Poles Apart - a PZL 'In Foreign Service' Tri-andem ride for your amusement! *2 down, 1 to go*

[clive_t]

23 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Looks great to me!  Nice job with it.

Thanks Mr Kenny!

 

No work on the model itself per se today, however the wife's decision to break out the Cricut machine prompted me to knock up a couple of SVG files for the fuselage markings. With those, and under her expert tutelage, I managed to produce something which stands a good chance of doing a job for me:

 

 

I have kind of gone out on a limb here and assumed that the markings on the port side were a mirrored image of those on the starboard side - I have no evidence to either support or refute that, so I've just gone with it!

 

For those souls sufficiently intrigued as to the details of what was used to produce the masks, the mask film material is Oramask, and the machine is a Cricut Air 2. Whatever that means. If anyone is planning to model the self same aircraft with these markings, and would like the SVG files for their own use, I'd be more than happy to forward them on.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2021 by clive_t
double post

[clive_t]

Latest progress - firstly, the masking was removed and a Klear coat applied:

 

 

Then the mind-numbing task of masking up the previously painted sections ready for the application of the underside colour on the wings:

 

 

I made a half-hearted attempt to mask the wing struts, but gave up in the end and just used a single piece of tape to protect it whilst I did the main section of the wings:

 

 

My initial mixture for the underside was a 50:50 mix of XF-55 deck tan and XF-23 ('light blue'). In the end, I added some white to make it a 33:33:33 mix:

 

This is the result, with masking removed:

 

 

I am quite pleased with that.

 

[ModelingEdmontonian]

1 hour ago, clive_t said:

Latest progress - firstly, the masking was removed and a Klear coat applied:

 

 

Then the mind-numbing task of masking up the previously painted sections ready for the application of the underside colour on the wings:

 

 

I made a half-hearted attempt to mask the wing struts, but gave up in the end and just used a single piece of tape to protect it whilst I did the main section of the wings:

 

 

My initial mixture for the underside was a 50:50 mix of XF-55 deck tan and XF-23 ('light blue'). In the end, I added some white to make it a 33:33:33 mix:

 

This is the result, with masking removed:

 

 

I am quite pleased with that.

 

I'm so impressed with this build! It's going to turn out great!

[clive_t]

23 hours ago, ModelingEdmontonian said:

I'm so impressed with this build! It's going to turn out great!

Thanks Mr Edmontonian!

 

Some further progress, of a sort, this morning - I attempted to apply the custom mask to the fuselage side in order to spray the folded paper horse emblem. Not as straight-forward as I would have hoped, not helped at all by my ill-conceived notion that a stonking great strip of PE down the side would enhance my life no end, and not cause massive gaps between mask and fuselage. Still, I managed to get it on, and taped around the edges:

 

 

The result:

 

 

All of which admirably demonstrates what all modellers the world over know to be true: that the camera, particularly one with a macro setting, can be the cruellest of mistresses. I implore you to try and ignore the hideous blobs of CA that now obviously adorn the PE strip - although, I acknowledge that may be difficult. Certainly it is for me! Hopefully the other side will be better.

[clive_t]

... now this, I am happy with:

 

 

I think the paint was a bit too thick the first time.

[clive_t]

Today's brief update - wheels on, canopy on, nose on:

 

 

To be honest I'm not 100% happy with how the canopy looks, I shall ponder it further but I may well end up re-doing it.

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Looks nice!  The windscreen is so small, you hardly notice it.  What are your plans for clear-coat and flat coat?  Do you need to protect the clear parts during that process?

[clive_t]

Thanks Mr Kenny, yes it is very small but I am thinking the brush painted canopy framework is a bit rough. I've since remembered a trick I've pulled before, of using pre-painted thin strips of Tamiya masking tape to form the frame. So I will let all the glued bits solidify overnight before trying that.

 

As for the coating, I tend to brush on Klear for a gloss coat (before application of decals) and Windsor and Newton satin medium (for final finishing) so hopefully that won't be an issue, but a small amount of masking tape over the top should be enough if needed. We shall see!

[clive_t]

In applying strips of masking tape to the canopy, I worked out what it was I didn't like about it - it was sitting about 1mm too tall compared to the original part! So I carefully chopped off a small amount from all around the base of the canopy then applied the tape. Much better:

 

 

As you can see, I also commenced with the decals. These are spares from my Karas sheet, which are far superior quality compared with the garbage that came with the kit. I got as far as applying the underside ones, however the ribs are proving a challenge when getting the decals to settle:

 

 

I foresee copious quantities of Micro-Sol or similar being rendered here!

[clive_t]

Decals were applied to the tail/rudder - including the 'P 11' identifier at the top, which I had to take from the kit supplied decal sheet as I had no other alternative available. A deal of work was required to obscure the spurious white lines all over it, but I think I got there:

 

 

One other thing I omitted to show earlier, is the engine/cowling assembly:

 

 

Not 100% perfect, but I am reasonably happy with how it turned out compared with how it would have looked had I left it.

 

*Edited to add* I have no information on what, if any, under-wing identification markings would have existed for this particular aircraft. If any more knowledgeable person can enlighten me, I would very much appreciate it thanks!

[clive_t]

This morning I had a go at applying a sludge wash - no panel lines to speak of here, but I used brown panel line fluid on the khaki colours:

 

 

For the underside I concocted my own brew of oil paints (black, white and a bit of blue) with enough thinners to give me a wash consistency:

 

 

I need to keep my grubby hands off this for a day or so now!

[clive_t]

Whilst waiting for the oil washes to dry on the P11c, I have been looking at the final part of this unholy trinity, the Los. My despondency at the questionable state of the plastic moulding was in danger of descending into deep depression once I'd revisited the PE frets and their associated instructions...

 

Fortunately I happened to recall a WIP thread from a number of years ago that documented the build of this particular subject (albeit a ZTS kit), courtesy of @Ozzyman69 who I happily acknowledge as the source of this inspiration, and to hope he is keeping well and safe in our current situation. The thread in question can be found here:

 

 

It's well worth a look in its own right, but I've posted the link here for my own benefit as much as anything else, it makes it easier for me to find it again

 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

You are definitely not shying away from difficult raw material here!  Best of luck to you!  

[clive_t]

10 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

You are definitely not shying away from difficult raw material here!  Best of luck to you!  

Thanks Mr Kenny, I do believe in this one I am going to need it - I think MisterCraft should adopt that as their mission statement: 'Providing difficult raw material to modellers everywhere'

 

Anyway, by way of a desperate attempt at easing myself into this, I will share the customary sprue/decal shots:

 

 

The hawk-eyes among you will notice that one of the engine cowlings is missing - I removed it so as to try and work out how to incorporate the Ju-52 engines into the assembly. No prizes for guessing how far I've got with that!

 

Wings, and once again very thick 'clear' parts:

 

 

Decal sheets:

 

 

Aside from the obvious 'under new management' markings there are the 'civilian identifier' codes which I think pertain to the one that was exhibited in Sofia in the late 1930s. Additionally, and indeed quite interestingly, they have included Polish military markings on a separate sheet, which in turn incorporate a decal for a slogan to be applied to the side of the fuselage, which declares it to be a gift from several Polish banks!

[clive_t]

... and if you think that's a cause for concern, here are the detailing PE frets - interior:

 

 

... and exterior:

 

 

The really, really scary things are the respective 'instruction' sheets - they would be clearer if chiselled on granite slabs as Egyptian hieroglyphs! I feel the ways this could go wrong are as many as they are varied...

 

 

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Ok.  Try building it without the instruction sheet.  That might serve you better.  If I recall, I had this very kit, in bagged form, at one point, and it contained no instructions or decals.  Came from a friend of mine for free because it was part of some huge auction lot and he didn't need it.  Incorporating all that PE detail promises to be a treat!  For starters, I might check and see if someone has released a set of replacement clear parts as vac-forms.  One of the Polish modelers on this forum might know or even have one.

[clive_t]

21 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Ok.  Try building it without the instruction sheet.  That might serve you better.  If I recall, I had this very kit, in bagged form, at one point, and it contained no instructions or decals.  Came from a friend of mine for free because it was part of some huge auction lot and he didn't need it.  Incorporating all that PE detail promises to be a treat!  For starters, I might check and see if someone has released a set of replacement clear parts as vac-forms.  One of the Polish modelers on this forum might know or even have one.

I'm tempted to try it blindfold, I couldn't possibly do any worse than following the PE instructions! You make a good point about vac-form canopy though, I shall have to look into that - maybe even invest in a vac-form machine of my own if I can find room for it in my modest cave.

 

Anyway, home straight for the P11c now that the fiddlies have been fitted - the gun sights (some generic PE gun sights from Eduard), and a Pitot tube (which MisterCraft helpfully invite me to fashion for myself from stretched sprue ) :

 

 

... and a Venturi Tube (I think) on the starboard fuselage:

 

 

Finally, the addition of the prop (not fixed, just in case I need to do something to it in the future) and a thin coat of satin varnish:

 

 

So with that, I am calling this particular chapter of my PZL odyssey complete, save for some better quality pics and an RFI of course.

 

Thanks for sticking with me this far, folks!

[clive_t]

Hi folks, Karas RFI is now up, here.

 

 

[clive_t]

Well, having gone to all the trouble of taking a bunch of RFI pics for the P.11c, I realised I hadn't finished it after all - no aerial wire! So I remedied that this morning with some knitting in elastic and some small pieces of styrene rod for the posts on the wings and tail:

 

 

It looks a little on the thick side to me, but I wanted a 'steel' colour rather than the black that I've used in the past.

 

So... now it's finished!

[clive_t]

So, where was I... ah yes, the 37B Los. Not much in the way of actual progress to report, however that is for 2 main reasons:

 

1. The sudden realisation that there is an entire system of raised panel lines running all over the place; collectively, silently mocking me for my inability to scribe decent alternatives

 

2. The ordering (and eventual receipt) of this wee beastie:

 

 

Yes, I broke the bank manager's heart and ordered myself a vac-forming machine. This duly arrived yesterday and I have been spending some time trying to ascertain how to use it, which materials work well with it and which ones don't!

 

As a follow-up issue, I am trying to work out how I might replicate all the canopy parts given their different (and in the case of the nose, large) sizes. I may end up carving something out of balsa wood - I remember someone on here doing similar for some spats for his Stuka project but the name sadly escapes me at this time. Since I don't possess any appropriately sized balsa wood, I elected to have a go with my tried and moderately successful silicon rubber moulding material, and made a mould for the pilot's canopy:

 

 

 

The void has now been filled with Milliput, which should hopefully form a reasonably detailed and heat-resistant master for the vac form machine:

 

 

I will need to leave it overnight to properly harden, so hopefully tomorrow I might have some preliminary results. I'm not expecting perfection first time round, but I hope to at least have a better idea as to its viability. Incidentally, the extra blob of Milliput (there is always that to deal with) I have used to form a generic looking 'Hurricane-like' canopy, that I will try to embellish with some sort of framework before trying to vac form something from it.

 

What could possibly go wrong?

[clive_t]

... Answer: not all that much to be honest! The Milliput master came out fairly easily and with very few obvious flaws - a couple of creases where I'd fed the  putty into the mould piecemeal to ensure all the little nooks and crannies were filled. They were filled with Perfect Plastic Putty and rubbed smooth with a wet finger. So, to the vac-form machine:

 

 

I learned a lesson here in that I found myself having to be very careful when excising the larger master from the vac-formed shape because of the overhangs at both ends. I will fill those if ever I have occasion to use the master again. Still, for all that the results are pretty good:

 

 

The interesting thing is that the original canopy part has a very faint framework moulding on it - you have to look at it under magnification to even see it properly. Well, lo and behold those same markings appear on my vac-form copy!

 

For a bonus, here's my generic Hurricane-like vac-form canopy:

 

 

I am quite pleased with the results so far, as I now feel very confident about being able to pose the Los with the pilot's canopy open, something I haven't always been able to do with previous models. Had I had this machine even 3 months ago, I would have done so for the Karas, without a doubt!

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Beautifully done!  I'm glad these tries worked out for you.  The nose should be interesting.

[clive_t]

On 7/25/2021 at 9:29 PM, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Beautifully done!  I'm glad these tries worked out for you.  The nose should be interesting.

Thanks Mr Kenny, yes I have a bit of thinking to do regarding the nose, but I do see a small block of balsa in my not-too-distant future

 

In the meantime though, some further experimentations with the masters that I have already created. I carefully cut a shallow line in the Los pilot's canopy master where the two parts of the canopy would come together. My thinking was that if the acetate managed to get sucked into it even a little, that would give me a cutting guide for creating the two separate pieces I'd need. With the other, imaginary canopy master, I added a rudimentary framework made from 0.4mm strips of Tamiya masking tape, to see what if anything the vac-forming machine would make of it. So, here are the two modified masters, good to go:

 

 

I should also mention that I learned my previous lesson reasonably well in that I eliminated the overhangs on the Los pilot's canopy master with some additional Milliput. The results:

 

 

This time, removing the masters was simplicity itself, I just popped them out with the aid of a wooden cocktail stick, no problems at all

 

But what about the added details? Well, you can probably make out from the previous pic that it looked to be fairly effective, however here's a close up of each:

 

 

 

Not so very shabby, to be honest, though I says it meself - I actually think I can work with this!

[TheyJammedKenny!]

That looks sweet!  We'll put you to work for Falcon of NZ soon!  According to the 'net, there was a set of Los replacement vac canopies, but it appears you have things well under control.  Funny about carving from balsa.  That may be your recourse on the nose!

[clive_t]

Hi folks, RFI for the P.11c is now up, here. Enjoy!