morty_3333 Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 Hi Everybody! Hope You are all OK and sorting out Your Winter building projects! Okey Dokey, where was I? Using My new toy to roll PE trim strips for Juniors canopy:- Strips fitted with tiny amounts of 5 minute epoxy and held with tape:- Astrodome moulding cut from sheet and shaped on a piece of wet'n'dry taped to fuselage top:- Fireball XL5 meets Darth Vader!....... Alclad black base coat:- Alclad Dark Aluminium spayed and masking removed:- Just off to give Her a couple of coats of gloss, then I'll let it harden up for a few days so I can get the decals on! Also must get cracking on the launch cradle and rail! Thanks for looking in, and..... Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Nice. And it looked good in black too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 I saw one for sale at Telford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 That looks the business! Come the summer and I'll be building this along with the Kits for Cash 24" Angel Interceptor! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted November 16, 2018 Share Posted November 16, 2018 Ooh. Roll on the Summer! ⏰ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted November 16, 2018 Author Share Posted November 16, 2018 Hi there! 4 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Nice. And it looked good in black too! If I'd have used grey primer, could it have been a Mysteron Fireball? 3 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said: I saw one for sale at Telford. I'm a very lucky boy, My good Lady treated Me to this for My (Large) Birthday this year!! 3 hours ago, Kallisti said: That looks the business! Come the summer and I'll be building this along with the Kits for Cash 24" Angel Interceptor! 24" Angel Interceptor? ????!!!!!!!!! ,.................just when I promised Myself No more kits!!!!!!!!! Stop it now!!!!! Kidding, really look forward to watching that!!!!! 2 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said: Ooh. Roll on the Summer! ⏰ Ditto!!!!! thanks for looking in, home stretch coming up!! Cheers, Pete 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 Hi Everybody! I've been missing in action (Household jobs etc, still.....!), but I have been able to spend some time on the project....... Fireball is finished!!! I won't say the project is finished, I've still got to build the display base, but the drawings are done, pics below:- Wingtip pods are not glued on yet, for ease of access when fixing the launch cradle. Sketches for launch cradle and rail, I've just got to tidy the workshop and hope to make a start at the weekend:- I'll post again when I make a start on the display base. Thanks for looking in! Keep Sticking!! Cheers, Pete 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knikki Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 That looks so good and a fantastic finish on it. But where is Steve Zodiac? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted December 18, 2018 Author Share Posted December 18, 2018 (edited) Hi Knikki! I'm not sure where He is, but He is 93 Years Old! Or.....is He not born yet (Date of birth: October 29th, 2030)? Thanks for Your kind comments, watch this space (no pun intended!!) Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete Edited January 3, 2019 by morty_3333 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted December 18, 2018 Share Posted December 18, 2018 A thing of beauty and the plans look good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted December 19, 2018 Author Share Posted December 19, 2018 (edited) Hi Pete! Thank You for Your kind comments! This has taken far longer than it should due to distractions,the kit builds really well and the fits are great with very little fettling ,in fact the filler panels in the fin and wing pods are a push fit! The drawings are digital, pen and fingers!! Difficult to find any clear shots of the original cradle,but I am going to try to keep it as faithful as I can. Thanks for looking in! Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete Edited December 19, 2018 by morty_3333 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 (edited) Hi There! I hope Everyone has had a great Christmas and I wish You All an Happy New Modelling Year!! Just a quick update to what I have been upto over the Holidays (Back to work tomorrow ) Made a start on the display base, I'm using two layers of 6mm MDF:_ I made a simple wooden jig to size,slot and drill the 8mm aluminium tube rail supports:- .......that fit onto the 10mm aluminium angles that will become the launch rails:- Made a jig up to assemble the tubes to each other with the cross pieces :- But found that the wooden jig I made for drilling the holes had let the drill wander of centre so the holes were out of line to each other ( this stopped the tubes from sliding onto the rails properly):- So I decided to fill and sand the bottom hole with 5 min. Epoxy and drill the top hole out for some larger ali. rod (kinitting needle), and make another jig up the fit the tubes individually to each rail:- The rails were then clamped inverted on the bench with a suitable spacer while the epoxyed-in rods set up, and.....Result! Holes were then marked out and drilled in the top layer of MDF for the tubes:- The two layers of MDF were then glued together, and the top was skinned with 1.5mm styrene sheet with double-sided tape:- Launch Sled booster rockets were glued up from lengths of 15mm plastic pipe:- Sled mounting was made from 2mm styrene sections to allow a sliding fit on rails:- Sled construction started with a plate of 2mm styrene with Plastruct truss beams:- .....and styrene tubing fitted across the width at two places ready for the rods that will secure the booster packs:- That's all for now, will get back on with it next week! Thanks for looking in, and.... Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete Edited January 3, 2019 by morty_3333 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 (edited) Hi there! Just a quick 'what have been up to'............ I made up a cardboard template for the front and rear cradle bow shapes:- .....and cut two forms from 3/8th balsa sheet, to laminate 3 strips of thin styrene around:- Filled in the structure of the cradle base to prevent twisting and support the uprights, it's a heavy lump of model up top! :- Styrene discs punched out and nozzles cut from styrene tube to fill in end of booster packs:- ...and thin styrene wrapped around boosters, which were then drilled to fit on ali rods that go through sled:- I wanted to spray the inside of the sled structure before fitting the lid, so I taped the glue areas off before spraying:- Cradle uprights built up using a jig before cutting down to correct height:- Uprights installed, more structure fitted and 'Greeblies' (I think that is the correct term?),using bits from the spares box mainly 1/48 B25 and X wing parts:- (Sorry about the double pics, I don't know how to remove them!!) More soon! Thanks for looking in,and..... Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete Edited January 27, 2019 by morty_3333 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 Proper model engineering. Great rails and sled. I like the jigs. Something I never think of doing! Yes, Greeblies, though Greebles is also used by some. Looks like you worked out how to lose the double pics. Please keep this one going, I'm looking forward to the next pictures. BTW, the Fireball in black. I remember a series in TV21 where XL5 was captured by an alien race and copies (in black?) made which were to be used against Earth. I think a fleet of Earth Fireballs wiped them out? Not too sure how it ended but they lost. I do remember the drawings of the Fireball factory, not unlike B-29 production lines. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 Hi Pete! i remember for many years when I was aeromodelling of balancing things on top of each other while the glue dried and crossing My fingers that they wouldn't move! Then I realised that for a few pennies worth of scrap and glue I could build some 'Spare' hands and make things a lot easier! A few years ago I found a CD on EBay that has all the TV21 Comics on it, I'll have to have a flick through and try to find the 'black' Fireball story ! Back at work tomorrow, I'll be back at the bench on Friday, just got some inclined girder-work to do for the rear of the rails and some ladders with guard plates on that go from the ground up to launch rails, then I'll be able to paint everything up and get it put together!! Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarkas Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 On 1/27/2019 at 6:48 PM, Pete in Lincs said: BTW, the Fireball in black. I remember a series in TV21 where XL5 was captured by an alien race and copies (in black?) made which were to be used against Earth. I think a fleet of Earth Fireballs wiped them out? Not too sure how it ended but they lost. I do remember the drawings of the Fireball factory, not unlike B-29 production lines. You'e thinking of the infamous "Black Ship" story, one of TV21's best XL5 tales, and brilliantly illustrated (as usual) by the late, great Mike Noble. The Black Ship itself was a great design, one that I'd love to see someone make a model of some time -- especially if they could re-create its home base, hidden inside a volcano (! ). I also remember the Fireball production line; think Mike had taken inspiration from pictures of one or other large aircraft factory, probably during WW2, so it could well have been a B-29 line. As for the big battle, it was a bit of an anti-climax: Steve Zodiac managed to pass a message to one of the captured designers, telling them to use ordinary metal instead of special alloys like the amazing Cahelium X (TV21's wonder heat-resistant metal), so when the pirate fleet went to full power, they blew up! The WSP didn't have to do a thing except get the original XL5 back, which Steve and co. did in their usual heroic fashion. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 I remember that story as well - I'm sure its in one of the reprints that have come out recently, but it would almost certainly have been in Countdown comic during the early 70s as they reprinted almost all of the TV21 XL5 and Stingray stories 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 Well the story has stuck in my memory for around fifty years so it must have been good. Except for the ending by the sound of it. Shame. Thanks for the reminders guys. Another that springs to mind had Steve and Venus in an aircraft museum being chased, and they started one of the exhibits & flew away! Sorry about the thread drift @morty_3333 (Pete) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted January 29, 2019 Author Share Posted January 29, 2019 Hi! No problems about the thread drift (it's My brain drift I Worry about!!) I'm off upstairs now to try to find this CD I bought with all the TV21 Comics on! "Fascinating" .......... Oh, sorry, wrong tv series!!I Keep stic... reminiscing!! Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire man Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 A colorised launch sequence...... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 Hi Yorkshire man! I play this very clip before a modelling session for inspiration! Thanks for posting! The 'Black Ships' story was under discussion about 5 years ago on this very forum, Mr. Roymattblack came up with the goods:- https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234963309-research-help-request-tv21-mag-story-fireball-xl5/&_fromLogin=1 Enjoy! Cheers, Pete 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carts Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Having a serious case of Nostalgia overload here ,Your XL5 is stunning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 Its also in Volume 4 of the collected Century 21 Trade Paperbacks: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Century-21-Classic-Strips-Anderson/dp/1904674151 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gimme Shelter Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 missed from the onset and have only just found this build - amazing and fabulous modelling from start to date - very nice to see another big lump of a resin build here - I am not mentally ready to try another just yet so your WIP has been very refreshing and enjoyable. I am still recovering from building 2 of Randy Coopers resin kits and need the weather to improve before trying anything new in resin. smashing work and gets 100% of modelling love from me - John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morty_3333 Posted January 30, 2019 Author Share Posted January 30, 2019 (edited) Hi guys! thanks for the responses, this is My first big resin kit, I managed to get the paint on in the good weather, but My next build is also resin (thanks Kallisti!), so I will have to keep an eye on the mercury ( no...not Mike Mercury!!!) Nostalgia is a sign of advancing age (and neuralgia!!)…..... Ah, I remember it well....... Keep Sticking! Cheers, Pete Edited January 30, 2019 by morty_3333 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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