Rookie Errors Revisited - First Build for 36 Years with apologies to Spitfire fans (finished)

[Johnson]

6 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

Whether dry-fitted to the fuse or not, the dihedral is wrong (it's not being forced out of kilter by the wing root on the fuse), and this DOES affect the look.   So I'm having a think around this - always try self-help first if I can, but if anyone has dealt with a similar problem I'd appreciate tips please. 

 

If the fuselage wing root isn't forcing the dihedral down, you can use the fuselage/wing join to correct the dihedral.

 

Once the wings are assembled dry fit them to the fuselage. Is the fit and dihedral OK when you force the wings tips up a bit? Its important that the wings are touching, but not compressing, the fuselage,

 

When you glue the wings to the fuselage use sellotape - under slight tension - from one wingtip over the fuselage to the other wing tip (wrap the sellotape round the end slightly). This will maintain the dihedral (6 1/2 degrees IIRC) while the glue sets. Probably best left overnight.

 

Sellotape works best for me, its strong and sticks well. But can leave adhesive sticky marks on the plastic when removed. This can easily be cleaned up with white spirit.

 

25 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

there are also some sink marks on the cowling of the older one

 

Very easily fixed with modeller's filler, worth doing.

 

I hope my wing dihedral suggestion make sense, I've done it many times but not easy to explain. Others may suggest alternative approaches...

 

Good luck!

[Zephyr91]

21 minutes ago, Johnson said:

 

If the fuselage wing root isn't forcing the dihedral down, you can use the fuselage/wing join to correct the dihedral.

 

Once the wings are assembled dry fit them to the fuselage. Is the fit and dihedral OK when you force the wings tips up a bit? Its important that the wings are touching, but not compressing, the fuselage,

 

When you glue the wings to the fuselage use sellotape - under slight tension - from one wingtip over the fuselage to the other wing tip (wrap the sellotape round the end slightly). This will maintain the dihedral (6 1/2 degrees IIRC) while the glue sets. Probably best left overnight.

 

Sellotape works best for me, its strong and sticks well. But can leave adhesive sticky marks on the plastic when removed. This can easily be cleaned up with white spirit.

 

 

Very easily fixed with modeller's filler, worth doing.

 

I hope my wing dihedral suggestion make sense, I've done it many times but not easy to explain. Others may suggest alternative approaches...

 

Good luck!

Brill.  Thanks.  You've put into words what I had in mind, but was thinking of using decorators masking tape as it might not leave as much of a mark.

 

With the filling, you make it sound very easy.  Whereas I find it incredibly easy to not get the filler to stay in the place to be filled whilst leavings globules where it definitely shouldn't be  .......... 😱

 

I'll see how it goes

 

Many thanks

 

Rob

[Troy Smith]

27 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

With the filling, you make it sound very easy. 

It is, with the right filler.

cheap superglue mixed with talc.  You can use plain superglue, but it's needs to sanded as soon as initially hard,  as when fully hard it's harder than the plastic.

More talc makes is stiffer and softer.   easy to sand or carve, sets in a minute or so.    

 

The other is 'sprue goo'   scrap plastic dissolved in liquid glue.  advantage, it's the same as the kit once set, disadvantage it takes time to set.

 

32 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

decorators masking tape as it might not leave as much of a mark.

lighter fuel.   quicker and much less greasy than white spirit.  

 

also,   get some foam backed sanding pads.  Very useful.  

A cheap way to get them is this.   

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/392994468757

"OFFER IS FOR 100 x WET AND DRY SANDING FINE GRADE OFF-CUTS STRIPS GREAT FOR  Model /Crafts ETC

WILL BE VARIOUS FINE GRADES THAT CAN INCLUDE FINE ,SUPERFINE, MICRO FINE ULTRA FINE , P1000/800, P1500/1200. P400/320, P600/500

 

WHEN THE  PADS ARE MADE WE HAVE VARIOUS SIZE OFF CUTS FROM THE TRIM PROCESS, THIS ALSO INCLUDES ANY DAMAGED PADS AND SECONDS GRADES SO PADS CAN HAVE IMPERFECTIONS, THEY ALL GET MIXED UP IN A HUGE CONTAINER READY FOR LAND FILL SEE PICTURE,  THE PACKER JUST TAKES 100 OUT AT RANDOM FOR DESPATCH"

 

I got this or similar a while back,  I got a small box packed with offcuts of sanding pads, the strips are 1-2 wide and about 4 inch long.    no connection to seller, they evidently make them, and these are the scrap bits,  which are rather handy for the modeller.   They do other variations,  this looks to be a good balance on price and amount.  Seller has 100% feedback, and a huge number of sales.

 

The box I got would last me years of intensive building.  

HTH

[Troy Smith]

2 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

I can force it to have a better dihedral.  It doesn't seem to need much pursuasion to adopt a better shape, but it does mean everthing is under a bit of tension - which could all go sproing at some stage

Just bend over bend it a bit.   try it on sprue first.    Get a long bit.  Bend it a little, if flexes, and then retains original shape.  This is elastic deformation.   bend it more, it will keep a bit of an angle, but not as much as you bent it.  Bend it more than you want, and it will then keep the lesser angle.  Over do it and it snap, but unless it's really brittle plastic,  it will take a lot of bending.   This is plastic deformation.   

EDIT and unless the plastic is white, you will see a colour change where the material has been bent, it will got a lighter colour, as you have damaged a bit the plastic and you see the stress mark. 

 

 Do this with scrap until you feel comfortable with the properties of the material,  but it it does seem to be forgotten how easy it is to just flex polystyrene to a new shape..   see link below for more.

 

You can aid this by scoring the lower wing part where you want the new angle.   You may need to scrape the upper wing roots a bit to allow a comfortable fit.

It's the sort of thing that take far longer to type out than do.  

2 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

Meanwhile, whilst I prevaricate a bit longer, I have had a go at adding sidewalls to the older undercarriage bay.  It's all @Troy Smith's fault!   I followed his link and saw how he'd done it.  Strangely my attempt is not as neat as his    

 

Thinner plastic card?  I have some 5 thou, which seems hard to find.   The Spitfire XIX wing was thick, which gave decent mounting surface,  I can't recall what the old tool Mk.I wing is like though.         

I also added some plastic strip for the main spar and chamfered the edges of the leg part of the well.   

 

Anyway,  all a learning experience especially if you are a returnee.   Despite only completing a few builds,  I have done a fair bit of tinkering with kits to work out corrections.

An example, and also has some plastic bending, see the part of reshaping the cowling sides

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234968337-two-148-mkvb-spitfires-tamiya-and-airfix-new-spitfire-collection-expansion-project-finished-photos-now-in-the-rfi-section-080615/page/3/#elControls_1763656_menu

 

HTH

 

 

Edited January 28, 2023 by Troy Smith

[Johnson]

1 hour ago, Zephyr91 said:

but was thinking of using decorators masking tape as it might not leave as much of a mark.

You could try, but not sure decorators masking tape has the stick or staying power for the job. Don't worry about a bit of stickyness. White spirit (or lighter fluid) will clean up easy, Honest! 

[mark.au]

I’m enjoying your builds and the narrative, brings back memories of my own return to the hobby.  The colour of the older Airfix plastic is giving me incredible nostalgia though, every photo generates a flash back to early 70’s childhood Airfix builds.   

[2996 Victor]

As Johnson and Troy have said, the wings should be easy enough to bend to the correct dihedral. If when you dry fit, with no gaps at the wing roots the dihedral is wrong, you'll need to either sand the wing roots to achieve an increase or pack with shims to decrease.

 

I would suggest using spots of Cyano Acrylate (super glue) for the initial assembly. I then use MEK solvent to complete the joint - not too much as it can cause sinkage.

 

Another way of filling joints and seams is to use Mr Dissolved Putty, or Mr Surfacer for finer gaps. Dob them on with a small brush. They can be be sanded or scraped easily BUT for joints like wing roots some Mr Thinner on a cotton bud wipes away the excess and leaves panel details intact. Took me ages to try this technique - what a revelation!!!

 

HTH!

 

All the best,

Mark 

[Zephyr91]

Many thanks again, people.  You're all stars       I have done some assembly in some of the ways recommended and will now leave it overnight to set.  I'll try some photos tomorrow.

 

If it doesn't work, I'll go to more drastic methods (to me at least) described comprehensively by @Troy Smith above and in his links. 

 

The gaps don't appear too fearsome at the moment.  I rather like the sound of Mark's @2996 Victor cotton bud approach to wiping excess filler stuff away.  I'll try it on some other bits first.

 

Sorry about the flashbacks @mark.au!  Ok if they're good, but in some asian restaurants i sometimes get flashback to university times - but nowadays I've learnt to manage to stay away from that kind of vindaloo! 

 

Thanks for looking

 

Rob

[2996 Victor]

9 hours ago, Zephyr91 said:

cotton bud approach

I meant to say as well that Perfect Plastic Putty is water based, so you can smear it on with a finger tip and the excess wiped away with a cotton bud dampened with water.

 

A small tip - don't use PPP if intend to wash the model afterward......

 

Cheers,

Mark 

[Dave Wilko]

Delightful work and a jolly good read Sir.

 

May one offer a couple of tips and tricks learned many,many,many years past(a long,long time ago in a galaxy far,far away)?

 

A useful dodge when modelling any aircraft with a single span lower wing panel(Spitfire,Hurricane,Harvard,Chipmunk,etc)

is to fit the two upper panels to the wing roots first as accurately as one possibly can.

Leave them to go off for a few hours/overnight.

 

This gives a nice clean gapless joint at the wing roots,avoiding a tricky fill and sanding job.

 

When then fitting the lower single span,start at the fuselage(allow a little time for the adhesive to go off)

and then work one's way out to the wing tips,clamping as is necessary to achieve the required dihedral.

 

Once done and dry,leading/trailing edges are easily cleaned up as are the fore and aft fuselage joints underneath.

 

Another wheeze is to model such aircraft with the cockpit hood and access doors open without a pilot in the seat,

that way all the lovely detail that one has painstakingly added can be kept on view.

Hurricanes however don't have the starboard cockpit "door" open on the ground,that "door" is actually a releasable panel

to aid emergency exit from the cockpit.

 

Like you,one hasn't built a kit for around 40 years now,but the wife,children and grandchildren seem to be gearing one up

for the approaching retirement by purchasing the odd kit here and there that they think one will enjoy building in one's

dotage.

Don't want Dad/Grandad losing his marbles it seems once he's finished work !!!!!

 

 

[Zephyr91]

1 hour ago, Dave Wilko said:

A useful dodge when modelling any aircraft with a single span lower wing panel(Spitfire,Hurricane,Harvard,Chipmunk,etc)

is to fit the two upper panels to the wing roots first as accurately as one possibly can.

Leave them to go off for a few hours/overnight

Thankyou Dave @Dave Wilko for the kind words.    I'd picked up a vague hint about this method whilst reading around BM but not seen anything specific, so thanks for the description.  I may try it next time.....

 

As for leaving the cockpit open, I think a few more builds are needed by me to improve skills before aspiring to those heights!  But I never say never! 😉

 

As for the imminent retirement, hopefully congrats in advance, and it's nice to think the relatives are looking out for you.  I'd get that stash going without a moments hesitation!    

 

Anyway, to business.

 

Awful photo, but this was how it looked last night

 

 

....... and it worked!  again (I do like these things.  Apologies if they are too liberally sprinkled around).

 

Now looks much better.   Not perfect but much much better than it started out.  If I don't put the finished models too close together hopefully any differences won't be noticed.   Many thanks again all for the tips and advice.  Have now banked it all for future eventualities.

 

Another bonus is there are very few gaps around the wing root, the leading edge on the stbd wing root in the photo above being about the worst one.    BUT I've had a second contretemps with the liquid poly!    Slow learner!      I'm rapidly beginning to think I should use it only in emergencies and stick to the thicker tube stuff which I seem to manage better.

 

The upshot of the poly issue is that the very gently refined raised line surface detail is rapidly dissappearing on the fuselage. That's on the older - I haven't stuck the new one together yet!      Just about to do a survey and see if detail will be hidden by decals or other stuff like weathering before I try and re-instate some of it - if I can!    For which I may need more "hand holding" I'm afraid.

 

Thanks for looking

 

Rob

[Fritag]

On 1/28/2023 at 11:54 AM, Zephyr91 said:

@Fritag Mr Friday (ha, bet noone's ever said that before 🤣 ) I notice on your profile picture the business end of a Jaguar.  Not in this forum, but I would welcome a natter some time about things aeroplaney.  Jaguar was one of the projects i claim to have done a small amount of work on in Aerodynamics and would appreciate an in-service view to compare with my experience

 

Somehow, Rob I fear it’d be a disappointment to you.  It’ll be like a child (me) talking to a teacher (you).  The level of knowledge I’d bring would go something like.  So, 17 alpha service limit in air combat manoeuvring, hmm; they must have built in a safety margin so pull a bit harder.  Wing rock?  fells ok, pull a bit harder, LOTS of wing rock, aeroplane no longer going were told to go, PUSH hard; aeroplane behaving now, go home and don’t tell anyone in responsibility.  Laugh about it in the bar…

Edited January 29, 2023 by Fritag

[Troy Smith]

31 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

BUT I've had a second contretemps with the liquid poly!    Slow learner!      I'm rapidly beginning to think I should use it only in emergencies and stick to the thicker tube stuff which I seem to manage better.

How are you applying it? 

And is it just liquid poly?  as in the Humbrol?

Liquid poly is thin, but not as thin as other glues,  like Tamiya Extra Thin. 

Revell Contacta with the metal applicator tube is a good as well, the tube is quite long and good for applying a drop in the right place.

There are different liquid glues. 

 

Learning what glue to use when is not always obvious.    When doing some old Matchbox vehicle kits,  I was finding that Tamiya Extra Thin (TET) was not doing it, and some tube glue gave both grab and some wiggle time. 

But, I also found that some TET to just soften the plastic on a small join, allowed a drop of tube glue to get a better grip.

 

An old fine paint brush is often a much better than the supplied brush.   

 

You can mix liquid and tube glue to vary viscosity.   Tube glue is basically liquid glue with some added plastic to make it thicker. 

 

As mentioned by Mark @2996 Victor  you can use tiny drops of superglue/CA, put some on a surface, and pick up a drop with a toothpick or get a sewing needle, break the top of the threading eye,  and use that.

CA is very strong in traction,  so you can stick something down and not pull it up, but it's brittle, eg stick a flat head nail to a surface, you won't be able to pull it up, but a sharp blow to the side will fracture the bond.

This property can used as well,  I have done this with butt joints,  like a tailplane, tack in place, drill though location holes from inside, then you can cleanly snap off the tailplane,  and attach later using pins in the predrilled and correctly aligned holes.

 

So you can use tiny drop of CA to align, and if happy, then use the capillary action of liquid glue to finalise the bond,  dip small brush in glue, and then just touch onto the joint, capillary actions will draw it in.   This can give very neat joins.   Go easy on liquid glue, as it can soften too much, and later create ghost seams.

 

I have used those mini tubes of CA in the way you used to use tube glue, running a fine bead and than just joining parts, but you need to be sure that everything is going to fit or it can be a real mess.   If you get it right it's like being 9 again, and you can press on in a minute with construction.

 

There is no one size fits all glue, they all have their uses,  advantages and disadvantages,  just requires a bit of thought about what you are doing. 

 

HTH  

 

[Zephyr91]

25 minutes ago, Troy Smith said:

If you get it right it's like being 9 again, and you can press on in a minute with construction.

I love that thought   Wonderful.   Thanks Troy for the comprehensive tips.   I was trying to use the capillary action to seal a joint, but using the brush from the bottle (Humbrol).  I "twitched" at just the wrong moment  - I think that the much missed Peter Allis would have described it as the yips (in his case putting).  Unlike him I'm not going to let it stop my career. (Groans from the audience!)  

 

I have obviously forgotten that I could in fact decant some of the glue and use a different applicator.  But in the heat of the moment........ 

 

On with the filling and filing.....

 

cheers

 

Rob

 

 

[Zephyr91]

1 hour ago, Fritag said:

 

Somehow, Rob I fear it’d be a disappointment to you.  It’ll be like a child (me) talking to a teacher (you).  The level of knowledge I’d bring would go something like.  So, 17 alpha service limit in air combat manoeuvring, hmm; they must have built in a safety margin so pull a bit harder.  Wing rock?  fells ok, pull a bit harder, LOTS of wing rock, aeroplane no longer going were told to go, PUSH hard; aeroplane behaving now, go home and don’t tell anyone in responsibility.  Laugh about it in the bar…

I think you've got the wrong idea here about teacher/pupil.  It would work both ways  I'm sure.     I came to jaguar when it was quite late in it's life cycle.  The first time I saw the clearance documentation and release to service paperwork i was like .  How on earth does a pilot get their head around what was a wall of shelves filled with folders and diagrams showing every possible variation of fuel load and store combinations for different operating conditions ....etc.   And we still got complaints from squadrons that more flexibility was required!   I'm sure we could have simplified things if we could have talked directly to aircrew.  But not allowed    by contracts and MoD and a whole sponge of beurocracy between us and you guys.  So we had to try and cover every eventuality to the nth degree and it took time.

 

Also working on the clearances at this stage of the life cycle was complex.  Most of the guys who'd done the initial work had moved on or retired so you ended up doing a forensic search for stuff to make sure you could replicate what had been done previously and then use that as a basis for the new things (but having traceability so that you didn't create an anomoly by adopting different/inappropriate methods).   There weren't computers worth the name when these aircraft were developed.  It was mostly slide-rule and hand calc's on paper.   Head bending at times.  Example: due to its collaborative origins the units for calculations were neither Imperial nor SI units!!!   Scope for errors was immense when dealing with centimetres, slugs and minutes  - or something like, which we didn't use in daily work on other projects.  

 

I remember being involved in rapid clearance for overwing AIM-9 for use in the Gulf.   Suddenly all the barriers came down and the sponge was cut out and we got just the essential stuff done in next to no time.  Then it all came back in place adopting a peace-time approach.   Very frustrating for us and it must have been for the guys on the front line.

 

Anyway, I could drivel on, but I was keen to know what the other side of the story was.  Did you guys even think about "the paperwork" or similar other than the 17 alpha limit?   And did you even have a means of knowing what alpha you were at?   

 

cheers

 

Rob

[billn53]

I just finished dealing with a nasty wing root gap on my 1/72 Flyhawk Dauntless build, and thought I'd share my technique . . .

 

Here's the problem child:

 

 

 

I heated a spare piece of sprue over a candle and stretched it out. I then used the stretched sprue to span the gap at the wing root, gluing it in place with thin cement:

 

 

 

I applied a layer of sprue gloop (described above) along the wing root, let it dry, and sanded it smooth. Voila!

 

 

 

I doubt that you'll encounter nasty gaps like this with your current Spitfire builds, but not all kits are so cooperative.

 

- Bill

 

 

 

 

[2996 Victor]

For liquid glue, Tamiya Extra Thin is effective but I tend to use Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) with a small fine paintbrush, link here MEK

 

I decant a small quantity into a small glass jar as and when I need to. Mine was a refill container of peppercorns.

 

HTH!

 

Cheers,

Mark

[Zephyr91]

Thanks Bill and Mark.  I think I may have to use one of my stash that I'm not bothered about, and spend a few hours playing with all these techniques and different adhesives. 

 

Out of curiosity, before I started this thread, I'd had a go at trying to stretch some sprue.     I now have lots of bits of damaged sprue.   I'll get there.....

 

Don't think I've heard of MEK before, so thanks for the link.  Have to say though, keen as i am, I don't think I'll be getting the 5Litre pack

 

Just to update progress, the pic below shows the state so far (with the damaged sprue as evidence of earlier activities 🙂 )

 

 

Thanks for all the help and thanks for looking.

 

Rob

[Pete in Lincs]

MEK - DO NOT use without decent ventilation. Nasty stuff that will strip the oils from your skin and may well cause breathing problems. Take care.

 

Stretching sprue - use a lighter and just 'tickle' the sprue until it starts to melt. Then stretch very slowly and keep taut or it will curl up.

 

Small gaps, especially next to clear parts, can be filled with white glue (Elmers). Wipe off excess with a wet finger. It may well shrink (The glue. Not the finger).

Another good thing is typists correction fluid. The white stuff) It can be sanded when dry. Try Home Bargains stationery aisle.

[billn53]

1 hour ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Another good thing is typists correction fluid. The white stuff) It can be sanded when dry. 

 

Great stuff. I used it on my second build after returning to the hobby (Trumpeter's 1/72 F-105D Thunderchief) to fill in the multitude of over-the-top rivet holes on the kit:

 

Apply the correction fluid and let it dry (just takes a few  seconds)

 

 

Wipe off the excess with a cloth that has been dampened with isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

 

That's all there is to it! Very quick, and easier than using putty.

 

 

 

 

 

I've also used it to fill in unwanted panel lines, and to fix the mistakes I always make when I dare to do scribing!

[Troy Smith]

29 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

Don't think I've heard of MEK before

Used to be sold as MEK PAK.  

it's one of the main parts of TET,  someone posted the safety data sheet, IIRC for the quick drying TET, it was 40% MEK, 40% Ethyl Acetate, 20% acetone.

I recently bought a lire off MEK off ebay for £12 shipped, as I know MEK works.   It's very volatile, note Pets's comments about good ventilation,  and also very thin. 

Someone on here dissolved clear sprue in it  to make their own 'tube cement'  

 

I put some into my empty TET jar.   

14 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

MEK - DO NOT use without decent ventilation.

Same with TET and other liquid glues, note the ingredients list for TET.    

32 minutes ago, Zephyr91 said:

Out of curiosity, before I started this thread, I'd had a go at trying to stretch some sprue.     I now have lots of bits of damaged sprue.   I'll get there.....

easier with a candle.   hold say an inch above the flame, rotate between fingers,  when the plastic starts to get shiny and sag a bit, remove from flame and pull slowly. 

the speed of pull and type of plastic will affect how thin or thick the stretch is. 

there are various videos on youtube

eg

https://youtu.be/jl9F10fp-go?t=46

 

its easy as soon as you have the knack.   And it's not like you have a shortage of the base material. 

 

The build which use stretch sprue and the sprue goo,   I'd say for an even gap, try a strip of plastic card, and then trim down.  

 

One of the things I  wish i'd know when I was younger regarding modelling was taking a holistic view of the process,  an example would be test fitting and adjusting an integral canopy early in the build, so it will fit easily later, and seeing if breakable bits can be fitted later,  now I  search up and see if there are tips and tricks on builds.

 

]Your two builds are a good compare and contrast, the 70's Airfix will have less accurate fit than a modern took kit like the new Airfix Spitfire. Sounds great, but the new kits can fit so precisely that a missed sprue nib, mould line or even a coat of paint can affect fit,  in the new too Spitfire this can mean the seat and instrument panel bulkhead can not recess fully, and the fuselage not close up. 

 

Inevitably there are some inattentive modellers, or old ones who don't know this, who then blame the kit.    

 

To be fair, the pictographic instructions don't spell out how crucial an early step can be,  or the consequences of small cumulative errors. 

The new tool Airfix Hurricanes require that the wheel parts are very exactly aligned,  this can be done by using the upper/lower wing parts taped together as a jig to hold a part in the right place,  and very careful use of liquid glue.

Get it wrong and 10 steps down the line the wing won't fit the fuselage and it's a mess...  

 

There is also the art of minimising filling.   

 

Test fit, trim and shim as needed, look for potential problems and how to eliminate or lessen them.  

 

I post this thread up frequently as it's really elegant in the analysis and resolution of various problems, that could easily turn the kit into a mess and slog of filling and attempts at restoring lost detail.

 

Common complaint,  "the 1/48th Eduard Bf110 kit cowling are a poor fit" 

And here's  a write up of how to avoid this and other problems

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235077259-a-twin-that-did-not-get-away-eduard-148-bf-110c-finished/#elControls_3789423_menu

 

and some of the following posts.    This is quite a complex example,   but you can see how this careful preparation pays dividends, and how not doing this would lead to "it doesn't fit and it's crap"

 

cheers

T

 

 

 

[Zephyr91]

@Pete in Lincs and @billn53 thanks for those tips.  This thread is becoming a great "how to do it" for everyone - clearly particularly for me.  

 

And Troy @Troy Smith, many thanks again.  You are a positive mine of information sir.  I like to think I followed advice about the newer kit cockpit - it seemed to go together without much fuss.  I'm aware it's been mentioned in several threads. It appears that I only have some minor work to do on the seams, and the wings retain their dihedral when dry fitted - which augurs well. 

 

I feel the work has evolved now into  "do a bit on the old one, learn, then apply it to the newer one if possible". 

 

One thing I've found very useful.  I have various needle files and sanding sticks but had been using some wet n dry (without the wet) in an attempt to get at some awkward corners.   I recalled from reading several months ago a tip that suggested using a defunct paint brush handle with some wet n dry  stuck on the end.   This definitely works for me!     Unfortuantely I can't remember in which thread I came across it in order to give credit to the originator.  But whoever it was, thanks.

 

Must get some sleep.   Thanks for all the help.

 

cheers

 

Rob

[billn53]

I like foam-backed sanding pads (like the ones HTH posted above). They can be cut to fit whatever the job is . . . I often cut them at an angle across the thickness, so the side with the abrasive is along the "point" of my cut (does that make sense?). This lets me get into some very tight spots.

[Zephyr91]

Good morning.  A wild and windy one today near the coast.  Perfect excuse for staying in and progressing the modelling.  Apologies if there was a sense of discontinuity, but some chores needed doing.  I was also embroiled in what to me seem to be the dark arts of filing and sanding!

 

So I didn't want to bore people with that.  But I have learnt some things

 

1. I was being too tentative with the filing on the fuselage seams.  I was scared of removing detail.  Need to do it more confidently - I'd got to a stage where I thought it looked ok, but when I tried a little paint on it it looked like nothing had been done.  So take paint off and start again.  Did that twice before I got anywhere near - and i still not dare photo the area close up!!

 

2. Part of that was also finding I had problems with filler.  I had been using the Vallejo plastic putty.  Seemed to go on ok, and could finish off with a wet digit (as per @Pete in Lincs above) until it looked right and with not much residue where it shouldn't be!  Great.   But try as I might I couldn't help pulling bits off with even the most gentle of sanding.  I tried it a couple of times making sure that I'd let it properly dry before touching it.    SO! I thought of using @Troy Smith recomm of CA + talc.  But didn't have much CA and strangely, no talc in the house.  It was also too much for correcting fluid @billn53 - which I also didn't have to hand.  So the easiest was to try Sprue Goo.   Love it!!    I seemed to be able to apply it where i wanted and when it dries it sands the same way as the model.    But I will try the CA+talc another time.

 

3. Painting - I was so keen to get the first splashes on that I forgot to thin it and used straight from the tin.   Clot! Which is what some of the older paint looked like    but hey, that's what thinners are for - to remove it and start again.

 

So this is how things are at the mo.  

 

 

I use brushes.  I have neither the space nor perhaps the will to use an airbrush (cleaning, masking everything, cleanimg , assembly, dis-assembly etcc) despite the obviously fantastic finishes people seem to be able to achieve.   Maybe in the future if I ever manage to establish a modelling room - currently working on the kitchen table!!  🙄

 

Anyway, I tried some brand new Colourcoats DE.  Need another coat at least, but I like it.  But also started on the under side of GRoU.  They are beginning to feel like aeroplanes now, whoopee!   My old tin of Humbrol silver was far too bright - when used on the wheel hubs it looks like chrome plating.  Brill if I wanted that but it's far too brash.  So I got some new Humbrol 56 Aluminium and you can see the results on the nose, fuse and tailplane.      Looks a bit dark to me.  In digging around for pics (and again this BM forum is amazing) the only similar schemes I can find seems to be somewhat lighter.  Any thoughts?

 

I've also masked some key edges and started on the white.   I have 2 coats on there but it needs more to be "solid".

 

Thanks for looking

 

Rob

[Dunny]

1 hour ago, Zephyr91 said:

 

I've also masked some key edges and started on the white.   I have 2 coats on there but it needs more to be "solid".

Rob,

 

I shall just @bigbadbadge here. Chris is the acknowledged master of the hairy stick and I'm sure will be happy to impart some tricks,

 

Cheers,

 

Roger