Looks mighty like a whirlwind to me ‘an all!
1/32 Westland Whirlwind F Mk I, Special Hobby
- Thread starter stona
- Start date
I've not had much time for this, but I managed to mask and spray the canopy and stick it on, along with the gunsight and nose cone. You can fit the cannons after the nose cone. Any instructions are just someone's opinion on how to build the model, and fitting the cannon now would be silly, given that by separating them (they come in conjoined pairs) you can put them in later.
After that I've primed the model. Here's the underside, just for a change.
Next the wheel wells. The instructions have them Interior Green, which is not unreasonable. I, however, will be doing mine silver because most other fighters of the period did not include wheel wells as being 'interior'. I might be wrong, but there you go :smiling3:
After that I've primed the model. Here's the underside, just for a change.
Next the wheel wells. The instructions have them Interior Green, which is not unreasonable. I, however, will be doing mine silver because most other fighters of the period did not include wheel wells as being 'interior'. I might be wrong, but there you go :smiling3:
A friend of mine, Alan Clark scratch built a Whirlwind in I think 1/36 th scale and entered it in the old IPMS Nationals when they were held way back when at Stoneleigh. It was disqualified because he had skinned the plastic model with aluminium litho plate. I could never work out why because at the time bare metal foil was allowed on 1/72nd scale aircraft and therefore the aluminium litho p!ate on the Whirlwind would have been by ratio the same thickness as BMF on the 1/72nd scale models.
Regarding the Welkin. I had a 1/72nd scale vac form that I never got around to making and sold on, but cannot remember the manufacturer.
Regarding the Welkin. I had a 1/72nd scale vac form that I never got around to making and sold on, but cannot remember the manufacturer.
I have now decided on a scheme and painted the underside.
But you haven't done the underside of the starboard tailplane black too, I hear you say. No I haven't! The instructions would have you do so because they have seen this photograph of the aircraft in question (without my arrows).
The red arrow is pointing to the shadow of the engine nacelle on the wing. The orange arrow is pointing to the shadow of the fuselage and lower fin on the tailplane.
This is not the black/white scheme of the early war. It was a short lived scheme of late 1940 and early 1941. On 28 November 1940 an order was issued that the port wing only be painted black, but implementation was delayed until 12 December. At the same time underside roundels returned, with yellow around the port roundel. On 8 April 1941 the order was given to revert to an all Sky underside, but implementation was again delayed until 22 April.
But you haven't done the underside of the starboard tailplane black too, I hear you say. No I haven't! The instructions would have you do so because they have seen this photograph of the aircraft in question (without my arrows).
The red arrow is pointing to the shadow of the engine nacelle on the wing. The orange arrow is pointing to the shadow of the fuselage and lower fin on the tailplane.
This is not the black/white scheme of the early war. It was a short lived scheme of late 1940 and early 1941. On 28 November 1940 an order was issued that the port wing only be painted black, but implementation was delayed until 12 December. At the same time underside roundels returned, with yellow around the port roundel. On 8 April 1941 the order was given to revert to an all Sky underside, but implementation was again delayed until 22 April.
Coming soon VERY nicely Steve.
On the Beaufighter front, whilst I don't claim to be an expert, I've always loved the look of it and read the Chaz Bowyer book about it more than once, most recently last year.
Keep up the great work.
Andrew
On the Beaufighter front, whilst I don't claim to be an expert, I've always loved the look of it and read the Chaz Bowyer book about it more than once, most recently last year.
Keep up the great work.
Andrew
Coming on very nicely Steve. I always find getting the camo on very satisfying.
ATB.
Andrew
Looking beautiful steve , this is making me want to get a whirlwind again !
Loving this.....great looking bird.
A quick snapshot following the first coat of varnish following a polish with some very fine (2500 grit) paper and before a second coat and the decals.
I think it just about captures the way the varnish tones down the paint, particularly the post shading, which can initially look a little stark. It can be a tricky thing to judge, but using the same paints and same varnish for years certainly helps :smiling3:
It's an effect much more obvious to the naked eye than a camera, at least one in my incompetent hands!
I think it just about captures the way the varnish tones down the paint, particularly the post shading, which can initially look a little stark. It can be a tricky thing to judge, but using the same paints and same varnish for years certainly helps :smiling3:
It's an effect much more obvious to the naked eye than a camera, at least one in my incompetent hands!
In keeping with the OOB nature of this build I have used the kit decals. They are typical of Cartograph decals, nicely printed on a fine carrier film. They go down very nicely but are quite fragile, so you don't want to be poking them about too much.
If I built the kit again, I would mask and spray the markings. I expect someone will make the markings for the DFS (grey/green) versions of this model.
If I built the kit again, I would mask and spray the markings. I expect someone will make the markings for the DFS (grey/green) versions of this model.
Just when you think that you're winning, it turns out that there are a lot more 'dangly bits' than you thought.
The undercarriage in particular is a bit over-engineered. Some of those bits are sub-assemblies already!
I found the pilot figure on a sprue in the spares box. I think he's one of those from the ICM offering, holding his flying helmet in his left hand/arm? I decided to make him just for scale in the eventual walkaround. The Whirlwind was quite a bit bigger than the single seat fighters with which most of us are more familiar (but nowhere near as big as a Beaufighter).
The undercarriage in particular is a bit over-engineered. Some of those bits are sub-assemblies already!
I found the pilot figure on a sprue in the spares box. I think he's one of those from the ICM offering, holding his flying helmet in his left hand/arm? I decided to make him just for scale in the eventual walkaround. The Whirlwind was quite a bit bigger than the single seat fighters with which most of us are more familiar (but nowhere near as big as a Beaufighter).
Coming on very nicely indeed Steve.
ATB.
Andrew
ATB.
Andrew
I only meant to spend an hour or so on this today. I spent a lot more!
The engineering of the undercarriage, particularly the main gear, and doors is interesting to say the least. It's really quite a fiddly and difficult job to get it altogether and in roughly the right place. After a bit of huffing and puffing I got it done. Some of it seems a bit imaginative to me. I've never seen another British designed system or Westland system work like this but, as I've said before, I could be wrong. It also include the daftest way of attacking the mainwheels that I have ever seen on an aircraft kit!
For a bit of light relief I fitted the IFF antennae.
Just the sticky out bits and more antenna wires on top to do, hopefully tomorrow.
The engineering of the undercarriage, particularly the main gear, and doors is interesting to say the least. It's really quite a fiddly and difficult job to get it altogether and in roughly the right place. After a bit of huffing and puffing I got it done. Some of it seems a bit imaginative to me. I've never seen another British designed system or Westland system work like this but, as I've said before, I could be wrong. It also include the daftest way of attacking the mainwheels that I have ever seen on an aircraft kit!
For a bit of light relief I fitted the IFF antennae.
Just the sticky out bits and more antenna wires on top to do, hopefully tomorrow.
I've managed to finish this one this morning.
The 'completed' thread is here for those interested. I've included a brief history of this aeroplane and one of its pilots, but you can skip that to get to the pictures
Completed Special Hobby 1/32 Westland Whirlwind. | Scale Models Forums (scale-models.co.uk)
The 'completed' thread is here for those interested. I've included a brief history of this aeroplane and one of its pilots, but you can skip that to get to the pictures
Completed Special Hobby 1/32 Westland Whirlwind. | Scale Models Forums (scale-models.co.uk)
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