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Polaris A1 *Finished-ish*


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Hello, finally. I thought I was never getting here. The last family thing to get done was lunch. So, in standard Blitzbuild OP:

 

191228a Stracotto

 

Stracotto,

 

191228b Limoncello Tiramisu

 

Limoncello Tiramisu. I now won't have to spend any GB-time on eating for a bit.

 

191228c Blitzen start

 

Bits of Belcher Bits Polaris A1.

 

I am glad to have the Dad's Army option but hope to finish in 24 hours.

 

Alan

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Some progress and first problem: poxy epoxy!

 

Drilled a hole for the stand and pretty happy with the look:

 

191228d hole for stand

191228e On stand

 

I've re-etched the hatch on the back of the interstage which is the only real detail on the thing:

 

191228f re-etched

 

I had thought that the fit was good,

 

191228g good fit

 

but really its a curate's egg: good in parts:

 

191228h bad fit

 

So, much sanding and bamboo-cane-ism approaching.

 

Here are some epoxy resins:

 

191228i poxy epoxy

 

The top one I can't get out of the tube; the middle one never sets. I didn't know they went off so badly. The bottom, Gorilla glue, was bought by the dread Mrs.Tura to repair some jewellery and thankfully it works beautifully. Some relief. Getting the unset stuff off the joint of the body to the interstage was a major pain in the bum.

 

Alan

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Close-of-play for Saturday.

 

Here are the rocket nozzles just taken off their mold sheet. One of them has a big molding bubble seemingly in a helpful place:

 

 

191228j nozzles undrilled

 

In fact the bubble is pretty eccentric and the nozzle is a bit too thin for comfort:

 

191228k dicey nozzle

 

Here they all are drilled out:

 

191228l nozzles drilled out

 

They look a bit rough but having done the same on the last blitzbuild I think they'll be OK with some paint and metallisers. I did learn a lot about doing this last time. Drilling them out with the 2.2mm drill bit followed by the sharper and then blunter grinding fitting on a rotor craft drill makes it fairly straightforward. They do get a bit hot.

 

Here's as far as I've got:

 

191229a close of play no clock

 

and with clock:

 

191229b close of play clock

 

So, that is 6hr 41min gone: I am glad to have the Dad's army option. I might have to invoke the all white rocket option too, but I hope not.

 

Mañana.

 

Alan

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'Morning.

 

191229c morning meds

 

What a great sleep, thanks to the Dad's Army option. Not much of a breakfast. I felt for Avereda with the back pain-induced abandonment of Mary Rose build. 

So I've got Ibuprofen for sore back (modelmaking sofa too low,) and peppermint oil for IBS (probably Blitzbuild-induced somatosisation). Both washed down with Beecham's for the cold. I'm glad that there aren't any random drug tests here.

 

My 24 hours will be up at 5.30pm on the superhero option, but ~11.00pm on the Dad's Army.

 

Alan 

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The nozzles cleaned up much better with this metal thing, but hand held.

 

191229d nozzles with abrasive

 

Breakfast:

 

191229e breakfast

 

That is grape nuts with sultanas and brazils and coffe. The biscuits are mince-pie flavoured for Christmas.

 

The morning has then all been taken up getting this,

 

191229f unsmoothed rocket

 

to look like this:

 

191229g smooth rocket back 191229h smooth rocket front

 

I'm glad I made the hatch etching deeper.

 

Lunch:

 

191229i Lunch

 

Christmas ham. Other chutneys and low fat spreads are available.

 

I'm stopping the clock again there. Senora Tura and Senorita Tura have been given free tickets to the Huddersfield home game and I have to feed and water Senorito Tura and go for  trip! Curses curses.

 

Later!

 

Alan

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Later.

 

I got started again at 4.00pm and here is preparation for painting in the garage. I'm trying not to use aerosols in the house any longer. My extractor fan isn't up to it.

 

191229j garage paint prep

 

The Tamiya primers are warming up in hot water. Here is tea and the bits painted:

 

191229k Tea and painted bits

 

...and here are the bits themselves:

 

191229l Painted model

 

The white is all Tamiya fine white primer. The base and nozzles were Tamiya fine grey primer followed by Alclad duraluminum to the base, Alclad exhaust manifold to the insides of the nozzles and pale burnt metal to the outsides. I had planned to mask the roll markings and spray them black this evening, but I've already had some problems of the white primer falling off. I don't think its had time properly to cure. So I'm just going to accept it in white overall. Seemingly that is what operational missiles looked like. It's a lot less decorative. I'll probably come back to it but do the markings with the decals supplied. I can avoid masking it at all then.

 

Alan

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  • Angus Tura changed the title to Polaris A1 *Finished-ish*

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