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Pegasus, 1/72, Fairey Fox


Ron Bell

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This is an old kit. Only 12 pieces, No interior or struts. However, only kit I know of of this very attractive bi-plane. It was a bomber and was faster than any of the fighters in service at the time. The fit is pretty good, in that you have to carve and sand all the pieces anyway so you can do so to a good fit in the process. Molding is a bit 'chunky', but it still builds up into an attractive aircraft.

 

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Ron,

 

Your build inspires me to dig out some of my Pegasus kits. After I complete my current armor builds :Smile_sceptic: Pegasus did make some kits no one else would provide. Great work.

Jeff

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That's a pretty looking biplane, and it indeed looks fast.

 

I'm intrigued in the "no struts provided" comment....did they at least provide strut material? Also, good to see you can still master the black art of stretching sprue to a frog's hair diameter! Congrats, and thanks for sharing.

 

GIL :smiley16:

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No. No strut material. As a matter of fact, that's one of the hardest things about this kit. You get a three view drawing, but because all the struts are slanted, sometimes in two axes, you can't just measure the lengths from the plans. I did my best and the inter-plane struts are still too long, thus have too much angle between the wings. If they had just given the lengths of the struts even, making them would have been easier.

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John,

I took algebra and what was at the time called "mechanical drawing" (drafting) in high school (looooong time ago) and try as I might, I just couldn't get it right. I had all sorts of lines and arcs drawn all over my plans and measurements of everything I could think of, but when a part is slanted in two axes and all you have is one two dimensional drawing which doesn't show the ends of the parts as they are hidden by the wings dihedral, I was at a loss.

 

There are many kits with this same problem in the plans. If someone has a method to compensate for the slants or some formula for figuring it out, I could use it.

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Hi, Ron,

 

It's called descriptive geometry. I used to teach it at the University of Illinois to freshman engineers in the 1960s (it was a required course). It is based on having two views of the line, say top and front, in projection with the ends showing (there is also the side view in the 3-view projection). You want what is called the "true length" of the sloped line. If you draw a line parallel to the inclined line in the front view, you are drawing the edge of an auxiliary plane at right angles to the front view plane (V/1 line). Draw a similar line between the top and front views (H/V line). Now, draw perpendicular projection lines from the two ends of your rigging line in the front view across the auxiliary V/1 line. With your dividers, measure the distance to the end points in the top view to the H/V line and transfer the measurement to the projection lines crossing the V/1 line. Thus, in the 1st auxiliary view, you will have a slanted line that is the true length of the rigging line.

 

I never thought I would ever use this again, but this is an application of descriptive geometry to building models. I guess my engineering education was not a waste after all.

 

Ed

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Ron: short of solving it scientifically as Ed has explained, I've only come up with the following method:

 

First, add your cabanes. Those are usually the easiest to figure out as far as lengths and placement. Once they're set, set the top wing in place on them. Be sure your "holes" for your outer N struts are already marked on the top of the bottom wings and the bottom of the top wings. Now use a set of dividers to measure the distances from point to point for each strut that makes up the N, transferring those to paper. You should be able to use those measurements to come pretty close.

 

Of course, this all depends on proper cabane height, angle, and placement on the fuselage; as well as proper placement of the top wing on those cabanes. But, THAT is usually easier than starting with the outer N struts.

 

Even after you mentioned not liking the way yours looks, it doesn't strike me that way. If it looks good, ya done good!

 

GIL :smiley16:

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Ed - I'd forgotten about 'descriptive geometry' until I saw it demonstrated by the Keith Ferris at a seminar, some years ago. Even so, it seems a perishable skill. If so inclined, would you mind posting a few instructional diagrams alongside with your description above? This is good stuff.

 

I've used cardboard jigs, scaled to the model, to work Gil's method for biplanes, but the DG looks very useful for a lot more.

 

Love the Fox.

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