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Turbine Islander


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Before closing up the cockpit I need a driver.  So I thought I would use one of the crew left over from the Herc - the kit doesn’t include and people.  So I found the sprue 

 

ciW8UtM.jpg

 

Not sure if the Islander pilots wear helmets or not, so could always transplant ahead from one of the other bodies.

 

So trying him in the seat

 

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Ok so he doesn’t fit inside the airframe.  Always had the feeling this is a little on the small side.  So I went to find one a little nearer to 1/50 scale.

 

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This jet jockey fits in although his fear would need to come off or his backside shaved down.  All rather unpleasant surgery!

 

So I compared pilot one & pilot two 

 

H6XJur9.jpg
 

The Airfix guy seems to have massively long legs & huge boots!  But the body seems ok.  I doubt an Islander pilot would have mask & visor down, so may go back to surgery on the Airfix guy.

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Bit of leg surgery on the pilot today.  Cut a good 3-4mm out of the legs and thinned down the behind & back

 

jzFnosu.jpg

 

Added the arms and now he / she looks more at home

 

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Needs painting , control panel needs fixing in place and nose weight adding them I think I can close up the fuselage

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Cheers @fubar57 it was always one of those aircraft that was about.  I always remember the Red Devil’s army parachute team having a red one that was around the airshow circuit.  You could probably tell me if there is anything else ou would find in the cabin.  Nice detailed panel & seats in the kit but nothing else really

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This kit wants to test me! I tried to sort the motors out & pretty much super glued one motor solid.  I have filed even more off the pilot to get him to fit.  The main body is going to need quite a bit of filler to sort it out, but the kit comes with etch overlays for the pedals.  It’s a real mixed bag.  No idea how much nose weight is going to be needed, but the undercarriage looks like it has little chance of supporting the weight

 

F2FECpd.jpg

 

See that little T shaped parts by the wheels?  That is the main wheel axel.  And the faired over legs have of course no locating pin.  So I am thinking of make a soldiered wire T bar from the nacelle through the leg fairing to the wheels.  You can also see the u shaped front wheel leg - that looks a bit flimsy too.  Might have to replace that too

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15 minutes ago, TheFlogger said:

To buy israeli islander was in my head fir a while. I admit your build  encourages me.

 

Great work! Waiting for the result... :)

Cheers.  An Islander was always on my wish list, so want to make some more progress with this.  It certainly doesn’t fall together & I have over complicated things with motors & lights.  Fighting the temptation to go off & build something else, and Christmas without all of the usual socialising could just be what this build needs

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Got the pilot painted and the nose weight fitted.  No idea if it is enough weight, but I can’t get any more in there

 

np4ELYq.jpg

 

So blurry photo but the fuselage is together.

 

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Drilled out the main undercarriage leg fairings and made up wire T bar to fit the wheels too.  There is an etch hinge over where the shock absorber would be that will hide the worst of my soldering.

 

tYqUwRa.jpg
 

Painted the props too

 

QLzTzNW.jpg
 

On to filler on the body tomorrow then

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The body halves went together and had the night to dry.  So now to see how things stand.  I slotted in the tail and needless to say it was far from level, or smooth fitting

 

BmCnCtN.jpg

 

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So out with the file until the gap started to go & the horizontal surfaces sat level

 

So let’s fit the nose.  What could be wrong there?

 

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Yep, hardly seamless fit.  Not really close.  Usual nose job solution of a piece of plasticard as a spacer and the nose on the front & hope that will blend in

 

zAsldnM.jpg
 

Front rudder section removed & replaced with the thin strip

 

iEStiS5.jpg

 

And bits added underneath

 

DX64OSl.jpg
 

So now off for some serious fillering

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Back from the first coat of filler.  Just a small spot here & there

 

KFcya2k.jpg

 

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Luckily the nose now fits after that shim of plasticard

 

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Tail is attached, wings & engines on with blutac.  Starting to look the part at long last

 

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And drilled a hole in to the bottom of the nacelles to test fit the legs.  Think that will work

 

yum5AJO.jpg

 

Still think the centre of gravity is marginal.  It wants to tail sit.  Might need to have some lead baggage on the first row of seats

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Even with the filler I wasn’t sure the seams were smooth so I put some liquid green on.  Well my liquid green isn’t liquid anymore but it still spreads with a trowel.

 

Ao14qBR.jpg

 

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I think that this needs a quick primer coat to check it before the etch bits go on

 

I have had one motor working in one engine on & off for a bit but not been quite happy about the set up.  So I wired up 2 new motors today.  This is a test with the two blutaced in place.

 

MOT2VVY.jpg
 

And yes they are running off the two AA batteries behind

 

vaFe5FW.mp4

 

Now if I can get them fixed in place with the nacelles on I think that will work.  Just some lights fitted & then the wings could come together.  Starting to look ok I think

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Just measured the runway on Google Earth; roughly 629m/688yds long. Not bad when you're landing from the ocean side but the one time we came down river, the pilot flew at tree top height and once we cleared the trees, he briefly pointed the nose at the runway and then pulled up with all he had until we touched down.

Edited by fubar57
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Sounds a bit tight!

 

Now regretting putting motors in!  I got them running ok & all set so I glued the nacelles in place.  Then one stopped working.  No apparent reason.  One feed is common, one is to each motor.  So with the furthest one running two of the three wires must be ok.  So off came the nacelles again.  Still can’t see why one has stopped.  Might just pull it and replace it.

I had provisionally got the lights together as well, so was looking at getting the wing halves together. Going to leave it all until tomorrow and start fresh on it then.

The body got a coat of primer & on the surface it looks ok.  All wheel halves are together & will need drilling to fit to the new undercarriage legs.  So it’s progressing but still putting up a fight

Edited by bar side
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Leave it until the morning I said. Yer right.  Started playing with it again & the second motor came back to life!  Think it had got stuck & freed off when I hand spun it.

 

Anyway, primed body

 

yevIGSN.jpg


Light positions.  Left & right tip lights & central light panel to implicate the cabin

 

VYBL38O.jpg

 

Need to thin the bulbs down a little but should work

 

And the two motors running, one with the nacelle on, one not.  Both now have then fixed on so I can get on tomorrow with the undercarriage legs attached

 

RCtQ6E7.jpg

 

The screen just needs masking & it can get glued in & filleted around the edges

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Got more time on the Islander today & got some big steps completed.  So first up on her legs and she is still a bit of a tail sitter.  There is a small stick on wheel weight on the cockpit keeping her nose down.  More of that later

 

kPXbSFB.jpg

 

These are the legs attached to the nacelles.  The metal rod T frame needed some attention too.  I have shorted them & levelled them up.  Of course the heat of the grinder caused the soldiered joint to come apart, so had to redo the joints.

 

aRVj4gA.jpg
 

The lights have had some work with the leds thinned down so that they fit snugly inside the wings.  Wing tips also coming along

 

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Motors both still working thankfully

 

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 Test fit of the wheels.  Legs all need painting & plan to add a brake pipe too as they seem to be clearly visible.

 

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So time to get the wing together - time to raid the clothes pegs!

 

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While that was drying I started the photo etch under the body.  Slightly adapted from the instructions as this one has a couple of other bulges underneath

 

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Another bit of etch on the side & bits on the top

 

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Some very fiddly etch on the nose wheel leg

 

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And that extra weight.  I spotted a picture of an Islander with a yellow dingy packed behind the pilots seat.  So I sprayed the weight yellow & drooped it in. Every little helps

 

mP59r1K.jpg
 

So that is most of the main parts together.  Next up I think is prime, preshade & paint.  Not that the garage temperature is much good for spraying at the moment.

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More work done on the undercarriage legs.  All three have the tongue links fitted and the mains have a brake cable too. Fiddliest photo etch ever!  Wheel centres also painted so just the tyres to paint.

 

2Q9rqun.jpg
 

The wings have had hinges & bits added underneath and the wing fences fitted on the top.  All had a primer coat too.  Not adding the remaining photo etch Ariel until the wing & body are joined

 

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So the win assembly balanced on the body.  It’s getting there.

 

nky1fqA.jpg

 

So more still to do.  Possibly ready for decals in a couple of days.  
 

Happy New Year & thanks for looking

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Got a quick preshade done 

 

N6espby.jpg

 

and then painted the underside light aircraft grey.  The top will be Humbrol 64, same as the primer coat

 

OwCf0u9.jpg
 

the nacelles will be grey 64 as will the legfairings.  Once the body has its top coat I will be able to join the wing to the body.  Then I can add the remaining ariels  & antenna  and finish off the top side paint

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Well a near disaster seems to have been avoided!  I pushed on to get the top paint done today & got the parts back in.  I was just putting them away when I dropped both the wing and the body from about waists height on to a wood floor.  As the both skidded off in different directions I feared the worst.  Especially with all of that lead in the nose.  But it seems they bounced.  The only issue I can find is one missing piece of photo etch in the middle of the underside.

 

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Even the underwing pitot survived

 

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So just need to paint the cabin roof section and the wing can go on.  A few more photo etch bits, paint the tyres black & fit them and I think she may be ready for decals.  Phew!

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Further to the dropped fuselage, looks like both control columns have come off.  Both are loose in the body so not lost.  Might try to pop the windshield off in the morning and see if they can be reattached.

 

And just been checking photo references & the wing tips are on upside down.  Another fix for the morning!

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Enjoying the build story. Have one of these in early days of construction (without the mods) and lots of great pointers on the build. I am considering gold for the nose weight as its denser than lead - and main u/c needs a similar solution to  yours.  Thanks!

 

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To be honest @ianwau what it needs for nose weight is this

 

britten-norman-bn-2t-islander-astor-g-dl
 

Seriously though i am doing the shortest, pointiest nose version so it is a struggle to get enough in there.  Good luck with your build

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