Whirly

Please add an Hamilcar too, still undecided on 1/72 vacform or 1/48 scratchbuilt

Thanks for reminding Jockney: actually it was an attempt to convince myself I can actually complete one or even two builds in the given time frame

This is an interesting theme being naturally limited by available glider kits and relative ease of build (not much AMS possible ). I have a few suitable british subjects in my stash so I would definitely join!

Didn't notice that scene! Seems there may be two different shapes, look at this image, it' not exceedingly good but you can make out the oblong section I talked about: https://tinyurl.com/ya87r642 What I see on my monitor is quite ambiguous but if the author of the book is so adamant I would trust him as you do! What is the book you are referring to?

Hi Craig, I just found this topic and I read it with great interest because I've planned for a long time to build one of the target-tug B-57. Since references are quite scarce I would like to submit these two I found online recently. The top colour varies a lot in images but should be 12197 International Orange, not pure red, according to the notes I have collected. Note also that looking at the target containers from behind their section is not exactly a tube but more like a cam, which shows a more gentle fairing into the lower fuselage shape than a circle would. I hope you find this notes useful, I can post more images if you like from what I collected over the years. Anyway, please go ahead with your build, should be a really spectacular model once finished!

You are right, but I grew up on enamels and despite many attempt I never really mastered the "new"acrylics: I have some bottles in my drawer but I always approach them with some trepidation when I have to use them in the airbrush. Sometimes I win while more often I end with curses and struggles. I think it all comes down to the nature of these paints: once they start to dry there is really nothing which can dissolve them, and I mean dissolve, not detach from a surface. I thought that Pt2 was still at 'desirable' status, while I checked now and found that you are already collecting votes, I added mine!

Please add me to the list: next time I promise I will start early and get the build completed! I have plenty of suitable kits in my stash, just need the time to build them

Thank you for the appreciation, though I fear I won't do it,you'll see why at the end of the post... The canards are on, I didn't want to risk fitting them with paint in the middle since the fit is again very wobbly. U/C installed too: that front door is a real nightmare of struts and leverages for which the kit supplied parts are nearly useless. No way I could assemble it after painting! The PJ resin seats are painted and installed: I'm not entirely happy with shape and details but at least they just fit inside the canopy, so in the end @Orso was right! Note also how I robbed a brilliant idea from @Dave Swindell's build: the HUD was treated with a green permanent marker and the final effect is quite nice. And now we come at the bad news: after a quick masking session and installing the cockpit canopy I proceeded to the painting stage. The exact shades to be used are quite elusive, in the end I settled for 36375 underside since I had no 36373 in my assortment, but the result really didn't suit my taste: too cold and bluish. After sorting through all the other greys I have I gave another coat of Barley Grey which seems much better to my eyes. With this setback I already wasted a full day, then the final blow came with the blue fin: I used Oxford Blue from Xtracolor, it sprayed very nicely but, despite thinning with Mr Levelling thinner, I fear it will need a week to dry completely... Well, I knew I started too late but I saw a small hope with the last minute extension. Ok, It was fun anyway and a real pleasure to receive ancouragement from other BMers. I will post here any update and then it will go straight in RFI. I must say also I was amazed at the number of builds enlisted (and completed) in this GB: it is a really popular theme and I hope there will be a sequel in the not too distant future.

Typical of Italeri! Some more progress today. The extreme nose is a blob of plastic so I removed the pitot and strakes then reshaped the tip and added again the lost details. I took also care of the windscreen base according to Bjorn's warning. We start to see some paint! The exhaust is a light cream, probably coming from the ceramic material. This will receive later a dark wash (if I can remember it). I added the small flying surfaces between canards and wings (how would they call them ??? ), another half scratch built pair of items, sometimes I feel like building a vacuform!

Many coats and Tamiya Putty and Mr.Surfacer later.... I proceeded with reattaching the flaps (some repairs with thin plasticard were needed). I did not want to pose the airbrakes open, it is a very unusual pose when parked, but the fit was terrible remedied (somewhat) with thin plasticard and Mr.Surfacer. The fin joint is again another very weak point. I had to flood it with superglue and putty over it. @Dave Swindell thank you for noting the dent in the rudder, duly added! All pilons needed modifications to make them more realistic. Talking of pilons, the wingtip rails were a real disaster, much work to carve an acceptable shape and then some refinements with stretched sprue

Back to the assembly, the wings went on. Big gaps at the root, I used this sprue to fill and reinforce the joint before applying filler. Notice the sink marks in the wing slats... More trenches on the underside.

Very valuable input, Bjorn. the Pavla seats seem even worse than the PJ one I have. I'll see how they fit in my model and report the outcome. Must be an amusing show this startup sequence! Thank you for the compliments. Yeah, maybe the yellow resin too which doesn't help, but the Aeroclub seats always had a very 'right' appearance. Even if not up to modern iperdetailed standard I miss them as a quick way to upgrade a cockpit.

Col., you description is spot on!

Dave, I hope you have better luck with paint at the next attempt, I'm eager to see your Gripen finished! Just curious: you assembled all the undercarriage and its doors: how you are going to paint it? I'd like to do the same with my model but I fear it would end up as a very messy job..

Thank you exdraken! Really didn't expect so much work, not only for the resin: the Gripen is a small aircraft but with a very complicated shape and many flying surfaces to attend. In the meantime I received a small bag of resin seats I purchased just for this build. It is a set from PJ Production and I'm not too convinced by the shape and proportions. On the left you can see the single seat provided by Tally-Ho: it is a monumental armchair, I think really oversized especially in width. In the middle are the kit provided items, very thin and 'generic'. On the right are the PJ seats, nice as they are they seem quite anemic. Anybody already used them? They are item 721210 and can be used in several modern a/c.