mitchem

Many thanks Matt. I'm afraid I've been side-tracked with a problem build and haven't been able to devote much time to this. Hopefully things will be back on track from now. Thanks Alex. I've left the wings off because masking the fuselage's cheatline is going to be a bit of a headache. I've test fitted them onto the fuselage and I reckon I can get away with attaching them after the majority of the paintwork is completed. The good news is that the wing box area needs to be painted Boeing Grey, so I'm should be able squeak by. (Famous last words) As far as the engines are concerned, many thanks for the tips. I've been preoccupied with the intakes, and doing everything that I can to remove the internal seams. Everything went according to plan, but then I realised that the diameter of the photoetch stator blades was wider the mouth of the intake. Having been to the dentist on a number of occasions recently, I figured that if he could fit all ten of his fingers in my mouth at the same time, fitting the stator blades shouldn't be that hard? With a bit of flexing, I managed to get them in and to lie flat. The internal bits were painted using a variety of masks and the intake lips have been finished off in matt aluminum. ...and exhausts (need a bit of touching up, but the use of brass tubing meant that there were no seams that need to be sorted out) : Close up of the starboard engine : and then a test fit on the wings : All is good in Africa..... mike

I'm afraid I've been absent from BM for sometime because finishing this became an obsession..... I started it for the Africa Group Build back in February. Everything was going really well until I started applying the decals. Let's just say that everything literally went South.... I never managed to finish the build in time, but I had gone too far to bin it. which was my first inclination. Anyway, not quite the finish I had hoped for, but what's done, is done. Link to the build process can be found here : 1/72 SAAF Buccaneet (Airfix) - run aground..... Thanks for looking mike

Another striking colour scheme that has disappeared mike

Congratulation Alex. Your cracking build and fine finish has managed to drag me out from under the table! Having lived in SA for 18 years, I've always been a fan of the "Orange tails" and your model has done them proud. I've had the Runway 30 decals in my stash for many, many years, and I know what you mean about the fluorescent orange stripe. Best Regards mike

Following the fiasco with my Buccaneer, I've turned my attention back to the 737. The joints on the fuselage have been ironed out and I replaced the strakes on the nosecone with stretched sprue. A couple of passes with the Gloss Appliance white and this is where we are now After having let the paint bake in the sun yesterday, I've noticed that there are some areas on the fuselage that need attention. Progress is really slow and I know I was being ambitious when I started the process, but if it wasn't for the Group Build, I would never have started in the first place. mike

As per the change in the title, I'm afraid that this build has run aground...... Decal application was there or thereabouts and after putting on the top coat of varnish, I tried the old trick of getting a super-glossy finish by over-spraying self-levelling thinners. I was so impressed with the outcome that I kept spraying until I could see my face. And then my face aged quite badly as the thinners ate through the top coat, the decals and the base............. Just as it started munching on the plastic, I jumped in with a sharp blade to try and salvage the build, but the damage was pretty extensive I could have binned it, but after a cooling off period, I resprayed the forward fuselage, applied another SAAF castle, and with thanks to Dr E, replaced the stencils The joy was short-lived after removing the cockpit masking and discovering two cracks running through the canopy I could have binned it again, but I've parked it to one side while I have a think. In the meantime, I've had to park my "brick" on bricks I'm hoping to come up with a plan, but it certainly won't be completed in time for the deadline. Apologies mike

Making your own decals ?................ ....there's no going back now !

Hi Dennis. Many thanks for your kind offer but I managed to source the "castles" from a generic sheet that I bought in South Africa in the 1990s ! (...and my wife asks me why I have so much junk hidden away )

...and just when you'd thought that I'd given up. I've been working on the port engine nacelle. The intake was cemented into one half and the exhaust was put in place before the two halves were joined. Everything has been blended in. Just need to tidy up the back end before fixing the exhaust into its final resting place. I've also managed to blend the cockpit and nosecone in and although I still need to replace the strakes on the nosecone, I'm pleased with the way things have turned out. Applied some spare decals to the starboard fuselage and the "www" titles are now subject to review. I made a temporary decal for the tail stripes but I'm still planning to paint these on, but only after I've re-masked the fuselage windows and applied the white base. mike

Plan B failed - I'll skip the reason Plan C - Dig through my stash of aftermarket decals and I came across a set of generic "castles" that I've had for about 25 years. The sheet may have yellowed, but the markings were still good to use. Time to finish off the rest of the markings, undercarriage and ordnance.

Managed to divert my attention away from the seats and started looking at the engines. As I think I mentioned before, BPK supplied rectangles of brass sheet which are meant to be rolled up to form the exhausts. Not for me...... I've opted to try and use brass tube and whereas my dad would have told me to "measure twice, cut once", I should have listened to my mum "measure twice, buy once". I ended up getting a section of tube that was slightly too wide to fit the diameter of the plastic orifice, so I ended up buying another. Here are some of the components The tubing was cut to size and the section of smaller diameter tube was slid into the larger one. I've mocked up an engine up and I reckon I should be able create a seamless intake when I get around to gluing everything together I'm also aiming to clean up the plastic at the exhaust and making sure that everything is squared up, before sliding the brass components down into their final resting place. ...and then just to "gee" myself up, I've glued the front wheel bay onto the fuselage before adding the cockpit section. The joints were okay but they will need some attention in order to fair them in properly. I also tacked on the nose cone using Kristal Klear and then taped the wings and an engine together. Looking like a 737 now. mike

Excellent ! Been following this on the Group Build and just looking at it now makes me think that the masking job must have been a lot of fun mike

Well worth the wait. That’s a corker

I sure did ! Eye candy for the weekend

...well that's rather annoying! I'd read that Xradecal had made an error on their SAAF Mustang markings, inasmuch as the wing roundels were oversized? Well guess what..... (For reference, the image on the PC screen is from Wikipedia). I know the colour schemes aren't identical, but really ? Now having to come up with Plan B, but this will mean a delay