Wingnut Wings Sopwith F.1 Camel “Clerget”

[shortCummins]

Wingnut Wings Sopwith F.1 Camel “Clerget”

So having finished the Mk.VIII Spitfire it was time to decide what to build next. I don’t have too big a stash, unless you talk to my wife, so my choice is reasonably limited.
I have mainly 1:48 kits, 1:72 is far too small for my tired old eyes, in the stash, in no particular order, I have a Tamiya Swordfish and a Lancaster, an Eduard Starfighter, a Revell/Monogram PBY-5A Catalina and B-26 Marauder, ICM Beechcraft C-45, Hobby Boss Sukhoi Su-17M4 Fitter-K, Hasegawa P-38J Lightning (with no instructions!?) and the beautiful 1:32 Sopwith Camel ‘Clerget’.

The Lancaster, Catalina and B-26 are going to be “big beasts” and at the moment I’ve nowhere to display them, also the B-26 has been started, by my Father-in-law who’s since passed away so I want to “do something special” with the kit once I finish it, I just have to make up my mind what that will be. I was tempted by the P-38 but I can’t make up my mind if I should go for a NMF or a well-worn green and grey version? Also I was very tempted by the Starfighter but having a look at the Wingnut Wings plastic swayed it, the quality of the moulds is remarkable, so I can only butcher it!

The kit has 5 markings:
B3834 “Wonga Bonga” Manston Flight RNAS
B3889 “B1” 70 Sqn RFC
B3893 Sqn 9(N) RNAS
B6289 Sqn RNAS
B6313 139 10(N) Sqn RAF
B7406 4 Sqn AFC

I can’t resist “Wonga Bonga”

apparently Wonga = Gotha, because of their distinctive engine sound and Bonga = smasher
Another reason I chose this scheme is because it has the Sopwith factory detail on the tail and as I grew up near Kingston Upon Thames it has some personal (although tenuous) meaning to me.

Last year I went to the show at Telford where I was lucky enough to meet Robert Lane who sculpted this figure


I’ve never painted any figures, only one of the aircraft I've built has had a pilot?, so I thought I’d have a crack at this one, what can go wrong?

I’m planning on taking my time building this, it'll be the most expensive kit I built, also the most detailed? I’ve never built a 1:32 kit before and everything I’ve heard about Wingnut Wings is positive so I want to enjoy the process as much as I can.


As usual I’ll be starting with the cockpit

until next time
as always, any suggestions or comments will be gratefully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

[Twokidsnosleep]

Sweet build set up
I have the same kit, and perhaps a couple others but going to save them for the WWI GB in September
Didn't know about the wonga bonga thing...always wondered what that was

[NorthernModeller]

I very much look forward to following this

[Kevthemodeller]

I'm looking forward to this John please do keep us all up dated.

I've always had a liking of WW1 aircraft must have been due to watching the films Blue Max, Aces High and the TV series Wings. I built many of the Airfix and Revell WW1 aircraft kits available back then. Today my stash has been increased yet again by the addition of 2 WNW kits the SE5a and Foker DVII.

I've really got to stop buying kits

[shortCummins]

As with 99.9% of all aircraft I start with the cockpit, however whilst preparing to start I decided that I’d try and prepare some other areas that made sense, to me anyway, that would be requiring the same sort of finished, i.e. wood, such as the propellor and cockpit decking.

So to that end I separated the parts I needed and gave them a coat of Ultimate/Stylenrez black primer
side walls



floor, seat and fuel tank





instrument panel and gun mount





oil tank

propellor

cockpit decking

wing struts and machine guns


tail skid



There are several parts that need to be ‘wood’, instrument panel, wicker seat, foot rests, spars etc. so I started by giving them a ‘base’ wood colour of either Tamiya XF-55 deck tan and/or XF-59 desert yellow.












These now need a ‘woodgrain pattern’ so I used vallejo model air 71.036 mahogany or model color 70.828 woodgrain.
For the larger items I used a RB production PE stencil to create the woodgrain, for smaller items I used a small brush to create the pattern

the PE stencils






Once I was satisfied with the wood effect they were given a diluted coat of either Hobby Color H92 clear orange, Tamiya X-24 clear yellow or Tamiya X-27 clear red mixed with the clear orange to give either lighter or darker shades











With the wood, more or less, completed it’s time to add the other painted detail…

until next time
as always, any suggestions or comments will be gratefully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

[shortCummins]

With the wood effects complete its time to add some painted details to the instrument panel
Tamiya XF-2 white for the dials


Tamiya X-18 semi gloss black for the dial bezels and as a ‘base’ for the brass


Mr Metal Color 219 brass


Tamiya XF-23 light blue for the glass vial


Instrument decals and placards



More to come with the cockpit.

until next time
as always, any suggestions or comments will be gratefully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

[Stokesy44]

Great work on the wood effects and that instrument panel

[shortCummins]

Great work on the wood effects and that instrument panel

thanks Stokesy

I'm really enjoying this build

rgds
John(shortCummins)

[shortCummins]

More detail painting…
First colour is dull aluminium, vallejo acrylic metal color 77.717
masking




the fuel tank

tank straps painted black


these photos show that I need to re-paint the straps to get better coverage

magazines and back engine plate


fuselage side-frames
black detail painted



Mr Metal Color 215 cooper



dull aluminium, vallejo acrylic metal color 77.717



Mr Metal Color 219 brass



floor boards/foot rest


seat cushion vallejo model color 70.828 woodgrain


wicker-seat binding model color 70.814 burnt red


tail-skid



Next I’ll be assembling the cockpit and adding the internal rigging.

until next time
as always, any suggestions or comments will be gratefully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

[Cymru]

Loving this, GREAT work so far Sir!

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking good John

I'm following this with great interest, in preparation for my WNW builds planned for last this year.

[shortCummins]

Looking good John

I'm following this with great interest, in preparation for my WNW builds planned for last this year.

Loving this, GREAT work so far Sir!

thanks guys

rgds
John(shortCummins)

[shortCummins]

Somehow I managed to stuff-up one of the dial decals, not sure how I managed that?, anywho, I replaced the ‘white faced’ decal with a ‘black’ faced one. The instrument panel, magazines, engine plate and carburettor air induction pipes sub-assembly




control column, rudder bar, floor boards(foot rests) and bent undershield



wicker seat and petrol(fuel) tank-sub assembly


I’ve added ‘fuel spills’ to the petrol tank


adding the PE safety belt

the belts were ‘folded’ after annealing

and then given a coat of Ultimate black primer

once the primer had dried they were given a coat of Tamiya XF-57 buff

the buckles were then picked out with vallejo model air steel 71.065

the strap was masked with Maskol for the leather part

and sprayed with Tamiya XF-52 flat earth

after an hour or so the Maskol was removed

and the rope attachments were also painted XF-52

both belts were given a coat of aquagloss and then I used Tamiya panel liner dark brown to highlight the stitching and also dirty the belts

the belts were then super glued to the seat





Next I will be rigging the cockpit fuselage.

until next time
as always, any suggestions or comments will be gratefully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

[Stokesy44]

Nice work. That seat makes me chuckle at the technology of the time. Amazing how things would change so quickly in the following years.

[rcfanuk]

Great work, looking forward to seeing this come together

[ElCapitan]

That instrument panel looks the business! Really love how they used wicker seats

[DBMiller]

I looked at one of these at a recent hobby show but couldn't do it! I just wasn't ready for a biplane! Nice work!

[Cymru]

Ye Gods & small fishes there's some fiddly work going on there!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Looks awesome to me. The instrument panel is FANTASTIC!!!
Liking your wood replica painting as well

[shortCummins]

thanks guys, if this kit is "typical" of a WnW kit then I can't recommend them highly enough, I'll certainly be getting others

[shortCummins]

rigging the fuselage frames, WnW have a really useful “walk around” page…
http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/productd ... 3157&cat=2
one of the photos…

…shows turnbuckles, in order to replicate these I’ve used albion Alloys 1/48 turnbuckle which are 0.4mm (outside diameter) 0.25mm (inside diameter) x 3mm (length)
here I’ve threaded one of them with fine EZLine

the first one attached

all attached

here against a white background

‘dry-fitted’ against the side of the fuselage

the completed other side



Next up I’ll be bolting the cockpit sub-assemblies together.

until next time
as always, any suggestions or comments will be gratefully received.
rgds
John(shortCummins)

[Cymru]

Fu**ing STUNNING Sir! I am now too frightened to open the box let alone start the build

[Twokidsnosleep]

Crazy details

[Stokesy44]

Brilliant work. Level of detail is amazing. I just hope as much of it as possible will be seen when it’s all together.

[Norman]

Now that is looking nice ! i MUST acquire one without delay !

[Kevthemodeller]

Excellent work John those turn buckles look really good