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21st Century Folgore


LSP_Kevin

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Well, I wouldn't say problems per se, but it's definitely weird stuff. I've heard some say that it's ABS (it's definitely not straight polystyrene), but it has a strange, slightly rubbery feel to it that reminds me of the old polythene figure sets from Airfix. It can be glued with a hot liquid cement, but you need to use a lot and leave it a long time. I'm using Tamiya Extra Thin, and I have to say it's only marginally effective. I'm resorting to CA for most of the components now. The plastic itself is also highly translucent. It'll be interesting to see how it takes to sanding when the time comes!

 

I'd be interesting in hearing from anyone who has one of the later kits, where they purportedly did away with the screw lugs and plugs. I'm wondering if the plastic changed too?

 

Kev

 

Kevin,

I never had any problem what so ever sanding on any of my 21c builds. So I think you'll have no worries there. As for glue I used Tenex which welds the together and to date no popped seams yet. Another tip that you may find useful is one I learned years ago for vac kits ,is to flood the seams from the inside with thin CA followed by zip kicker. Be advised though,do not use too much CA in the curing process it will generate a lot of heat. I should note on the use of Tenax that you need to use enough so that you end up with a raised line of melted plastic in the seam,which can be easily sanded afterwords.

 

I have examples of all the first and second issues from 21c all of which use those darned screws and plugs.I'd heard that 21c had done away with the screws and plugs too,but never found one kit without. If I remember right the last pre-builts (P-51B ? ) did not have the plugs. The later kits did indeed change the plastic used to a very soft medium gray colored plastic I believe is polystyrene.

 

Anyway I'm enjoying your build thread were much. Your modified gear came out very well too. Like you I've tryed several times to build one of the 21c kits straight from the box,but failed at each attempt.Way too much AMS here or something akin to it at least.keep up your outstanding build my friend.

 

Highest Regards,

Gregory Jouette

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Thanks for the kind words and advice Greg. I'm not sure Tenax is available here in Australia, but I'll have a hunt around and see what I can find. I'd love to find one of the 21st Century Bf 109F kits, but alas I probably never will. I know what you mean about AMS though, and I'm deliberately trying not to go there with this one!

 

As for the build, I've got the wings assembled and landing gear installed. Once I've masked the canopy, I can install it and get the fuselage together. After that, it should all come together pretty quickly. Greg (or anybody else), what do you recommend for the colours on this thing? Bear in mind I normally use Tamiya and Gunze acrylics, but I'll use whatever's appropriate for the task at hand.

 

Kev

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Kevin,

I have no idea which Tamiya or Gunze would be appropriate.I use either Model Master or Humbrol

Scheme D3 Smoke Rings: Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1 MM 2113 Lt.Italian Gray or Humbrol #141

Nocciola Chiaro 4 MM 2110 Italian Sand or Humbrol #118

Verde oliva Scuro 2 MM 2112 Italian Drk. Green or Humbrol #91

There are other brand of paint you may be able to find Down Under,take a look at the Color section at Stormo for additional brand available for RA aircraft.Also MM RAF Drk.Grn is excellent for sun faded Italian Drk Grn .Hope this helps.

Highest Regards,

Gregory Jouette

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OK, time for a quick update. I've got both the wing and fuselage assemblies together, but not yet joined:

 

post-3071-1253183592.jpg

 

post-3071-1253183562.jpg

 

The fit is OK - mostly serviceable, but mediocre in spots. The screw plugs are going to be a pain to conceal I fear. You can see how translucent the plastic is around the cockpit area, where the interior paint is clearly visible!

 

I've got a few days off coming up, so hopefully I can really get moving on this puppy!

 

Kev

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Got the airframe assembled now, and it's starting to look like a Macchi:

 

post-3071-1253270426.jpg

 

This has revealed one of the kit's major flaws however:

 

post-3071-1253270437.jpg

 

The dihedral is almost perfectly flat, and looks quite unconvincing. I'm not sure what could be done about that, since the way the pieces fit and lock together almost forces it flat, no matter what you do.

 

This assembly sequence also revealed the worst gap on the entire model:

 

post-3071-1253270443.jpg

 

A doozy, what? Not sure how to tackle this one, as it's in a very awkward spot. Stay tuned to find out how (if?) I fix it!

 

Kev

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Kevin,

The dihedral of the Macchi is nearly flat like the Hurricane. As for the large gap between the lower cowling and the wing,if you look at a photo of the real thing you'll notice the large gap as well.I closed the gap in mine somewhat by adding a slice of .010 plastic card to improve the appearance . On the dihedral problem my first 21c Macchi had the same thing,I ended up correcting the problem by sawing through the joint between the wing and fuselage then setting the dihedral by applying downward pressure on the fuselage with the wing elevated.Once I had the dihedral set to my satisfaction I close the remaining gap with CA and zip kicker.Be careful though it too easily over done,your Macchi could end up as my first with a positive dihedral more like that of a P-51.Caused myself extra work by repeating the procedure twice. If you should build another Macchi at some point , you can avoid this extra work by careful dry fitting and filing down the wing roots of the fuselage and the upper wing halves.That's what I did on the next batch of Macchi's built.

 

Your Macchi sure is looking like a Macchi now,great work my friend.I'm looking forward to seeing her all camouflaged up.By the way did you find the paints you were looking for? There is a site on the web called Ultimate Model Paint Conversion Chart at www.paint4models.com.I tried this site the other day looking for the brand of paint you use in Italian colors but could bring the site up .Some sort of tech problem at the site or maintenance .

 

Highest Regards,

Gregory Jouette

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Thanks for the advice on the dihedral Greg. I'm going to leave it on this one, and hope that it doesn't detract too much from the finished article. Glad to hear it wasn't just me though!

 

By the way did you find the paints you were looking for?

 

Not yet. I don't get the chance to get out to a hobby shop all that often, but I've got a trip planned for later next week. I'll do some research and figure out what colours in which brands are available to me, and get whatever's there on the day. Dave suggested a couple of good Tamiya colours to me, but I can't remember what they were!

 

Kev

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Heeeey Kevin! :rolleyes: Finally got a few free moments to come by and socialize for a bit. Been watching this one from the beginning, and man, you sure are moving right along! Looks like a lotta fun! Bizarre, but I've never even SEEN any of these 21st Century kits in any store. I missed out! ;)

I don't know zilch about Italian AC, or their colors.....so I haven't got any input to give, sorry. Sure is a blast following along and watching you tidy this one up. Makes me want to get out an old Revell kit and give it a go, just to see what it'll morph into? :P Looking forward to the next update buddy! Later, Russ

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For your reference, a scan of the painting chart from the Pacific Coast Models' C.202, showing the equivalent selections for Tamiya and Gunze acrylics...

 

Thanks Steve! I still haven't quite worked out what colours are what yet, but this will help enormously.

 

Kev

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Righto chaps, time for a quick update. Having been away for a few days, all I've accomplished since the last update was some filling, sanding and a quick primer coat:

 

post-3071-1253670463.jpg

 

Plenty of filling and sanding still to do. The screw plugs are being a bit stubborn, just as I had feared, but they will yield in the end. :P

 

Kev

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Most of the recent work on this build has been filling and sanding, but I did manage to make a start on some wingtip lights:

 

post-3071-1253861780.jpg

 

post-3071-1253861792.jpg

 

This is the first time I've tried the drill 'n' fill method, instead of merely painting over the clear plastic with translucent paint. Unfortunately the inherent cloudiness of the toothbrush plastic I'm using makes it less than ideal as a clear lens, no matter how much you polish it. It works much better with clear paints applied over the top, but it does improve markedly with a coat of floor polish. I made the mistake of drilling too deep, as well; next time I'll only make a small impression to simulate a bulb.

 

Here's the port light fitted before shaping:

 

post-3071-1253861809.jpg

 

Hoping to get to the painting stage over the weekend.

 

Kev

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Wheeew, nice touch Kevin. Can't wait to see ow you get those plugs to succumb to your will. :lol: Heh heh! I can sense VICTORY!!! Have you decided on what paints/colors you're going to use yet? I very seldom use acrylics, so I'm always interested in how others make them work. Looking good Kevin!

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Well Russ, despite my best efforts the plugs are still noticeable from certain angles, but I thought it was about time to move on. The first round of painting is now complete:

 

post-3071-1253960392.jpg

 

I'm taking a real 'old school' approach with this one: no pre-shading, no fancy airbrushing effects, no sophisticated colour diffusion techniques; just a simple coat of paint, followed by a wash and some light weathering - and NO AMS!

 

Now I just have to summon the courage to tackle the smoke rings...

 

;) :lol: B)

 

Kev

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