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Sopwith Camel. Artesania Latina [COMPLETED BUILD]

Ken said:
Hello, again thanks for your likes. The build continues, this time I’m showing you the almost completed rigging. It wasn’t difficult to follow the instructions but it was difficult to achieve. There are about ninety rigging eyelets and turnbuckles made up of PE. the lines crossed the frames and each other, many at awkward angles with some of the eyelets difficult to access, rigging my Victory was easier. I started using .25 thread which looked about right in the wings but it looked too heavy along the fuselage so I used a dark grey sewing thread from my wife’s stash, this looks right and being thinner was easier to thread for which I was thankful. The eyelets only have a small contact area on the frames and a few came away when I tensioned the line, this caused me a problem as some of the mounting points have four eyelets attached causing other lines to be also affected and needed re doing. With all the lines crossing close to each other and with the control cables running inside the fuselage I found it almost impossible to focus on the line that I was doing, needless to say that I didn’t enjoy this part of the build, I found it frustrating, but at least it’s now behind me.


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While this may not be the rigging of a sailing ship, it is labor-intensive and requires patience! but it's worth the effort. The model looks just beautiful!!!
 
Ken said:
Hello. Thanks for visiting my log, I'm surprised at just how much interest there is in a model aircraft on a model boat forum.

The build is coming along nicely and yet another day passed without me breaking anything, long may that continue. I've put on the rear wing rib capping, the forward side stringers as well as the upper fuselage ones, these were 2mm x .3 mm, very thin, almost like paper, they don't feel like scaled parts but from a pace away look ok. As you can see I've fixed into place most of the cockpit parts that I'd prepared so it's now looking more like a plane, and is now ready to be released from its jig.

Some years ago I built and flew RC model aircraft, I enjoyed making them over plans which gave good accuracy and a certain satisfaction so I know a little about their construction. The MA. Sopwith appears to be a bit like that and attempts to get pretty close to an accurate model replica but I don't think that the AL version tries to do that, it's closer to a construction kit but made of wood, there are no plans just a very good guide and pre cut parts, a simplified build, aimed at the less experienced modellers who will be able to then build a nice looking but more basic model.


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I have only just discovered your build Ken and love it, so will follow to the end. Can I ask what the trophy was for in front of you when you were younger and the model ?
 
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Ken said:
Hello and welcome to my log. I’m beginning to understand this kit a little more now that I’ve started, I’ve discovered that it’s not as accurate or detailed as the MA. version that Dean built so beautifully and Donnie has on the go, but I believe it will be simpler to build. It won’t suit the purists who thrive on accurate detail, things like PE for the edges on most of the tail section and lots of ply edges showing elsewhere, but I think that it will make a nice display item, one without masts for a change. I am having some difficulty handling it, I have a poor sense of feel and with it being so fragile I’m wary of holding it in case I break some parts, I’m not at ease with the build so far and am not as enthusiastic at the moment as I’ve been with my ship models, perhaps being unfamiliar with this type of build it’s just in the mind and hopefully I’ll find my mojo with it as I progress.

I’ve made up and fitted a PE cockpit base support, fitted the PE edge around the rear wing and made up the seat and controls from castings, I had fun painting the seat to look like wicker as well as the PE seat belt. Next will be a bundle of cast parts, at least I can’t break them


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Ken, you could not convince me that this is not a wicker seat, really amazing work. I have a question for you - what grit of sandpaper did you feel worked the best to clean up the "char" from the laser etching?
 
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mtsandvigen said:
Ken, you could not convince me that this is not a wicker seat, really amazing work. I have a question for you - what grit of sandpaper did you feel worked the best to clean up the "char" from the laser etching?
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Hi, Thanks for your nice comment, I think that I used about 150 grit, then to give it it’s finished look I painted the grain using Tamiya Matt acrylic well diluted.
 
DennisP said:
I have only just discovered your build Ken and love it, so will follow to the end. Can I ask what the trophy was for in front of you when you were younger and the model ?
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Hi Dennis, Thanks for liking my build. Many years ago I was in a model flying club, each year they held a concours competition, I was fortunate enough to win with this 1/4 scale model of a Spacewalker which I scratch built. It flew successfully until it didn’t, radio failure and was completely destroyed, a sad day.
 
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