I'm thinking about scratch-building a 1/48 scale Heyford, the last of the British biplane heavy bombers.
I have a question about how best to reporduce the fabric-covered surfaces. Any thoughts from geoup members who have build fabric- covered airplanes would be greatly appreciated.
Mike
Are you aware that there is an Airfix 1:72 kit that isn't a bad kit?
However, for fabric simulation- The main thing is the rib stitching on the wings, and along fuselage longerons. I use thin tape. Model Expo almost always has on sale some great, very thin tape, in as narrow as
1/32 inch. Don't worry about what color, it will be painted over.I wouldn't worry about simulating the weave until you get bigger, possibly 1:32.
Fabrics are always doped with aluminum powdered dope, which tends to fill in the weave. Then the colored layers further fill the weave. Of course, there is clear dope even before the aluminum dope.
You can get very fine silk covering material at hobby shops. That could be applied over the wood or plastic structure to simulate the weave at larger scale.
In painting, always make the fabric covered surfaces just a shade duller than metal ones.
I have been contemplating building another of the 1/72 kits as a radar test vehicle- one was used early in the British airborne radar development. What an anacronism- a radar equipped Heyford!
Don Stauffer wrote in news:497dc926$0$89389$815e3792 @news.qwest.net:
Matchbox, actually.
the matchbox is in production, too.
3792
Where? Revell Gmbh owns the Matchbox moulds but is not allowed to utilize the Matchbox trademark. The only one currently in production is the above described Revell edition. hth The Keeper
hobbytown in vegas had them. with the matchbox logo. want me to look next trip?
Probably NOS. However if you check the fine print on the box and see "Revell AG" then we have an anomaly.
Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.
i'll dig mine out tomorrow. i bought it last year. they said they can get matchbox stuff. and they said it's being made in the orient. they had some me 110's, too.
grey_gh=
news:497dc926$0$89389$815e=
I had loads of 'matchbox' kits made recently in china...comes with chinese writing also, a tube of tiny useless glue and decals that are crap to say the least. the plastic bits themselves are fine..
loads on ebay. i used to get a couple with big orders from china on the slow boat...buying 1 or 2 alone really aint worth it
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