Tweener's Spring Break Shelf of Doom Clearance

[Tweener]

I have a confession -

 

I'm a bit of a serial starter. I start 2-3 kits at the same time with alarming regularity, only to shelve them once painting is halfway done. As a result, I have about 25 kits currently in progress, most of them closer to done than not. The good news is that I'm currently on break from Uni for the next 3 and a half days, so I have some time to make some progress on completing them.

 

I've selected 4 kits that I most want to make progress on -


First, the Airfix 1/71 Hurricane 1 and P-51D:

I'd like to be kind to Airfix about these kits, and the P-51 is altogether fine outside of a few parts being mismolded or useless because of sprue gates, but the Hurricane is a wretched kit in a number of places. The fact I've gotten it to this stage, where the Sky undersides and Dark Earth topsides are 99% done, is surprising. My goal for it is to finish those layers and get the first 2 coats of Dark Green done, and to paint the landing gear and it's doors. For the P-51, I only need to paint 1 more coat of Light Steel before adding the anti-glare strip, and then I can add the remaining parts and proceed to decals. 

Next is the ancient Revell Neiuport 28:

 

This one is being built as a Swiss machine in the early 20's. My only goal for this one is to touch-up the green, paint and attach the prop, and finish marking out where the red panels will go. I've got a more appropriate red on the way, which I'll also be using for that Matchbox Gnat,

 

Lastly, the Arii 1/144 P-40:

 

The painting on this is effectively done, bar the exhausts and prop. I've got the Print Scale sheet for small P-40s, so I'll decide on a scheme and probably have this one done by the end of the night.

In addition to these 4, I want to make progress on the Tamiya 1/72 BF-109E, Hasegawa 1/72 FW-190A-3, and to build the interior of a Frog/NOVO Magister.

Updates soon,
Tweener

[Jackson Duvalier]

Good to see you cracking on with it.  😎

 

Are you done yet?

[Tweener]

Some (slight) progress to report -

 

The Mustang now has outer gear doors and exhausts and will soon have a tailwheel. The first coat of the anti-glare is down, and I've almost finished painting the darker metal panel around the exhausts. There's a few spots to touch up on the silver, but that shouldn't take long :

 

Additionally, the Nieuport now has a prop, and the Hurricane prop is almost painted. The Magister received a tiny bit of sidewall detail and the floor is the next priority :

 

Now I just have to convince myself that my stash is large enough without picking up the Italeri Stirling and Print Scale decals for an Egyptian transport...
 

9 hours ago, Jackson Duvalier said:

Good to see you cracking on with it.  😎

 

Are you done yet?

Hopefully I can at least finish the Mustang and Nieuport! I may switch this Hurricane for a Heller one I've made into a PR bird instead - that one is closer to done.

More updates later,
Tweener

[Tweener]

As mentioned, I've switched focus to the other Hurricane:
 

 

The P-51 paintwork is now done, bar a few touchups to the wheel bays. The Anti-glare panel looks not far short of poo-poo, but that's the joys of Model Masters OD Acrylic - great for the first few uses, and outright miserable after:

 

Lastly, some of you will recall I started the MB Gnat for the groupbuild - here is is now:
 

Tomorrow I aim to finish paintwork on the ARII P-40, Hurricane PR, and Mustang, and then work on the seams and gaps of the Gnat. I still haven't ordered the red paint, but that should happen soon. I'm debating picking up the Roden Camel to go with some decals I have for a 43 Squadron plane. Naturally, the kit comes with a 43 Squadron scheme anyways,.. Pays to check Scalemates!

[heloman1]

Only 25 shelf of doom recliners, I am surprised. I think I could double that and feel ashamed to admit it. But yes there is something satisfying about opening a new kit and starting it.

I'll dip in and out of your posts if I may?

 

Colin

[Tweener]

The whole idea of this post might have been to hold myself responsible and finish some builds for once, but then I went off and started another...

After some delay, I'm back to a kit I started late last summer before moving to smaller projects once I returned to University. Some of you will have seen my questions about the Wellesley being used as a Torpedo Bomber. I'm not building that airframe (yet) but I am building the MB Wellesley. Shame I can't throw this into the GB with the Gnat (which I promise I'll be back to at the end of the month!).

When I started I hastily threw in some of the framing and a floor but it was rather poorly done. So far I've cleaned it up as best as I care to given how much of it will be seen, and added a bulkhead to the navigators spot and a roof over the area behind the pilot based on @tonyot's builds. All I need to do now is add a fuel tank & the stick, finish the radio rack and framing, tidy the paint, and throw the halves together. I'm building this one as an LRDU plane as those forward fuselage halves fit minimally better than the standard bomber type. 

Not seen are the assembled engine and cowling and the start on wheel bay details that I added last night.
 

On 3/12/2022 at 2:36 AM, heloman1 said:

Only 25 shelf of doom recliners, I am surprised. I think I could double that and feel ashamed to admit it. But yes there is something satisfying about opening a new kit and starting it.

I'll dip in and out of your posts if I may?

 

Colin

If I were to guess there's another 10 I've made a start on - the cockpit of a Hector and the wings of a DH.60 Floatplane, for example, and the 3rd Airfix Demon I'm considering scratching a turret for. For what it's worth, I think 25 sounds nicer 😅

Feel free to save a chair,
Tweener

[Tweener]

I'll be headed home once again this weekend and so I've taken down a list of builds to focus on while there -

 

Matchbox Gnat (Landing gear bay corrections and paint)

Heller Hurricane IIC (Finishing prop, decals)

Amodel Genet Moth (Finish filling / sanding nose)

Airfix Spitfire (Landing gear and prop repairs)

FROG DH.60 (Landing gear and prop repairs)

 

Notice that my family managed to knock two kits off the shelf whilst I've been away...

I'll likely grab the old AMT Lysander I've got on top of the stash as the next build, as the Airfix Hampden I'd prefer to start is going to take far too much work than I can reasonably accomplish at Uni. Speaking of Uni, I've just been accepted into a far better school, as well as a dedicated research program within it. This summer may be the last time I can manage much modeling for some time!

More Friday

- Tweener

 

 

[georgeusa]

Good work on clearing out your shelf of doom.  From your posts it seems like you regularly schedule a heavy load for yourself given the time you have to do it.  I have a nephew at the University of Texas with the same proclivity.  I am enjoying your work that bounces from one kit to another.  I'm impressed you can keep the multiple builds focused without confusion.

[Tweener]

On 4/13/2022 at 10:14 AM, georgeusa said:

Good work on clearing out your shelf of doom.  From your posts it seems like you regularly schedule a heavy load for yourself given the time you have to do it.  I have a nephew at the University of Texas with the same proclivity.  I am enjoying your work that bounces from one kit to another.  I'm impressed you can keep the multiple builds focused without confusion.

In a way I do over-schedule but I'm also 'lucky' to only have 4 day weeks at Uni - my current one doesn't have Friday classes. That'll change next year and with any luck I'll have a schedule with more than one class each day too. As for keeping track of builds, I like to take notes about how I plan to approach them; it keeps me on track but some kits have definitely thrown me for a loop anyways, such as the TP-40N I work on  occasionally.

In the last few days I've made good progress on a few builds: I've repaired the dH,60, finished painting the body of the Hurricane IIC and started it's decals, and I've done most of the decals for the Italian Mustang as well. All the decal work will be finished in a few minutes before I return for my last 2 weeks at Uni. As of now, they look like this:
 

While paints dried and decals set, I finished building the ancient Airfix Whirlwind as well. I have a very special scheme picked out for this one, but I don't have most of the paints for it yet.

 

 

This is almost certainly the least detailed kit I've built and mine was missing the cockpit piece on arrival. A spare P-40 floor and seat replaced it and a control stick from an Anson was added as well. It'll use it to experiment in weathering given I've never bothered with much and the fact that it was about $5. I only need to decide now if I want to replace the exhausts and wheels.

More updates on these in about 10-15 days. My Uni, ever professional, keeps changing the dates of finals.

Best,

Tweener

[Tweener]

So much for 15 days...

Adjusting to being back home and a new job took a moment, and losing internet for a week meant that even though I was building some, I couldn't really get around to posting. I decided to change spring break to spring time entirely, and created a list of 6 projects to finish before the start of summer:

Stout Skycar

PR Hurricane II (Just needs a Serial and a clear coat)
Italian Mustang (Just needs a clear coat and small paint touch ups)
T-6 Texan (Spanish, for a GB)
1/144 L-29 (Why is this one not done?)

Airfix 1/76 Sherman (A change of shapes is nice!)

I've ordered a set of RAF codes and serials for the Hurricane which should arrive on Monday or Tuesday, as well as some paints for 2 projects that will replace these 6.

 

 

This first image contains one of them - the Ju-52, and part of the second one as well, as can be seen in the second image:

 

 

I bought the Whitley for a great price (I almost bought both of them, as together they'd've been less than single ones go for in my area), and I plan to build either the BOAC option or a Mark IV prototype. In either case, I can use the radar array for something else:

I don't know if this is a GR XI or XII, nor do I know the differences between those types, but I do know I have a spare MB Wellington I'd meant to use with the Unicraft MK V/VI resin nose, but that was little more than a 1/2" thick blob of vaguely distinguishable, hard-as-rocks resin. This is the only clear pic I could find of a French Wellington sans tail stripes other than one that looks to be a mix of black, silver, and white portions. That one may still win me over; time will tell.

Right, clocks ticking.

Best,
Tweener

[Tweener]

Well, this one wasn't on the list...
 

 

But bar a hint of weathering, this one is done and any completion is most welcome at the moment. The paint touch ups on the Mustang are done, the serials for the Hurricane arrive tomorrow, and the Sherman tracks are currently drying. I may yet have to add 2-3 to the list.

Proper photos of the 47 tomorrow, provided the weather holds.

 

Best, Tweener

[Tweener]

Right, an update...

Work and the resumption of Uni have taken up a fair measure of time lately but I've managed to:

Finish the PRU Hurricane, bar the landing light I've managed to lose,

Make good painting progress on the standard Hurricane, using new AK paints

Finish the cockpit framing for the Wellington - this has been pushed off indefinitely, however

Finish painting a 1/72 P-40N

Finish decaling a 1/144 P-40N

Finish painting a 1/76 Sherman

Find and apply replacement roundels for a Defiant NF

Finish painting, decaling, and sealing a 109G
Construct 2 Blenheims and complete about half the painting on each

No photos tonight, but I'll create a WIP for the Blenheims tomorrow, as those 2 are among 7 I plan to build this summer. The P-40s will get an RFI by the end of the week with any luck, and the standard Hurricane should not lag far behind.

It isn't spring anymore, but the shelf still needs clearing.

 

Onwards and upwards,

Tweener