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Heather's Workbench - Belgium, 1940


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For removing small pieces from the sprue, I use either this snip to carefully cut the piece away:

 

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or I use a small saw to do it.

 

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This is actually a piece of broken CMK saw in the end of a pin vise handle.

 

 

 

Chris

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3 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

Good ideas, Chris. I have snips and saws, but still find really tiny parts easiest to remove using the carving method. :happy:

 

It's whatever works for you. I remove the parts by cutting/sawing close to the sprue then whittling away at the bit I don't want with a new, sharp blade. I keep one Xacto handle loaded with a sharp blade just for that job. When it seems to be loosing it's edge, it's replaced by a new blade and the other one is consigned to the general usage box.

 

 

Chris

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7 hours ago, Heather Kay said:

The instructions also note the modeller must fit some wire to the horns and locate it where the control wires emerge from the rear of the fuselage.

Those sort of jobs are best left 'till the end.

Good work so far.

 

Stuart

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16 hours ago, Courageous said:

Those sort of jobs are best left 'till the end.

Indeed. ;)

 

My paint shopping foray didn’t quite turn out as intended. I was after some of the snazzy new Humbrol acrylic paint, but the colours I wanted were only in the older type - or the new enamels. I plumped for the enamels. The new British made enamels seem to have improved mightily, so I felt it worth the risk. Let’s just say that when you shake the tinlet you can hear fluid sloshing about inside.

 

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Coverage isn’t that shabby, either. Applied with a rather tatty hairy stick, I think a couple of coats will be quite adequate - though drying times are a lot longer than the acrylic paint. I rather think the Humbrol brand is getting back on track.

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Nice work, Heather. These obscure types need some recognition for their role in the conflict. Hopelessly outclassed as they were.

This side view though, clicked something in my mind...

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A Vanship from the anime Last Exile perhaps?

 

ha64713_c.jpg

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Nice work Heather, as always :) 

 

I'm with you on the problems of getting around on the Motorway system. It seems that even a small incident can lead to long delays as the 'victims' stand around scratching their heads, rather than moving everything to the hard shoulder (if there is one). Fingers crossed we don't encounter problems on the up-coming tour!

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A couple of years ago, we were going to attend a meeting in Birmingham. As we do, we were to travel up the day before and stay over a couple of nights in a chain hotel. We left Chatham at around 10am, with the plan to stop at the first services on the M40 for lunch. The good old M25 was up to its usual tricks, and we hadn’t even reached the A3 junction by noon. That’s normally a sub-one hour journey. We finally achieved our hotel by around five. We resolved to eventually move north of London as soon as we can, but we are still here. :(

 

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A further thinned coat of the khaki green and I reckon we are more or less there. I did mask the line between the aluminium and green, although following a moulded line ought to be doable. I’ll let that dry properly, then look to fitting the wings and struts. The difference between the polished and plain aluminium shows quite well, I think.

 

I have heard good things about Humbrol Decalfix, and I have acquired a bottle. I need to test it for settling decals on a matt finish. If it works, I won’t need a gloss coat for the next stage.

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18 minutes ago, limeypilot said:

My guess would be "not very long" but I've been known to be wrong before!

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:D

 

I found the struts had to be fitted at the same time as the wing, in order to ensure the latter is as level as it should be. Relying on the centre strut alone would lead to problems. Now to leave it well alone until the glue hardens.

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Things are coming together quickly. One or two details still to fit, some paint to retouch, and the decals.

 

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The wind-driven generator is provided as an injection moulded part, but there is a PE set of blades that can be substituted for the chunky moulded ones if desired. I’m not even sure you can see them! Main wheels are on, and will need a quick dab of paint where the mould seams were sanded off.

 

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The machine gun for the observer is a proper fiddle. One moulded part, being the main body of the weapon, barrel and the mount, with four infinitesimally small PE details. They tested the limits of my magnification and patience. It looks the part now it’s finished.

 

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Aileron control rods are also supplied as PE parts. They are on there somewhere! The tail skid needed a little help to fit, mainly by halving the length of its peg, and actually caused part of the rear fuselage to break away. I managed to save it, and it’ll never show. :doh:

 

There are tiny PE parts for the pilot's gun sighting. The instructions show where they go, but not until you’ve glued the wing on. They really should be fitted before the wing is fitted. Bother. I sincerely doubt I can get the blighters in there now. I don’t suppose they’ll be missed. The remaining PE is the step under the fuselage, and something that might be the wireless antenna. Exactly where that should fit is vague, and isn’t clarified from studying photos. 
 

Blimey! It’s nearly finished!

Edited by Heather Kay
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Late to the party, but just caught up. That’s a rather handsome looking aeroplane being assembled in your usual expert way. 

 

I see that you had to go enamel for your khaki uppers. I’ve found the same with their Light Aircraft Grey. Humbrol’s policy seems somewhat haphazard.

 

Commenting on the strut removal, I’m with @dogsbody in the snipping/sawing technique. If the kit part is substantial then I go with snips and if ridiculously delicate, very gentle and slow sawing usually gets me there. However, again we all arrive at a technique that works for us.

 

Looking on with interest.

 

Trevor

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18 hours ago, Max Headroom said:

I see that you had to go enamel for your khaki uppers. I’ve found the same with their Light Aircraft Grey. Humbrol’s policy seems somewhat haphazard.

I did check their web site, and they seem to have acrylics in stock now. I’m impatient, though. I have to say, the new enamels are almost as good as they used to be. I’ve taken the precaution of obtaining some Humbrol thinners, which did make a difference to drying time as well.

 

For my next Belgian excursion, I think I will try to get the acrylic colours, though. My old school approach is beginning to waver!

 

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Can you see the step? Three itsy bitsy almost invisible PE parts. Without the excellent photos on the Belgian Wings web site, I doubt I’d have fitted the parts properly at all following the instructions alone. 
 

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Miraculously I actually managed to fit the pilot gunsight. The two parts, again microscopic in size, can just be made out in the gloom under the wing. I won’t bother trying to paint them. I suspect the merest waft of a brush near them will dislodge or bend them!

 

With nothing left on the PE fret, and only the unnecessary parts on the sprue trees, I think construction is complete. Now to test the spare decals on my paint mule, before committing to the Renard. This is the bit where it comes to life.

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On 30/10/2019 at 19:43, Pete in Lincs said:

Nice work, Heather. These obscure types need some recognition for their role in the conflict. Hopelessly outclassed as they were.

This side view though, clicked something in my mind...

48972606073_e4f8d7c068_b.jpg

A Vanship from the anime Last Exile perhaps?

 

ha64713_c.jpg

Strangely enough (or not seeing as it is me) A Vanship is high up on my list of pending builds.

 

The model is shaping up nicely Heather, vdry pleasing to the eyes, all six of them.

 

Predictable of Mars 👽

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I couldn’t wait.

 

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I chose the scheme for N9, which was the personal aircraft of Cne Paul Henry de la Lindi, commander of the 11 éme escadrille, between January and May 1940. The squadron symbol was "Red Sioux", a roundel with a stylised American Indian head with head dress. 
 

The decal sheet behaved impeccably. It took several minutes for the decals to release from the backing paper, but they are very thin and needed little setting solution at all to settle over the moulded detail. They are glossy, though, so after they’ve dried off overnight I’ll need to apply some varnish to bring everything back together.

 

That will just leave the control wires for the rudder to fit, and this attractive little plane will be ready for its portrait session and into the RFI section.

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49006388921_b2d85213be_b.jpg

 

All finished. I've left the model fairly clean and tidy, as that's the way they seem to have been kept right until the end. 

 

And here is the RFI link.

 

 

Edited by Heather Kay
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The PE might be a fiddle but it's worth it! Nice scheme and a lovely finish too. I miss both light aircraft grey and Hu 155, and it seems we're all going to miss Hu 79 and 116 from the re-vamped acrylics range too.

 

Enough of my moaning - lovely job!

 

Regards,

Adrian

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Thanks all!

 

It's a nice little kit that goes together nicely. Enough parts to make it a well detailed model, but not so many you get bored assembling it. It captures the look of the R-31 well, and is the first kit of the type I am aware of. Until I found reference to the machines in one of my 1940 references, I’d have been none the wiser about it and its role during the German invasion of the Low Countries.
 

I am looking forward to some more types operated by Belgium during the early part of the war. I’ve mentioned up the thread somewhere that I have an AZ Model Hurricane MkI, for which I need to source suitable markings, plus spare decals from an Airfix Gladiator that will allow me to convert an old Matchbox build I have. I might well re-rig that one while I’m about it, as stripping and repainting will no doubt damage what’s there.

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35 minutes ago, Heather Kay said:

Thanks all!

 

It's a nice little kit that goes together nicely. Enough parts to make it a well detailed model, but not so many you get bored assembling it. It captures the look of the R-31 well, and is the first kit of the type I am aware of. Until I found reference to the machines in one of my 1940 references, I’d have been none the wiser about it and its role during the German invasion of the Low Countries.
 

I am looking forward to some more types operated by Belgium during the early part of the war. I’ve mentioned up the thread somewhere that I have an AZ Model Hurricane MkI, for which I need to source suitable markings, plus spare decals from an Airfix Gladiator that will allow me to convert an old Matchbox build I have. I might well re-rig that one while I’m about it, as stripping and repainting will no doubt damage what’s there.

 

I will gladly send you the leftover decals from my Airfix Hurricane, if you'd like them. I did use the instrument panel decal though. 

 

I'm going to use Iliad Decals set to make my Hurricane as an RCAF machine.

 

 

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Chris

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