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PK-127: Twotters at the double! Gone but not forgOTTERn


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Mama Christmas read my mind and I'm the happy owner of not one but two of the Twin Other kits...

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One of the marketing points of Matchbox was that you could really build them straight out of the box because of their innovative use of multiple colours. Being a spotty teenager with a Saturday job in a model shop, I was very sniffy about such an approach.

But I've often wondered what they would look like, so in this GB my quest will be ended as one of these will be literally OOB- no paint, no filler (though knife and files will be allowed)

 

Only one of the kits has the yellow sprue, so that'll be the OOB edition. The other will be an Air BC version with decals from Thunderbrid Models via the mighty big H- though I approvingly note that the background to the H is yellow!! Obviously, it'll be the floatplane because everyone knows Otters like water!!

 

With no paint etc. even I could probably knock the OOB version out in a Blitzbuild, but I'm going to do this as a twin build so it'll spend a lot of time waiting for the painted version to catch up with it.

 

I'm chomping at the bit for this...actually I guess Otters are more likely to be chewing on the bark; whatever it is I'm excited!!!

 

Ps It's probably for the best that the free tube of glue mention on the box-sticker has gone missing

 

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  • Mjwomack changed the title to PK-127: Twotters at the double! A Twin Otter twin build

Still trying to overcome the jealousy of you casually mentioning having a Saturday job in a model shop.......:envy:

 

No it's no good I'll have to come back to this post when the petulant teenager within me has had time to recover ! :wink:

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So thrilled that we will have at least one kit in this GB built up and 'unpainted' as Matchbox intended. This twin build should be great and am really looking forward watching these two excellent kits take shape. 

Cheers, welcome aboard and best of luck.. Dave 

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10 hours ago, JOCKNEY said:

Still trying to overcome the jealousy of you casually mentioning having a Saturday job in a model shop.......:envy:

 

It was way better than a paper-round though I was probably poorer for it because pretty much all my pay was 'reinvested' in that shop. Guess the owner knew what he was doing when he gave me the job!!

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  • 2 weeks later...

In the massed cavalry charge that has been the start of this GB, I'm down on page 3 already!

But there is something to show...

PXL-20220109-153355360.jpg 

 

Nothing to show for the pure OOB edition. I'd forgotten just how vivid Matchbox plastic was! My cunning plan seems to have worked (for once), sprayed the sprues for the Air BC version in red primer because I had some to use up; this evened them up and so I could then add a grey primer over the top and now ready to start some actual construction.

 

Anticipating the happy day when I get to put on the decals, I'm hoping somebody knows about Air BC...

Below the float warning stripes, are 6 stencils;

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I've no idea what they are, and the instructions make no mention of them. 6 seems an odd number (cue comments from the mathematicians!)because I'd have expected, 2 or 4 or maybe 8 to be symmetrical. Hoping somebody where they go, there again if not- it's 6 less decals to worry about!

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Two otters and a Saturday job in a model shop, wow . Very jealous of the job in the model shop.   Good luck with your builds  the literal OOB sill certainly be interesting and brings back memories are you including glued fingerprints too😉

Chris

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On 1/9/2022 at 8:56 PM, bigbadbadge said:

are you including glued fingerprints too

I never stopped! Regard it as proof of ownership and authentification🤪. Meanwhile, the first hint of that Matchbox multi-coloured magic

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Only white and grey so far. Admit to being keen to rush ahead (very schoolboy) and back with wings on for the full effect.

I'm already realising how hard it is going to be to keep the white plastic clean, which is going to err dull the effect.

Also realised that one of the perils of old kits is the bits that go AWOL so at the moment there's only one canopy between the two builds; guess it'll go to the OOB and I'll scratch build the other one.

As others have noted, the interior is cavernous and needs some detailing in it, but I'm just not that person and am blasting ahead

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1 hour ago, Mjwomack said:

Also realised that one of the perils of old kits is the bits that go AWOL so at the moment there's only one canopy between the two builds; guess it'll go to the OOB and I'll scratch build the other one.

 

I have a spare cockpit glazing part, if you have problems scratchbuilding a replacement PM me and I will get it to you if that helps!

 

Ray

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Thanks @Ray S, that's a very kind offer; I'll see how I get on.

Meanwhile, what's white and grey and yellow all over?

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A Matchbox Twitter au natrel, yep I just had to know what it would look like so a dry fit of the wings. It'll get greyer (I suppose that's a word) yet, because all the flap actuators are in grey. But that's for another day, just these teaser for now.

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PXL-20220113-162103875-MP.jpg 

This is going together really nicely, so I'm at a loss to explain the apparent blood on the engine nacelle; hope it cleans off later!

 

Never mind a bit of blood loss, I'm (unusually) interested in the instructions!  I learnt most of my technical terms from the instructions for Airfix kits, in the days when they were always 4 sections long with one picture per section and a lot of text. Or for buildings from Superquick models, somehow I never noticed how Matchbox instructions came with a good splattering of terminology. Though I'd never have guessed that the 'Wing flaps, fore and trailing' were both there🤔

 

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1 minute ago, Ray S said:

That is the first time I have ever seen that info on a Matchbox instruction sheet! You learn something every day.

 

Comforted that it's not dementia setting in, because it's certainly not something I remember about them from days of old! Perhaps I stumbled upon the special edition set!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ah, there I am- at the bottom of page 7 (could have been worse).

Turns out this is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be...

  1. Fighting a pincer movement of domesticity in the guise of the cat and the carpet monster, I was overrun and a flap actuator has been digested by the carpet monster; I'm still trying to persuade myself that the cat hasn't left fur on things.
  2. Bare Pastic Finish (BPF) is as hard as BMF! I'd not considered that as soon as you cut a piece off a sprue of sand it a tad then the lovely shiny finish is degraded. I suppose it could be restored with meticulous work with sanding sticks etc, just not by me.
  3. Keeping the two builds in step and following the instructions is not possible and somethings got to give; probably the instructions because who reads them anyway?
    1. I realised the BPF version would be racing ahead and at the moment it's waiting for filler on the nacelles of the Air BC version to be sorted out.
    2. What I'd not considered is that due to the expanse of the Air BC decal for the tail, the stabilisers can't go on until after they're on, which is very out of step with the instructions.

Still, like a commuter air service something will come along soon and in the meantime, here's some more lovely Matchbox Technicolor rubbing shoulders with mundane grey primer....

 

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Nice progress on these two, but shame to hear you’ve hit some hiccups. I’m sure you will get your head around these, it’s only a matter of time to sort out. I also agree about those cheat lines and various decals on airliner kits. You just cannot slam these things together and not expect paint or decal problems later on down the track. This is probably the reason why I’ve stayed clear of airliner kits for years and years. Keep going, you’ll get there. 
Cheers.. Dave 

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Great to see these 2 coming together.

 

We are all troubled by the carpet monster, I've recently started only removing parts as they are needed to be fixed in place, rather than free up all the bits for that particular assembly section. 

Takes longer but the carpet monster has definitely been on a severe diet as a result :like:

 

I'm looking forward to the next instalment. 

 

Cheers Pat 

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On 1/30/2022 at 7:42 AM, JOCKNEY said:

Great to see these 2 coming together.

 

We are all troubled by the carpet monster, I've recently started only removing parts as they are needed to be fixed in place, rather than free up all the bits for that particular assembly section. 

Takes longer but the carpet monster has definitely been on a severe diet as a result :like:

 

I'm looking forward to the next instalment. 

 

Cheers Pat 

That's a good plan, clearly I need to up my game now that the carpet monster has got an ally in the cat!

On 1/30/2022 at 12:47 AM, bigbadbadge said:

are you using a liquid glue

yes the tamyia thin one- find it very therapeutic blending the seams, unless that's just the funmes

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Oh there I am, halfway down page 8🤭  The advantage of being a slow modeller is that I can find my thread by starting from the back but massive kudos to @Rabbit Leader and @JOCKNEY for keeping track of this absolute cavalry charge of a GB.

Plodding along (very slowly) but this might be the point where keeping the two builds in step come to an end

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Notice how out of a choice of white, yellow or GREY for the engine exhausts the engineers went for white. I do wonder what the meetings were like between the production engineers and the designers for Matchbox,

'Can the exhausts be grey?'

'no! I've got space on the white sprue and that's where they're staying'

 

I think they can both have the float assemblies next after which the True OOB will be itching to be finished. For now though, who doesn't go 'Aaahhh' at a picture of otters kissing?

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