Paul Howard's 1/48th Sopwith Triplane
Interior:
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Scratchbuilt new control panel and bulkheads from plywood, vellum, brass rod,
clear sprue, etc. to include the non-recessed compass and roll indicators
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Installed wood stringers in fuselage and rigged interior with combination of
streched sprue and monofilament
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Turned instrument cases, air pumps, pulsator, switch housings etc. on lathe
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Kit parts and Fotocut etched parts were used where applicable on
Engine area:
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Replaced engine with highly modified alternative made from a Koster Oberursel.
Engine cylinders were shortened slightly and had valvetrain bits installed,
then engine was reversed and the new front was built up from sheet styrene and
turned to correct shape for clerget. Pushrods and prop are slightly modified
kit pieces
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Corrected the cowling cutout locations and thinned all visible areas
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Finished cowling in metalizer , graphite, and sepia ink. Did very light engine
turning using brush chucked in fordom tool and dipped in graphite to simulate a
well worn cowing
Fuselage:
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Corrected turtledeck by adding bulkhead outlines using guitar string and
installed proper upslope to the tail plane fuselage junction using brass shim
stock and CA
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Simulated rudder attachment/ tailplane adjustment area using turned brass
fittings and piano wire. Tailskid assembly is scratchbuilt from wood, plastic
sheet and aluminum foil
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Corrected landing gear to split axel configuration
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Tom’s Modelworks etched parts for the triplane were used on exterior
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Rotherham pump body was scratchbuilt out of lathe turned plastic rod, soft
steel and copper wire. The prop was hand cut out of sheet brass and the
spinner is turned on lathe out of hardened CA adhesive
Finish:
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PC12 is mixed using Tamiya paints to match Windsock speculation
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Underside is Tamiya Buff
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Markings are a combination of Koster, Eduard and hand made decals
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Weathering is done using a combination of chalk patels and inks