Classic Airframes' reissued
Supermarine Walrus

by John Valo
 

  

Classic Airframes' 1/48 scale Walrus is available online from Squadron.com
 

For a detailed examination of the kit contents, see Steven "Modeldad" Eisenman's in-box review here on HyperScale.

Classic Airframes recently reissued its 1/48 scale Walrus kit with new decals for the attractive early Silver aircraft. In addition to the early decals, CA also generously included the original decal sheet with markings for four camouflaged aircraft.

A new addition is an injection-molded windscreen.

With its suspended engine nacelle, numerous struts and a cat's-cradle of rigging, this is a challenging model that demands time and patience.

As I did on my previous Walrus, I made a simple construction jig out of Foamcore to help keep things aligned. I also inserted fine copper wire pins on the nacelle struts which mated with small holes drilled in the nacelle. This made assembly considerably easier.

Assembly of the interior and fuselage proper is very straightforward, but I found the injected windscreen fit better if you attach .030 x .060 styrene strip to the rear mating section of the fuselage. Care must be taken in assembling the upper wing to insure the proper dihedral is built in. I measured and built the left, center and right upper surfaces first, then mated the lower surface parts to this assembly. Attention must also be paid to matching the dihedral of the lower wings when attaching to the fuselage.
Somehow it all works!

Once the lower wings were attached to the fuselage, I assembled the nacelle and associated struts, then painted and decaled all the subassemblies and remaining struts.

I built this model on commission, and at the request of my client, I used Floquil Old Silver from their enamel line.

I have transitioned to using acrylics almost exclusively, so this was an interesting re-learning experience. The Old Silver is a downright merciless finish which shows every flaw. After a bit of trial and error, I recalled a technique of using Future as a primer on the bare plastic. I laid on two very light coats of Future before the final finish, and it made a world of difference.

The decals are beautifully printed and are very thin. I found it necessary to apply one decal at a time, as they softened quickly after being dipped in water. I used Microscale Sol and Set, and the decals melted so beautifully into the finish, I didn't need a final clear coat.

Rigging holes were pre-drilled, and I installed the monofilament interplane rigging wires to the lower side of the upper wing before final assembly.

Upon setting the model in the jig, I attached the nacelle to the fuselage on its four main struts, then attached the upper wing and interplane struts.

The small nacelle struts that attach to the lower surface of the upper wing can then be test fitted and trimmed as necessary. I also added wire pins to the landing gear struts to add a bit of reinforcement at the fuselage join.

At this point I got into my Zen state and finished the complex rigging.

Adding the guns and antenna masts and wires completed the model.
 

Classic Airframes' Walrus is a complex and time-consuming model, but it is not the fault of the kit.

It is well engineered and produced, but the real airplane is extraordinarily complicated. Time and patience are necessary, but the finished model is worth it! Recommended to the patient and experienced modeler.

Thanks to Kevin Martin for the Old Silver!

Click the thumbnails below to view larger images: 

Model, Images and Text Copyright © 2006 by John Valo
Page Created 30 January, 2006
Last Updated 04 February, 2006

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