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mc65

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Everything posted by mc65

  1. S**t happens! being a rather normal issue, in my buildings, i use to reply the antenna supports (and pitot, and every bit smaller than my thumb) with metallic (brass, usually) replicas.
  2. Love it, despite I'm not a modern jets' fan.
  3. Mmmmh... something strange with the mags dimensions, I guess? if an inch is 25,4mm 25,4:16=1,58mm. I purchase them from a german e-shop, and 1,5 is a common size, in the little range. The 1,5 diameter x 0,5 high develops an acctrative force of about 33gr. So a couple of them will be more than enough to support a drop tank (well, at least til it's empty).
  4. oh, how long! sorry for the absence, I haven't had much free time in the last two weeks. let's see what I've done lately... little stuff: I've added the white and blue straps that connect the ejection seats to the crew's limbs, so as to automatically recall them to the body in case of ejection. having done this, I definitively positioned the autarkic canvas screens that keep the navigator displays in the shade. starboard side and port side then, since I'm a genius at self-harm, I decided that I wasn't convinced by the pin I had inserted at the base of the canopy to keep it in place (I remimd you that Italeri didn't think of anything for this eventuality, except a strut ugly and out of scale, imho). so I cross my fingers, uncrossed them, and took the drill. on the apex of the fuselage you can see the hole previously foreseen for the pin. I then glued three magnets of 150gr of attraction force. in this photo you can see, on the bulkhead behind the headrest, also the right air vent redone with tin and copper, as the resin arrived damaged at that point. in the previous photo you can see better the left, original of the Aires set. in the canopy's corresponding points, after making housing using the considerable thickness of the transparent, I placed two 33gr magnets on the sides and one 110gr in place of the pin seat. While I was there, I completed the interior with the air ducts and relative vents which in reality match those on the bulkhead behind the navigator headrest. you can see (out of focus) the handles added during the locust operation, afterwards added on all the Italian Tornados. to determine wich was the optimal angle to position the canopy, and consequently the magnets, I made a slightly longer (and to scale) brass tube strut than the one supplied in the kit. normally on a pre-flown aircraft this strut was removed, together with most of the external covers/RBF flags. also, as you can imagine, the navigator must be a kind of eel to access his own place. marked the correct height and position, I glued (in two sessions) the apical magnets, the ones that govern the angle of the open roof, in two-components. using the already known kitchen foil technique: inserting a piece of film between the two magnets avoids the possibility that the epoxy ends up between the two, permanently gluing the canopy in position. et voila. now even without the strut it remains opened, with the advantage of having tje option to may remove it for better access to the cockpit, but above all making the joint shock-proof: the pin, although solid, was too rigid, and was anchored to the roof on too small a surface to keep me calm. along the way I added some weathering with pastels, in this photo you can see the marks left on the front fuselage by the ladder and boots, or at least this was the intention. and finally I placed it definitively on its base, it is finally safe from my clumsy hands in the various movements. now I can install the last more fragile details such as pitot on the radome, fuel probe, and retouch different color points, as well as giving the transparent glossy and matt according to the points. cheers, Paolo
  5. your works are ultimate, it's really difficult to imagine to do better or at least at same level. in that sense are a little bit frustrating, but either they're terrific and inspirational!
  6. Just my two cents: i like to use fine solder wire, it's available in any diameter, and it's possible also to buy it as a plusmodel's product.
  7. thank you, pals! very small advances on the base, each step required adequate glue and color drying time, but slowly I am getting closer to the end of this tribulation. decided the final arrangement of the parts, and traced the orientation of the "tiles", made with sheets of sandpaper. from the available photos I understand very little about the surface of the Al Dahfra parking area, except that they were filthy and that the yellow line was scarcely visible. I did it anyway, after making the expansion joints with a mixture of PVA glue and black acrylic. and then I devoted myself to the rubbish, trying to make sense of it and not to overdo it so as not to steal the scene from the plane... I don't think I'll insist any further. soon general weathering of the upper surfaces, for which I am still doing tests elsewhere, and definitive basing. cheers, Paolo.
  8. sometimes they come back... I don't believe it either, but I can finally declare FINISHED this model on which I sweated so much but which also amused me so much. not to contradict itself, given that I bought the 1978 kit in 2003 and put it on the workbench in 2021, the decals had to wait for that further year. the friend who had taken charge of it has gone through and is going through a series of vicissitudes that I wouldn't wish on anyone, so I resolved to do the simplest thing (I thought): contact professionals. I won't name names, it seems inelegant to me, but the first attempt, made with a company with a name that should give guarantees and with a friendly and helpful owner, took over 4 months and countless emails and phone calls to get me a well printed, but on a thick backing such as a quilt. and yes, while I was at it I optimized preparing the groundwork for three further projects to come. thick, opaque, and with the aggravating circumstance of requiring two steps: one for white and one for colour. stupid me that I launched myself directly on the model instead of doing some lateral tests. then I did a thousand thousand tests, also contacting the company and informing them of the bad results, pointing out that if the problem was the support (other decals from the same company are fine) they risked dissatisfying all future customers. the answer was that they will do some tests too. given the time that had elapsed, and in fact almost two months passed without news, I closed my eyes and made the first random number found after a search on the web. result, after a phone call to finalize the details and a week of waiting, I received this. after a couple of more than satisfactory tests on the side, I peeled off poor Lysander's areas and started over. better I would say. the red shoots a bit, and my sanding steps to reduce the step of the film partially damaged the color, making the background white appear in some places. nothing that a few gouache touch-ups on the suggestion of the friend Master of Color and a veil of black oil applied with an airbrush cannot solve. aaaand... ta-daaaah!! FINISHED!! decent pics in RFI section coming soon I hope. meanwhile, as proof that the house is hiding but not stealing, the original instrument panel is hacked out. take your time, no prob! and that's all, thank you all for your participation, patience and perseverance in following me in this madness. I remind those interested that I have kept the masters for the transparent parts and I have an excess of customized decals, in case anyone wants to try their hand at the only Lysander currently available in 1/32. cheers, Paolo.
  9. hi Roger, beautiful work in every detail. if I may, the penultimate photo showing the partially twisted wiring leaves me perplexed: as far as I know these are left as straight as possible for several good reasons. keep it going, it's a beauty! cheers, Paolo
  10. hi all, very little updating. given the particular nature of the upper color and its not excessively worn state, given the relatively short duration of the locust operation, I'm experimenting with new techniques for me. in the meantime I'm doing other little things however necessary. the first, started some time ago, is the construction of a base that will hold the completed model: a plywood frame that will be stained walnut on the sides and that will try to best emulate a parking segment of Al Dhafra, with a patch of the era to fill the otherwise deserted (ah ah) space next to the plane. the photos of the time show rather dirty surfaces, as do the current satellite photos. we'll see what I can achieve. other little things I'm doing are pitots, replaced with syringe needles. and the 27mm muzzle guards, 3D printed by Jet Passion, very serious stuff. the comparison with the original printed pieces is merciless. a 0.8 needle is perfect for emulating the barrel itself and providing solid support to the very fragile 3D piece. voilà in place, with the Master's metal angle-of-attack sensor visible above it. I have finally placed the seats in place, now I'm working on the accessories such as the side tubes and the various stripes that connected the crew's limbs to the seat. and that's all for now, I'm approaching the end of this tormented little work in small steps. cheers, Paolo
  11. Wow, Kev, what a beauty are you carving out from that old kit! given the good quality of the canopy, I would considerate to keep it closed, but this way requires to add a precise frame to match the windscreen. if this for whatsoever reason results unobtainable, then open will be! obviously my two cents... keep it going, cheers, Paolo
  12. present! sorry for the rare appearances, I'm a bit messed up (a little more than usual)... but I produced a little something. in the meantime, the niceties in metal have arrived, the first to be implemented is the refueling probe's head, way better, no? then I placed the landing gear legs in place, slightly deviating from the instructions: to have the necessary space to position all the tubes I postponed gluing the retraction arms. I guess that in the end nothing will be seen... alright, we know they exist. and the Tauro decals have finally arrived. the missing cockades... and individual codes. on the decal sheet there are enough to reproduce any locust specimen, in the end the choice fell on MM7019, of which there are several photos of the time. solved this practice, I can move on to underwing and ventral loads: the safety levers on the pylons and relative pins with the "remove before flight" strips are missing. levers and pins in metal wire and HGW strip, really serious stuff. 5 are enough for the ventral pylons, plus 3 for the landing gear's legs, which in the meantime has received the retraction arm and wheels. so for the underwing pylons it will take... another 6. I'll prepare a few more in reserve, you never know. why do these remind me so much of Stanley Kubrick? and here we are. I'd say the bottom is complete. therefore I can definitively place tail fin and rudder, extended airbrakes, dorsal tunnel. good good good... now missing some weathering on the top side and the details of the front area, but I'm starting to see the end of it, god willing. cheers, Paolo
  13. Great pics, Antonio, thank you!! about the drain itself, I find that the easier way to achieve it is using a syringe needle of adequate size.
  14. heck, it would never have occurred to me to attempt such an approach, especially with such a large aircraft and such an incredibly high landing gear, respect! about working with welded brass, if I may encourage you, it's much easier and cheaper than you imagine, and the results are really satisfying, Imho. cheers, Paolo
  15. Wow, what interesting kit, and beautiful work on instrument panel! the engineering of the undercarriage is intriguing, if all goes as it should it will be with the right angles, and very solid, we hope! regarding the top of the fuselage, i would use moderate pressure to hold it in place, and swipe the flex-i-file applicator quickly... usually this produces a solid bond with no residue or collateral damage. keep it going!
  16. thanks Kevin! unfortunately I have a temper, and ignoring the desire to get a good result would have made me feel worse than ruining everything. (a recommendation: don't be like me, this mental set-up has only brought me trouble in life. For further information, ask my lawyer and my ex-wife). still waiting for these blessed decals, I dedicated myself to the Mk83. the kit doesn't include them, oh well, but it doesn't even include enough supports for all the ventral pylon stations, so I had to make do a bit, adapting what was available. test in place. another missing thing, but this would have been asking too much, objectively, is the forest of spacers that block the bodies of the bombs and stabilize them. I solved it with plasticard disks and brass wire segments. you won't see much of them, but I like the idea that there are. they will also make the bond actually more solid. and now the good news, shall we say. assembling the underwing fuel tanks, I had noticed that all the filler caps (three per tank) fell exactly under the pylon. bizarre, in this way it would be impossible to refuel them on site. not having found clear photos of the detail, I trusted the kit, until Ed of Jet Passion (thanks a lot, Ed!) pointed out to me that Italeri has struck again: the filler caps in the real thing are off-centre on the left with respect to the longitudinal median line. further targeted search finally paid off, I found incontestable photos. I say... to make a mistake is human, even if I don't understand how a detail like that escapes you, but oh well. but later? anyone who builds this model will end up noticing the error, and correcting it is relatively simple, knowing it beforehand: the caps are in fact molded separately. just make holes slightly offset to the left of the ones present, and glue them in the right place. ALRIGHT. could I ignore it? not, evidently. Of course mine are now painted, decalized, waxed and weathered, how the hell I can do? after a bit of meninges, and some tests to redo the caps with the same technique of the P51B, I decided on the watermelon technique, also known as the dowel. a drop of spirits would have been nice, to give me courage, but I thought I would have risked a few fingers, in addition to the tank. So let it be known, I did it sober! hmm, looks promising, right? Oh good. so it makes sense, now. so let's go! (cit. the Zohan) to avoid the well-known effects of the black hole, I inserted pieces of sponge and strips of plasticard inside to support the lucky strike packets which will be reinserted in their new place. after which all that remains is to putty and sand. and here we are. better, I would say. and two. oh well, I thought much worse. of course, if Mrs. Italeri were to read these lines, she could be inspired to add a leaflet to the instructions specifying that it is enough to glue the caps in the right place to save the customer a headache combined with considerable disappointment, which multiplied by all the kit's buyers does a lot of negative energy to work off, imho. While we're in the Santa Claus area, even if my decal dealer decided to send me what I requested (in December) I'd be so grateful. it's okay that modeling is suffering, but let's give ourselves a limit, holy cow. coming soon... i don't know. without the decals I'm stranded. meh. cheers, Paolo
  17. well, Denis, you asked for... I think the only trick to make drybrushing that isn't painting is to have the bristles of the brush almost completely dry. if you want to use oil paints, I think a good system is to use a cardboard instead of a synthetic palette on which to place some of the paint: in this way the oily part of the color will be absorbed by the cardboard and mostly pigment will remain on the brush. obviously, before applying it to the model, "unloading" the bristles on a kleenex will help to get a minimum amount of color, and only on the highest and most angular points of the kit's parts. about the leather pad, I like to use for these little parts a product easily workable called Fimo, after some manipulation it became soft and capable to retain the tiniest detail. When dry it can be heated, becoming hard and stable. Speaking of the 109 Revell's landing gear (the modern series) I think it's its true Achilles heel: very thin and at risk of collapsing. on the other hand, its decomposition allows you to adjust the compression of the shock absorbers very easily, which considerably increases the general realism of the finished model. wanting to avoid aftermarket metal or resin legs, I think the only way to sleep peacefully is to place the finished model on a base, so that the wheels are anchored to the ground with metal pins, this helps a bit. obviously my usual two cents, ehm, francs! cheers, Paolo
  18. sorry for the long absence, I didn't have much time to dedicate to it, this model is a bit of an ordeal, and I continue to take steps back and forth. corrected the major general fit problems, I applied the decals, trying to observe how they were modified in the locust specimens: many of the upper stencils simply weren't there, some were dark (grey?) instead of red. all however were then covered by a veil of yellow sand. the cartograf decals are as moving as they are beautiful. pity that in the specimens used in the Gulf the warnings in german were eliminated, and I noticed it (but what noticed, I was promptly reprimanded by Tommaso, thanks again) only after having applied them, moreover after a coat of Future! there were three options: don't care, excluded a priori. overpaint them with sand; cut them off. what could be more risky? then luck says it's not needed... unfortunately I couldn't get a thinner black thread than this, to frame the panel again. same thing on the other side, of course. so done-undone-remade this, I went back to the cockpit, where I began to scratchbuild the sunscreens of the navigator displays, some handmade fabric objects done on the field: then since evidently I was progressing too fast, I thought it best to let the model slip out of my hands during a maneuver to overturn it. remember the lovely Aires resin reproducing HUD? well, just forget it. alright, modeling is..? I redo it, starting from the modified and implemented kit's parts. beautiful, not beautiful, who cares, so little will be seen under the windshield. wow, look how much dust. and those little gray teeth near the pillars of the blind glass? primer seepage under the protective tape...if ever, we talk about it another time, I have yet to make peace with the damage i did to the rear canopy. in the end what you will see is this, and I'm fine with it, above all I'm fine with it, having modified both the HUD and the internal transparent uprights. another very annoying thing is that I wasted a lot of time looking for a decent image of the rear fuze of the Mk.83, and I lost it in the depths of my phone memory: poof, vanished. I found another, less clear one, and between this and the memory of the other I came up with these: now I'd like to age the underside, install the Mk.83s and the landing gear, and dedicate myself to the upper part, but I'm missing the two lower cockades, and I've been waiting for them for weeks (why Italeri supplies only four of six is a mystery, but never mind). in the end I got bored and decided to start working dirty at least on the fuselage belly, in order to proceed. when the cockades arrive I will also think about the wings. I advance slowly with successive coats of airbrush oil, allowing the previous coat to dry well before risking the next. what can I say, I feel like those elderly ladies who park a small car in the space of a truck: first gear, smell of clutch, 20 cm ahead. brake, reverse gear, more clutch smell, 21cm back. brake, first gear, a lot of clutch smell, 22 cm ahead, etc etc etc. sigh. cheers, Paolo
  19. hi John, those sink holes are terrible, but maybe not all the bad comes to silver: in reality, the part relating to the mechanical block of the landing gear consisted of two perforated bulkheads (present in the Eduard set) and the block included within. I'm looking for some image, if I find it... here! you may see the Eduard parts on both sides of the block. I also drilled out all the styrene around the block itself, leaving just it within the bulkheads. here maybe it's more clear: thanks to painting you may discern the block from the bulkheads. also, it's possible to see some electrical cables running through the holes. hope it may help! cheers, Paolo
  20. UuuUuuh!!! that's what I call a good start! Having just finished a similar kit (by the way, where did you find it? It seems to be disappeared, from on line shops!). If I may suggest, consider to address some attention to the very few shape issues, they are quite simple to adjust, and will reward you with a definitely better rendition of this beautiful aircraft! my two cents, obviously. cheers, Paolo
  21. hi Greg, spectacular work and great attention to correcting the age flaws of this kit! Yahu latches are an amazing low effort improvement, implementing these with a bit of wire will look great. I put here two pocs of mine in 1/32, I hope they may interest you. have fun! cheers, Paolo
  22. Thank you for your participation and encouragement! I really need it with this model... therefore, we had remained at the general fit. after a reasonable time for the glue to dry, I picked it up again, and here there is a first problem of dimensions: it is difficult to handle this flying box without risking damaging tailplanes and airbrakes, and without leaving fingerprints on it, given the pressure needed to keep it from flying out of hand! so, gloves are mandatory, which I hate. and then check the various junctions. at the tail the left one was so much offset that I cut off the pin and replaced it with a brass one in the right spot. the one on the right didn't look too bad, and I left it from the box. bravo. really bravo. upper fuselage. here as I said the union between the two front and rear half fuselages is very good. the placement of the hump helps consolidate the overall strength. everything nice, until you look at the alignment with the air intakes... the right it's still acceptable, but the left doesn't look a bit. yet the intakes are straight, I've had a lot of work making them well built. the only solution I've found to fix it is, as usual, medieval: with a fairly thick saw, I cut off a slice from the vertical wall of the fuselage. a rectification until reaching the desired height, and re-gluing, taking care that the two planes are parallel. while I was at it I also fixed the one on the right, who was getting jealous. the sprue thread that can be seen on the hump will serve as a gasket between the hump and the fuselage, where a nice groove remained. meh. okay, let's go on. primer on the air intakes, check for imperfections (macro imperfections, I don't even want to look for the others) and sand layer. as in the best of traditions the can has breathed its last with this session, from here on I'll rely on Lifecolor. let's talk about the canopy, which is now its time. nice, non-glassy, sits almost perfectly in place. when closed. but to keep it open? nothing. not the actuator arms at the base as in the real thing, nor a positive joint on the fuselage. nada de nada, zero, nil. the mc-solution consists of a brass tube passing through the fuselage, glued and puttied flush above and below (open above, closed below). and in a rod planted in the canopy, also in brass, with a diameter corresponding to the internal diameter of the fuselage tube. this gluing will have to be done with epoxy, and I already know that it will never be very solid, but it's the simplest and most functional thing that came to my mind to solve the problem. while I was in the area, I implemented the windscreen with internal stringers and widening the contact area with the rear part, as shown in the reference photo. in my spare time I replaced the telescopic part of the refueling probe with a chromed antenna segment. for the terminal part there is a Master aftermarket in turned brass. I thought about keeping the plastic, but since I had another order in progress, I succumbed to the charm of heavy metal... in a few days I'll arrange for the transplant. and that's it, for today. next step: decals, I hope. cheers, Paolo
  23. well, I don't want to sound like a complaining, squeamish or exaggeratedly demanding or critical modeler, but perhaps I am a little,and for sure I have my reasons, allow me 5' of complaints: but dammit, how is possible to conceive a kit as big as a diver's fin in which it takes at least three hands to assemble the fuselage, with the added complication of having that little bit of tail and airbrakes in between, risking wrecking everything?? but what did it take to design a teflon washer to place the elevons at the end of the assembly, or positive joints for the speedbrakes, so as to position them after the tail, which is as tall as a three-storey building?? alright. I could have made the aforementioned changes, without even trying too hard, but I didn't feel like it, mea culpa. after a certain number of contortions and invocations to different deities, I managed to obtain a coupling that was roughly satisfactory, but certainly far from perfect. after a night under pressure, I connected the two half-fuselages, another source of discontent: the front one engages on the rear through a bayonet joint that will remain hidden in the air intakes. nice idea, and also well done, pity that there is a half mm gap in the lower contact line. rather than modifying the connection inside the air intakes, characterized by complex curved lines, I preferred to keep the gap, also because the fit is good in the upper part, and in the end that will be the most visible side. ditto for the air intakes, each made up of five parts whose alignment is based on the internal vertical wall, integral with the fuselage. and if this is good morning... okay (let's say so). I plug the gap with plasticard strips, and I reinforce the inside with plasticard plates, given that it is in any case a structural coupling of a certain importance. assembling the vents I focused on the alignment visible from the outside, which leads to these interiors, however visible, snooping through: and in any case some brute force will be needed, to get a decent alignment of these... the same for the hump behind the cockpit: there is at least a mm of gap between the parts. by rectifying the coupling breakouts and -again- brutalizing the hump a little, it comes out, but let's say that the relaxing part of this hobby is somewhat lost, like this. in short, I'm getting close to completing this model, and I must say I'm really happy with it, I'm not having much fun with it. cheers, Paolo
  24. ah, surely they are both aircraft oriented towards the XL side, I meant that in any case that is the ergonomic space of a cockpit, even if some aircraft have a particularly tight fit, while others are more "casual"...
  25. well, it's not like the size of human beings has changed that much, in the last 80 years... the distance to pull up the landing gear lever is always that of an arm!
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