSR needed to get things smoothed out, which I'll start on tomorrow after work.
For those of you who seem to be keen to see this finished ... So am I, so I'll be working on this until it's done, although the lead into Christmas may slow things down a bit*.
*: See? The Real World just can't stop getting in the way of the important stuff! :icon_crap:
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Well, for me, the Invasion of Japan/Japan ‘46 GB is over & I failed to complete my build. :icon_crap:
But! These things happen & life goes on. ;)
Anyway, here are the pictures of where I was at at 2359hrs, local time;
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-k239wBp/0/b7658048/X2/DSCN7749-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-3nXJd8F/0/b3dfef7e/X2/DSCN7748-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-HGs6CxK/0/65772763/X2/DSCN7746-X2.jpg)
I'll be continuing this build over in the Physical Models: Aero-space forum.
I would really appreciate it if an Admin type could, please, move this thread to that board.
Thanks everyone for following along & shouting encouragement from the stands! :icon_alabanza: :icon_alabanza:
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Thanks, Greg! :smiley:
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Still a corker of a build
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WOW! :-*
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Camo paint is on & masking is off & ... I'm a bit disappointed. :icon_crap:
I based the scheme loosely on the Hellcat scheme above but with different colours &, although they looked good on the test scrap of styrene, they just look too light (mostly) & just, well, wrong.
It's probably one of those "scale" things with colours, like paint swatches can look great laid out on the table but, once the room's painted, they look like crap.
I'll put up photo's later &, hopefully, you guys can come up with something to assist (without involving a complete re-paint). :smiley:
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No chance of passing it off as bleached by exposure to harsh SEA sunlight?
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No, I don't think it looks anywhere near that, Jeff.
Here are the photo's, so you can see for yourself/selves:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-XQ379F3/0/cf8296ca/X2/DSCN7752-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-zPMwjLw/0/00b4ca21/X2/DSCN7755-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-fwWKKqr/0/d82a09e2/X2/DSCN7756-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-FtzJ4ft/0/d046a0c8/X2/DSCN7758-X2.jpg)
See, too light! :o
I've lightly sanded the surface & haven't cleaned the dust off properly, yet, but the prop hub is one of those cool little successes (it fits snuggly without wobbling or needing to be prised off). :D
I thought a careful wash of dark grey might work But I really don't know. :icon_crap:
PS: Obviously I haven't done any fix-ups or touch-ups, yet, as I haven't decided how to fix the major issue.
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Try the tail section with a gloss coat as an experimental area. Typically that will darken things up a tad.
Not sure how dark you want it though.
Still a coat of paint is certainly tieing it together.
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You've blended that nicely ! :smiley:
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Okay, well, the overall consensus seems to be that the colours ain't so bad, so I guess I'll keep them as is.
Received the 4 x .50cal brass gun barrels to finish the armament. So that's the next job, after which I'll gloss coat & decal the beast, then semi-gloss/dull coat it & she'll be done.
However, I can't see that all being finished until after Christmas.
Cheers! :icon_beer:
Guy
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Test fitted the prop, canopy & wheels today ... Oo-ooh!* 8)
[*: Even if I do say so myself! ;)]
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Sounds great. Looking forward to more photos ... hint, hint ;)
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Soon, I hope. ;)
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Main marking decals applied. :D
50+ "stencils" to go! :-\
The gloss coat seems to have darkened the grey, albeit slightly. :smiley:
Hope to have her finished before midnight on 31/01/2020 ... Wish me luck! ;)
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Good luck, looking forward to the big reveal !
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Hope to have her finished before midnight on 31/01/2020 ... Wish me luck! ;)
Err, do you mean 31/12/2020 or 31/01/2021? 31/01/2020 was back at the start of the year.
In any case, good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.
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Hope to have her finished before midnight on 31/01/2020 ... Wish me luck! ;)
Err, do you mean 31/12/2020 or 31/01/2021? 31/01/2020 was back at the start of the year.
In any case, good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing the final product.
:-[
31/12/2020 :-X
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Too many bleedin' stencils! :o
Definitely not going to be finished by my deadline. :icon_crap:
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Maybe he meant he should have started back on 31/01/2020...
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That could also be a possibility. :icon_crap:
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Progress is happening! :smiley:
44 stencil decals applied*, first round of weathering done (chipping) & protective gloss coat down.
I'll be doing stains & oil leaks tonight.
Cockpit glazing is going to be .... C-grade at best, as I had another stuff up & fix-up. Some parts of a kit really don't have much luck! :icon_crap:
[*: Approximately 4 stencil decals destroyed whilst trying to get the tiny, extremely thin little buggers on & 56 left on the decal sheet because I couldn't be arsed trying to do any more.]
PS: Maybe it's time for another sacrifice to the Modelling Gods? ???
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:smiley:
Any progress, is good progress
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Yes! Yes, it is! :smiley:
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Almost there! :D
Actually, I would be, if it wasn't for the myriad of small stuff-ups that have occurred during these final stages. Still, only one left to fix, although it may take a couple of days to do so properly.
I must say that, even though she'll never be a "show" model, she's looking pretty good. :smiley:
Some of you may have noticed that the model has changed from a CA-14A to a CA-14B, I figured the changes, especially the bigger engine & subsequently longer nose, made this sufficiently different from apophenia's original design to warrant the new designation.
Thanks for your patience! :icon_alabanza:
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In late-1941 Australian aero-engineers from the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) obtained access to two captured Fw.190 fighters of the A-1 & A-2 variants. The engineers were impressed with many of Kurt Tank’s innovative ideas, taking copious notes & measurements for future use.
Returning to Australia they immediately set about designing an aircraft to incorporate many of these features. In a feat of design & production wizardry on par with, or better than the development of the CA-12/13 Boomerang the first prototypes were flying in mid-1942.
The result of this work was the CA-14 Wallaby which was initially offered to & rejected by the RAAF. The biggest issue was the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engine which was under-powered for the airframe, but tooling up for a copy of the BMW 801 was impossible at this time.
Next was the RAN, with a “navalised” version, the CA-14A Sea Wallaby. The Chief of Naval Air Operations looked at the rugged aircraft & said “Sure, we’ll take a batch, but we want a more powerful engine & 20mm cannon. Immediately!”
CAC began building CA-14A’s but had no idea what to do about the engine until Pratt & Whitney representatives chimed in with “We can you get copies of the tooling for the R-2800 Double Wasp, if you like.”
Some quick calculations were undertaken & CAC “liked”. In addition they used a newly developed belt-fed 20mm cannon based on the Oerlikon & incorporating improvements found in the MG 151/20.
The new variant differed enough to be given a new sub-variant designation, the CA-14B but not a new registration code, so all CA-14s are N56-??? registered.
Official records show that 57 x CA-14As, 193 x CA-14Bs (including 24 x CA-14B*s with 4 x 20mm cannon) & 84 x CA-14Cs (fitted with super-turbochargers) were built, with the CA-14As all being relegated to the advanced trainer role & the CA-14Cs being primarily allocated to high-altitude escort & interception duties.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Inspiration/i-MgW3szT/0/2a5b8da8/L/CAC%20CA14A%20Sea%20Wallaby-L.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-v2h5SsD/0/f4c6f928/X2/IMG_2405-X2.jpg)
The aircraft depicted here, NA-? (N56-93), was flown by Lt. Commander Tomas Joseph “Tojo” Wong (RAN) (Commanding Officer of 850Sqn RAN between September, 1944, & August, 1945) during the, overall, disastrous series of running battles called the 1st Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought from the 23rd of October through to the 26th of October, 1944, when the unexpectedly strong Imperial Japanese Navy had come out to play in earnest. It is depicted as it looked after the Allied fleet had withdrawn to regroup.
During this period 850Sqn engaged in between 4 & 8 sorties per day, being heavily engaged with enemy forces every mission. Wong was credited with 16 kills, 9 probable kills & 18 damaged over this period & the subsequent 2nd Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Meanwhile their ship, HMAS Jervis Bay, a heavily modified Essex-class fleet escort carrier, was hit by 3 bombs of 500lb or greater, one torpedo &, apparently accidentally, a Japanese aircraft. Despite fires & taking on water she was still able to operate her aircraft for the duration of the battle.
As a result the US Army operations on Leyte stalled & 4Div RAM & 7Div 2AIF were called in from reserve on November 1, 1944. The landing operations for these units led to the 2nd Battle of Leyte Gulf which, although just as intense, was more successful for the Allies.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-fSDc5Cw/0/8d7e1b62/X2/IMG_2392-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-wWmcrRR/0/2a1c6196/X2/IMG_2396-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-V5RxWD6/0/080f0739/X2/IMG_2395-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-LbhjJwP/0/961e0ad5/X2/IMG_2403-X2.jpg)
NA-? bears the motto “Strike Hard” (which became the post-war motto of 850Sqn) in Chinese (嚴打), with the small, super-texted Chinese character 四 meaning the number 4 (this being the 4th aircraft flown by Wong to bear that name), underscored by a leaping white tiger.
Tomas Joseph Wong was born at 8:02am on the 5th of August, 1914, at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the second son of parents of predominantly Chinese ancestry, however his paternal grandmother was a Russian Jew & his maternal great-grandmother was Irish Catholic. His parents were members of the Church of England according to his birth certificate. Tomas Joseph was of the 3rd generation born in Australia on both sides of the family.
Both his parent’s families were quite successful in various forms of retail. His father owned a small chain of middle-class department stores, which his elder son was expected to inherit & Tomas was expected to be a part of.
However, as his mother is reported to have said, Tomas Wong was born to be a military leader. He was born in the Year of the Tiger at the outbreak of a war. Even before he finished his secondary education at Geelong College, he had divorced himself from the retail world & embraced the world of aviation. Wong, jokingly, “blamed” his father, who had tried to show him the power of wealth by taking him on an expensive flight to Adelaide, to witness the opening of a new store in that city, when he was 15 years old. Wong’s father had been airsick the entire journey but Wong, himself, had been enraptured by the experience of flying & had vowed to make it his life.
In 1935, at the age of 21, Wong had completed a Graduate Degree in Engineering at the University of Melbourne & had earned his civilian pilots licence. He applied to the Royal Australian Air Force & the Royal Australian Navy for a job. The RAAF rejected his application, the RAN accepted.
At the outbreak of World War 2 Wong was a Sub-Lieutenant in the RAN FAA with experience flying several types of aircraft, including Bristol F.2b Fighters & Fairey Flycatchers, & was eagerly awaiting the delivery of the first batch of Gloster Sea Gladiators to what had just become 851 Sqn RAN FAA (formerly 4 Sqn RAN FAA, formerly 4 Sqn RANAS).
Tomas Joseph Wong would survive the war, going on to command HMAS Jervis Bay during the Korean War & attain the rank of Admiral, Chief of Naval Staff (Australia) & be appointed the Chief of the Defence Force (1965-1969). He became only the second officer to be awarded the (honorary) rank of Admiral of the Fleet (Australia) upon his retirement in 1970.
The Build
Firstly, I’d like to apologise to the RCAF & RAAF for using the NA code, it was meant to be NB but I lost the list of free codes I had researched & NA seemed logical for the ex- 1 Sqn RAN (as it must have to the RAAF who used it for their 1 Sqn).
The build involved incorporating the wings, lower rear fuselage & rear tail surfaces (planes & vertical) of a Hasegawa FW.190 A-3 into the CA-12 Boomerang structure. The rear fuselage was stretched by about 1cm which counter-weighted my eventual decision to fit the more powerful P&W R-2800 Double Wasp engine (increasing available power from 1,200 hp (895 kW) at 2,700 rpm to 2,100 hp (1,567 kW) at 2,700 rpm). The Hasegawa FW.190 parts went together very well but the Special Hobby CA-12 Boomerang parts were a struggle due, mostly, to the lack if any form of positive alignment or positioning structures & less than clear instructions (If, like me, you’re going to build this kit into an actual Boomerang, get lots of reference photo’s & plan the build before even thinking about glue. Some parts you would be better off scrapping & fabricating more accurate pieces from styrene stock (the cockpit framework comes to mind, here)) & there are far too many small, fiddly parts that are … less than essential.
If I had thought about it, I probably would have done some more cut-&-shunt work on the inner wings to allow use of the longer FW.190 undercarriage but resulting in a shorter folding outer wing (the current fold is just outboard of the ridge separating the inner Boomerang wings from the outer FW.190 wings).
Camouflage colours are; Tamiya XF-23 (Light Blue), XF-54 (Dark Sea Grey), XF-18 (Medium Blue) & LifeColor UA-044 (Non-Specular Sea Blue). Top coats were SMS Premium Super Clear Gloss & Flat Clear.
Honestly, I’m never putting LifeColor paints through my airbrush again, they’re too much of a mongrel to spray & clean out of the workings.
The entire build was plagued by various problems, the worst all coming toward the end of the build, & this isn’t going to be a build I’ll try to repeat. However, having said that, it was a mostly enjoyable build & I’m fairly happy with the result.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-Q2623P3/0/381f0bf6/X2/IMG_2402-X2.jpg)
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. . . but well worth the effort !
Top Job ! :smiley:
Good Back story, too . . .
cheers,
Robin.
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I haven't fully considered the spec's of the CA-14B but roughly;
Speed: some 25mph faster than a F6F Hellcat
Armament: 2 x synchronised .50cal machine guns mounted in the upper cowl; 2 x free-firing .50cal machine guns in the outer wings & 2 x 20mm cannon inboard of the .50cal's
Range: slightly less than the F6F Hellcat
Someone can play with that if they want.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-67kMG6V/0/b682a199/X2/IMG_2398-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-mqDhSpH/0/3ac138df/X2/IMG_2399-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-S9x7rkW/0/57c07252/X2/IMG_2400-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-ZWsgt3g/0/8a291643/X2/IMG_2401-X2.jpg)
Hellcat comparison:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-7ZnDRFG/0/72334d19/X2/IMG_2410-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-wKcmwRn/0/3446e73f/X2/IMG_2412-X2.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-XdM28cF/0/176b962a/X2/IMG_2416-X2.jpg)
WW2 RAN FAA & RAM AA Family photo:
(https://photos.smugmug.com/CAC-CA-14A-Sea-Wallaby/i-t2jWxXt/0/4e7dfc22/X2/IMG_2417-X2.jpg)
Again: Thanks for your patience! I hope the wait was worth it.
Cheers! :icon_beer:
Guy
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Nice work :smiley:
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Just excellent, build, finish and backstory. :icon_alabanza:
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Great back story and build! It's a beautiful plane!
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Great back story and build! It's a beautiful plane!
What he said. The backstory was quite plausible and the model looks "right".
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Thank you all very much, gentlemen; especially Robin, whose comment I missed last night! :icon_alabanza: :icon_alabanza: :icon_alabanza:
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Before I forget completely;
Addendum: Other parts used
Eduard Early RAF seat belt set (pre-coloured)
Master Models gun barrels (4 x .50cal (generic) & 2 x 20mm (Typhoon – set of 4))
QuickBoost P-61A/B Blackwidow propeller & spinner (set of 2)
Airfix Sea Fury drop tanks (pinched from the kit in my stash – it’s OK, I have BarracudaCast replacements)
Scratch-built hook
Hand-painted nose art (including tiger painted onto white decal film)
Decals are a combination of Boomerang kit decals & Cartograph generic markings (except the tiger mentioned above)
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Well that was worth waiting for !, elegant looking aircraft and impressive home made decals and weathering :smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:
Mog
>^-.-^<
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Thanks, 'Mog! :icon_alabanza: :icon_alabanza:
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Plays sooo well with others on display. Looks like must be RW but what the heck is it :-\ 8)
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:smiley:
You've done it again!
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You've done it again!
Weren't me, guv! Ain't never been near the place! ;)
Thank you, both, very much, gents! :icon_alabanza: :icon_alabanza:
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For the viewer, well worth the wait :smiley: Well out there ... but in a totally believable way :D
And for the creator? My guess would be: Birthing pains over, endorphins about to flood in ;D
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If the creator of the inspiration is happy, I am happy! :D
Thanks for the profile, mate. I'm really glad you think I've done it justice. :icon_alabanza:
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"Creator"! I suddenly feel a giddy-making upswelling of megalomania coming on ...
But, now that it has passed, you have made this one your own! I would never thought of combining the Boomer and Focke-Wulf wings - frickin' brilliant! I had fun playing with the concept but you've taken it to a whole new level :smiley: :smiley: