The Short Crusader was built for the 1927 edition of the
Schneider Trophy, but, unlike other competitors looking to streamline the
airframe with an inline engine, it used a radial one (Bristol 9-cylinder
Mercury type, modified). The whole plane -minus the control surfaces- was
covered in veneer, fabric and enamel paint. Taken to Venice, the venue of the
race, during a practice flight it plunged to the water due to an aileron
rigging mistake -pilot unscathed, very fortunately. Even if the plane did not
actually participate in the race, its beautiful lines make it deserving of a
place on the shelves.
Yet another racer from Karaya I had in the pile for some
time. The kit is similar to the other Karaya kits I built, including the recent
Gloster III, but in this case -and unlike the others- there is some amount of air
bubbles present, some open to the surface and others lying just below one pass
of the sanding stick, covered only by a thin membrane. Engineering-wise there
are more locating devices than on the other Karaya kits I have built, but not where they would have really helped, that is
for the four float legs. on this particular point, as in all other Karaya kits I built, you are left
to your own devices. There are, as always, accuracy issues: the cylinder
“helmets” lack a very visible cut in angle at their front (air intake), and the corresponding
fairings are lacking a shallower angle cut at their backs (airflow exit). How this could be
solved -or not- is to be seen. This was most likely a problem (undercut) that
resin casting could not solve, at least with the present engineering of the
kit, and would have required separate cylinders. The kit provides a cockpit
interior, a beaching trolley (not a reproduction of the actual one used, though) and a couple of saw horses to rest the aft part of
the floats, all welcome additions. Once the pouring blocks are removed the fit
of the parts is very good, but the keel of the floats will require a little
putty and careful sanding as they are somewhat ragged because of the attachment
of their pouring blocks. The representation of the surfaces is spot on.
The painting scheme given by Karaya is inaccurate for
Venice. By then the blue float struts were replaced after an accident and painted
white. The decal sheet lacks the red strips over the floats seen also
at Venice. Karaya’s blue struts, if depicted as such, should not go at
the same time with the rudder marks, as these were not present at that time.
Furthermore, the blue struts are associated with what looks like a practice
wood propeller, not the metal one used later at Venice. The beaching trolley
provided should help with the floats’ separation distance and positioning. The
nose tip could be a little more accurate it should have been somewhat petaled instead of completely round, but in such small scale it doesn't matter much:
You will need curved aileron horns for the
ailerons, and will have to locate, mark and drill the rigging anchoring points
as they are none present inn the mold. The right wing LE has a small notch that seems to be
where the (not provided) Pitot should go. The small fragile resin axles of the wheels
are better replaced by styrene rod or metal. The very small canopy is provided
as a cage frame to be filled with clear material. Note that the vertical stabilizer was
offset on the real plane to compensate for the engine torque.
Here is some reference material for those inclined. The first pages are of the 1927 Schneider in general with the competing planes:
Instructions
Decals (missing the float red strips for Venice, and not to be used if depicting the model still with blue struts):
The parts out of their bags:
Examples of air bubbles, a few more were found:
Washing after detaching the parts from their pouring blocks:
As mentioned above, fit is mainly good. Watch out for the floats, they are handed (guess how I learned that), look at where the struts land (one side of the mounting plate is squarish the other -outwards- somewhat triangular):
Primer applied:
Cockpit being prepared:
Trolley being painted:
The cage that represents the canopy frame is separated from its pouring block. Not an easy task:
There is one small detail you may like to add, the fuel cap is there but you may add the oil one as described in this drawing:
I was curious as to where the oil coolers may be placed. They are not readily visible. Finally I read that they were of the skin (surface) type located on the aft part of the floats. No drawing, photo, or plan I have at hand points to them, though.
As mentioned before one of the strengths of Karaya is the detail on surfaces and parts. On the top of the joystick, for example, you can discern the individual ridges of the grip. The rudder pedals are beautiful and delicate. On the other hand, I am attempting to carve the engine cylinder "helmets" undercut to see if this inaccurate inaccurate detail can be made better. And as mentioned before, you are left to your own devices to deal with one of the most critical parts of the build, to set the struts between fuselage and floats at the proper positions, angles and distance.
The floats are giving me a bit of trouble at their keel, were the pouring block was attached making it difficult to obtain a sharp regular edge:
Photos show that the racing propeller (not the practice wood one) had no anti-glare paint on the back of the blades. Still, the kit's prop looks more than the wood one than the metal one the airplane had in Venice.
To be continued...
