Trak-Tor

Greetings friends and colleagues. The moment has come when my new project finds its name and close to the final appearance. Meet the first photos of more "Hot" castings . Lemkits 1:32 Horten Ho-X "Project-X" - Limited edition resin kit. I discovered a lot and learned a lot , an extraordinary object.

Howdy folks,
 
I've just published this week's What's New update.
 
Enjoy!
 
Kev

I’ve traditionally not published an ‘RFI’ for my completed projects, as well, quite frankly, I’ve not thought them worthy to be sat alongside some of the amazing work that gets published here.
 
I’m not actually sure this one is either, but I do think it is a stepped improvement from my previous work and also because I’ve employed some ‘non-standard’ techniques to achieve the results I have!
 
What sets this apart is my use of Humbrol’s Metal Cote for the NMF. I used it on a whim, as I’ve never had much luck with all the ‘traditional’ metallic products.
 
And I’m really quite pleased with how it turned out!
 
I hope you agree with me. 
 
 
 

Years ago, I was on a road trip with some buddies of mine when we got stuck in an hours-long traffic jam in Chicago.  We crept forward, inch by inch, baking in the hot July sun.  Inevitably, we started bitching and complaining when one guy, the driver, piped up and said something that stuck with me all these years later.  "Hey, as long as we're moving, we're making progress."
 
And so it is.
 
We are moving and, thus, are making progress.  Though, I'll admit, we're not exactly headed the direction I was thinking we were.  I guess I should know better than to say things like "I'm just about done with the figures!" (to paraphrase)
 
As I started to get serious about placing the figures, I realized that I'd originally placed the pilot too far aft when roughing him in.  I think the general consensus here is that these photos were taken just after Lt. Ray returned from a flight, not as he's boarding up to leave.  He taxied up, popped off his chute harness, and - probably to the benefit of the camera men - clambered down left side of the aircraft.  
 
You can see his right foot is almost directly behind the forward canopy and his left hand is on the weirdly-painted patch on the fuselage.

 
While my resin figure isn't bent over at quite the angle Lt. Ray was, it still actually fits pretty closely in the more correct position...

... all except for the hands.  The hands will make or break a figure, in my opinion.  So, off they go.  I chopped them off with a fine razor saw and recessed the area inside the cuff with a rotary tool.  This will hopefully allow me to sculpt fairly realistic hands that appear to be coming out of a sleeve, rather than butting up against it.

 
I drilled out a small hole and added some wire.  I'll use this to rough in the angle I need for proper hand placement, then as a base for the putty to grab on to.  I've never tried to sculpt hands before so this could get really interesting.  I'll work on that slowly over the course of the week.  I'm back to work now (boo), so modeling time is catch-as-catch-can.

 
I also got annoyed with the fact that the angle of the feet on the crew chief wouldn't allow for him to stand upright on the wing roughly where the chief was in the photo.  Given the angle of the wing while on the ground, the figure kept falling over and to place him such that he stayed put required me to put him in weird places.  Sure, in the end, I could probably have super glued him to the wing and wiped my hands of it, but he would have likely had a perpetual Michael Jackson-esque forward lean to him and that would have looked bad.
 
So, out came the trusty sword of exact zero and off went the feet.  Same deal here, holes, wire, proper angles aaaand...

 
Ta-da!  He stays nicely in place on his own two feet (no super glue required) and he's more or less where the crew chief was in the reference photo. 

 
What I haven't mentioned yet is that I burned an entire new year's eve day (and a blade on my cutter) building a couple palm trees and prepping the base.  Here's a teaser shot of the work in progress.  I've got more work to do on the pictured tree and whole second tree in the works too.  

 
That's it for now, but stay tuned for all the fun and excitement of the adventures to come.  Join us as we explore:
Irrevocable f-ups in hand sculpting! "Did the Marines really accept pilots with 11 fingers?" Figure painting from your nightmares! "His eye appears to be running down his cheek. " Palm trees that apparently can't support their own weight! "It fell on the plane again." And more!
 

Thanks, Thierry.  It looks like the most of the Airfix and Verlinden stuff is out of production.  Not rare necessarily, but catch-as-catch-can on ebay and the sorts.  Thank you to you and @mc65 for the lead.  Regarding the academic figure and posable mannequins, in David Parker's book "Crew School," which is all about sculpting figures in our scales, he has exactly the thing I'm looking for. (Great book, by the way.  Highly recommend.)  However, it's a custom creation of his and I believe is/was 3D printed.  I haven't pulled the trigger on a 3D printer yet (yet another skill for my brain to try to build and keep sharp), but stuff like this pushes me ever closer.  Ugh.  I can't find any references on Preiser's site regarding the multipose figures (google is coming up short too).  Do you have any links?
 
Anyway, today was a productive day at the bench, and I'm more or less done with the sculpting, I think.
 
First, an unexpected detour back to the pilot as I decided to address what, to my eyes, was the most glaring inaccuracy... his boots.  As mentioned above, the figure was intended for the ETO and would be considered a bit overdressed for the PTO.  So, I started by shaving off most of the lower legs.

 
This was to allow room to sculpt straight pant legs over the remaining material.  Without removing that material, I suspect he would've looked like a man who never skipped leg day.


 
The general process for me is pretty straight forward.  Wet down some Green Stuff and roll it fairly flat, then stick in position.
\
 
Then, using silicone brushes, spatulas, toothpicks, and just about anything else, start shaping folds and creases into the material.



 
Lastly, I use a sharpened toothpick to add a gap between the cuff and the figure.  I had to pop the figure off the wine cork that I'd attached it to for painting and a bit got left over.  So, that's not in-scale dog poo on his foot. 



There will be a little bit of filling and sanding required at the meeting of the putty and the figure, but I think it'll turn out well.  In the end, I'm pretty pleased with these results.  The rest of the inaccuracies of this figure will have to be addressed via squinting. 


 
And I finished up the crew chief as well.  I added pockets to the front of his jacket, as in the source material, he's got something big and heavy in his right front pocket. I also added collar and the patch for his rank insignia.  It's out of scale, sure, but I feel it gives it some visual interest.  Once these cure overnight, I'll prime them and clean up any rough spots, then get them with a coat of paint.



I cleaned up the collar near the neck well a bit after this shot, so it's a lot cleaner now.  
 
 

Thank you!  I'm glad to know it wasn't operator error.
 
Anyway, good progress today.  
 
After sifting through my spares bins, these were the two best candidates for the lower half of the crew chief.  The left is the standing pilot figure from this Corsair kit.  The right is a 1/35 scale Wehrmacht Nashorn gunner figure also from Tamiya.  Curiously, they're identical in dimensions despite the difference in scale.  In the end, I opted for the standing pilot figure and began scraping off details that I wouldn't need.

 
This is after getting the torso down to almost nothing and adding the wires for the arms.  Front:

 
Back:

 
Here is the basic jacket sculpted with Green Stuff.  The hands are from a 1/35 set of heads and hands from Hornet.  Again, despite the "smaller" scale, they look a little large, but I'm hoping that will become less obvious after the arms are fully sculpted.  I'll also be adding some pockets and such to the jacket once the base material cures.

 
The back is okay.  After this photo, I went back and did a little more detailing, so it looks a little better.  I'll bend the arms into the proper position before adding the sleeves and such.

 
I also filled the gaps in the pilot figure, including the gaps between the parachute and the figure itself.  I suspect I'll have some cleanup to do once I can get some primer down, but so far, I'm happy with the results.



 
While waiting for the epoxy putty to cure, I decided to build the Anyz Models canopy rail.

 

 
Unfortunately, I hacked off the mounting brackets for the mirrors while I was removing the frame from the 3D printing supports, so I had to fabricate absolutely tiny new ones from wire.  Not perfect, but if they all hold together until final assembly, I'll be very happy.  Lastly, I took the time to mask all the clear parts as well, so I'm getting close.
 
I hope to finish up the figure sculpting tomorrow, then start the final prep for painting on those.  After that, I'll start focusing on the groundwork.  
 
 

Hi, all.  Back with an update after making good progress today.  
 
First, our gallant protagonist has been roughed in.  Surprisingly, the Black Dog resin figure fit the scene pretty well.  I will only have to do some minor shaping and filling behind the left shoulder to clean him up.  I'll need to fix his fingers as they broke when I tried to straighten them a bit, but that shouldn't be too big of a problem.


 
I'm going to have to deviate from the source photo just a bit here as the parachute is going to cause a bit of an issue.  In the reference photo, I believe Lt. Ray had his parachute pack on the seat pan with the straps splayed out the cockpit and down the side of the fuselage.  On the figure set, the parachute pack (not attached) is integral to the figure and all the associate straps and harnesses are already molded onto the figure.  I don't think I've got it in me to remove all the molded detail then sculpt in other detail that would inevitably be needed after such a task.  So, in our version of history, Lt. Ray will be entering the a/c with his pack on his rear.  Artistic license, etc, etc, etc.


 
When I got to looking at the second figure - the one that I need to sculpt from the waist up - I realized he was standing on the section of wing outboard of the fold line.  So, I needed to build the wings.  After that, I was so close to being done, I decided to finish it up.  So, aside from some clear bits, antennae, a pitot tube, and the Anyz Model canopy rail, the build is more or less done.  All the gear stuff is dry fit, including the doors.  Same for the prop.  



 
As others have said, this is a wonderful kit.  The engineering on it is just superb and it really went together well.  The only fit issues I have are near the top of the cowling, so, I'll need to do a little filling there.  But, outside of that, it was a good clean build and I'm glad I've got another in the stash.    That's not to say I missed any opportunities to shoot myself in the foot... I forgot to add the little clear windows on the leading edges for the gun cams and such.  I didn't realize it until I'd almost closed up the small panels on the top of the wing above them.  Fortunately, by reaching into the small panel on the top of the wing, I was able to finagle the two clear pieces in place without too much trouble.  Story of my life.
 
Anyhoo, I hope to make some progress on the figures and the base now.  The build work will be halted until those have been addressed.  Again, I don't want to paint and finish the airplane, as I just know I will run out of steam if I save the figures for last.
 
 

posted in their 2024 catalogue
 
https://www.italeri.com/en/article/830
preview catalogue download link 
https://www.italeri.com/uploads/news/0hFsarN8VqpofmHNCQiD0phaHkvlSZQY30JTdrFK.pdf

 

 

I have much to show.  Progress seems slow, but actually it is not.  
 
In order to continue with fuselage construction including a good cockpit, and in order to assure this model P-51 is going to look straight, with wings accurately attached, I know I must create a major assembly fixture for the forward fuselage (forward means between the firewall and the tail section).  My forward fuselage will be in two pieces - one from the firewall back to station 200 (this is where the fuselage tank ends), and one from station 200 to the beginning of the tail section at station 248.  The main reason for this is the size limitations of my 3D printer.  The short aft portion (sta 200 - 248) will not need an assembly fixture; I will 3D print practically the whole thing, like I did the engine cowl.  
 
Actual P-51 fuselages were manufactured in much the same way, or any fuselage for that matter.  Here is a photo of some major assembly tooling for the Lope's Hope forward fuselage at AirCorps Aviation:
 

 
Peter Castle gave me a whole lot of pictures including this - thanks Airscale!  Note there is a heavy frame and plate for the firewall interface, and way in the back a similar frame and plate for the station 248 interface.  Also note the longerons and some of the fuselage frames are in place.  And there are posts coming up from the floor to support the lower longerons.  My fixture must have the same stuff.
 
The upper and lower longerons are the major structural elements of the fuselage. plain and simple.  Everything starts there.  That will also be the case on my 1/18 model.  So first thing for me to do was to design, in Rhino, the longerons.  In real life they are H-section heavy extrusions, machined to be lighter the further aft you go.  And they have tension fittings on either end.  I would attempt to duplicate all that where the longerons are visible.  Many many things attach to the longerons, so it was a long drawn out project with much research into the configuration - fuselage frame locators, simulated cockpit floor brackets, all manner of other location tabs or flanges for other stuff (like the engine control quadrant, the flap actuator torque tube mounts, landing gear uplock fittings, windshield frame tabs.....) - endless it seemed.  And I probably missed some stuff.  But here are completed longeron details in Rhino:
 

 
3D printed:
 

 

 
See that little nested white block on the top longeron?  I fractured that one and repaired it with CA'd plastic.      The real forward fuselage longerons are longer - they go from the firewall to the manufacturing splice at station 248.  Mine will end at station 200 as I already mentioned.  As they are, they barely fit into my 3D printer.  Glad mine is as large as it is; many are smaller. 
 
In order to produce those longerons, I had to model many of the parts that interface with them, so the locator features could be included.  Here are some of those parts in Rhino:
 
 
 
Took quite a while.  You have already seen the windshield parts.  I will remind everybody that before any of this modeling could be done, I first had to generate exterior surfaces using ordinate data from the original drawings - something I have been toiling at for months now.  That's where it all starts.
 
Now for that major assembly fixture.  It must have the following features:
 
1.  A firewall plate with four longeron locators (two upper, two lower).
2.  A station 200 frame plate also with four longeron locators.
3.  A center platform that controls the four points where the wing attaches to the longerons. 
4.  Two intermediate supports/locators for the longerons (they are long and flexy and need those additional supports).
5.  A flat floor plate to assure no warping or bending, with attach holes.  The attach holes for the firewall plate and the station 200 plate must be slotted to allow fore/aft movement such that fuselage side assemblies can be extracted and re-inserted into the fixture during build-up.
6.  A centerline slot in the floor and matching flanges on the tools to assure good alignment.
 
And it must be very dimensionally accurate if I expect the model to fit together - for the already completed engine cowl to properly attach, the aft fuselage to attach, the wing to attach, and the radiator intake/exhaust area to attach (you have seen some of these parts as well).  I cannot rely on pre-molded parts like in an actual kit to fit everything together, and felt I could not make equivalent parts.  So I will build up this part of the fuselage like they did the actual airframe.  And hoping I get great accuracy with 3D printed fixture parts.
 
Here is the forward fuselage major assembly fixture in Rhino:
 
     
 
It consists of two end plates and frames, two center support bases, two intermediate detachable support plates, and a stiff mounting floor. 
 
The canted firewall plate and frame (note the four longeron locator posts and skin panel flanges): 
 

 
The station 200 plate and frame (also note the longeron points and flanges for skin panels):
 

 
And 3D printed.....
 
Half the fixture parts fresh out of the resin vat still dripping resin:
 

 
Cleaned, cured, painted.  Note the flanges on the undersides that will fit into a full-length slot on the floor: 
 

 
The center pieces mounted to the floor (no end plates yet):
 

 
The floor is made of .08 thick plastic sheet, and will itself mount onto long .25 x .75 inch evergreen plastic bars (due in the mail any day now).  That should give me a robust flat floor that doesn't flex.  Right now it's a bit flexy.  As noted in the picture, this fixture has locating posts for the wing, located with great accuracy.  Critically important.  There are holes in the lower longerons that match up to those pins.  
 
All the fixture parts in their glory, bolted onto the yet-to-be completed floor:
 

 
And viola - with the longerons!!
 

 
All appears to be in order, and I believe I have the accuracy I need to build up a proper forward fuselage.  Now I can begin fabricating individual frames and other elements and attaching to the longerons using the integral designed-in locating features.  Next post you should see some of that.
 
And a sneak preview of how this jig will work for me:
 

 
A very pumped modeler here.  Hoping I can make my dreams come true with this approach.  Some of you may suspect this is a bit overkill.  I think not.  This assembly method is going to allow me to do alot of very cool things.  You will see.  Stay tuned, and keep warm all you folks in the Northern hemisphere!
 
 
 
 
 
 

I've recently discovered this forum which is a coincidence as I have recently started building large scale aircraft. I typically build aircraft in 1/48 and 1/72 scale. I took the plunge September last year and had a crack. I wanted to do a subject that is my favourite aircraft from WW2 and not too huge. This was also reasonably priced (compared to other 1/32 kits at least).
The kit went together okay. There were definitely seamlines around the engines, the fuselage and underneath, but noting a bit of filler and some sanding won't fix. I also found the eduard cockpit photoetch which seems to be hard to find but it makes a huge difference. The kit does come with some photoetch for the seatbelts which I used and it also comes with a bit of film for the instruments with a clear plastic piece to fit over the top but I wasn't happy with the detail on that so went with the photoetch.
The camouflage was a lot of research and trial and error. I eventually settled on:
SMS PL189 - Lightblau (RLM76) for underneath
SMS PL77 - Forest Green (FS34079) for the lighter green
Tamiya XF-27 - Black Green for the darker green.

Overall I'm happy with the way it turned out and I'm definitely a fan of 1/32 scale for WW2 aircraft, but its the start of the learning curve so hopefully I get better as I build more. I'll post a few of my other works here for interest.









 
cheers
 
BT

This is my 4th 1/32 WW2 fighter build which I just finished this week. The Zoukei-Mura kit has been designed to be built with a complete interior in the fuselage, wings and engines so its not like a typical fuselage that comes in two halves. Rather its a series of panels that are laid over the frame and so comes with its own challenges in trying to line everything up. This kit is not for the feint hearted and needs plenty of patience. I had to use a bit of filler where the engine cowling didn't line up and had some considerable gaps and mismatches. So its not what I call a great kit and my finish has heaps of flaws, but I was happy to just finish it.
I used AK Extreme metal paints with a combination of Steel and Stainless Steel. Interiors were painted with Tamiya XF-4 Yellow Green as an approximate of chromate yellow.




 
 
That's it for a while. I won't post my other 1/32 fighter. Its a Spitfire and I'm pretty sure everyone has seen enough Spitfires..:)
 
cheers
BT

It's not my best effort, but I call it finished.Some Eduard PE was used, declas are all homemade. Added a few bits of tubing in the cockpit. It looks nice with this different scheme.
 
Cheers!
 




 

Hello everyone.
Thank you for your warm welcome.
Denis (Furie), a friend from another forum, pointed me to your magnificent forum.
I'll be 64 on 16 February, I've been building models since I was 12 and I live in France between Paris and Château-Thierry.
It gives me great pleasure to join you and to be able to share our knowledge.
Of course I've looked at most of your creations; they're all superb!
For my part, I only make 1/32 scale WWII models.
All my models are painted only with Enamel and only with a brush.
I have 28 models in my display case and if you're interested I can post some photos of them.
My last model, which was completed at the end of 2022, was a Bloch MB152 C1 from Azur, completely overhauled after almost 1 year's work!
Many thanks again for your warm welcome.
I wish you all the best for 2024 and look forward to working with you again soon.
Best regards
Gilles
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
 
My display case before insert in the Bloch MB152 :
 

 
 

 

Whilst I've had a bit of a break from my bench lately, my wallet hasn't been so fortunate. 
 
Despite USPS' best efforts, these beauties turned up for Christmas
 
 
 

And I received the great 1:32 Aviattic Fokker Dr.I decals as well. Thanks a bunch, Vince, they're really quite nice.

Hi Raphael,
 
I still do not have that specific one but normally all books in that series have quite good plans (I have close to 25 of them):
 
https://www.amazon.fr/Lockheed-Constellation-Illustrated-Lou-Drendel/dp/B09XZ8J5ZT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2VDRYXMD8ZYST&keywords=lou+drendel+constellation&qid=1705256601&sprefix=lou+drendel+constellation+%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-1
 
HTH
 
Thierry 
 
PS: they are also sold (cheaper) as ebooks 

My two raffle prizes arrived this week. I would have posted something sooner but I have been knocked for six by a viral infection that has done the rounds at work.
 
Thanks to @Phantom2 for the Montex P-47D mask set!  Serendipity was smiling at me as I had picked up a Jug on eBay back in November and the mask set will make a great addition.
 

 
Thanks to @coogrfan for the Kōtare Spitfire Mk Ia (mid) and for keeping me updated! 
 

 
I think I will go back to bed now 
 
All the best!
 
Jeremy

Hello everyone, one of my last projects done this year.
 Some extras for this assembly, resin wheels, a Yahu board, fabric harnesses and stencils for the National emblems.
 I did some riveting and added some wire and tubing.
 

 
See you soon

This showed up a couple days ago.  Dan 
 

The package has arrived today:

 
Very nice!
Now I need a model to put it on.
Thanks a lot, Phantom2/Stefan!

 
Juraj

Few bits and bobs over Christmas from myself and others
 

 
F4F book, & TIE Fighter courtesy of SWMBO, Avro Lancaster (Pt II), Bomber Command, & The Last Dambuster, courtesy of my Father-In-Law. The Bomber Command, and Dambuster books were actually charity shop finds, and he thought that I may find them interesting... He may be right on that point! The Tamiya F-35A is via my own wallet and Antics in Plymouth at a shade over £70, reduced from the usual retail price of about £90. The other bits & bobs were from the Mother-in-laws craft room as SWMBO and her sister decided to have a clear out whilst we were having our Christmas/New Year break with family. I decided to snaffle them instead of them being disposed of via the charity shop... The paint pens should really come in useful.

The package has arrived today:

 
Very nice!
Now I need a model to put it on.
Thanks a lot, Phantom2/Stefan!

 
Juraj

Here is my latest build - a conversion of Eduard's Bf-109 E1 with Alley Cat upgrade kit for D1 version.I added my own 3D models of the tires and rear wheel.I adjusted the length of the landing gear legs according to the dimensions of the Hasegawa Bf-109G legs.
Colors used:Model Master, Tamiya and Vallejo Model Color
Final warnish: Tamiya semigloss Acrylic
Marking and stencils: custom masks/kit...
Enjoy  
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Due to an unanticipated move, this is the only build started and finished in 2023 for me. But it was a lot of fun. The Tamiya kit is magnificent. I added HGW harnesses and wet transfers, barracudacast resin wheels, and a little magic with a small DC motor. Paints are Mission Models primarily.  This is just after takeoff from the crushed coral runway at Henderson Field. 
 



 

 

 

 

 
 

I have been planning a different build for a while.  Could be 2024 in parallel with the Marder IIIh  Looks amazing in the box.