Espus

Impressive array of scribing tools there!! Where did you get your templates from?

The Vacuuformed canopy is now cut and fitted. It took some attempts to get it right. I probably have 10 discarded ones for the two I managed to get right. And here, filled and masked. I have since increased the with of the window posts. Espen

It really is an epic story! I read the book about him after reading Ulrich Steinhilpers two books about his war career. He nearly managed to get away as well!! Espen

I love the story of mr. Werra!! Great to see his airplane. Nice build! Espen

Hi all I know it's a bit of self harm going on building this kit. But like I said its the only game in town and with the strong interest with the family connection I had no choice but to take it on as soon as I thought I could do it.. The markings won't be that difficult as there wasn't that much markings on them. I have roundels and can quite easily make the rest. For the cheatline on the white one I might be getting some help. We will see. Espen

But that is :144 scale isn't it? Too small for my use.. how do I get the pictures to display? Found it! Espen

Next in the series "my father flew" I am attempting to make sense of the Mach2 falcon 20. (For the previous article in the series see:http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234928085-monogram-172-hu-16basw-albatross-rvhp-conversion/?hl=albatross ) To compound my misery I am building two. Why? Because I promised and this kit is the only one available of the falcon 20. One will be built as the EW variant and the other in the white livery of the Royal Norwegian Flight. http://i1279.photobucket.com/albums/y529/espus/scan0001_zps213e2b40.jpg If you were interested enough to open this thread from seeing the title, you probably already know the inadequacies of this kit so I shall not elaborate on them. Suffice to say I shall do battle with all of them. This build has been on the bench for a while so some of this is old work. Episode 1: I began with finding a procedure to correct the misalignment of the two fuselage halves, primarily the wing attachment. The fuselage was cut as seen on the photo and re-mounted the fuselage in a jig I made to make sure the wing attachment was straight. Then came filling and sanding down the cut and the gap that appeared from the correction. Second issue was the transparencies which are useless in their supplied form. Also the windshield slot in the fuselage is not level. I cut out the ceiling from the fuselage and made a master for vacuuforming a new one. The fuselage was sanded down a little to make it level. Result as shown.

Beautiful as always Arthur!! I think your finishes are museum worthy. I love the Ford. If Apple build fighters it'd look like that!! iFighter!! Espen

I Would not be put off by all the ney-sayers.. The base model is good enough once you have sanded the rivets down. Just a new transparency will do wonders! (Check your PM for that) The Aires engines I used fit like a glove, and really makes it stand out! It's really a classic case of NOT getting carried away with it too much. I did unfortunately, and it took me two years on and off to finish.. The RVHP parts are great! Fits like a glove. Espen

Hi All! I am struggeling to get a nice finish on a vacuuformed canopy I have made. I have dipped it in Klear but end up with lots of dust particles and sagging finish. The canopy looks clear of dust when I put it in a box to dry but it comes out with loads of minute spots. Would it be worth to get a new bottle of Pledge and try that? I beleive it is the same. My bottle of Klear is 10 years old now.. Is it worth mixing it with acrylic thinner? Thanks for all help. Espen

Fantastic as usual Artur! I learned about salt staining from you, so thank you for that!! Always a treat to see your models! You must be doing nothing else!!!! Espen

Great work! I am following this with great interest! I have an affinity for ASW airplanes for some reason.. And the atlantique is no exception. Very skilled workmanship here! Espen

Hi All!</p> I have just emailed you Richard..</p> I built one of these and finished it last year.</p> http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234928085-monogram-172-hu-16basw-albatross-rvhp-conversion/?hl=albatross">http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234928085-monogram-172-hu-16basw-albatross-rvhp-conversion/?hl=albatross</a></p> It was not easy, and all the things mentioned above plus alot more needed correcting before I was happy..</p> I have a list of 5 pages detailing what needs correcting..</p> Suffice to say it is alot of work. Trumpeters will be a -16A. So that will be even harder to correct!</p> From my learning-by-doing list:</p> >-Wing camber is much too thick. Lower half needs to be flattened outside of the engines.</p> >-wingspan needs to be extended by 4mm, and rounded of a little to fit the antennaes the /ASW had in the wingtips</p> >-rivets and grooves needs to be filled/sanded. some light rescribing will look good.</p> >-the hull-step needs to be moved forward to just behind the wheel well.</p> >-The wing wheel-wells are twice as wide as they should be. Also needs decorating somewhat</p> >-The main gear leg and wheels needs to be replaced/scratchbuilt</p> >-Nosewheel needs to be replaced</p> >-Engines needs replacing. Vacuform new cowlings</p> >-Main transparency needs replacing. Also cabin windows is worth replacing as they dont really fit.</p> > </p> >This is list is not complete by a long way, but it is an indication of the work ahead.</p> Espen</p>

Thank you for that! I need a couple of a5 sized sheets. Any good links to suppliers?? I tried to google it but not much luck. It needs to be reasonably thin for a canopy.. Modelzone used to sell a4 sheets that were great but I think they've stopped selling them.. Espen

Hi all! I just bought Slaters clear plastic sheet from hannants to vacuform a canopy. That did not work out.. I use a home made vacu unit and heat the plastic myself. Does anyone know which CLEAR plastic sheet will work with this? Espen

Hi George! Good to hear from you! I have plans to go to Athens with my dad to see one of these! Which ones are available to view in the museum? We will probably make the pilgrimage in the new year. I think most of the airplanes that went to greece were the ones from 330 Squadron. This one, KK-A, went to spain to serve as 221-13. It is currently preserved at Moron airbase I beleive. If you read a couple of posts above this you can see what I did with the weels. I have subsequently found that the 1/72 wheels for A-26 invader is a very good match. Espen

I didn't think you had to be a member.. Maybe. There is about 10 pages of WIP text and photos. I can send you some photos if you need them. Basically the trenches in the wing for the undercarriage are twice as big as they need to be, and I built new undercarriage as well. The original one is a bit "toy" like. Espen

That is a very nice build!! I love the fujimi a-6 series. Very ahead of their time. Nicely weathered!

Hi J.C! I drilled out the hub of the wheels in the kit and made a hub with plasticard and some strips. I have a picture of it somewhere.. Does that mean you are as balmy as me, and you're trying to build one? Got some other ideas for you as well if you want. I did a WIP thread on a norwegian site http://www.ipmsnorge.org/forum/index.php?topic=3787.0 it's all in Norwegian but pictures should be descriptive of what i did. email me if you want a transellation.. Espen

Thanx J.C!! The main wheels are from a 1/72 Baltimore. I bought the kit, robbed the wheels, then sold it on eBay. They are a perfect fit. I think the wheels for the a-26 invader are usable as well but have not checked in detail. The nose wheels are scratch built. Espen

Thank you very much all for your nice comments!! It has been a troublesome labour for this one as I started it in 2007! Needless to say it spent a couple of years on the shelf as I lost interest.. HOUSTON: thank you for your gracious words! The rigging is my first attempt at such and I bought Lycra thread from little-cars. It is very easy to work with and stretches about 7 times its natural lenght!! Also easy to glue. OCCA: I made the vaccuformed canopy quite a bit bigger than the transparencies. This helps to blend it in with the fuselage. Also have a good master and don't give up until you like the result! Otherwise you will beat yourself up about it forever!! The one I used was the 23'rd attempt I think... I am trying to make one now for another project. You'd think I had learnt something but I'm not getting any better at it. I've made 8 and none of them are any good.. I'll get there though..

My first post here, so be gentle! This is the Monogram HU-16B heavily modified to represent a Norwegian /ASW variant. I used the RVHP nose conversion, and Aires engines. All other modifications are scratch built. I vacuformed new transparencies and engine cowlings, and the undercarriage was scratchbuilt. There was a lot of other small things done as well.. Too many to list.. Decals are a cut-and-paste job using mainly Vingtors excellent sheets. The model represents aircraft KK-A as it was in 1968 when my father flew it from Andoya air station. Hope you enjoy it. Espen

That is two great builds!! May I ask what colours you used on the Norwegian one? Im doing one in 1/48. The weathering is very nice! Espen

Hi there! I'll be following this with keen interest as I will be building a couple for an ex-Norwegian air force pilot that flew them. Hope to pick up some tips! Good luck Espen

Hey there Thats a nice looking Harvard. I built this one too some years ago, only in Canadian colours.. http://www.arcair.com/Gal5/4201-4300/gal42...Eriksen/00.shtm Espen