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Matchbox Heinkel He 115 (Revell Rebox) [***Finished***]


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A few little steps on, I just gave the plane an base coat, which took me some time (and did I swear about my idea of painting it with the Matchbox colours initially 😖) but now I'm somewhat there.


38717546cz.jpg

 

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At one place the colour almost covered the rivet lines, but most still show. Only slightly, though, but in this scale that's ok, I'd say.

 

Of course if discovered AFTER the scribing a larger mark on both of the floaters - no sinkmarks, rather looks like some bubbles on the molds - so back to the filling-and-sanding desk.

 

38717545lg.jpg

 

38717549rs.jpg

 

But apart from that I plan to move on to some other tasks.

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Next is something I feel a bit more confident with - the interiour.

 

Here's the PE parts from Eduard, branded for a finnish company.

 

38717595kz.jpg

 

Looks nice, I never did 1/72 PE dashboards! 🙂

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/16/2020 at 2:04 AM, LN-KEH said:

The main issue with the Matchbox kit is that the front transparencies differ quite a bit from the real thing.

http://heinkel115.com

Many thanks for the link - and of course I've discovered this as well already. Who hasn't? 😉

It is a marvellous occasion to check things out and follow in general, and I do now and then look at it for inspiration, but I've decided to abandon all thoughts about historical accuracy in this build and see this merely as a fun build. I try to do some detailing, but just for pimping up this childhood memory, not to do the real plane justice.

Hopefully I can post some pictures and do a little bit tomorrow, as I spent the last weekends mainly working. The interiour is nice, but a bit challenging, as there is nothing in there. Building up structures does require some scratch building. Not that I wasn't aware of, but it's always something different when you're stuck right in the middle. 😉
 

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I did manage to sit down a bit and work on the interior, bending these tiny brass bitsys. And every time I do this I feel like this character from Lethal Weapon (just checked - he's called Murtaugh), yelling: I'm too old for this...

 

But apart from hands to big and eyes not sharp enough, it goes ok. Sort of. Don't ask my wife, as she didn't understand that explicit swearing belongs to the therapeutical side of our hobby.

 

But anyway; as I know you guys love pictures of tiny pieces driving big men mad, here's where we stand:

 

38815311ff.jpg

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2 hours ago, Jinxman said:

Looking good - may I ask what the black-handled implement is - kind of looks like a calligraphy pen?

In fact it is, I use it for applying CA. Works just great, after trying a lot of different other tools. 

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11 hours ago, Dansk said:

Brilliant 💡

Many thanks, just as always came across it by coincidence.

 

Btw., cleaning is easy as it can get, just burning away the surplus CA with a lighter. The tip won't be hurt, even when it's red hot. I have this very tip for years now. Bulletproof and cheap. 😉

 

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And some more tiny steps - a little progress in adding some PE prts in the front cockpit...

38828895ij.jpg

 

As I've still some styrene strips and semis in the stash, I tinkered around in adding some random structures in the cockpit, and closing partly the inner wing sink (in the part left I think of adding the rear seat)

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...and working on a floor panel, to give a bit of structure...

38828894dz.jpg

As said before, nothing of this claims any histric accuracy, just tinkering around in some attempts, to add some life to the cockpit.

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While good people doing their carwash on a sunday morning, lazy guys like me maybe find some time to do a bit of modelling, just after a long and relaxing breakfast with my wife.

I bit of progress here and there, the rear section is starting to find shape, with the PE dashboards and floor panel installed...

 

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The white plank was a bit of an accident, when I removed the already installed rear bulkhead, so installed a new one, but yet have to paint it.

 

Main cockpit with seat installed...

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Here's the seat with the belts...

 

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And here's another thing to be corrected; the rear seat structure is too wide, as it has to be mounted in the recesses of the wings (or at least I guess so). Initially I wanted to install it in there, but after some obviously not so precise dry-fitting I thought it would be too narrow, so I closed it. Well; it's not to narrow. Bending didn't work out, so I make a new base plate from styrene, and mount the cushion with the belts from the PE set.

 

38835137jc.jpg

The upper, green piece ist the PE, the lower in white is the styrene base plate I'm just working on. The ugly green thing with the dials on it is the rear bulkhead to be installed, but I think I want to add at least 1 or two cables, just to give it some life.

In general, you see this bits look rather crude, but 1.) as these are in 1/72 and really tiny, the zoom of the camera is quite merciless, and 2.) when installed these should do blend together, and most of the putty lumps or rough edges will disappear. At least I hope 😄

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Well, hopefully the Vacuform canopy will reveal at least a bit, apart from the option to build it open. That's the reason I got it, the original Matchbox part looks just like it hasn't been cleaned since the time it was first issued in the seventies.

 

But I'm not there yet, so let's wait and see.  Isn't that one reason we're here; to show the things we did to make parts look good before we close the thing? 😆

 

Also there is a spiritual part to our hobby, isn't it? To me, it just happened that I found Nirvana. It's right under my modelling desk, and it makes things disappear. I've made a awkward move, the bodyhalf with all the interiour pieces fell to the floor and the front gunners floor piece went off. And disappeared to some other dimension or wherever.

 

But when I'm already into scratchbuilding, a small piece of plastic should do. But: oooomph!

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Ahh - the carpet monster strikes.

I always check my slippers - when I empty them out I usually find a couple of scratchbuilt items, suitably squashed, of course. 😬

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More great work on the interior, I think it looks really good and will be very convincing when the canopy is fitted.

 

I see that Austria has it's fair share of "carpet monsters" too, or the alternate dimensions that appear right on cue to swallow up your parts as soon as you drop them and then spit them out when you have given up searching and called in the wife to look who then finds it instantly, making you look even more of an idiot in her eyes than you did before. I even model over a tray or upturned box lid but the bloody things still escape!

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23 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

then spit them out when you have given up searching and called in the wife to look who then finds it instantly, making you look even more of an idiot in her eyes than you did before.

I see you've met my wife and daughter then. 

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Guys, many thanks for your support and compassion on this tragic loss.

And yes, here in Austria we have the same zoo of part-swallowing monsters, or I think more of spontaneous black holes and worm tunnels of precisely the size of 1/72 thrust levers, rear view mirrors or floor panels. 

But not this time, armed with enough styrene to build an entire Graf Zeppelin Flugzeugträger in 1/72 and a totally new and dead sharp scribing tool, i stopped searching and made it on my own. Take this, carpet monster - go and rot in your strange dimension of lorn pieces of whatever scale you care to eat. You won't enjoy me crawling an hour for this, nor will I open the vacuum cleaner for this. Not this time!

Here's the piece I scratched:

38842930bi.jpg

 

This also makes the front gunners place finished and also shows all the parts of the main cockpit.

Here's the rear cockpit, and the bulkhead with the rear instruments and some lines:

38842931ra.jpg

Rear seat, with belts mounted:

 

38842932cn.jpg

 

So, I'd call this finished. Next is to nail the pieces together, which I hope can be done with the usual amount of clamps, glue and tape.

And then - yes, entering the new and exciting world of ruining vacuform canopies.

But not today - for now, it's good night, and good luck, folks!

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Don't forget that the carpet Monster has a friend in Murphy, who can apply his laws at the most inappropriate times.

 

His favourite trick being to make you drop your almost completed kit onto the floor - thus feeding his friend at the same time, as all your little bits ping off....

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