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Airfix Merlin 1/48 HC3 Cutaway Attempt


Devcon 1

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I continue to be amazed at the speed this build is progressing, it would probably take me at least a year to get as far as you have got!

Martin

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I only build plastic stuff in the winter as summer is taken up with flying these (see below) so I tend to go at it hammer and tongs... :banghead:

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Some of the fleet fleet

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The shed workshop

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It doesn't always look like this !!!!

Back on topic... All primed ready for painting

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The foam looks like it will work, we'll see.

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Just need to decide on colour.

Regards

John

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Masking Done, ready for a coat of paint.

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Apologies for not giving credit where credits due as I can't find the original post but some clever soul on this forum showed how to transfer decals to a mask.

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The original kit decals for the black areas were an excellent fit but I felt painted would look best. I'm going to use Tamiya XF 83 Medium Sea Grey.

Regards

John

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Hi Martin,

I place some Tamiya masking tape sticky side down on a clean cutting mat. cut the decal off the sheet oversized then place on top of the tape, this is then taped down around the edges to hold in place.

Using a sharp scalpel cut through the decal outline right on the edge and through the Tamiya tape using a straight edge and freehand where required, remove the decal template and the edges of the cut tape underneath and you're left with a copy of your decal stuck to your cutting mat.

Very carefully remove the tape from the mat and hey presto you have a perfect mask, I, like most, then align the decal on the model with a solution of water and Fairy Liquid (other household detergents are available).

Kind Regards

John

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The model had got its first coat of Klear. I'm quite happy with the result so far.

Apologies. For some reason I can't post a picture from my mobile. I'll pop it on later

John

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Masking off, given the majority of decals sit on smooth surfaces I'll weather first then put on the decals and give it a final coat of Klear before the final finish.

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Finished the Shed roof diorama part 1, Please forgive the complete lack of timeline grouping and accuracy as its just been a bit of fun trying different paints and weathering.

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Kind regards

John

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A quick update..

All decals on and final coat of varnish applied and ready for my favourite bit, masking removal !

Now, I will admit the model is a mishmash of types and services as I tend to get a bit carried away and enjoy the build process and aim to create a "minds eye" model rather than an absolutely accurate representation of a particular aircraft or vehicle although I am in awe of those that can.

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Should be finished this weekend. I will build the next one as a bog standard Herrick version straight out of the box as a comparison.

Regards

John

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Thanks for the feedback all ...

On the home run now, first pic is the base I've made. All left to do is fix doors, blades, quads and attach to base.

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Some final paint tidying to do also and some heat weathering on the exhaust outlets.

Regards

John

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Well, after the most enjoyable build I've done it's finished.

I've learnt a great deal but am very happy with the result. I'll put a more varied selection of photos on the RFI thread when I make a better background for the pics, light blue works well looking at other peoples builds.

Mistakes to correct for next time.

1 An accurate rotor fold mechanism like the one built by andrewa

2 Put the rotor decals on the right side !!

3 Correct the tail fold angle and set the hinge pivot point outside the fuz to get get the tail to fold in much tighter

4 Proper research on the interior detail

5 A little more finesse on the weathering

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Thanks for all your input and advice.

Kind Regards

John

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