Friday 25 January 2013

Williams FW 14B build update.

The completed engine block.
I have finally completed the engine build, complete with rear suspension and brakes. This was a fairly straight forward process with only one or two slight problems. When attaching the cables     I used superglue and painted the connections silver as per the box artwork, which is also very useful for adding extra detailing. I must admit I picked this up from another website by Dan Parrat. info@ modelersite.com I found his hints and tips very useful for the build. The brake pad assembly was a slight problem as I painted the inside of the pads and when I came to fit them it was too tight a fit for the discs. Once removed and cleaned up it was a perfect fit, allowing smooth rotation. However when completed turning the whole wheel assembly seems to put a high degree of torque on the half shafts. I shall wait to see what it is like when I fit the wheels themselves. This is only a minor consideration as  the completed model will be mounted on a plinth for display purposes. There are some differences between the box art and the instructions and I defered to the website for inspiration. Dan had a big advantage over me as he had the chance to look at the real thing at Donnington.  The only addition I have made at this stage is to add a hose from between the  suspension dampers attached to the top of the gearbox. I shall wait until the block is attached to the bodywork and sidepods before attempting to detail it further. I know this seems a little pointless as it will be covered up when finished and removing the bodywork seems to take some time, but as a model maker this is the case with most models I have made. The enjoyment is knowing the detail is there, however sad that makes me seem.   I have now moved onto spraying the cockpit tub assembly. So far I have given it 3 coats of blue gloss and am now leaving it for 24 hours before masking it to spray the semi gloss black areas, a slow process but essential for a near perfect finish. I say near perfect because there is bound to be at least one or two specks of dust under the spray paint, although it looks pretty damn near perfect to me. 









I  shall be back in the near future with more information and pictures of my progress, cheerio for now.

Monday 14 January 2013

A new year, a new project.
I decided to start the new year with something different to take on as a long term project. I considered making one of my favourite subjects, the Lancaster bomber in 1/48 scale. There are a number of upgrades to enhance the basic kit and a number of scratch built modifications on the flaps which make it an ideal subject. I used to have a basic model of S for sugar and I was very proud of it. Unfortunately I took it to school for using as an example of how scale could be measured and one day when I was off school a supply teacher knocked it off the shelf and ruined it, such is life. There were problems with this choice in that the finished model is approximately 1m long and 1m wide, which makes it a difficult piece to display. 
I thought about the project some more and finally decided on building a 1/12 scale Williams FW 14 B, Nigel Mansell's famous red 5 from 1992. This took me back to my younger years yet again, as I had built a few 1/12 cars. I bought the kit on E Bay at a fraction of the cost from traditional model shops, how can they compete with these prices ? In my research I have found two sites to help with the build and extra detailing that I intend to include, although  some of the detailing and tooling is beyond my resources and eyesight. So far I have nearly completed the engine block assembly and rear suspension arms. The only thing that needs particular care is the tightening of the screws into the top front suspension brackets as they are thin plastic. I am about to start the rear brake assembly and finish of the engine. I shall post another blog when this is complete.  








I hope you enjoy these images and shall be in touch soon.