John Masters Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 (edited) My model building may seem manic to some. In fact, it is keeping me from smoking, the cessation of which is the hardest thing I have ever done. I stopped in mid-August and, although I fell off the wagon recently, have renewed my goal to stop this filthy habit. So it is back to the bench I go and I think I have a good one. This has been in the stash for a few years so I am excited to do more to it than gaze at the incredibly tiny parts, moulded very thin, sigh, and put it back on the shelf. Time to jump in! Plus...I am thinking of my fellows in the upcoming NATO/WarPac GB and just wish to say, hail Comrades-we fly for Mother Russia and the Proletariat! I will be building the aircraft on the box art because I like all those slogans. Simple as that. Here are some pictures to whet the appetite... The instructions are on a single sheet of paper. Ha! The main sprue is slightly warped. I checked out the fuselage to see if it had been effected. Not so much. i'll get into it in a couple of hours. Looks like the engine first. --John Edited November 17, 2018 by John D.C. Masters 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 Looks interesting, John. A suggestion, if I may. Your pictures are a bit small, making it hard to see details, especially with my old eyes. If you could please increase the size to at least the 600x800 size, it would make viewing easier. Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 I'll be sure to make the build images larger so you can see the detail. Thanks for telling me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 17, 2018 Author Share Posted November 17, 2018 (edited) I waste little time... First, the motor. The finely moulded Shvetsov M-11 5-cylindar radial engine is in several parts, including the exhaust pipes and the prop. I am taking care of the motor first. The exhaust will be set aside to be attached at a later date. Same with the prop. I'll assemble the pieces, then prime. Thank the gods for CA glue...the toothpick is for scale. ..and assembled and primed. I have a small amount of cleaning up to do on the prop. While this dries and cures I will assemble the seats! More tiny pieces... --John Edited November 17, 2018 by John D.C. Masters slepling 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Courageous Posted November 17, 2018 Share Posted November 17, 2018 And here you are after you Spitfire build. 8 hours ago, John D.C. Masters said: My model building may seem manic to some I find it refreshing, so crack on John, the subject looks interesting. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsbody Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Perfect picture size. I can clearly see the small details on that engine. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 The parts for the seats... ...and now assembled. --John 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdrianMF Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Looks like a very detailed kit. I guess someone at ICM must have a soft spot for the type. Good luck with the non smoking! Regards, Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Thanks Adrian. Modelling keeps me distracted. Yes...highly detailed, to the point of almost too much there is such a thing. Razor sharp trailing edges too, almost transparent. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Some painting and some minuscule assembly...anticipation of problems... I have painted the seats and the area where the feet would go, etc...also the motor is done. The interiors of the fuselage halves are painted and detailed although once it is closed up, not much will be seen. The images I have found online show interior colours anywhere from grey, to grey-blue, to interior green. I think these were painted in whatever paint they had in abundance at the local lawnmower tractor aircraft factory. I chose Faded PRU Blue and then did a bit of dry brushing with a light grey. Note the starboard fuselage half and the moulded speaking tube communication device for the pilot to speak to the passenger! It's those little triangular things. In any case, some nice detail. This is what bothers me. 2 cockpits = 2 sets of controls and the interior scarves that must mesh perfectly with the other fuselage half in order to fit without a gap. Hmmm...always an issue, imho. Also, a quick test fit of the port half with the lower wing tells me that this may not be seamless, perfect or otherwise even happy. Shades of Roden, I fear. Which makes sense. Exquisite detail and a poorly engineered model. Anyway, we shall see tonight! --John 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Moving right along...As I assembled one tiny piece after the other I kept on thinking of the decals that will have to go on the fuselage...yes, you have it right! I will have to finish the fuselage/lower wing section, paint it completely, then attach the decals before I add all the control cables, top wing, etc...Interesting. In any case... I have completed the cockpit in two parts-the upper section with the dashboards in the fuselage and the lower section with the seats and control sticks attached to the lower wing. These two pieces slip together seamlessly in a perfect world but not on my bench! It will be alright, but there will be a certain amount of clamping, CA glue, sanding, filling, cursing, coaxing and maybe even a prayer or two to the gods of modelling! Pictured below...the nose, engine, and the two pieces that go together. Harnesses are masking tape which I will paint a canvass-like colour in a few minutes. The area I have circled will be completely sanded smooth and that raised piece added back using a small bit of plastic card. --John 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncletommy Posted November 18, 2018 Share Posted November 18, 2018 Excellent progress. Delighted to see this one as I have the same kit sitting on my shelf awaiting my ministrations. That won't happen until after the 1/48 scale one I'm currently abusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 18, 2018 Author Share Posted November 18, 2018 Thanks Uncle Tommy. Me too. It'll be a fun one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 19, 2018 Author Share Posted November 19, 2018 Here's some progress...I was trying to figure out how to remove the very odd seams from the underside of the nose. Putty would take forever and I didn't want to sand down a thicker piece of plastic I had to cut-to-fit. I decided to use a piece of scrap CA glue packaging and it worked out very well. Two pieces, cut-to-fit. Like this... A little CA, and they look good with some sanding along the sides. Nice and sooth. It looks odd because some fo the paper is still on the back...sorry. The gap in the nose is for the carburetor intake. Some naughty little sausages from the Soviet People's Fireworks Factory... And there is this part. The holes are drilled for the rigging and I am ready to prime this in preparation for painting and dealing the fuselage with wonderful Soviet propaganda! --John 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 How about some paint? Since I have paint so much now, before I start adding more bits and decals, I figured I might as well paint as much as possible. I started with the light blue undersides. Some of the Vallejo Air colours come from their excellent Air War Colour Series, Soviet Air Force, Pre-war to 1941. Nice set of colours. The light blue, for example is one of them. So I masked off what I needed to... The white balance is a bit off on this. It is much bluer with even a greenish tint. Very nice. The level of detail is really wonderful on this. Once it is done, I'll try to get some better pictures. --John 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandy Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 This seems like a very odd mix. A gorgeous engine, and then weird gaps and fitting issues on the rest! You're doing a great job of beating it into submission though. Very Soviet-like! Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Thanks Ian. Actually, it went together much easier than I thought, nothing like a Roden DVII or SE5a, for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Very nice, John. I like the Po-2 and I'm looking forward to your skills applied to this build Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 20, 2018 Author Share Posted November 20, 2018 Thanks Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 Ready for the next phase of painting...One note on the tail section: be very careful with it. The pice that is part of the fuselage that holds the stabilizers and rider is paper thin and I fear it may snap off at any moment. --John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 It seems more yellow in the image than it actually is. --John 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 22, 2018 Author Share Posted November 22, 2018 Grass Green. I wasn't happy with this paint. The colour is fine, but even after over a minute of shake mixing with a steel nut inside the bottle, it was a very thin paint. Next colour..Black, like the Gustav. Thankfully, the black will cover up any unhappy lines! --John 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Masters Posted November 24, 2018 Author Share Posted November 24, 2018 I applied the decals to the fuselage and varnished them so I can now add the elevator/rudder cables, etc...I have a bit more drilling to do for the upper wing and then I can begin assembly again. Damn! It was too late when I realized how out-of-register the stars were. They didn't look that way on the backing paper. I am hoping some careful application of paint on the edges will at least tone down the factory error. I will have to rummage through the files for better stars for the lower wing. Dammit! Maybe I'll conduct some cosmetic surgery on the fuselage too...we shall see. --John 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 (edited) Keep up the good work. This is one of the few Russian planes I want to build one day. In 1/48. Edited November 24, 2018 by Greg Law Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andwil Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Shame about the out of register stars, the paint job and graffiti look ace. AW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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