Nevs Supermarine Walrus Mk 1

[Nev]

Hi for this build I would like to have a go at this Revell 1/72 Supermarine Walrus. Truth is it's the only floaty thing in my stash! Was given as a job lot of kits, so perfect timing for this build thread












So quite a basic little kit lets hope it fits ok...


Here is a little history of the plane with some videos & images

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The Supermarine Walrus was a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and first flown in 1933. It was operated by the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and also served with the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It was the first British squadron-service aircraft to incorporate a fully retractable main undercarriage, completely enclosed crew accommodation, and an all-metal fuselage in one airframe.

Designed for use as a fleet spotter to be catapult launched from cruisers or battleships, the Walrus was later employed in a variety of other roles, most notably as a rescue aircraft for downed aircrew. It continued in service throughout the Second World War.

The Walrus was initially developed as a private venture in response to a 1929 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) requirement for an aircraft to be catapult-launched from cruisers, and was originally called the Seagull V, although it only resembled the earlier Supermarine Seagull III in general layout. Construction was started in 1930 but owing to Supermarine's other commitments it was not completed until 1933.

The single-step hull was constructed from aluminium alloy, with stainless-steel forgings for the catapult spools and mountings. Metal construction was used because experience had shown that wooden structures deteriorated rapidly under tropical conditions. The wings, which were slightly swept back, had stainless–steel spars and wooden ribs and were covered in fabric. The lower wings were set in the shoulder position with a stabilising float mounted under each one. The horizontal tail-surfaces were positioned high on the tail-fin and braced on either side by N stuts. The wings could be folded on ship, giving a stowage width of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m). The single 620 hp (460 kW) Pegasus II M2 radial engine was housed at the rear of a nacelle mounted on four struts above the lower wing and braced by four shorter struts to the centre-section of the upper wing. This powered a four-bladed wooden propeller in pusher configuration. The engine nacelle contained the oil tank, arranged around the air intake at the front of the nacelle to act as an oil cooler, and electrical equipment and had a number of access panels for maintenance. A supplementary oil cooler was mounted on the starboard side. Fuel was carried in two tanks in the upper wings. The pusher configuration had the advantages of keeping the engine and propeller further out of the way of spray when operating on water and reducing the noise level inside the aircraft. Also, the moving propeller was safely away from any crew standing on the front deck, which would be done when picking up a mooring line. The engine was offset by three degrees to starboard to counter any tendency of the aircraft to yaw due to unequal forces on the rudder caused by the vortex from the propeller.

A solid aluminium tailwheel was enclosed within a small water-rudder, which could be coupled to the main rudder for taxiing or disengaged for takeoff and landing.

Although the aircraft typically flew with one pilot, there were positions for two. The left-hand position was the main one, with the instrument panel and a fixed seat, while the right-hand seat could be folded away to allow access to the nose gun-position via a crawl-way. An unusual feature was that the control column was not a fixed fitting in the usual way, but could be unplugged from either of two sockets at floor level. It became a habit for only one column to be in use; and when control was passed from the pilot to co-pilot or vice versa, the control column would simply be unplugged and handed over. Behind the cockpit, there was a small cabin with work stations for the navigator and radio operator.

Armament usually consisted of two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine guns, one in each of the open positions in the nose and rear fuselage; with provision for carrying bombs or depth charges mounted beneath the lower wings. Like other flying boats, the Walrus carried marine equipment for use on the water, including an anchor, towing and mooring cables, drogues and a boat-hook.

Operational history





Walrus deliveries to the RAF started in 1936 when the first example to be deployed was assigned to the New Zealand division of the Royal Navy, on Achilles– one of the Leander-class light cruisers that carried one Walrus each. The Royal Navy Town-class cruisers carried two Walruses during the early part of the war and Walruses also equipped the York-class and County-class heavy cruisers. Some battleships, such as Warspite and Rodney carried Walruses, as did the monitor Terror and the seaplane tender Albatross.

By the start of World War II the Walrus was in widespread use. Although its principal intended use was gunnery spotting in naval actions, this only occurred twice: Walruses from Renown and Manchester were launched in the Battle of Cape Spartivento and a Walrus from Gloucester was used in the Battle of Cape Matapan.[18] The main task of ship-based aircraft was patrolling for Axis submarines and surface-raiders, and by March 1941, Walruses were being deployed with Air to Surface Vessel (ASV) radars to assist in this. During the Norwegian Campaign and the East African Campaign, they also saw very limited use in bombing and strafing shore targets. In August 1940, a Walrus operating from Hobart bombed and machine-gunned an Italian headquarters at Zeila in Somalia.

By 1943, catapult-launched aircraft on cruisers and battleships were being phased out; their role at sea was taken over by much improved radar. Also, a hangar and catapult occupied a considerable amount of valuable space on a warship. However, Walruses continued to fly from Royal Navy carriers for air-sea rescue and general communications tasks. Their low landing speed meant they could make a carrier landing despite having no flaps or tailhook.

[Cymru]

I'm sure I built an Airfix kit back in the day. She was a workhorse, now sadly much overlooked. I'd love to see one of these in 1/48 or even 1/32.
Good luck with the build ...

[Nev]

Ok made a start on this one. as you can see the cockpit was very basic! In fact just a seat and a very crude pilot.



So I decided to make a basic interior for the cockpit. Rivet counters beware I know the flooring is probably not to scale nor accurate but I had to put something inside! I doubt very much you will see anything, once the canopy is on.



Undercoated interior with Ultimate black and then a coat of Tamiya cockpit green.







Two halves fitted together well now to fill gaps and sand back.





next up I will paint the Gunners and Pilot seats and give the cockpit a wash to picket out any details.

[Nev]

Joined the seams then ran an airbrush over them with black primer, to see if any areas needed filling.



Some gaps needed a fill with Superglue and then knocked back with various grades of sanding sticks.





Second pass stage needing one more lot of sanding then ready for a primer coat.

I also worked on the engine using AK metalic effects. This will get a gloss coat and then some Oil washes to pick out details.





Hope you enjoy fellas!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Cool project, happy to follow along
How many of you have a Beatle's song in your head thanks to this build

[Cymru]

Cool project, happy to follow along
How many of you have a Beatle's song in your head thanks to this build

Koo Koo Catchoo More LSD anybody?

Back on topic, The grill does add some badly needed life in to this kit, out of scale or not

[Willem]

A real unsung hero the Walrus. Looking good so far mate.

[Nev]

Cool project, happy to follow along
How many of you have a Beatle's song in your head thanks to this build

Koo Koo Catchoo More LSD anybody?

Back on topic, The grill does add some badly needed life in to this kit, out of scale or not

Yea but I am used to doing 1/35 armour so my scaling is out lol

A real unsung hero the Walrus. Looking good so far mate.

Thanks fella not done a winged thing in Ernest before. I can see trouble ahead though with the engine boom!!

[martin57]

Nice one nev I thing the cockpit floor looks cool.
And some nice pictures to.
Well done to you

[Nev]

Thanks Martin much appreciated mate

[chief5437]

Really cool plane this! Good luck with the build

[Nev]

Really cool plane this! Good luck with the build

Cheers fella much appreciated

UPDATE


Ok got the engine nacelle on without too much difficulty. though I did nearly stick it to my forehead with superglue






I then masked the canopy which was a lot of fun! I can see little areas that need a bit more tape and will put some masking fluid on some of the lines to neaten them up. Once that's done will attach this to the fuselage with Micro crystal clear ready for painting.



Speaking of paint... These arrived today! First time I've used these paints, but have heard good things about them, to be honest I was too lazy to do a mix and these come ready to go!





Will let you know how they go on

[PrivatePublic]

Looking good. Any plans on how to do the rigging?

[Nev]

Looking good. Any plans on how to do the rigging?

Thankee I am going to use some 1/72 ez line hopefully won't be too traumatic

[EasyEight96]

Great work so far Nev

[Lysus]

I'm in

That canopy masking...you must have the patience of a saint. Great start!

[Nev]

Great work so far Nev

Cheers mate very kind

I'm in

That canopy masking...you must have the patience of a saint. Great start!

Or slightly deranged thanks for the support fella it's helping me on! I am working on the wings today so will update how that goes down.

[Nev]

OK just a quick update. All parts assembled and ready for undercoating.

Will try and get that stage finished tonight as off for 11 days in France



Managed to break the front wing supports so built some new ones from brass etch:





Did a little detail work on the Vickers Ks hollowed out the handles and added a canvas strap for the drums.



Parts all ready for Ultimate primer:









While I am away will have a think about the scheme I want to do. I will more than likely do something like this:



Also need to think about a base for the model as well...

[Twokidsnosleep]

She is looking greet so far, good brass repair on the supports
It is screaming for a little water diorama IMHO

[Nev]

She is looking greet so far, good brass repair on the supports
It is screaming for a little water diorama IMHO

Yea that's what I was thinking your X wing build has given me an idea

[Lysus]

The plot thickens! (Or the silicone)

[Twokidsnosleep]

She is looking greet so far, good brass repair on the supports
It is screaming for a little water diorama IMHO

Yea that's what I was thinking your X wing build has given me an idea

Great, go for it
You don't need to buy expensive material either, let me know if you need anything

[Nev]

She is looking greet so far, good brass repair on the supports
It is screaming for a little water diorama IMHO

Yea that's what I was thinking your X wing build has given me an idea

Great, go for it
You don't need to buy expensive material either, let me know if you need anything

Thanks mate appreciate that! got 11 days to plot

[Nev]

Ok back on the horse.

Tonight I pre shaded and put down the first coat of Tamiya Sky to the undersides of the model:

Grey & Black stynalrez primer used to give a rough pre shade:





I used white tac as a basic mask to breakup the areas of camo.





Then built up very fine layers of Tamiya sky with about 60% Mr Leveling thinner.







Rough spots taken back with a Ultimate thinny sponge. Nice thing about happy accidents they can surprise you! I will go over the ribs again with a fine coat of the sky base, hopefully will help with future weathering.




Thanks for looking as always

[Nev]

OK 1/72 camo on a Bi plane is kicking My butt!! Hats off to all you Fellas that make it look so easy

Time to get some paint on this:

To help out i scaled up the plans to same size as the model, then cut out the camouflage to use as a mask. I tacked these down using white tack, to stop the spray pattern looking too sharp.



I marked each section and kept a second copy to work from so i didn't get lost



Here is the paintwork on the lower section. I thought it would be easier to join the 2 wings after painting, however it did cause problems for me, as the fit on this kit was not so good lesson learnt



Had to tape the wings on and leave overnight to allow the glue time to set.



Camo finished off and all the little bits added on.






I still have to work on one of the struts as it did not fit!



Where I am at tonight:



Just to clear coat and weather then I will make a start with the base

Wish me luck...

[Willem]

Looking great Nev. Nearly there mate.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Coo Coo Ca Chooo,looking great

[Lysus]

Coo Coo Ca Chooo,looking great

Sweet looking bird so far, really enjoying watching this one!

[Nev]

Coo Coo Ca Chooo,looking great

Coo Coo Ca Chooo,looking great

Sweet looking bird so far, really enjoying watching this one!

Looking great Nev. Nearly there mate.

Cheers fellas! Yea it has a strange look to it. The cockpit canopy, looks like my old Grandads greenhouse

Will let me know how that 1/48 Walrus kit goes? I may get another down the line

[Willem]

Will do mate. Looks good in the box but also quite involved. Probably a project for next summer as it's not a quick build.

[Nev]

Just a quick update:

Had to add a small amount of height to one of the wing spars as came in too short. I melted styrene to styrene and sanded down. I have still got to take all the old paint off and prime and re paint. Awaiting the putty to dry and then back on it, hopefully won't see anything



Painted the tiny details!! Man 1/72 is tiny! I am used to doing whacking great chunks of armour!

Tiny Engine:



Tiny Machinegun:



Actually this pretty much sums up 1/72 for me:

[youtube]1a3sf36K1mI[/youtube]

Gloss coat here I come...

[Nev]

Gloss coat on and decals.

The top roundal has a bit of wear from age, but other than that they behaved. Going to weather the top section heavily as would have been sun bleached, so will cover this up with luck.













Just got to weather with washes and then onto the base

[Willem]

Mate, that's looking really tasty. It's hard to get that FAA scheme looking good as the colour tones on the top camo are so similar.

Great job.

[Nev]

Cheers fella that means a lot

[Lysus]

Looking sweet! Love those greens.

[chief5437]

She's looking good mate! You're doing a great job with this old kit.

[Nev]

She's looking good mate! You're doing a great job with this old kit. :th

Looking sweet! Love those greens.

Cheers fellas

[Always48]

Darn it! i want one now. That looks amazing and fun build to boot.

[Nev]

Darn it! i want one now. That looks amazing and fun build to boot.

Cheers fella It has been a fun build if not challenging quite an old kit by todays standards

Ok update time! Finished the Bird now working on the base for it.

Here are the images of the finished plane. I am quite pleased with the weathered look to the paint, I used a trick from Garry bottoms from 'making models again' He used the Ultimate washes as powders by letting them evaporate, then brushing on the fine pigments. I found that it worked better on a matt varnish but it turned out ok, not quite as nice as his builds though.















The front half has a satin finish to simulate landing in the water all will be revealed on the next update...

Hope you enjoy

[Nev]

Ok all finished just like me to go to the wire TBH this part is my most favourite part of the builds I think I am a better scenery maker than a modeller but hey ho.

I had to finish the base off and it took literally weeks for each layer of resin to settle, then I would build up more layers.

This is what I started with a basic box frame which I packed with low density foam.



I then used a product called create and shape to build up the reefs bottom. It is sort of like a dry putty but has a weird consistency. It was quite easy to sculpt with and I will probably use it again. The look I was going for was a shallow area of the pacific approaching land with a reef quite close by.

I painted the bottom of the base with very bright blues then incorporated darker hues to show different depths of water. the high points I added more white to give its 3D quality.

I got to this stage then and started to layer in model scenics water resin.



The model was added as well to sink it to the right depth. I then just add to add the wake. I used model scenics water effects. it is almost like PVA and dries clear. I painted this white to show the foam and then happily called it a day.



Here is a sneak peek I hope you have enjoyed following my build half as much as I have enjoyed building it!



Please go over to my final reveal to see more images.

Cheers,

Nev