cib2265

One last guess before tomorrow... A zepplin staaken. 

Well, it turns out they don't, so here they are linked directly:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I know everyone's going to be fixated on the Lancaster, but I'm more interested in the HP O/400 to be honest!
 
Kev

Well I'm calling it finished, its a brilliantly engineering kit but my building practices have been poor.
 
For me the model is to big for my limited modelling space, i stuffed the decals completly, my surface prep must have been poor, i'm disapointed in my paint finish the large upper wing panels are differant colours and finishes because i painted them individually and didnt blend the finishes. I dont like the patterns on my worn surface area.......etc etc etc
 
I had really high hopes of a showpiece model but alas my skills were not up to the job, I've displayed it under my fish tank and not on my main display...ah well there always another kit to improve again, thanks for looking and the comments. 
 
Ps I started a Tamiya tank 1/35 haha
 

On a slight tangent to what Radu mentioned above - please read Alexandr Solzhenitsyn - “The Gulag Archipelago” to gain a better understanding of what living life under Marxist rule was like during Soviet times... eye opening. And for those who do not know about this book - it is a publication that helped bring the Soviet Union to an end...
When we spoke to our elders who fought the Russians and were later imprisoned by them and released - they were very clear about the intentions and the reasons the Wehrmacht was fighting in Russia. It is a very multifaceted point in history. The biggest open ended question was asking why the Western powers decided to support Stalin and everything he represented... my grandfather always told us about the hundreds of thousands of young Russians who when given the opportunity took up arms against Stalin - they are forgotten to the World forever - yet mentioned and honored by Solzhenitsyn. For a very clear first account of how history can be distorted and life under Marxist rule could be - read the above mentioned book. The Austrians on the other hand are very good at portraying themselves as victims and erasing any trace of that conflict - to the point that one is left wondering if it even really did happen... I recently spoke with a Japanese roommate I am temporarily living together with - she visited Hiroshima three times in her young life - when asked what it meant for her and what significance it holds in the Japanese collective mentality her answer left me wondering if they (the Japanese) have a clear understanding of World history of the 20th century... 
Cheers
Alan

thanks very much guys
Hi guys
Well, it's been 3 weeks and I've done 5/8ths of bugger all. I have made a start on the back end of the top hull plate which you'll see in a sec. I've not really touched it in this time as I have been building a Tarangus Viggen but that's stalled because I just can't bring myself to do the complex paint job.
I have however think I have settled on a suitable base. It's also going to take some work but it'll be worth it. I just can't bring myself to do all this work on this and cheap out on the base. I certainly won't be making the same mistake as the Venator.
 

 
[
 
I was blabbing on about some small side hangars in one of my last posts somewhere. I don;t think they exist on the filming model but I can safely say I think we're well past that....
 

 
You can see why I would think to have them though - those spaces look like they're meant to be like this, although I am wondering how much artistic license Zvezda used when tooling this kit
 

 
Sorry to say but this is all I have for you.
Till next time
Happy modelling and thanks for looking in
Si

Hi Blackbetty,
 
The exhaust almost clears the brass tube and as the resin part is quite thick, it requires a small modification to make it fit properly.
 

 

 
 
Hi Jackman,
 
The Zacto intake is an exceptional piece of aftermarket and fits the kit nicely. Here is a pic from the front looking in. There is a small amount of sanding required to make the parts blend together, but the join is within easy reach of a sanding stick. It is hard to see where the join is as the parts fit together very well.
 

 
A pic looking down as requested. Once again, fit is excellent and minimal blending will be required.
 

 
 
Some more work.
 
The large avionics access panel forward of the windshield requires some work. I am pretty sure this has been made to be posed open as it appears Trumpeter has missed a small feature. There is a big step where it meets the windshield.
 

 
A straight edge confirms that they  missed the small kink upward where the trailing edge of the access panel meets the windshield area.
 

 
I cut a square from plastic card and superglued it in between the trailing edge and the first rivet line.
 

 
I then back filled the edges with my preferred mix of superglue and talcum powder. I use this mix as once set, it sands exactly like plastic and it is very easy to blend without shrinkage.
 

 
Sanded smooth.
 

 
A couple of coat of SMS primer, which is an acrylic lacquer paint with that has a fine talc additive that makes it excellent for filling blended areas such as this. Also visible in this pic are the thin panel catches made from plastic card that were not provided in the kit, and also i have deepened the small cooling vent under the avionics bay, using a microchisel. 
 

 
 

Some more work.
 
I added the small friction lever on the throttle quadrant from plastic card and then primed the cockpit. 
 

 
I then pre shaded the shadowed areas of the cockpit with black paint
 

 
This was followed by a couple of thin coats of the excellent new colour from SMS, US Dark Gull Grey.
 

 
I then masked and painted the black panels using an extremely dark grey, and then picked out the white wiring with a paintbrush.
 

 
 

Hi Mark,
 
Try sending a message now please.
 
Some more work. I have seen a couple of these models built and noticed that the undercarriage is a little flimsy. This is a well known issue with the kit and it requires a solution. I know that there is an aftermarket brass set available but sometimes I prefer a home grown solution.
 
The issue that I can see is that the wheels will bow outward with the twisting of the undercarriage leg with any weight put on it.
 

 
I drilled a hole  through the front cylinder of the gear leg
 

 
Using a dremel bit I then ground a trench along the horizontal part of the leg, including the axle where the wheel attaches 
 

 
I bent some thick music wire to fit the hole and trench that I made in the parts.
 

 
This piece of wire fits into the part.
 

 
Once I had glued the wire into place with super glue, I used a mix of talcum powder and superglue to fill and replace the material removed. Once sanded back to the correct profile, I sprayed the part with SMS primer filler and smoothed it out.
 

 
The obligatory weight test. 
 

 
A small feature that I have noticed on a lot of period photos is the air vent open in front of the windshield. These sorts of details are well worth adding to give the model a bit of life. The kit has this as a raised panel.
 

 
I scribed this panel with a pin using a photo etch template. Once happy with the shape, I deepened the scribed lines before using a micro chisel to remove a rectangle of material from the area.
 

 
Using some thin aluminium and plastic card I made the small pop up vent. I will leave this off until after the model is painted,
 

 
 
 
 

During this project I have been able to uncover more history around the pilots who flew Mirages for the RAAF and the way in which they celebrated their milestones. A friend of mine who’s uncle was none other than the late Reg Meissner, fighter pilot extraordinaire. Chris was over my house the other day and saw the Mirage buggy model that I had made and was able to get permission for me from Reg’s family to be able to post pictures here of his 1000, 2000 and 3000 hour Mirage celebrations. Enjoy the pics.
 
Firstly, Reg was well known for the Mirage vs Lamborghini face off here:
 

 
His 1000 hour ride was celebrated on something a bit different to most of the others. The pilot to the left of Reg is none other than my good friend Mac Cottrell ‘Mac the FAC’ subject pilot of my O-1 build a couple of years ago.
 

 
His 2000 hour ride was the most different of them all.
 

 
The more conventional buggy was used for his 3000 hour ride, and this photo shows that there were more than one of these buggies around due to a number of different features.
 

 

 
Some more work.
 
I was a bit worried about how the tow hitch was going to go in resin, given the holes that the silicone would have to capture. With a bit of work, I was able to copy my master of the hitch and be able pull the resin part straight from the mould and be able to insert the brass tow pin.
 

 

 
The kit of the tractor came with one mount for the single seat, so I made up a copy of the mount with plastic card and then used my mount as a master to make 2 more in resin. Also visible here is the repositioned rubber T latches for the bonnet and the brass pull handle that I made up.
 

 
Next up was the cargo basket for the rear of the tug. This was made from 49 parts of brass and plastic card. This won’t be made as a copy in resin!
 

 
Each of the vertical parts of the basket were drilled in from underneath and are spaced at 2mm intervals.
 

 
An overview of the almost completed tug. Visible is the re-mastered rear lights which have a detailed front now as I had originally had these parts flat. The only part missing is the spotlight that I will make later.
 

 
I gave the primed model a coat of SMS acrylic lacquer white.
 

 
Painted all over yellow, with details and tyres yet to be done. The project is really taking shape. I am still seeking pics of the trailer to be able to finish that part off.
 

 

hello fellows
 
Well looks whats back on the bench, well only just on the bench
 
Its rigging time and definatly time to finish this big beast. The size of this model has put me right off the WnW lancaster. i think I'll wait for the nose section releases, detailing cockpits and small sections is what i enjoy the most anyway
 

I still cannot fathom why no-one else has taken on Hasegawa with their Fw190 D9 kits. An iconic aircraft that that is only represented by one manufacturer (as far as i know).
 
Even with my limited funds i would save up for a Fw190 D9 from Tamiya. I'd get it when hell froze over but i'd still get it

DAYs 4-7
I have completed the interior and am now ready to close up the fuselage.
As one would expect fit was excellent!!
The seat was painted in artists oil paint to replicate the leather on the real item, Wingnuts belts were used. I have always used Wingnut belts on wingnut builds, I really like them and don't feel the need to use aftermarket items in this area.

 

 

 

 

 
Next time I should be able to show you guys an airframe!!
Thanks for stopping by.

Thanks guys!!
on to DAY 2
I have painted much of the interior, After undercoating with Tamiya rattle can fine surface primer all parts got a solid coat of SMS black followed by Alclad aluminium.
Hairspray was applied prior to Gunz RLM 02 then the 02 was chipped.
Details were picked out with tamiya enamel.
A light wash with Mig neutral wash finished up the parts.

 

 

Cables added from lead wire

 
More to follow, thanks for stopping in.

So, here I am with another update.
The roof is finished - or finished enough for now. It's looking pretty good to me. It's hard trying to keep it all in scale but I think I am doing alright.
A test fit of the bridge and neck was okay but I had to remove some stuff off the back left sidewall to allow the neck to slide all the way in. The fit is not the best - I'll be honest, I'm not sure if it's all me, or part me and part kit or just the kit itself. Either way, I'll have to think carefully about how the final construction is going to go.













Well, that's me done for another couple of weeks I think. I'll be making a start on the lower level sidewalls tonight hopefully, then the main body which will be very time consuming I think.
Till then
Adios amigos
Si

Thanks Brian. I do like your white EZline idea it looks great. I was a little concerned at how it might react to paint and washes over time though.
 
Another action shot of Graham.
 

 
Some more work.  
 
I tidied up up the wiring, glueing short lengths of plastic rod onto the fuse boxes to simulate plugs and sticking the lead wire into them. They should look pretty good once painted.
 

 
I carved some T shaped fire handles from plastic card and installed them on the rear IP
 

 
Much has been said about the way the wings, booms and fuselage join together. This is one area of the kit that I think could have been done a bit better. I assembled a long spar that went from one wingtip to the other. This was made from plastic tube for ease of glueing it into the wings with styrene glue. I then used a length of brass square tube, to allow me to bend and set the angles of the wing in case of any alignment issues and then used some think music wire in the middle for overall strength.
 

 

 
Wings attached. 
 

DAY 3
A small update this time.
The engine is complete, painted in Alclad and then given a coat of MIG neutral wash to grime it up a bit.
I wired up the first 2 cylinders on the port side as these will be the only visible cylinders once the engine covers go on.

 

 
I have also completed the dash.
 

 
Next time I hope to have the internals together and get the fuselage halves together.
thanks for looking in.

Here some more pics.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I have been busy with several large complex builds and realised that time was getting away from me with our local model show fast approaching.
I searched the stash for a quick project that I could complete in time and challenged myself to actually finish something in time.......Oh look something shiny!!
Focus Simpson I told myself and ended up choosing what I hope to be a project that fits the bill.
1, Quality kit that will actually fit together.
2. Simple air frame.
3. Cool looking.
Here is what I went for.

And here is the particular scheme.

DAY 1
Full of enthusiasm I have removed the major sub-assemblies from the trees and cleaned them up in preparation for reaching for the glue.
As WNW kits have very tight tolerances,  I have taped up the mating surfaces prior to priming and paint.

 

 

 
 

 
Back soon with day 2 (with luck!!)

GeeWhiz. Has it been two months already?

Paint is on and much of the heavy work is complete. I'll finish up the details and get it photographed in the next week or so.
 
 
Window to hull fit here...not so much. I think the fuselage side may have warped a little during its four decades of storage.


But this side fit very well.





















I started work on the base this morning. I'm not sure how much effort I want to make there. But I'm thinking yachtboard helipad.

Just realized I've not updated in a long time. There's progress:









 
 
There's been even more added to the engine bay. But I don't have pictures of it yet.

Thanks for watching!

John
 

I meet a lot of modelers who say they have this kit. But none of them seem to be building it.
 

 

 

 

 
I'll be adding some interior detail.

 

 

 
 

Excellent pic Sean. I should do the figure in that pose. I am sure Brick will be around soon to answer you!
 
Here is another picture of a friend of mine celebrating his 1000 hours. This is Noel Furber, with whom I used to work with when I was his F/O on the Q400 before he retired. He was the inspiration for me getting into modelling with a subject pilot in mind and for that I am ever thankful. I did build his Mirage a few years back.
 

  
A bit more work on the buggy. I hit a bit of a stumbling block with the Tug. The one I purchased wasn't the correct one and I was quite prepared to convert it into something that was more suitable. I got it to get an idea of sizing and parts layout etc to aid in the conversion. The big problem was that I couldn't actually work out which type of tug it was! I thought that the tug in Sean and Bricks pic was a Clarktor, as there were a few decent photos of the RAAF using them at the correct time and place for them to be that model of tug. The issue was the very flat rear end of the tug in the pics, the tail lights and what looked like a number plate, which was all I had to work with. I searched for many hours looking for even the smallest hint or detail to assist, all to no avail. I was then told it could have been a Domino Industries Group TT53 tug, an Australian made machine which the RAAF used in Butterworth at around the same time. There were a few nice pics of machines currently for sale online that would have greatly helped me to scratch build the necessary detail but I still wasn't happy. There was something not right, and I certainly would not have felt right doing an `almost right' job on the tug as it will add so much to the completed scene.
 
My first glimpse of the correct tug was this photo, with it just peeking out from behind a Mirage shown to me after a query on a RAAF Facebook page. The box shape front wheel arch and the 4 x slots in the front was enough to convince me it wasn't a Clarktor, or a Domino. Another detail I was looking at was the bonnets angled sides, sloping to the rear. Not much to go off but it was a start.
 

 
An extensive search online turned up another photo of the machine with a lot more detail visible, including the tail lights, rear wheel arches and cargo box on the back, exactly as per Sean's pics. The box type front wheel arch and bonnet was something that I was able to match up to the first photo as above. I was still unable to work out what type of tug it was. Extremely frustrating, as I was supposed to be studying for my 6 monthly sim sessions in the next couple of days!! 
 

 
I needed more. After going through every photo that I could find of RAAF Mirages was able to find the best picture yet, a real eureka moment. Lots of excellent and useful detail.
 

 
I then went and searched google for as many different tugs (no, not those types of tugs) that I could find, and finally nailed it down to the tug being a Universal tractor GC40 or very similiar. Externally it was very similar to their `Shop Mule' brand of tractor. From there, I was able to find plenty of pictures of current machines for sale or restored which would enable me to get it right.
 
 
 
Aerobonus actually do a GC-40 tractor, so I was disappointed to know that I could have purchased this one originally and saved $50 or so Aussie dollars but I didn't know then what I knew now. An order was placed to my online dealer just before I jumped in the simulator and the next day (today) I received it.
 

 
The first thing that required modification was the bonnet. I am not sure if this is a different model or whether Aerobonus (Aires) missed the angled bonnet. This is the tug straight from the box.
 

 
I marked out where I wanted to shape the bonnet.
 

 
Using a Number 11 blade, I scraped away the angle.
 

 
I added some plastic card around the edges to simulate the flip forward hood.
 

 
I sprayed the hood with SMS primer filler and sanded it smooth. You will also notice that I have replaced the steering wheel column with brass rod.
 

 
Next up was the number plate. I went out and measured my own number plate on my car and scaled it down to 1/32. I then cut this out of plastic card and attached it to the tug. I also scratch built one of the tail light assemblies and will duplicate it in resin for the other side.
 

 
I made up the front tow hitch out of plastic card and brass rod. I will also make copies of these parts to enable those that want to do something similiar to build one for themselves. 
 

 
Here's where I am at with it. The new tug came with only one seat, so I have used the two others from the older tug that I purchased. These two are actually closer in style to the real one, so I will copy those as needed.
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 

I have a few projects on the go at the moment, but I needed to get started on a decent large scale jet as I have felt a little rushed come Model Expo in June for the last few years when I have been caught napping and haven't got my act  together and almost not had an entry ready for the Large scale jets category. This will be a long term project so there wont be any rushing here and it will fit in nicely with the other stuff currently on my bench.
 
I have wanted to do an F-100D for a long time and have felt that it would be a great addition to my collection, considering that I am well on my way to completing my collection  of the Forward Air Control trifecta of the O-1, O-2 and the OV-10A as flown by RAAF pilots during Vietnam. It would be important to be able to display the aircraft that they called upon to deliver the ordnance and give some context to the mostly unarmed aircraft that were the FAC's.
 
During my build of Mac Cottrells O-1, he supplied me with a combat report written by two F-100 pilots that he called upon to provide a strike assisting troops in contact. They recommended him for a Distinguished Flying Cross for which he was awarded. Here is the Combat report that Mac supplied me with. I decided to see if I could find either of the two pilots mentioned.
 

 
With a bit of persistence, I was able to track down Ronald Swanson (Blade 02) via a photo of him that I found on facebook. He has agreed to be my subject pilot for this build and we have been having conversations over the last week via email and social media (we are on opposite sides of the earth after all). I am very happy to be able to make a model with such a unique connection to another in my collection and thank Ron for being the inspiration to do so.
 
Ron flew 268 combat missions during the Vietnam war, between April 1968 and April 1969. He flew for the 615th Tactical Fighter Squadron, part of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing based at Phan Rang Air Base. This picture is Ron immediately after his final mission in Vietnam.
 

 
This picture is of Ron's Squadron, with Ron being the 5th from the left in the back row. Major Davidson, the flight leader mentioned in the combat report is  second from the right in the front row.
 

 
Ron will have access to much more information in October, so please stay tuned!
 
The build.
 
I am using the Trumpeter F-100D, with as much aftermarket as I could find for it.
 
I started in the cockpit. The Aires resin pit is quite nice and looks to be reasonably accurate. I painted it all over black
 

 
I then painted it MRP FS36231 grey. From there I masked the side consoles and painted them with an extremely dark grey custom mix of SMS Camo black and white.
 

 
I followed the same paint process as above with the instrument panel. I then hand painted each instrument bezel with Vallejo black, and used the excellent Airscale Allied Jets decals for the instruments. I used a few 1/48 scale decals for the smaller instruments. Each instrument has a drop of clear glue to simulate the glass.
 
  
 
The cockpit sides and rudder pedals painted using the above process. The kit pedals have been used with the Aires photo etch North American logo on the top of each pedal applied. For some of the harder to paint parts, I attach a piece of masking tape to a pop stick to enable me to stick parts to it.
 

 
Part way through the cockpit. I have painted some of the button labels with white paint and started picking out some of the details with other various colours. I have applied a wash to build up a level of grime and have chipped the floor in front of the rudder pedals to simulate a well worn machine. There was almost a mini disaster here when I went and got a coffee inside and returned to the shed to a strong smell of Mr Levelling thinner. My son (almost 8) was looking a little suspect and quickly caved in under questioning and owned up to accidentally tipping over the bottle, filling up the tub with thinner! luckily, it dried OK with no harm. Visible here is a new undercarriage lever which I have fabricated from brass and plastic card. 
 

 

 
The silver chipping in front of the rudder pedals is visible here. I have painted the outline of the worn areas with a thin line of zinc chromate primer to simulate the various layers of paint down to the bare metal.
 

 
Whilst stuff was drying in the cockpit I dry fitted the fuselage halves together and sawed off the really inaccurate intake from the kit. this will allow me to fit the Zactomodels correct intake, an essential upgrade to the kit.
 

 
Once the intake duct was together, I fitted the Aires front wheel bay. This took a bit of work to get right but it is also another important upgrade.
 

 
 
 
 

Ladies, gents, and everything in between, I love you all dearly, having been a lurker for fifteen years, but, Holy Crap, I swear some of you would complain because your new unicorn has spots and didn't come with a free mermaid.
 
Adam

you sure? the oilcanning effect is a result of the stresses in the metal due to rivetting. With a thin metal skin it cannot be avoided.
not to be confused with the stresses while the aircraft is in flight where the dihedral increases due to aerodynamic forces and the resulting "creases" in the wingskins.
The fuselage while on the ground sags because of the weight.
I had the pleasure to see Lancaster NX611 yesterday and there is oilcanning everywhere. Also a wish came true when I sat in the pilot seat. Great inspiration for building the new kits.
Cees