TonyW Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 (edited) The Emily is now very plane shaped, with the wings and tail installed. Fit was terrible everywhere. The wing to fuselage joint has four hefty wing stubs that are supposed to fit into four sockets on the fuselage. A good joint here would be handy given the size of the plane. The fit was nice and tight and looked like it would do the job. It would be fine if you could ignore the resulting gap and misalignment of the whole setup! I ended up chopping about half the stubs away so I could juggle the wings into the best fitting situation. Best fitting is relative on this kit though. The curve of the wing top does not match that of the fuselage joint. The best fit I can achieve requires filler on the fuselage top on both wings. The fuselage top seam also sits quite high with a peak that will need removing. The tail didn't fit either, but by now I was expecting it not too. There's a ton of tube cement and superglue holding everything as close as I can get to fitting. I'll be letting the glue dry until at least tomorrow before starting with the filling and sanding. Trying to retain the rivet detail will be fun! I've made a fuselage blister canopy mold in preparation for a bit more smash molding later. I've also done a bit on the tractor that comes with the kit. RAF trainer yellow paintwork, a gearstick and exhaust stack and a fair bit of chipping and wear added to the yellow. Had I paid full whack for this kit, I would be very disappointed with it. As it is, I'll keep on wrestling with it and hope it's all worth it in the end. Tony. Edited October 9, 2019 by TonyW 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Sorry to hear that Emily is putting up such a struggle, you have worked wonders with other frog kits in this GB, so have complete faith that you will win out in the end. My only real concern is the colour of the Tractor are you sure about trainer yellow....... Phew that was a close one nearly mentioned the O word, but got away with it Cheers Pat 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Hi Pat, The one in my pic looks quite dark but I doubt it woulkd have been the colour you are thinking about. Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 9, 2019 Author Share Posted October 9, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, JOCKNEY said: Sorry to hear that Emily is putting up such a struggle, you have worked wonders with other frog kits in this GB, so have complete faith that you will win out in the end. My only real concern is the colour of the Tractor are you sure about trainer yellow....... Phew that was a close one nearly mentioned the O word, but got away with it Cheers Pat Hmmm, orange would have been a good choice. Never mind, too late now. The yellow looks suitably Tractor to me. I don't mind a struggle with a kit Pat, I've built some real dogs over the years and just Ho Hum'd it until the kit was done. The niggle with this one that just won't go away is the astronomic price charged for the thing vs the quality of it. I'll dig out a few period magazines and see what any reviews had to say about it. It's funny how you can get a bee in your bonnet about something meaningless, isn't it? Edited October 9, 2019 by TonyW 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Completely agree Tony, I have one of these in the Stash, which I was going to build if @jean hadn't kept pestering me about wanting to build it himself ! I didn't realise it had so many build / quality issues, To be fair as this was a reboxed Hasegawa kit, I think Frog are guilt free on this one. I am keeping all my fingers crossed for a successful Emily build, I really wanted one of these to turn up in this GB, so I'm delighted you are trying to bring this one to the party. I'm willing to overlook the incorrect colour of Tractor under the circumstances 😉 Cheers Pat 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 Crikey Tony what a fight, I am sure you will beat it into submission fella, great work. All the best Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 (edited) Hi Tony, Just got my old Emily down and had a look at it. Given my skills or lack thereof when I built it in around 1970, the fuselage joint is not that bad. Yes the wing sits a mil or so low and I should have adjusted the tabs/slots, and the horizontal tail to fuselage joint needed easing a bit but if I were to build it today it should be possible to make it fit pretty well with only a small amount of filler. I can only assume that the one you have got is either from a worn or bad mould, or has distorted with age. I had to do a fair bit of tweaking on the Shackleton as well as neither the wings not the stabs wanted to fit - either the tabs were too big or the slots too small (or both) and the fuselage was distorted. I am not clear if it was actually moulded by Frog, or more probably by Hasegawa and then re-boxed. If the latter mine could be from a mould that was about 3 years old and yours could be when it was up to 4 years older I suppose, assuming Frog cancelled the sales agreement in around 1974. Incidentally the new Hasegawa release is a H8K1 or Type 2 Model 11 - the earlier version. The 2019 release is the normal version of the Model 11 and the 2018 is the "VIP Transport" version which presumably means it is the first prototype which ended up as a transport - all the other "proper" transports were H8K2-L according to Francillon. The Model 12 had more powerful engines in modified nacelles and a modified tail, with some minor armament changes compared with the Model 11 apparently. Pete Edited October 9, 2019 by PeterB 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 10, 2019 Author Share Posted October 10, 2019 Tucked away in the chaos that is my loft is an early Hasegawa version of this kit. If I can unearth it I'll take a closer look at the molding. The box is a lot sturdier than the FROG one and the artwork is really nice. Part of my FROG collection has kits from AMT and Hasegawa that swapped boxes over the years. All fascinating stuff if you lean towards collecting as well as building. I found this clip on the internet, showing an Emily coming to a violent end. It took a bit of bringing down though! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LFNx85D9OA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 10, 2019 Author Share Posted October 10, 2019 I couldn't bring myself to do any construction on the Emily today, I needed a bit of a break. I did manage an hour or so in the shed, with scissors and spray cans, followed by a bit of Photoshopery with thoughts moving towards a base for the Emily. Blue Peter and Vision On kept coming to mind for some reason. No sticky back plastic or eggboxes this time but I did hack up the Emily box for a few fonts and pictures. The base is the one I tried with the Comet but it looked far too big for the plane. The Emily is a fair bit bigger so a few attempts were in order. Nothing set in stone here, just a bit of experimentation. The idea is to fake up a FROG shop display. I've done a few for some of my car models and when they come out right they certainly catch the eye. Here's one I did earlier... 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 FYI John, Just had a conversation with Jamie at Sovereign Hobbies, and it seems recent research suggests that the 3 manufacturer specific greens that used to be in the Colourcoats range as I mentioned, perhaps did not exist as such so they have been dropped. He agrees that there were differences between Mitsubishi and Nakakima and that they have covered that in their current range of paints. Well whatever the case I am not going to repaint my kits, but it seems your darker interpretation is fine - maybe Humbrol were right after all! Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 11, 2019 Author Share Posted October 11, 2019 (edited) Terrible weather outside at the moment, cold and very windy. The garage foundations I'm digging out can wait a bit! Instead, a couple of constructive hours were spent out in the shed. Result! First job was to have a good clear up. I'm not exactly the worlds neatest when it comes to just about anything, modelling is no exception. Now the four remaining GB builds that should get done have a bit of room to breathe. There's also an early Blenheim that's looking a bit unlikely, but you never know. The Emily needs the most work, so best I get on with it. The wing to fuselage joint got masked at the wing and milliput smoothed into the wing root and fuselage. Removing the tape mask left the milliput very slightly proud at the wing edge and ready for a bit of sanding once the putty has hardened. The tail got similar treatment. The side blisters needed attention as well, as one is missing. A bit of smash moulding got me three good canopies to play with, after six or so attempts. The candle worked as well as the blowtorch I used for the big canopy, The heat took a bit longer to soften the plastic, which is both good and bad. The job got done, that's the important thing. And to finish for today, I sprayed the base I built yet again, this time it's back to red! The trial in Photoshop yesterday looked better than the blue, so I did it for real this morning. The hardstanding I tried earlier wasn't big enough so a bit of card got cut an inch smaller than three sides of the base, leaving room at the front for a bit of script. The card was black, so I masked the edge and hit the centre with sand coloured primer in a patchy pattern. Spray glue at the top end got a bit of scenic rock and rubble added, then a very thick coat of clear had sand sprinkled over it and then shook off the board, leaving my beach behind. A bit of railway scenic foliage finished the base off. Removing the tape left me with a black border all round. It's a bit cheesy, but I think it suits the period feel I like The FROG script up front needs printing, the one in the picture is a Photoshop enlargement to see how it looks. I might also add script or maybe pictures to the base edges or possibly lower it a bit. I'll have a think on it. Nine more days to get it done. That sounds like all the time in the world to me, let's see how I feel about that after the weekend! Tony. Edited October 11, 2019 by TonyW Spelling. Again. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 I have a feeling that this is going to be another great build Tony, it's looking very good. And nice to see a bit of smash moulding! With the availability of good vacform canopies I haven't had to do that for a while, it was always good for open Spitfire canopies. A super looking flying boat! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 Great work Tony The work bench with Comet, Whitney and Emily looks very inspiring ! Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 12, 2019 Author Share Posted October 12, 2019 (edited) More progress today, The wing to fuselage join has been rubbed down and had a few coats of IJN green. The tail joint is still to do. The wheel assemblies painted and clipped together for a trial fit, so far so good. Yellow bands on the front edge of the wings masked and given a first coat of yellow. Torpedoes assembled and painted and a bit of paintwork started on the clear parts. All the little windows will be done in Glue 'n Glaze at the finish of the build. A start has been made on weathering the model with various drybrushings of greens and greys. Loads more of this to go yet. The base board has had a tide mark added by dragging a wide brush loaded with very diluted humbrol tan across the sand. It looks the part in the picture although it has to dry yet. Everything has been propped up for a moral booster picture and I should get a bit more work done tomorrow. That great big canopy is daring me to trim it to size for a kick off... Edited October 12, 2019 by TonyW 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olten Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 Sumptuously! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Law Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 Tony you have done well getting to this point. I've just been catching up on your never say die build. Well done. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbadbadge Posted October 12, 2019 Share Posted October 12, 2019 Wow Tony, you have done a grand job fella, not only have you started a large model in the last days of the GB and done a cracking job so far you have created a fantastic base too. I am in awe. Great work All the best Chris 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I'm afraid I'm guilty as well for not checking up on your latest progress. This Emily is shaping up to be another absolute cracker and it seems your mid term GB break has just fired up your Frog GB passion even stronger. Great stuff! Cheers.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 14, 2019 Author Share Posted October 14, 2019 More got done on Big Bird over the weekend. Floats fitted and even rigged! I didn't get fancy here, just used the holes and tags Hasegawa provided. It looks suitably busy. A bit of red oxide got added here and there to suggest primer repairs to the paintwork. It works at a distance but will need dialling in a bit. Ditto the general wear and tear of the overall paintjob. A third coat of yellow got added to the wing areas and the canopy put up a bit of a fight, but it's fixed in place now. Not my finest hour, but I think it will do the job. It's a whole lot better than the busted one I started with. The tractor got a few added details. A drag link and a pair of radius rods were added to busy it up a bit along with yet more weathering. The rear tyres got masking tape bands added to try to depict a bit of tread. It hardly shows. There's a bit more detailing to do, but there's only so much that can be addded to the rather basic original part. The tractor itself looks to me like Tom Daniel designed it, more hot rod than aircraft mover. The whole build has been interesting in many ways. I've had to alter my approach to the model several times. I think I have it sussed now. It's a thing of its time. A Japanese kit of the sixties, not exactly a toy, but certainly not a 'serious' model either. You can see Hasegawa slowly changing direction here. The huge cannon, the very basic rigging, the almost comical cockpit interior with it's short walk from the pilots seats to the dash panel and controls showing intent at detail, but not quite there yet. The instructions I've downloaded mention leaving the beaching wheel assembly unglued as 'It will be more fun that way'. There is a very decent model in there if the effort is put into it. That makes it a period piece to me and all the better for it. The model itself is a part of the bigger picture of how modelling grew into what it is today. Stirring stuff! I won't be going overboard on much in the way of added detailing, time alone doesn't allow that. I'll be more than happy to finish it pretty much as Hasegawa intended. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 (edited) The fight with Big Bird continues... The smash moulded canopy won't cut the mustard. It looks terrible. I've tried to rescue it but failed. Today saw me slowly depleting my stocks of clear plastic as further canopies were attempted, and failed for one reason or another. I'm trying to ignore the looming deadline as that can only crank up the stress levels and this is supposed to be fun! Using plastic that was far to thick, probably 40 thou or so, I got a close enough copy to work with. Just as well as I'm now out of clear. The canopy fitted terribly, oversize in every direction. Resorting to desperation tactics, I've split it down the middle and fitted one side to the fuselage as best as I can. I'm letting that harden until tomorrow, then the other side will get modified to hopefully fit. The plastic is thick enough to have something to fix to, so I might get lucky here. The best I can hope for is an OK canopy. I'll be happy with that. If all else fails, the original glued together busted canopy will get painted black and the canopy frames added with thin tape. That would be cutting things a bit fine here, so lets hope the current Great Plan works. Had it not been for this build being in a Group Build, I would have called it quits by now. The GB is just enough pressure/encouragement to see me push on to the end. Lets hope the end justifies the effort. Tony. Edited October 17, 2019 by TonyW 9 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnson Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 You have my sympathy Tony, I'm having canopy fit problems with my Corsair, but nothing on your scale. Best of luck with the rest of the build, I hope all works out, Emily's a lovely looking old girl! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 I'm really sorry that the Emily is misbehaving to such an extent. Considering it's age and how late in the GB you started on her I think what you have achieved is nothing short of miraculous ! Fingers crossed you idea works and she will grace the gallery in this GB. Cheers Pat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyW Posted October 17, 2019 Author Share Posted October 17, 2019 Did we give in when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? HELL NO! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 Brilliant I'd quite forgotten that Tony Blair and Donald Trump were script writers previously ! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 17, 2019 Share Posted October 17, 2019 That’s the spirit Tony... best of British ‘Bulldog’ luck getting this one through, however we will all understand if you decide to take a break from it... some of us would have no doubt beached it by now in more ways than one! Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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