BluesModeller

Done!

Stunning job on this old and dodgy kit. Love those wheels! I have a few of these starter kits on the go (not this one) that I’m slowly building between bigger builds. A few really good ones but there are some absolute shockers. Might be starter kits but they are likely the one and only kit a lot of people will start. But even the bad ones can be turned into something a little bit special with the skills, patience and right tools. This is a great example!

Lovely work on those sleek birds Neil!

I missed that post for some reason! You’re right. If the end result looks good that’s all that matters. Strange of Eduard not to include the correct amount of parts on the sheet but not the worst thing to have to fashion I suppose. This is coming along quick and the results are excellent so far.

Coming along nicely. Did you figure out what to do about the missing PE?

That is looking super sharp! Love it!

Just transferred some money to my Paypal... Thought it would be instant but can take a few days. Ah well, when it’s in I’ll happily make a donation. Will only be a few quid literally but this a is a great little site and the unfortunate truth is that there aren’t many on the internet these days no matter what the topic. Will drop a note when it’s done.

You’re off to an excellent start! Strange about the missing parts. I’ve never used photo tech but I’m wondering how hard it would be to fashion the missing parts out of some scrap bit of photo etch?

Possibly for the first time ever I managed to make a self imposed deadline! Outside at half past eight with the light going and the constant threat of rain I managed to get the model primed. As expected there are a few areas that need more attention but so far so good. Little bit of work to do on the cockpit window and a little more sanding needed on some seams but nothing more than a few swipes with a sanding stick. Probably the biggest job will be reinstating / deepening some of the panel lines but again nothing too major. I have a new scriber on the way tomorrow and some Dymo(?) embossing tape. I do have the Tamiya scriber but the spare blades never seemed to work as well as the first one that was in it. The new one is the Squadron scriber. Hopefully get a coat of white gloss on her in the next couple of days. The weather may scupper my plans for the foreseeable future. Once I do get a coat of white on it then I’ll start on the engines whilst it cures. Mike

Those engines are looking great! I struggled to get a decent job on the engines of my BA A319... Such a pain to mask. I’m satisfied with the results I got but this is excellent!

Thanks for the tip RCI!

Lots of filling and sanding... Mostly because I always put too much on the joins and make more work for myself, however the cockpit window / roof needed a a fair bit not only to hide the join but blend the part into the rest of the fuselage. It isn’t terrible but the fit could certainly be a lot better. Also removed the two inside doors as this particular aircraft has a different configuration than the original A321neo prototype. I filled the windows with the included clear window strips and then applied filler to make it all completely smooth for decals. In all honesty I prefer rolling up a sausage of Milliput and pushing it through then sanding any excess. Again, this is probably a result of applying a little too much filler. On the other hand, when I don’t it never seems to fill the gap properly. Also had to use a hair dryer to straighten out the tail fin which had both a lean and slight twist. It isn’t perfect but I can live with it. Not sure why Revell made the rudder a separate piece. The rudder sits a little high so needs a little work. 30 seconds with a sanding stick and all is good. Still a little more work to do to smooth out the front edge of the wings and in particular the wing box to the fuselage. Oh and glue one of the aerials / masts back on!!! Hopefully I can get a coat of primer on it tomorrow and see what needs further work. Does anyone have any experience with Nazca Decals? How do the hold up to use of Micro Sol / Set. I know they’ll need careful cutting being laser printed but any other precautions? Anyways... So far, so standard.

Cracking job and the AA decals are - as always - superb!

Lovely job James!

Excellent work on this A319!