1/32 BFC-2 Goshawk conversion

[ghodges]

The Curtiss F11C-2 Goshawk is one of my favorite biplanes, and this BFC-2 was an upgraded version with a raised spine and half canopy. This is the Lone Star 1/32 resin conversion that backdates the classic Hasagawa BF2C with the retractable landing gear back to the earlier Goshawk. While the conversion is pretty straightforward, it's not a matter of only simple parts substitution. 

Lone Star supplies new resin fuselage halves, a new upper fuselage panel, lower wings, and the landing gear legs (which are assembled in this pic). They also supply a seat and a new floor, but both required some sanding to get them to fit into the narrower cockpit. The Hasagawa kit rudder pedals also needed to be cut to fit into the narrower space. One major adjustment was the need to remove the cabanes from the Hasagawa upper fuselage panel so they could be added to the resin replacement part. However, IF you simply cut them off, you'd lose their molded in alignment. Too remedy that, I made sheet plastic "scab plates" in order to glue them together BEFORE I cut them off, resulting in the cabanes you see here. That meant I only had to worry about their outward angles when I glued them back on, and not the angles of the individual struts. Also pictured is the Has. kit engine (gloss black in prep for the NMF) and the Has. kit cowling, which had to be sanded so its cord was shorter. This paid a benefit in that once the cowling was shorter, the engine could be put in and taken back out from the rear, making both much easier to paint.

Screening was added inside the bottom of the nose to close off the openings. I also added some scrap plastic and tubing to the underside just so if you peered into the rear of the opening it looked like some sort of "stuff" was in there.

Some major assembly and priming has been done here and the tail wheel support added. The scoop on the top front of the nose had to be scratchbuilt, as it was missing from my kit. Also note that plastic tubing was used to scratchbuild the earlier Goshawk's exhaust system.

Some more priming has been done with Tamiya rattle can Aluminum to start checking on the surfaces, and the tail planes have been painted gloss white. The Has. kit drop tank needed to have its nose filled with ApoxySculp and its gas cap relocated. I also added a support strap using 3M plastic tape. The drop tank supports were made from thin aluminum strip and plastic rod and a small metal U bracket put under the nose as the attachment point for the bomb yoke when used. They're hard to see, but flanking each fuselage side midway are two PE circles that locate and define the flare ports.

I was able to use the Hasagawa kit half canopy, but had to scratchbuild the windscreen seen here because the kit one was way too wide for the narrower early Goshawk.

On to the finished pics!

The flying wires were done with floral wire, taking care not to kink them while installing them. All of the stripes were painted. The markings themselves came from the Lone Star supplied decal sheet, except for the US Navy and the stars which are from various aftermarket sets.

Although this build wasn't as easy as I originally thought it'd be, it was relatively easy compared to the last couple of conversions I built! I now have my favorite biplane on the shelf in 1/32 to accompany its 1/48 little brother I built a few years ago!

 

Gil 

Edited June 2, 2024 by ghodges

[Ron Bell]

Beautiful. Love that aircraft. Now do the 1/72 Monogram one with the Starfighter details and have a complete set!

 

[StuartMont]

That is a beautiful model Gil!  Question: Do you drill holes at each end for installation of the flying wires?  If so do you do so prior to assembly and how do you control the angle?

[ghodges]

I drilled the holes for rigging wires before complete assembly as that allowed me to more easily drill the holes at the needed angles. However, I did poke a "starter spot" with a pin before starting to drill to aid in starting the hole exactly where I wanted. Also, I do NOT use any "carbide" drills when doing this as they tend to be less flexible and more prone to break when drilling at angles. The standard modeling drill set in the round holder with the regular steel shafts seem to work better, though they too will break if you apply too much sideways pressure, especially the #76 and smaller ones.

As to the angles, it's mostly Mark1 eyeball combined with a bit of experience. On another note not mentioned.... some of your holes may need to be redrilled/opened back up after you do some painting. That can be a bit more difficult once things are somewhat more together, and something you want to double check before adding the top wing. Hope this helps!

And lastly. as to getting the lengths of the wires "right".... I use a pair of dividers to get close to what is needed, cut the wire a bit longer than that, and then fit and trim small bits til it works.

Hope this helps!

 

Gil 

[StuartMont]

Thanks for the detail Gil. I can’t really tell, and I’ve never built one, but it seems like the resin fuselage pieces are very thick. Therefore, getting the angle right would be more critical or fit would be quite difficult, correct?  Perhaps you don’t go all the way through?

Stuart

[ghodges]

I did try to drill all the way through.... wasn't completely successful for all. However, the holes were still deep enough to allow for some "play" at either end, which is what makes fitting the wires possible. As I mentioned, the holes clogging with paint was more of an issue than their depth.

One thing to keep in mind.... if you're using stiff wire you do not actually need holes. You can simply measure the distance and fit the wire from point to point and just use a small drop pf superglue to fix them in place. BUT.... you have to get them EXACTLY the right length, especially those that run beside and parallel each other, or they'll have slightly different angles that will be very apparent at a glance. I've found that getting a pair of dividers into the tight confines between wings and cabanes very hard to do in order to get such exact measurements (and then the cuts have to be precise too); so I usually drill holes to enable less precise lengths to be fit in place.

 

Gil 

[StuartMont]

49 minutes ago, ghodges said:

if you're using stiff wire you do not actually need holes.

Interestingly, I did “attempt” to use floral wire to rig my 1/32 Kadet without using holes. It was very difficult to get the lengths exact and trying to glue in place created a lot of stress 😀 Also, making sure that parallel wires ended up that way was basically impossible (for me).   Ultimately I left the rigging unfinished.  There’s no question, hindsight being 20/20, that holes would have been the better bet unless you really have the experience and skill to do this without them.

Stuart

[VMF211]

Good looking aircraft and a VERY nice build!!! Well done!

[Mark Deliduka]

Another magnificent masterpiece flown over the finish line! What stunning work!

I've been taking notes on the rigging, I need to try some new techniques for rigging my biplanes.

[Bradley25mm]

Really nice build Gil. The paint job looks great. 

[Jmarc]

VVVVVVVVVVV NICE !