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Valom Yokosuka K5Y2 Float plane 1:72nd


Si2

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As I finished off my Ki-27 I started plane number seven in my twenty plane Japanese WWII single engined planes with over 1000 made collection odyssey.

The new project is a K5Y2 float plane. In my list I'm supposed to do a K5Y1, but the float plane looks nicer and it's still effectively a K5Y isn't it?

I like the orange and green colour scheme as well.

This is a navy plane and presents a few firsts for me.

Number one is a kit first - photoetch! wowsers, this stuff is delicate.

Number two is rigging, this is the fault of the prototype, so I can't complain.

 

I started on the cockpit and interior.

This is a fabric covered plane, the inside is a linen colour, sometimes painted and sometimes not.

I went with not, because I like the linen colour and it brightens things up in there for the pilot.

 

The interior is pretty sparse, a few details missing and a few photo etch details to add...

 

First up the linen colour, a few coats.

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Then a bit of wash to add some depth

 

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I then put the interior together. I failed on the photo etch foot pedal loop thing and the rear rudder bar was nothing like the picture on the instructions.

They obviously forgot a joystick for the rear as there was a resin addition in the box...

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I slapped some rather flat handwheels on the side, in the wrong place. 

Then assembled the engine and found I cannot find a good way for the collector exhausts to sit properly.

 

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I'm dreading fitting those belts and the picture for adding the PE detail to the interior is completely confusing.

This is making me want to go back to the nice safe and well detailed Tamiya N1K1 :)

 

 

Edited by Si2
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Good start!

 

The instructions for etched details can be a bit confusing, and being a clumsy so-and-so I often end up bending things accidentally!

 

But take it steady and it'll all come together nicely.

 

Looking forward to seeing how this one comes together.

 

Cheers,

 

Mark

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I fitted out the seats with the PE belts and added some toe straps from paper, much easier to handle than that PE stuff.

Nothing seems to stick the brass. My CA just about holds it.

Here's the whole lot. I was quite pleased with how it turned out

 

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The instructions are here - they are completely unrelated to the parts that go in the cockpit.

As I struggled to fit the parts in somewhere I got the feeling that this PE wasn't actually designed for this kit.

Further on the IP's just don't fit in any way, I had to carve bits out of the inner walls.

I sanded the rear IP to make it fit, the plastic parts they are supposed to fit to don't fit either and the instructions just show them.

They don't indicate how to fit them.

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I carried on today shoving parts in, carving, sanding, trimming, bending, etc.

It was depressing. I finally shoved everything in, the IPs. bent and the PE bits fell off.

I put the fuselage together and glued the top. When I turned it over the bottom had a gap of about 2mm along it.

The floor of the cockpit was too wide. So I pulled it to pieces again.

I sanded off about 1.5mm each side tapering a bit more to the rear and shoved it back together.

That's done now and I'm moving on.

A couple of days for the solvent to dry out and then it's scraping time.

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IPs are not a great fit on the plastic mounting parts, I left them off.

INstructions say that they float about somewhere here...

 

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I sort of jammed one in here, and took a scalpel to the framework

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Squished the top together..

 

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unfortunately the picture underneath wasn't so good...

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Before I started to stick things together I scraped the louvres out a bit, to give them a bit more life.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I reviewed the decals as I started to work out what scheme I wanted to use.

There's a small fuselage hinomaru missing from the 417 set... doh!

See number 2 compared to number 7 alternatives.

This kit keeps on giving.

 

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  • 1 month later...

OK I'm back on it. Boy, is this a duff kit...

The main body is complete, I created better steps on the side of the plane and I will be adding wire hand rails.

I wanted to see how the engine looked up front so I tried to add the engine mounting piece - it fits this well...

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Not sure what to do there, probably cut another piece out of plasticard.

I can avoid the part altogher and stick the exhausts to the plane at the nose area, there are some holes and pins.

Then stick the engine to the exhausts.

I will need to paint the whole plane first.

 

I stuck the stabiliser on, it wasn't a great fit and took a few goes to get it square in all directions.

The front end of it is round yet the area it sits in has a square end. I guess it needs filling.

I will probably not be filling it.

 

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The fin sits on top of it, the stabiliser has an aerofoil section, the lower edge of the fin doesn't. a bit more fettling.

 

I looked at the floats and stuck them together, I noticed that there are differencesin the sides of the floats, I guess there are some access holes. The ones in the kit are identical left to right rather than be a mirror image.

I checked as many pictures as I can and the floats look nothing like the prototype that has large ribs along the tops, I guess for walking on.

The float support framework structure has pins on the bottoms to go in to holes in the floats. The floats don't have any holes in them. 

So a bit more fettling.

Where the float support framework meets the fuselage they have nice pins to go in to holes, but there were no holes

So I drilled some holes and fitted them.

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It all sort of drops together OK.

I'm now just slapping this together so I can paint it.

If the paint turns out OK, I might rig it :)

 

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The upper wings are just held on here by the struts, nothings fixed. I am pondering how to paint it - with wing on or off.

 

onwards and upwards

 

Edited by Si2
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More work on this beast today, I'm trying to get it ready for the first coat of primer.

I fixed the rear stabiliser struts on, they went on OK. Actually fitted well.

You'll notice there are a couple of rather big holes at the back of the fuselage underside for the tail wheel.

The float plane doesn't have a lot of use for a tail wheel, so these need filling in.

I dropped some CA in them and built it up until it was flat. I also filled the dents for the grab handles.

You can see the little clear bombs here.

The engine got it's first coat of detail wash.

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This is the front end, the little PE part has pinged off so many times I'm expecting to lose it very soon.

I drilled the holes out that the float frame sits in and it holds them on nicely.

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Side view so far, with foam in the cockpit areas as protection if I ever get to paint it.

 

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Here are the bombs, they are moulded in clear which is a nice touch.

The instructions say to stick them on somewhere underneath, the bomb racks have two pegs to go in two alignment holes, that are not there.

I'm leaving them off, I have pictures with the racks present and nothing present but no pic with the bombs there.

 

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Here's what's left kicking about in component parts.

I'm adding grab handles and a step tonight and hopefuly priming tomorrow.

I'm wondering about leaving the top wing off for painting.

I'm also bothered about the horrible sunken areas that the struts have left in the lower wing. They really need to be filled.

 

2540f84b-1bb4-42cb-a37f-e8a71daeb008.jpg

 

Edited by Si2
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A few more steps forward.

I made the grab handles using some guitar string.

Drilled some slightly oversize holes because I was too lazy to find the smaller drill bit.

Bent them up, stuck them in.

 

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I'm looking at this engine and thinking it needs pushrods...

 

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Now I'm getting drawn back in to additional details when really all I want to do is spray this thing orange and move on.

Such is scale modelling I guess.

quite a bit of detailing needed to get it to look like the real thing..

5cd72689-ac71-4575-959e-89dd9a891f41.gif

I'm filling an airbrush with primer now...

 

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Stumbled across this build, gotta' love a float plane. I started to build a floatplane stash and was very surprised on how may types/variants the Japanese had. Looking great and if it has rigging, do it, you know you want to.

 

Stuart

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Work continues. I gave the whole plane a spray of primer and then a coat of IJN trainer orange from AK interactive.

The paint colour is nice. The paint is very thin and quite transparent, I am not looking forward to trying to touch up any green overspray.

I masked and then painted with AK interative IJN dark green which is pretty dark.

The painting instructions are not great, the areas of green and orange changing from view to view.

Some of the orange peeled off when I removed the masking, but I didn't leave if for a full day to dry as the pot says.

The green covered superbly, and I got a limited amount of bleed through.

Next up is assembly, painting the life in to the plane with highlights, lowlights, wear and tear and some degree of useage dirt.

These planes don't look beaten up like some of the aluminium bodied ones, so the wear and waethering will be limited to some fading on the fabric areas and a little bit of grime.

I'm still pondering a good way to rig this crate. Drill holes and use fishing line, maybe use the lycra rigging thread? 

I have some 3 thou boron rod I could use, but it's very brittle and will not stand any handling.

 

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I've been touching up areas of over spray and leakage, I've also added the leather colour to the cockpit coping and some red stripes at the front of the floats. I started to add some panel definition on the floats but I'm not that happy with it. It's being toned down and improved.

All of the struts are now fixed but I have some work to do on the float strut attachement as the cross member is bowed.

I have to improve the fit up front.

I took a chunk out of the bottom of the fin as the prototype has a strange slot there.

 

Things left to do include making the engine look better by adding pushrods, add the sticky out parts and fit the gun and rail.

There is a strange item with a little prop on top of the wing in the centre, it looks like a little generator.

It's not always present on the prototype, but it does add a little bit of interest. There are also two small sticking up bits that I think are lights on the outer wing tips.

These are not in the kit, but are handily marked on the painting guide :)

 

Latest string of pics:

 

 

 

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Edited by Si2
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I thought about it and I decided to add push rods to the engine.

I used some copper wire from a piece of 16/02 electrical wire, straightened and CA'd in place.

Each was 2.5mm long.

I tried styrene rod but it was too fat.

I also found a picture of a prototype that explains the shape of the inner section of the engine.

It looks like a painted cowl of some sorts.

At least I know whay it's that shape now. I had the feeling it was some random effect added by Valom.

I've decided to leave the armament off as I've yet to see a picture of a float plane with any on.

I need to find a way to create the little wingtop light pods.

 

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Looking at this photo now, I wish I'd produced a plane based on it.

The colour scheme looks simple and there is a lot of details I could copy.

The float attachments are nicely shown here, mine have ended up just melded to the cross member...

 

Onwards and upwards.

 

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On 13/01/2021 at 20:24, 2996 Victor said:

Looking VERY impressive! The colour scheme is quite striking. All-in-all, I'd say it's coming along very nicely!

Kind regards,

Mark

Very nice of you to say so, it's been a challenge so far, I hope it ends up looking ok.

 

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Todays update, some progress over the weekend and a little last night.

 

The floats are back on. I'm not that happy with the way the plane sits on them, but they are done.

cc59b5e2-a8e0-41f2-8f71-f058ff025309.jpg

 

Now the plane is a whole lump I can start to fiddle with the paint.

The exhaust pipes are a complete mess, they do not fit and will take a lot of fiddling in order to get them on and lined up in a realistic manner.

 

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Decals are this weeks task.

Don't mention the rigging :)

 

the last few bits left to fit..

 

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