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MikeA

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Everything posted by MikeA

  1. MikeA
    Beautiful kit and beautiful work on it! When I did the Papyrus Hunter years ago, I used the Flightpath set which from memory included the extended engine nozzle and sensor details etc. Looks much better with the correct length. I had done similar detail to yours in the nosewheel bay area as well as the radar within the nose cone but, despite that, had more than sufficient hidden space to put enough weight in the front. And definitely get the brass G-Factor legs if you can - they are well worth it. Cheers Mike
  2. MikeA
    You can install the main wheels at the end by simply not finishing off the central spar between the wheelbays until near the end of the build. This is very easy if using the Aires wheelbay as it is set up to allow for this. With the kit one, it does require some microsaw surgery to the spar to separate the particular section where the landing gear slots into, and a careful repair to the resulting seam on the cover panel along the centre fuselage once the gear is fitted. The nosewheel is easier in that you can assemble it into the bay early on as required by the instructions, but do not fix it in place and do not fit the retraction strut. This allows the nosewheel to be rotated up into the bay during construction. At the end it's just a case of dropping the gear into place, fitting the strut and careful application of glue to the supporting tabs on the nosegear to fix it in place. It's a great kit, despite some heavy handedness and uneven approach to panel lines. Probably one of the more relaxing builds I have done. Have fun with it! Cheers, Mike
  3. MikeA
    Beautiful work! The riveting turned out really well - not too overpowering on a shapely airframe. Mike
  4. MikeA
    Yeah fine. This one was already off the charts and now it is heading who knows where! An absolutely gobsmackingly great model and the diorama is looking to take the presentation to another level entirely. Already looking very moody and really looking forward to the updates. Cheers Mike
  5. MikeA
    Weathered - way more fun.......
  6. MikeA
    Don't envy you with that masking! That dayglo has a nasty penchant for going everywhere..... FWIW, when I built my Papyrus Hunter from the Revell kit earlier this century, I did manage to install the nose gear towards the end of the build - from memory it involved a slight trimming of the main gear leg on one side and a slight enlargement of the hole in the nosewheel bay where it slots into. The resulting enlarged and not so positive fit on that side was subsequently resolved with epoxy followed by a layer of white glue to smooth the joint off. Despite superdetailing the nosewheel bay, I don't think it's been looked at in the intervening years - the topsides are too pretty. Cheers Mike
  7. MikeA
    Very impressive weather beaten look! Very much the workhorse. Cheers Mike
  8. MikeA
    I also found that the Aires cockpit, aside from the fit problems, did not really seem to offer much if anything over what could be achieved with a combination of minor scratch building and the Eduard PE set for the Italeri kit. An aftermarket bang seat is worth it though. The Aires wheelbays on the other hand are phenomenal, although as is commonly the case with jet wheelbays, little can be seen once built up. Cheers Mike
  9. MikeA
    Wow! That is absolutely gorgeous! Mike
  10. MikeA
    That has turned out beautifully! For all the comments elsewhere about the panel lines, the empennage looks particularly great. Love the back story to this specific airframe as well. Mike
  11. MikeA
    Mine is an A R Harris Company Ltd "Portable Spray Painting Outfit" , Model 602, from Christchurch, NZ, dating back to 1979. Strange name but does the business. Light duties compared to most as I only complete one model every couple of years, but still regular use. At least one new hose and a new moisture trap over the years, and I keep having to reattach its rubber feet, but still going strong. Cheers, Mike
  12. MikeA
    Beautiful work, especially on the fabric detail.
  13. MikeA
    Essentially it appears from the Hyperscale article that "big picture" wise the kit is fine. There are almost always details wrong in kits, which only magnify if you choose to replicate a specific airframe. For me that is a major joy of modelling. Certainly heartening to read your comments on the spinner which was probably the most difficult of the potential issues. The thing I would find most irksome are the typical Italeri wide panel lines, but that is only a personal foible - it was almost difficult to make out a lot of the panel lines on the pristine Museum example I saw, in the USA many years ago, although they would certainly have shown more during action. However that and most of the other fixes recommended are pretty straightforward. This one is looking great and I can't wait to see the paint go on. Cheers, Mike
  14. MikeA
    Good call re closing up the nose. Love that shape, and there is quite a lot going on with it anyway. I always find with cockpits , as an example, that I put so much work into them, but one in the cabinet they are only seen, if at all, from a distance - but the work is never wasted. Cheers Mike
  15. MikeA
    Whatever the spelling, this is absolutely sterling work! Very repetitive I'm sure, but also very exacting. She is going to be a very intimidating presence on the shelf. Cheers, Mike
  16. MikeA
    Think I'd be going for more than a beer. Great work! One of my few regrets is not having picked up this kit and the Lightning when they were being produced - did the Revell Hunter but not quite the same as this level of creativity. Cheers Mike
  17. MikeA
    I found a discussion on Britmodeller with some nice close up photos which answers my question: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235099861-macchi-202-fuselage-dimensions/. Sorry - I'm unable to copy the photos over. The fuselage panels are overlapped by the forward panels at the engine bay but are butt joined down the length of the fuselage. Shame as I was wondering if that would be a nice way of dealing to the Italeri wide panel lines. For all that, it certainly does look to be a nice kit and am looking forward to how it progresses, especially with your painting skills. Mike
  18. MikeA
    Well that is very nice work indeed! The shading really comes to life when the parts are put together. And a very attractive airframe to boot. Did the fuselage panels overlap on the Macchi? If so, that would be well worthwhile doing. Cheers, Mike
  19. MikeA
    Very sad news indeed. Way too young. I've been steadfastly resisting buying another one of his kits, but might be the time.
  20. MikeA
    That has certainly ended up really nice - captures that distinctive look well! I think it is because it is such a defined shape with curves in every direction that makes it so tricky, and grafted onto the nose makes it very obvious if not quite right. Well done! Cheers, Mike
  21. MikeA
    Does look a lot better the second time around. That upturned nose look is difficult to capture - I did a scratch conversion of the old Aeroclub 1/48 vacform some years ago and it took quite a few iterations. Possibly reduce the lower curve up to the nose a tad. The tip appears quite pointed from a side view and seems to result more from the lower section from the nose wheel forward being at a greater angle (as opposed to curved) than the comparatively flat upper nose, if that makes sense. Beautiful project and definitely an attractive version of an already pretty wee plane. Cheers, Mike
  22. MikeA
    Coming along very nicely - especially for what is a challenging kit! That seat bucket has a really great finish on it. Make sure you check the respective heights of the tail planes. I note from the photos that the empennage halves appear to be slightly different sizes, which is what I encountered. It gave all sorts of offsets which had to be sorted. Cheers
  23. MikeA
    Thanks for the feedback Peter. It is much appreciated. The car is such a beautiful shape that it really does stand out. The leather used is actually a fine lambskin. It will be good old Merino, as any Ethiopian sheep is not to be found in NZ outside of a farm park or zoo! Most of the photos were taken using a very harsh light which I needed to get an image of something that was all black. This shows the leather grain to be much coarser than it is. The leather is 0.5mm thick but is also stretched over the seat forms, although that stretching action in itself also accentuates the grain when looking at the photos. Was my first attempt at finishing upholstery like this. i did also try some very fine synthetic leather as well as some specialist leather for scale cars, but neither looked right. The only piece I used with that was around the base of the gear lever, as it was not possible to use anything there with a thickness of more than fine paper. But always room for improvement. I'll see how I go with the Citroen which awaits me. Cheers, Mike
  24. MikeA
    Cut out the entire panel and flip it around? I ended up doing that with a similar stuff up some time ago. Was easier than trying to re-create the bulge shape for me at least. Cheers, Mike
  25. MikeA
    That's come out beautifully! Love to see these PCM kits in their realised glory. I hadn't realised they had clear bomb fairings. Good luck with the Reggiane - one of my most challenging kit builds but it does make for a very impressive finished product. Cheers,
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