Wingnut SE5a

[Dave Wilson]

I really appreciate the feedback to the WNW SE5a build, which was enormously satisfying.

Re the engine cowling on the workbench, this was just the kit cowling which I chose to leave off to display the beautiful engine. Rather than leave the cowl on the grass, I wanted to give it a little display area of its own. Italeri does a Field Accessories set which provided the bench and tools and fuel drum. Its 1/35 scale but close enough.

The rigging was done with household 8 amp fuse wire, rolled with a flat steel ruler on a glass surface, cut to required length and applied using PVA glue. I used my old high school dividers to measure the distance between rigging holes then transferred that to the required lengths of wire. I trialled other rigging mediums but felt real wire looked best in this scale.

The fabric wrapped struts were so simple. I found The Vintage Aviator website a valuable research tool. I primed the struts then cut lengths of Tamiya tape to scale width, which were then wrapped around the struts at an appropriate angle, overlapping slightly to give that effect, then painted PC 10.

By the way I am delighted to be in the company of some fellow brush painters! I was beginning to think I was the last one!

Thanks and kind regards
Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

[dedgerly]

Dave,
Very nice build and presentation, indeed. Well done!

Dave E

[PrzemoL]

I add my welcome to you. A very interesting start. A great build of a great aircraft. Congratulations!

[sodium]

hello Dave
Lovely job on your Se5
amitiés

[Familyman]

Cool!

Excellent wood grain on the prop!

Mikko

[le wombat agile]

Very beautiful. I like very much the diorama.

Ezio

p.s.
I'm a brush fan too.... the Company of the Brush is increasing more and more

[Kofoed]

Dave, this is beautiful. Thanks for showing.
Beautiful model, excellent finish. And I love the diorama setting, especially the Daily Mirror 1917 issue. What a great idea.
I also like your wiring very much, on mine I struggled with the flat Radu wires.

And you're certainly not alone, I too am a brush painter...

By now, there are some WNW SE5a's here, you can se mine here: Wingnut SE5a finished!

Kind regards
Kofoed

[Dave Wilson]

Gentlemen, thank you very much for the warm and supportive comments on the Wingnut SE5a. It was an enormously satisfying build.

Kofoed, I really liked your SE5a, and am delighted to see you chose the wrinkled fuselage fabric version as I almost did that, and have wondered since then what it would look like. You have made the decision for me that my next Wingnuts SE5a will be the wrinkly fuselage version!

I like your rendition of PC 10 too. Was this a home mixed blend or one of the commercial paint brands?

At the moment I am fighting a Roden Be2c which does not want to be made. Has anyone else had problems with glue "melting" the Roden plastic and causing parts to fall away?

Thanks and kind regards guys.

Dave Wilson
Gold Coast
Australia

[Kofoed]

Thank you very much, Dave.

Well, I couldn't resist the wrinkled fuselage, though it may initially seem slightly overdone - until the model is finished, then it looks fantastic, I think.

My PC10 is quite simple. I have used a Polly Scale Olive Drab with 15 - 20 drops of a mid-green in. A new glass of Olive Drab, that is.
There are so many meanings and such a great confusion about the colour of PC10. Maybe you have seen some of the very hot debates about it in the "Camouflage and markings" forum?

I have made a couple of 1½ Strutters and half a BE12b from Roden lately. Without any problems. And I was looking forward to the BE2c!

Cheeres,
Kofoed

[Cobber55]

Excellent work Dave,

I have been looking recently for a suitable WWI model aircraft to build and came across the Aerodrome and your model in that process. It is inspiring work and I think I have found the one. Great to see it comes from NZ, just across the water.

One question please. Approximately what are the physical dimensions of the finished kit?

Cheers
Barry
Melbourne