Hoopoe - Johan Scherft

[Kevin WS]

Well, following in from the Scops Owl, I have decided to build another bird I also had printed out some time ago.

Again this is another of Johan Scherft’s kits - this time the Hoopoe!

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The model is life-sized and a nice representative of this bird.

A little bit about the Hoopoe…….

• The Hoopoe is a conspicuous little bird with a colourful crest that it usually holds flattened, except when it is landing or when it is alarmed.
• It used to be quite widely distributed across the world. In Africa, it is generally found all over, except for deserts and arid regions.
• Food mainly consists of insects, larva, earthworms, small frogs and snakes, and lizards.
• Insects may be taken in flight.
• One interesting characteristic of the bird is that if a nest is disturbed, both the females and hatchlings may produce a “huffing” noise which mimics a Puff Adder!

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The model is available from Johan’s site as a download and is priced in Euros.

The model consists of 3 A4 pages, each with a scale on the one side to ensure your prints come out at the right size. Accompanying the model are a colour picture of the finished item and three printed pages of instructions. The latter are all line drawings accompanied by explanatory text.

The model pages should be printed on 120-gram paper - in the USA/Canada, use 26lb bond or ledger – at the end of the day you are looking for a paper thickness .065 of an inch +/- 0.004 inches. For the bird models the correct paper size is important, so don’t use any thickness that is radically different.

Compared to the Scops Owl the build method is a little different - the Scops Owl was basically a giant "egg", while due to the use of skewers as legs, the Hoopoe is more modular in construction.

The picture below shows the 3 model sheets – the white overspray is my work!

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I have some pictures of the real thing I will dig out and in the meantime will start work!

[Kevin WS]

Here is the real thing - taken in our garden, but not a very frequent visitor, unfortunately. Starlings take over the nesting spots the Hoopoes use and the latter then depart.

Here is the classic shot of the Hoopoe everyone recognises - with the crest fully up.



And next a hunting sequence - dinner!

Note now, that as is normal, the crest is down......





The size of the earthworms is amazing as is the fact that the ground is very hard, yet they seem to have no problem digging in!

[asaf]

The Hoopoes - Duchifat its our national bird.
Great model ,made it for the kindergarten in our vilag years ago...have fun

[Don Boose]

Wonderful hoopoe images, Kevin!

I look forward to seeing this bird take shape under your skilled hands.

Don

[Kevin WS]

Asaf - thank you very much for that very interesting bit of information. I never knew that the Hoopoe was Isreal's national bird. Are they common in Isreal?

I did know in ancient Egypt it was also regarded as sacred.

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Thank you Don. I only hope I can do the model justice. I sometimes go through phases and everything seems to go wrong when I am building!

[Don Boose]

In The Source, his novel about the history of the Jewish people and of Israel, James Michener used the hoopoe as a leitmotif. The bird hops through the entire book and the title of Chapter Five, which takes place during the later years of the reign of King David, is entitled "Psalm of the Hoopoe Bird."

Don

[Kevin WS]

Interesting Don.

The bird features a lot in mythology - Indian, Greek and Persian - as well as in the Bible and Koran. Perhaps because of its dramatic appearance and the fact it also often inhabits remote areas, which may give it a touch of the exotic.

It was also believed to have medicinal powers.

In an early Persian poem ("The Conference of the Bird") which is an allegory, the Hoopoe plays the main character - a Sufi master who leads a pilgrimage to find God.

In East Africa, there were also many tales (with an Arab/Persian origin) about the Hoopoe. There is one rather nice one about (of course!) how the Hoopoe got its crest, which I will post in this thread at a later stage!

[Don Boose]

You are clearly modeling a magical and legendary bird, Kevin!

Don

[Kevin WS]

Onto the actual modelling……..

The first step was to cut out all the pieces before starting – something I tend to do with some models if the parts are not too numerous, or likely to get mixed up!

This was obviously straightforward – there are a total of only 20 pieces – although this does not mean it is a rapid build. You also need to find 2 skewers (used to make the legs).

Take care when cutting out and look carefully at the parts where there are cuts into the actual part – for instance in the wings (parts 6 and 7) and the one head part (part 13), where the cut from the one bottom part should follow the curve above. See Picture 1 below.

If in doubt when cutting out, just hold back until you get to the building stage and you are able to dry fit the part. The need for lengthening any cuts will then become clear.

TIP

• Once the pieces are cut out I store them (as well as made up parts) using Systema storage trays – these are made in New Zealand and are available across the world, so anyone wanting to use them is in luck! They are brilliant, and I really recommend them!
• They are sturdy, light and durable. The two sizes I use are 1.7 and 3.5 litres. The boxes are fully stackable.
• Inside each container is a removable tray for small parts
• The trays have sloping edges at the bottom, so it is easy to remove small paper parts.

See the pictures below.

Picture 2 shows the boxes stacked, as well as their comparative sizes.

Pictures 3 and 4 show the boxes with their lids off.

Pictures 5 and 6 – When I travel I sometimes take one of the small boxes, put my basic tools in the bottom and then put the tray with model parts to work on in and close it up. I pack the voids with toilet paper and then stick it in my suitcase. The lid makes a useful tray as well.

Picture 7 – This shows the sloping bottoms to the compartments – very useful for getting tiny pieces out.

Picture 8 – Just a shot to give you an idea of size. You can also see some boxes stacked on the chair.

[Kevin WS]

The start of the build is the middle of the body, to which legs and tail will be attached, and then later the chest.

Picture 1 shows the middle part of the body cut out and ready to go.

Pre-score all the tabs, and as it basically makes up into a cylinder, pre-shape by curving the body part around the vertical axis.

Then start by glueing the end marked B where the legs will go.

I glued 2 to 3 tabs each time, alternating on each side. After glueing a tab I then place the next tab ON TOP of the part. This ensures the first tab is “seated” accurately. After the first tab has dried, this tab is flipped back down and then glued, while the following one, in turn, is flipped up. This helps to get the seams spot on and tight, and is especially useful if you are working with a curved edge.

Picture 2 shows the first end of the middle body secured.

Repeat the process for the other of the part. When you secure the second end, you can use the hole in the B side to help you hold down the last few tabs inside the part.

Pictures 3 and 4 show the finished result.

Picture 5. The two skewers for the legs can then be cut out.

These should be about 4mm (.15 inches) across and 7cm (2.75 inches) in length. You do not have to cut them any longer as the exact size works well.

Picture 6. Using plenty of glue fix them in place and this part is then complete.

Next stage will be the lower body and tail.