1/18 scale Instytucie Szybownictwa IS-A Salamandra 53 3D printed / scratchbuilt model

[Nick_Karatzides]

My goal is to recreate a scene of an aeroclub small airfield, where the old Salamandra is now resting in peace. I ‘ll try to place the glider in such a way that will look like an old time abandoned wreck, with all plywood & fabric lining removed, tilted sideways to rest on the short green grass field, with one wingtip touching the ground and the other on air. Some torn fabric & plywood parts would be also laid nearby, some rusted & cut wires, possibly a couple of Marsden matting / PSP - Pierced Steel Planking plates or maybe a waving windsock etc. could be also present in scene. In general, a picture of terse abandonment, without extreme features that could distract viewer’s attention, keeping the glider as the main protagonist of the story. From an artistic point of view, the abandonment might possibly dictate everything to be into a state of complete wreckage. That would not be the desired result, because it would lead into a diorama scene, where the Salamandra would no longer be the protagonist. My aim is to balance the scene, while filling empty space & keeping the IS-A as the only "model" on display.

 

 

 

I found the idea of a deflated windsock nice, in order to fill some empty space and break the monotony of green, while remaining in scene's background same time. Although a picture of a torn windsock would be more atractive & interesting, I had to keep it simple and not overdo. Using a small amount of Milliput putty, I made a small ball, dust it with talcum powder and pressed it against the working bench with a roller until it becomes as thin as could get. The use of talcum powder is necessary to avoid Milliput sticking on roller or fingers and get easier to handle without tearing to pieces.

 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[Nick_Karatzides]

While Milliput putty was still soft, I cut it into triangle shape and rolled it up, to form into a right to scale windsock cone. Then, the cone was bended as required to look deflated and simulate cloth’s weight. The result made of epoxy putty (seems like elephant's proboscis or its just my imagination?), left few hours to get fully polymerized and then I cut the tip to achive the correct lenght dimensions. Few epoxy overcast remains that were left, also removed during cutting process. Internal frame added later, using metal wire & styrene rod.

 

 


 





 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[LSP_Kevin]

Fantastic work Nick! Really impressive stuff. I'm especially appreciative of the level of detail you go into about your processes, as they are most instructive. Many thanks!

 

Kev

[D.B. Andrus]

Fantastic quality in your posts, Nick!

 

 

Cheers,

 

D.B.

[Nick_Karatzides]

At present time, the windsock is under painting proccess. I used the FS31302 "Matt Red" available by Life Color as LC06 acrylic, applied with a soft brush, to establish a basic layer and later blend it, to look brighter onto the points supposedly lightened more, by spraying much diluted FS30257 "Sand Yellow RLM79VAR" available by Life Color as UA081 acrylic, just not to look too dull. After the primary painting & lighting stage, I repeatedly sprayed a very diluted mixture of thinner and FS33538 "Yellow RLM 04" available by Life Color as UA140 acrylic, at a ratio of 95% - 5%, over selected areas such as the fabric folding edges and a few other points, that IMHO should look more enlightened
 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[dodgem37]

Pretty ding danged remarkable, Nick. And cool.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[williamj]

Woah!! This is marvelous..don't have the superlative. Really Cool!!

[Nic C.D.]

This is very-very nicely done! Waaw! I'm not very good with taking photos of what I build, but I must ask: how do you make a photo with both your hands working on that windsock?

 

I really like your dioramas, I wish I had your talent!

 

Nic

[Nick_Karatzides]

On 7/6/2013 at 1:00 AM, Nic C.D. said:

how do you make a photo with both your hands working on that windsock?

 

If I would answer that I am a happy owner of a well trained elephant pet with a long & flexible proboscis, would you be surprised? OK, actually I used a special item, just arrived from Area 51's most secret lab. It's called "tripod". Please keep it secret and don't spread it to the open, because its an NSA restricted matterial and many people could die for this intel. Works perfect when used with another top secret gadget called "20 seconds delay" on the camera.

 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[KOTR]

My little birdy tweeted me that the NSA has been aware for a few months now that you got into possession of that tripod and the delay timer. There's already a bullet with your name on it, the problem is just that the hitman is on strike until that problem with his outstanding overtime pays has been resolved...

 

Great work as usual, Nick. You always make it look so easy

[Nick_Karatzides]

Once the acrylic paint dried, the outcome had tonality differences and looked like been faded by the sun. I had obviously overdone on highlighting the areas and therefore I had to fix this and make the shades softly blend each other. To do so, I mixed artists oil paint "Red" by MIG Productions “502 Abteilung” series and artists white spirit by "Winson & Newton“ in a ratio of 5% / 95% (actually a filter) and sprayed over the windsock. I hope now it looks better than did before.

 

Meanwhile I found some time to deal with the green grass. Having a couple of different methods in mind to simulate green grass in scale, I found good idea to follow an old fashioned technique! I planted some grass seeds, watered daily and I'm now expecting to grow high grass soon. I’m just kidding of course - watering once every three days, is enough. Kids, don’t try this at home.

 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[Nick_Karatzides]

Progress has been slow for various reasons, including:

• I'm slower than a turtle trying to climb a muddy creek bank,
• I always find errors and later trying to develop ways to make model look more realistic,
• Mid-July heat & expectation of upcoming vacations, caused laziness that lead building process to slow down,
• Wife visits my bench, holding a hammer and that could possibly means that it's about time to quit 1/18 model for a while and give full attention on 1/1 model.

Due to all the above reasons (aka excuses), once the windsock painting process complete, I had to stop for a short relaxing brake and puzzle things out. Next update ETA, late August or early September. Summer is typically the time for vacations and a good chance to relax, unwind & recharge batteries. We all need a break once in a while and I am no exception. I hope you can do the same and enjoy some well deserved time off. I will be back soon, picking up where I left off and complete this project. In the meantime, I plan to unplug, disconnect from anything for a few days, enjoy sunny beaches & crystal waters and hopefully have some SCUBA fun with playful dolphins - as happened last summer.
 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[Nick_Karatzides]

If you followed this WIP during the earlier weeks, you might remember the update few weeks ago, when left home for a much needed vacation to the beach. I am having a difficult time transitioning back from vacation. I had an amazing month living on the beach, playing and soaking in sunshine and honestly I want to still be there instead of writing a new post. It has been less than 24 hours since we arrived home and I can already feel the pull of the day-in-day-out routines. I know that the cat in following picture might looks really silly, but it does capture how truly happy I was on vacation. Transitioning back to reality after vacation, is not easy and I need to get my non-vacation groove back. Any suggestions?
 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[Nick_Karatzides]

The whole grass field scene would require a 50x40 cm display base, considering that glider measures approx 70 cm wingspan in 1/18 scale. That could be a problem for my show case in home, which yes, it is big, but not big as an elephant. From the MDC - Model Display Cases store, I bought a 50x40 cm base, made of polished beechwood with MDF core.

 

 

Those who have read my previously uploaded projects, might remember that I prefer using plaster powder to build the section that recreates the ground, especially if it is asphalt. However, the 50x40 cm dimensions of the scene dictate plaster quantity more (and therefore heavier) than usual and for this reason I chose to use another material, because my goal was to build a “grass field display base” instead of weightlifting equipment for champs. For this reason, I purchased a 50x40 cm size & 10 mm thick sheet of balsa wood from my local hobby shop, which I cut & shaped around with my cheaper than dirt Black & Decker 400 W / 3000 spm jigsaw bought for €20 only. The basic idea, is to produce a thick & flat surface which protrudes approx 10 mm beyond the polished beechwood base, on which later green grass & extra stuff will be added where is needed.

 

Remember that operating a freehand held jigsaw could be a bad idea if not pay attention on job. Sawdust may also cause problems when breath or shallow. A powerful vacuum system to suck away the dust should be used all time to keep the workbench area clean. Using a breathing mask & pair of protection glasses to prevent dust contact with lungs & eyes, is also an important matter that you should seriously take care of. My recommendation is to also wear working gloves - made of kevlar if possible.
 

Edited July 18, 2018 by Nick_Karatzides

[LSP_Kevin]

Nice work Nick! Really looking forward to seeing where this is going.

Kev