CliffB Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 First of all, I would like to apologise for my 1st April post in the GB Chat thread . It was indeed wind-up. As a penance I've decided to actually build the kit in question, the beautiful little 1/144 scale F-RSIN rendition of the Couzinet 'Arc en Ciel'. Unfortunately it will be at least another month before I am able to start the build, but I am really looking forward to it. Cheers Cliff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Great subject! I only knew of the old Heller kit of the Arc en Ciel. This one is news to me and I am indeed a fan of that plane, so I will be patient for the coming month! JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Thank you Jean. It was a grainy old black and white photo of a made-up Heller kit that first introduced me to the Arc en Ciel. It was a slightly strange scale, as I recall? Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Cliff, Good to see you joining this GB with an interesting subject. Good luck with sorting out the warped wings - although after that April Fool's joke... Wez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thanks Wez (and what a great GB this is turning out to be ). Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 Evening all. Having completed my build in the Achtung Panzer GB, it's time to start my French build The first job was to straighten out the crazy wing warp, going from this To this: The wing is also now firmly attached to the fuselage. Things don't look too bad from above, but underneath there is a massive (on a 1/144 model), 2mm vertical step between the rear of the wing and the start of the fuselage. I need now to work out where the adjustment needs to be made . This aside (and a few air bubbles), the kit looks very nicely moulded and with only 20 parts I am anticipating a fairly straightforward build. Fingers crossed! Cheers Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Looks like an interesting aircraft Cliff, one I am not familiar with. The wings were certainly very warped, although they added a certain charm to the aircraft! How easy is it to straighten resin parts? Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Thanks Rob. The original Arc en Ciel flew in the 1920s and looked very different to this version (which could be described as an Arc en Ciel III). The III first flew in 1932 as the 'Model 70', and was designed as a transatlantic mail plane, to make the crossing between Senegal and Brazil (I think). In 1933 a successful proving flight was carried out and, following some modifications, the plane entered commercial service in May 1934 as the 'Model 71'. One interesting feature was that the engines could be maintained in flight (access to the outer engines being through the wing roots). Just a single plane was built. Straightening resin parts is thankfully very easy as they soften at a temperature somewhere between 60-90 oC, depending on formulation. A mug of hot water normally does the trick, but for large or thick parts (which need a lot of heat soaking time), I sometimes put them in the oven. Resin does not appear to have any memory - which is good. Cheers Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Hi everyone. Have you ever noticed that the more you handle a kit and look at it from different angles, then the more you seem to bond with it (or is that just me....?). Well I've been giving the Arc en Ciel a lot of love over the last day or so and was increasingly getting the feeling that all was not right. Then it dawned on me - it has a big butt ! Basically, the back end is far too bulky and with virtually no leading edge to the tail. Fortunately, as the fuselage is solid resin it's relatively easy to sand the tail slim. I probably could have gone even further, but I didn't want to disturb the tail plane location points. It looks OK to me now . I've also been sorting out the underside of the fuselage - using a piece of plastic card to sort out the step (see earlier), and dealing with a multitude of air holes. To be fair to F-RSIN, they have cleverly arranged the moulds such that any defects are underneath. All the important stuff like the cockpit window and the engines' radiators are all perfectly formed. Experience has taught me that the best way to deal with small air holes in resin, is to drill them out so that they can be plugged with plastic rod. Here are the holes drilled out... And here's the result once they have been plugged and sanded back... The fuselage/wing assembly is pretty much finished now (just waiting for a small smear of Milliput to set in one gap), so I'll be moving on to the tailplane next. Cheers Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobster Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 Looking good Cliff, it is a graceful looking aircraft. I'll remember the tip for dealing with air bubbles in resin. Cheers Rob. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 Thanks Rob I've made a little more progress... As you can see, the tailplane and undercarriage are now on - white metal struts, with some very impressive spats! I've also had a go at sorting out another shape issue with the kit, namely that the front half of the fuselage is way too shallow. This is particularly noticable in between the engine and the cockpit, so I've added some additional depth using plastic card. I have to say that I have been very disappointed with the poor shape of this kit - as it comes, it looks like a caricature of the real aircraft . Next up will be the final bit of construction - the three props, each of which comprises a spinner and two tiny blades. A job for a clear head tomorrow morning Cheers Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Morning all The props are now finished, so that is construction pretty well complete. There will be a slight lull now as my house is still in chaos (builders in), and spraying is pretty difficult at the moment. Looks like I'll just have to start another French Fancy build instead Cheers Cliff 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted July 12, 2015 Author Share Posted July 12, 2015 Just woken up to how close we are to the end. So primed and painted today (thank you Alclad!). When it's stopped smelling (another couple of minutes?), I will make a start on the decals. Cheers Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted July 14, 2015 Author Share Posted July 14, 2015 Another late(ish) arrival, but a 'finish', nevertheless! More photos in the Gallery. Cheers Cliff 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Beautiful doesn't really cover it. That is gorgeous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Thank you Dave, I've always loved the look of this sleekster. Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Cliff, this is a little jewel! Absolutely gorgeous!!! And what a racy-looking aircraft that was, so much so that it looked years ahead of Its time. The decal windows look bluffing. Congrats JR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 Thank you Jean. The decals were a very nice feature of the kit - although the fuselage band is not quite the arc en ciel that it is meant to be Cheers Cliff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts