Cap'n Wannabe

G'day All..
It has been a loooooooong time since I actually finished a model.  Closest I've come lately is the ARII 1/72 Beechcraft Bonanza.  A crap kit - nothing fit, one of the gear legs was short-shot, the prop was missing a blade....it basically sucked.  It now sits in the back of my cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever notice it.
Anyhow, last year was a prick of a year for me (and for everyone else..).  One of the worst things to happen was the passing of my dad on May 2nd.  We have been unable to have a funeral due to COVID, but that's being taken care of later this year.  His ashes are going to be scattered from the air over his old property, approximately 5NM west of Kyneton.  I'll be taking part in that - I've organised a formation of 3 Piper Warriors to do the deed, with me flying Number 2 and breaking off at the moment his ashes are released, to be the "Missing Man".
So what does all this have to do with building something?  Well, the title says most of it.
My dad got his PPL in the mid-60's.  He did his last flight on February 11, 1990, in a Cessna 172M VH-ABW, having amassed around 450 hours.  At that time, I was in Cessnock NSW, at the Civil Air Training Academy, however, I had initially learnt to fly in the same aircraft.  This build will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him, and to the aircraft.
The kit I'm using is the ESCI 1/48 Cessna 172.  I have a heap of them in the stash, so I might look through all of them to find one with as little flash as possible - the kit on the top of the pile has a whole lot of it!
I'm intending to build it as it was in the late 80's, which is when I started flying.  To that end, it will be slightly different to any photos on the internet.  I know the interior had been refitted the last time I saw it in around 2011, and the words "Kyneton Aero Club" were yet to be applied to the sides of the aircraft.
I do recall it had a baby-poo brown interior, with off-white sheepskin covers on the front seats....pretty much standard for a 1976 C172.
So without further ado, here's the standard kit photo..

Yeah, it does.  I was very disappointed when I opened the box.  Still, I have one each of the floatplane and land plane..

G'day Ben..
Here's a pic of the ESCI wheels and spats.

 
The ESCI kit was repopped by Modelcraft, and I personally think it's a better kit than the Minicraft kit.

 
And just for interest's sake, here's all of my Cessna 172 kits...
From the top: Nichimo 1/48, ESCI and Modelcraft 1/48 (same plastic), Minicraft 1/48, another Nichimo 1/48, and Marui/Tilt 1/36..

 
 
F-Toys 1/144...these all come pre-painted

 
And Nichimo 1/20..

G'day Ben..
Here's a pic of the ESCI wheels and spats.

 
The ESCI kit was repopped by Modelcraft, and I personally think it's a better kit than the Minicraft kit.

 
And just for interest's sake, here's all of my Cessna 172 kits...
From the top: Nichimo 1/48, ESCI and Modelcraft 1/48 (same plastic), Minicraft 1/48, another Nichimo 1/48, and Marui/Tilt 1/36..

 
 
F-Toys 1/144...these all come pre-painted

 
And Nichimo 1/20..

G'day All..
It has been a loooooooong time since I actually finished a model.  Closest I've come lately is the ARII 1/72 Beechcraft Bonanza.  A crap kit - nothing fit, one of the gear legs was short-shot, the prop was missing a blade....it basically sucked.  It now sits in the back of my cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever notice it.
Anyhow, last year was a prick of a year for me (and for everyone else..).  One of the worst things to happen was the passing of my dad on May 2nd.  We have been unable to have a funeral due to COVID, but that's being taken care of later this year.  His ashes are going to be scattered from the air over his old property, approximately 5NM west of Kyneton.  I'll be taking part in that - I've organised a formation of 3 Piper Warriors to do the deed, with me flying Number 2 and breaking off at the moment his ashes are released, to be the "Missing Man".
So what does all this have to do with building something?  Well, the title says most of it.
My dad got his PPL in the mid-60's.  He did his last flight on February 11, 1990, in a Cessna 172M VH-ABW, having amassed around 450 hours.  At that time, I was in Cessnock NSW, at the Civil Air Training Academy, however, I had initially learnt to fly in the same aircraft.  This build will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him, and to the aircraft.
The kit I'm using is the ESCI 1/48 Cessna 172.  I have a heap of them in the stash, so I might look through all of them to find one with as little flash as possible - the kit on the top of the pile has a whole lot of it!
I'm intending to build it as it was in the late 80's, which is when I started flying.  To that end, it will be slightly different to any photos on the internet.  I know the interior had been refitted the last time I saw it in around 2011, and the words "Kyneton Aero Club" were yet to be applied to the sides of the aircraft.
I do recall it had a baby-poo brown interior, with off-white sheepskin covers on the front seats....pretty much standard for a 1976 C172.
So without further ado, here's the standard kit photo..

After a few - quite a few - failed attempts, I think I've come up with a solution to the casting issues I was having.  The first seat back I cast came out almost perfect, but then I found that no matter what I did, I couldn't get it to cast properly.  The solution was to force the resin into the mould using a pipette.  Same story with the seat base.  I'll have to re-do the mould for the seat base, but that's a pretty simple task.

I really should have cast the seat base at the same time as the back....silly me!  Oh well, more casting to be done today..

G'day Ron..
The Nichimo 1/20 Cessna 172 has been OOP for a long time.  There's also a Marui/Tilt 1/36 kit which is even harder to find.  If you find one on ebay, be prepared to spend ridiculous money.  Luckily I've got mine....they're my retirement fund!

Not much to report today...
I did manage to cast 2 seat backs, however I learnt a bit of a lesson.  The less resin you mix, the easier it is to completely stuff the ratio of Part A to Part B.  The one on the left is useless - it's still tacky after 24 hours.  Might have to use syringes to get a more precise mix..
 

G'day All..
It has been a loooooooong time since I actually finished a model.  Closest I've come lately is the ARII 1/72 Beechcraft Bonanza.  A crap kit - nothing fit, one of the gear legs was short-shot, the prop was missing a blade....it basically sucked.  It now sits in the back of my cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever notice it.
Anyhow, last year was a prick of a year for me (and for everyone else..).  One of the worst things to happen was the passing of my dad on May 2nd.  We have been unable to have a funeral due to COVID, but that's being taken care of later this year.  His ashes are going to be scattered from the air over his old property, approximately 5NM west of Kyneton.  I'll be taking part in that - I've organised a formation of 3 Piper Warriors to do the deed, with me flying Number 2 and breaking off at the moment his ashes are released, to be the "Missing Man".
So what does all this have to do with building something?  Well, the title says most of it.
My dad got his PPL in the mid-60's.  He did his last flight on February 11, 1990, in a Cessna 172M VH-ABW, having amassed around 450 hours.  At that time, I was in Cessnock NSW, at the Civil Air Training Academy, however, I had initially learnt to fly in the same aircraft.  This build will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him, and to the aircraft.
The kit I'm using is the ESCI 1/48 Cessna 172.  I have a heap of them in the stash, so I might look through all of them to find one with as little flash as possible - the kit on the top of the pile has a whole lot of it!
I'm intending to build it as it was in the late 80's, which is when I started flying.  To that end, it will be slightly different to any photos on the internet.  I know the interior had been refitted the last time I saw it in around 2011, and the words "Kyneton Aero Club" were yet to be applied to the sides of the aircraft.
I do recall it had a baby-poo brown interior, with off-white sheepskin covers on the front seats....pretty much standard for a 1976 C172.
So without further ado, here's the standard kit photo..

Not much to report today...
I did manage to cast 2 seat backs, however I learnt a bit of a lesson.  The less resin you mix, the easier it is to completely stuff the ratio of Part A to Part B.  The one on the left is useless - it's still tacky after 24 hours.  Might have to use syringes to get a more precise mix..
 

So the first thing I've done, apart from finding a less "flashy" kit, is to slightly modify one of the seat backs by removing the headrest.  This was not present in ABW in the late 80's.  Then I glued the modified part to a rail, and glued that into the bottom of a plastic cup.  Reason being, I'll be casting more than a few resin copies to experiment with applying a sheepskin cover to the seat.  I want to see how embossing powder goes - hopefully I won't have to fill in the detail on the seat back.
 

 

 

G'day All..
It has been a loooooooong time since I actually finished a model.  Closest I've come lately is the ARII 1/72 Beechcraft Bonanza.  A crap kit - nothing fit, one of the gear legs was short-shot, the prop was missing a blade....it basically sucked.  It now sits in the back of my cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever notice it.
Anyhow, last year was a prick of a year for me (and for everyone else..).  One of the worst things to happen was the passing of my dad on May 2nd.  We have been unable to have a funeral due to COVID, but that's being taken care of later this year.  His ashes are going to be scattered from the air over his old property, approximately 5NM west of Kyneton.  I'll be taking part in that - I've organised a formation of 3 Piper Warriors to do the deed, with me flying Number 2 and breaking off at the moment his ashes are released, to be the "Missing Man".
So what does all this have to do with building something?  Well, the title says most of it.
My dad got his PPL in the mid-60's.  He did his last flight on February 11, 1990, in a Cessna 172M VH-ABW, having amassed around 450 hours.  At that time, I was in Cessnock NSW, at the Civil Air Training Academy, however, I had initially learnt to fly in the same aircraft.  This build will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him, and to the aircraft.
The kit I'm using is the ESCI 1/48 Cessna 172.  I have a heap of them in the stash, so I might look through all of them to find one with as little flash as possible - the kit on the top of the pile has a whole lot of it!
I'm intending to build it as it was in the late 80's, which is when I started flying.  To that end, it will be slightly different to any photos on the internet.  I know the interior had been refitted the last time I saw it in around 2011, and the words "Kyneton Aero Club" were yet to be applied to the sides of the aircraft.
I do recall it had a baby-poo brown interior, with off-white sheepskin covers on the front seats....pretty much standard for a 1976 C172.
So without further ado, here's the standard kit photo..

So the first thing I've done, apart from finding a less "flashy" kit, is to slightly modify one of the seat backs by removing the headrest.  This was not present in ABW in the late 80's.  Then I glued the modified part to a rail, and glued that into the bottom of a plastic cup.  Reason being, I'll be casting more than a few resin copies to experiment with applying a sheepskin cover to the seat.  I want to see how embossing powder goes - hopefully I won't have to fill in the detail on the seat back.
 

 

 

G'day All..
It has been a loooooooong time since I actually finished a model.  Closest I've come lately is the ARII 1/72 Beechcraft Bonanza.  A crap kit - nothing fit, one of the gear legs was short-shot, the prop was missing a blade....it basically sucked.  It now sits in the back of my cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever notice it.
Anyhow, last year was a prick of a year for me (and for everyone else..).  One of the worst things to happen was the passing of my dad on May 2nd.  We have been unable to have a funeral due to COVID, but that's being taken care of later this year.  His ashes are going to be scattered from the air over his old property, approximately 5NM west of Kyneton.  I'll be taking part in that - I've organised a formation of 3 Piper Warriors to do the deed, with me flying Number 2 and breaking off at the moment his ashes are released, to be the "Missing Man".
So what does all this have to do with building something?  Well, the title says most of it.
My dad got his PPL in the mid-60's.  He did his last flight on February 11, 1990, in a Cessna 172M VH-ABW, having amassed around 450 hours.  At that time, I was in Cessnock NSW, at the Civil Air Training Academy, however, I had initially learnt to fly in the same aircraft.  This build will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him, and to the aircraft.
The kit I'm using is the ESCI 1/48 Cessna 172.  I have a heap of them in the stash, so I might look through all of them to find one with as little flash as possible - the kit on the top of the pile has a whole lot of it!
I'm intending to build it as it was in the late 80's, which is when I started flying.  To that end, it will be slightly different to any photos on the internet.  I know the interior had been refitted the last time I saw it in around 2011, and the words "Kyneton Aero Club" were yet to be applied to the sides of the aircraft.
I do recall it had a baby-poo brown interior, with off-white sheepskin covers on the front seats....pretty much standard for a 1976 C172.
So without further ado, here's the standard kit photo..

G'day All..
It has been a loooooooong time since I actually finished a model.  Closest I've come lately is the ARII 1/72 Beechcraft Bonanza.  A crap kit - nothing fit, one of the gear legs was short-shot, the prop was missing a blade....it basically sucked.  It now sits in the back of my cabinet where hopefully nobody will ever notice it.
Anyhow, last year was a prick of a year for me (and for everyone else..).  One of the worst things to happen was the passing of my dad on May 2nd.  We have been unable to have a funeral due to COVID, but that's being taken care of later this year.  His ashes are going to be scattered from the air over his old property, approximately 5NM west of Kyneton.  I'll be taking part in that - I've organised a formation of 3 Piper Warriors to do the deed, with me flying Number 2 and breaking off at the moment his ashes are released, to be the "Missing Man".
So what does all this have to do with building something?  Well, the title says most of it.
My dad got his PPL in the mid-60's.  He did his last flight on February 11, 1990, in a Cessna 172M VH-ABW, having amassed around 450 hours.  At that time, I was in Cessnock NSW, at the Civil Air Training Academy, however, I had initially learnt to fly in the same aircraft.  This build will hopefully be a fitting tribute to him, and to the aircraft.
The kit I'm using is the ESCI 1/48 Cessna 172.  I have a heap of them in the stash, so I might look through all of them to find one with as little flash as possible - the kit on the top of the pile has a whole lot of it!
I'm intending to build it as it was in the late 80's, which is when I started flying.  To that end, it will be slightly different to any photos on the internet.  I know the interior had been refitted the last time I saw it in around 2011, and the words "Kyneton Aero Club" were yet to be applied to the sides of the aircraft.
I do recall it had a baby-poo brown interior, with off-white sheepskin covers on the front seats....pretty much standard for a 1976 C172.
So without further ado, here's the standard kit photo..

Looking great so far!
You use a similar technique to that I've used in making r/c model wings, in that you've cut and sanded all the wing ribs together.  First I've heard about shuffling them around to keep them even though!
I'm just wondering if you couldn't wrap the wings in tissue paper, then shrink the paper by soaking it in water.  That would give you the rib detail naturally.
You would have to build up a small area around each of the mounts for the struts and rigging such that they match the height of the ribs.  That way, you could punch holes in the tissue and not have to worry about it tearing.

Looking great so far!
You use a similar technique to that I've used in making r/c model wings, in that you've cut and sanded all the wing ribs together.  First I've heard about shuffling them around to keep them even though!
I'm just wondering if you couldn't wrap the wings in tissue paper, then shrink the paper by soaking it in water.  That would give you the rib detail naturally.
You would have to build up a small area around each of the mounts for the struts and rigging such that they match the height of the ribs.  That way, you could punch holes in the tissue and not have to worry about it tearing.

At least you didn't spend $225 on the Silver Wings kit!

Kevin..
The lower dihedral of the Tigermoth is 4°, and the wingspan is 8.94m.  Simple trig (well, actually, drawing it in Autocad..) says you need to prop up the wing tip by 9.5mm in 1/32 scale.

Kev, those latches are overcentre latches.  There are plenty of drawings complete with dimensions of different styles of o/c latches around, although probably not that exact style.  A quick google found these, which look similar..
 
https://www.7ent.com/products/overcenter-latch-pair-sac0093.html

Take your time Cap'n. Have a swig o' this ...
 
        
 

Geez, that's a long time to sit.  While not on the shelf of doom, I have had some significant and ongoing personal issues this year that have caused me to well and truly lose my mojo.  I'm slowly working my way back, though.

Bit of a quiet day today, so I started playing with my Inventor software and my new resin 3D printer.  I've had the idea in the back of my mind for a while to add some details to the Lysander, even though I'd originally decided to built it strictly OOB.  Anyhow, looking at photos of the engine bay, the exhaust collector that runs around the front of the engine is very prominent.  I cut the cowling part from the sprue, got out the trusty Verniers, measured it up, then modelled it in Inventor.  Then I modelled a part to fit inside it and pick up the tops of the engine cylinders.  Bearing in mind I'm not sure of the final depth of the thing right now, here's the first test print.  The front of the ring didn't quite print properly - not worried about that right now - but the collector pipes did...
 

 
And here it is in place..
 

So after a fair bit of start/stop, I bit the bullet and weathered the engine.  I have seen photos of the cylinders painted black, and also the cylinders left in a natural finish, but when I first painted mine, the aluminium looked too stark.  I wanted to go for the used look, with a bit of burnt oil residue on the cylinders (I'm assuming that's what the brownish colour is), so I broke out the artist's oils and gave it a crack.  Not too shabby, I reckon, although there's still the back of the engine to do....and it reduces the starkness of the bare aluminium cylinders.