Boeing 314 Clipper

[drdjp11]

Quite a challenge to get to the finish line, and I cut a few corners just to get the airplane respectably close to finished.

 

I'm not going to post it in the gallery because there's still lots of clean up and touch ups to do, but without the GB I would never have had the motivation to push to get this far.

 

Thanks for everyone for the help and motivation.

 

 

 

[drdjp11]

I really needed the practice with lots of areas - even simple things like assembly sequence. With this model, leave the sponsons off until last. How many times did I regret putting them on early? About ten million. It made everything harder, from wing root sanding to painting to decals...

 

This was a great test for airbrushing metallics - as expected, every little surface flaw (and there are many) showed up like they were under a microscope. 

 

I tried to use Krystal Klear for some of the windows but hated it. Oh for something that dries hard and clear... neither of which it did.

 

And Perfect Plastic Putty - well, you'd think it was actually plastic, but oh no, it's just glorified spackle, which you find out the first time you try to wet sand it. I do like the AK putty (Tamiya hardens and crumbles too fast) and I did find a set of rubber tipped sculpting brushes (flat blade being the most useful) to be fantastic for filling smoothing seams with as little excess putty around the join as possible.

 

In the end, for all it's flaws, and this being my fifth kit since restarting modeling, I'm OK with it.

 

Live, learn and move on to the next one. It's really hard to improve if you never actually do something, so thanks again for all the encouragement and support.

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Thanks for joining us here, she looks great. Sorry to see she didn't make the gallery. 

[CliffB]

I have to say that looks really nice from here @drdjp11.  Congratulations!

 

It was interesting to read your comments on fillers etc.   I think the truth is that you need several different types of filler in your armoury as they all have different characteristics,  For example, PPP is brilliant for its intended purpose (filling very fine gaps), but is rubbish for anything else.  Other fillers that I find useful at times include two-part epoxy putty and UV Resin (which I've only just discovered).  Incidently, UV Resin does dry hard and clear so could well be an alternatve to Krystal Klear (at least on small windows) - I must give it a try 

 

Cheers

[rob Lyttle]

Well done on this @drdjp11 looks really good! Your build has persuaded me to have another go at mine, and I'm taking up the challenge in the "KUTA" Group Build. Are you familiar with the name and the concept??

Special annual group for the languishing projects 😎

Unfortunately your thread jumps a little as you start page 2, and much of the interesting stuff is glanced over. For example, the walkway linings, the orange /red panel, the de icing boots esp around the vertical fins. 

Thanks for the warning about the sponsons but I'm afraid mine are glued on long ago. But the wings aren't, so I'm trying to sort out fiddly bits before the wings are added. 

Well, I hope it's OK to use your finished work as reference material to help with delineation etc, it's really hard to get some good topside views, isn't it!? 

Cheers 👍

[drdjp11]

2 hours ago, rob Lyttle said:

Well done on this @drdjp11 looks really good! Your build has persuaded me to have another go at mine, and I'm taking up the challenge in the "KUTA" Group Build. Are you familiar with the name and the concept??

Special annual group for the languishing projects 😎

Unfortunately your thread jumps a little as you start page 2, and much of the interesting stuff is glanced over. For example, the walkway linings, the orange /red panel, the de icing boots esp around the vertical fins. 

Thanks for the warning about the sponsons but I'm afraid mine are glued on long ago. But the wings aren't, so I'm trying to sort out fiddly bits before the wings are added. 

Well, I hope it's OK to use your finished work as reference material to help with delineation etc, it's really hard to get some good topside views, isn't it!? 

Cheers 👍

 

Thanks, I saw your thread on the KUTA GB and thought it might have been this one that you meant. Really looking forward to seeing how it comes out. I have this one and four others I'll be working on in the KUTA to get finished off. (Topic is "Unfinished Business")

 

I was tired of seeing this thing all silver and just decided to finish it off as best I could. It was surprising how nicely it came together Most of the big decals broke into pieces, but they were relatively easy to move around and line them up (I use a rubber tipped "paintbrush"). 

 

The best upper surface view I could find was this one one on the Foynes Flying Boat Museum page. Now you've got me thinking I might see if any of my friends at work with access to the Boeing archives can find anything better.

 

 

I masked and airbrushed most of the deicing boots (all except the inboard wing ones where I used the decals, and the outboard fin ones that I hand painted). I also spreayed  the anti-glare panel in front of the flight deck, but then I put the decal on over the top - kind of wish I hadn't bothered. Oh, and definitely put the walkway stripes on the sponsons before you put the wing on - next to impossible to see what you're doing afterwards. The walkway stripe at the base of the fin is also very finicky - lots of compound curves - I slathered on the Micro Set to see if I could get it to lay down with moderate success.

 

Ultimately, I want to portray this taking off or landing with the aircraft half out of the water, something like this:

 

 

I have some 2" foam that should carve nicely to get the waves, and then maybe some resin for the sea with Liquitex highlights... Might not see it for a while, though, but if anything comes of it I'll certainly post pictures.

 

All the best with your build - I'll be following it.