DesTROYer 973 Posted October 31, 2016 Share Posted October 31, 2016 I had been contemplating building a C-47 Dakota for a while and still plan to, but when it looked like decals i was after might be a while in coming, I went back to the stash and had another look, and thats when I saw it. The Spartan. As A34-003 has just been delivered to Australia, I saw it was a fitting time. I opened up the kit and boy was I surprised with the detail and resources within. You get a full colour photo booklet detailing both the inside and out of the real thing. The instruction booklet is well drawn and easy to follow, though the colour call out doesn't always match the photos from what I can tell. But the interior detail is what really surprised me. I was originally going to build it buttoned up and OOB, but when I saw that interior, I knew that would no longer be the case. I was saving these seats for when I do my next Caribou, but that interior is just begging for them. As you can see the interior of the Spartans are a dark colour, but the instructions call for Model Master light Grey. It's a darker grey on the RAAF Spartans than used on the others in the grey fleet. I'm going to have to do some colour matching. I probably shouldn't be surprised that the Spartan is not much bigger than the Caribou, but I am. It will look good next to it in the cabinet. I look forward to working on this one. Mister J, Shaka HI, Lothar and 6 others 9 Link to post Share on other sites
Kahunaminor 1,055 Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Mate, It looks a nice kit, plenty of detail to be had. Certainly a timely start! Regards, Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Peterpools Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Troy Holy Cow, going to be a terrific build to follow and enjoy Keep 'e coming Peter Link to post Share on other sites
DesTROYer 973 Posted November 12, 2016 Author Share Posted November 12, 2016 After almost two weeks out of the office, I got back in today and made some more progress on the Spartan. Using these seats, I began work in the back of the aircraft. I didn't want to use the PE legs and rails though. Past experience reminded me they were difficult to work with, bent easy and didn't alway sit right. So instead I used just the seats and some .88mm styrene rod. I then made up two ladders to access the roof hatches.https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/25294509949_f3b3e60558_z.jpg painting the floor and adding a wash to the interior. And scratched up a loadmasters panel. before buttoning up the interior hull. As suspected, a lot of the work becomes unseen with out the use of a flash. These is still a little paint work to touch up on that rear ramp, but nothing that will be too difficult or really even seen. Tried out a new product from Tamiya today too. Tamiya Extra Thin Cement "Quick Setting". Now this stuff is not a glue in its self. Its more like Zipkicker. You brush on the regular extra thin glue, then brush on the quick setting stuff, and pretty soon your piece has fully set and you're ready to move on. Shaka HI and sandokan 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Peterpools Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Troy Super work on the interior ... sure is looking good Keep 'em coming Peter Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI 5,228 Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Holy smokes! Looks just like the real stuff! Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Heilig 15,029 Posted November 17, 2016 Share Posted November 17, 2016 Looking great! I have one on the way that's going to end up in Coast Guard colors. Lots of political shenanigans around the USCG's acquisition of the C-27, but they sure are pretty! Shaka HI 1 Link to post Share on other sites
DesTROYer 973 Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Started back today on the Spartan, beginning with finishing the front IP. Using flattened sinkers, I added 50grams of weight to the nose, as per the instructions. I then needed to sand and file those sinkers as even though they looked flush, they were still holding out the sides of the outside skin, out. So I filed and sanded, test fit, filed some more, then some more sanding, until it all buttoned up sweet, and I then attached the wheels and some sensors. Ariels will wait until its all painted up. I have started work on assembling the Red Roo Scimitar props, but I need to get a bigger drill bit before I can finish them up. sandokan, dutik and Shaka HI 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Peterpools Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Troy Awesome progress and it's great to see the Spartan together. I've made the mistake more then once, thinking my lead weights were flush and out of the way, only yo discover, they surely weren't. Glad you went the extra mile and did all the necessary test fitting to keep things moving smoothly. Keep 'em coming Peter Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI 5,228 Posted November 19, 2016 Share Posted November 19, 2016 Wow, I was curious about the size of this model. Very impressive size even in this small scale. That IP's the "bee's knees" -- too bad all this detail won't be seen very much. Link to post Share on other sites
DesTROYer 973 Posted November 20, 2016 Author Share Posted November 20, 2016 Wow, I was curious about the size of this model. Very impressive size even in this small scale. That IP's the "bee's knees" -- too bad all this detail won't be seen very much. It's got big windows in the front, so you will be able to see some of it (It's surprising how much actually), but yeah, the back is pretty dark and tight, so although I put some effort into it, I didn't go overboard. When I did my 1/72 Hercules, I opened the back up too and added extra rails and boxes, but can honestly say you can't see much, and no one has looked back there since its first model show, in which it got a first place. Shaka HI and dutik 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Peterpools Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Troy One good looking C130. Thanks for posting Peter Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI 5,228 Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Ditto. Even modeled in a small scale, they just look "big". Link to post Share on other sites
DesTROYer 973 Posted November 27, 2016 Author Share Posted November 27, 2016 Some more progress to show for the weekend. Yesterday morning I masked up all the windows and got a coat of primer down so I could see where additional work was required on the seams. So next I started masking up the seams and applying some tamiya putty and Mr Surfacer. Much better but it needed a little more. That done, I masked up the underside and prepared to paint the base colour. No luck. The paint I had planned to use didn't match my references, So I have ordered some more. It should arrive Tuesday. So thats it for now. sandokan 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Shaka HI 5,228 Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 I think you need to work that putty more and clean it up a bit, bud. Looks impressive! Link to post Share on other sites
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