Building the Skytrex 1 1/2 Strutter.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Building a Skytrex 1 ½ Strutter.

This is again a fairly simple aircraft build with only one diversion from my usual method.

1. Clean up the casting.

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2. Glue the cabine struts to the upper wing.
3. Position the main struts temporally and use to position the upper wing.
4. Glue the cabine struts to the fuselage. They should be at right angles to the engine. (This will ensure the correct angle on the main struts.)

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5. Push the main struts up through the holes in the lower wing and glue in place. ( This is made easy because the lower wing holes have been made large enough to do this)
6. Invert the plane and assemble the undercart.

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7. Glue into place, ensuring that the axel is parallel to the wings in both directions.
8. Drill hole in prop boss and front spigot on engine, and fit prop temporally in place with a pin.
9. Spray undercoat the plane.

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10. Remove prop and paint the aircraft.
11. Apply gloss varnish to plane.
12. Brush micro set to areas where decals are to be applied.
13. Position decals.
14. When fully dry brush on micro sol to blend in decals with the surface.
15. Glue on prop and rear gunner. (This is done last to allow better access for painting and decals to be applied.
16. Varnish to taste.
The only problem with this build is the need to temporally attach the main struts. This can be aided with the use of Blue Tack. Degrease after use.
Rob.

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[Guntruck]

Another silk purse out of a sow's ear, Rob. Well done!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Another silk purse out of a sow's ear, Rob. Well done!

Which just goes to show that you can make pigs fly, Gunners.
Rob.

[The Cowman]

Now I may have to add one of those to the Skytrex order I am making in the next day or so... Any thoughts to what kind of stats you are going to use for it? It looks fantastic!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Now I may have to add one of those to the Skytrex order I am making in the next day or so... Any thoughts to what kind of stats you are going to use for it? It looks fantastic!

If you look at the base templates that are in the files Ken I have all the info on them as suggested to me by sage members of this forum. Ie. Uncle Dom and friends.
Rob.

[The Cowman]

If you look at the base templates that are in the files Ken I have all the info on them as suggested to me by sage members of this forum. Ie. Uncle Dom and friends.
Rob.

OK... I had seen the file but did not realize you had put the 1 and 1/2 strutter on there...

On another note: I am curious...How did Sopwith come about that particular name? Does anyone know the history of that?

[kampfflieger]

Great job!

[Dom S]

As far as I know it was "christened" in the field rather than a Sopwith name, but either way it came from the odd cabane strut arrangement, with a set of short cabane struts and a set of longer ones, hence 1 1/2 struts. (Obviously there are two pairs of each but "four-and-four-halves-strutter" clearly lacked the same ring....)

[tuladin]

Very nice! Strangely enough, I was looking for pictures of a different plane yesterday and saw the following at this website (http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/quarter1/index.html)-

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Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter 9739
No. 3 Wing RNAS
Luxeuil-les-Bains Aerodrome
October 1916
A presentation aircraft named 'Britons in Egypt No. 2', 9739 went to No. 3 Wing RNAS, Manston on 28 August 1916, and arrived at Luxeuil-les-Bains on 22 September. On 25 February 1917, FSL L. E. Smith and AM R. S. Portsmouth were shot down by Off.Stv. Gottlieb Vothknecht of Jasta 24 for his first victory. Portsmouth was killed, while Smith was taken POW and later died of his wounds.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Have a look at this site as well Ken. http://biography.jrank.org/pages/6930/Sir-Thomas-Octave-Murdoch-Sopwith-(-1888-%E2%80%93-1989-).html
Rob.

[Stormkahn]

Finest one yet Rob, still improving, bravo :)

[Oberst Hajj]

Very nice! Strangely enough, I was looking for pictures of a different plane yesterday and saw the following at this website (http://www.cbrnp.com/profiles/quarter1/index.html)-

Larry, the profiles from Pearson (the ones on the site you linked) are on the CD offer I posted in the Buy/Sell/Trade section, there are a lot more on the CD though.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Finest one yet Rob, still improving, bravo :)

It's the Testors that does it. It gives the most flat finish that I have seen. You can check it out for yourself tonight.
Rob.

[Linz]

Very cool Beautiful work please keep them coming
Linz

[Baldrick62]

Rob, it looks fantastic and one for my future orders; where did you source the decals from?

One point though (and nothing to do with your model-making skill!): I've never seen a picture of a Strutter (in British, French or Belgian service; can't speak for the Russians who may have cobbled something together) with a 4-blade prop.

[Linz]

Have to agree with Baldrick I did a search and can't find a four bladed strutter either. Also the central struts seem odd seems to be an extra 2 struts I thought they only had two straight central struts not the branched arrangement your model has. Or am I just getting picky in my old age.
Linz

[Dom S]

Agreed on the 2-blade prop, but the struts are fine; indeed it was the W shaped cabane strut arrangement that got it the 1 1/2 Strutter name.

[Shiraz68]

Great work yet again Rob

[Flying Officer Kyte]

1107411073Hope this settles it chaps.:D
Dom is right as usual.
Rob.

[Linz]

Boy do I feel like an idiot that's how I have done the struts on my strutter too. So much for my memory guess I should check things out first before I post. Sorry chaps my bad.
Linz

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Boy do I feel like an idiot that's how I have done the struts on my strutter too. So much for my memory guess I should check things out first before I post. Sorry chaps my bad.
Linz

Don't worry Linz. We all do it from time to time, but at least our mistakes don't cost billions of £. unless we buy an awful lot of the wrong planes.
Rob.

[Linz]

Awwwh thanks Rob you are too kind. I'm of to work now catch up later.
Linz