1/18 Spitfire Mk. XIVe - Race #80

[Guest]

      ..........Harv

[ClumsyDude]

Just phenomenal. The ingenuity in your Allen key idea just makes me shake my head and smile ...

 

Cheers

Jim

[Norm In Toronto]

Peter, I know working in 1/18 scale makes things just a little easier, but damn it man, this could be 1/1 scale as far as the photos are concerned!!  Can't wait to see some paint on these puppies.

 

Truly magnificent detail.

 

Norm.

 

BTW, did I mention that your etch work makes Eduard's look like "run of the mill" quality. (the blind flying panel is curling though - I know, I know, it's just dry fit but had to have a "nit" to "pick") 

Edited April 12, 2016 by Norm In Toronto

[Norm In Toronto]

Speaking of your etch work Peter, that extremely thin oval of riveted material that you've applied to the larger sandwiched bulkhead must have been a real treat to apply - any secrets you'd like to share with the great unwashed as we sit eagerly at your feet?

 

I'm assuming that you use thin Cyano as the adhesive of choice, but how the hell do you manage to keep it Sooooo clean - there is NO indication anywhere of "misplaced" glue, nor is there any sign of buckling of that delicate structure that should surely happen if you start at one point and attempt to apply it as you proceed around the circumference and finally reach the starting point - or if you lay it down and apply glue at strategic points and then try to get the intersections laid down as well  - how do you manage that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13, 2016 by Norm In Toronto

[LSP_Kevin]

Norm's question is a great one, and I'd like to know the answer too!

 

Kev

[Shaka HI]

O R G A S M I C.

[dodgem37]

Smart problem-solving.  Fan-dam-tastic execution.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[Ironwing]

Youre going to paint this?

 

UGH

[Chek]

Yes, now you mention it, what has always let down those photo-real instrument faces for me is the lack of any sense of 3-D ness of the indicator needles<insert sarcasm icon>

[geedubelyer]

Peter, your work continues to delight and awe in equal measure.

Beautiful work on that landing gear lever.

 

Now this next statement may get me linched by the LSP massiv but colour me surprised by your approach to the main IP.

On my monitor (and I admit, it is n't the greatest resolution) it looks as though the individual instrument bezels are etched out of the same plate as the main instrument panel.

 

Knowing your penchant for cockpits I confess that I had expected each bezel to be separate, contributing to a greater feeling of depth.

 

This should not be seen as any kind of criticism as so far everything looks splendid but instead, please consider my comments for what they are, just mild surprise.

 

I'm pretty sure that, like every other beautiful component that you lovingly create, they will look brilliant under paint no matter what technique you adopt.

 

Cheers.

[KUROK]

Do you use that home photo etch kit from "Micro Mark"???

[airscale]

Hi folks

 

Speaking of your etch work Peter, that extremely thin oval of riveted material that you've applied to the larger sandwiched bulkhead must have been a real treat to apply - any secrets you'd like to share with the great unwashed as we sit eagerly at your feet?

 

I'm assuming that you use thin Cyano as the adhesive of choice, but how the hell do you manage to keep it Sooooo clean - there is NO indication anywhere of "misplaced" glue, nor is there any sign of buckling of that delicate structure that should surely happen if you start at one point and attempt to apply it as you proceed around the circumference and finally reach the starting point - or if you lay it down and apply glue at strategic points and then try to get the intersections laid down as well  - how do you manage that?

 

Hi Norm - thanks for stopping by I only have a few tips - I use Zap-a-Gap Thin CA (the pink one) and put a blob on a bit of scrap and use a pin to apply it. I only apply it where it won't be seen and let capillary action let it run where it contacts, I also try not to use fingers to hold things while gluing as it's a recipe for getting a nice CA fingerprint. For those rivets i think i let it lie naturally and just CA'd one tiny spot, and then a spot opposite and worked around it - I guess I was lucky it didn't bunch up somewhere or need stretching /kinking to lay flat..

 

Peter, your work continues to delight and awe in equal measure.

Beautiful work on that landing gear lever.

 

Now this next statement may get me linched by the LSP massiv but colour me surprised by your approach to the main IP.

On my monitor (and I admit, it is n't the greatest resolution) it looks as though the individual instrument bezels are etched out of the same plate as the main instrument panel.

 

Knowing your penchant for cockpits I confess that I had expected each bezel to be separate, contributing to a greater feeling of depth.

 

This should not be seen as any kind of criticism as so far everything looks splendid but instead, please consider my comments for what they are, just mild surprise.

 

I'm pretty sure that, like every other beautiful component that you lovingly create, they will look brilliant under paint no matter what technique you adopt.

 

Cheers.

 

Hi GD - well I must admit I didn't think about it, I just upscaled the 1/24 set! .... inherent lazyness thats the problem.. I suppose I could have done and time will tell if the relief of part-etching them is good enough to give the right 'feel' - I have just done the Blind Flying panel so I will let you be the judge...   

 

 

Do you use that home photo etch kit from "Micro Mark"???

 

 

Umm no - all the photo-etch I have done for me or for airscale is done by PPD in Scotland - brilliant quality and reasonable. I must look into home etch though - I get micro-mark emails so must look out for the kit..

 

so, verdict time ..

 

..I tried to make the instrument needles from decal to see if it would impart a 3D effect and it was an excercise in miniaturisation (and probably pointlessness...) - I found some off-white, really old decals from something and used a reversed printout of the instruments to set them out onto some clear card..the double ended arrow nearly put me in a sanitorium...

 

..once they were set out, I dipped the card in future to kind of lock it all down...

 

 

..in real life it looks better than the pics, but I am not sure I will do it again

 

 

 

 

thats it for now..

 

TTFN

 

Peter

[Guest]

......Harv

[dodgem37]

Very sharp.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

[chuck540z3]

Super clean and flawless work as usual Peter.

 

 

Hi folks

 

 

Hi Norm - thanks for stopping by I only have a few tips - I use Zap-a-Gap Thin CA (the pink one) and put a blob on a bit of scrap and use a pin to apply it. I only apply it where it won't be seen and let capillary action let it run where it contacts, I also try not to use fingers to hold things while gluing as it's a recipe for getting a nice CA fingerprint. For those rivets i think i let it lie naturally and just CA'd one tiny spot, and then a spot opposite and worked around it - I guess I was lucky it didn't bunch up somewhere or need stretching /kinking to lay flat..

 

 

I have a suggestion if you don't mind me posting it here.  I used to have all sorts of grief with PE brass and CA glue, because no matter how careful I was, some glue always showed or I glued the tiny parts on crooked.  CA glue debonder would eliminate some of the mess and allow re-positioning of some parts, but it was always a struggle and I dreaded using PE brass until I discovered this:  "Great Planes" Debonder".  This CA glue debonder is extra strength and it will get rid of ALL the mess and it will help remove ALL the parts if you want it to.  It works so good that I'm not really all that careful anymore with gluing PE brass, because I know I can remove any extra residue easily.  I position the parts in place and then use a microbrush, like the one below soaked in thin CA glue, to apply the glue to the sides of the join, allowing capillary action to suck the glue underneath.  When I'm done, I use a clean microbrush soaked in GP debonder and wipe up the remaining residue.  Perfect join and no mess.  Now I love using PE parts and have no fear of gluing them.  One caution, however, is that the debonder will eat paint, so glue cleanup should always be done on bare plastic or brass parts.

 

 

Edited April 15, 2016 by chuck540z3