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Bell X-1 1:72 - Complete


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This has been sat in the stash for 2 years, now Its time has come.

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I was going to build it with the solid fuselage option as I didn't like the idea of the whole fuselage open, then I saw this :-

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Thank's for the inspiration zero, I think this one is yours. I liked the little cutaway windows, I'm going to try to acheive something similar.

A little work began today with closing up the alcohol & oxygen tanks, assembling the engine, cockpit bulkhead & floor and adding some detail to the rear fuselage from rod & strip.

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Didn't add any more detail further forward than this as is would be obscured by the alcohol tank.

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Mark

Edited by Cheshiretaurus
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Bit more progress this week on the interior

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Used HU116 for the main cockpit colour this was the best match to the photos available on the internet, not sure how Tamiya decided grey for this area. Thought I'd tackle the glazing in 2 stages, messing with squares of masking tape seemed a recipe for disaster.

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0.5mm rod was used with Tamiya to create the shoulder harness attachment bar.

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Completed cockpit & canopy

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Dry run fitting, Have some more detail work to on these parts.

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Mark

Edit:-

Nearly forgot I've cut off & refitted upside down the front third of the engine to put the fuel/oxidiser inlets at the top as in the cutaway.

Edited by Cheshiretaurus
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Painted the rest of the engine details with HU64 Grey for the combustion chambers & HU53 Gun metal for some other parts, Also sprayed the wheels. fitted all the interior parts except the equipment bay in the centre.

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Plumbers been round! Sized up some 1mm rod just bluetacked in place, going to be sprayed tomorrow 27003 polished steel, if I can get some, along with the bottle in the equipment bay & the nitrogen bottle in the nose.

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Edited by Cheshiretaurus
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Slow progress over the last few days with work using up most of my time. Was going to use Humbrol metal cote 27003 Polished steel for the nitrogen tanks but when I got the tin it looked more like gun metal, Is this right? Used the aluminium instead. but the 'polished steel' got used for the gun metal parts, so all is not lost.

Interior is complete & ready to close up the fuselage.

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I've been having trouble dipping the clear fuselage side in the perfumed klear stuff with it pooling in certain areas despite shaking off the excess and leaving it overnight on a paper towel. So last few days have been spent soaking it in more klear to get rid of the old layer, washing off, drying, dipping again and getting the same problem. think I've cracked it now by tying it to bit of wire and swing it round after dipping to REALLY get the excess off this seems to have worked.

See how it goes.

In the mean time I've scanned and resized to 1:72 printed off the paint plan so I can decide where to put the cutaway windows to fit in with the decals and internal parts. Think this is how its going to be, pink bits are the orange couldn't find the orange highlighter!

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Mark

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Even though, I do appreciate the detail Tamiya has put in this kit, I still want to find and build the good old 1/32 Revell X-1!!!

Looking good so far Mark.

Keep up the good work.

Cheers

Sernak

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Some more Progress last couple of days, fuselage is closed up, filled n sanded, wings and tail added, cutouts masked and interior colours painted on the outside of the clear half of the fuselage.

If it turns out wonky I'm not sure why

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Cut outs were masked off with Tamiya tape with the edged with circles of appropriate sizes cut with a punch and linked up with straight pieces. Photo copy of the decals blue tacked helped with positioning the cutouts around the decals

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Fuselage painted HU81 Zinc chromate primer and 116 for the cockpit and undercarriage bays.

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Tomorrow is gloss white undercoat followed by the orange.

Thanks for looking

Mark

Edited by Cheshiretaurus
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Painting done, initially all white to get an even canvas for the orange.

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The photo on the kit box shows the decal letting through the orange so the national markings were cut out slightly smaller to leave the background white.

Orange at the ready.

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Moment of truth......tape off....

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Ill give it a coat of clear then decals next I think

Mark

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Decals added then another couple of coats of klear a few days ago and given time to set.

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Fitted the under carriage the main gear legs are very fiddly on this kit and refitted the probes yesterday.

Complete!.....well bar a dark wash sometime in the future.

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Thanks for looking

Mark

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