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-- On Hold Indefinitely -- Daks' All Folks! - Airfix Dakota Mk.III 1/72


Lewis95

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19 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

It's best to wait until after you've applied a flat coat over the entire model, then take a tooth pick and carefully insert a drop of it, using surface tension around the edges to hold it in place.  After it dries clear, I apply Future or other clear acrylic with a small paint brush to increase its translucence. 

Damn... Just ordered a bunch of materials and forgot to order KK! 

 

Do you reckon I could achieve the same result with clear PVA? I acquired a relatively large bottle from The Works a few weeks back.

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15 hours ago, The Spadgent said:

As above. (Or at the end of page one ) Krystal klear is great stuff and will work a treat. 🙌

Moving back to the wash. Do what you feel is right. There is no right and wrong in this hobby that’s why I like it so much.  (Apart from when I was corrected about my Bomb being a fuel tank) 🙄😬🤫

To be fair I’d gloss before oils too but follow your instincts. 🤗

 

Johnny.

Separate reply as I didn't realise we had moved on to page 2 already!

 

I've just ordered a bunch of Mig Oilbrushers for blending work, as well as some Vallejo Air White and Black for preshading. This will be my first foray into oils too so fingers crossed it pans out! Already had one nightmare with this build and don't fancy another. I do like a gloss finish to my models, it feels cleaner and is actually easier to clean I find so I don't mind adding a gloss coat to the interiors if needed. I did read somewhere though that oils on a gloss coat are much more finicky and liable to disappear than on a Matte coat where they can bite.

 

We shall see I guess. 

 

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Well.... I guess I shall try and post this update again then! 

So, the first step was the rudder pedals. And yes, I had to look twice at the part.... 

tpLNCoyl.jpg

 

The one piece seats.... 

YOPVFwfl.jpg

 

The throttle quad got glued to the main IP

wuO8KGIl.jpg

 

These were, hands down, the fiddliest things I've assembled to date.... 

dyySlR8l.jpg

 

The rear bulkhead then got stuck in place 

Oo9guJEl.jpg

 

The bloody ejector pin markers here annoy me. But alas, they shall be all but invisible once sealed up so they shall remain.... 

VxIBqa1l.jpg

 

Then it was out with the Tamiya Fine Grey Primer, masking tape and NATO Black... 

TCQckIfl.jpg

 

7iMSys8l.jpg

 

This got stuck the following evening.... 

1dIcV3gl.jpg

 

And then these holes claimed the life of my last 0.8mm drill bit. The remaining stub was buried with full honours in the bin but unfortunately, the head was a snack for the carpet monster. 

Cu8AROzl.jpg

 

Some very rough splotches of Model Air Olivegrun & Desert Yellow. Not my best brushwork but this cockpit will be tucked away. 

89B2nLHl.jpg

 

Then a forest of bulkheads appeared overnight! 

OOLpbXTl.jpg

 

So I sprayed it with some Tamiya primer and gave them a cheeky little preshade.... 

L3PfxE7l.jpg

 

Along with the fuselage halves for the passenger cabin, 

6NfAiBcl.jpg

 

And then once again, Model Air Olivegrun... 

302OExcl.jpg

 

NmqY3uRl.jpg

 

Annoyingly, I glued the overhead lights a bit too early and they got knocked off during the installation of the seats. But silver linings, they were much easier to paint like this. 

 

On a side note, I have managed to acquire the Ops Record Book for 267 Squadron as digitized records are currently free from the National Archives. It makes for rather mundane reading but simultaneously, interesting. 

I've also ordered a bunch of Mig Oilbrushers and their thinner to have a good dabble in the weathering stages. I had an absolute nightmare getting the seats installed however which bugged me beyond belief as the test fits were perfect but the TET melted the locator pins. The Model Air didn't like my airbrush once again as it orange peeled slightly or pooled in places, despite going over lightly, Once the oils arrive, I'll look to get the bulkheads assembled and "oiled". I may even do a slight bit of chipping on the walls.... I really don't know yet! 

 

Ciao! 

👋

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Looks like you and @The Spadgent really like those alligator clips!  Obviously they work well.  As for PVA, well, give it a try on a similar 1/16" x 1/8" cutout and see how you like it.  Depending on the type of glue, it might dry perfectly clear, or it might be slightly milky.  

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On 28/09/2021 at 10:52, The Spadgent said:

Looking good. Nice progress. Paint too. 🤩


And some more paint too! Well... a little...

 

It's been a busy week here in the glorious rainy weather of South Wales. Work has been ever so slightly mental with our end of year push and preparations for the peak period in trading. Joys. The family have all been ill. Even the cat, who kindly took it upon himself to beg for food, throw it all up and beg for more food this morning. Here he is, recovering on my office chair.

 

b8fyjEzl.jpg

 

Anyhoots! Firstly, The Elder Child came down with a cold. Then The Younger Child caught the same bleeding thing and shared it to SWMBO. Just one of those weeks. My wallet also had a slight mishap. Instead of just ordering some Oilbrushers from my favorite "local" model shop (I order from a fantastic shop via their Facebook page. MJR models. Honestly, they are fantastic) I also acquired some Model Air from the Bay of E in basic black and white for preshading and mottling. Whilst I was there, I also happened upon a Mister Craft 1/72 "Radar Fresco" without a canopy. Now, I've had good luck with no canopy kits before (XB35 for £12! Replacement canopies from Italeri? £6. Kit BNIB? £45!) and I just so happen to of built the Airfix Fresco awhile back and that kit kindly comes with two canopies. My offhand low bid came to £4.96 with free postage and I lucked out on it. Very happy with that purchase. Even the decals are in good condition to my untrained eye!

 

Bak to ze Dak! 

 

Firstly, I painted in the wiring looms with Citadel Mechrite Red. Sure, it may not be true to life but it adds a bit of pop to an otherwise dark area.

 

P80VExsl.jpg

 

The seats got a dribbling of Winsor & Newton Peat Brown Ink. I randomly acquired this ink from my Mrs craft draw and honestly, I have no idea what it is but it looks good on all the seating I've used it on! 

 

DMronLJl.jpg

 

Then the bulkheads all got installed onto the floor along with the seating. 

 

TG5WH8Cl.jpg

 

8Xqbumhl.jpg

 

I left that lot to set overnight and whilst I was at work the following day, these beauties arrived.... 

 

5RAWRhsl.jpg

 

I had a good play with the Oilbrushers which I definitely have not got the hang of in the slightest. Once I had frustrated myself enough I cut the decal and placed her onto the IP. 

 

W2R2Dail.jpg

 

Then the whole lot got assembled. I also did some "mucking about" with the buff colour to imitate muck near the loading door. Sadly, it did not work. Nor did my horrible attempt at colour modulation. I also failed to take a picture of the messes I made but here's the assembled office block inside the fuselage. 

 

EaCjNkxl.jpg

 

zHWdUqEl.jpg

 

You can sorta see the fumbled attempts at weathering here.

 

uKMLRPXl.jpg

 

But I got pretty sick of looking at my failures and this happened.... 

 

ESA7HnRl.jpg

 

The join could of been better I guess but that's what I've been working on since. PPP (Also robbed from Johnny) didn't really do the trick so I've used some Mr Dissolved Putty on the forward belly seam. I may then hit her with some primer to check the seams before going back in with Mr Surfacer. On a slight side note, if you just want to test a seam, do you really need to prime the entire model? There's more holes and windows on this thing than I have patience.... Though I may just wait til she's assembled to tackle the prime/sand repeat. 

 

 

 

 

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I like the look of the internals. Especially the cockpit. You can cover all the holes with tape and just prime the seam area , not too much mind, be wary of build up of paint. Also do the windows go on from the outside? I hope so. 😱

 

Take care.

 

Johnny.

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22 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

I like the look of the internals. Especially the cockpit. You can cover all the holes with tape and just prime the seam area , not too much mind, be wary of build up of paint. Also do the windows go on from the outside? I hope so. 😱

 

Take care.

 

Johnny.

Frantically checks instructions  Yes they are an outside fit! I didn't even double check before sealing her up! Thanks for the feedback on the internals bud :) I was gonna go the whole hog with chipping but the oils bummed me out a bit. Still fighting these seams on this kit. Nothing wants to work or I end up sanding it all away! 

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7 hours ago, Lewis95 said:

Frantically checks instructions  Yes they are an outside fit! I didn't even double check before sealing her up! Thanks for the feedback on the internals bud :) I was gonna go the whole hog with chipping but the oils bummed me out a bit. Still fighting these seams on this kit. Nothing wants to work or I end up sanding it all away! 

Sorry didn’t mean to panic you. Glad The glass is an outside fit. 🙌 Did you gloss before oils? You said you weren’t going to. That’s probably why you struggled. I would have done too. Maybe have a gloss test on a mule and see? If you didn’t already that is. 
have a great day.

Ps. Good luck with the seams. 

Johnny. 

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51 minutes ago, The Spadgent said:

Sorry didn’t mean to panic you. Glad The glass is an outside fit. 🙌 Did you gloss before oils? You said you weren’t going to. That’s probably why you struggled. I would have done too. Maybe have a gloss test on a mule and see? If you didn’t already that is. 
have a great day.

Ps. Good luck with the seams. 

Johnny. 

I didn't gloss but rather laid a wet layer of thinners down first as per a video I saw online. Won't be making that mistake again. I did try them out on a mule with variable results but without a gloss coat as she's metallic.

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7 hours ago, TheyJammedKenny! said:

Yes, windows go in from the outside, but do take care about how deeply they sit, because you might find some variation there.

Good call. I'll keep an eye out for them. In the end, I decided not to open up the radio operators window as this is not a kit I want to experiment on. I may see if I can acquire a sheet of clear styrene for these things in future though.

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On 05/10/2021 at 09:26, Lewis95 said:

I didn't gloss but rather laid a wet layer of thinners down first as per a video I saw online. Won't be making that mistake again. I did try them out on a mule with variable results but without a gloss coat as she's metallic.

Try it after the gloss. You’ll thank me. I think @perdu would agree. 🤩

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On 05/10/2021 at 22:38, AdrianMF said:

That interior looked good to me!

 

Regards,

Adrian

Thanks buddy. Quite happy with it in fairness! 

On 05/10/2021 at 22:52, The Spadgent said:

Oh good. I can stop harping on about it FOR now. 🤣

 

I corrected your statement ;)

 

 

 

----

 

Right then! Where are we at with this Dak? Well, not very far. The process of filling/sanding/repeating is not the most photogenic part of a build. Once again, I am experimenting with Mr Surfacer 500 & PPP. Hopefully I can throw some primer on too at some point soon! 

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On 13/10/2021 at 09:07, bigbadbadge said:

The interior looks good and great to see the fuselage together.  Great work 

Chris

Thanks mate. Most of it will be hidden away but I'm hopefully going to be able to leave the doors open on her. 

Once again, no real progress made. Life kept happening and meant I was only able to shoot a quick coat of Halfords this evening. This revealed some blemishes along a few existing areas but christ.... the wings, I had fit issues with the wings from the spar not lining up properly (somebody told me these tolerances are tight!) and these issues once again reared their ugly heads/seams/pits of abyss on the rearside of the wings. For those who've never built this kit, the wings are a 3 part assembly with the underside & port/starboard upper sides. These line up with the wing spar you add to the underside. Or rather, should line up. Mine didn't. This meant some shaving of alignment sections which ultimately left small gaps on the rear side of the wings. The Mr Surfacer 500 is drying as I type. I also took the time to tidy up the leading edges with a smidgen of Mr 500 as they could also do with a little bit of work. 

 

So basically, a whole lot for little photoworthy results for now! 

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1 hour ago, dnl42 said:

This is looking very good! :thumbsup:

Thanks buddy. Trying to make a real effort to keep anything else off of the bench for now and to try and do small bits each night rather than long sessions. Helps keep the mojo running. 

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Okay folks, it's been a little while since our last update on the Dak so where am I with her exactly? 

 

Well first, there was this... 

nTjvon4l.jpg

 

And then there was this.... 

V3isd9rl.jpg

 

And not to be outdone.... 

KiLbDBLl.jpg

 

But rather than making my usual mistake of trying to tackle these as they come up, I decided to carry on with the assembly and get the bottom slapped on. 

 

90kHukFl.jpg

 

I then decided to attach the wing upper surface. Big mistake somewhere along the lines as the strut wouldn't line up with the placement guide. So off came the placement guide! Twice!! Nothing a bit of Mr Surfacer can't hide from untrained eyes. 

 

2Jvdiq9l.jpg

 

I then went around and filled/surfacered (is that a new word?) the seams here, there and everywhere. Once I had a roughly acceptable airframe, she got a coat of Halfords and away we went. As primer is liken to do, it revealed a few blips and scratches which I went back and revisited before polishing with my new MicroMesh set. 

 

Vkf5bOYl.jpg

 

Since this point, I also added the tail control surfaces but honestly, we aren't missing much there. Next update will probably be focused primarily on the power eggs. And then after that, using the airframe as a jig to assemble the landing gear which I'm dreading. But in all honesty, most of the remaining steps are fiddly little parts which will be added to the painted airframe. The million dollar question though, is do I fully paint/decal/weather the airframe before adding all the little bits? This is my first time applying this construction method to a kit and would probably of been better trialed on a smaller kit! 

 

 

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Lewis95 said:

little bits

Depends on what you mean by "little."  If it's antennas and landing gear, then yes.  If it's the engines, then no.  You should attach the "power eggs" and smooth out the joints before you start painting.

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