The RAF at 100 - part nine

Prior to this photograph being taken, I have given the whole model a light wash of Galleria Matt Varnish mixed some highly diluted Citadel Sepia Wash to add some subtle weathering.

The model is mounted on to a 50mm x 50mm acrylic base (bought via e-bay) with the upright pole being made from a clear plastic cocktail stick/cocktail stirrer. The pole is 120mm tall and mounted to the base and the SE5a with short sections of plastic rod and superglue.

I am still thinking about adding a clear plastic disc to the front of the engine to mimic a turning propeller, but for now I am pleased to say that the SE5a is finished.

Tony

The RAF at 100 - part eight

The decals/transfers were from a 1/144 Tornado and my spares box, they have been applied over Klear (Future) floor varnish and  'touched-up' with acrylic paints before being matt varnished with Galleria Matt Varnish.

The tail numbers have been hand painted. It is interesting how the fuselage colour looks so different under internal light and photographed against my usual blue background rather than the natural light of the shed.

Tony

The RAF at 100 - part seven

The wheels, gun and struts have been painted - the next step is varnishing and adding the main markings.

Tony

The RAF at 100 - part six

A small update, the engine and exhausts have been painted.

Tony

The RAF at 100 - part five

I've started painting the markings. Once again using the illustration from page 115 of Aces and Aircraft of World War 1 by Christopher Campbell. The fuselage band and the tail markings are hand painted (it is not easy finding decals/transfers for these tiny aircraft!)

Hopefully I can get it finished before the end of the month.

Tony

Shed Spring Clean

Dry weather, not too warm and nothing planned. The perfect day to Spring Clean the Shed!

In addition to taking some bags of rubbish to the tip, I re-painted the window surrounds and spent some time removing glue from the wooden floor. The hot glue gun tends to 'dribble' and leave small dew-drops of glue which are frustrating.

The shed is now 18 years old and I'm sure I'll get a few more years of use out of it.

Tony

The RAF at 100 - part four

The main fuselage colour is a brown/khaki as seen on many illustrations of the SE5a, The inspiration for this colour came from a book called Aces and Aircraft of World War 1 by Christopher Campbell. I have used the illustration on page 115 rather than the cover illustration which I thought was too green.

The model was painted with a custom mix of brown, Ochre and Leather acrylic paints and once again two or three light coats were used instead of one heavy covering. As with the earlier undercoat, the colour was streaked from front-to-back, in the direction of airflow.

Tony