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geedubelyer

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Posts posted by geedubelyer

  1. 1 hour ago, Aptivaboy said:

    Preorder for two PR Spitfires is in! I have the AIMS and Alley Cat PR goodies for the later marks and I'm really happy to see an earlier PR bird getting made!  

     

    I would second Tim's idea of early Lightnings.  There are also a number of Warhawks that are rare in 1/32nd, like both long and short tail Ks and the Merlin-engined variants, and the wonderful Typhoon. Given Kotare's concentration with European models, the Typhoon might be a nice place to start.

     

    I think someone else is bringing a Typhoon to market. 

     

    See this link

     

    Hth

  2. Fascinating stuff Peter. 

     

    It's clear that what works for one medium does not work for another. 

     

    Just thinking out loud now but, since you'd already designed the 3D version, is there any mileage in bringing it to market as planned whilst you get on top of the IM version? :hmmm:

     

    In the interim there might be an opportunity to provide the market with a popular subject even if it is a limited run offer? 

     

     

  3. Thanks guys, very much appreciate the kind words. I'm glad you like how the seat turned out. I may add a couple of blueish ankle straps either side of the pull handle before I've finished to bring a little colour into the darkness. :hmmm:

     

    I agree John, the throttle is woeful. It wouldn't have taken much extra tooling to include a separate part. As you point out, it's quite a large component. 

    There is a semblance of the throttle molded onto the panel but it's pretty inadequate. 

    This particular model is destined to sit with it's canopy closed. Additionally, I think I may need to dull the transparency a bit to better resemble the full sized bird so almost all of the cockpit below the canopy sill will be partially obscured. 

    Looking at the builds by Rockie Yarwood and Madmax I think I should have a go at adding the canopy sills. If I am able to they will hide much of the cockpit panels from view. 

    Your comment did remind me that Revell also missed another obvious component though.....the canopy ejection handle by the pilot's left knee. 

    Thanks for the nudge. 

     

    Cheers,

    Guy

     

  4. Hello everyone. Hope you're all doing well. 

     

    It's been a while but work has continued gently amidst life stuff.

     

    I got the seat painted and after studying @Madmax (Sean's) build I added more detail to the head box. 

     

    PXL-20250701-184411510-3.jpg

     

    PXL-20250701-184244062-2.jpg

     

    PXL-20250701-184220565-2.jpg

     

    I've aimed for a faded, dusty look.

     

    Next up is the cockpit. 

    Revell have done a reasonable job on the tub for the most part but the detail is a little low relief. 

    Nevertheless, since very little can be seen I just tried to pick out the molded in detail.

     

    PXL-20250701-184741919-2.jpg

     

     

     

    PXL-20250701-184803485-2.jpg

     

    Detail behind the seat is pretty good but it's virtually invisible once the fuselage encloses the tub. 

    A couple of obvious features need adding though. 

    Aft of the seat on the starboard side is a red wheel and cable mechanism that's strangely missing from the kit. On the port side there's quite a large cylinder and cables on a shelf alongside the back of the seat that are suggested in the kit but they need beefing up.

     

    I used Airscale instrument decals on the IP 

     

    PXL-20250701-184725514-2.jpg

     

    Not absolutely accurate but given what will be visible eventually, good enough. 

     

    PXL-20250701-185012391-2.jpg

     

    PXL-20250701-185124958-2.jpg

     

    Control column and pedals next. 

     

    Cheers,

    Guy

     

     

     

  5. 3 hours ago, Zola25 said:

     

    Agreed - they should consider selling their boxart as frameable prints. They are all quite nice.

     

    I believe the first release included a poster for pre-orders? :hmmm:

    I may have dreamt it of course :lol:

     

    That recce Spit would sit nicely on the man cave wall. :thumbsup:

     

    Edit*  I took a peep at the Kotare site and the box art for the Spitfire Va is equally choice. 

    Bravo Kotare. 

    @Mark Robson and @rsanz..... go on, you know you want to :coolio:

     

    :D

  6. Here's a thought. 

     

    Use the masks the opposite way round. 

    Let's take a roundel as an example. 

    Paint your white base. Add red over a larger area than is needed. Place the central dot of masking in the correct position on the red. Spray the blue but again, larger than necessary. Finally add the blue area mask, seal the border between the two red and blue masks with masking fluid or masking tape and then finish off around the marking with the black or cammo colour coat. 

     

    Would that alleviate the white borders? 

  7. Cripes a'mighty!! :o

     

    What an absolutely magnificent achievement Jay. 

     

    She's a beaut and you should indeed be rightfully proud of your accomplishment. 

     

    Bravo that man :clap2::bow:

     

    Before you get started on your next epic adventure I would dearly love to see some photos taken outdoors in the sunshine with a suitably uncluttered backdrop if at all possible. I'll wager your model will be utterly indistinguishable from the full sized aircraft. :thumbsup:

  8. On 12/12/2023 at 10:12 AM, Madmax said:

    Before getting straight to the styrene, another little story about our Hunter - XF309. Last heard from as a ground instruction airframe (7771M) at St Atham, she somehow ends up in South Yorkshire, at a once famous (for airshows and royal patronage) RAF base called Finningley, just outside Doncaster. Finningley, controversially, eventually became an airport named after Robin Hood, even though the Sherwood Forest is about 40 miles south of Doncaster. Well, this little habit of stretching a story was going to affect our Hunter too. Not happy with her history as a mere shark-mouthed F. Mk4, she was promptly promoted to being a F. Mk5 and painted in the colours of a dashing 1 Squadron aircraft, WP190, that had taken part in the operations of the Suez Canal Crisis. They were rather striking colours...

     

    ExtraImage-X2.jpg

     

    The amusing thing is that at the same time, the real WP190 was languishing outside RAF Stanbridge, as a gate guardian (in rather boring standard camouflage). At least she was adorned with her own serial number!  https://www.airliners.net/photo/UK-Air-Force/Hawker-Hunter-F5/2165771

     

    The internet rabbit-hole sometimes produces real gems; here is a newsletter from the 70's that gives us a clue as to what happened to XF309 next.

     

    Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2017.39.45-

     

    Screenshot%202023-11-17%20at%2011.39.17-

     

    Let's get back to the model, I sense a yawn coming on.

     

    The basic shapes of the ejection seat in the kit are unfortunately just that - rather basic. I literally broke the seat apart and started some surgery on the drogue pack and launcher rails so that the added detail at least sat in the right place. The top of the drogue chute now fits into a smaller opening on top of the structure, and one can see a portion of the telescopic tube inside the back of the launcher rails.

     

    IMG_8891-X2.jpg

     

    IMG_8904-X2.jpg

     

    Some of the details had to be carved out of styrene (no 3-d printer in my house - yet), and although this photo is a bit out of focus, I thought I'd show how I leave the piece attached to a larger piece of styrene to make it easier to handle. This is the Time Release Mechanism and Barostatic Unit that is inevitably portrayed by kit manufacturers at half it's actual size.

     

    IMG_8907-X2.jpg

     

    Here it is in place, with some of the other details starting to take shape.

     

    IMG_8918-X2.jpg

     

    2h-XL.jpg

     

    On the other side the Drogue Gun takes up most of the space.

     

    IMG_8928-X2.jpg

     

    What  is interesting is how many lines feed into the drogue chute pack - looks like an octopus got hold of the seat!

     

    IMG_8925-X2.jpg

     

    IMG_8931-X2.jpg

     

    I have found a very handy piece of aftermarket etched brass for the next part of the process. I know people like Derek B have the patience to manufacture buckles, but I don't.

    This is Eduard's 1:32 Mirage III seat straps set. Very useful even though not 100% accurate as far as buckle shapes go.

     

    IMG_8934-X2.jpg

     

    You may recall the question of what material to fashion the parachute back pad from? Well, I decided to use a lead foil of sorts (it came from lead tape strips one sticks onto golf clubs - not sure if it's R&A approved). It is easy to cut and shapes very well, although it's probably best not to lick it.

     

    IMG_8943-X2.jpg

     

    This is the Mk 18 parachute assembly that I'm trying to emulate. The Mk 18 was typical of those fitted to MB Mk 2 or 3 seats, and the actual parachute pack was a shoulder pack that went into the recess behind the pilot's upper back.

     

    raf-mk-18-seat-type-parachute-assembly_1

     

    This is still very much an experimental piece, and how paint is going to stick to it is yet to be seen, particularly if it gets bent a bit. Still fun to try simulate the different elements of an ejection seat.

     

    IMG_8948-X2.jpg

     

    IMG_8970-X2.jpg

     

    Some cockpit painting next...

     

    Cheers,

     

    Sean

     

     

     

    Cor! I really wish I'd spotted this build before I began working on the seat for my own Hunter. Excellent work Sean and great for those of us searching for references. 

    I shall be cribbing your ideas to spruce my kit's seat up if you don't mind?

     

    Cheers,

    Guy

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