Mein Duff

And the beat goes on and on......latest pics from my 1/4 Lewis drum magazine... After cutting the spider out of 1mm pvc with my mini scroll saw I epoxied it to the top of the drum with the legs sticking out.
Then I heated the top very carefully with my heat gun and then slid the drinking glass over it to uniformly push the spider legs down...as the glass was slightly tapered this worked perfectly to first push the mass downward and then crimp them at the top to conform to the top edge of the balsa drum.
I sure wish all detail projects worked out so easily !!!
I then cut the pvc rings for the top of the drum with my scroll saw, sanded the edges and CA'd them to the spider top. Than I coated the whole thing with Finishing resin to fill in the gaps to replicate the soft pressed metal feeling the drum actually has.
hopefully when painted matte black this will be convincing..
Oh ya...also inserted the copper rivets in the drum side as per orig.....over 40 hrs spent so far...bu **** gotta be done...this is scale building..

abufletcher

Wow, wow, and double wow! That really worked out well! I can't wait to see this in primer. I know a lot of RC modelers would rather poke their eyes out that do detailing like this, but to me it's what scale building is all about.

So...are you going to be making a couple extra of these drums to store in the cockpit?

Flying Fox

Absolutely fantastic - I love the detail!
Really neat trick with the glass. It's nice when things work out so well. BTW what is this finishing resin to fill in the gaps that you use? Is it just thinned epoxy or some product? It looks like it has nicely smoothed things out and will give that stamped metal look to it when painted. Did you use small coppper nails for the rivets?

It's looking really good now and will be spectacular when all painted and weathered.
Bri

Mein Duff

Thanks for the compliments guys....I used Z-Poxy finishing resin that is used for fiber glassing...the advantage is that it has a nice semi- thick consistency that can be thinned with Acetone or alcohol. It takes about 45 min to start setting up and of course can be heated to make it smooth out and flow. It also sets up hard after about 4-6 hrs... great stuff. Also great for fiber glassing.

iflytailies

My Feedback: (82)

these pictures show what my [link=http://www.iflytailies.com/store/machine-gun-imitations/]1/4 scale Lewis kit[/link] would look like after being assembled and painted - this one is 1/4 scale. The 1/3 scale is in development.

abufletcher

That DOES look fantastic! And I might indeed end up ordering a pair for my "quick" Strutter build...though I'll have to modify the barrel because the strutter used the early mark with the exposed barrel for the twin guns at the observer position.

Mein Duff

I've been slugging it out with my Lewis gun and am almost there.... here it is test mounted with most of the Foster mount fixtures fabricated...whew those were fun !!
It still amazes me what one can accomplishg with simple hand tools and patience.
I still have to make the front barrel mount to the rail and a few trigger items, handle wood pices are made and ready to install after painting. The main ring type mounting clasp works the same as the original and releases the gun when swung up and open.....lots of delicate pieces and carful soldering required here.

Next week I will have it all painted black and start weathering....this "litte diversion" took about 50 hrs for the gun alone and another 8-10 hrs for the brass hardware etc.

I would definitely recommend trying out the new kit that is advertised on this thread...this has been a very trying but rewarding excerise

abufletcher

And it's worth every minute you've spent on it. A Lewis gun on a top wing (or in a pair mounted for the observer) is one of the most noticeable features of the model. Most modelers just don't put in the effort required. But yours is definitely a jewel. Really, this may be the best scale Lewis that anyone has ever done.

My preferred method for creating a metal look is to first paint it with flat black (acrylic will do fine) and then selectively rub in graphite powder from a pencil. This creates very natural looking "highlights" and the irregular reflective quality make it look real. luckily since the gun is mounted on top, far away from exhaust goo, you can just leave it like that, if you want to.

TFF

Patience is either a golden rule or a double four letter word. The gun is awesome. I like the barrel latch.

iflytailies

My Feedback: (82)

kit and ready made versions are in stock now and will ship the first week of April (I am out of the country this week):

http://www.iflytailies.com/store/mac...un-imitations/

Mein Duff

Thanks guys... I will order a 1/4 scale plastic kit as a back up...at some point I'm sure I will do a roll over ( God forbid) plus I'm sure I can use it down the road.. the detailing looks great.

abufletcher

The good think about all that dihedral on the SE5 is that it protects the gun on a nasty landing! I flipped my SE5 and was surprised to find the gun and rail intact. But I'll certainly consider ordering the 1/4 Lewis kit. Too bad I'll need two. []

Mein Duff

Just ordered the IFYTALLIES 1/4 scale kit....will do a review of this item in between other jobs and post pics here as well.
Yes, nice about that generous dehidral on the SE5...but I will still be doing the first 20 or so flights wihout the gun mounted till get a handle on landing smoothly. I haven't had a roll over on my 1/4 Fleet since I got my engine issue sorted out... the dead sticks were killing me for awhile.
I'm expecting SE5 with the narrower wheel base and being a bit top heavier to be a bit more delicate to land.
I have found that it usually takes me about 20 or so flights to really nail down landing speed and approach heights for any new model.

von_Hammer

FYI- just to put the word out that Williams Brothers Model Products is importing a 1/4 scale, MK II Lewis gun now made in the Czech Republic. Molded in polystyrene, typical of most of our kits. Item # 75200

williamsbrothersmodelproducts.com

SteveC68

Is this an injected molded styrene kit or a 3d printed piece?

iflytailies

My Feedback: (82)

mine are 3D printed. Available here: http://www.iflytailies.com/store/guns-ordnance/

johnbray

Williams brothers web site shows 1/4 scale Lewis gun. I have purchased one