Bristol F.2b Fighter by Dirk Polchow (Wingnut Wings 1/32)

Wingnut Wings' 1/32 scale
Bristol F.2b Fighter

by Dirk Polchow

Bristol F.2b Fighter

HyperScale is proudly supported by Squadron

Description

I am proud to present my recently finished 1/32 scale Bristol F.2b Fighter ‘12’ C814 after four months of construction and painting.

The built was straightforward without using any filler. But this kit was much more challenging due to its overall construction in comparison to the LVG:.

First, the construction of the airframe between the wings as one of the specific features on this planes and has been transferred into the model in an excellent way by Wingnut Wings. But it needs a lot of patience and attention to fix the nacelle on its eight struts!

Second, the rigging and the mounting of the control cables takes far more time and patience because of its complexity.

I used home made turnbuckles from silver wire with 0.15mm transparent monofil fibre for the control cables and one set of 1/4 inch BSF Wires from RB Productions for the rigging.

As mentioned before, the airframe is fixed on struts between the wings and the landing gear, and due to the construction it is very wobbly.

The wing span and the weight of the model increase this effect and therefore the rigging is essential to stabilize the construction. Because of the length of the wire, tension will increase or decrease, resulting in odd looking hanging down wires. This happened even after the photo shooting under mild sun and there is no way except cutting and mounting the again. To avoid a nervous breakdown I suggest elastic knitting fibre like Elasthan as an alternative.

I used the excellent detailed RB-British Wire terminals but found myself overstrained with the folding of those very delicate pieces. I simplified the construction by cuttting the terminals and used them only for the vertical tail.

The construction of the Lewis stand went straight ahead and shows great detail. I add some extra cords as can be seen on the reference manual.