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Tupolev Tu-134A in resin

Mike

By Mike
in Airliner Group Build

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Mike Constant Member

Mike

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This one was given to me by Chris (Stringbag) in a bit of a flurry of inter-modeller generosity between us late last year.

I started mucking about with it immediately because I've never built an airliner before, and not built a full resin kit before either. The agricultural nature of it also appealed to me, with the fuselage sticking out of a rough hole in the blister pack that contained the other parts.

Apparently, there was criticism of the nose when the kit was originally released, so the designer released an updated piece that needed the modeller to chop off the top couple of inches from the nose of the beast. Not too difficult to do as it happens, but the pieces weren't exactly of the same diameter. Cue shedloads of sanding til I got to this position:

nose1.jpg

I then compared it to the real thing and decided I hated it, so out came the large aggressive sanding sticks.

nose2.jpg

Which (I think) compares a lot more favourably with the real thing:

realnose.jpg

The wings were a bit rough too, covered in nasty bubbles that needed filling. I used this technique that came upon me in a flash of lucidity. The wing fences were also falling off, having been moulded integral to the wing in wafer thin resin. Off they came, and I made some new ones from brass sheet, installing them in razor saw cuts into the surface of the wing for strength.

wings1.jpg

The flying surfaces were similarly 'orrible, so I chopped them off and made templates for new ones, including the hinges. The same was true of the tail, so that got the same treatment:

tail1.jpg

The original kit engines weren't set up properly, and the outer surface came away with light finger pressure. I put in a request for some replacements from Bra.Z, but in case I got no reply, I covered the originals with putty as a contingency measure. I got an almost immediate reply from the owner, and soon afterwards I got a pair of MUCH better engines, which featured in the bubble filling tip mentioned earlier.

I installed pins to all the joints of the major parts, and did a quick mock up (before I attacked the nose again):

airframe1.jpg

Here's another shot after the rhinoplasty, with a bit of primer shot over the main surfaces:

airframe2.jpg

Not much to show for all that work, as I'm not even back to square one yet. Next job is a rescribe to reinstate all those lost panel lines in the fuselage. Wish me luck! :pray:

Mike Constant Member

Mike

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Tis a bit innit Keef? It was that film clip someone posted earlier in the week, plus some chiding from Stringbag that made me change my mind and dig it out. :)

Mike Constant Member

Mike

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Film clip? I missed that!

K

Not now you haven't :)

Mike Constant Member

Mike

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Oh yeah... I think I lied about the decals. There's a red scheme on the sheet, but it's the blue Aeroflop scheme I'm doing :doh:

decals.jpg

stringbag Completely Obsessed Member

stringbag

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plus some chiding from Stringbag that made me change my mind and dig it out. :)

Don't have any time myself, but I'm good at the "chiding" game. LOL

Mike Constant Member

Mike

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Don't have any time myself, but I'm good at the "chiding" game. LOL

You're not fudgin' kidding! :rolleyes:

Micha Obsessed Member

Micha

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would like to see it in Interflug colours ... but Aeroflot is ok, too ;)

Mike Constant Member

Mike

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would like to see it in Interflug colours ... but Aeroflot is ok, too ;)

You're obsessed! :lol:

Micha Obsessed Member

Micha

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You're obsessed! :lol:

you're right :evil_laugh::D

keefr22 Blabber Mouth

keefr22

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Not now you haven't :)

Brilliant! Thanks Mike. Now, what was that all about....??!! :shrug::D

Personally, I like the Czech OK jet scheme....!! :whistle::P

K

CliffB Blabber Mouth

CliffB

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Mike

I look forward to seeing your diorama based on the film clip :winkgrin:

Cliff

keefr22 Blabber Mouth

keefr22

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Mike

I look forward to seeing your diorama based on the film clip :winkgrin:

Cliff

Now there's a thought Cliff - I think he should do the bit where it stops for the zebra crossing.....!! :P

K

Micha Obsessed Member

Micha

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but how does he place all those brown Ladas ... there was only one :P;):D

Milo Black Established Member

Milo Black

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Not much to show for all that work, as I'm not even back to square one yet.

... but definitely approaching square zero at speed :)

Nice rhinoplasty.... and no, I *didn't* have to google it (smug).

  • 2 weeks later...
Mike Constant Member

Mike

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Sorry there have been no updates on this - scribing isn't very entertaining in pictures :unsure:

I've done the majority of the re-scribing on the fuselage, but because the primer was getting thick, it was difficult to see whether the lines were ok, so I sanded off the primer back to bare resin to check. I took the opportunity to blow some Alclad white primer onto the airframe too, to expose any defects that need sorting before I can complete construction. There are many. They are legion. :rolleyes:

Still - most of it's there now, and just needs tidying up. I removed the door and emergency exit (?) windows over the wings, as one of them was in the wrong place, and there are decals included with the set anyway, so why bother leaving them there?

airframe3.jpg

Micha Obsessed Member

Micha

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looks great! Can't await to build my own TU-134 and TU-154 :frantic:

...in Interflug colours :P

Kev1n Completely Obsessed Member

Kev1n

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well I think he's doing pretty well - cut him a lil slack here....

tho since aeroflot's early TU's were pretty smoky, I expect there to be some weathering.....

(the film wasnt bad either:))

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