time around to give the Pegasus
kit a go, which was duly ordered
from Freight Dog Models.
The wing ribbing on the
Pegasus DH.4 is indeed a lot
subtler than the Airfix kit, but
because it is a short run kit and
has three optional engine choices,
it presents some challenges of its
own. But any builder of Golden
Era civil aircraft can’t be too
picky, so out came the toolbox.
First order of business was to
change the moulded-on engine
and craft on the correct Rolls Royce
engine, one fuselage half at a time.
I then cut off the top of the aft
fuselage decking to make room for
the passenger cabin, and with the
help of scale drawings and images
I found on the Internet, I created
the raised rear fuselage from
various pieces of 0.5 mm Evergreen
plastic sheet, glued together and
sanded to the correct shape.Next, I built a new rear wall
for the cockpit from plastic
sheet, as well as a basic floor. To
this I added an etched wicker
seat from Part Models, a control
column, rudder pedals, and the
instrument panel from the kit.
The shape of the angled aft cockpit
deck initially caused some head
scratching, but in the end, I figured
how to build it from sheet.MORE DETAILS
I then added further details to
the passenger cabin with two
etched wicker seats from the
Part Models set, some ribs from
plastic strip, and a coaming with
a large oval opening. For the cover
over the passenger seats I cut out
a section of clear acetate sheet
and bent it to shape. I masked the
windows, rather than using styrene
sheet and cutting them out.The front of the fuselage was
further built up by adding radiator
shutters and some louvres on
the top and bottom of the engine
cover from thin Evergreen plastic
strip. I also added a half round
section of tube, with sections of
Evergreen rod for exhausts.
After painting the interior
bits, the fuselage was closed up,
and after leaving it for a day for
the glue to set, the various seams
were puttied and sanded smooth.
The lower wings were then glued
in place and the three-part upperwing was assembled. One thing you
need to watch is to make sure to
give the wings the proper dihedral
when gluing them, as this was
quite visible on the actual aircraft.
The holes for the wing struts
are a bit shallow so I drilled these
out, as well as those for the fuselage
struts. I also drilled small holes
in the ailerons for the control
cables that would be added later.
I then added the tiny windmills –
included in the Pegasus kit and a
great little addition – on the sloped
decking behind the cockpit.“THE KING’S CUP WAS ESTABLISHED
BY KING GEORGE V AS AN INCENTIVE
TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT
AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE DESIGN”
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