Dash 8 300

[chrispisme]

Something I've been monkeying with the last couple of weeks

Hobbycraft Canada (a very old kit) 1/72 -8/100 kinda converted to a 300

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is kind of crude in a few spots but it does look like a -8 300...maybe?

Hope you like it

Thanks for looking

[Robin-42]

Nice! I have been planning a similar conversion since flying the real thing-in 1996.🙄

[Maginot]

Good job. Very effective panel lines on wing and engine nacelles. Great finish with overall white. Why do aircraft manufacturers have to make it difficult for us modellers by doing things like bordering cockpit windows with fiddly, fancy gubbins?

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

Nice job Chris 🏆

 

How did you do the conversion? I have one or 2 of these to do and don't want to use a second kit for the plugs.

[chrispisme]

Thanks guys 

8 hours ago, Romeo Alpha Yankee said:

Nice job Chris 🏆

 

How did you do the conversion? I have one or 2 of these to do and don't want to use a second kit for the plugs.

hi Ray I did a build thread where I mostly post now, a modellers site for “Large Scale Planes” in the none LSP builds. But to make the conversion, I made a mold form, (cause the kit is so rare now) poured a resin copy of the kit fuselage, cut the resin fuselage into the lengths I needed for the plugs then (the hard part) worked up the nerve and cut the kit fuselage in 2 places, one in front of the wing the other behind it then just lay the model down on my plan (like a balsa kit) and fitted the plugs (to the gaps) I taped the other side of the existing kit to my lengthened part and matched the plugs to it (trying to keep it all aligned that way) I also added span to the wing tips and between the engine and fuselage, cut open the cockpit windshield and made my own windows from left over blister pack acetate sheet ….aaannnd Reskit 1/72 F 16 wheels

the markings are Nazca for the stencilling and, V-1 for the Air Canada specific stuff

thanks to all who stopped for a look and commented 

Edited December 19, 2021 by chrispisme
Typo

[TheyJammedKenny!]

Nice--this is a very bold conversion job, and the results look like a DASH-8-300 to me!

[greggles.w]

Much admired - not least for the gusto to launch into that surgery you describe!

[Valleyforge]

Nice build. It looks very smart. I love the detail on the engine housing

[Marc the Builder]

Wow, nicely done. The panel lines do a lot lifting it to a higher level compared to the standard kit. I made the 100 series many moons ago and I do remeber I liked it very much. Great to see a -300 for a change.

[Romeo Alpha Yankee]

7 hours ago, chrispisme said:

Thanks guys 

hi Ray I did a build thread where I mostly post now, a modellers site for “Large Scale Planes” in the none LSP builds. But to make the conversion, I made a mold form, (cause the kit is so rare now) poured a resin copy of the kit fuselage, cut the resin fuselage into the lengths I needed for the plugs then (the hard part) worked up the nerve and cut the kit fuselage in 2 places, one in front of the wing the other behind it then just lay the model down on my plan (like a balsa kit) and fitted the plugs (to the gaps) I taped the other side of the existing kit to my lengthened part and matched the plugs to it (trying to keep it all aligned that way) I also added span to the wing tips and between the engine and fuselage, cut open the cockpit windshield and made my own windows from left over blister pack acetate sheet ….aaannnd Reskit 1/72 F 16 wheels

the markings are Nazca for the stencilling and, V-1 for the Air Canada specific stuff

thanks to all who stopped for a look and commented 

Cheers Chris,

 

I have found the thread over on LSP. Looks like I need to find my login over there and take a better look!

[Vesa Jussila]

Nice one. You have done good job.

[Wulfman]

A lovely build, looks fine to me !

 

Wulfman

[kapam]

Would love to do one of these myself (I have the Hobbycraft kit).

Your conversion work is brilliant!

Looks like you've done surgery on the nose too.

Most Dash 8's that I see in our skies are stretched versions, so this is very inspiring!

Love it!

 

[Remus389]

I agree, it's a lovely build 🏅

[chrispisme]

Thank you very much for kind comments mates

[hurricane39]

Great job on a kit that is a dog.  Never completed mine.  Went in the trash bin.  Kudos to you.  

[maarten.schonfeld]

Hi Chris, 

Thanks for publishing! It's looking very good indeed. You've doan a great job on that old kit. 

 

You have pulled my trigger: I planned to do a conversion of this old kit to a -400 version, and got myself NAZCA decals in that scale, of SATA Air Açores. Nazca was very willing to scale them up for me on request. 

 

But then I ran into trouble: I have turned over the entire internet finding the detailed dimensional diagrams for the conversion, but now I'm sure I got it nailed (except for a few very small details). So off  I went. I hope to publish soon som pics of the result.

[chrispisme]

16 hours ago, maarten.schonfeld said:

 

A Q-400 was a dream of mine as well but after much research, information gathering, measurements and thinking about it, I realized I’d have been closer starting that conversion with a 1/48 spitfire than the Hobbycraft Dash 8-100.

I got close to what I wanted here but I’m sure better modellers could do a more accurate job of it than I have

[maarten.schonfeld]

Hi Chris, 🙂

 

I really like your build of the -300, it's looking very good to me! It's the end result that counts. 

 

Admitted, the -400 is a step further, and requires more info on what to change. Much of the required info cannot be found very easily. But still, the forward, mid and aft fuselage sections are the same, the plugs are muuuuuch longer and the windows/doors all need to be relocated. Only the aft cargo door on the left side appears to be in exactly the right location (only the lower sill appears to be too high, for any version). The wing of the the -400 is further enlarged, mainly the flaps are extended aft, and there is a 18" plug to each wing root increasing the distance between the nacelles.

 

As for the empennage the fin (vertical stab) remains the same, but with a bullet fairing added on top. The tailplane/elevator needs to be revised and the tips extended. Considerable, but not difficult in any way. Same for the engine nacelles: extended in all directions except for their width which remains 3 ft. Making new larger six blade props will be a nice scratchbuilding challenge, I haven't searched yet whether these could be found in any other kit. 

 

The basic Hobbycraft kit is just what it is: basic. But essentially correct. The only real 'ouch' 😗 are the cabin windows: too large, too low in the sides and none of them in the right location, neither for a -100. Same with the doors (except the cargo). So that needs to be solved in any case. And the changes for a -400 will be more extensive than for a -300, but still very much along the same lines as your build. I can only hope for my end result being as visually pleasing as yours!

 

As for uploading pictures of my build, I'm struggling with the requirement of uploading an 'url', as I don't want to store my images with a Photobucket or so. There must be another way to do this. 

 

Kind regards,

Maarten  

 

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by maarten.schonfeld
18" wing root plug corrected

[KingTiger435]

very nicely done for an old kit!