Here's my offering for the Airliner GB - Airfix's venerable Trimotor, complete with yellowed transfers, a slip advertising Betta Bilda and instructions that you actually have to read.

Looking forward to Saturday.

Cliff

Great choice Cliff I remember doing one when that box was new

Hope you didn't have it too near the gas-lamp

Cliff

Yet another classic!

This is going to be an interesting GB.....

Prenton

Very nice, and welcome!

So here we go, my first Group Build and also the first time I have re-visited a kit that I remember making in my youth. The Airfix Trimotor was first released in 1968, although my current kit dates from the mid 1970's.

So far all I have done is have a quick look at the major components and I have to say that they seem pretty good for both surface detail and fit (but we will see ).

The only agro is likely to come from a set of ejector pin marks on the outside of one side panel and a heavily marked cockpit canopy. Hopefully some TLC will sort both these issues out .



The decals are also extremely yellow but this won't be an issue for me as I shall be doing NC 9654 as operated by Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB), and this is one of the aircraft on a Blue Rider Chaco War decal sheet. Whilst LAB continued to operate scheduled services during the Chaco War, their aircraft were also used to transport troops and military supplies. This was to be the downfall of NC 9654 as, on 26th October 1932, it suffered engine failure while attempting to take off with a full load of fuel and artillery shells and was destroyed (just 35 days after entering service).



Unfortunately the colour scheme for NC 9654 is as dull as it gets (aluminium overall with black serials), so I'll try to provide a few extra details to add a bit of interest.

I'll keep you posted on progress (and look forward to reading your updates too).

Cliff

Not much to report this week, just a few snatched minutes dealing with the ejector pin marks (well, the 24 potentially visible ones at least!).

Most were dead easy to remove/fill but, as I feared, the the ones that were embossed into the corrugations were little ******s. Eventually, a combination of filing, runny superglue and gloopy primer has got me to a stage where I can pass the the marks off as a clever attempt to recreate the effects of careless ground handling . I'm going to use semi-matt Alclad and most of the marks will be under the shadow of the wing so there shouldn't be too many give-away reflections.



I'm on my own in the house today (wife and daughter off to Chester), so am optimistic about making some slightly more enjoyable progress.

Cheers

Cliff

Good stuff! I wouldn't have fancied trying to tackle those myself.

Amen to that Cliff !

My wife and daughter are out today as well. Dunno where, but I'm hoping the £50 I gave them will get them far enough away for me to get the ole airbrush out for another project I'm working on !

Good job on the ejector-pin marks !

Nice job! Fixing that must have been a nightmare...these old kits certainly require us to use our modelling skills, that the more modern shake and bake kits don't really need. Looking at your photo, it's very difficult to see where the imperfections were.

You are brave to use Alclad in such circumstances. Back when the kit was a nipper, a paint job with Humbrol no. 11 silver would all that could have been expected.

I will be looking forward to seeing the end result.

Good luck!

Prenton

Thanks for the comments guys.

Prenton, have you started your Ju86 yet? I'm feeling lonely here in 1/72 land

Had a good today, the interior's finished and the fuselage closed up - just needs a little fettling to finish off the joints once the glue has dried.



I've chosen not to fit the cabin seats, as I'll add this Trimotor to my collection of Chaco War aircraft, and when it was in service it was predominantly as a freighter (feel it bit guilty about this though, given that this is an Airliner GB )



Hope you're all having a good weekend too.

Cliff

Heh... I wouldn't worry, Cliff - neither of my airliners have any seats in them either

I won't tell if you won't.....

Cliff

Ju 86 started, but nothing that justifies photos as yet. Still intending to put in cabin seats tho'

Hope to get photographing tomorrow afternoon, when SWMBO is away (!)

Nice work on the cockpit!

Prenton

This weeks photo....

High of the week - turning the scratched monstrosity of a cockpit canopy into something that is reasonably shiny and clear.

Low of the week - realising, too late, that I should have made some effort to reduce the thickness of the wing's trailing edge (scale thickness is an impressive 150 mm).

Cliff

That look's great - excellent job on getting rid of those ejector pin marks, I think I'd have put it back in the box when I saw those!

Really interesting choice of subject there Cliff!

Keef

Hi Cliff,

Just picked up one of these tri-motors for 99p + the blue rider decals for the Bolivian Chaco war aircraft. Thought I was been original! I will watch your build with interest. I hear tell that official histories of the war said the aircraft gained full Bolivian markings before it was written off. I'm not sure if that was true (adding airforce markings wouldn't help the case that it was a civilian LAB passenger craft rather than military transport!) but taking in to account the 'conversation piece' factor- I'm slapping Bolivian markings on mine! They are very colourful afterall!

Hi Killingholme

I was in two minds about adding Bolivian roundels to the Trimotor, but as you may know the only photographic record shows it operating in its delivery civil markings. Other LAB aircraft certainly did carry military markings during the war however (like the F.13 on the decal sheet).

Ultimately though my mind was made up by the fact that I have previously used Blue Rider Bolivian roundels on a Junkers K43 and found it impossible to get them to settle into the corrugations (at least with Microscale products) - I hope you have better luck

Are you planning to do any other of the subjects on the Chaco War decal sheet?

Cliff

thanks for the insights Cliff. (I should note that EVERYTHING I know about the Chaco war is drawn from Hagedorn and Sapienza's book on the subject) It is interesting to know you had trouble with the cockades on your Junkers 43. Now I've handled my 99p trimotor, and the 'ridge and furrow' wings, I know what you mean (does it mean something is up-skittled when the model's decals are worth more than the model btw?!)

In answer to your other question- I was given the blue rider decals by a friend as I expressed an interest in using them on an RS models Curtiss 'Hawk'. And to go in to it slightly further- the whole issue came up from a conversation beginning Cuban aircraft, developing into a discussion about Graham Greene's vacuum-cleaner salesman 'Wormold' in 'Our Man in Havana'. In the passage of conversation it was remarked how my friend thought of the Curtiss agent 'Cliff' Travis very much in the same sort of light to the Wormold charachter. I suppose I can sort of see his point. It's funny what sets you on a particular modelling tack!

Watching your build with interest. great work so far.

Me to! The lack of information can be a blessing though, much less chance of getting things 'wrong'.

I bought my Trimotor secondhand just before Airfix re-released it (after a long absence) - 10 times the price of yours at £9.99. Still cheap modelling though, even at that.

As you'll see below I'm doing the Hawk too at present (the new RS version, not their older resin). A great little kit. I'll be using the Blue Rider decals for that too (although the kit's got the Bolivian option included), in order to match in with the rest of my Chaco collection.

Cliff

A frustrating time with the Trimotor, but hopefully all's well that ends well.

I've spent what little time I've had over the last couple of weeks filling (two-part putty to avoid the need to sand), and trying to fit the engine pods. What a nightmare.

The strut location holes were either too large (swallowing the struts whole) or in the wrong places (or both). I ended up having to fill all the locating holes and start again from scratch (not easy when dealing with the multiple curvature of the pods). Finally got them mounted after multiple gobs of superglue. A bit of a mess close-up, but should be OK when largely hidden by the engines.



It does beg the question 'how did I manage to make this kit when I was a teenager'? I don't remember having these problems then. Maybe experience is no substitute for good eyesight and steady hands

Next task was masking up the transparancies - I'd had to sand all the framing off the cockpit canopy but if anything, this probably made life easier.

So now everything's ready for some paint. Should get some primer on this weekend and (depending on what that reveals ), maybe even some Alclad. Fingers crossed.

Cliff

Keep at it, Cliff - I do remember reading a build report on this kit that sounded pretty grim (about as much fun as being tied to a chair and made to listen to Michael Bolton for about 7 hours), so not really surprised you are finding some "issues".

No, not that bad. Although superglue could be effective there too.

Cliff

Prime, fill, sand
Prime, fill, sand
Prime, fill, sand
Prime
Photograph
Post



The next time you see this brute, it will be finished!

Cliff

Cliff


Looking forward to seeing the result!!

Keep with it, you WILL finish....

Prenton

Finished at last!



Cliff

Ooh, that looks lovely!!

Excellent result from such an old kit, great stuff!!

Keef

That's a cracker! Nice one!

Great work Cliff, and nicely presented on that base too.

Well that's what I was going to say!

Nice job Cliff, love the base and the GB placard!

Very nice.

What a great result, shows all the work was worth the effort

Graeme

Many thanks for all your comments

Cliff