Fauvel AV36 glider 1:33 by Philippe Rennesson

[Leif Ohlsson]

Excellent advice - just what I wanted to hear, too! - L.

[Leif Ohlsson]

I have fiddled a bit with this fine model. Now I have the cockpit parts at least. The advantage of going a little bit at a time, is that you could very well build the model with the orignal exterior colour scheme, plus a wooden instead of painted cockpit interior.

Here are two images for your comparison. The first is the original colour scheme, suggested by designer Philippe Rennesson. The other is my reworked version with wood textures (plywood, redwood, spruce, veneer, mahoganny), following Shrikes choice of suggested textures earlier (much earlier!).

Orignal coloured parts

New wood texture parts

I like the result very much, but would appreciate comments & critique on choice of textures if you feel like it.

All in all, it is a lot of work learning how to do this, but once you got it, it's a matter of a few mouse clicks (well, I'm exaggerating, but it feels like that, once you mastered the technique).

The trick is:

1. In Illustrator (or similar vector-based programme); isolate all colour paths for the parts you want to change into one folder; then copy them into another folder for textures.
2. Uncolour the paths to be textured (no filling, no colour, no outline - invisible). These paths now only serve as a base for making what Illustrator calls a "clipping path".
3. Copy & paste into Photoshop (or similar pixel-based program) the entire page you're working on with the old colours visible.
4. In separate layers, place bits and pieces of suitable textures so that they cover the parts (no exact fit necessary, just chunks of textures slightly larger than the part).
5. Copy these chunks of textures individually and make separate Photoshop files of them.
6. Import ("place") these files individually into Illustrator and the page you're working on. Rough (covering) placement suffices.
7. Select both the path and the texture chunk. Make a "clipping path" of them. And, hey presto, you've got a clean wooden texture!
8. Now shut down the folder with the colours and enjoy your new textures. If you've placed the folder with old colours above your texture folder, you can enjoy clicking it on and off to gloat over your work.

Things are a little bit more complicated in reality. The bottom parts with several types of textures in them had to be made rather precisely in Photoshop (the internal boundaries at least have to be exact, the external are are cut with the clipping path tool).

Also, you've got to be careful with the order of the layers, so that black/grey part outlines, white areas, etc are placed above the clipping path texture.

In the end I think all the work is worth it. Which version of the cockpit would you like to build yourself?

And if you really want to build it, I could make a special page of the cockpit parts. But then you would have to say so...

Leif

[redhorse]

The wood grain looks quite good! I would imagine this is a good kit, too. I built his Dalotel and it went together very nicely.

[B-Manic]

Wood is Good !

[Don Boose]

Excellent, as always, Leif!

I don't plan to build this particular model, but I vertainly have enjoyed the discussion and I love to see the additional parts, information, and advice that you provide in these cases.

You provide an enormous amount of value to this forum and I very much appreciate your willingness to share all the hard work and thought you put into these postings.

Don

[Leif Ohlsson]

Yes, Don, I like fiddling around with other people's work, and that's why I am so glad for every good free download kit that pops up - hopefully the author might grant me permission eventually to share the reworked version, all rights retained by the author of course.

Here's what the cockpit framework looks like in 1/16 reality:



I drew the part as per original in one layer only, just adding the wooden frames as I thought they might actually look. But when it came to trying it out, I couldn't help myself but printed two extra copies for additional layering.

Bottom layer is redbeech (plus spruce members hidden). Next layer is spruce members. Both of these layers were doubled with Bristol. I'll stop using that, however, since the 220 g paper I print on is just as good for doubling. The top layer is the small veneer reinforcements, single layer only.

Now for today's flea market find:



It is a glass file, picked up at a retail store for cheap odds & ends. It is supposed to be used on your nails, but it really works like a charm for shaping the noseblock, which consists of twelve layers of 2mm foam (depron or similar).

I have several nail files dedicated to paper work already, all of them good. But this one really feels extraordinarily comfortable and heavy in your hand. The trouble with all kinds of sand paper, emery boards, etc., is of course that they wear down. The glass file, I think, will hold out for a long time. What could possibly wear down glass, except diamonds and the like? I'll keep it for paper work, though...

I'm passing this tip on hoping to inspire you to look in unlikely places for useful stuff. It is my best little find in a long time for $2.

Leif

[Don Boose]

The usual superb Ohlsson craftsmanship. It's always fascinating to read your threads.

And now I am on the qui vive for a glass file.

Don

[Leif Ohlsson]

I'd appreciate some help & comments as to whether I'm on the right track. The fin parts have been recoloured as per agreement with Shrike's recommendations a long time ago. They now look like this in a mock-up:



The textures are supposed to mimic birch plywood for the main parts of the fin (note different grain directions, which I find pretty). I know the texture is most likely spruce or fir plywood, but we agreed it could be used for the main areas as birch.

The rudder spar is spruce as are the thin cross-members. The rear edge and gussets are mahoganny ply. All this is guess-work, since what you get in the original is just the outlines.

Have I got the general construction reasonably right? I guessed the entire trailing edge would be double-layered ply (wedge-shaped), since it is so thin.

The rudder, including the wood structure, is fabric covered (but not the fin part). Note the subtle shading. Is it visible? Is the opacity reasonably right? It is supposed to mimic varnished fabric over a wood structure. Should I cover the fin as well?

Leif

[shrike]

It looks very good Leif. The trailing edge structure is an elegant solution that, if it isn't 100% prototypical would be a brilliant way of doing it in real life. The opacity of the covering on the rudder is consistent with light weight 'glider cloth'.
The fin would be cloth covered as well to smooth and protect it.

Now comes a decision between artistic impression and complete authenticity. Do you want to add all of the reinforcing tapes that are part of aircraft cloth covering?

[birder]

Nice Leif, reminds me of the Boeing 40 when it was only "bones" The inside of the fabric is quite light especially prior to paint/dope yes Shrike?