Cklasse Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 (edited) It has been in the stash for more than a year (actually, I don’t have a lot of kits in my stash). After deliberating what livery should I use for the twin otter and given the ones that are available in the market, I have finally decided that I shall build it with the “FlyBe” livery and set it in a sandy beach scene. Saw the decal in 26decals but they don’t deliver to Singapore! I was puzzled by this when they can deliver to some places in big Africa but not a modern city at the cross road between Asia and Europe. An email and begging Ray from 26 decals sorted out this shipment. Ray was kind to ship to Singapore citing the reason for not doing so was bad experience of non delivery. So, the decal finally arrived and It got me itching to start another in progress build although I have a few in the midst of building or waiting. The kit details are quite nice but shows a lot of flash. I understand from this forum that the front windscreen and door pillar need some modifications and I am not prepared to pay for a resin replacement part. The plan now is to mod the pillar with good old cut, sand, fill and whatever it takes to make the looks. I want to open the cabin door, so I would need to build the interior too. Hopefully I can find some passenger figures for this. Any recommendations would be helpful. I shall start tonight. Edited May 25, 2023 by Cklasse 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 Looking back to the time when I was still a student, my build kits are fighter planes and helicopters. Fast forward to now since I restarted last year, I have been building planes that sit more than 2 people. No fighter jets, only Atlantic, Lancaster, B747 and now the twin otter. Can this be a sign of old age? I wonder ?💭 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 So I don’t get a floor for the cabin. It means I have to build my floor, walls, ceiling and seats for the cabin. Cabin door cut and the front pillar marked. I will have to figure how to make a new windscreen after the cut to reduce the pillar thickness. The fuselage lines are raised. Following my recent Lancaster build, I am motivated to remove all the raised lines and scribe rivets on the fuselage. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEXANTOMCAT Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 Looking good! If you make a buck from the old one and extend it a bit you can plunge mould your own - I'm an idiot and I can do it - make a platten with coffee stirrers and bulldog clips and hold it over a toaster then plunge the buck through some PETG acetate. I managed a rear blown canopy for a Buchon and this is pretty straightforward by comparison - then trim to fit with nail scissors, glue with gorilla grip, fair in with PPP if you need to or a smear of PVA to seal it round - sorted! Good luck TT 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 Seem complicated to me but I will try. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psdavidson Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 Oooh, nice. Watch out for the landing gear, it's very weak /P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 26, 2023 Author Share Posted May 26, 2023 7 hours ago, psdavidson said: Oooh, nice. Watch out for the landing gear, it's very weak /P Yup. I am exploring reinforcing the landing gear with a steel rod for strength. The fun part of building planes that sit more than 2 people is the opportunity to modify or detail parts. Example like my Atlantic. Unfortunately I have stopped building until I can get a display space. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 26, 2023 Author Share Posted May 26, 2023 There are lots of pictures of the twin otter but very few close up of the exterior. With the limited examples, I can only put in the rivets to make the fuselage visually good. Started the build for the interior too and the seats are going to be a big challenge. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 28, 2023 Author Share Posted May 28, 2023 (edited) Completed “riveting” port side of fuselage. Made a floor and one side wall, the wall will act as a support to prevent the windows from getting pop into the fuselage too. The cockpit seemed to be too low, so it was raised slightly. I shall wait for my “pilots” to arrive to verify. The windscreen frame was filed thinner to look more like the real plane. Edited May 28, 2023 by Cklasse 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted May 30, 2023 Author Share Posted May 30, 2023 Painted the floor. I shall fix the windows and finish up the interior next week. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 4, 2023 Author Share Posted June 4, 2023 Went on a short road trip to Malaysia, now back to the otter. I am a sucker for rivets after my Lancaster build and I think I have put enough on the twin otter. This will be another trial on the painting. I shall paint the white on the dark rivets and hopefully the rivets will show up faintly. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 6, 2023 Author Share Posted June 6, 2023 (edited) Cut a notch at the leading edge for the landing light but I still have no idea how to fill that void with something transparent. Cabin wall is painted and fixed. This will help to hold back the windows. I realized it’s going to be tedious after cutting a few seats. There are a total of 19 seats! And I have yet to make the seat frames. Looks like I can’t cheat too much on the scratch building since the cabin can be seen through the cockpit windscreen. Edited June 6, 2023 by Cklasse 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 Landing light; trim and glue in a piece of clear sprue. Trim it so it fits the curve but leave it oversize beyond the leading edge. When the glue is set good carefully trim and file the clear piece to the shape of the leading edge. Finish off with smooth grades of grit paper and finally a coat or two of gloss varnish 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 On 06/06/2023 at 09:08, Black Knight said: Landing light; trim and glue in a piece of clear sprue. Trim it so it fits the curve but leave it oversize beyond the leading edge. When the glue is set good carefully trim and file the clear piece to the shape of the leading edge. Finish off with smooth grades of grit paper and finally a coat or two of gloss varnish Let me try out. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 9, 2023 Author Share Posted June 9, 2023 I got lazy after a few seats and cheated. Made the double seater in a single piece, faster and easier. Still many to go….. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 12, 2023 Author Share Posted June 12, 2023 One double seat installed, many more to go. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hook Posted June 12, 2023 Share Posted June 12, 2023 Nice chair production line going on there! Cheers, Andre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 19, 2023 Author Share Posted June 19, 2023 Back from a short holiday in Indonesia. Managed to put up some seats, a few more to go. I can’t wait to close the fuselage. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 27, 2023 Author Share Posted June 27, 2023 (edited) I am calling it done for the cabin seats. Added some PE belts for the back row seats that will be visible through the opened door. The control column of the kit is too high and big. The frame was trimmed and cut to be lower than the Instrument panel. I fabricated a dashboard for the kit IP. I will have to patiently wait for my pilot and pickup truck to arrive from Poland before the fuselage can be closed. Meanwhile, attention is given to the engines on the wings. The fitting is pretty bad with gaps, some filling and sanding is required. Edited June 27, 2023 by Cklasse 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted June 29, 2023 Author Share Posted June 29, 2023 Sanded the filled gaps at the engine cowlings and realized I need to put every part of the engine together to address the gaps of the ill fitting parts. Cut the propellers to feather them and I think they are too thick and badly moulded. May have to scratch build the propellers and the fence on the wings. They are thick too. I just cannot accept the cross section of the propellers do not have an airfoil shape although this is 1/72 scale. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted July 2, 2023 Author Share Posted July 2, 2023 The pilots and ground crews finally reported for work, with their pickup truck. The Barra Airport has a red extended cab pickup, so I hope to modify the pickup to at least look as close to it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 Staying at home nursing a sore throat and runny nose. Woke up in the morning to a quiet home, alone. Is this what retirement looks like? I am still 10 years away from retirement but I hope to cut short with a lottery win. Fortunately, I have these 2 guys to keep me company and I am glad I have this hobby. Painting the pilots and looks like I can close the fuselage this week. Maybe I will paint one pilot with grey hair…… 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natter Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 You're a ways down the road on this one, but I can highly recommend the Otter detailing parts available from Aerocraft Models. I used them on my build and they make a significant difference to the final appearance of the model, and the brass undercarriage overcomes the problem of the weak kit undercarriage. https://aerocraftmodels.bigcartel.com/category/1-72nd?page=3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heloman1 Posted July 4, 2023 Share Posted July 4, 2023 Neat build, I like the cabin detail and the riveting. Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cklasse Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 I found an easy way to produce a clear lens cover for the wing leading edge landing lights, if it is not too big. Tried various methods; super glue, transparent sprue and finally clear coat. Used AK Gauzy glass coat for canopies. I build up layer by layer, then sand and polished to achieve a see through lens cover for the landing lights. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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