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Showing content with the highest reputation on 23/07/21 in all areas

  1. Hello to all of you good people.I present you my eduard MiG-15uti of the Algerian air force.I built it pretty much OOB.The kit is awesome.The fit is really good.I just hand made the FOD cover in order to cover all the led I had to put in the nose.The painting was done with Mr color paints.I also made a video of the build process so who is interested can see it on the following link https://youtu.be/yjDsYQK2bjw
    26 points
  2. The Mig-15 looks like a thick pumpkin next to the La-15. That's why I already have the La-15, but not the MiG-15 yet. The model, according to the Mars Models instructions, represents the first serial La-15. I hope it actually has ever looked like this one because, as I realized after applying the decals, the photos prove otherwise. However, I did not want to go back into the construction process. The construction ran almost without problems until it turned out that the cockpit and air intakes to the engine did not fit into the fuselage. The diameter of the front and rear part of the fuselage after pressing in the cockpit also differed quite significantly. Somehow these problems were managed by the strength and persuasion of the file. Besides these issues - a pure pleasure: nice details, the set includes photo-etched details and masks. Painting - MRP in the interior; for the rest, I used mainly AK Extreme Metal. Dark gray wash from Modellers World. The gun barrels are made of the AK brass tube. I hope you like it Hubert
    20 points
  3. OK, its not an aircraft, but thought it belonged here, more than the Armour section! This is Iconicair's 1/32 resin David Brown tractor. A very enjoyable model to make. Im going to say the masters were 3d printed as there were some minor striations on the mudguards that needed to be sanded off. It went together like a dream. Yes, I realise my brass wire towing pin at the back needs to be painted! I have tackled that since photos were taken. I also managed to lose a headlight, I still live in hope of finding it on the garage floor🧐 Mine has obviously been working on a muddy airfield. Cant wait to attach some bomb trolleys to it. Heres hoping we see a lot more airfield vehicles released in 32 scale. Bruce
    18 points
  4. Ilyushin IL-62 is probably one of the most successful Soviet built intercontinental airliners. The plane carried max. 186 passengers to a max. distance of 10.000 km. Its maiden flight took place in January 1963 and a total of 292 planes were built during the years. Its main operator were Aeroflot and it was also the biggest plane used by Interflug, the East German state airline. The company operated a total of 24 planes. IL-62 was also widely used by many other Soviet block airlines. Ilyushin IL-62's were in use until the early 2000 but because of stricter noise regulations and new and more economical plane types they went almost totally out of commercial traffic. The only airline still using the plane for domestic tourist flights are Air Koryo of North Korea. I built the Interflug IL-62M from a Zvezda 1/144 kit with BOA decals I ordered from the web. I also used a photoetch set from Extratech. The Zvezda kit was of very high quality, very detailed and its fit was excellent. I primed the fuselage with white Tamiya Fine Surface primer which I then sprayed with Tamiya rattle can gloss varnish. The lower part of the fuselage, the wings and stabs were painted with Xtracolor X137 light gull grey. For the smaller details, wheels, lights, etc. I used Humbrol enamels and Vallejo acrylics.
    16 points
  5. For work I inspect pressure systems, steam boilers, compressed air systems etc often the energy from these devices is supplied to something that isn't that exciting or unusual. However today was my favourite job of the year when I get to inspect these beautys 😍 💕 First up a 1902 Locomobile As you can see this is very early on in the history or the motor car and really is just a horseless carriage Although technically its mid engined 😆😆 This was followed up by the 1910 Stanley Now the real incredible thing about this car is that the owner has let me drive it!! Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better the owner announced he had brought a new one! A 1924 Brooke, only 6 are known to survive and out of these only two are operational and this is the most original and possibly the most original steam car in existence! The boiler, (sorry poor photo) which operates around 475 psi and burns vaporised petrol! And finally the coolest horn in the world of any car I know technically its not a spot as I was going specifically to see these cars, but I thought this was interesting enough for you all to forgive me. Finally I know he's not going to see this but I would like to thank the owner for letting post these photos. Andy
    12 points
  6. Finished back in the spring (hence the daffodils in the background 😉) Not sure if this type of camo pattern/Zimmerit and crew uniform are historically accurate but they were all things i wanted to try out. The Zimmerit was Tamiyas self adhesive set which i could have spent more time on and made a neater job of. Paints were from MIG Ammo a set called 1939-44 German standard colours. I`m certainly no expert when it comes to figure painting but I wanted to have a go at painting the dotty type camo uniform (name anyone?) The figures came from a set from Hobby Boss which i can highly recommend. Tank camo pattern courtesy of my imagination.
    11 points
  7. A nice model to construct with the usual Tamiya good fit and reasonable amount of detail. It wasn't too difficult to enhance although reference material for this actual spec wasn't overwhelming. The body colour is Zero paints Jagermeister orange, 1057 finished with Tamiya TS13 clear, several coats polished with micro mesh cloths. The Tamiya decals are fairly good, although the 'Jagermeister' type and the logo were surprisingly thin, I replaced with an (I have to admit) unknown aftermarket set. Carbon fibre Twill weave decal is 1/24 from Scale Motorsport #1024 and #1124 Carbon Fibre, on certain elements of the ducting in the engine bay. Racing harness is my own artwork, inkjet printed on 80 gsm paper, with Scale Motorsport hardware. There's a good deal of additional 'wiring/plumbing' in the engine bay and interior, using a variety of wires from Top Studio, Replicas of Maryland, 'scratched' brake reservoirs made from Evergreen rod. Weathering/dimensional highlighting/panelling lines is predominantly MIG 'Dark Wash'. Heat exhaust staining is airbrushed Alclad 'Burnt Iron'.
    11 points
  8. Well thought out Airfix kit, Thanks for looking .
    11 points
  9. All I have to do is think about building a Mach 2 kit, and suddenly my back doesn't feel so bad. Cheers, Bill
    11 points
  10. Hello all, Here is my latest project: HobbyBoss' 1/48 Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat. This is from the F8F-1B boxing and with decals by Superscale. In the end, most of the markings were masked and painted and only the stencils on the rudder are from that sheet. The wheels are by BarracudaCast. My additions were seatbelts (Eduard generic set), the whip antenna, underwing pitot, small pylons (from Hasegawa late F4U kits) and the light on the top fuselage. Paint is Mr Color 365 Gross (sic) Sea Blue. A write up of making this kit is available here: https://jonbryon.com/hobbyboss-1-48-grumman-f8f-1-bearcat/ Thanks for looking Jon
    10 points
  11. Hello Guys, The kit is a generic Hasegawa kit, which is no problem in the building except for some minor parts which require little filling and sanding. But what strikes me or what is conspicuous is the marking when I saw this aircraft 2 years ago I wish someone did it and Hasegawa came out and I just bought it. Yeah, the decals were just awesome and blown me away. So here it is my favorite aircraft in my collections. The F-15J Eagle `305SQ 40th Anniversary' special markings. Cheers
    9 points
  12. Waaay back in the 1980's a scrapped English Electric Lightning was bought as an attention getter for a scrap dealer/lorry park/advertising location (?) close to the A1 Great North Road near Grantham (The A1 was a kind of early British motorway which connects London with the North and still carries a lot of traffic). It had been chopped up, wings and tail cut off but the new owner splinted it back together with blooming great steel fishplates. This crude method wasn't strong enough to allow the main undercarriage to take the weight, as the legs were outboard of the weak joints. Accordingly, a framework was fabricated to hold it all up from under the belly. It was a good plan but not well executed and with each stormy night, the sharp edges of the cradle cut into the soft aluminium alloys of the Lightning's belly, rather as the eagles tore into Prometheus' liver (Look him up in Greek Myths if you have the time and curiosity). Slowly, the Lightning sank back onto its haunches and pointed its nose at the sky as if trying to rise once again into its natural element, a process greatly accelerated by the removal of the nose radar. Well, it sat there for years, fading and rotting away (much like your author - lol). The souvenir vultures arrived and pinched anything that they could remove, and the scribblers vomited their graffiti all over the airframe. By the nineties it looked like this... Eventually, it dropped from sight and fell to bits and I thought that was the end of it. But to my amazement, I discovered while researching this little essay last night, someone is actually restoring the nose/cockpit section of it right now. Here's a link to their website where you'll find much more of the story: https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/144402-the-ongoing-restoration-of-the-a1-lightning-xn728 And here's my version using the Airfix 1:48 kit. I intended to build a scrapyard diorama but then I always INTEND to build a diorama, and seldom do. Some things went well; I think I was close to nailing the faded, chalky look of the paintwork. Some things were rushed and unsatisfactory; the chipping, for example, and the improvised interior details seen through the purloined panels. But, I still like it, and I'll concentrate on the bits I am proud of and leave you to suggest things that I could have done to improve it. Note that it's not a faithful replica of the original but rather 'based on real events' as Hollywood would put it. Disembowled! Robbed blind! Pinioned to the ground! And pinioned as in wings clipped too! Weathering and oil staining was fun. The original might have risen but my version was determined to fall on its nose. I had to pack the jetpipes with lead to deliberately make it a tail sitter. That was a first! "So where's the graffiti then?" I hear you asking, "Was it too difficult for you?" Yes, it was way too difficult. This model made me sadder with every detail I added, and when it came to scribbling all over it as well, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Fancy me getting emotional over a few tons of scrap metal; I must be getting soft. Well I how you like it and all comments, + and -, are welcome.
    9 points
  13. Latest off the bench......... without an upgrade in progress Eduard Profipack P51 D Mustang Iwo Jima. This kit gets all the thumbs up for quality and fit. So it must be me as I give it the thumbs down. Where do I start .... Flaps can only be in the down position. The undercarriage location is worse than the Airfix Mk5, decals are Ok apart from the excessive carrier film that curls when you take it off the backing paper. I wo's not a happy bunny with this kit so much I did the Airfix version along side. Airfix won by a mile. I do question the profipacks as the basic kit needs very little added. The weekend edition is better value. Any way it all turned out OK On to the photos. Please feel free to comment etc. Thanks for looking Cheers Dick
    9 points
  14. Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 Hasegawa Ju-88 G-1, built from the box, with Schatton metal antennas added. The model was painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics, weathered with artist oils. All photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. This is the latest version of Hasegawa's Ju-88 series, released earlier this year. According to my research, 4R+AK from 2/NJG2, flown by Johannes Strassner, was the only Ju-88 G-1 fitted with the experimental obliquely mounted MG151. The gun barrel comes as a metal part. The prominent exhaust stains, commonly found on G-1 aircraft, was sprayed with Gunze H95 Smoke Grey in several thin layers. Towards the end I added a drop of Black for tonal variation. The squiggle pattern on the upper surfaces were painted freehand. Brake lines are from stretched sprue. Thank your for your interest. Best greetings from Vienna!
    9 points
  15. F-4C Phantom II Tamiya 1:32 There is no point in writing about the model because it is a model that has been available on the market for many years. However, for the model I also used elements for the interior of the Eduard cockpit and resin nozzles. I made the masks for the side numbers on my own.
    9 points
  16. I built this a few years ago. When I got it out of its storage box today I found it was damaged so as I did the repairs I touched up some painted areas and then took new better photos of it The colour is supposed to be a 'burnt orange' . The colour and registration of an Aston Martin that was once owned by one of my motor-club members I added a bit of detail in the engine bay Headlamps and tail-lights were from 'Little-cars'
    9 points
  17. Yesterday was the 68th anniversary of the first flight on the Martin B.57A Canberra. This is my little tribute to that event. The Alpha and Omega of the Martin B.57 Canberra. EE. B.2 WD932, the first pattern aircraft for the B.57 development program. Alongside Martin B.57G Canberra, the ultimate expression on the Canberra bomber design. The B.57G was perhaps after 21 years finally what Teddy Petter had in mind for the Canberra. Both models are based on the Airfix 1/48 Canberra kits, the B.57G less so as it has the more accurate cockpit section from the Classic Airframes B.57B. John
    8 points
  18. 1963 Revell 1/72 Messerschmitt Bf 109 E Major. Adolf Galland III/ JG26
    8 points
  19. This was "commissioned" work from a friend. He is extremely passionate about McLaren F1 and didn't yet have a model of F1 that won the inaugural Helsinki thunder 3h endurance race so he turned for me. We decided that Aoshima's model for long tail test version was the best place to start modifications. I bought the kit, two carbon fibre decal sets and three different race decal sets from which I combined chassis #21R that won in Helsinki. Inner monocoque consists about 50 parts and 120 carbon fibre decals, outside about the in parts but a lot more decals. As the Helsinki race was a relatively short and tight track, it had a unique aero pack that I had to made from scratch. This includes front canards, rear wing, rear aero diffuser and such. If the history behind McLaren F1 or GT1 racing is in your interests I highly suggest you check out Sami Aaltonen's (the man who ordered this build) webpage with pictures from the actual chassis #21R car as it is today and history behind it: https://samiaal.kuvat.fi/kuvat/1995-1997+McLaren+F1+GTR/MCLAREN+F1+GTR+-+ENGLISH/1997+MCLAREN+F1+GTR+LONGTAIL/CHASSIS+21R/ The whole project for this chassis took about 600...700 hours if all the research and reference digging is included and it took about three years to complete. BMW S70/2 engine from this model kit was built separately before this car and combined it has taken about 1000 hours to finish. When I say it out aloud I think the quality isn't anywhere near where it should be but as long as the customer is happy, I'm happy. And if any questions arise, feel free to post them, I'll answer as well as I can.
    7 points
  20. The model represents a Fieseler Fi 156 C-3/Trop of the Wüstennotstaffel 1 (SAR squadron). The plane is in the basic scheme 70/71/65, with a narrow 'wawe mirror' in sand RLM 79 superimposed on it. The painting, as my habit, was made entirely by brush. This scheme was not applied in Africa, as in the case of many other airplanes, but made directly in the factory, before the transfer for operational use. The codes, printed by me, are, as often happened for this unit, the factory ones (Stammkennzeichen). Some photos illustrating various details Finally an image of the lower surfaces. Note that the lower wingtips are not painted in white. Hope you like it Criticism and suggestions as always welcome Thanks for viewing Giampiero Piva
    7 points
  21. So another fairly large part of the kit has been tackled today the exhaust system 🙂. Again I've probably spent way to much time working on a part that won't be seen when the build is finished but I've enjoyed messing around with various metallic colours and I'm happy with the results. Here's a couple of pics of today's progress with the exhaust dropped roughly in position but not finally attached I also have the various radiator parts primed and ready for paint then hopefully I can add the engine and fix all these various parts to the chassis. Thanks for looking back soon 🙂👍
    7 points
  22. Bf109 G-6 9./JG54, February 1944 1/72 Kit by Tamiya Thanks to our Hosts! Wip
    7 points
  23. Still inching along…. Summer doesn’t allow as much time for modelling, so I do what I can when I can. I thought I was pretty close to wrapping the turret up but there are a lot of parts left still!
    7 points
  24. Messerschmitt Bf-109F-4 Flown by Torzsormester Dezso Szentgyorgyi. 1/1 Vadaszszazad (Fighter Squadron), Rossosh Airfield, Russia, January 1943. Zvezda 1/48 Bf-109F-4 Decals by SBS Models and paint by Xtracrylix, Lifecolor, Revell and Ammo (Mig). Build can be found here; Thanks for looking. Craig.
    6 points
  25. An odd looking plane: A less well-known motorcycle combo: That clever half-track motorcycle thing: And two golden oldies for the future Matchbox GB: The latter bought from our very own @fightersweep 🙂
    6 points
  26. Bought another kit that I don't really need (buying something you need is usually boring imo) as I already have the 500 version which I believe is mostly the same. But it looks like a nice kit and now I can build both versions.
    6 points
  27. Did some work stance wise this morning. The front got some re-positioning of the front spindles, a little sanding here and a little drilling there. All the rear springs needed was a slight re-arching. Now it's starting to look more like I want it to with a slight forward rake.
    6 points
  28. Hey all, Here's my Tamiya Cromwell. I used Black Dog Models stowage set and hessian set along with Miniart's Tank Crew & Tank Rider's set. The Black dog set utilises an all new resin turret as well as a whole load of stowage. I used a figure from the Miniart Tank Crew set along with the original kit commander along with the tank riders that Miniart do as well. I painted the vehicle using Humbrol Enamels and I weathered it using a mix of oils, Ammo by MiG and pencils. Thanks for looking! Again, thanks for looking guys, Sam
    6 points
  29. I think I married her! Oops, don't let Mrs Martian see that! Tactful of Mars 👽
    6 points
  30. Hey All, I spent this week building the Torsion Bar Anchors for the suspension system, along with a few other items. This is where I left off with the first build. The previous photo references I was using did not show a clear view of the total anchor, and I guessed at what It should look like. The old, not quite right. The new and improved torsion Bar Anchors. These took all week to build..... Placed along the rail frame......... These all look like they are level enough to move on to the next part of the suspension system...... I also built the Tail Hook Anchor, and hook, and install..... I also have a bit of plumbing started. The other ends of the lube lines will be attached much later in the build. A busy build week this week. All a lot of fun. I have started building the next phase of the suspension system. I hope to have something to show next week. Packing for the move is coming closer. Thanks All for watching.........
    6 points
  31. After having a good break, and change of scenery, I couldn't get back into doing any modelling for a bit but here's where we are after some recent work in the man-cave! The engine cowlings didn't go one quite as well as the last Airfix Blenheim I did, mustn't have trimmed the engines down enough, but it'll do me. Decals and varnish on, there are some bits to touch up here and there. I got the undercarriage and bomb-doors on, everything going in ok apart from one of the doors needing trimming slightly. Just got the turret and aerial to fix on then some bits of painting and a small amount of weathering. More soon. Davey.
    6 points
  32. It's been a while since my last build. We've been busy with a complicated house move and there's plenty still to do making the new place habitable. I don't need other distractions, but then I noticed @fightersweep was having a stash reduction. Amongst the many aircraft, was this temptation: I love these early 70s Datsuns and the price was right, so I steamed in. I could have done with it being lost in the post for a few months but it arrived disappointingly promptly and has been tempting me ever since. I really shouldn't be getting into this right at the moment. I don't even have my modelling desk properly set-up and the lighting in the room is rubbish, but I suppose it's good painting weather and I could just make a start on the body in the sunshine... Check this out; boxy and lovely. The moulding quality looks really good and it has some crisp detailing, but it's hard to spot any imperfections due to the bright red plastic. Two light coats of Tamiya Fine Surface primer later and it's considerably easier on the eye. Unusually for me, I'll build this one pretty much OOB, even down to painting it red courtesy of a clearance bargain Nissan red rattle can from Halfords. The forecast is possibly a little humid but I'll go for it anyway and cut it back as required. The primer coat is probably the best it'll look for a while though... This might be a slow build so don't be hanging on my every word.
    5 points
  33. all the pictures from the original release had gone so i uploaded them again wit a different pic host ....once upon a time there were 3 Jackstands..... but read yourself ...but the Jackstands yelled give us something to support so i made this in the belief it's ok now.... ...but still the whole arrangement yelled meh... this is boring we want something to connect to... So i ended up with this.... ...last but not least the guys from the maintenance crew installed some cowlings... ..not much will be seen from the cockpit once snuggled in so here some shots during building process.. So i've learnt my lesson and i don't think that i will be that naive a second time, doing 3 Jackstands and believing to get away with it.... BTW the Camouflage & Markings of my Bf 109 for this build are fictitious Base kit Revell & good amount of scratch parts and some Eduard Resin All the best Hans
    5 points
  34. Hello friends ! Back to Vietnam with this M48A3 Dragon to which I added the xenon projector from Legend, absent from the original box. The figures are from Bravo6, the impedimenta from another Legend set and spare box buiding is here: http://fighters.forumactif.com/t97757-sitting-duck-1st-tank-battalion-company-c-north-of-combat-base-anhoa-_-may-1970 See you soon for a little vignette in Hué Take care Fabrice
    5 points
  35. Where to begin! Long story short...1 seal coat (Mr Super Clear Matt) and 4 coats of primer (Mr Surfacer 1500 in a 50/50 ratio with Mr Colour Leveling Thinners) later...still the same result!!! I did not take pics as I was so frustrated/disappointed...again! Whilst outside having a smoke...and holding the rear wing in my hand...a neighbor wandered over...asked what I was holding...so...we got chatting...and I explained all the crap I was having with the two wings. "How about I put them through my ultra sonic cleaner"...so...having nothing to lose I handed them over...and off he went. 45 minutes later...he handed me back 2 'frosted' wings! He told me to give them another sanding...then give them back to him for another run through the US cleaner...and 25 minutes after handing them to him...following a thorough sanding...I got the two wings back. In my rush to get them primed...I forgot to take a pic but...the only way to describe how they looked is a pure white/frosted finish all over. Not wanting to waste another load of the 1500 surfacer...I used my cheap rattle can stuff...which has always worked in the past...and the result............ Obviously...this is only the first stage (primer)...and adds a little pressure in hoping the silver goes down equally well...but I feel I now have a fighting chance Will leave them for 36 hours before thinking about applying a metal shade. Ron to be continued.......
    5 points
  36. Easy to get motivated when the results please. Very happy with "normal vision" numbers now. Worth the effort. Ray
    5 points
  37. Cheers Col, and I am very pleased to be able to say that Minion-schmitt number 2 is finished as well! Quite a frustrating build at times but I am glad that I persevered with it as I am quite happy with how she turned out in the end. Would I recommend it or build another? Probably, but only if you are planning to build one with the engine panels open as getting them to fit in the closed position isn't much fun at all. I am really happy with the SBS decals, they performed flawlessly and are good value too as they provide enough markings for you to build all the options on the sheet. Anyway thats enough waffle here are some pictures of the finished model, I shall also stick some in the gallery; All that remains is for me to wish our esteemed host @Col. my thanks for his usual very high standard of GB and all of you out there who have popped by with advice, encouragement and kept an eye on what I have been up to on here a big thank you too, you guys are what makes this such an excellent site. As usual all comments and criticisms are gratefully received. Craig.
    5 points
  38. Some more box arts Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/alpha-jet-a-e-1-72-kp-kovozavody-prostejov/ Alpha Jet E Alpha Jet 1B/B+ Alpha Jet A Alpha Jet A Alpha Jet A V.P.
    5 points
  39. last few Trailer pics (honestly) This one was built for the Unimog
    5 points
  40. thankyou johndon , it is good therapy mate . got some more PE work done . waiting on some medium CA to arrive .
    5 points
  41. Hi all, I thought you might like to see final build of a Mosca-Bystritsky MB bis fighter, flown by the Imperial Russian Air Force from 1916. The forum build is here: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235094316-132nd-scale-mosca-bystritsky-mb-bis-fighter/#comments The basic 1:32nd scale kit is resin and made by ‘Omega Models’ (Kit No: 32-003). The list of changes/additions to the model are: Engine: Detailed with Nickel-Silver valve push rods, copper wire ignition leads and replacement induction manifolds. Modified or corrected: All wing support, landing gear, tail skid and gun mount struts were replaced with handmade Brass tube struts with internal reinforcing Brass rod. Rigging is 0.08 mm or 0.12 mm diameter mono-filament with ‘GasPatch’ 1:48th scale turnbuckles and 0.5 mm or 0.4 mm diameter blackened Brass tube. Upper and lower rudders were replaced with scratch made rudders from plastic card. Aftermarket: ‘GasPatch’ spoke wheels and tyres used to replace the resin kit parts. ‘GasPatch’ Lewis Mk.1 Standard type (stripped front) used to replace kit part. ‘BarracudaCast’ British wicker AGS seat used to replace the kit part. ‘Kellerkind Miniaturen’ Russian pilot 1914-17. ‘Jadar’ WW1 1:48th scale control horns. Decals: ‘Aviattic’ Clear Doped Linen (CDL) bleached (ATT32044), ‘Aviattic’ Walnut woodgrain (dark and light) (ATT32060), ‘Airscale’ WW1 Generic instrument dials (AS32 WW1). The kit decals were replaced with corrected markings, printed from an Inkjet printer and on white decal paper. As usual I've created a downloadable build log in Adobe PDF format, for those who might want to refer to it for reference or build details. It contains full step by step descriptions of the model build, its modifications/changes and is also supported with illustrations and photographs. If viewed in Adobe Reader, each build log has book marked chapters/headings for easier navigation through the log. My model website has the gallery page, so to view any model, go to the gallery and select it. If it has a PDF build log, it will be available to download using the 'PDF' icon on that model photo page. For any photograph, just click the photo to enlarge or reduce the viewing size. http://igavh2.xara.hosting Mike
    5 points
  42. Afternoon Gentlemen The last clear coat has been sprayed 24 hours ago and has now fully dried. No dust on it, having protected the fresh clear under a wide and tall clean plastic box (the few dust particles you can see on the pictures were deposited just before I took the photos...) No orange peel visible on the dark blue parts, and a little on the light blue ones, so, it's now time to sanding and polishing, what will take a few days, given that the assembly of the main body and the front fenders is very fragile, so I have to proceed extremely carefully . Thanks for watching
    5 points
  43. She's not exactly Torquemada, but she doesn't take any crap. 😬 Cheers, Bill
    5 points
  44. A few updates... Some windows need to be opened up for the USN PB4Y-2 version of the Privateer (as opposed to the RY-3 transport version) and these were opened up in the usual way. I have not test fit the clear parts yet, so let's hope I didn't make the windows too large! If I did, I'll have to use Micro Kristal-Kleer or whatever it's called instead of the kit bits. The new fuselage side panels for the ERCO waist turrets were removed from the casting blocks and test fit against the gaping hole in the fuselage side. Guess what? The resin panels are just slightly oversize. You can pop them in, but they bow out slightly. The way they are designed (following the kit parts) includes a lip which provides the gluing surface. Due to the lip, it would be difficult to sand the resin panels to make them smaller, so I decided to open up the hole in the fuselage instead. It didn't take much to create a nice fit. The ring that contains the gun turret is held in the side panel with a pair of resin retainers. For now, these are simply held in place with superglue, but I think this warrants some five-minute epoxy for additional strength. Once the ring is in place, it looks like this: Obviously, the remainder of the turret must be built first before being attached to the model. The fore and aft aerodynamic fairings that are so prominent in photos will go over the ring pivots on the outside of the fuselage and I reckon it might be possible, if you're really careful with the glue, to have the turrets actually pivot up and down. Shades of Monogram 1960! Imagine the fun you can have shooting at imaginary submarines that have just surfaced for a cocktail party. Nah, I think I'll just pose 'em and glue 'em. Leaving them moveable will just invite my grandson. Now, about those rings. I going to refer from now on to the Curse of the Calamitous Cobra Crud (C4). Seriously, someone should have taken the time to clean the moulds prior to casting this set of parts. I've already shown you some C4 - if you're squeamish you best look away now. 😱 On the left note the rather large chunk of C4 at the top, inside the ring. It's the bit that looks like an errant unconstrained sneeze. Both rings were like this when I started, since they were both made from the same tool. The ring on the right shows my attempt at cleaning out the crud. There is still more work to do here before I'm completely satisfied. You can also see some nasty "air pockets" in the protruding pivots at the bottom. Thanks to the putty fairy these will be taken care of. 🧚‍♀️ I know that Lone Star Models will be re-releasing this Cobra set either later this year or sometime in 2022. I trust they will clean out the moulds before they start casting. By the way, the first photos I've seen of their 1:48 resin kit of the PB4Y-2 look very nice indeed, and surely a model that will be quite popular. And expensive. 💷 Back to work... Cheers, Bill PS. I'm up to 30 minute sessions at the workbench, as well as walking each day for 30 minutes. I'm doing very well with my physio, or so Heather my therapist tells me. Science!
    5 points
  45. A little bit of progress with seats. Part No 99 a four cushion seat is missing which is where my spare kit comes in. All I've got to do is paint a 'hovercraft load' of figures and the cars. Will trial fit outer walls and front and rear first as I know a few others have had problems at that stage.
    4 points
  46. Ooh, does that mean we get to see another Fritag Chippie build - in fumble thumbs scale? Imagine the details you'll be able to cram in this one Steve....!! Keith PS you realise you'll also have to revisit the JP's, Hawks and eventually do a couple of Jags in 1/48 too now....?! 🤣
    4 points
  47. This is where I'll leave off for today. I've managed to get the road wheels fitted this evening. Went with the Trumpeter spares I had as the Italeri ones were quite flashed up and would not fit together as the mounting point on the rear wheel simply wouldn't fit in the socket on the other wheel. The axles were a pain as the mounting pin is too short to securely fit to the hull. Italeri also try and key them so they sit at the correct angle but the moulding is so sloppy the axles just spin making setting the ride height quite challenging I've also glued the inserts with the lifting hooks into the turret. These are overscale and will be trimmed off, filled and some Trumpeter spares used instead. The mounting pins for the engine have been removed so it can sit further towards the front of the tank. With some ignition leads and a little more detailing it should look fairly good under the hatches. Finally Italeri have used a strange, hard plastic for this kit. Very reminiscent of the old Airfix Chieftain, Sheridan and Leopard. More soon Ben
    4 points
  48. Thank you Ray, still these cockpits gave me some fit problems with the canopy’s in the end. Due to the instrument panels the fuselage were a little wider on some kits than they should be 😟.(It is something I underestimated) Nevertheles there is a lot of plastic so I could sand it down untill everything settled as it should😉 I had some inspiration during the build .. cheers, Jan
    4 points
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