Javlin1

Howdy, folks. 

With the school summer holidays here, my workbench has seen some action and the Stirling is back!
 
I’ve busied myself finishing off the cockpit components - all that you see here, other than the radios which are spares from an HK Lancaster, have been stratch built and made from various bits of plastic card. Belts, however, came from Eduard:
 


With everything painted up, it was all installed in the flight deck:
 

 

 


There’s just a couple more very small bits to make and add, and then I can add the canopy… a job I’m not looking forward to, considering its very delicate nature!
 
Stay tuned…
Tom

With my SPITFIRE and PZL P11C about to hit the paint booth, i took a gamble and started a new build. 
My track record doesn't bode favorably for piling up projects, but then again, apparently l enjoy taking a calculated risk and boy am I bad at maths
 
But seriously, would you just LOOK at it!

 
Before I'd learned the history of this thing, if you'd told me it was Japan's secret contender for a 1930s air racer, you'd have had me fooled. To my eye, I see the (maybe fanciful) lineage of the HE-100, the KI61 and this.
I have the HE100 built (HERE), a KI61 in the stash and vowed to grab a KI78 if one ever came to be.
(Edit: a KI60 would be fun too!)
 
Enter LEM Kits.
Like most, i have watched LEM Kits releases over the years, their topics whilst being very appealing, have never been intriguing enough to get me to actually pull the trigger. 
That all changed when they announced the release of the KI-78. Ordered through Online Auction Site as soon as it was availiable, it arrived to my door in little over 2 weeks.
Colour me impressed!

 
 

 
Surface detail is present. 

 
It's fine, but surface finish is the least thing to stress about. 
 

 
The cockpit is a great place to start. References for this machine are, not surprisingly, few and far between. That's ok though, because with that racey little cockpit canopy, not a whole lot will be able to be seen. 
I started by gluing together as much as I could, to minimize gluing together painted assemblies.

 

 
 
 
Next time, we'll throw some imagineering into the mix and populate the cockpit. 
 
Cheers for now!
Denzil

Hey Guys,
 
I just finished adding multiple new lines of lab-grade paint/thinner storage bottles to Model Paint Solutions.
I've been wanting to expand our selection of bottles for a while.....:)
 
https://modelpaintsol.com/news/lab-grade-paint-storage-bottles
 
As with our previous bottles, all are resistant to lacquers and enamels, come with stainless mixing balls, a pouring funnel and instructions for applying gradations and preparing percent-volume dilutions.
 
Thanks!!
--John

Our online trading capabilities today are astonishing. We can buy in five or fifty markets from wherever we set up an appropriate device, BUT model shop premises are special.
 
In my my youth it was the staff, usually the proprietors, who made my local (Romford) model shops special, although with a couple of friends I did go west, right across London to a model shop in Wimbledon once of twice. That journey by trains and busses was a big deal. Model shop staff knew so much, they shared their knowledge generously, they guided, they welcomed us and they inspired us with displayed built kits put together and painted with greater skill than we had. My friends and I were small fry - we bought 1:700 warships, 1:72 aircraft, 1:32 cars, OO freight wagons and buildings and a few control-line Keilcraft or Mercury balsa kits with their essential accessories - not the SOTA R/C slope soarers, R/C power boats, multi channel R/C powered aircraft, beautiful Billings wooden ship kits, or R/C model racing yachts. We spent shillings not tens of pounds.
 
Wingnut Wings developed from the owner's link with staff from his bricks and mortar model shop. Kotare has much more of Wingnut Wings legacy than either Border or Meng. Kotare's magic comes from the people, of course.
 
Is that rare, or are there other AM or kit creators in our scale of this hobby who have such links with bricks and mortar model shops?

I had seen on the Book of Face that a new model shop had opened in Rugby - 10 miles away from Châteaux Shoggz -  so at the weekend I took a trip over.
 
I ended up spending over an hour in there - basically just chewing the fat with the owner - Timothy! (I did eventually buy some AK Marker pens and a new hobby-knife!)
 
It was such a joy to peruse an actual bricks and mortar outlet - much as I've embraced the online world of model-making. 
 
So, anyone in the Rugby area (probably just me!) give it a visit.
 

 

Nice!!!

Nice!!!

The usual impeccable service from Jadlam.. I got excited for a second thinking it was a 'normal' box, but alas I was mistaken - it's still a flap and flop version - just slighty more robust than usual.
 

 

I decided to go ahead and shoot the prop, such as it is, so after spritzing it with some Duplicolor black primer, I then shot it with some Gunze bronze lacquer (copper and red mix). Once I've added a slight patina to it, it should look OK buried behind the stator, or at least that's the plan. (Photo shows some bits of crud in the paint, so I'll wet sand those areas and touch-up.)
 

Texture paint arrived today so I have now spritzed the base with it. 
 

 
 

Lots and lots of seam sanding with this one, as hull fit is far from stellar. I'm making excellent progress though, and should easily be ready for primer by this weekend. 
 

 
 
 
 

A few years ago I started building the ZM He-219 kit without having a build log. I had already completed several ZM kits so went into it with high confidence. Yes, I had read about the flash and fit issues, but the engines and cockpit built up nicely. Then I rushed assembly of the fuselage and ended up having panels that were not lining up to the point that I was not happy. I ended up selling the started kit. I realize in retrospect that it is such an appealing subject aircraft that I rushed to see it come together. Here's the only photo I have from that build:
 
 
Fast forward several years and I'm ready to revisit it. I have the kit, the matching Quinta set, the AML Models He-219 074 or A2 conversion set, the 1ManArmy masks for the Revell kit (including A2 markings), and Montex expanded mask set for the Revell kit (probably redundant with the 1ManArmy set), ResKit wheels, and a set of G-Factor landing gear.
 
Here's the scheme I'm planning to create:
 
 
 
And here's where I'm at so far:
 
 
As before the engines and cockpit assembled without drama, just with some test filling and occasional flash removal. Here are some more detail photos:
 
Engines:
 
 
And cockpit:
 
 
 
 
 
My plan at this point is to leave the outer skin of the airframe unattached at least until the front and rear fuselage sections are ready to come together. And since the largest outer fuselage panels go over molded detail I am planning to drill holes in places to allow me better control over getting those panels to fit flush. I'm hoping to complete this kit at last!
 
Cheers,  Tom

I noticed recently that one of the undercarriage struts on my Hawker Fury II (AlleyCat model) had come loose, so I took it to be fixed.....easily done.  Picked the model up to return it to the display cabinet and........
>
>
>
>
>
>
......dropped it!  Absolutely mortified, I picked up all the bits, put them in a box and hid them away in a deep dark place...a bit like my mind really!   Only now, several weeks later, I have I felt composed and "strong" enough to examine the damage to see what can be done:
 

 
A lot of clean up, complete re-rig and re-drilling of rigging locations, and most awkwardly a "re-skin" somehow of the shiny cowling, could be a complete strip back.  
 
Anyhow, I thought the trials and tribulations that no doubt lay ahead might be worth a build thread......bear with me fellas! 

The last project on Cripes a Mighty would be the bomb racks.  These (the real thing, on Lope's Hope):
 

 
Surprisingly, effective on -B/C models, the bomb rack is made of some kind of internal re-inforced molded plastic.  Earlier versions were magnesium (on -A models, A-36, etc - I think).  The two configurations vary a bit but not much.  Anyway, the drawing says the rack is to be gray, to match the underside of the wing with the standard gray and OD paint job that these aircraft were delivered with, up until they began to arrive with un-painted aluminum.  As discussed already, -D models introduced an entirely different rack.  
 
Also previously discussed was sway brace bolts, and whether or not they included the large round pads.  Mine would have the round pads:
 

 
I designed the holes in the pads to have a lip at the opening with a tiny bit of interference fit for the bolt ends.  And the bolt ends had a bit of a bulge at their ends to snap into place in these holes.  The bolts:
 

 
See the bulged ends?  Put together (carefully) and I got this:
 

 
Snap!  Yes they actually swivel.  I was amazed - true micro-engineering.  There they are next to my 3D printed and gray painted bomb rack.  For the umpteenth time, I thank Airscale for the decals.  My intent here was to be able to mount 75 gallon tanks and have the pads swivel into place with little to no gap betwen pad and tank.  It worked, but read on.
 
A finished bomb rack with sway brace bolts:
 
 
 
 
And here are the 3D printed tanks:
 

 
I had to do some educated guess work as to the shape and size of the tanks.  Both my racks and my tanks are designed at the attach points for removal and re-attach.  It works somewhat but not great.  In real life the tanks were identical, but I have a LH and a RH tank.  That is because the little fittings where fuel lines connect are oriented differently LH to RH.  These tanks are not ready for prime time, and will receive decals one day.  But for now, I have decided NOT to use them.  I never intended drop tanks to be installed permanently on Cripes - they hide too much of the landing gear and I do not want them hidden.  They would instead be removable.  But I have found that what I have here is an amazingly large, unwieldy, and fragile P-51 model.  Every corner of it has something that breaks off all too easily.   And installing or removing those tanks, along with their plumbing, would be a labor intensive and delicate task, subjecting Cripes to part breakage every time I mess with it.  MOF - turning the model upside down to install the racks resulted in this:
 
   
 
The external rear-view mirror broke off, after being on the aircraft for what - a week?  Well, that was merely an opportunity to tweak the mirror design a bit - a touch shorter, with slightly wider base pads - print it up with some spares, and re-bond it to the windshield.  No prob.  But - the wing tips are uber-fragile, and the fix is much much more complicated.  Here one is, BTW, finally freed from its protective padding and tape:
 

 
Just look at how delicate that tip is.  It just had to be a frequent maintenance item during the war.  I am proud of it and I do not intend for it ever to be subjected to potential for breakage.  
 
Other parts are very fragile.  The pitot mast for example, that part very close to the bomb rack.  The gear doors - they cannot be bumped or the links will break.  That would break my heart.  The movable tail feathers - also fragile.  So I will keep the tanks around, but I will not install them at this time, perhaps never.  Here is Cripes with its newly installed bomb racks:
 

 

 
Pan back and you see here the final WIP picture of Cripes, with her racks and new mirror, before I put together the RFI post:
 

 
Oh one more thing - Antonio made up a model of pilot George Preddy,and gave me the file.  After some back and forth about George's height (he was a fairly small person I understand), I scaled him to be about 5 foot 6 inch and printed him up.  And here he is:
 

 
Dam Antonio - you are one talented dude.  I will paint him one day, but not today.
 
OK RFI post upcoming.  Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this 2-year adventure.  So appreciated.
 
 
 

Moving toward the finish line. All the suspension is in place. Little things like antennas, ANO, etc. are in place.  There's a problem with the bottom of the flaps. They can not become in place, interfere with the tanks, so that their angle of installation had to change somewhat. The lantern left for last. And there is something to work with. The idea to make it open immediately failed, it is already fuselage on a little more than 1mm. It will be in the open position. In the kit Iris missing imitation fabric upholstery (most likely it is Kevlar undercoating) on the inner parts of the lantern.  Made it out of epoxy two part putty. Found a suitable textured surface. The photo shows the process. The only condition is to oil the surface that would be able to remove the parts. Removed when the resin has already slightly cured. Looked at the photos of modification E and did not come to a clear opinion in what color I paint inside the lantern. There are two options, gray or almost black. On earlier modifications seems to be light gray. Maybe someone can clarify this issue in more detail, I will be grateful. It remains to imitate the locks, mirrors and instrument section.

Looks convincing enough from this perspective.

Some more work done on 1/32 Hasegawa P-47 gear bay. I added in some chipping and some discoloration. I don’t know how accurate this is exactly as I could not find any pictures of gear bays of a P-47 in a combat zone.
 
 
 
 

Just a small update, I was able to paint the gearbays. 

First the base color, then post-shading using ammo shader ash black, then the base color lightened with white and sprayed between the post shading, and followed by a thin wash. 
 
 

Got the fuselage assembled and sanded. After sanding I was able to repair the damaged rivet details.
 
 

Picked this up at my local IPMS meeting and couldn't resist starting on it immediately. I have painted it using Zenith Highlights and contrast (if you are curious about the technique you can see it in the video below). It is not the most "realistic" method but it is very visually captivating. 
 
 

I thought I give a small update to the build things are moving fairly well.
 
This area was the first area I wanted to complete loading in the twin 3.7cm with water breaks and  ammunition boxes completed both sides.I also added the boat and reela for the davits.

 
This was the building and adding of the other torpedo tubes adding the binoculars not included from my 3D printed materials.The crane up front down low was scratched built was not shown at all how the crane was controlled.What you see to right cut-off was is the torpedo loader will get a better pick later.
 

 
This is the forward lookout station the area of the ship I did not catch in time actually the layout for the Gneisenau the Scharnhorst was minus many partitions/walls present and way more open.The ladders you see all about the ship scaling vertical walls were all hand done by me scraping off the molded and with a 1/350 template added they measures out to 18" across.
 

 
I have added the chains for the stern of the ship still need to add the wheel to the top of the box over the chain.The steps on the hull come from the PE for the 1/350 scale Japanese which memory serves me right was 24" in that scale maybe bigger. 

 
Just a look at some more 3.7cm's this area I was looking at to rail this evening for the next week or two coming up when that happen some rigging is coming into play also work from the inside out.

 
Just the main SS lot'sa work went into this area lots I would have to dig up pics from 1 1/2 years ago the cranes need there own rigging.

 
I think some of the best areas of the ship color wise.The anchors were much improved over the Trumpter look adding the round bar that locked the drawback then adding the the supporting chains that are actually anchored to the deck with some small thin wire like the pics depict not 100% but good enough to pass muster.

 
Well that's all for a week or so fellas the pics are better than my movie camera action.
 
 

Hi all,
First build here for over a decade and I'm not the most proficient modeller but here goes.
 
You all know this one I'm sure 
 
And here's where I am with the kit and using the Eduard Löök set.
Kit detail is soft but usable. Everything brush painted with Humbrol acrylic after base coat of rattle can silver.


Been working on the fuselage to wing joint, there's quite a large step that I've traced to the undercarriage bay and wing tab thickness 
 


Finally, some subassemblies 

 
That's it for now. Helpful tips and comments appreciated!

the other interesting thing is you used a satin coat. Usually this is perfect for a wash like you were doing. Gloss coats won't allow much at all to stick. My guess would be the satin coat wasn't completely dry OR there was an interaction between the clear coat and the wash. I lean toward #1 without any other insight other than my own experience with this kind of issue.

Practicing the foiling work ahead. This is not final. I do feel it’s going to work
 

 
 
 

I redid the wings and tail and dry fit them. It’s such a sculpture!   
 
probably at 20 hours now