R3 - 'Biff'

April/May 2016

Revell - Bristol Fighter F2B

Completed: May 2016

Skill level: 5

My rating: 9/10

This was my first ever build at 1:48 scale and also my first attempt at a bi-plane. I really enjoyed the challenge and learnt a great deal. Trying to create convincing wood textures was also a new skill to acquire.

I probably spent around 30 – 40 hours all told, including the rigging, which is a record for me. However, it never felt boring at any stage as new and different challenges were offered up during each step. Overall at £16.00 this model is great value for your money and looks great in the display cabinet.

I’m hooked on bi-planes. I just love the 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' experimentation in aircraft design that epitomized the early 20th century.

Now i've got the F.2Bs arch enemy the 1:48 Eduard ‘Albatross D.Va’ lined up on the bench beckoning. Just need to figure out what to do with photo etched metal parts. Should prove interesting.

Watch this space.....

1. First Impressions

Strangely I have started this project by looking at another manufacturers version.

The 'Wingnut Wings' (1:32) version is top of the range. Their site provides a superb library of detail photography taken from the real deal.

ww1aircraftmodels.com have built this version and the level of realism achieved is superb. A great reference resource.

I've not tried to create wooden surface textures with enamels before, so this will be a bit of a learning curve. I'm also gonna have a go at the rigging. Another first.

2. In the tub

Been checking out 'Kit Presentation's site (Bausatzvorstellung) of the build. Lovely use of textures and very good hand painted detail. I particularly like the 'wicker' on the chair. I wonder where they got that from.

3. On with the build - cockpit.

For the floor I began with a base colour of Yellow, with a dab of Fiery Red, to get a basic pine colour. Then I dry brushed through using a very coarse and beat up old brush to add some directional texture.

I was quite happy with a coarse finish here as it looks well trodden and weathered. For the observers position I used a redder mix and applied it using ‘stabbing’ style which built up quite a different raised texture.

After adding the fuel tank, throttle, foot controls and rudder the floor starts looking a bit more believable. There is lovely detail on all of the parts which does demand some tricky painting.

Revell Community;

Complete build (in German). Great photos and painting techniques.

4. Fitting out

Now the floor is complete the rest of the cockpit was assembled. I used a silk white + a dab of brown to suggest the interior canvas side walls. I wanted to keep these as bright as possible to reflect ambient light back into the cockpit to help illuminate an otherwise dark area.

The main wooden structure supporting the canvas walls is a nice contrast to the pine of the floor. This looks like a hardwood and is much redder and darker. I just used RAF dark earth and then brushed in some red and black using the same technique as before.

5. First Coat

For the fuselage and upper wing surfaces I applied only a single coat of Dark Green RAF + 5% white spirit. Adding a little white spirit to enamel paint really does improve the flow of the paint, as in air brushing, and results in a nice flat finish with very little obvious brushwork showing.

After drying I decided to leave it at just one coat and then applied a layer or two of silk varnish to give a smooth surface and seal the paint.

6. Attaching the wings

Attaching the fuselage to the lower wing is pretty straightforward using the key-ways.

Joining the upper wing is probably the most tricky moment of the whole build and takes a steady hand and a bit of forward planning.

To start off bond all eight wing struts and the four cockpit wing supports to the lower wing/fuselage assembly as instructed. Let this set for maybe ten minutes and then glue on the upper wing. The un-dried lower joints are an advantage in this situation as you can still manipulate them. One by one push the struts into the corresponding receptor holes on the upper wing.

Let this fully dry overnight once everythting is lined up properly.

7. More wood textures

Painting the propeller was achieved in much the same manner as the cockpit floor.

The swirly light brown wood texture was added quickly using only a few bold brush strokes with my old beat up brush. The Wingnut wings reference photos were very helpful here. I was tempted to leave at this but decided in the end to add a few darker brown strips to the blades to increase the contrast between the bands. As my first attempt at a realistic wood texture I was pleased with this.

The main wing supports have a finer grain wooden texture so dry brushing was more subtle using a smaller bristle size brush.

8. More detail

I was very impressed with the detail and quality contained in the pressing from Eduard/Revell. For example, the radiator assembly has some really nice textures and detail that stand out well after painting.

I tried an airbrush 'sim' effect on the wheel hubs as I liked the graduated effect Revell use.

I painted the hubs matt black and once dry a coat of varnish to seal it. Then you add a dob of undiluted red in the centre. After drying for 10 mins or so I gradually spread out the paint from the edges using a small amount of white spirit. Don't use too much or press to hard as this will take off the varnish and make a real mess.

9. Decals

Attaching the decals was very straightforward just requiring a quick soak in warm water to remove them from the backing. They slid into place well and patted down nicely to reveal the underlying structure. You will need to cut the big wing roundels if using any drop flap. A ruler and a sharp scalpel achieved this with no mishaps.

10. Rigging

Another first for me. Just how do you do this ?

You need to be able to attach the rigging somehow. In the end I just used some cotton thread stuck on using normal cement. It turns out that fishing line is the preferred medium, and attachment is probably easier (though not faster) using the amazing Bobs Buckles.

The black thread I eventually painted silver to stand out more, and overall I think the result is quite acceptable. Tensioning however was a bit of a problem.

(See my solution in the Techniques section).

References:

Shuttleworth collection's Biff

Wingnut Wings