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twin otter at Barra


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This model has been on the go since Autumn last year. It was initially inspired by my Grandson and daughters trip form Barra to Glasgow Airport last Summer.

I was going to model it taking off from the sands.....

There aren't any decals for the latest Highlands and Islands aircraft ie saltire Flag on the tail.

The revell kit is basic and basically doesn't go to together well.

I added rows of seats, passengers (it is just possible to see my grandson peeping out of the window) and cut the flaps and ailerons as they might have been positioned for takeoff.

Then the heartaches began.

I made after much effort, seats and painting and gluing passengers one with a Celtic and Rangers shirts actually couldn't be seen!

  1. the centreline join took loads of time sanding and filling to remove
  2. the join between the nose cone and fuselage like wise, the join of the engine nacelles to the wings, the join of the front windscreen to the fuselage.
  3. In fact most joins needed filling and sanding.
  4. I bought the masks for the windows and on placing one of these pushed a window into the fuselage never to be seen again.
  5. Another kit was bought and the missing window replaced.
  6. I had the great idea of loading "liquid gravity" into the nose via a hole created and sealing i place with spare humbrol gloss. Hung upside down in the airing cupboard to settle and set.
  7. the ballast came up the front windscreen, I attempted to remove this via the pilots window but couldn't.
  8. replaced the pilots side window with too much glue.
  9. removed the co-pilots door and removed further ballast but was unable. Removed the front windscreen and replaced it from the second bought kit.
  10. Re positioned the door open. The setting was now..... about to move off after collecting the passengers.
  11. 4-5 attempts to paint white failed.sanding between coats, eventually after a bottle of wine I decided it was going to get the full blast of Halfords Appliance white. That laid the white down!
  12. The masking began more time on the computer and using photoshop to scale up down and skew so i could cut some masks.
  13. The masking and airbrushing on the tail went well - Yippee.
  14. The masking on the fuselage did not with the glue from the mask sticking irremovabley to the white. Further baby wipes and turps.
  15. The wings by now had an-hedral!
  16. The wing struts went on.
  17. The masks came off and I had failed to mask one of the windows!
  18. The wheels went on using brass tubing to reinforce (6yr old grandson proofing!), cemented in place with epoxy!
  19. The day after stopping the project the wheels collapsed at where the brass tubing ended! more super glue.
  20. The diorama went ok until I decided to try and put some puddles into it and nothing I tried worked...it now looked worse than if I had just left it at this point!
  21. I presented it at my local model club, Edinburgh and the hand made transfers G- HIAL 3 letters cam off on one side! I had no spare letters and replaced them with felt pen!!!

 

At most stages I wanted to accidentally sit and crush this model giving me the excuse to abandon but this never happened.

It is now with the Royal Mail and I hope my grandson enjoys the model and remembers what a wonderful holiday me, my partner, grandson, daughter and a Briard dog had in  a camper van on the Western Isles last Summer.

 

If I never see this model again I wont be bothered and if my grandson breaks it, uses it as target practice, sets it on fire.... at least he will have had some pleasure from this model.

40131690745_50b621ea6d_z.jpgDSC07085 by tim knowles, on Flickr

Edited by Tim K
photo from flicktr
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It is a kit that needs perseverance. I built a Nature Air one as my son flew with them in Costa Rica about three years ago. It is not one of the best Matchbox kits and mine was from when the kit first appeared. The fit was mediocre at best and the detail heavy handed. I will put mine up if anyone is interested. About the only civil aircraft I have ever built. 

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Sounds like you need another holiday! Well done for sticking to it :D 

You chose a lovely subject and the result looks bonnie too. Barra's barry an aw. Nice that your project had a personal theme. Kudos

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Hello Tim,

What you can do with a model from around 8 Euro. It looks great.

Would appreciate some more pics from the cockpit and cargo entry.

Highest Regards, Orion / The Netherlands.

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