bianfuxia Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) I know there's already a Noratlas in this amazing GB but with so many entries I hope another one is okay - this seems to be a different variant and will have a different scheme. I got this for a steal on eBay earlier this year, as the only bidder! I wasn't even really in the market for it but I couldn't pass it up. And I'm glad I did because this Heller GB is fantastic. I can't possibly follow all the builds but I look forward to what will be an amazing gallery. Anyway, it will take me a little while to get to make a start on this thing, but I had a moment to photograph it and join the GB...more soon. I hope these decals still work because this is the version I will try to build Edited February 15, 2021 by bianfuxia 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightersweep Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 This will be one to look forward too. I'm quite partial to the Noratlas. Looks like a decent kit too in the box. Darn, and I just missed out on one for a tenner. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Of course it's OK to join in with another one of these beasts! Welcome to the GB and I'm looking forward to seeing it come together. Good luck with your build! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Oh yes, another Norrie Wonderful!!!!! The more the better for me! Martin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidgeRunner Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 I have now noticed that this kit also gives you the possibility of constructing a Norrie with the earlier canopy/glazing configuration, if you choose not to go for the UAT machine. Martin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wez Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 Another Noratlas! Great! I especially like the alternative scheme and version, good to see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted November 17, 2020 Author Share Posted November 17, 2020 7 hours ago, RidgeRunner said: I have now noticed that this kit also gives you the possibility of constructing a Norrie with the earlier canopy/glazing configuration, if you choose not to go for the UAT machine. Martin Yes it has two canopies inside. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry1954 Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 A great choice. I first fell in love with a Nord Noratlas at a Biggin Hill air Show in the 60's ........................... she was French, so can you blame me? Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 I've made a start on my Noratlas. I googled for some images of a Noratlas cockpit because I didn't believe the instructions which called for "silver" as the cockpit colour. I used Vallejo Silver Grey based on a few images. This is only the first coat and it still needs tidying up. The instrument panel is actually pretty cool given how old this kit is. I can probably do something cool with that, although manage your expectations because I am not the guy to go to town on a kit like this (or any kit really - I'm more of an OOB guy). Meanwhile, I have almost finishing repairing a lot of broken models that came in my shipping after we moved house recently. This is my Heller 1/160 (roughly N Scale in model trains) Noratlas. I cut open the doors on that one and am now wondering whether i should do the doors open on my 1/72 version. It would look pretty cool and probably isn't hard (as the doors are already separate). What do you think? The other planes you can see are all in 1/200 and my own feeling is that 1/160 is really closer to 1/144 than 1/200 but I don't have any 1/144 cargo planes, so... From left to right behind it are three Hasegawa C-130s, done as a ROC (Taiwan) version, a Moroccan version and a JASDF version. In front is a Kawasaki C-1 of the JASDF, also 1/200 by Hasegawa. Those C-130s are awesome kits and I have another three in the factory. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CliffB Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I'm pleased to see that you're going with a civil scheme on this one I like your 1/160 version too. Heller produced some odd scale kits, but these were not always advertised as such. I've got a few supposedly 1/100 scalers in my stash, which are most definitely not 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 I can see you have a weak spot for big aircraft 🙂 4 hours ago, bianfuxia said: I cut open the doors on that one and am now wondering whether i should do the doors open on my 1/72 version. It would look pretty cool and probably isn't hard (as the doors are already separate). What do you think? This was a rhetorical question, right? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 7 minutes ago, JeroenS said: I can see you have a weak spot for big aircraft 🙂 This was a rhetorical question, right? haha not really. I mean, what do you think? I feel like Willy Wonka when Mike Teevee asks him if he can send a person by Wonka Vision. I guess I can. I think I can. ... Re large aircraft, yes, as long as they're in 1/200! For ages I lived in tiny apartments in places like Hong Kong so that scale was the only way to go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted November 26, 2020 Share Posted November 26, 2020 1 hour ago, bianfuxia said: haha not really. I mean, what do you think? I feel like Willy Wonka when Mike Teevee asks him if he can send a person by Wonka Vision. I say open those doors 🙂 It will look interesting. We're moving house in a couple of months. I don't have that many completed models because I only rekindled the hobby about three years ago but I'm already dreading the move of those models! Luckily it's only 10 minutes away so I will carefully bring them over a few at a time I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted November 26, 2020 Author Share Posted November 26, 2020 3 hours ago, JeroenS said: I say open those doors 🙂 It will look interesting. We're moving house in a couple of months. I don't have that many completed models because I only rekindled the hobby about three years ago but I'm already dreading the move of those models! Luckily it's only 10 minutes away so I will carefully bring them over a few at a time I think. haha yeah mine all survived the move from one house to the other in the same city. They did surprisingly well in the move from one country to another and then to here in a third. It's been interesting to see the damage though, and obvious which boxes I packed when I had time up my sleeve and which were done in a rush. Weirdest of all is how planes that went in the boxes whole and complete came out of it with one key piece totally missing, like a wheel strut or something. Just vanished into thin air! It's fun too because some of those I haven't seen in two years. Good luck with your move! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebra Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 Nice to see another Noratlas, now mine will have some company. Hope you enjoy the build, I'm enjoying mine. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandboof Posted December 4, 2020 Share Posted December 4, 2020 Impressive collection of cargo haulers . Looking forward to the big addition Martin H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted December 29, 2020 Author Share Posted December 29, 2020 (edited) I'm finally able to turn my attention to this GB now that I've finished the Tornado one and the Christmas speed build, along with, of course, about a million other non-modeling real life things! Today I continued on the cockpit area just tidying up the paint and also having a go at the control panels behind the pilots - I guess it's the radio and the engineering panel. Not sure I'm totally happy with it but I also know it'll be hard to see, so....I may just leave it at that. It certainly doesn't stand up to close magnification, but it's just got to give the impression of instruments when seen through the plastic window. Meanwhile my nearly-six year old daughter was hanging around so I had her paint the interior XF-16. Not sure it'll be that colour in the end but she enjoyed it and did a good job - sort of. Edited December 29, 2020 by bianfuxia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted January 4, 2021 Author Share Posted January 4, 2021 I made a little progress on this one tonight: First I touched up the paint in the interior including deciding on a new approach to the instrument panel dials. As you can see in that photo and the next one, I also squeezed in some screws as nose weight: Hopefully it will be enough, although I can always add some in the cargo bay if I need to - the beauty of cargo planes is they need some cargo! The Noratlas is actually a really small plane - the main fuselage is only about as long as an F-18 or something. I know the interior is not much to look at compared to what a lot of you can do, but it's ok for me. Then it was superglue time - the cargo deck was a bit warped so I bent it back as much as I could and then superglued it to the side of the fuselage in the hope it would stay where it belonged. Next time I will be ready to fix whatever gaps there are and start work on attaching the wings. Starting to take actual shape! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOCKNEY Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 Great to see this one progressing, its such an iconic aircraft. Fingers crossed you got the nose weight spot on so its sits just right on its undercarriage. Look forward to seeing the next installment. Cheers Pat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 Man, I really hate this part.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 4 hours ago, bianfuxia said: Man, I really hate this part.... Think happy thoughts 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted January 11, 2021 Author Share Posted January 11, 2021 3 hours ago, JeroenS said: Think happy thoughts 🙂 Haha yeah I'm like "rainbows and unicorns, rainbows and unicorns!" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 9 minutes ago, bianfuxia said: Haha yeah I'm like "rainbows and unicorns, rainbows and unicorns!" Well if that doesn't help I don't know what will! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bianfuxia Posted January 14, 2021 Author Share Posted January 14, 2021 Moving along and I really feel like I am making progress - I actually turned the page on the instruction sheet! I finished sanding the body to my satisfaction, and I've assembled the two booms and the tail plane. I spent a little time working out how far to go before I start painting, and for this one I think the next step is to spray paint the fuselage before adding the wings. It will become apparent as I go forward that this is the best way. Before that I need to tidy up the booms, add the tails to them, and then get the wings and booms mated up. After that it's kind of home stretch, because I am not doing anything about the main undercarriage bays - not enough ROI on the time investment for me. My golden rule is if you can't see it without picking it up and holding it upside down, it's not really worth it! (That's just me, I know there are other approaches, all equally legit, etc). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeroenS Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 See, your happy thoughts have worked, this is a leap ahead! Always nice when the hard work is done and it's on to finishing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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