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Another Ma.k Sternail. The Ausf F


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It's about time I started another post, and it's another big build. 

I've previously built two other Sternails (A small garage kit was available in Japan years ago) and there are

images of other scratchbuilds on the net. Here's a link to my last build.

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235072311-sternail-ausf-d/&do=findComment&comment=3667426

 

That one was built using a frame made from thin lengths of wood. It took a long time to do. This time I had a cunning plan....

 

rvkSuTN.jpg

Here's a picture of a picture of someone else's scratchbuild. This shows mostly how the nose should droop. 

Unlike my build above where I opted for something different and called it the Ausf D model. Yep 64cm long!

 

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Same model to show the nose again. I like the ghostly effect, good lighting.

 

vYBNhaF.jpg

And here's my Ausf D in it's normal habitat. Hanging up in the mancave. 

I recently acquired a large picture frame from a skip. Part of the frame was broken, but the rest of the wood,

around 15mm x 23mm strips, were nice and straight...

 

YGoNynE.jpg

Gorilla wood glue and clamps came into play, resulting in this top section. I then created the rest of the fuselage

by laminating more of this wood, infilling with balsa. Later the whole fuselage will be covered with plastic card.

So it will be a lot stronger (though heavier) than the last one and should be a quicker build.

 

7HrL62b.jpg

Here I built the sponsons at the back from thin strips of wood. In this case I used industrial superglue for instant results.

You can see the laminations of the fuselage in this side shot. It will all be sanded smooth before I glue on the card.

 

UJwkmBn.jpg

A top shot showing what a mess it looks at the moment. Again, the 80 grit sandpaper will clear that up.

 

YlGy61J.jpg

And, the drooping nose. Alien, anyone? This afternoon I smothered the nose in P-38 car filler, aka Bondo.

 

czV2OZp.jpg

The sponsons (on the original build) carried 1/35th T-55 tank turrets.

It's a bit expensive to buy two kits just for the turrets, so I used what I had in the spares boxes.

My thanks to those who donated their unwanted bits and pieces.

On the left, above, a 1/35th turret. On the right, what I created from 1/72nd bits. About the same size.

That's a modern tank upper hull with a Panther engine deck inserted and a turret from a Sheriden?. 

 

NXsIVRQ.jpg

I replaced the cardboard prototype in the above shot with plastic card. Then used more to build the odd shaped front structure.

Of course I needed two of these assemblies. 

 

 

The more or less finished article. The corrugated hose was a Biro spring coated in Elmers PVA glue.

I seem to have accidentally created an Elephants trunk! Yes, the black bit is from a steam engine.

 

sSQ6pv9.jpg

These tank bits were all put together a few weeks ago as I pondered how to build the fuselage. I like skips!

Next up, lots of rubbing down and then more plotting and planning. Plus rummaging in the bits boxes.

Thanks for looking. As always, all questions, suggestions, donations, are welcome.

Stay safe, Pete

 

 

 

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It looks very militant and very maschinen-krieger-style. I will watch it with interest.

 

14 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Plus rummaging in the bits boxes.

 

IMHO this is one of the coolest modeling activities 😉

 

14 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

The corrugated hose was a Biro spring coated in Elmers PVA glue.

 

Have you tried to make corrugated hoses out of green stuff? The texture can be made with a Green Stuff World device called a roll maker, but you can also use a comb.

 

14 hours ago, Pete in Lincs said:

The sponsons (on the original build) carried 1/35th T-55 tank turrets.

It's a bit expensive to buy two kits just for the turrets, so I used what I had in the spares boxes.

 

I have a long term policy of cheap bits buying. I joined several Facebook groups where modeling stuff is traded and only buy there incomplete kits or "scrap per kilo". The rule which I adopted is that the price cannot be higher than 15 euro (with shipping). This is more or less the price of a cheap model. It takes patience because attractive offers are rare, but such a strategy pays off for me.

 

 

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Thanks Guys. 

@voozet I do buy incomplete sets & bits from ebay but I'm not on facebook. Fellow Britmodellers have been very kind to me too.

Green stuff for hoses, it's an idea. I've also wrapped springs in PTFE tape before now, with good results.

 

The P-38 filler got rubbed down earlier. Stinky stuff, but good. (Yes, I wore a mask) And I've put some 1mm card on the sponsons at the back.

I've also tried out and cut to fit, some fuselage parts from scrap kits. These go above and below the fuselage. Pictures later.

Cheers, Pete

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Just a  quick update. The plastic card cladding is going well, but it's cold (despite the heater) out there so I'm just doing an hour or so at a time.

The card bonds with the wood almost instantly thanks to this glue. I found that thin strips can be glued into place between the horizontal

and vertical sheets and sanded while the glue is still slightly tacky. The resulting dust filling any remaining small gaps.

Thanks, as always, for looking in. Pete

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  • Pete in Lincs changed the title to Another Ma.k Sternail. The Ausf F
2 hours ago, voozet said:

But where are the photos?

Patience, Padowan. I should be ready for a picture or two Tomorrow. We mustn't waste pixels!It

 

And, I just had to change the name to the Ausf F. I looked on a kreiger site and found that I'd inspired someone

to scratchbuild his own Sternail, and he called it the Ausf E. It's very nice though.

http://maschinenkrueger.com/forum/index.php?topic=11019.0

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Okay, Pictures you want, Pictures I got, Already...Sheesh!

Nothing very exciting though, just the results of the plastic card cladding so far.

ljeTyIR.jpg

Long distance shot. Yep, it's longer than the cutting mat. 

 

NM4Oone.jpg

The sharp end. Well, it will be. Lots of filling, rubbing down and chamfering to come.

 

VmeMwob.jpg

What you see here is a bit of 1/48th Tomcat and the business end of a plastic spoon.

The original used F-15 bits here, but this will do the trick. It all needs blending in.

The spoon? That will become the pilots' access hatch. Once I build a base for it. A common sight on Ma.k stuff.

Now I'm stuck in waiting for a Hermes van to pick up a parcel. So until it gets here, no more modelling today. :sad:

Thanks for looking. Pete

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Mark 1 Escorts and Mark 2 Cortinas. Both good drives and all I could afford anyway at that stage.

From there to Sierras and Mondeos. I steered well clear of the later Escorts and Orions!

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On 1/13/2022 at 7:45 PM, Pete in Lincs said:

Mark 1 Escorts and Mark 2 Cortinas

The only Fords I owned were:

Mk1 Escort 1100 estate (1971)                              - Flat as a pancake, no power to speak of, but got me around

Mk2 Fiesta XR2 (1986)                                           - Flying roller-skate. Loved it!

Ford Focus 1.6 TDi estate (2012 vintage)              - Utilitarian, economical (~50 MPG), quite fun to drive.

 

Cheers,

Alan

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I spent my childhood and youth in the Eastern Bloc country, so I have no automotive associations with the Pete's model. I only have a trauma because my first and second car was the Fiat 126p produced in Poland. You can google it, you will understand the reason if I say that I am almost two meters tall). Plus, it was older than me, but cheap.

The only Ford I can assign to Ausf. F is Harrison. I think he would like to sit at the controls of this ship, because Pete's model promises to be great. Or Ford Perfect. He would probably be happy to hitchhike it, for the same reason. 

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5 hours ago, voozet said:

I only have a trauma because my first and second car was the Fiat 126p produced in Poland. You can google it, you will understand the reason if I say that I am almost two meters tall).

I went and googled it and have to ask as I’m 6’7” so two meter’s myself. How the heck did you ever squeeze into one of those ? Did you rip the drivers seat out and sit in the back seat ? 

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10 minutes ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

How the heck did you ever squeeze into one of those

I was younger and more flexible 🤣 Sometimes I just pushed the gearshift knob with my knee accidentally. And I drove it mostly alone, but for many it was a family car 😉

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On 1/15/2022 at 12:15 PM, Alan R said:

Mk2 Fiesta XR2 (1986)                                           - Flying roller-skate. Loved it!

While not an XR2 but an evolution of, I once drove a Ford Fiesta ST around the Lakes and it was the most fun I have had in a car (sort of..:whistle:) mind you I made the wife feel sick but like you say 'a roller skate'

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  • 2 weeks later...

Aaaand we're back. A combination of being busy, work and the cold in the manshed slowed this right down.

It warmed up a bit this weekend and I've got this week off work. So today I've been able to get to a stage where it's worth taking pictures.

The cold stopped the Milliput applied last weekend from drying properly! I had to scrape it all off and reapply it yesterday.

I then brought the model inside overnight and got a better result with it. Lots of rubbing down followed this morning.

 

gbKt0GB.jpg

Spot the bloke in the stylish woolly hat! Anyway, here's where we are at the moment. That's a clamp on the back end, BTW.

But you can see the cupola on top for the entry hatch (which was made from a plastic spoon). And in the foreground, lots of greeblies and stuff.

 

R7KEqnG.jpg

Nearest to you are the two halves of an Airfix Kamov, minus the cockpit, but with plenty of extra greebly bits.

Next back, on the left, I think they are Mirage nose sections. On the right, a narrowed lower half from an Airfix Buccaneer.

Behind that is a 1/48th Tomcat lower fuselage, also with greebies. and then 1/48th Mosquito Nacelles.

Where these bits will be used on the model should be apparent on the next update.

 

NmL7dtX.jpg

A close up of a Kamov half. They will go on this way up in front of the sponsons at the rear of the ship.

I got the kit cheap minus decals and instructions. It's made of that brittle plastic, and has soft details. So it's better to use it for this, I think.

 

PQi1QVA.jpg

And the Tomcat section. This will go at the rear underside, The right hand end (as seen here) to the rear.

That's it for the pictures so far. I'm off work this week (got to use up accumulated Holiday days. Shame eh?) so more soon I hope.

It's good to be back at the bench! I really enjoy doing this stuff!

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Amount of greeblies you collected  suggests that your Ausf F will have a much more complicated shape than the one in the reference photo.

 

1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Spot the bloke in the stylish woolly hat!

You won the prize for the most unconventional selfie of the month 😉

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Second update this week! You lucky people! (All thanks to the miracle of time off. It'll all slow down by Sunday afternoon :sad: )

 

Without further adoodoo, Pictures

iOkv3bC.jpg

If you squint a bit, it could be in low Lunar orbit (maybe). Notice it's now up on a stand. Aluminium tube into a block of wood.

Also notice, that old Geezer in the woolly hat has disappeared. There are a few changes since last time. Though the woolly hat remains firmly planted.

Read on for details.

 

hcBjTYD.jpg

It still has patches of filler to be rubbed down, I keep seeing gaps etc, depending on the light. But it's getting there.

 

B5Yuj1U.jpg 

First off, the brown drop tank half (ex Italeri going by the colour) The Mosquito Nacelles didn't make it, This time. This looks more like the original Sternail.

Below that, armament. Why not have multiple small rockets in space? All you need to do is make holes in the enemy ships. Maybe explosive warheads too?

So yes, it's an ex Airfix 1/24th Harrier (Courtesy of a very nice man over in Ireland). I've greebled it a bit and paint will blend it all together.

 

GiJBfYf.jpg

Another view. Sherman wheel on the back with a handle to undo and remove it.

See the small holes in the pylon and pod? Wire will go between them. This is all just push fitted for the pictures.

 

wrTIM06.jpg

And, in what was the Buccaneer wheel well, a length of sprue and a Biro spring. Plus a bit of tank.

In what was the bomb bay, a radiator panel? courtesy of @bootneck I think. I like to give credit for parts used, when I can remember the source!

 

And that is where things stand at the moment. There's lots more detail to be added to the fuselage. The engines need to be sorted at the back.

Filler to be rubbed down and eventually paint (it could be Spring by then) or at least primer. And that will reveal more areas to be touched up. (F'nar!)

But, it's great fun and gets me out of the way of Her indoors for part of the day :laugh:

Thanks for looking. I hope you liked what you've seen. Your comments are always welcome.

All the best, Pete

 

 

 

 

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