Limited series resin 1/72 Grigorovich M-5
The M-5 flying boat was a considerable success of the early Russian aviation. Commercially built from 1915 to 1919, it was used in the Baltic, Black and North Seas and the Volga. Modification with Le Rhone engine was called the M-20.
The basis of this work were the drawings of S.Kulbaki Alexandrov "Gidroaeroplany M-5 and M-20". The scanned drawings were digitized in AutoCAD. Production of the master model of the wings and the body was carried out on a CNC milling machine. The milled parts were then used as masters for the castings in epoxy resin. I have also made a limited edition sets for fellow modelers consisting of resin parts, photo-etching, decals, patterns and tail patterns pile.
At that time, I had no correct Gnome Monosupape engine in 1:72 scale. A 3D-model was developed, designed for photo-etching. The cylinders of the engine were then stacked together from the photo-etched parts in compliance with the order of their location on the sheet. In contrast with the resin or plastic casting, the sharp edges of the photo-etched flanges provide an almost complete realism. The second PE sheet developed for the kit contained other small accessories for the airframe.
The tail unit was made from a template of plastic sheet 0.5mm. The bracing was made of brass tubes 0,3mm, the motor mount being made up of brass tubes of 0.4 and 0.5 mm.
To replicate varnished wood surfaces on the model, I developed and printed two different decals of the wooden surface, which provided a fine complement to the more ordinary decal sheet bearing the numbers and the cockades.
The main complexity of the assembly turned out to be the installation of rigging (too much of it). On the basis of 2D-drawings it was difficult to develop a rigging procedure.
In the future, I plan to build a version of Grigorovich M-20 version using a resin Le Rhone Engine from Small Stuff.
One word- Amazing.
Jaw-dropping workmanship, sir...and excellent photography as well. That rigging must have been a nightmare (I would never attempt something as intricate). You are to be commended on your skill and patience. Very nice work indeed...VERY nice!
Pavel, that leaves me speechless.
A wonderful achievement, Pavel.
Well done! Очень круто, прекрасная работа.
Pavel, great job!
Sincerely, Vlad.
Impressive ! Congratulations for this marvel.
That is a whole new level for this average modeler. Beautiful model.
Incredible !
Pavel, welcome onboard at IModeler. The amount of rigging on this model is mind-boggling, especially in 1/72 scale, I reckon that the rigging diagram must have been confusing! And you even got the turnbuckles on - very, very impressive indeed.
Can't wait to see more of your modeling.
Pavel, stunning work! Beautifully done! Welcome!
Absolutely beautiful! Outstanding modeling in every respect.
Welcome Pavel.
California Steve
Simply outstanding craftsmanship very,very well done.
Pavel, Wow !, beautiful work, on this fantastic model, and welcome aboard. Looking forward to more of your work.
Amazing job, the rigging is really fantastic, realism is not an easy task in this scale, but you get the target 100%.
Roberto.
Stunning...loss for words...I wouldn't attempt that much rigging even at 1/1!
Great post Pavel, fascinating process, super work in a class of its own
It's truly amazing! Masterclass craftmanship! I'd really like to know more about Your building process You ought to write atutorial to us. Which software do You use for designing? Do You use some sort of 3D printing technics? That riggind leave me speechless...
I agree with most of the other people above - amazing!
Thank you for your feedback. I am pleased to.
Really nice rendition of a nice plane, congrats !
If you have one spare that you don't know what to do with, I could be interested to replace my Omega version ... 😉
You are an artist Pavel, the award it very well deserved!
WOW! This is an amazing model. Well done, Pavel. I wish I knew what the "works in progress" pictures were all about but it is VERY impressive.
Bravo!
Amazing work, just beautiful!