Minicraft 1/144 Iron Maiden 757

[The Madhatter]

8 hours ago, LSP_Kevin said:

 

runs counter to the whole point of this build (and my entire airliner series), which is to have a relatively quick and painless build, without all the hiccups and friction that I normally experience. I guess it's just not to be!

 

Kev

You could always cast a copy of the other side if it is possible.  Its not hard to make a 2 piece mold of something like that and it beats trying to scratch build it

[LSP_Kevin]

31 minutes ago, The Madhatter said:

You could always cast a copy of the other side if it is possible.  Its not hard to make a 2 piece mold of something like that and it beats trying to scratch build it

 

I probably would have tried that had it not already been glued in place. Happily, I found the part lurking at the bottom of my waste bin, so the panic is over!

 

Kev

[Alex]

On 1/6/2021 at 9:30 AM, tomprobert said:

There are aftermarket options available - Braz and Welsh models both do RB211s. Or you could just build it as is, confident in the knowledge that non-airliner geeks will never know 

 

That'd be my approach, 100% 

[Alex]

On 1/6/2021 at 1:37 PM, LSP_K2 said:

Not necessarily on-point, but I see once again that the artist bungled the depiction of both the engine axis and inlet ellipse. I saw a radial engined kit the other day that was a pure joke in that regard. The engine, as depicted, was probably a good 20° to 30° out of alignment with the axis of the aircraft itself.

 

Plus they really look too large.

[LSP_K2]

23 minutes ago, Alex said:

Plus they really look too large.

 

I actually have to wonder what school of illustration some of these chaps attended. Proper ellipse orientation, is basic drafting 101, nothing at all sophisticated.

[LSP_Ron]

1 minute ago, LSP_K2 said:

 

I actually have to wonder what school of illustration some of these chaps attended. Proper ellipse orientation, is basic drafting 101, nothing at all sophisticated.

 

To us draft persons it seems so obvious.

[LSP_Kevin]

So, 3 years on and this "quick build" has just been dragged off my SoD and onto the workbench, as the next in my series of airliner builds that I started but never progressed with (that said, I have at least finished the Electra, MD-80 and DC-4 builds, with a bonus YS-11 for good measure). It's sad to see that this one has been sidelined so long that we lost mpk in that time. So, I'll endeavour to complete this build in his memory.

 

It'll be bumpy ride, however, as this is one of Minicraft's worst kits, so stay tuned!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

Just thought I'd post some photos of the additional work done prior to the hiatus, which I hadn't photographed before. Basically, the major airframe sub-assemblies were, well, assembled:

 

 

I have major concerns about getting the wings on with this one - fit is sloppy at best, and the wing roots give no guidance as to the correct dihedral. In fact, the natural sit of each wing gives a different dihedral on each side! And I'm sure neither one is correct. I'll have to check out a few other builds to see how other modellers have tackled this particular challenge. For me, it's the major stumbling block with this build.

 

Here are the engines that my friend Ray sent me way back when:

 

 

This is how I received them, so obviously he'd done a bit of work to them. I assume they're Minicraft parts from a different kit, but I'm really not sure.

 

Lastly, at some point I ordered (and received) some "3D" window decals from Authentic Airliners Decals, which I know from past experience can really add life to these airliner models:

 

 

Any suggestions on how to handle those wings would be helpful, as I fear ending up with the wrong dihedral, and both wings set at different angles! It's the one thing stopping me from ploughing on with the build right now.

 

Kev

[denders]

Hmmm, do you have an appropriate sized jig where you could adjust the height of the fuselage and wings and use rubber bands or tape to hold them in position while gluing? I would use a scale to measure the settings of the jig. I would not depend upon whatever markings there might be on the jig. 

[MikeC]

If I was confronted with all those issues I'd be inclined to run to the hills, but I think you have got the number of this beast ...

 

... I'll get my coat.

Looking forward to seeing it finished, and I'm sure you'll prevail.

[LSP_Kevin]

14 hours ago, denders said:

Hmmm, do you have an appropriate sized jig where you could adjust the height of the fuselage and wings and use rubber bands or tape to hold them in position while gluing? I would use a scale to measure the settings of the jig. I would not depend upon whatever markings there might be on the jig. 

 

It'll definitely require a jig of some sort, but the building/painting stand I currently use isn't suitable at all. Most likely I'll have to fabricate something. Might be time to break out the Legos!

 

Kev

[LSP_Kevin]

14 hours ago, MikeC said:

If I was confronted with all those issues I'd be inclined to run to the hills, but I think you have got the number of this beast ...

 

... I'll get my coat.

Looking forward to seeing it finished, and I'm sure you'll prevail.

 

Thanks for your confidence, Mike. This could go either way, as there are a lot of dicey elements to this build. But if I can get the wings on OK, and if the decals hold up, then it'll be fine. Even if the decals don't hold up, it's no big deal to switch to another livery. But if the wings don't work out, it'll probably end up in the bin (or more likely a paint mule).

 

Kev

[Out2gtcha]

Looks like this one could be very cool by the end of things if you can muddle through.

I was just going to suggest Legos for a jig since they are constant in height for each part, and you can easily adjust the height to varying degrees. 

 

I'll have to dive into the one airliner kit I do have at some point.

[LSP_Ron]

I should pull out my Iron Maiden 747 Ed Force One kit.

[Out2gtcha]

On 2/10/2024 at 2:27 AM, LSP_Kevin said:

Lasty, at some point I ordered (and received) some "3D" window decals from Authentic Airliners Decals, which I know from past experience can really add life to these airliner models:

 

 

 

Question for you Kev,

Do you have to fill and smooth over all the cockpit and cabin windows to use those?