MikeC

www.italeri.com - 2515 - Scale 1 : 32 F-104 STARFIGHTER A/C
 
aeroscale.kitmaker.net - Starfighter Re-Released
 
 

 

 

 

 
Nice.
 
Juraj

Hi gang...
 
Sorry to resurrect this one - still not delivered to my client - but a few updates to her that I thought might be worth posting.
 
Back in the office for first time in 4 months today - and access to my 'studio'. Quick lunchtime breakage fix to a client's two-seat Spitfire (rear-view mirror adrift) and some fresh photos taken in the studio - but with mobile phone, rather than the usual SLR...
 

 

 

 

 
Hopefully deliver once the current global crisis is over - my client is in Paris.
 
Blue Skies!
 
Iain

Very true.  A Chippy (RAF as well as Canadian, of course) would be good, after I've done a SH Tiger Moth, of course.   (How's that for a gentle nudge back onto topic? )

That would be good too.  What with the Mikro-Mir Magister as well, trainers seem to be the flavour du jour atm.

And I wonder if we'll see some other fine trainers from them as well, like an injection-molded PT-19? Or PT-22? One can hope...
 
What a time to be alive.
 
- Dennis S.
  Thornton, CO USA

Who said ICM will not bring one...? Remember the Stearman... Wait and see! As you wrote, I was rather seeing that plane coming from them. However, if only SH is bringing a new plastic one, this is quite sufficient to me when I'm seeing such appetizers...

I'd assumed ICM would eventually do one, given that they have a Bu 131 and a PT-17 to their credit - but Special Hobby is fine.

I'd assumed ICM would eventually do one, given that they have a Bu 131 and a PT-17 to their credit - but Special Hobby is fine.

I'd assumed ICM would eventually do one, given that they have a Bu 131 and a PT-17 to their credit - but Special Hobby is fine.

www.facebook.com/specialhobby
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
Juraj

Apologies if this is old news, I searched the forums to see if I could find any mention of this. 
 
In the June 2020 Newsletter from Special Hobby, this was buried at the bottom of the update:
 
In the pipeline, we also have some CMK sets for the Airfix 1/48 DH-82 Tiger Moth, namely the cockpit correction set, very nicely detailed resin cast engine and a few more to move the levels of detail even higher. All of these is based on the data gathered while preparing our forthcoming 1/32 scale Tiger Moth kit. And we are also working really hard on finishing the 1/32 Westland Whirlwind which should get released sometimes this autumn.

The AeroMaster RLM 02 sprayed beautifully, didn't even need to thin it. Interestingly, upon opening the bottle of paint and can of airbrush thinner, I saw why the contents of each container have survived intact after all this time. The opening of the jar of paint had a thick disc of plastic film glued over the top, sealing everything completely. The airbrush thinner can had a metal plug, tightly capping off the opening. AeroMaster paint was made by Floquil. Modern paint manufacturers should take notes on the quality and design of this packaging, it's the best I've seen. I purchased this stuff back in '98 or '99 and it is not just useable but as good as the day it showed up in the mail. 
 

 

Ready for paint.
 

 
 

Here, you can see some detail added to the main landing gear using 0.3mm copper wire. The section of white wire insulation is 3/4" long. 
 

 

 

 

 

I ran across a video on YouTube by AK Interactive, demonstrating the use of their rust and streaking effects weathering pencil set. In the demonstration, they were applied to the model using a wet on wet technique. Sometimes the pencils were dipped in water and then used directly on the model surface, sometimes the modeler used a paint brush dipped in water and then picked up pigment from the end of a pencil and painted the color on. A makeup sponge was used to apply the pencil color as well. Water and a brush was then used to blend and soften color edges. This process looked easy and fun to do so I bought the set (AK10041) to experiment with.
 
Here's a link to the video: Combination of Weathering Pencils and Enamels on a rusty drum
 
Of the five pencils in the set, I used three on the exhaust: mostly medium rust and dark rust. Just a little light rust was stippled around and blended into the darker colors. 
 

 
Before applying the weathering pencils, I airbrushed the exhausts with some Tamiya flat light grey paint.
 

 

 

 

I finally found the Quick Boost resin exhaust set. The product title is, QB 48 110 Messerschmitt Bf 109F Exhaust. The parts look great and are a perfect drop fit. Exhaust shrouds are the kit parts which have been modified by thinning down the edges.
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

The plane is just about ready for paint. I do have to scratch up a pitot tube yet. 
 

 

 

 

Some minor repair and seam work has been done to shore up this little kit and after fixing the air scoop for the super charger, this model is ready for paint. The leading edge was gouged and broken, so I glued on a styrene disk with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and let it dry overnight. After drilling a hole in the center of the disk, the opening was enlarged with a reamer but because the reamer was conical shaped, there was some very thin plastic "flash" on the trailing edge of the white evergreen lip. It was proving hard to clean up because the tools normally used to scrape or sand something like this away, were to big to fit into the small opening that close to the engine cowl. A quickly improvised tool got the job done. A small strip of brass sheet bent at a right angle, chucked into a pin vice allowed me to scrape out the inside of the scoop and get it clean of the flakey plastic.
 
I don't have a before picture of the intake but it was pretty chewed up...
 

 

 

 

 
All cleaned up, inside and out.
 

 

 
 

Three days ago I was doing a deep dive into the stash, looking for parts that might be useful to add to a model on my bench. In one of the boxes in my garage, was a 1/48 Hasegawa Bf109F partially completed, that was packed away in 1998. I actually think that it was my growing interest in building 1/32 aircraft models that shelved this project. This model has been through several moves, including three or four years in a storage unit. It's a miracle that it has survived as well as it has! I want to finish it partly for old times sake but also because it deserves to be finished, just for surviving this long. Was it possible I could locate the missing parts? Unbelievably, I unearthed all of the missing parts, half a day later, fished out of four different boxes in the garage and in my apartment. The one casualty was the markings, so I have ordered a sheet of unit markings. Combined with some leftover 109 stencil decals/national markings I have on hand, I will probably chose a 1942 RLM 74, 75, 76 paint job. An enjoyable look through my library will provide the specific scheme. The only other thing I want to add is a Quickboost exhaust set, which is somewhere in my parts bin.
 
This is how the model looked on its return to the work bench:
 

 
The Aries cockpit is really great. It looks like I used white glue for the lense on the gun site, which is cloudy now. I'll pop it out and either use a clear plastic disc or future for that.
 

 
The shoulder harnesses are gone too but that's an easy and enjoyable detail to add.
 

 
 

I have waited for this moment for some time.  No longer posting in "In the Works" on this one. IT IS DONE.   The 35 year journey has come to an end.  This kit was purchased in 1984 or 85.  It was tinkered with off and on for years starting back then.  This kit is a world traveler having resided in New York, Oklahoma, Germany, back to Oklahoma, Texas and completed in Tennessee.

It is far from perfect, but it is finished...well, other than putting back on one flying wire on the tail...I didn't notice had fallen off until I was looking at pictures preparing this post.
 
N66Y is a Pitts S-1C built by my dad in the early sixities and one of the earliest of plans built Pitts Specials.  It was bought by well known acro legend Bob Herendeen in 1965.  He won the US National Aerobatic Championship flying it in 1966, the first US Team member to compete in a Pitts.  He also flew it in the world competition in Moscow that same year. It definitely put the Pitts Special on the map and soon all the pilots were flying Pitts for many years after.

The kit is of a four aileron S-1D.  I've back dated to the S-1C which only had ailerons on the lower wing, but with longer span.  Both had a flat bottom airfoil.  Soon, the Pitts S-1S with symetrical airfoil  eclipsed the S-1Cs and Bob  sold N66Y and moved into his new Pitts S-1S N266Y.

Unfortunately, I was too young to fly when dad built his Pitts (3 total) and sold the last one.  I have been lucky enough to fly three different S-1S Pitts...and they are an absolute delight and fly inverted as well us right side up.
 
Today, N66Y is owned by the Experimental Airplane Association, but is on loan to the Aircraft Spruce and Supply Company and on display at their Peach Tree City airport location where it hangs in the lobby.


 


















 
The real N66Y then and now...
 
This picture was made shortly before completion and first flight. Notice the missing windshield.

As it hangs in ACS Lobby today.

 
My dad sitting in cosmetically restored N66Y at OSHKOSH 2000 when it was displayed in memory of Bob Herendeen.

 
 
 
 
 

I never had any doubt at all that modeling forums probably at least got some attention from the manufacturers. Why ignore free input/ideas?

Nearly there! Added the new sliding canopy and some odds and ends so just a bit more weathering to do.
 

 

 

 
 
 

Had to do it!

Update time. PR Spit is awaiting a new centre canopy! The current one was a bit of a mess to be honest but the deal was made when I managed to drop it on the floor and the 2 vac bubbles went their separate ways. One was found within 10 mins but the other is still MIA.
 
I re-ordered another canopy from GMF but also chased up Alley Cat for my missing PE and front canopy in resin. Upshot of this conversation was he has a complete vacform centre with bubbles and it should be on its was to me to test. Fingers crossed it arrives in the next few days!
 
I have done some more weathering on it adding the fuel spills and a general filter (this is when I lost the bits)!
 

 
Vc is getting to paint also. Been adding the odds and ends and securing the canopy (such a nice job after all the hassle with the vac one on the PR)
 

 

 

 
Aaron

The flare rack was first used on MkIs / IIs with metal seats. It was used on MkVs as well as
most wartime Mks. It could also be removed.
 
http://spitfiresite.com/2010/07/anatomy-of-spitfire-cockpit.html