stevehnz Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 A kit I bought with no box or decals, but does have destructions. I've some AT-6/Harvard Carpena decals but sadly the Belgian roundels are slightly out of register, the only ones like that on the sheet. Most of my spares are similar, maybe the result of being a 4 colour marking. Thankfully I've some DK decals for the Congo campaigns & I'll likely use those. Sprues & decals. Sorry about the yellow kit against the varnish desk. Steve. 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 Great choice Steve and big welcome aboard. You wouldn’t believe it, I’ve just acquired an original 1978 boxing of this kit just a few hours ago (white sprues) and was seriously thinking about starting a WIP too! Mine will be a yellow French Algerian based machine, but the Belgium scheme looks lovely too. Nice decal sheet, lots of options for Heller kits on that one. You gonna bring out a Magister and Tunnan as well? Cheers and all the best.. Dave (now slowly adjusting eyes after viewing all that yellow!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 5 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said: You gonna bring out a Magister and Tunnan as well? Oh how I laughed. Not a flaming chance sunshine. Even this one doesn't come with a guarantee. I'll do me best though sir. Steve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 That’s fine Steve, I just saw those other types and quickly jumped to conclusions. They would may a lovely trio wouldn’t they not? Cheers.. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 A great choice, Steve @stevehnz. She should look great when done. Its a good kit and really its only downside arethe raised panel lines but, hey ho, that's not the end of the world ;). Good luck! I'll be watching. It looks like those decals are for an earlier version of the Harvard? Martin PS: I quite like the Katangan marks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted October 13, 2020 Share Posted October 13, 2020 40 minutes ago, Rabbit Leader said: They would may a lovely trio wouldn’t they not? Absolutely, Dave ;). A Heller and Katangan trio would look great Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 13, 2020 Author Share Posted October 13, 2020 Do I detect a subtle campaign of persuasion here? I'd need one with a spinner for a Katanga version, don't worry, I did think of it, but apart from that, a Belgian one from the Congo has been on my list for ages. If I can come up with some of the right decals & I'm not sure if the ones on the DK sheets without the blue rings are correct, then there might be a plan B on this one yet. It is a bugger that my favourite Belgian reference site is down just now, hopefully only temporary. Steve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 I'm thinking to go with the DK markings, there is a separately printed blue ring for them & while the roundel proportions may be more like the pre-war ones than the later ones, ie A type rather than D type, though I know little of the intricacies of Belgian markings, until if I can find a sheet of PJproduction #003, currently OOP & unavailable anywhere by the look of it, the DK roundels will do, at least they're in register. There does appear to be a spinner in the kit, but the Katangan ones might have to wait till another time, I've an extra kit or two. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Steve, So glad to see the T-6 here in whatever guise, I'm surprised it took so long. Originally kit 079 from 1978! I don't know much about Belgian use of these in the Congo so this will be an eye-opener for me. Armycast do a set of Harvard/Texan decals with a Belgian aircraft on it, only the fuselage roundels include a very thin outline, the wing roundels have no outline. Daco may also do some appropriately sized roundels but ISTR, one of the Revell boxings of this kit came with a post-war camouflaged example so there may be several ways of skinning the cat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted October 14, 2020 Author Share Posted October 14, 2020 56 minutes ago, Wez said: Armycast do a set of Harvard/Texan decals with a Belgian aircraft on it I might just need some of them I think, I like the Armycast decals, to look at anyway, not used any yet. The only sets of Belgian decals I have found are by PJProductions but both Hannants & Aviationmegastore seem to be out of sheet 003 which I think is the one with these sizes & styles on it, as is the PJ website so I'm a bit stuck with what I've got or can buy from someone like Armycast. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 See my PM, Steve @stevehnz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 6, 2020 Author Share Posted December 6, 2020 A bit frightening that it has been near two months since I updated this thread, in truth, I've done little in that time save the last few days when I completed the interior, as much as I could be bothered anyway. I've got it closed up now & wings together & on, some slightly disconcerting similarities to a heller Corsair I've built previous & the Tempest I did recently. Dry fitting is a Pfaff when bit don't really locate positively but sort of brush together vaguely, even dry fitting the cockpit was a nark with little in the way of positive mounting points, but a sort of piece to pad location. I was having a hassle getting the same dihedral on both wings but judicious use of tape & more glue got it to hereish. I now have some Armycast decals courtesy of @Wez & can see this forging ahead a little quicker now that I have done some sorting out in my wee corner that I model in just now & actually sitting down to do something is a little less daunting. Steve. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandboof Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Looking great Steve Martin H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted December 6, 2020 Share Posted December 6, 2020 Good to see this one on the go Steve, glad you got the decals OK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted December 7, 2020 Share Posted December 7, 2020 Great progress, Steve! Keep up the good work Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted December 11, 2020 Share Posted December 11, 2020 Time in between updates does fly this time of year doesn’t it Steve. The Texan’s looking great, you’re on the home stretch now.. keep going. Cheers.. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 11, 2020 Author Share Posted December 11, 2020 I've been making some progress on this, I'd started making a long exhaust but then though I should check the 3 sets of decals I have for this, There is @Wez's set, definitely have to use the roundels on that one as they're the only right size in register ones I have but now that Daniel Brackx's site is up & running again after a server melt down, I can check out which of the other two might have had a long or short exhaust, short would be easier, but long is doable if need be but so far no photos to confirm the Armycast (Wez's) or DP Casper configuration. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 Some more progress, mainly of the boring filling & rubbing down type. Giving the whole airframe a rub over with some sanding pads, showed up some bits that did need a fill so that is what they got, mostly on the underside though. Just before this I had finished replacing the back seat with big globs of superglue, the way these are engineered is a bit hopeless really, no doubt the Revell kits are the same bit hopefully not such brittle plastic. Whilst agonising which of the subjects to do from the 3 sets of decals I have & perusing the Belgian Wings website mentioned above, I came upon this photo of H35, the original subject of the Colorado decals & which I can do now using the roundels Wez sent me. Although not showing the exhaust, there are enough aircraft with similar history, ex RAF & SAAF, with short exhausts in nearby number sequence, that I took the extension I was working on off, & reinstated the short one after hollowing it out some. I like that this aircraft clearly shows the underwing pads where the missile rails could mount that the kit has. I reckon it was a cool photo too, the other options, H112 & H117 only showed after they were wrecked at Kamina under the terms of the MAP before Belgium pulled out of the Congo. After getting the rubbing down & any refilling done, it'll be paint time, still hoping to get this across the line. Steve. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 She's coming along, Steve! Keep it up and let's see her shining in silver! Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandboof Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Looking good Steve Martin H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 26, 2020 Author Share Posted December 26, 2020 2 hours ago, Grandboof said: Looking good Steve Martin H Thanks Martin @Grandboof & Martin @RidgeRunner, I wish my efforts were as deserving of your support but the last few days have been a bummer from the point of view of progress on this. I masked up & prepared to paint the yellow trainer bands that these wore. After tying myself in mental knots trying to decide what shade of yellow to use, I decided on Hu154 which broadly seemed the best match I had for the info I had. Mistake. It was a brand new tin of the latest style but had a large layer of oily carrier on the top. I dutifully stirred it to blazes, & gave it a coat. Compared to the Hu24 I used on my wee Tiger Moth in the Kit You Built as a Kid GB earlier in the year, this stuff was dire. Sod all coverage & three days later, no drying. I took to it with some turps which cleaned it off quick smart but now I've got some finger prints on the underside. As soon as I noticed this I cleaned the turps off with meths which seems to have worked but the rear of the canopy is a little translucent now too. Hoping a dip in some Klear will help that, but waiting for everything to dry & harden before I try to clean it up. Manana. Early in the week I was going gang busters on it & thinking I can finish this by the end of the year. Silly me to tempt fate like this. Still hopeful I can resurrect it & complete it before the end of the GB. Some evidence, note the yellow in the tissue with the turps on it. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 That’s a bummer, Steve @stevehnz :(. I’ve not experienced that with Humbrol enamels before. What I do get with that yellow, if I haven’t undercoated with white, is poor and uneven coverage. However, as you are painting on to yellow it should have been okay. I’ll keep my 🤞 that things go better from here! Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted December 26, 2020 Author Share Posted December 26, 2020 17 minutes ago, RidgeRunner said: However, as you are painting on to yellow it should have been okay. That was my thought too, we'll see how the Hu24 goes. Steve. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandboof Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 I usually prime with white even over yellow . Seems to give more depth . Some here on BM use pink I haven't yet but it seems to work well . Best of luck looking forward to your gallery pics Martin H 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehnz Posted January 3, 2021 Author Share Posted January 3, 2021 Some more rubbing back, remasking & priming with Hu46 orange, before I applied Hu24 to it, as I did with my Tigermoth build earlier in the year gave me a decent result, one I was not going to tinker with further. I also painted the prop tips, yes really ) & did some highlighting on the engine. The last few days have seen as many steps backward as forward, having to rebuild part of the cowling at the same time as keeping it thin at the rear, bloody brittle yellow plastic. The rear seat instrument panel snapped off with handling, same darn problem, but got a first coat of silver on, Tamiya X11 which showed up where I'd forgotten about some intakes in my haste to get paint on it, , some research showed the tiddly wee intake in the kit was not ine but the spigot for hand cranked the P&W over, so need to striect some black sprue to make a tiny peg above the left intake. Hole drilled. I couldn't resist adding the canopy & cowl to give an impression of what the finished item will hopefully look like. I'm intending to do the fabric control surfaces in XF16 to give a different look to them. Steve. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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