'Wingnut Wings' 1:32 Bristol F.2b Fighter (Post War)

[AirCadet424]

Hello all,

I recently joined this fantastic forum and already have one build diary up and running, which you can find here:

http://www.intscalemodeller.com/viewtop ... 655461acec

That build is progressing and a new update will be along in the next day or two. However, I normally like to have at least two builds on the go at any one time, so that whilst things are drying/curing on one build I can continue building another instead of waiting. Therefore I am posting my second build diary on here which is the 'Wingnut Wings' 1:32 Bristol F.2b Fighter (Post War).

I have had this kit in my stash for about 6 months now and I've been trying not to scratch a constant itch that demands I build it …. but now I have to give in …. as it's driving me mad! These WnW kits are sheer quality, with some beautifully moulded parts, loads and loads of detail and a superb instruction booklet to ease construction. As soon as you open the box and see one in the flesh, you just know that you've bought a quality kit and regardless of the higher bracket prices that they demand, these kits are definitely worth every penny - money well spent!

I normally like to scratch-build bits and super-detail my models (it's just a habit I have) but this kit will be built strictly OOB with no added detail other than maybe some ignition leads on the engine which don't appear to be included. To be honest it doesn't need anything else!

Kit and contents in the photos below:





















This is the scheme I will be using in my build, which is the same as the box art:






Work will start today, so the first update won't be too far way, and I can't wait to get started! Thanks for looking in on my build, all comments and criticisms welcomed!

Kev.

[Kevthemodeller]

Looking forward to this build

[RangerNeil]

My favourite bi-plane - this should prove very interesting indeed!!

[Hawkmoon]

Nice choice and this will be a joy to watch

[AirCadet424]

Thanks for looking in and leaving your comments Kev, Neil and Andy, very much appreciated as always.

Kev.

[CygnusX1]

From everything I've heard about Wingnut Wings kits, you might have your work cut out for you - so good luck with it.
Looking forward to see what you make of it, and how you get along though.

[AirCadet424]

Thanks for looking in and your comments Cygnus, very much appreciated. Yes, I have heard many good things about WnW kits and also a few about slight fit issues though they could just be personal errors, who knows? This is my first ever WnW kit, so we'll see how I get on but whetever happens I always my enjoy modelling and like a challenge so I think it'll be fun!

Watch this space.

Kev

[AirCadet424]

Hello all,

Well enough of 'talking the talk' …. it's time to 'walk the walk' as they say! First update for this build is below.

The first section in the kit instructions deals, as always with aircraft kits, with the construction of the cockpit. Further cockpit construction follows in section two. Here we are dealing with the floor, seat, fuel tank and various other fixtures and fittings that attach to the floor. In this build I will not be showing photos of the parts used and their preparation, just the painted and finished sections. In the first photo below I have shown the floor before it is fitted to the rest, just to illustrate the woodgrain that I hand painted and which I am very happy with!























The photos above show completion of stage 1 but I decided to build and paint the instrument panel and pilot's machine gun to give me a head start on section 2 of the build. As a single plastic part the IP moulding is superb and with some careful painting it turned out very nice indeed! Photos below with the obligatory penny shot for scale purposes:











I added the unprepped cockpit side frames to get an idea of what this will look like with the IP in it's final position:









That's it for this update, next one will see the side frames finished and secured in place along with the rear gunner/observer's position completed and seat belts added. I'm enjoying this build, these 'Wingnut Wings' really are a step above the rest in my opinion!

Thanks for looking, all comments and criticisms welcomed.

Kev.

[SMAddict66]

Lovely work Kev, good luck for the rest of the build.

[Hawkmoon]

Looking very nice and top work as always from you Kev

[RangerNeil]

That's very, very impressive thus far!! How did you achieve the wood grain effect on the flooring - it really looks like it is wood.

[digger303]

That's very, very impressive thus far!! How did you achieve the wood grain effect on the flooring - it really looks like it is wood.

That is very nice work.

[CygnusX1]

That's very, very impressive thus far!! How did you achieve the wood grain effect on the flooring - it really looks like it is wood.

This.
I'd like to know how you did the wood too, and that certainly is very impressive.

[Kevthemodeller]

Lovely detailing there mate

[AirCadet424]

Thanks for all of the positive comments guys, very much appreciated.

A couple of you have asked how I painted my woodgrain effect on the cockpit floor of this build? I have cut a piece of plastic sheet to show a small tutorial by way of a series of pictures. I can't do a video but hopefully all will be clear below:

First I primed my piece using Tamiya's 'Fine Grey Primer':



Next to spray the base colour, which is done using acrylics, as the top colour will be in oils. It is essential that the base colour can't be diluted by the top coat when it is applied, which if the base coat had been done in oils or enamels, it would be removed by the solvent in the oil paints and ruin the effect. Acrylics and oils don't have any effect on each other and can't mix or be dissolved by one another, so work well with each other as separate processes. The paints I've used for my base coat are shown below and are mixed in a roughly 50/50 ratio but it's all down to personal choice as to which colour you want the base to be, bearing in mind that different woods show different colours so you'll need to play with the mix ratios a bit to get what you want:



The mix was then airbrushed onto the workpiece and left to dry completely:



Next, to mix a top colour using oil paints. I prefer to use Winsor & Newton 'Alkyd' oils as they are fast drying oils and if applied thinly can dry in as little as half an hour when placed in a warm location such as an airing cupboard. Again top colour is personal choice depending on the type of wood you are trying to portray. Of the five paints below I used only three for this piece, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and a touch of Indian Yellow, mixing in varying ratios until I got a satisfactory colour. I do sometimes use the other two but not for this demonstration:





Using the 'Sansodor' low odour solvent shown below, the mix was then carefully diluted to a sort of single cream consistency, which can be seen in the second photo:





Using a soft chisel brush, which is the perfect brush for this technique, the mix is then painted over the acrylic base colour in the direction that you want the grain to flow. It helps if you use a brush that isn't as wide as the workpiece and which then requires you to make two or more passes, which in turn leaves a very realistic darker line of paint where the two strokes touch each other, something very similar to the darker lines that you often see on sawn wood and which can be seen in the photos below. It may takes several strokes going over the piece several times until you get something that you are pleased with in terms of a realistic grain:







Before the thinned oil paint dries you then need to start accentuating some of the lines by using various other brushes such as coarse Hog hairs, soft liners and even cocktail sticks and by making marks in the oil paint layer that leaves the base colour showing through. For this piece I only used the thin tipped black brush, which had been dipped in the Sansodor solvent then dabbed on a tissue to take most of it off. It is also good to randomly clear away the oil paint in small ovals to represent the light shades of wood around a 'knot'. Then I darken the oil paint mix slightly to add the darker centres to the knots plus a few random dots and marks elsewhere in the wood which represent where smaller shoots had started to form in the tree trunk. Try not to have your knots and other marks looking too uniformly spaced as it will look unnatural, random and uneven is best! After I was happy with the look the piece was left to dry completely:





The piece was then sealed using thinned Winsor & Newton 'Galeria' Satin Varnish through an airbrush and again left to dry completely, after which the final sheen was achieved by brushing it with 'Future' liquid floor polish, which helps to bring out the grain, making the colours 'pop'!:



And there we have it, quite simple really but practice makes perfect as they say? Mine is painted using my own imagination, but you could also find an image on the internet of the wood grain that you want to replicate and just copy the pattern on that?

Hope that helps explain how to make your own woodgrain so that you will not have to buy those expensive woodgrain decals or PE sheets that seem to be all the rage at the moment!

Kev.

[RangerNeil]

That's a fascinating - and very useful - "how to". Thank you Kev!

[Hawkmoon]

Nice easy method Kev and looking good

[Kevthemodeller]

Lovely grain skills there Kev

[digger303]

Very effective method Kev

[AirCadet424]

Thanks for your feedback guys, very much appreciated and glad to share. You should have a go, it's great fun and very therapeutic - and not as difficult as you might think!

Kev.

[CygnusX1]

That's a really great way to paint wood. Thanks for sharing that - top stuff.

[AirCadet424]

No problem Cygnus, hope it helps and thanks for the interest.

Another update coming soon!

Kev

[AirCadet424]

Hello people,

Time for another update! Managed to get the cockpit finished and ready for insertion into the fuselage, which will be in the next stage. All that you see in the following photos is what comes in the box, except added a couple of throttle selector rods to the port cockpit framework where the levers are situated, strange that WnW didn't include such as they are normally very detailed right down to the last nut and bolt!? Also added some 0.15mm bracing wires to the frames as suggested in the instructions and added a small piece of square sectioned styrene along the top of the fabric (etch) bags where the empty ammo mags go in the rear gunners' position. this is present in the real aircraft and I wanted to strengthen the very minimal way in which the etch piece is fixed to the framework? Forgot to include a penny shot for scale but you can work that out from the 1cm squares on printed on the cutting mat!

First photo shows the etched parts for the cockpit, namely the various belts and the empty magazine carrier (before folding). Second photo shows it folded and added a few creases and marks to it to simulate a fabric pocket?:





All painted up and washes added:



Side frames all detailed up and painted, bracing wires added:





Rudder control cables added:



Rear gunners' seat painted up:



All of the cockpit components ready to be assembled into one unit:



A selection of photos of the fully assembled cockpit:


























That's all folks, hope you like it and I'll see you in the next update, where it's time to hide most of that cockpit detail inside the fuselage!

All comments and criticisms welcomed.

Kev.

[Kevthemodeller]

Superb attention to detail

The seat belts and mag pouch are really very well done, you'd think they were fabric

[Hawkmoon]

Looking good and very nice work Kev

[AirCadet424]

Thanks for your nice comments Kev and Andy, very much appreciated.

Kev.

[Twokidsnosleep]

This is excellent modelling, really top notch skills
Following along for sure


Would love to see more of your work
If so inclined, there is a Member’s Portfolio section where you can add pics of your finished builds
viewforum.php?f=69

[Garion77]

Thanks for all of the positive comments guys, very much appreciated.

A couple of you have asked how I painted my woodgrain effect on the cockpit floor of this build? I have cut a piece of plastic sheet to show a small tutorial by way of a series of pictures. I can't do a video but hopefully all will be clear below:

First I primed my piece using Tamiya's 'Fine Grey Primer':



Next to spray the base colour, which is done using acrylics, as the top colour will be in oils. It is essential that the base colour can't be diluted by the top coat when it is applied, which if the base coat had been done in oils or enamels, it would be removed by the solvent in the oil paints and ruin the effect. Acrylics and oils don't have any effect on each other and can't mix or be dissolved by one another, so work well with each other as separate processes. The paints I've used for my base coat are shown below and are mixed in a roughly 50/50 ratio but it's all down to personal choice as to which colour you want the base to be, bearing in mind that different woods show different colours so you'll need to play with the mix ratios a bit to get what you want:



The mix was then airbrushed onto the workpiece and left to dry completely:



Next, to mix a top colour using oil paints. I prefer to use Winsor & Newton 'Alkyd' oils as they are fast drying oils and if applied thinly can dry in as little as half an hour when placed in a warm location such as an airing cupboard. Again top colour is personal choice depending on the type of wood you are trying to portray. Of the five paints below I used only three for this piece, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and a touch of Indian Yellow, mixing in varying ratios until I got a satisfactory colour. I do sometimes use the other two but not for this demonstration:





Using the 'Sansodor' low odour solvent shown below, the mix was then carefully diluted to a sort of single cream consistency, which can be seen in the second photo:





Using a soft chisel brush, which is the perfect brush for this technique, the mix is then painted over the acrylic base colour in the direction that you want the grain to flow. It helps if you use a brush that isn't as wide as the workpiece and which then requires you to make two or more passes, which in turn leaves a very realistic darker line of paint where the two strokes touch each other, something very similar to the darker lines that you often see on sawn wood and which can be seen in the photos below. It may takes several strokes going over the piece several times until you get something that you are pleased with in terms of a realistic grain:







Before the thinned oil paint dries you then need to start accentuating some of the lines by using various other brushes such as coarse Hog hairs, soft liners and even cocktail sticks and by making marks in the oil paint layer that leaves the base colour showing through. For this piece I only used the thin tipped black brush, which had been dipped in the Sansodor solvent then dabbed on a tissue to take most of it off. It is also good to randomly clear away the oil paint in small ovals to represent the light shades of wood around a 'knot'. Then I darken the oil paint mix slightly to add the darker centres to the knots plus a few random dots and marks elsewhere in the wood which represent where smaller shoots had started to form in the tree trunk. Try not to have your knots and other marks looking too uniformly spaced as it will look unnatural, random and uneven is best! After I was happy with the look the piece was left to dry completely:





The piece was then sealed using thinned Winsor & Newton 'Galeria' Satin Varnish through an airbrush and again left to dry completely, after which the final sheen was achieved by brushing it with 'Future' liquid floor polish, which helps to bring out the grain, making the colours 'pop'!:



And there we have it, quite simple really but practice makes perfect as they say? Mine is painted using my own imagination, but you could also find an image on the internet of the wood grain that you want to replicate and just copy the pattern on that?

Hope that helps explain how to make your own woodgrain so that you will not have to buy those expensive woodgrain decals or PE sheets that seem to be all the rage at the moment!

Kev.

Hello, I know the thread dates a bit but could you use an another solvent ? Hope you come back to it and show us the rest of the model

[digger303]

Great stuff , great build...thank you.

[RangerNeil]

Just saw one of these on the dread Evilbay. - a "started kit" but the seller said everything was there and verified against the sprue diagrams. Closed tonight at £152!! I got outbid in the final few seconds

[digger303]

Just saw one of these on the dread Evilbay. - a "started kit" but the seller said everything was there and verified against the sprue diagrams. Closed tonight at £152!! I got outbid in the final few seconds

Think of it as a lucky escape and the money you saved.
Alternatively Copper State models do 1/32 WW1 planes too and from what I've heard as good as WNW and you'll save a penny.