Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 The glazings on this are capable of fitting quite well, but the nature of a kit like this is such that one should assume that any given part probably won't fit, and then pleasant surprises can be had. These windows needed some trimming of the openings in the fuselage to sit in flush. The little one wanted to sit around 1mm depressed from the fuselage outer skin which is obviously no good so the moulded-on flange was carefully trimmed away and chamfered until most of it was gone. The fit is acceptable now. There are a lot of decals in the cockpit. This is ostensibly a total waste of time, as the view through the windows is going to be miserable. However, it was useful to test the decals. These slide from the backing paper quite easily and are actually not that bad, but they are very thin and quite sticky. They try (and often succeed) on folding back on themselves when sliding off the backing film. Once on they stick well and respond very well to Micro Set and Micro Sol. It was good to find out how fold-o-matic they are in the cockpit though which will hopefully mean I am well prepared for the exterior decals which will leave little room for error! I ran out of excuses not to and glued the fuselage halves together I also tried the two halves of the fin and rudder. These are basically ok but there was a slight misalignment of the fairing behind the rudder. I decided to cheat on this, and sawed it off. It's easier to fill a narrow gap on the flat than to match the profiles of these parts all around the fairing. Thanks for looking 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 I appear to have lost runner "D" - the one with the main undercarriage nacelles on. 😕 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 I told you to fit the chocks! Happy hunting. Nice work so far, like the cockpit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 I have sent a message to Modelsvit's Facebook page asking how to go about buying a replacement sprue/runner. If that doesn't get a response, I will email them. They're a small company I think so hopefully I will be able to reach someone remotely relevant to the running of the place! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 14, 2019 Author Share Posted February 14, 2019 I firmly believe in credit where it's due and Modelsvit are due credit. I have received a very clear, concise yet affable response within 2 working days of sending an email via their website contact page. For the modest sum of €9 all-in a replacement Sprue D is now on its way to me by priority air mail. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted February 19, 2019 Author Share Posted February 19, 2019 The package from Modelsvit arrived this morning containing the replacement Sprue D. I can now resume work on the big Tupolev 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-FAAWAFU Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 BZ Modelsvit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I actually made such a balls-up of my port wing that I asked Modelsvit if I could buy replacement sprues to start again. Communications were very easy and efficient via FB Messenger and my sprues arrived this morning in good condition. Definitely excellent customer service. Thank you Modelsvit ! Keith 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolay Polyakov Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 2 hours ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: The package from Modelsvit arrived this morning containing the replacement Sprue D. I can now resume work on the big Tupolev Congratulations, Jamie! I saw this kit many times in the hobby store, but something always stops me from buying it... Great work! Also, the great work with a Tu-16! My grandfather was a navigator and flew the Badgers. I’m looking forward to see more updates here 👍 Cheers! 😎 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted March 17, 2019 Author Share Posted March 17, 2019 I have been working on fitting the undercarriage nacelles to the wings. There are several parts here, and the fit needs care but even still I have not managed it without filler. I have more or less got the nacelles themselves looking good using Squadron green putty and Mr Surfacer 1000, and am polishing up to 2500 grade using Infini Model sponge sticks. I will polish up to 4000 grit using same before the NMF goes on, but want the surface kept generally good as I go because trying to correct surface finishes in one go at the end is a chore and a half. Natural metal finishes are singularly unforgiving in that respect though so it needs to be done! The other wing is a step or two behind. I didn't want to replicate mistakes if I found I'd made any! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted May 3, 2019 Author Share Posted May 3, 2019 I've been quietly chipping away at this when sanding seems like a good idea. The fuselage seams need a bit of work here and I've some rescribing to do, which may be my least favourite modelling activity (it's a close call between that and brush painting) hence the pedestrian pace! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted May 3, 2019 Share Posted May 3, 2019 Just picked up on this one. Always loved the Blinder, and we also got a sample of Badger too, lovely! Nice work on both Jamie. Terry 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted May 4, 2019 Author Share Posted May 4, 2019 This feels like a milestone moment on this kit - I have glued the wings on! I've also started assembling the engine air intake trunking, and will try to get a good seam before plowing onwards with the engines. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted May 14, 2019 Author Share Posted May 14, 2019 Last week the day job required I spend 3 days away from home; destination: Hungary. Whilst parts of Budapest were pretty, most of it was either wide empty spaces of arable farmland or improbably unattractive concrete monstrosities of the USSR. Entering the city of Szolnok for a discussion about carbon dioxide removal from natural gas, I found a Mil Mi-24 Hind D on a stick and later that evening in Budapest I found a T-34 tank. Whilst interesting enough for a visit someone else is paying for, it was a lot of mind numbingly boring sitting around in airports for what was ultimately a 1/2 hour look at something I was already familiar with (trying to assure another prospective customer that this thing works properly) and a 2 hour chat about it in some weird ex-Soviet gentleman's club-come-restaurant (which couldn't accept a card payment as it was after 2pm and they'd switched the card machine off...) and it both tired me out and prevented any progress on, well, anything back here in real life. Tonight though I have assembled the Barracuda resin exhausts and the nacelles. The internal parts and exhaust nozzles were sprayed a couple of shades of Alclad and the whole lot assembled. At this point, I realised I had messed up a bit by not checking the Barracuda jetpipes fitted in the holes in the nacelle halves. This resulted in a 0.5mm gap at the back end. Rather than create a gluey mess from my schoolboy error, I just shoved some spare sprue in the gaps and will poke the eyes out of anyone's head if they ever remark that the back of the nacelle looks 0.5mm too fat in the vertical plane. Time for a mock-up. The general fit of the nacelle parts themselves and to the fuselage will need some care before gluing this together. I have to admit that whilst it needs a fair bit of fettling to go together nicely, the visual impression here is so much better than the Esci/Italeri kit which is circa 2" too short in 1/72 scale and much too fat in the fuselage. The Modelsvit kit though just looks the business IMHO. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 (edited) Great progress! I really like the look of it and the nozzles look fantastic! But those nascelles are a bit on the f... side, no ? I also do like the poled Hind! Edited May 14, 2019 by exdraken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikolay Polyakov Posted May 14, 2019 Share Posted May 14, 2019 15 minutes ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: I have to admit that whilst it needs a fair bit of fettling to go together nicely, the visual impression here is so much better than the Esci/Italeri kit which is circa 2" too short in 1/72 scale and much too fat in the fuselage. ESCI kit is a kind of «What If?». 16 minutes ago, Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies said: The Modelsvit kit though just looks the business IMHO. Yes, it’s a great kit and has a very attractive looking. Nice progress, Jamie! 👍 The exhaust nozzles is a perfect work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 I spend most of the afternoon on this, but visual progress is minimal. There is a divider between the exhausts which for whatever reason is moulded in 3 parts. They don't fit very well and have sink marks. 😕 There were lots of scoops to fit, and they had a very limited-run character to them. Some were moulded in one piece and needed the hole drilled out. Others were moulded in 2 halves. All needed cleanup. All that done is now done though and other than cleaning up the leading edge of the wing around the fences (which also needed work) to eliminate what is sure to show up on a natural metal finish, I think it's ready for primer. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted June 5, 2019 Author Share Posted June 5, 2019 Partly due to incompetence and partly due to incompetence, I failed to realise there was an entire leaf of the instruction booklet missing, including the steps which covered fitting the cockpit windscreen and I pressed ahead on automatic pilot and fitted it, before realising there were paint masks for he nuclear flash blinds to go on the inside. Hence, I made myself more work. I have since cut it back off, masked and painted the blinds on the inside, re-glued, filled (it fit perfectly the first time...), sanded, polished and masked. The big Blinder is now, finally, ready for priming. I watched the final episode of Chernobyl last night though, so it isn't primed yet. I don't watch TV very much at all, but if you have access to Sky Atlantic channel I would recommend it. It's really very good, and even manages to include technical information but presented in a manner that laymen can understand. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted June 6, 2019 Author Share Posted June 6, 2019 I sprayed on a coat of our prototype gloss black acrylic which uses the same thinner as our enamel. This gives a nice, strong adhesion to the plastic which I can mask over. As anyone knows though, gloss black is brutally honest and it has revealed a few areas which need more attention on the seams or surfacing so I will address that and respray the affected areas before moving forward. That was expected from a kit like this, and part of the reason for choosing a gloss black. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre B Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 (edited) Hi Jamie! I always wanted to build an "Blinder" since I read about it in an magazine about the canadian pilot "Dan Cooper". The story was that Dan Cooper flying an F-5 (?) flew into the Blinder by accident and both pilots had to eject over the Wilderness... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Cooper_(comics) Following your build with great interest! Cheers / André Edited June 6, 2019 by Andre B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 Ready for the natural metal 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Dapple Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 The world's most complicated lawn-dart design Looking good mate Cheers, Stew 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 Love that masked up shot. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies Posted June 8, 2019 Author Share Posted June 8, 2019 Thanks chaps Here we are: 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted June 9, 2019 Share Posted June 9, 2019 I either missed or forgot the first part of this thread, but now I've (re)discovered it, I'm hugely impressed, both with what you're doing here Jamie & with the Blinder, hell, what a beast. I've had ambitions towards one of these for a bit but now, ....does anyone do one in 1/144? Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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