Every journey starts with the first step . . .

Checking out the wonderful world of Zen FX

I will be posting details of various projects that materialize from the Zen FX Workshop. Raw materials in and Scale Models out. My workshop is full of interesting stuff that only Model Makers find useful, to everyone else it's deemed as rubbish.

You name it and it's in there, raw materials consisting of HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene Sheet), Acrylic Sheet, Metal (Brass, Copper, Steel, Aluminium, Lead) Solid Wood, Ply wood, MDF, Metal and Plastic Tubing, Rod, Wire, Nut & Bolts, Washers, Screws etc, etc.

Tools and Sundries, Tap & Die Sets, Lathe, Lathe Tools, Disc Sander, Pillar Drill, Small Electric Drills, Drill Bits, Band-saw, Hand Saws, Circular-saw, Jigsaw, Knives, Pipe Bender, Pipe Cutter, Angle Grinder, Rivet Gun, Soldering Iron, Brazing and Welding Equipment, Air Compressor, Air Brush, Spray Gun, Paint Brushes, Paint,  Wood Stains, Varnish, Solvents, Abrasive Paper, Perma-Grit Sanding Blocks and all kinds of Glue for every occasion, Wood Glue, Cyanoacrylate (Super Glue, Crazy Glue) Epoxy Resin, Polyester Resin, Balsa cement, Liquid Plastic Cement, Foaming PU Glue, Contact Adhesive, Vinyl Adhesive, Hot Glue and Rubber Cement, and the list goes on...

Anyway, enough of the mundane stuff I best get taking pictures of my current project, a 3.5 Scale Model of a 1918 Nieuport 17bis  Biplane. It has been commissioned by a guy from Bath in the UK, he doesn't require it to fly so it's just for decoration. When finished it will be painted in a Russian Naval scheme as he expressed  a total dislike for silver Nieuports and 99.9% of them left the factory painted silver.

The Nieuport kit I am using as a basis for this project it the now long out of production David Boddington Nieuport 24bis (still available, however,  as a plan pack from DB Sport and Scale based in Pembrokeshire, UK) Mine will now become a Nieuport 17bis the main physical difference between the 17 and 17bis being the stringers running down either side of the fuselage. I will also be making a few deviations from the original design, top rear wing fixing, torque rod and bell crank assembly for the ailerons, and scale like strap hinges for the rudder and elevators.

This kit was first bought by me in the late 80's and has been lying around in my workshop ever since. I had made the fuselage, added cockpit detail, scale wheel detail, tail skid detail and made changes to the pilot's headrest. It was crying out to be finished and my pending move to  the USA and the commission has spurred me along to get it completed.